Henry continued. “We didn’t take magic seriously. Jake and I saw it as a little game. There didn’t seem to be any consequences. Well, there are consequences, Sabrina, and they can be deadly.”
Sabrina knew the story of Basil Grimm’s death well. When her father and uncle had almost been men, Uncle Jake had found a way to temporarily shut off the magical barrier that surrounded the town. Once it was down, Henry’s girlfriend, Goldilocks, would be free. Unfortunately, the spell also shut down a special prison intended for several very dangerous Everafters, including Red Riding Hood and a creature known as the Jabberwocky. The monster was a hulking, lizardlike creature with hundreds of teeth. Once it was free it killed her grandfather and changed his sons forever. Both boys left town and went their separate ways. The tragedy also ended her father’s relationship with Goldilocks.
“Dad, that was an accident,” Sabrina said.
“We’re supposed to learn from accidents, Sabrina. We’re not supposed to go around repeating them over and over again. That’s why I don’t want you and your sister fooling around with that stuff. It’s why I need to get us out of this town as fast as I can.”
“So what you want us learn from your mistakes is to avoid trouble? Even if you can help you should run the other way?”
“Yes!” he said, then paused. “No. I don’t know. I’m confused. You know, someone doesn’t come and give you all the answers the day you have a kid.”
“Would Grandpa Basil run?”
Henry was quiet. He flipped through the photo album and stopped on a picture of his father. He was standing in the front yard of the house with an ax in his hand.
“Dad, Daphne and I take magic very seriously. I learned the hard way. I can’t go near most of the stuff, but Daphne—sure, she gets excited when she gets to use it, but it’s not a game to her. She respects it, Dad. And she’s really good with it. She’s better than Uncle Jake. Every once in awhile something’s going to happen that we couldn’t have predicted, but that’s not magic. That’s life. If we don’t teach the Everafters how to fight they will not win this war. And we need them to win it, Dad. If we want a happy ending we have to show them how to win it.”
Henry stared at his daughter for a long moment. “When did you get so smart?”
Sabrina shrugged. “I think I inherited it from you. Plus, I’ve got a good friend who gives amazing advice.”
Henry pulled Sabrina up off the bed and hugged her.
“OK, new rules,” he said. “I’ll get used to the fact that my daughters are tougher and smarter than I am—”
“And older than you think they are,” Sabrina interrupted. “You’re driving Daphne nuts when you call her a baby. She’s very sensitive about it.”
“OK, I’ll do all those things if you promise to still love me, no matter how obnoxious I am. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Oh, and stop arguing with Mom. It’s getting boring.”
Henry laughed. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Sabrina. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I’m sure I inherited that from Mom,” she said.
“Do you have your keys with you?”
Sabrina pulled the huge key ring from her pocket. “Yeah, why?”
“I think there are a few other items this army could use.”
She followed her father back into the Hall of Wonders and then from room to room, collecting a variety of magical objects. Sabrina had seen some of them, including the wicked witch’s golden helmet that could summon an army of flying monkeys, but there were more she had never seen. One of them was a small metal object he explained was a magnifying projector. Henry said it had been brought from Oz and could make small Everafters bigger. He said that someone named H.M. Wogglebug was an example, but Sabrina didn’t know who he was talking about. They also snatched a small vial labeled “The Powder of Life.” Henry said it was responsible for bringing the Sawhorse and Jack Pumpkinhead to life and that it might be used to construct more members for the army. It was exciting to hear her father explain things. She had once thought of him as lovable but dull—a normal dad—but now he was thrilling.
Even though her mind had been calmed by her conversations with Mirror and her father, Sabrina slept uneasily. For one, there was a tingling sensation at the base of her spine that she was certain indicated a long monkey tail was coming soon. Also, she was sure that Puck would launch another attack and she feared how the boy would top flying-horse cacabombs. Sometime during the night she sensed someone standing over her and she leaped to her feet, kicking and punching, positive Puck was about to unleash something disgusting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Puck. It was Uncle Jake.
“You really like your sleep,” her uncle said, nursing a red mark on his right cheek.
“I’m sorry!” she cried.
“Wake your sister. We have a mystery to solve.”