Henry and Veronica had a long talk as they walked about the fort. When they came back they were hand in hand and the bitterness between them had vanished. They looked the way Sabrina had always remembered them.
Daphne, Puck, and Elvis played a game in which they tossed an old pie tin through the air to see who could catch it in their teeth first—the big dog or Puck. Pinocchio was invited to join them but he refused, claiming he was not interested in baby games. Instead he wandered from one adult to the next, eager to start a conversation about art or science or chess. Sabrina felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew what it was like to be treated like a child. Pinocchio was only a child in form, but few seemed to notice.
The day slowly ticked by, and by evening everyone was nearly dying for news. They sat together in the mess tent picking through beef stew and cornbread.
Red Riding Hood and Mr. Canis entered. It was clear from Red’s puffy face and tear-soaked cheeks that she had had another startling revelation.
“I remember something about the Master. His face is so strong. His eyes are so tiny and black, but there’s another face.”
“What do you mean?” Sabrina said, her curiosity piqued.
“That’s all she’s remembered,” Mr. Canis said. “I think we’re going to stop for the evening. The toll on the child is too much.”
Granny took the little girl in her arms and hugged her. “You are so brave.”
“I’m trying.” Red sighed.
Just then, a guard rushed into the tent. “The soldiers! They’re back!”
Everyone rushed into the courtyard just as the massive fort doors swung open. A stream of soldiers stomped in, cheering, singing, and carrying Prince Charming on their shoulders.
“We destroyed the marina,” Snow White said as she approached the Grimms. “We took them completely by surprise. The Hand won’t be getting any help by boat anymore.” She was suddenly lifted onto the shoulders of a troll and paraded through the fort like her former fiancé.
“The marina!?” Henry exclaimed. “I heard your plan. You were going to attack the sheriff’s office!”
“That’s what the prince told us all but he had a completely different plan in mind,” Rip Van Winkle crowed. “The man is a genius.”
Goldilocks pushed through the crowd with the help of her bears. She found Charming and called for his attention.
“Well?” he said.
Goldilocks nodded. “Your suspicions were correct. The Scarlet Hand was waiting at the sheriff’s office in full force.”
“William, we’re confused,” Granny Relda said.
“Well, Mrs. Grimm, we have good news and bad news. The good news is we just cut off a very important supply line for the Master. The bad news is that we have a traitor within our ranks. Someone in this fort fed our battle plans to the Scarlet Hand. I knew there was no way anyone could have been ready for our last attack. To prove my suspicions I conceived a bogus mission and switched to my real plan at the last minute.”
“I was at Nottingham’s office. The entire Scarlet Hand army was there waiting for us,” Goldilocks said. “If we had gone we probably wouldn’t have come back.”
“So you went to the marina to finish the original plan!” Daphne cried. “Gravy!”
“They never saw us coming,” Charming said, puffing out his chest proudly. “Now all we have to do is figure out who our spy is.”
Snow stepped forward. “Worry about it tomorrow. These people need to celebrate.”
Charming grinned and turned to his soldiers. “We gave it to the Master, didn’t we?”
The crowd roared.
“Have a little fun, people. You deserve it!” he cried.
Tables were conjured, candles were lit, and wine flowed into every cup. There was dancing and singing, and soldiers told battle stories with details that grew more exaggerated with each telling. Sabrina spotted Morgan le Fay and Mr. Seven dancing beside a supply tent. He was standing on a chair so the two were cheek to cheek. The distraught, broken army that had marched out of the fort that morning was now confident and proud. Still, Charming’s concern over the saboteur was weighing heavily on Sabrina.
“I wonder what the saboteur has planned for us tonight,” she said.
Granny shook her head. “It’s a terrible shame that someone would turn on their own people.”
“It could be anyone,” Daphne said.
“And there are so many Everafters in the camp. I don’t know most of them,” Henry added.
Everyone took a moment to look at the huge crowd of Everafters drinking, eating, and dancing.
“Did anyone find any clues?” Sabrina asked.
Henry shook his head. “I searched the armory this morning and found just as much as you did. Nothing.”
Sabrina nodded, then remembered the little wooden object she had found in the dark room. She reached into her pocket. “All I found was this thing. It nearly killed me.”
She took it from her pocket and set it on the table. All eyes turned to it and everyone grew quiet. Sabrina was so surprised she could barely speak.
“It’s a little leg,” Granny said.