The Fairy-Tale Detectives

by Michael Buckley

  “What do you mean?” Sabrina asked the old man, but he brushed her off in frustration.

  Nottingham took the megaphone and was ready to hurl more insults, but Heart snatched it back. “Sheriff, let him talk,” the queen said.

  Sabrina looked out on the crowd. The angry faces were fading. People were considering Jake’s offer.

  “We will join you,” said voices from below. The Three Blind Mice pushed forward, their canes clicking on the ground as they walked. As they climbed the stairs, a number of threats were hurled at them.

  “Traitors!”

  “You will pay for betraying the Master.”

  “You have signed your own death warrants!”

  “Wonderful!” Veronica cried, ignoring their anger. “Who else?”

  “Can you protect me?” a lion said, though he was bigger than any lion Sabrina had ever seen in the Bronx Zoo. This one was as tall as a horse and wore a shiny gold medal with the word COURAGE around his neck.

  “Ab . . . abso-solutely,” Sabrina sputtered before the gigantic beast.

  “Then I’ll come with you,” the lion replied as he leaped onto the stage.

  “Good to have you, old friend,” the Scarecrow said.

  Sabrina shook her head in disbelief. Had her father been right? Would the Everafters do the right thing if presented with the opportunity?

  “Please, James,” Beauty said to her husband, who stood defiantly within the crowd with his overgrown daughter, Natalie, at his side. “Bring our daughter and come up here and join us.”

  Beast shook his head and Natalie looked at her mother with disgust. Poor Beauty’s face fell.

  Several goblins and a troll pushed through the crowd on their way to the stage before Nottingham stopped them.

  “You fools! This is the Grimm family,” Nottingham said. “They can’t be trusted.”

  For a moment, Mayor Heart looked as if she was ready to take Jake’s extended hand, but Nottingham pushed past her. He had his dagger in hand and murder in his eyes. “I’ll put a stop to these lies for good!”

  Charming pulled his own sword and waved it in Nottingham’s face. The sheriff stumbled backward, fearful of the prince’s deadly blade.

  “My quarrel is with them!” Nottingham shouted.

  “Then your quarrel is with all of us,” Charming said. “This man extends his hand in peace and you move to slice it open? You disgust me.”

  “I will kill you, Charming,” Nottingham seethed.

  “Is there courage in those words, Sheriff? Perhaps you should prove it.”

  “If it’s courage you seek, little brother, I have it in spades,” said a strange, deep voice.

  “Who said that?” Charming asked, scanning the crowd. Sabrina did the same and spotted the mane of greasy red hair moving through the mob.

  “Atticus,” Sabrina gasped. She turned to Bunny, who stepped in front of her daughter. Mr. Seven joined her.

  “Don’t you remember me, brother?” Atticus cried. “You destroyed my family and stole my rightful seat at our father’s side. But your most wicked of crimes was stealing my wife while I have been away.”

  “I am not your brother, and I have never stolen any woman,” Charming said.

  Atticus leaped onto the gazebo. He stared at Charming for a long time, his face contorted with amused hatred. For the first time, Sabrina could see the resemblance between the two men. They had the same eyes and jawlines. Their cheekbones were identical, as were their lips, but while all of Charming’s features combined to make him handsome, Atticus’s features were twisted and rough, making a person want to look away in disgust. Charming stared back, mouth agape, at the strange man. Atticus reached for his sword but then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he turned to the crowd. “The Master has sent me with a message, people. He is disappointed in you and wants you to know that being here, speaking to your jailors, is treachery. Turn away from the Grimms or blood will spill.”

  “Who in the blue blazes are you?” Charming asked.

  “Who am I?” Atticus said, then snatched Snow White by the wrist and pulled her close to him. “Surely you remember me, my dearest. Surely you remember your husband?”

  “Let go of me,” she said. “You’ve lost your mind.”

  Charming grabbed Atticus’s hand and pulled it away from his love. “Don’t touch her.”

  Atticus laughed, then with a burst of ferocity, he slugged Charming in the nose. The prince fell backward, blood spraying across his face. Atticus drew his long silver sword and hovered over the fallen man, looking to attack, but Snow stepped between the two men.

