“Get those suitcases packed, girls,” he ordered.
Sabrina was a bit surprised by her father’s tone. She remembered him being so easygoing and happy. Still, the girls did as they were told, even Daphne, and with their mother’s help they brought everything they owned downstairs and left it near the front door. Granny Relda and Uncle Jake were waiting for them. Henry was looking over a series of phone numbers he had scrawled on a piece of paper. Puck was lounging on the couch using his belly as a conga drum. Red Riding Hood was sitting in a dark corner. The three bears were sitting at the dining room table munching on a huge watermelon. Goldilocks was busy rearranging the rest of the bookshelves, and Elvis was lying on the floor, head resting on his paws, and moaning sadly.
“Where are we going to go?” Veronica asked her husband.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Henry said, ignoring her question. “Can someone give us a ride to the train station or should I call a taxi?”
“Henry, be reasonable. You can stay here,” Granny Relda pleaded.
Henry shook his head. “Mom, I can’t.”
Granny extended her arms for a hug. The girls rushed to the old woman and hugged her with all their might. “Lieblings, my heart will be empty until I see you again. Look after yourselves and remember you need one another. Try not to fight. You make a great team when you put your heads together.”
Daphne leaned down and kissed Elvis on the snout. He barked.
“He says he’ll miss you,” Goldilocks explained.
Puck stopped his drumming for a brief moment and grinned at Sabrina. “I hear they have a lot of plastic surgeons in New York City. If I were you I’d make an appointment for that face as soon as you get there,” he quipped.
Sabrina scowled and shook a fist at him. “Keep it up, stinkpot, and you’re going to need a plastic surgeon yourself.”
Puck winked. “No need to get all mushy on me, Grimm.”
Henry snatched up the girls’ suitcases and stepped out the door. They followed but were quickly halted in their tracks. Sabrina was shocked to find the entire house surrounded by people—well, people didn’t exactly describe them all. Scattered through the crowd were Cyclops, ogres, stone golems, witches, warlocks, toy soldiers, an enormous walking nutcracker, and trolls. At the front of the crowd was Mayor Heart, also known as the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She had squeezed herself into a gaudy red dress decorated with black silk hearts. Her hair was stacked into a three-foot beehive and her makeup looked as if it had been applied by an agitated beaver. In her hand was her ever-present electronic megaphone. Standing next to her was a sour-looking man with long black hair and a goatee. The Sheriff of Nottingham, as he was known, was dressed from head to toe in leather, complete with boots, cape, and gloves. A vicious serpentine dagger hung at his waist and a grotesque purple scar ran from the tip of his eye to the corner of his mouth. He looked particularly ugly, perhaps from the frozen snarl on his face or maybe from the frightening mark on his chest: a bloodred handprint. The mark was emblazoned on the chests of the entire crowd.
“Well, as I live and breathe, it’s Henry Grimm,” the mayor cackled. “How was your nap?”
“Queen, I’m taking my girls and we’re leaving town. We aren’t looking for any trouble,” Henry said.
The queen lifted her megaphone to her mouth. “Well, Henry, it appears trouble came looking for you.”
Granny pushed her way onto the porch. “Now you listen to me—”
“NO!” the mayor bellowed, causing the megaphone to emit a migraine-inducing feedback whine. “You listen to me, Relda. You and your brood aren’t going anywhere until you tell us what the Master wants to know.”
“What are you talking about?” Uncle Jake said as he stepped onto the porch.
“Tell us the location of the traitors, Grimm. Prince Charming and the Big Bad Wolf. We know they have fled into the forest together, along with Robin Hood and his Merry Men. We want to bring them before the Master so they can face justice.”
“Like that’s going to happen,” Daphne snarled.
Nottingham armed a crossbow with a silver arrow and hefted it onto his shoulder. He aimed it at the family. “Tell us where their camp is and your family will live through the day. As for tomorrow, well—no promises.”
Uncle Jake stepped in front of his mother. “Sheriff, every time I turn around your stupid little group is making threats and every time we make you look like fools. Why don’t you save yourself the humiliation and take your band of silly, washed-up misfits and get off our lawn before I—”