Sisters Grimm 05 Magic and Other Misdemeanors (13 page)

"That was Mr. Seven!" Daphne said.

"Actually, we call him Captain Seven," Granny Relda replied.

"Captain Seven is a great leader and demands quite a bit of respect around here," Charming explained. "He's been responsible for many of our army's successes."

"Why do you need an army?" Sabrina asked.

"To fight the Scarlet Hand, of course," Granny said as she tossed chunks of her dinner to her four impatient puppies. "Since the Master rose, we've been one of the main fronts in the battle for human freedom. There are other units scattered around the world, and I've been leading the charge. That's how I got my little nickname. Truth is, without Seven and the brave members of the army we wouldn't stand a chance. The Master and his Hand are relentless."

"But how did it get this bad?" Daphne asked as she glanced around at the rough camp.

"They plundered the Hall of Wonders," the grown-up Sabrina explained. "They opened every door and took anything of value. What they didn't take, they set free. There were horrible things behind some of those doors. It threw the town into chaos."

She shared a knowing look with the old woman.

"One of them tried to barbeque you earlier today," Puck added.

"Why didn't we stop it from happening?" Sabrina wondered.

"What were we supposed to do, Sabrina?" Granny Relda said, before breaking into a coughing fit. When she recovered, she continued. "What could an old woman and two little girls do?"

"You're forgetting Elvis," Daphne said.

"And we must not do that. He was a brave soul. These four pups are his great-grandchildren. Let me introduce you to John, Paul, George, and Ringo."

The dogs raced over to Daphne and sat with begging eyes until the girl surrendered her venison steak.

"Yep, they're related," Daphne said as she hugged them all.

"What about Uncle Jake?"

The old woman shifted sadly in her chair.

"He was arrested and put into the Ferryport Prison," she said softly. "They gave him a trial and sentenced him to life, but he tried to escape and he was killed."

"I saw it!" Sabrina cried. "I saw that happen outside our window. He was shot with an arrow."

Granny Relda shared a confused expression with the older women and Puck. "I don't remember that happening."

"I certainly don't remember it," the grown-up Sabrina replied. "How can these things have occurred in the past but we don't remember them? Our Prince Charming didn't disappear. I never saw Uncle Jake murdered when I was young. We didn't just pop up in the future, either."

"How long have you been here?" Charming asked the girls. "A couple of hours," Sabrina said. "What about you?"

"Three months."

"So, you're not a future version of Prince Charming?" Sabrina asked, doing her best to understand all the new information.

"No, I'm from the past--I mean, the present... it's all still very confusing. I went for a walk after I lost the election to the Queen of Hearts. I wanted to clear my head, think of a way to change my fortunes, and then I found myself here. It took me several hours to figure out that I wasn't where I was supposed to be. It appears the same thing has happened to the two of you."

The older Daphne shook her head. "Something is happening back then that shouldn't have happened," she said. "We believe it's creating tears in time."

"Tears in time?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, they're doorways that suck people out of their time. They're not supposed to be possible, but whatever or whoever is causing them is somehow blending their future and our present."

"And maybe all of our pasts," Sabrina interrupted. "We saw a band of Indians attack Baba Yaga this afternoon. I mean, fifteen years ago."

"Now, I

know that never happened," the older Daphne said.

"So this is worse than I suspected," Granny Relda replied.

"When the two of you vanished, did you see a storm come out of nowhere?" Charming asked.

Sabrina nodded. "And there was one when I saw Uncle Jake die."

"And when the Indians appeared and attacked Baba Yaga," Daphne added. "By the way, where is she?"

"The witch was one of the first of the resistance to die," Granny Relda said. "She made a foolish error when she destroyed her guardians. She never took time to replace them and it left her vulnerable. The Scarlet Hand cornered her in the forest and killed her, but not before she took out nearly forty of them."

"The house ran off," Puck said. "We found it cowering at the top of Mount Taurus and we've been using it ever since."

