The Everafter War

by Michael Buckley

  “I had no idea,” Mr. Seven said, marveling at the enormous hall.

  “I never really get used to this place,” Snow said, though she had once owned the mirror herself.

  “I’m shocked. Bunny described this mirror as a botched first attempt,” Charming said.

  “A botched first attempt?” Mirror cried.

  Charming ignored him. “But I think it will serve our needs very well. We could house an army ten times our size here, plus the weapons. It might be wise to train in here, too. There’s plenty of space. OK, everyone, let’s get to work.”

  “Relda, am I missing something?” Mirror asked.

  Granny handed Mirror her massive key ring. “My family has agreed to aid Prince Charming’s army with supplies and training. The list will tell you what they need.”

  Mirror looked skeptical. “No Grimm has ever gotten directly involved in the Everafter community in this manner. You can’t just let this . . . this riffraff traipse in and out of here, taking whatever they like.”

  “No one cares about your opinion,” Charming said, stepping up to Mirror. “You are a servant. Hurry along and get those doors opened.”

  “Billy Charming, you’re forgetting your manners!” Granny cried.

  “He’s not a servant. He’s our friend,” Daphne said. “Be nice.”

  “Child, this so-called friend of yours is not real. He’s nothing more than a security system designed to look after this hall and to obey your every command. He only has a personality to make dealing with him a bit more pleasant. His stubbornness, however, is obviously a malfunction, one we should have Bunny take a look at right away. He’s wasting valuable time. My troops need to train.”

  Snow White stepped between the two men. “Billy, Mirror is a big part of this family, and he is well respected. Plus, I can attest firsthand that he’s a sweetheart.” She turned to face Mirror. “Friend, we need your help. We’re terribly outnumbered, and these rooms have the magical firepower to help us put up a good fight against the Scarlet Hand. I personally promise that everything will be returned in perfect condition.”

  “But—”

  “Not even a scratch, Mirror,” she said.

  Mirror looked down at the keys and the list. He glanced at Granny Relda one last time, as if hoping she would come to her senses, but she just smiled.

  “We really are in a bit of a rush,” Granny said.

  Mirror shrugged and shuffled off to do as he was told.

  “Stop being mean to him,” Daphne snapped at the prince.

  Charming rolled his eyes.

  Veronica stepped forward. “What can we do?”

  Robin Hood smiled. “Your family is essential to our success. Few members of our army have experience with enchanted objects. You’re going to train us, or I fear we’ll all turn each other into frogs.”

  “We’ll be happy to help,” Granny Relda said.

  The family spent the entire day instructing the Everafters in the proper use of magical gizmos. Sabrina did her best to help without actually touching anything, and so she eventually found herself giving people flying carpet lessons. Its magic never seemed to arouse her addiction, so she tried her best to teach steering, landing, and acceleration. She was terrible at it; nevertheless, the refugees treated her like a hero. They asked her millions of questions about her experiences. Everyone claimed to have heard one story or another about the sisters and were stunned to find out that most of them were true.

  “Did you really kill a giant?”

  “What did the Jabberwocky sound like?”

  “Did Oz really build killer robots?”

  Being the star should have been fun, but Sabrina couldn’t help feeling like she was betraying her father with every new soldier she helped. Henry wouldn’t even join them in the hall. Veronica guessed he was still in the courtyard, sulking. Sabrina thought of all the times she had done the same rather than lend a hand, and for the first time she understood how annoying it could be. She was tempted to go give her dad a lecture about having a good attitude. She could recite by heart many of the ones Granny Relda had given her, but she doubted it would do any good. They never really worked on Sabrina, either.

  While Sabrina flew around the hall on the carpet, Daphne became the go-to expert on many of the other gizmos. The little girl’s knack with wands and rings made her very popular with the recruits. Sabrina couldn’t help but watch her with a mix of pride and regret for having treated her like a baby for so long. It was clear Daphne was growing up.

