"The child is infected," Baba Yaga said to her family and friends.
"With what?" her father said. He looked panicked.
"Magic, of course," the old crone said dismissively. "Did you think I was giving her a checkup for chicken pox? This thing you love so dearly has the sickness."
"You mean there is magic inside her?" Daphne asked. She placed her hand on her sister's and nodded. "Yes, I can feel it."
Sabrina shook her head, which made her dizzy. "When the mirrors exploded, a piece cut me. I guess some of it got under my skin. I haven't felt like myself ever since, but I'm OK. No one needs to worry."
"This is not good, Henry," Mr. Canis said. "Your daughter is magic intolerant."
"Yeah, I sort of get power hungry around it, but I'm fine, really," Sabrina said as she tried to stand unsuccessfully. They were still at Atticus's hideout. They needed to get to Mirror and were wasting time. "I have that under control. I just feel like I've got the flu or something."
"You should lie down, honey," her mother said.
"Let her stand," Baba Yaga said. "She'll be dead soon."
"She could die?" Veronica said.
"Didn't say could," the old crone croaked. "Said will."
"Then we have to get it out of her," Puck demanded.
"Leave her be, I said. It's inside her-in the tissue. It isn't coming out."
"Then what?" Bunny said. "We just let her die slowly? That's our only choice?"
"It's no choice at all, poison maker," Baba Yaga said. "Best thing to do is put her to work. She's got the stuff mirrors are made of floating around inside her. Can't you feel the power coming off of her? It rivals that of your monster, the First. If you're wise, you'll send her out to kill it. We have nothing that can stop that thing, and she might be our only chance."
"You're saying my sister has power like Mirror?" Daphne said.
"Not like him!" Baba Yaga snapped. "He's out there somewhere enjoying himself. Her magic is killing her. But yes, they can do the same things. Bah! Enough talk, we're wasting time."
"Sorry if you're on the clock, Old Mother," Charming said, "but we're going to sit here until we find a way to help her."
"There's a chance she could burn herself out," Bunny said.
"A slim chance," Baba Yaga argued. "You do these people an injustice giving them false hope. I've seen your handiwork. Even the tiniest splinter is enough to destroy a hundred worlds."
"What are you talking about?" Puck demanded. "What do you mean burn herself up?"
Bunny sighed. She explained to Sabrina. "If you could use it all up, just give in to its power and let it take you over, you might be able to expel enough so that you run out. You do only have a tiny piece inside."
"So all you have to do is just get crazy with the magic," Daphne said.
"OK, we've got a plan," Uncle Jake said. "Just use it all up. Let it all out on him."
"I can't. That's Granny Relda's body. I might kill her," Sabrina said. Her words seemed to suck the hope out of the room. "I don't want to die, but if that's what's going to happen anyway, I should do what I can to help Granny, not hurt her. But I need your help getting to him. He's waiting on Route 9 near the barrier. He's calling to me. He knows I can see him. He's demanding I bring him the spell."
"Then give it to him," the Scarecrow said.
"Just let him out," the Lion agreed.
"You don't understand what he'll do," Daphne said as she took the real spell from her pocket.
Sabrina could see the webs and all of their possibilities-she could see the future that Mirror owned. She watched him step outside of town once the barrier fell. She watched him sweep across America, then Europe, Africa, and Asia, sitting on a throne held up by the broken bodies of men and women. She watched the stampede of panicked people running from giants and fiery dragons in the sky. She saw all manner of monster running amok. "Dad, I think you and Mom and Basil and Uncle Jake should leave the town. Take the spell with you. If it's here, he'll never stop and he may try to hurt you to get what he wants."
Canis stepped forward and set a book in front of her. It was the Book of Everafter. "You can't leave the town."
"You had the book?" Daphne said. "Why did you take it?"
"I'm sorry to have made you worry about its whereabouts, but I had to have it. I had made some changes and-"
"What kind of changes, Canis?" Bunny said sternly.
