The Everafter War

by Michael Buckley

  “Well, Relda, we have good news and bad news,” he replied, jumping down from his perch. “The good news is, we just cut off a very important supply line for the Master. The bad news is that we have a traitor within our ranks. Someone in this camp fed our battle plans directly to the Scarlet Hand. I suspected it all along, and it proved true today.”

  “I was at Nottingham’s office,” Goldilocks chimed in. “The entire Scarlet Hand army was there waiting for us. If we had gone there, we probably wouldn’t have come back.”

  “So, you went to the marina to finish the original plan!” Daphne cried. “Gravy!”

  “Exactly. The Hand never saw us coming,” Charming said, puffing out his chest proudly. “I suspect our saboteur and our spy are the same person. We now urgently need to find out who that person is, before they can do any more damage.”

  “Worry about it tomorrow!” Snow crowed. “These people need to celebrate. We showed the Master, didn’t we?”

  The crowd roared.

  “Have a little fun. You deserve it!” she cried.

  Tables were conjured, candles were lit, and wine flowed freely. There was dancing and singing, and soldiers shared battle stories that grew more exaggerated with each telling. Sabrina spotted Morgan le Fay and Mr. Seven dancing beside the supply tent. He was standing on a chair so the two could be cheek to cheek.

  Snow was right, everyone needed a little celebration, but Sabrina couldn’t help worrying about the spy. There were hundreds of Everafters in the camp, many of whom she didn’t know at all. Any one of them could be working against the army.

  “I wonder what the spy has planned for us tonight,” she grumbled to her family.

  Granny shook her head. “It’s a terrible shame that someone would turn on their own people.”

  “It could be anyone,” Daphne said. “Did anyone find any clues?”

  Uncle Jake shook his head. “I searched the garden more thoroughly this morning. There was nothing there.”

  “The chicken coop was a total bust,” Daphne said.

  “I’ve been so worried about the refugees that I forgot to go back to the armory,” Sabrina admitted.

  “I searched it myself,” Henry said. “There were no clues, but I suspect whoever broke all those arrows came in through the window. They must have been little.”

  Suddenly, Sabrina remembered the little wooden object that had caused her to fall in the armory. She dug it out of her pocket and showed it to the group.

  “I found this thing,” she said.

  Everyone grew quiet. Sabrina herself was so surprised, she could barely speak.

  “It’s a little leg,” Granny said.

  “A little wooden leg,” Veronica said, picking it up and examining it.

  “It looks like one of Pinocchio’s marionette legs,” Daphne added.

  “How did it end up in the armory?” Sabrina asked, but the looks on her family members’ faces told her the answer.

  “It can’t be him,” Granny said.

  “It can totally be him,” Uncle Jake said.

  “What other explanation would there be?” Mr. Canis said. “He showed up out of nowhere. We don’t know where he’s been, who he’s been talking to, or why he came back.”

  “Wait! You really think Pinocchio is the spy?” Sabrina asked.

  Granny’s face fell. “Poor Geppetto. He’ll be heartbroken.”

  “What do we do?” Veronica asked. “Should we confront him?”

  Mr. Canis stood without a word and hobbled toward Pinocchio’s tent. Everyone followed. He used his cane to lift the tent’s flap. Inside were a hundred finished marionettes, along with several thick blocks of wood and a carving knife. On one wall of the tent shone a bloodred handprint.

  The old man searched through the marionettes until he found one with a missing leg. The one Sabrina had found in the armory fit perfectly. He tossed both pieces angrily to the ground.

  “Anybody have any doubts now?” Henry asked.

  “It appears the party is over,” a voice called. Pinocchio stood in the doorway.

  Sabrina spun on him. “Explain yourself!” she growled.

  “The Master came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. He’s going to help me correct the Blue Fairy’s mistake. Soon, I will abandon this childish form and finally be a man.”

  “And it doesn’t matter to you that you’re putting the rest of us in grave danger?” she asked. “Your father is here. What if he gets killed because of the things you are doing?”

  “My father is safe! The Master has made that promise to me. Oh, don’t look at me with such shock. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be seen and spoken to as a child every day?”

  “Uh, yeah?” Daphne snapped.