  Granny Relda trained a band of Merry Men in the art of flicking a fairy godmother wand. It didn’t come naturally to the burly men, whose weapons of choice were heavy clubs or bows and arrows. A wand required a delicate hand, and there was a lot of shouting when they couldn’t get it quite right. Little John got so frustrated that he punched a nearby marble pillar.

  Uncle Jake had more experience with magic than all the Grimms combined, especially when it came to enchanted creatures. He saddled unicorns and did his best to calm the nervous beasts. They were stubborn, dangerous animals. Elvis was frantic around them and hid behind Veronica when one trotted too close to him. Despite the obvious physical and emotional pain he was in, Jake never took a break, nor did he speak to anyone.

  It was a long day. Most of the soldiers were hopelessly inept, and a few were already showing signs of magical addiction. There were far too many Everafters to teach and not enough time for anyone to master the new weapons. By dinnertime, Sabrina had only managed to teach fifty to fly on the carpet. Granny told her there were at least another three hundred waiting in line outside the mirror. Tomorrow was going to be even more exhausting.

  Snow approached. “Looks like it’s my turn.” She seemed nervous.

  “It’s really simple,” Sabrina said, hoping to ease her fear. “You just tell it what to do, and it obeys.”

  “If it’s so simple, then why does it look so awkward?”

  “That’s me, I think,” Sabrina said. “I’m not very good, and I can’t seem to get it to work as well as Daphne. Even Uncle Jake says she’s the best, but she’s busy teaching the Scarecrow how to use a genie’s ring. If you want to wait for her, I won’t be offended.”

  “I think I’ll stick with you,” Snow said, stepping onto the rug. “So, how do we get it into the air?”

  Sabrina joined her. “You just ask. Carpet, up!” Suddenly, the rug rocketed into the air and came to a screeching halt a few inches from the ceiling. Sabrina cringed. “Sorry—like I said, I’m not the best driver.”

  “Perhaps it’s easier if we sit?” Snow suggested, easing herself down. Sabrina did the same. “So if I want it to go down the hall?”

  “Just ask.”

  “OK, carpet, let’s move,” Ms. White said. The rug sailed forward, dipping and bouncing along the way. Sabrina remembered the time she and her family flew to Mexico on vacation. The plane sailed through some clouds and shook unpleasantly in the turbulence. Sabrina almost lost her lunch.

  “Thank you for staying here to help,” Snow said. “I know how much you and your father would rather get out of town.”

  “It’s causing a lot of fighting between my mom and dad.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “My parents are a little obnoxious, huh?”

  Snow laughed. “Don’t worry, they’ll work it out. I knew them before you were born. One look, and you could see how much they adored one another. I’ve only seen one other couple who looked at each other the way they do.”

  “You and the prince?” Sabrina asked.

  Snow blushed. “What if I want to fly in a circle? Do I just ask, again?”

  “Yep! When you’re cruising along like this, it will follow your directions, but when things get crazy—like if you’re being attacked—it has a mind of its own. I guess you could say it wants to save its own butt just as much you want to save yours.”

  Snow explained a route she wanted to take, and the rug followed her every instruction.

  �
�So if you’re in love with the prince, why aren’t you getting married?” Sabrina asked.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “I’ve got time,” Sabrina said. “I have to train Ichabod Crane next, and he sweats a lot when he’s nervous. I’d rather put him off as long as I can.”

  “Well, it all started about six hundred years ago,” Ms. White said with a laugh. “You see, there was a time when I was—well, pretty naive.”

  “Huh?”

  “I was an idiot. In my defense, they didn’t educate women back in my day. There used to be a joke in my village—the reason they were called the ‘Dark Ages’ is because the women couldn’t figure out how to light the candles. Jokes weren’t really that funny back then, either.” Snow laughed at her own bad joke. “Anyway, I coasted on my looks and didn’t worry about my brain. I was royalty, after all.

  “And then, well, my mom gave me the poisoned apple to put me to sleep. I guess I had some kind of epiphany while I was sleeping, because a little while after Billy kissed me and woke me up, I got mad.”

  “That makes sense,” Sabrina offered.