"When your grandmother was taken by Mirror, I knew he would be able escape the barrier in her body. I also knew we were powerless to stop him, but the book offered an opportunity. It was an emergency. Something had to be done."
"What opportunity?" Henry asked.
"I had hoped it would be a temporary solution while I made changes to Mirror in his original story. But every time I wrote a word into Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the story would erase it, like it was protecting itself."
"The stories don't like being tampered with," the Wicked Queen said. "You shouldn't have been playing with it, old man."
Canis's face flashed rage. It was nearly has angry as when the Wolf had control of him. "Who do you think you are, woman? I'm not some retirement-home-bound burden. Wolf or no Wolf, I have been an important part of everything that has happened to this family for twenty years and you will not talk to me like I'm feeble and senile. This kind of nonsense is exactly why I took the book without asking. While you people are trying to wrap your head around what to do with old Mr. Canis, he was working to stop the end of the world!"
Sabrina flipped through the book. At the very end was a short story. She scanned it quickly-there was hardly anything to it-but she spotted her name, and her heart sank.
"He wrote us into the book," she said, then read aloud.
"'Once upon a time there was a family called Grimm. They were detectives and lived in a town called Ferryport Landing. Relda, Henry, Veronica, Jacob, Sabrina, Daphne, and Basil were their names. The end.'"
"You turned them into Everafters," Bunny seethed.
"He did what?" Veronica cried.
"I did what needed to be done. I couldn't risk the chance that Mirror would just jump out of Relda and into one of you, so right after he took over Relda, I found the book and made you all Everafters. That's why he can't get out of town. He's not inside a human being anymore."
"So we're fairy-tale characters now?" Daphne said. "Cool!"
"I thought it would take the fight out of Mirror when he realized he now had no chance to escape, but then Jake appeared with his infernal magic spell, and Mirror had a new goal."
"I had no idea," Uncle Jake said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Veronica asked. "We could've helped."
Canis's eyes flashed with anger. "This was something I could do myself. I didn't need anyone's help."
"So now we're stuck here with him," Henry said. "We can't leave the town, either."
"What are we going to do?" Uncle Jake asked.
"We fight," Sabrina said.
She was too ill to walk, so she would have to be carried. Puck spun around on his heels to transform. She expected him to become something disgusting-a camel, a giant chicken, a farting bear-but instead he became a majestic white stallion. After Uncle Jake helped her up onto his back, she quietly thanked him. Daphne joined her on Puck's back. Charming was too hurt to walk as well, so Poppa Bear offered him his back, and once everyone was settled, they began the march down the hill to the road that would lead them to Mirror.
Sabrina did her best to present a strong face like Puck had told her to do. Fake it until you make it, she reminded herself, but the power inside her was eating her alive. Twinges of pain soon became gut-searing agony, but she bit her lip and gritted her teeth. There were a few times when she was sure she would black out and fall off the horse, but Daphne wrapped her up in her little arms as if trying to bear her sister's pain. Her father walked alongside them with his hand on hers. Uncle Jake was on the other side. Veronica and Basil followed closely, as did Mr. Canis and Red. No one spoke, not even Puck. It was as if Sabrina were already dead and her friends and family were taking her casket to its final resting place.
She was too tired and hurt to be afraid. In fact, during the long journey she didn't think once of what might be at the end. Spotting her grandmother in the road, madly contorted by the creature controlling her limbs, was almost a relief. The magic was building. She needed to let it out.
Mirror stood in a wide stance with his arms outstretched in a mocking welcome. It made Sabrina angry. He wasn't taking her seriously. She could see in the expression he forced on her grandmother's face that this confrontation was nothing more than the last annoying thing on his "to do" list.
Sabrina asked her father to help her and Daphne down. Puck transformed back into a boy and seized his wooden sword from his belt.
"You stay here," Sabrina said.
Daphne shook her head. "We stick together. We are Grimms. This is what we do."
"But-"
"We're all going," Goldi said.
