"Might come in handy someday," he said, as he began to pull up the heavy anchor.
The first wave of merman soldiers leaped out of the water like dolphins, flapping their tails back and forth to stay above the surface. They were several yards away from the boat but held their tridents menacingly as they approached the family. A second wave of soldiers appeared behind them, followed by the rising shell of the giant hermit crab. It opened its ugly mouth and a high-pitched scream erupted from its throat. When the first trident struck the side of the boat, Sabrina knew they had to do something, and fast. She leaped to her feet, snatched a length of the anchor rope, and moved to the back of the little boat.
"What are you doing?" Uncle Jake said as he finally dragged the anchor out of the water.
"I have absolutely no idea," Sabrina said and she took off toward the front of the boat and leaped onto the water. Her legs were going a mile a minute, so fast Sabrina couldn't even see her own feet. Each step was so quick she found she could run on top of the water as if it were pavement. She raced across the surface of the Hudson River toward the shore. With the rope in hand she dragged the boat behind her, leaving a powerful wake that built up strength and slammed into the merman army like a tidal wave.
When she reached the shore, she was so excited that she kept on running up the embankment, across some train tracks, narrowly missing the express to Grand Central Station, and into the forest where she finally came to a stop. Sabrina's feet felt like they were on fire. She kicked the magic slippers off as quickly as she could. The energy that they had given her quickly faded, and suddenly, she wanted to put them back on even though she knew they would burn her feet. She was about to actually do it when Uncle Jake handed her the Wand of Merlin.
"I found this in the bottom of the boat," he said.
Sabrina snatched it away, surprised by how greedily she wanted it. The magic swirled through her and she smiled. Daphne gave her a startled, disapproving look but she ignored it.
"Well, that's two out of three," Uncle Jake said, holding up the piece of the broken sword. He looked down at the inscription on it.
BEG THE HAG OF THE HILLS, it read.
*
Sabrina dipped a washcloth into the bowl of cool water that sat next to Puck's bed and wrung it out. Then she patted it across the boy's fevered brow. He mumbled incoherently for a few moments and then went back to sleep.
Granny and Uncle Jake were in the living room, busily searching the journals for references to a "hag of the hills,"while Daphne had long since surrendered to sleep and was napping in a rocking chair next to the bed. It was late, and though Sabrina knew a cup of coffee would keep her awake, the bitter taste wasn't worth it. Instead, she found that by lightly touching the Wand of Merlin in her pocket, she got enough of a jolt of energy to completely refresh her. She wanted to look after Puck in case he woke and needed something.
A wave of emotions overtook her--emotions she didn't understand: genuine concern for the boy, anger at his recklessness, confusion at the memory of their kiss. She felt like crying when she realized how vicious her rejection of him had been.
"Hey, stink-bottom," Sabrina said, wondering if the boy could hear her. If he could, he'd never let her live down any kind words she might say to him. Besides, trading insults with her seemed to be his favorite game. Maybe it would make him feel better deep down.
"You realize you're a terrible burden on all of us. Look at you lying in that bed. You're not fooling anyone. I'd bet a hundred bucks that you're faking all of this just for the attention. Well, your pampering is about to come to an end, buster. When we have all the pieces of the Vorpal blade, we're going to find the Blue Fairy and put them back together. Once we kill the Jabberwocky, Red Riding Hood will be no problem. Mom and Dad will come home and then we're shipping you off to the Faerie folk. You'll be back to being a pain in my butt in no time at all."
She looked over at her sister to make sure she was still sleeping, too, and then removed the wand from her pocket. She laid it on the bed and examined it with awe. Just having it near made her feel like everything was going to be fine. She could handle everything herself. Puck would live and she'd bring her parents home. Nothing could get in her way.
"Are you OK?" Daphne asked.
"I'm fine," Sabrina said, snatching the wand off the bed and stuffing it back into her pocket.
"You were staring at that thing for fifteen minutes," Daphne said. "I said your name a few times but you didn't hear me."
Sabrina shot a glance at the clock on the wall. Her sister was right. "I have a lot on my mind."
"I want you to give that thing to Granny," Daphne insisted. "It belongs in the mirror where it will be safe."
"It'll be safe with me."
Daphne got out of her chair and crossed the room. She stood over Sabrina and looked at her closely. "But are you going to be safe from it?"