  “You’ve made a mistake. This man is not your brother,” she said, but Atticus slapped her and she fell to the ground next to Charming.

  “You filthy harlot!” he bellowed at her. “You do not argue with me. You are my property!”

  “That’s enough!” Mr. Seven said.

  “No, it’s not enough. Not enough at all,” Atticus said, and with all the effort one might make to cut a pat of butter for some toast, he stabbed Mr. Seven in the belly. The sword slid through him and out his back. Then with an irritated jerk, Atticus pulled his weapon free.

  “Nooo!” Morgan le Fay cried. As Mr. Seven fell to the ground, she raised her hands above her head. A ball of vicious red energy formed in between them.

  “Morgan, no! Save the magic for Seven! Get him out of here,” Henry barked, taking control. He raced forward and clocked Atticus in the face. The villain staggered, but only temporarily. His sword was in the air sailing toward Henry’s head when a blast of white energy slammed into Atticus. Sabrina turned to find the source.

  “I told you once I would kill you if you touched my daughter again,” the Wicked Queen said. Her hands were growing red with ancient arcana. She loosed the power on Atticus and it sent him flying through the crowd, knocking people aside as if he were a runaway truck.

  Sabrina rushed to Morgan’s side. The poor woman hovered over her husband, sobbing. Sabrina forced Morgan to look into her face. “Find Nurse Sprat!”

  Morgan looked bewildered.

  “Nurse Sprat can help him,” Sabrina said. Morgan nodded and went to find the nurse.

  Goldi and the Three Bears rushed forward. “What should we do?”

  “Crowd control,” Sabrina said. “Find Beauty and try to calm down this mob before anyone else gets hurt.”

  Goldi crawled onto Poppa Bear’s back and they charged into the madness.

  “Puck!” Sabrina cried. “Get Canis and the rest of my family to safety.”

  “Fine, but just so you know, you’re not the boss of me.”

  “What should we do?” a voice said. Sabrina turned and found the Frog Prince, his wife, and their daughter, Bella—all members of the Scarlet Hand and bitter enemies of the Grimms. At first Sabrina stumbled back, but then realized they were sincere.

  “You’re joining us?” Sabrina asked.

  The Frog Prince nodded. “If you’ll have us.”

  “Fine! Help anyone who is in danger of being trampled by this crowd.”

  Bella and her father sprang into the air and leaped around the crowd, hoisting people off their feet and planting them safely on the outskirts of the melee. Sabrina had no idea that a person could jump so high, but she reminded herself that father and daughter were part amphibian. Now she knew why Charming put them on his wish list.

  When she turned to see if there was anyone else in need of help, she saw Nottingham hovering over her with his twisted knife and even more twisted smile. Mayor Heart stood by his side, watching the action with bright eyes.

  “One Grimm down, six to go,” he hissed as he thrust the blade at Sabrina.

  “Not today, you psycho,” Uncle Jake said, punching the villain in the belly and then kneeing him in the face. Nottingham fell over, gasping for air. His dagger slipped from his grasp and Uncle Jake snatched it up. He stood over the struggling villain, his hand squeezing the dagger’s handle until his knuckles were white. For a moment, the
dark, tragic expression he had worn for many days returned. Sabrina was sure he was going to kill Nottingham. Then, with a flick of his hand, he threw the blade to the ground.

  “The offer still stands, Ms. Heart,” he said, extending his hand to the former queen. “The Master is no friend of yours. I’m not asking you to do the right thing. Just do the right thing for you.”

  Heart eyed him with curiosity but did not take his hand. Instead, she snapped up her megaphone and dashed back into the mob.

  An explosion shook the gazebo, nearly knocking everyone to the ground. The Wicked Queen’s battle with Atticus had escalated. Bunny blasted him repeatedly, and he slammed into the mob like he had been fired from a cannon. He flew past Sabrina and smashed into the gazebo behind her, tilting it off its foundation. But within moments he was on his feet, chuckling as if he were being attacked by a child.