"Now let's go kick his butt," Puck said.
The rest of the crowd shared his stubbornness. Only Veronica stood back to shield baby Basil from whatever might be coming. She offered to look after Red and the other children, but they refused. Mirror had damaged all of their lives, and they would stand with the girls to confront him. Everyone surrounded Sabrina and Daphne and took each painful step with them, until they were standing before the Master.
"There's something different about you, Starfish," Mirror said through Granny's mouth. "Did you change your hair?"
"Don't call me Starfish," Sabrina said. "That's a name a friend gives another. You have never been my friend."
"Fair enough," he said. "I see you brought your family and friends. I suppose that means Atticus is dead. Can't say that bothers me much. He was a bit of a lunatic, that brother of yours, Billy-always shouting and carrying on with his threats. 'I'm going to kill my brother! I'm going to have my revenge!'"
"He's gone," Snow said.
Mirror cocked a curious eye. "So our little schoolteacher stood up for herself. Is that why you're all here? Did she inspire you? Do you plan to kill me?"
"I don't want to kill you," Sabrina said. "I don't want to kill anyone. I'm not like you. But I have to stop you somehow. I gave your thugs the same offer I'm going to give you. Stop this. Let my grandmother go. Bunny is here. She might be able to give you a body of your own."
"Oh, Mother is finally going to help out her baby, is that it?" Mirror sneered. "She abandoned me, Sabrina. She gave birth to me and then turned her back. No thank you. I think it's a little late for a mother and child reunion-but enough whining, right? Do you have the spell?"
"I'm not giving you the spell."
Mirror's fingers exploded with light, and suddenly from behind the group Veronica and Basil were dragged by an unseen force. It held them hovering over the crowd.
"Now, Sabrina, you know I can kill them. Just give me the spell."
"Don't do it, Sabrina," Veronica cried as she struggled to console Basil's fright.
Another blast of light and Henry joined his wife and child floating in the air.
"This doesn't have to get ugly," Mirror said. "Just hand me the paper."
"Let them go, Mirror," Sabrina said, her voice quaking from the tremors that rocked her from inside. She felt like she might explode-that her body might break in half and release a torrent of violence on Mirror and everyone around her. She turned to Daphne, who gave her a brave smile.
"Sabrina, do not give him the spell!" Henry shouted.
A moment later, Uncle Jake was jerked off the ground and floating helplessly with the others.
"Our lives are not worth the whole world!" Jake shouted.
"A simple snap of my fingers will end them," Mirror said. "It's that easy, Sabrina. But you can have them back for one little piece of paper."
"Daphne, give it to him," Sabrina said.
Daphne shook her head. "Sabrina-"
With a wave of her hand, Sabrina commanded the paper to leave her sister's pocket. Before the little girl could stop it the spell floated into Mirror's hand.
"NO!" Henry cried.
"I can't let you die!" Sabrina said. "I lost you once. I can't let it happen again!"
Mirror's face twisted into a smile as he gazed down upon the paper. With a laugh, he recited the ancient words, each growing with sound and fury.
There was an odd tinkling sound, and its great, ancient magic evaporated into the sky. The barrier was gone. Such a simple act for such powerful magic.
Mirror turned to the Everafters and smiled. "You're free. You are all finally free!"
The crowd shuffled uncomfortably, as if unsure of what to do.
The Frog Prince was the first to try. He gingerly searched the air for the wall, but it did not stop him. He stepped through, suddenly free.
"It works," he cried, urging his daughter to join him. She went with her father out into the free world. The Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion were next, followed by Cinderella and her husband, as well as the Three Blind Mice.
Mirror reached his hand through where the barrier used to be, and he grinned and laughed. "Finally!" He giggled.
"Don't get too excited, pal," Daphne said. "As long as we're alive, we're going to be on you like bedbugs. We won't stop until your back in your mirror and our granny is safe and sound!"
Mirror turned to the girls, his eyes aglow and his hands exploding with flames.
