“But you’ve been asleep for almost two years. Do you think something’s wrong with the baby?” Sabrina asked her mother.
“We don’t know,” Nurse Sprat said. “I don’t have a lot of experience with sleeping spells, but I know that being put under one is not the ideal way to grow a baby. All we can hope is that the baby slept as well. Most of the victims of these spells report that they didn’t age a day while they slept. Briar Rose, God rest her soul, was asleep for a hundred years and she didn’t age a day. But she was an Everafter, of course.”
Veronica nodded. “Girls, this has to be our secret, OK? If something is wrong I don’t want your father to know. He’s already blaming all the world’s problems on Everafters. If he found out we lost our child because of one he might do something rash.”
“Like fight a dozen hobgoblins at once,” Sabrina said.
“Exactly,” Veronica said with a sigh. “He’s dead set on escaping this town. I don’t need him dragging us through the woods again.”
“I won’t say a word,” Sabrina said.
“You can trust us,” Daphne added, pretending to lock her lips with an imaginary key she then tossed behind her shoulder.
“So, Mrs. Sprat,” Veronica said, turning back to the nurse. “How can we find out if my baby is OK?”
“Well, unfortunately I don’t have all the fancy machines like the hospital, but I did manage to grab some essential supplies before the Hand burned it down. I have a simple test that will tell us for sure. All I need is a blood sample.”
Sabrina’s mother rolled up her sleeve as Nurse Sprat prepared a needle. She wiped Veronica’s arm with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball and pierced the vein at the crease of her arm. The crimson blood slowly filled the vial. When the nurse had what she needed, she removed the needle and applied a bandage to the wound.
“I’ll have some news in three days,” the nurse said, removing the vial of blood from the plunger and carefully labeling it with Veronica’s name. “In the meantime, take it easy. Get some rest and stay off your feet. And let me know if you get a craving for pickles and ice cream.”
Sabrina followed her mother and sister out of the medical tent. She felt like she had a million happy questions to ask but also knew that her mother was nervous and didn’t want to discuss the baby. Daphne was so happy she was skipping across the courtyard, but her silence told Sabrina she must have come to the same conclusion.
“Girls, come here,” Veronica said, pulling Sabrina and Daphne close to her. The three Grimm women hugged tightly.
“Mom, look,” Daphne said. Sabrina turned to see where her sister was pointing. There, lying next to the fresh grave of Briar Rose, was Uncle Jake. He was sleeping with one of the roses resting on his chest.
Veronica frowned. “He really loved her.”
Sabrina nodded. “The way you and Dad love each other.”
Just then, Red Riding Hood came rushing out of Mr. Canis’s cabin with the old man hobbling behind her. The little girl looked terrified and was sobbing uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong?” Veronica said, swooping the girl into her arms.
“We’ve had a breakthrough,” Mr. Canis said.
“He’s everywhere,” Red cried. “He can see us wherever we are.”
“Who are you talking about?” Daphne asked.
“The Master. I remembered him!”
“You know who he is?” Sabrina asked hopefully.
“No! Just his eyes! I saw his eyes. They were everywhere I went, watching me.”
Red buried her face into Veronica’s shirt and sobbed.
At that moment there was a terrible explosion. Sabrina turned to find the newly built water tower on fire and in the process of toppling over. It slammed into the ground and cracked open like a cantaloupe, spilling hundreds of gallons of water into the courtyard. Everyone was swept away by the flood and dragged nearly to the other end of the fort before they regained control of themselves. Sabrina scampered to her feet and was about to help her family and friends do the same when she saw a figure dart away from the water tower. It was too dark to identify him, but she saw where he went.
“I’ll be right back,” Daphne said, racing after the saboteur.
“Daphne, no!” Veronica cried, but the little girl ignored her.
“I’ll get her,” Sabrina said, rushing into the shadows after her sister. The fort was not well lit, especially after the explosion, and for much of the chase Sabrina was running in total darkness. She listened for Daphne’s footsteps, racing around a corner at the far end of the wall, and then backtracked beside the medical tent and along the obstacle course. Sabrina lost her in the maze of equipment, but when she heard Daphne shouting she turned toward the noise and ran. She found her sister standing before the high fort wall with her hands on her hips.
“Where is he?” Sabrina asked.