  “Bad news, Your Majesty. That book of fairy tales you tried to bury me in was full of magical weapons. I managed to acquire a few in the last four hundred years. Take this suit of armor I wear—enchanted by Merlin himself. As long as I wear it, no human can kill me. Now put away your card tricks. The Master has need of me, and I’d like to kill my traitorous brother while I have some free time.”

  The Wicked Queen floated over the crowd. The whites of her eyes were swallowed by blackness and tiny bolts of lightning buzzed around her body. “Card tricks? You don’t get a name like the Wicked Queen doing card tricks.”

  She blasted him with a green rocket that sent him slamming into the ground once more. Still, Atticus recovered quickly.

  “Woman!” he said. “If you could kill, me you would have done it long ago, instead of locking me in that book.”

  “Mother, what is he talking about?” Snow asked.

  “Not now, honey, the grown-ups are talking,” Bunny said.

  The queen stretched out her arms. She shouted “Gladius!” and a flaming sword appeared in her hands. She struck at Atticus. He smirked and then launched into a savage and unrestrained attack. He slashed with his blade, forcing the floating witch farther and farther back. Bunny retaliated, her sword clanging against Atticus’s blade. Each strike sent red-hot sparks flying in all directions.

  “I need a sword!” Charming said. His own was lost in the fighting.

  “Coming right up,” Daphne said, and slipped her hand into her pocket. She took out the fairy godmother wand once more, and with a flick of her wrist Charming was in a full suit of armor with a sword in hand.

  “I don’t need the armor!” Charming groused, pulling off the helmet and tossing it aside.

  “Sorry, it goes with the outfit,” Daphne said.

  Charming charged into the fight, slashing at Atticus.

  “So the baby brother dares to pick up his sword?” Atticus said. “How you can defend your actions is beyond belief. The arrogance!”

  Swords flew.

  One flashed past Sabrina’s head and she felt it slice off a chunk of her hair. A second later she and Daphne were whisked into the sky. Puck had saved their lives again.

  “I rest my case!” Puck said.

  “Fine. I sometimes need your help,” Sabrina said.

  “Sometimes?”

  “Don’t push it, bug face,” Sabrina said. “There’s my mom and dad. Put us down there.”

  Once they were on the ground, Henry and Veronica pulled them into their arms. Veronica’s face was wet with tears and seeing her daughters sent a fresh flood down her cheeks. “Let’s get out of here now, kids.”

  “But what about Charming and Ms. Lancaster?” Sabrina said, turning back to watch more of the brutal fighting.

  “They can handle themselves,” Henry said.

  Goldilocks rushed to the family. “Come quick. It’s Mr. Seven.”

  Henry, Veronica, Sabrina, and Daphne followed the woman through the mob. A crowd was gathered in an alley near the old bicycle shop. Mr. Seven lay in the center, Nurse Sprat hovering over him. He looked pale and tired. A bandage was wrapped around his belly, but a red stain was spreading through it. Morgan le Fay sat on the ground next to him, holding his hand. Seven leaned up with some pain and kissed his wife. “I love you, Morgan.”

  The witch held on to his hand and would not let go. “I love you too! But everything is going to be fine. We’ll just postpone the honeymoon.”

  “Tell Mordred I want him to look after you,” he said.

  “You’re going to look after me, darling. That’s your job,” she said.

  Sabrina couldn’t stop staring at the blood. There was so much. “I tried everything I can,” Nurse Sprat said. “Nothing is helping.”

  Snow White rounded the corner. The beautiful teacher knelt beside Seven. “Take care of Charming, Snow,” the little man said. “He needs you.”

  “I will,” Snow said through tears.

  The queen and Charming joined the group moments later, exhausted from their fight. Snow jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

  “We managed to fight him off,” Bunny said, “but he’ll be back. We should get our friend here back to your castle.”

  Nurse Sprat shook her head.

  Charming stepped forward and knelt down next to his companion. “Nonsense! If you think dying gives you an excuse to tell me what you really think of me, you can save it, Seven. You’re going to recover and it will be very awkward later.”

  “William Charming, you are my friend,” the little man said.

  Charming’s face turned red. He fought back tears with as much force as he must have used to fight back dragons.

  “It has been my pleasure to look after you,” Seven continued.