"Maybe all this has something to do with the case we're working on," Sabrina said, watching the older version of her sister standing cold and distant, away from the group. She shuddered to think what had happened to steal the happiness from Daphne, or what had caused the horrible mark on her face.

"What case?" Granny Relda asked.

"Someone's been stealing magic items. The Wand of Merlin, the Wonder Clock, and some water from the Fountain of Youth have all been ripped off."

"I remember that case," Granny Relda said. "We never solved it."

"Unbelievable! Relda Grimm would never let a mystery go unsolved," Charming said with a hint of disdain.

"There were other things, urgent things that needed our attention," the old woman said.

"The taxes," Sabrina asked.

Her older self nodded in agreement. "Yes, among others. Uncle Jake had his hands full with Baba Yaga. After that, things got even worse and we just never had time to do any more investigating."

"What got worse?" Sabrina asked, suspiciously.

The adults were silent for a long, heartbreaking moment. They looked at one another with strained expressions, as if weighing how much pain their next words might cause.

"They should see the house," the older Daphne said.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Granny Relda asked.

"If we don't show them the truth, they will go and discover it for themselves. You remember how we used to be. We were always running off in the middle of the night. We can't allow them to do that. They wouldn't survive. It's best if we feed their curiosity, no matter how painful it may be."

"She's right, Relda," Charming said. "They'll sneak out, and this time, they might not come back."

"If they were to be killed, we would die with them. They're us," the grown-up Daphne added.

The older Sabrina shrugged. "I guess it's for the best."

Sabrina and Daphne stared into each other's eyes. Silently, they shared their fear for what they were about to see. What could be so bad?

"Show us," Sabrina said.

* * *

Sabrina felt the house make another abrupt turn. She glanced out the window and saw abandoned homes and a forest charred with black smoke. Roads were ripped in half and littered with abandoned cars.

After a while, the creepy shack came to a lumbering stop.

"We're here," the future Daphne said as she glanced through the window. "We can't stay long."

"The dragons circle the area in fifteen-minute cycles and we don't know when the last one started," Granny Relda explained.

Sabrina felt the house lower. The older Puck came from the other room with his crossbow and arrows in hand. He kicked open the door, took a peek outside, and then gestured for everyone to follow. Sabrina and Daphne shuffled outside with Charming close behind.

And then they saw it, the plot of land that had been their grandmother's home. Their house and any sign that it had ever existed was gone. Not even the trees had been left behind. Instead, an enormous castle made from black stones sat on the property. It had two high towers and a drawbridge over a moat dug around the perimeter of the building. On top of one of the towers, a black flag with a bloodred handprint in its center fluttered in the wind. The air smelled of sulfur.

Sabrina could feel tears run down her face, and for the first time in her life she didn't try to hide them.

"I haven't been here in fifteen years," the old Sabrina said. "Never thought I'd be strong enough to look out at it--"

"How do we fix this?" Sabrina interrupted.

"Fix it?" her older self said. "I don't know if you can fix it."

"You have to send us back," Daphne said, her own face wet with tears. "Now that we know what is going to happen, we can change it."

Charming nodded. "My plan exactly, and we're working on a way to do just that. The tears in time pop up all over the place, but by the time I get to one, it has already closed."

"Then we're stuck here?" Sabrina exclaimed.

"No," the future Daphne said. "We may have a way to predict when they come."

Sabrina noticed something unspoken pass between Charming and Daphne's future self. Whatever it was, it made the older Daphne tense.

"People, get back into the house! NOW!" Puck shouted as he pointed toward the sky.

Sabrina looked up and gasped. High in the charcoal sky another dragon sailed overhead. It was green, black, and red, and puffs of smoke drifted out of its wide, reptilian snout. Its roar shook the earth with a boom, and from its gruesome jaws came a torrent of liquid flames that turned a nearby stump into black ash.

The older Sabrina helped Granny wheel her chair into Baba Yaga's house. The rest of the group followed and slammed the door behind them.

"House! Let's move it!" the older Sabrina shouted, and the building once again rose to its feet and raced into the woods.