"Leave them alone!" Henry shouted.
"Sorry, Hank, but the little one is right. As long as there is a Grimm, you will always manage to find a way to ruin the party." He pointed his flaming finger at the girls, and a powerful force sent them flying through the crowd.
Just before they slammed into the ground, Sabrina felt a bubbling explosion inside her, as if the top of a soda bottle shaken by a mischievous child was opened inside her belly. When they landed, instead of feeling the agony of tearing skin and broken bones, a metallic shell appeared, covering the girls and sending orange sparks zipping in all directions as they skidded down the road. When they came to a stop, they helped each other up as the hardened skin faded away.
"Neat trick," Daphne said.
"Thank you," Sabrina said.
"Any idea how you did that?" Daphne asked.
"Not a clue."
The girls walked back through the crowd to where they started.
Mirror saw them coming and surprise spread across his face. He snarled and blasted the girls again. This time Sabrina's hands reacted, and a shield of pink light pushed back against his attack. With another wave of her hand the earth broke open like an egg beneath Mirror's feet and swallowed him whole. At once, her family also fell to the ground. It was a miracle that no one was hurt, though baby Basil started to cry.
Sabrina reeled from her power. On the one hand, it felt good to let some of it out. It made her feel strong and a hundred feet tall. But on the other hand, she felt the desire to hurt Mirror again. She wanted to stand over his broken body and laugh. That was when she knew how truly sick she was. She had to end this fast. She took Daphne's hand and together they ran to the crevice and peered into the darkness.
"Mirror!" she cried.
"You can't attack him," Daphne said. "You're attacking Granny."
"I know," Sabrina said. "I…this power isn't good for me. There's too much."
Daphne nodded and gestured for Baba Yaga and the Wicked Queen. The crone's horrible house lumbered behind them.
"Sabrina can't attack," Daphne said. "She can only defend, so it's up to the coven."
"But the coven is broken!" the Wicked Queen cried. "We'll try, but without a third-"
"I have solved one of our problems," Baba Yaga interrupted. "We will rebuild our coven stronger than before. We need to choose a third, and a more appropriate third this time. I am the crone. Morgan was the temptress. Bunny was the innocent, which was laughable at best. What we had was one crone and two temptresses. It diluted the magic, so we never could reach our full potential. What we need is a true innocent."
Sabrina looked around the crowd, but there was no one else with any real magical abilities who might be right for the coven. Baba Yaga may have had a point, but there wasn't much they could do about it. "Who do you have in mind?"
The old witch turned to Daphne. "You will do."
"Me?" Daphne said.
"She's just a little girl. She doesn't know any magic!" Henry argued despite being suspended in midair.
"She tolerates the arcana well," Baba Yaga said. "Can you not see how it moves through her, Henry? Look how their dog stands by her. He is her familiar."
"He's just a dog!" Sabrina cried. "He probably thinks she has a sausage in her pocket."
Elvis rushed to join them and sniffed at Daphne's pockets.
"House! Jacket!" Baba Yaga cried.
The door of her hut opened and there was a terrible coughing sound. Then a long trench coat flew out of the doorway and landed at the old crone's feet. Sabrina recognized it immediately. Many months ago, Uncle Jake had traded it to the witch for her help; its pockets were filled with magical items beyond imagination. Baba Yaga scooped it up in her gnarled hand and helped the little girl into it. It was hardly a perfect fit. It dragged on the ground, and Sabrina had to help her roll up the sleeves so she could use her hands.
"I absolutely forbid this!" Henry shouted, but Bunny had already reached out her hand and Daphne took it. Baba Yaga reached out her weathered claw and Daphne took that as well.
"NO!" Henry cried, but it was too late.
"We are bound by coven," the two older witches said.
"We are bound by coven," Daphne said.
Daphne's hair stood on end and her hands turned to stone. A moment later she returned to normal except for the unusually large smile on her face.
