Sabrina had heard many stories about Baba Yaga and read even more. What she knew was disturbing. Baba Yaga was thousands of years old and it was rumored that she was a cannibal. Many of the family journals described heart-stopping encounters with her. They talked of her home, decorated with the bones of her latest meal. She seemed like an odd ally for the Grimm family, but time and time again the family had turned to her for help.
Baba Yaga was responsible for the barrier that kept the Everafters in Ferryport Landing, but nothing she did came without a price. As payment for the spell, Baba Yaga had stolen the Grimm family's freedom forever. A Grimm would have to stay in the town as long as the barrier existed.
"So she eats people?" Daphne whispered to her sister in the backseat of the car as they drove to see the witch. Her arms were wrapped around Elvis as if he were a life preserver and she was lost at sea.
Sabrina nodded. "That's the story."
"That's so gross," Daphne said. She hugged the Great Dane. "Don't let anybody eat me, Elvis."
Elvis whined, then turned his attention to a paper sack Granny had given them for the trip. Granny had stayed behind with Puck and said they would need whatever was inside to get to the witch.
Uncle Jake was silent and pale as he drove the car along the road that snaked across Mount Taurus. The girls tried to ask him more about the witch. After all, he had come face to face with her and survived, but he seemed to be in a different world. Sabrina reached into her pocket and clutched the Wand of Merlin. A little charge raced through her and made her nervousness vanish.
We'll be just fine, she told herself.
And if we aren't, that old lunatic is going to regret it.
Suddenly Uncle Jake pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car.
"Why are we stopping?" Sabrina said, glancing out the window at the dense, snow-covered forest. The trees that lined the road looked black, even in the morning sunlight, as if their life force had been sucked out of them.
"We're here," Uncle Jake replied. He looked out the car window into the woods and cracked his knuckles nervously.
Daphne stared out the window. "Where's here?"
Jake ignored her question. "You two stay in the car. I'll be right back."
"What?" the girls cried.
"I'll be back soon."
"No way!" Sabrina cried. "We're going with you."
"It's too dangerous," Uncle Jake said. "Trust me, girls. If I didn't have to go, I wouldn't. The last time I ran into Baba Yaga she told me she'd skin me and eat me as jerky. It's best if you wait in the car."
"I can't believe you!" Sabrina complained. "You're treating us like a couple of little kids!"
"Uh, we are a couple of little kids," Daphne said.
Sabrina ignored her. "We've seen bigger trouble than this Baba Yaga lady. We killed a giant. We stopped Rumpelstiltskin. Why, a couple of hours ago I rescued us all from a hermit crab as big as a house. We're going."
Sabrina opened the door, got out of the car, and turned to her sister, "Come on."
"Fine, but if we get turned into jerky, I'm telling Granny," the little girl grumbled, getting out of the car and pulling Elvis with her.
"Just stay close, then," Uncle Jake said.
"Wait! The bag!" Daphne said. She crawled back into the car and grabbed the paper sack, then rejoined the group.
Elvis led the way through the woods. They journeyed deeper and deeper into the forest, through glades that were deadly quiet. The trees were closely packed, as if huddling together might save them from something. The Grimms could feel an odd creepiness around them, as if they were being watched. Every twig that snapped or bird that whistled caused Uncle Jake to jump. Sabrina noticed he was sweating even in the frigid winter air.
They soon found a path made up of white oval stones that stuck up from the ground at different angles, making it difficult to walk. Daphne quickly lost her footing and fell to her knees. As Sabrina helped her up, the little girl screamed.
"What?" Uncle Jake stammered.
"Look!" Daphne cried as she pointed down at the path. Sabrina bent down and brushed some snow off one of the white stones and her heart stopped. The path wasn't made of stones at all. It was a collection of human skulls all looking up at them with horrible grins of death. "Gross!" Daphne shouted.
"At least we know we're getting close," Sabrina said.
"That's what they all thought, too!" Uncle Jake said.
Just then, a bright orange cat appeared. It stood on the path hissing and baring its fangs. Elvis growled menacingly but the cat was not impressed.
"Let's go back," Uncle Jake said.
"What? Why?" Sabrina said. "It's a cat!"