"Can we outrun that?" Sabrina asked as she watched the dragon blast another nearby tree.

"No," the older Daphne said, rushing to the window and shoving the girls aside. She threw it open and pointed a long thin wand outside. "All we can do is fight. Gimme some water!" she cried. Water blasted out of the wand like it was a firefighter's hose. Unfortunately, the woman's aim was off and it hit the beast in the chest. She cursed herself and shook the wand angrily.

"Not feeling well today, marshmallow?" Puck said. "'Cause if so, I could go out and fight it myself."

"I'm tempted to let you," she replied. "And don't call me that ridiculous nickname."

Daphne stuck her tongue out at her older self. "Hey, cranky. I like my nickname!"

The future Daphne looked at her younger self and a small, almost imperceptible smile crept onto her face. Then she turned back to the open window. "Give me some water."

A torrent of water exploded into the sky like a geyser, and this time it hit the dragon squarely in the mouth. The beast tried to roar, but only a breathy squeak came out. The loss of its most deadly weapon seemed to hinder the dragon's ability to fly as well. It fell to the ground hard and disappeared from view.

"Nice shooting, old me," Daphne said.

"Unfortunately, it's only temporary," Granny Relda said. "Let's hope that we can put some distance between us and it before it reignites its pilot light."

* * *

Sabrina and Daphne were given two cots to sleep in. Without Daphne by her side, Sabrina felt strange and lonely, but most of all concerned that her little sister was feeling the same way. She was about to ask Daphne if she wanted to talk, but a low, rumbling snore came from the little girl. Apparently, the shock of their current situation wasn't causing Daphne any loss of sleep.

"Child," Charming said softly from his cot across the room.

Sabrina sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm awake."

"Have you seen Snow?"

Sabrina nodded. "She's worried about you."

Charming nodded as if he shared her feelings.

"I need to know something. How did Daphne get hurt? I mean, the older Daphne. How did she get that scar?"

"It was my fault. I asked her to help me find something. It was dangerous and we ran into trouble," Charming said.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Nottingham."

Sabrina shuddered, imagining the wicked sheriff's serpentine dagger.

"She was helping me recover something," Charming said. "Something that will help us go home. But Nottingham was guarding it, and he... well..."

Just then, the older Daphne entered the tent. "It appears our little mission has paid off," she said to Charming. "I may have found another tear in time."

"Can you tell us when and where it will be?" Sabrina asked eagerly.

"The Ferryport Landing Cemetery. We need to leave now."

* * *

The adults led the children through the cemetery. There were headstones as far as the eye could see, and a crumbling mausoleum leaning precariously across the path. Weeds had grown over most of the burial plots. None of the cemetery's lamps were working, so the group had to rely on the bluish light of the full moon. It gave everything and everyone a ghostly quality.

"I cannot guarantee the tear will take you back home," the older Daphne said. "In fact, it could put you into an even more dangerous situation."

"What could be more dangerous than running from dragons all day long?" Sabrina said.

"Appearing in the past during the witch trials, for one. Imagine popping up in a Puritan camp and being burned at the stake. Or you could be sent further into the future, when my sister and I are dead and there is no one to protect you from the Scarlet Hand."

"So, we could step through the tear only to find a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex on the other side?" Sabrina asked.

"No, T-rexes weren't native to North America," her older self explained. "But you could step through and find yourself in an ice age thousands of years in the past, or far into the future on the day the sun goes supernova. This isn't a ticket on the Metro-North train. We don't know where you'll end up."

"Then this is too dangerous," Granny Relda said.

"Relda, we know we can't stay here," Charming said. "If there's a chance to get back and make things right, I'll take it. I can't speak for the girls, but I'm going through."

"We'll take our chances too," Daphne said.

Sabrina looked to her sister, surprised by her assertiveness but nodding in agreement. Little chance was better than no chance at all.

"The event should take place within moments," the future Daphne said. "Are you ready?" Everyone nodded.

"So where is it going to happen?" Charming said impatiently.