Then from deep in the abyss Sabrina saw her grandmother's hand pulling her body back to the surface. Mirror's eyes glowed and the ground bubbled. Geysers exploded around the crowd, sending steam into the air. A silver ooze gurgled out of the holes and collected in pools, from which an army of creatures then rose. Each was about the size of a large man, but made of what appeared to be mirrors. The second they were solid, the creatures attacked the crowd, forcing everyone to join the fight.
"Now, where were we?" Mirror said as flashing strands of electricity blasted from his hands. Daphne reached into her pocket and removed an amulet and the girls vanished, only to appear directly behind Mirror. There the little girl kicked him in his backside.
Mirror roared and his hands flew upward as if he were conducting an evil orchestra. The ground beneath the army's feet shot into the air, twisting into a knotted pretzel of earth, trees, roads, and people. The earth grew higher and higher, almost to the height of Mount Taurus, and took everything with it. Sabrina and Daphne both lost their footing and tumbled down, slipping right over the edge. Sabrina managed to snatch on to the roots of a broken tree and Daphne clung to her leg. Together, they hung there, struggling to catch their breaths and pull themselves up to safety.
Sabrina could fix this, she knew, she just had to let a little magic out. She tried and they soared to the top of the new mountain like rockets, landing on the lonely peak. Once they were on solid ground they scurried to the side and looked over. The wind was whipping in Sabrina's ears, and the temperature at this height was markedly lower. It did nothing for the fever inside Sabrina, and sweat dripped off her face like rain.
"Do you see Mom and Dad?" Daphne said.
The visions came like a thunderstorm, booming in her head. Her mother and Basil were safely on the ground, having taken shelter in the woods. Her father was on a ridge below them, still fighting one of the mirror men. Uncle Jake was pulling himself up to the top, branch by branch. Puck was flying to meet them. The rest of their friends were alive and fighting.
"Everyone is fine," Sabrina assured her. "For now."
"Can you see Mirror?"
Sabrina felt tremors shaking through her. "I can feel him. I can't explain it, but he's down there and he's coming up."
"Are you OK?"
Sabrina shook her head. There was no more faking it.
"Where are you, Sabrina?"
Sabrina peered over a ridge. Her grandmother was below, hovering midair on a cone of wind. "I'm done with this. I've held back until now."
"We're not going to let you destroy the world!" Sabrina shouted over the roaring wind. Puck fought the unearthly forces battling his wings but eventually joined the girls.
"I'm not going to destroy the world, kiddo. Where would I live? No, I'm just going to put it back the way it was meant to be. Everafters ruling everything. We're stronger and smarter than humans. You think I'm arrogant. But shouldn't the most powerful be in charge? Would you stay silent if you woke up one day to find dogs controlled the world?"
"Is this the part where the villain tries to explain his stupid way of thinking?" Daphne shouted.
"That's a rookie move," Puck said.
"Then let me explain something that you can relate to," Mirror said as he floated up to the peak and set himself down before them. "Anger. Betrayal. Abandonment. These are things you know. These are things that have made you want to strike out and smash and destroy."
"I don't know them," Daphne said.
"Because she protected you from them, but your sister knows them all too well," Mirror said, turning to Sabrina. "You know what it's like to have people you care about turn their backs on you."
"I'm not angry anymore," Sabrina said shakily.
"Then let me remind you what it's like," he said, and with a wave of his hand, Daphne was sent sailing into the air over the edge of the cliff.
"Daphne!" Sabrina cried.
"I'm on it," Puck said, sprinting to the cliff's edge and leaping off the side.
"Now you know what it's like to be alone," he said.
Sabrina stared into her grandmother's eyes, knowing that it was not Granny looking back at her. What she saw was hundreds of years of pain and uncertainty. The look reminded her of the day she arrived at Granny Relda's house. She had looked into a mirror and seen that same expression on her own face, and she remembered what it was like to wonder if she would ever feel loved again. But in the months that followed she had felt love: from her sister, from her grandmother, from her uncle, and from Puck. She felt it when her parents were found and from the dozens of new friends that had become part of her family. It had saved her and she knew that her father had given her excellent advice some days before. Look for your enemy's weaknesses.
