A gasp went through the crowd.
"That's not exactly what happened," Charming said, smiling with gritted teeth. "So you didn't deputize the Grimms?"
"Well, yes I did," the mayor said, as another gasp ran through the audience. "We were having an emergency. Rumpelstiltskin was going to… he built tunnels… the Grimms have special talents…" Charming was obviously rattled.
"So, now the only people who can solve Everafter problems are humans? You heard it yourself, folks. Your elected leader thinks that we can't govern ourselves, that we need help from humans, and not just any humans," the queen raged, "but the family that is responsible for our imprisonment!" She turned and pointed an ugly finger right at Granny Relda and the girls, "The Grimms!"
Sabrina gasped. Never had she had so much rage aimed at her and her family. She'd gotten used to knowing that most people in the town disliked them, but the queen's anger was rabid, and worse, it was infecting the crowd. Everywhere she looked furious eyes stared back at them. Instinctively, Sabrina stepped forward, putting herself between the crowd and her family.
"Mrs. Heart, I won't have you stand up here and tell this crowd that I'm a fan of the Grimms," Charming said. "No one despises that family more than I do!"
"Hey!" Daphne shouted. "We can hear you, ya know!"
The queen continued to rant. "Who knows how much influence Relda and her brood have over the mayor's office? Are they making our laws, too? I think it's time for a change. I think it's time for a new vision. We don't need a person who squanders the community's money and betrays its citizens by dealing with the Grimms. I for one have had enough!"
The words were so hateful that Sabrina jumped back in shock. Even Granny looked stunned by their ferocity.
"Today I'm announcing my candidacy for mayor of Ferryport Landing!" the Queen of Hearts declared. "And let me introduce you to the man who will become Ferryport Landing's new sheriff once I'm elected. He's a man of integrity--a man with centuries of experience--a man with a legitimate and respected career in law enforcement. Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce you to Sheriff Nottingham!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a handlebar mustache and long curly, black hair climbed to the stage. Despite a profound limp in his right leg, he was all aggression, from the deadly sneer on his lips to the long scar on his cheek to the clenched fists at his side. He looked at the crowd, unable at first to hide his disgust with all of them, and then forced an insincere smile to his face.
Several people cheered. "Maybe we should go," Granny Relda said to the girls.
"I agree," someone said. "Why are you even here? This celebration is for Everafters." The family spun around and saw a large group of Munchkins gathering nearby. Their leader's eyes flared with rage.
"I have as much right to be here as you do," Granny Relda replied tartly. "My family has been here as long as any Everafter."
"It'ssss your fault we're trapped here in thissss town," an enormous boa constrictor said as it slithered along the floor toward the Grimms.
An old witch hobbled toward them pointing her gnarly finger at the family. "Charming has been giving you Grimms a free ride for far too long. The queen is right. It's time for a change."
A small crowd of beasties, hobgoblins, and elves formed a tight circle around the family, cutting off their escape and any chance of help from friendly Everafters. "We've had enough!" a crow as big as a dog squawked. "The only thing that has kept you safe until now is the Big Bad Wolf. Now that your mongrel is dead and gone, what will you do?"
Daphne grabbed Puck's arm. "Do something!"
"Sorry, marshmallow. I told you. I'm back to being sinister."
Sabrina grabbed her sister's arm. "Leave him alone. He doesn't care about anyone but himself."
Daphne pulled away from Sabrina and faced Puck again. "Well, if we get killed you'll have no one to annoy all day long."
The boy cocked a curious eyebrow and nodded his head. His wings spread and he drew his sword.
"Back off you filthy trash-muncher!" he said to the crow. "The Grimms are mine to torment. Take another step and you'll be wishing the Wolf were still alive."
A cyclops stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. "Boy, I will pound you into pudding."
"You dare mock me!" Puck fumed as his arms morphed into those of a gorilla's. He pulled back and hit the cyclops right in the belly, sending him flying backward. The monster knocked Everafters over like bowling pins.
"Who's next?" the boy crowed. "Who thinks they can take on the Trickster King?"
Just then, a small, angry old man standing nearby began to grow in size. His clothing ripped, exposing a sickening green skin underneath. His cane morphed into an ugly, blood-smeared club that was nearly as big as the cyclops Puck had just flattened. He was a troll and the largest one Sabrina had ever seen. Worse, he was the angriest one she'd ever seen, too.