“I was hoping Sabrina might instruct me in the methods of the flying magic carpet. I find it most curious but did not want to get in the way of the soldiers. Now that they are gone I would be grateful for a lesson.”
Sabrina nodded and looked at her marionette. “For you, anything. You chose not to paint this thing green so you’ve got a friend forever.” She flashed Puck an angry look. The Trickster King laughed at her and manipulated his marionette so it bent down and stuck its rump at her.
“Look at all these doors!” Pinocchio cried as he and Sabrina soared through the Hall of Wonders aboard Aladdin’s carpet. “How many do you think there are?”
“I’m not sure,” Sabrina said. “My grandmother said there were hundreds but she wasn’t sure herself.”
“What do you suppose is in all of them?”
Sabrina shrugged. “For the most part … trouble.”
“It must be fascinating to have the keys at your leisure,” the boy said. “I have to admit I’m quite envious of the freedoms and responsibilities your family has granted you. I have found myself held back at nearly every turn. It can be quite perplexing.”
Sabrina laughed. “You’ve got one big vocabulary there.”
Pinocchio blushed. “I’ve picked up a few words here and there.”
Sabrina could see she had embarrassed the boy and she apologized. It was clear that he wanted to speak further, but he was so odd he made her uncomfortable. She decided to focus on the lesson and try to avoid any conversation. The boy was a good pupil. He took to the carpet very well and within minutes he had reached a comfort and control that surpassed Sabrina’s. It wasn’t long before she realized there was nothing more she could teach him. He seemed to have sensed it, too, and he returned to his angry rant.
“Being so young in appearance has been nothing short of frustrating,” the boy said. “You must be able to understand. Adults presume that since you look like a child you have the interests of a child, or worse, need to be protected like one. Father forbade me from learning to operate this carpet. It was only after much begging that he agreed to let me take a ride with you.”
“Well, adults are good at making rules, but I guess it’s usually to keep kids safe,” Sabrina said.
Pinocchio scowled. “Well, I am not exactly a child. I’m nearly two hundred and fifty years old. At least my mind is! I have the interests of a full-grown man. I have a passion for art and music, culture, and politics. Besides this stupid, childish form I am an adult in every way!”
The rug seemed to sense his anger and it dipped and flipped, crashing to the ground and sending the children skidding across the floor. Aside from a bump on the head, Sabrina was uninjured. Pinocchio seemed fine as well.
“The carpet likes its driver to be calm,” Sabrina explained.
Pinocchio blushed again. “I apologize.”
Sabrina shrugged. “I get plenty mad sometimes. Don’t worry about it.”
She crossed the hall to fetch the rug, which had slid against one of the many doors. This one was not unlike the one on the front of Granny’s house: It was red with a stone set into the wood. The stone had a hand carved into it. On the floor below was a woven mat with the word “Welcome.” Once she had the rug in her hand she looked at the brass plaque on the door to find out what was inside, but unlike all the other doors in the hall, there was nothing inscribed on it.
“That’s odd,” Sabrina said.
“What’s odd?” Pinocchio said.
“There’s nothing to tell you what’s in this room,” Sabrina said as she studied the door. “And there’s no hole for a key.”
Pinocchio didn’t seem interested. “Perhaps we should get back to the fort. Is it too much to ask that we walk?”
Sabrina rubbed the bump on her head gingerly. “Sure.”
One step into the real world and Sabrina’s throat was filled with smoke. Pained cries of the wounded came from every direction. Dozens of Everafters were being carried into the fort on stretchers. The soldiers had returned.
“What happened?” she asked, but the soldiers were either too busy or too exhausted to explain. They rushed past her, jostling her amongst their ranks like a pinball.
“Close the gates!” Charming shouted when everyone was inside. The guards quickly slammed the immense doors and braced them tightly with a bar as big as a tree. The prince commanded everyone to take a position around the fort wall in case the Hand had followed them from the battle.
“What happened, William?” Granny Relda asked as soon as she could reach him.
Charming scowled. “They knew we were coming. They were ready and they beat us badly. I have no idea how many are wounded or dead.”
“That can’t be!” Daphne cried. “How could they know?”
“It can be and it is,” Uncle Jake said, his face full of disgust. “Nottingham and his thugs were on us the second we arrived. They seemed to understand our whole strategy and countered it at every move. If I didn’t know better I would think Nottingham had been part of the planning.”