She grabbed Mirror around the shoulders and hugged him. "I'm done fighting you, Mirror. I understand how you feel and I'm sorry that you didn't get the love that I did. But I am not like you. Let me show you."
She placed her hands on her grandmother's face and let loose all of her magic, but it wasn't an attack or an act of destruction and hostility. It was love-the love she had been given-and it was pure and brilliant and strong. She sent him every moment of kindness and concern she had ever received. She gave him her memories with her friends. She gave him the feelings she had for Mr. Canis and Red and her uncle. She gave him her father reading a bedtime story and her mother giving her a wink. She gave him her grandmother's hugs and the tiny, almost imperceptible smiles Mr. Canis sent her that let her know he cared. She gave him the softness of her baby brother's cheek nuzzling into her shoulder. She gave him Elvis's happy kisses. She gave him the love that she had once felt for him-all of it opening like an overstuffed jewelry box into his heart-and then she gave him the surprise of Puck's first kiss, and then her want for another, and the odd, fluttering feeling inside her whenever he talked about their future together, even when he was teasing. And then she gave him Daphne-sweet, loving, hilarious Daphne. She gave him her sister's warm hand in her own and the joy she felt when Daphne laughed. She gave him their nights asleep together, their many escapes and daring rescues. She gave him every meal with Daphne stuffing her face. She gave him her sister's frustrating and yet miraculous sense of right and wrong, and how the little girl could see the good in everyone. She gave him every day that her sister made Sabrina feel stronger, braver, and happier. She gave him an hour of Daphne brushing her hair. She gave him their secrets and inside jokes and silly giggles. She gave him every single new word Daphne ever invented. She gave him what had saved her own life-her sister's love. She wrapped it all up and slipped it into whatever Mirror called a heart.
And then the mountain was sinking back into the earth, twisting back into the land it once was. The mirror men dripped back into the soil and the wind disappeared. With the last of her magic, Sabrina created a cushion of air that caught her friends before they collided with the ground.
When it was over, Sabrina was still hugging Mirror, and he was hugging her back.
Mirror looked down into her face. Granny was more present, just beneath the surface. He was letting her go. "I didn't know it was like that."
Mirror and Sabrina stood silently for a long moment.
Bunny approached, and Mirror's eyes lit up with happiness. "Hello, Mother," he said, without scorn and rage.
Bunny flashed Sabrina an uncomfortable look, but Sabrina just nodded.
"Meet your son," Sabrina said.
Bunny hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry."
"It's time to give me back my grandmother. I love her very much," Sabrina said.
Mirror nodded. "Sabrina, would you do me a favor? I know that you have no reason to, but…"
"What would you like?"
Mirror reached out his hand. "Before I go, will you tell me that I'm your friend?"
Sabrina took his hand and held it tightly. "Mirror, I am your friend."
He smiled and sighed and winked at her. Then Granny Relda's mouth opened and the black spirit of Mirror slipped out and fell to the ground. Granny Relda collapsed. Bunny helped the old woman revive while Sabrina watched the dark mass flopping about like a fish unable to return to the sea. Sabrina caressed him and told him that everything would be OK. Then Mirror melted into a puddle of glistening silver. His remains leaked into the soil and were gone.
There was the sound of fluttering wings. Puck landed at her feet. He had Daphne with him, safe and sound.
"You know, as many times as you two get tossed off of tall things, you would think you'd start wearing parachutes," he said.
Sabrina swept her sister up into a hug.
"How are you feeling?" Daphne asked.
"It's gone," Sabrina said. "The magic is gone."
Granny stirred, and Sabrina helped her to sit up just as Uncle Jake, Daphne, Henry, Veronica, Basil, and Elvis rushed to join them. The old woman blinked and looked around.