  “No, I mean, I was mad at her for sure. But I was mad at Billy, too. And the universe. And the way things were done.” Snow counted off on her fingers. “This guy shows up, and I’m supposed to marry him?! Just because he broke some spell? I expected my parents to pick a husband for me, but having the magical world make the decision felt even more unfair. Why couldn’t I decide who I wanted to love? But even that’s not what really, truly bothered me. It was the realization that I couldn’t take care of myself. While I was riding off into the sunset on the back of Billy’s horse, I made a decision. I would never allow myself to be a victim again.”

  “So you learned martial arts and started the Bad Apples self-defense school to teach other women how to fight back,” Sabrina said, brightly. “And now you’re training an army. But what does that have to do with Billy’s proposal?”

  “I broke my own promise. I let myself be victimized again.”

  “Bluebeard.” His name sent shivers through Sabrina. It was only days ago that the infamous murderer had cornered Snow. Luckily, Prince Charming had appeared in the nick of time to save her.

  “When he grabbed me and pulled me into that alley, I literally forgot all of my training. I was helpless,” Ms. White admitted, ashamed.

  “You shouldn’t give yourself a hard time about it,” Sabrina said. “He gave everyone the heebie-jeebies.”

  “I’m not everyone. I pride myself on my smarts and my right hook, but they both failed me. So I’m right back where I was six hundred years ago, with Billy saving my butt and expecting us to run off and get married.”

  “You’re one of the bravest people I know,” Sabrina said as she showed Snow how to make the carpet do a loop-the-loop.

  “I’m not so sure that’s true, Sabrina,” Snow said. “And until I know, I can’t get married, even though I love Billy. I won’t marry someone who has to take care of me. I have to prove that I can take care of myself, again.”

  “I have a feeling Charming will wait for you,” Sabrina said with a smile.

  Snow smiled back.

  All in all, the three heads of the army—Mr. Canis, Prince Charming, and Robin Hood—seemed happy with the day’s progress. At the end of the very long day, the troops marched back through the portal to their well-earned cots. The Grimms were to sleep in the Hall of Wonders. Henry and Mr. Canis brought sleeping bags from the camp for each of them.

  Mr. Canis informed the family that the mysterious saboteur struck several times that day but had yet to be identified. “Luckily,” he said, “the destruction was repaired before anyone got hurt.” Then Canis excused himself, as he and Red had work of their own to do.

  Sabrina nestled into a sleeping bag next to her sister. Elvis lay between them, his big head resting on Daphne’s belly.

  “Daphne?” Sabrina called.

  The little girl opened a single eye.

  “Are you OK?” she said. “I mean, about Briar and—”

  “No,” the girl whispered. “It’s very sad.”

  “You can talk to me if you want,” Sabrina offered.

  Daphne shook her head and rolled over so her back faced Sabrina. She wasn’t ready to let go of her anger yet.

  Feeling defeated, Sabrina turned her attention to the ceiling high above them. She was exhausted but too restless to sleep. Briar’s funeral was still fresh in her memory. She thought about the princess, how she had foolishly sprung up to fight, even in the face of certain death. She hadn’t given it a second thought, and now she was dead. Daphne, Snow, even Granny Relda were just like her, and Sabrina worried that one day their luck would run out as well. She desperately wanted to protect Daphne. It hurt that the little girl didn’t understand. Yes, she wanted to go back to New York City to get away from all this madness, but it was also so Daphne would be safe—safe from the mobs of lunatics waiting outside their house, from the mayor who was trying to kill her. Daphne didn’t get it. She thought Sabrina was being selfish and a coward. And maybe she was right.

  Can I be a hero, too? Sabrina wondered. She knew she had done heroic things, but did she do them for others or to save her own behind? She suddenly understood that Daphne’s cold shoulder was about more than stealing the horn of the North Wind from her, or siding with Dad to leave town. It was about right and wrong, about always doing the good thing even if it wasn’t the wisest. Being heroic came so easily to Daphne. The gray areas didn’t cause her to stumble the way they did Sabrina. Maybe the little girl was naive, but Sabrina suddenly understood that she might lose her relationship with Daphne if she didn’t find the hero inside of her, and fast.