  “Is that what you’ve been doing?” Charming said with a chuckle.

  Sabrina watched Seven lock eyes with the queen. “I’ve done everything I could to protect him from the truth, Your Majesty,” Mr. Seven said. “But it seems it has come nonetheless.”

  “What are you talking about?” the prince said.

  The queen sighed and leaned over Mr. Seven. “You have done your job well. You were the right choice,” the queen said.

  “I appreciate your saying so, Bunny,” Seven said, then looked at his wife. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Morgan. And I have been alive a long, long time. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  And for the last time in his life a grin spread across his face. And then he was gone.

  Those gathered wept for their friend. Morgan shrieked and Mordred did his best to comfort her. Charming took his friend’s hand and quietly prayed. And Sabrina and Daphne cried until there were no more tears to spare.

  When Snow could finally speak, she stepped over to her mother and seized her hand. “You are going to tell me the truth.”

  The queen nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  ctober 18 (part 2)

  We buried Mr. Seven by candlelight next to Briar Rose’s grave. Morgan sobbed and her son struggled to keep her on her feet. Their love was short but intense and I feel very bad for her. It doesn’t help that the decorations from the wedding are still hanging on everything. No one has the heart to take them down.

  Everyone said a few words about Mr. Seven, even Daphne, who cried and cried. Everyone, that is, except Uncle Jake. The little man’s death seemed to open a fresh wound inside him. He stood in the back of the crowd, more upset than ever.

  Charming spoke of his old friend. I wish I had a digital recorder so I could play it back and listen again, but I’ll write down what I remember. He said, “Seven was a giant of patience and consideration. He was as quick with a smile as he was with a caring ear. He took care of me for many years and I am admittedly a difficult man to handle. He was my friend, my counsel, and at times my brother. I hardly imagine I could have become a man without him. Good-bye, old friend.”

  When it was all over, the Wicked Queen took one of the white roses from Briar’s plot and planted it on Seven’s grave. As happened when they buried Briar, it sprouted hundreds of flowers, which bloomed in the m
oonlight.

  Everyone is miserable, but more than that they are afraid. No one ever thinks that a friend will die, especially at the hands of someone like Atticus. Bunny has promised her daughter and the prince answers about Atticus, and she’s asked Daphne, Puck, and me to help since we had a run-in with him in the Book of Everafter. I wonder how they will take it.

  “He’s your brother,” Bunny said to the prince.

  “That’s impossible!” Charming said. “I’m an only child.”

  “Because that’s how I wanted you to be,” she replied.

  Sabrina watched the confusion on Charming’s face. He stood up and paced around the log cabin. Snow stood back in confused paralysis.

  Bunny continued. “Just listen, please. What I’m going to tell you is complicated and you need to pay attention. This is the story of your life, William—the story of your real life. A long time ago, your parents, King Thorne and Queen Catherine, had two children—”

  Charming jumped forward. “Wait—”

  “Shut up!” Bunny snapped. “The youngest was you, and the firstborn was a boy named Atticus, and he was the heir to your father’s throne. Your father arranged a marriage between his kingdom and my own. It was a very common practice at the time and helped grow wealth and power. Snow was our princess.”

  “But I grew up in a village,” Snow argued.

  Bunny sighed impatiently. “What I didn’t know when I consented to this marriage was that Atticus was cruel and vicious. Royalty must often find themselves in loveless marriages, but Atticus was different. I soon learned he was known for killing stable hands and torturing kitchen maids, but when he turned his rage on my daughter, I got involved. William, I went to your father and begged him to stop your brother, but he refused to see the wickedness in his child. While he dithered like a fool, Atticus abused Snow in unspeakable ways. So I took matters into my own hands. I went to the Book of Everafter.”

  “The book of what?” Charming said. Both he and Snow looked at the witch like she had lost her mind. “What is this bedtime story you are spinning, Bunny?”

  Sabrina could tell the witch was losing patience with their interruptions. “The Book of Everafter is a magical collection of stories that was stored in the Hall of Wonders,” Sabrina explained. “Every fairy tale from Little Red Riding Hood to, well, the two of you is written in its pages.”