"Welcome back, liebling," Sabrina said.
Granny Relda smiled and gave her a hug. "Have you girls been up to shenanigans?"
"Hey, that's my word!" Daphne cried, and hugged her so tight Sabrina worried the old woman might break. Elvis pushed his way in to shower her with happy licks.
Henry and Jake helped their mother to her feet. She wobbled a bit but finally found her balance.
"How do you feel, Relda?" Veronica said, embracing the woman.
"I suppose I should be tired, but I'm actually very hungry," Relda said with a laugh. "Oh, dear, I've lost my hat."
"We'll buy you another hat, Mom." Uncle Jake laughed.
Basil squirmed in Veronica's arms. "Who is this, Mommy?"
Veronica smiled as a tear escaped her happy eyes. "Honey, this is your grandmother. She's part of your family."
"Do you have a boo-boo?" he asked.
Granny wrapped him up in her arms. "I do! But I bet a kiss would make it feel better."
Basil gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
"You look just like your opa," Granny cooed.
Puck stepped forward and the old woman nodded at him. "Just so you know, I pretty much saved the whole world," he said.
"Oh, I have no doubts."
"Mom, look," Henry said, pointing to the Everafters who were all bravely stepping on ground they hadn't been able to reach in hundreds of years. "The barrier is down."
"Oh dear," Granny said.
"It's going to be OK, Granny," Daphne said.
And then they walked to the edge of town with the rest of the Everafters following behind them. Sabrina could see their faces, uncertain if their greatest wish also frightened them.
Sabrina turned to them and smiled. "You're free."
Charming, Snow White, the Cowardly Lion, Baba Yaga, Red, Mr. Canis, Boarman and Swineheart, Pinocchio-so many faces. They all took a step forward and stood with the family on the other side.
Everyone stood silently until Snow White spoke. "It's too big."
"What?" Sabrina asked.
"The possibilities," the beautiful teacher said.
Red helped Mr. Canis forward. He leaned against his cane and gaped at the horizon. Beauty and Natalie joined them, as well as Mr. Boarman and Mr. Swineheart. The Pied Piper's eyes filled with tears while his son stood grinning. The Frog Prince held his daughter in his arms. The Scarecrow's burlap face displayed a wide, painted smile.
And then Puck pushed through the crowd. He rubbed his hands eagerly and grinned.
"Have I got plans for you!" he crowed, flying into the air with his wooden sword in hand.
· · ·
A week later, many of the Everafters were gone. The Frog Prince and his daughter left, as did the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, all of King Arthur's remaining knights, and Little John. Daphne and the coven worked with some of the talking animals in hopes of creating disguises that would allow them to look human. Veronica held a seminar on the basics of modern life, including how to use a computer, apply for a job, and get an apartment. She was very surprised to find that nearly everyone in town came to hear her. It looked as if Ferryport Landing would be all but abandoned soon.
But not everyone was ready to give up on the town. Sabrina marveled at those who decided to stay. Boarman and Swineheart hung up their deputy caps for good and reopened their construction business. They were convinced they would soon be the richest Everafters in town. The former sheriff Mr. Hamstead and his wife, Bess, showed up not long after. It was good to see their friends' happy faces. He and his wife were over the moon with happiness, as they were expecting their first child.
Charming held an emergency election for mayor but lost to his girlfriend, Snow, who was surprised to find herself a write-in candidate. Charming graciously conceded. Mayor White said her first order of business was to finally rebuild the school. She also hired Goldilocks to be the new city planner, after the woman argued that much of the town's troubles were a result of bad energies and flow. She promised the new Ferryport Landing would be designed with feng shui in mind and would prove to be the most balanced and serene little town in New York.