  Someone rustled in a sleeping bag nearby. Sabrina turned and saw her mother stand up, slip on a pair of flip-flops, and pull a sweatshirt over her head. Sabrina’s father was sleeping deeply beside her, and Veronica was trying to be quiet. She tiptoed down the hallway toward the Room of Reflections. Curiosity piqued, Sabrina shook her sister awake.

  “Iiiiiiidooooghwannnagiiiiiiitupppffff,” Daphne grumbled.

  “Wake up,” Sabrina said.

  “Didn’t I tell you I’m mad at you?” Daphne muttered.

  “Mom just snuck out of here. Let’s follow her,” Sabrina said.

  “Maybe she’s just getting a drink of water,” the little girl complained.

  “She’s not after a glass of water. I know sneaking when I see it,” Sabrina said, pulling Daphne out of her sleeping bag. “C’mon!”

  Daphne grumbled but followed Sabrina down the hall to the Room of Reflections. They passed without disturbance into the Hotel of Wonders. Harry was nowhere to be found, so they hurried quickly through the portal that led to the fort. Outside, the night was chilly and damp.

  “It’s cold,” Daphne complained. “Let’s go back.”

  “Stop complaining. There she is,” Sabrina said, following Veronica toward the medical tent. “Why is she going to see Nurse Sprat?”

  “Maybe she’s looking for another blanket,” Daphne grumbled.

  Sabrina grabbed her sister’s hand and dragged her to the side of the tent. They got on their hands and knees and tucked their heads underneath a loose section of the canvas. Staying very still, they watched Nurse Sprat take their mother’s blood pressure.

  “Thanks for meeting me so late,” Veronica said.

  “Not a problem,” the nurse replied. “But I do think this is something you should discuss with Henry.”

  “I will, but not until I’m sure.”

  The nurse nodded. “Have you been feeling funny since you woke up?”

  “No, not at all,” Veronica said, “which is what worries me. I should feel run down and nauseated, but I feel totally fine.”

  Daphne whispered, “What are they talking about?”

  Sabrina shrugged and strained to hear more from the nurse.

  “Well, I have to admit, this is the most unusual case I’ve seen. I don’t think I know of anyone else
who’s ever been placed under a sleeping spell who happened to be pregnant at the time.”

  “Pregnant?!” the girls cried, then clapped their hands over each other’s mouths. But it was too late. Veronica stood over them, hands on hips, disapproval all over her face.

  7

  Veronica pulled them into the tent.

  “What on earth do the two of you think you’re doing?” she cried.

  “You’re going to have a baby?” Sabrina asked.

  “I’m going to be a big sister, finally!” Daphne crowed.

  “Girls, calm down,” Veronica said.

  “She’s right, girls,” Nurse Sprat said. “The miracle of life is the most unpredictable magic there is. We don’t want you to get your hopes up too early.”

  “You were pregnant before you were kidnapped?” Sabrina asked.

  Veronica nodded and finally surrendered to her daughters’ curiosity. “I found out the day we were taken. I was so excited and knew Henry would be, too. I told him to meet me in Central Park after work so I could tell him the good news. We went to the carousel. It was a beautiful day. The last thing I remember is my friend Oz rushing down the hill toward us, and then we woke up here, in Ferryport Landing. And two years were gone.”

  Daphne and Sabrina shared an uncomfortable look.

  “Oz is not your friend, Mom,” Daphne said.

  “He’s the one who put you to sleep. He was working with the Master,” Sabrina explained.

  Veronica bit her lip and looked as if she might cry. “I trusted him,” she whispered.

  “So did we,” Daphne said. “And then he attacked us with a giant robot. He’s kind of a jerk.”

  “Mom, you’ve been asleep for almost two years. Do you think something’s wrong with the baby?” Sabrina asked.

  “I don’t know,” Veronica said. “That’s what I’m here trying to figure out.”