Despite Henry's hourly begging, Granny Relda decided to stay and rebuild. She couldn't bear to leave the town that had been her home for so many years, though she did promise to come to the city for frequent visits with her grandchildren. As always, Mr. Canis stood by her side, now with Red. He and Granny would raise her, and they offered the same to Pinocchio. The kindness overwhelmed him and he sobbed into Granny Relda's dress. Later he would discover that he had grown a half an inch for the first time in a hundred years.
As the founders of the new Ferryport Landing made their plans, Goldi took Veronica aside. Sabrina couldn't help but listen in.
"I know it has been very hard having me around," she said. Veronica shook her head, though Sabrina wasn't convinced of her sincerity. "You were a big help."
"I just wanted to say that you're good for him. Better than I would have been," Goldi said. "You make Henry happy…which is hard to watch. I still-"
"I know you do," Veronica said. "He's kind of awesome, but I think that if you open yourself up, and take a chance, you might find that you will love someone else."
The women hugged and parted as friends.
One night, with nothing left for them to do, Sabrina, Daphne, Puck, and Red walked down the road toward the marina. The dock, surprisingly, was not damaged, so they took off their shoes and dipped their feet into the chilly Hudson River. They sat for a long time contemplating all that had happened and guessing at what lay ahead. Finally, Puck broke the silence.
"Your uncle is leaving town," Puck said. "He says there's magic all over the world that needs to be wrangled. He asked me to go with him."
Sabrina felt a lump in her throat. "What did you say?"
"I'm probably going to go. This is no place for the master of mischief. There's nothing left to break in this town."
"You could come with us to New York City," Sabrina said hopefully. "I'm sure your mom would like to see you around the kingdom."
He seemed to understand what Sabrina was thinking. "Don't worry, I'll swing by and harass you all the time."
Sabrina smiled. She knew this boy would be in her life always. Then she laughed. Whether I like it or not.
"Wait, what is that?" Puck said, looking down the river. Sabrina squinted and made out a boat sailing toward the marina. It was the kind of ship that could have drifted from the pages of a pirate novel. Its huge masts snapped in the wind and a fluttering flag smeared with a skull's grin flapped in the air. The children watched as it drifted down to them and then dropped anchor. Moments later a boy in green pants and shirt climbed onto the rail of the ship and leaped off into midair. A moment later, he was flying toward them. Sabrina looked over to Daphne. The little girl was biting her palm with excitement.
"It can't be," Sabrina said.
"It is," Daphne said.
"Who is it?" Red said.
Puck huffed and scowled. "I'll handle this."
The flying boy in green stopped short of the dock and hovered in midair. He had a wooden sword much like Puck's shoved into his belt and a little green hat. "Hey, you!" he cried. "Sorry to spook you with the ship. My lost boys and I sort of borrowed it from a few scurvy pirates back where we come from. The place is overrun with them, so we've decided to start someplace new. We're looking for a town called Ferryport Landing. We heard it's a place for folks like us."
Sabrina eyed Puck closely.
"Never heard of it," he said.
The flying boy frowned. "It's got to be around here somewhere. I hear it's filled with magic and fun."
"I think someone gave you some bad information, kid," Puck said. "This town is as boring as it gets."
The flying boy shrugged. "All right, well, thanks." Then he flew back to his boat.
"That wasn't very nice," Sabrina said.
Puck stuck his tongue out at her. "I hate that kid."
Sabrina looked up the road at what was left of Ferryport Landing, the once-sleepy river town nestled on the banks of the Hudson River. There was hardly anything left of it. Sabrina felt like she was mourning the loss of another dear relative. But maybe one day it would live again.
"Is that it?" Daphne said. "Is that the end?"
Sabrina nodded and took her sister's hand. "Yes, and it's about time."
The children sat on the dock for a long time, looking out at the rolling waves as they moved on to the sea.
"Wait. If we're Everafters now, does that mean we're going to live forever?" Daphne exclaimed.
Puck eyed Sabrina. She could almost see his mind working on the millions of pranks he would subject her to now that he had all the time in the world. She felt sick to her stomach when he giggled mischievously.
"Shenanigans," he said.
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