  “Try it for hundreds of years! Never allowed to grow up because I am trapped in this little boy’s body. The Blue Fairy thought she was giving me a gift, but look how she has cursed me. The Master will correct this injustice.”

  “And if people die in the process?” Uncle Jake cried. He snatched the boy by the collar and pushed him against the wall of the tent.

  “That’s entirely up to you, Jacob. You don’t have to be his enemy,” Pinocchio said. “The Master can be your friend. He can give you anything you want. You could wish your princess back to life, and he would make it happen. All you have to do is give up your fight.”

  “You’re disgusting. Your friend killed the woman I love!”

  Granny stepped forward and tried to calm her son, but Jake refused to back down.

  “He’s just a boy,” she said.

  “No, Mom, he’s not! You heard him. He’s a monster!” Jake shouted.

  “Where do we put him so he can’t cause any more trouble?” Henry asked.

  Before anyone could answer, a horrible roar filled the air and shook the walls of the tent. Sabrina recognized the sound.

  “Dragon!” she cried.

  Panic rose up throughout the camp. Through the doorway, Sabrina saw people running around frantically, screaming and crying. Everafters were trampling one another in the melee. Knights sprinted through the courtyard with swords drawn. In the madness, Pinocchio pulled free from Jake. He darted out into the crowds, disappearing from sight.

  Puck was eager to chase after Pinocchio, but Granny stopped him. “We’ll catch him later. Right now, we have to help everyone to safety.”

  The family raced out from the tent. Charming was outside, climbing atop a table with his sword in hand. “Get to your posts. Remember your training. We can fight this thing!”

  A violet-colored dragon with the face of a cat appeared on the horizon. It circled the camp like a vulture preparing to feast.

  “Three just swooped over the fort,” Robin Hood shouted, pointing north. “But I think there are at least ten in total. One blasted the west wall. I sent guards to put out the fire, but the water tower valve is broken. There’s no way to get any water to the hoses or the cannons.”

  Granny Relda took a deep, steadying breath. “Veronica, I seem to remember you were pretty good with mechanical gizmos.”

  “I’ve fixed a few leaky sinks in my day,” Veronica said.

  “You’re the best we’ve got. Get over to the water tower and see if you can’t get those valves working.”

  Veronica raced off to do what she could.

  “Henry, get up to the east tower and switch that water cannon on,” Granny Relda said. “As soon as Veronica has the water working, try to knock those dragons out of the air.”

  “But the girls—”

  “Henry, they’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “Besides, I’ve got a job for them that will keep them safe. Trust me.”

  Henry still looked worried, but he nodded. The conversation he'd had with Sabrina seemed to make a difference. It was clear that trusting his daughters didn’t come naturally to him, especially when there was danger, but somehow he forced himself to let go. He raced off to do as he was told.

  Puck took his sword from his belt. “All r
ight, well, I guess I have to go up there and kill some flying iguanas,” he said with a grin.

  “Actually, I need you to help the girls, and it’s a job only a mischievous juvenile delinquent like yourself can do. How do you feel about throwing some rocks?” the old woman asked.

  Puck grimaced. “I hardly think a few rocks will take down a dragon.”

  Granny pointed behind her at one of Boarman and Swineheart’s catapults. A giant boulder was already loaded into its arm. Several more sat nearby.

  Puck rubbed his hands together eagerly. “I’m in.”

  Canis stepped forward. “Relda, perhaps it’s time to bring the Wolf back to the fight. I believe I now have the ability to control him, and I have the jar in my—”

  “Absolutely not, old friend,” she scolded. “We can manage without that monster. Besides, I’m going to need you and Red to get me through this camp once it’s safe.”

  Everyone raced to do their jobs. Sabrina studied the catapult closely. Despite its crude appearance, it was incredibly complex. It had dozens of knobs and buttons as well as an intricate series of weights and counterweights. Puck aimed it while Sabrina and Daphne pushed buttons and pulled ropes. When a black dragon with white tusks buzzed past the fortress, Sabrina shouted for Puck to fire, but he refused.

  “We have to wait until it’s lined up perfectly,” he said. “Don’t worry. We’ll get another chance.”

  “I don’t want another chance. Just shoot the thing down,” Sabrina said. “It’s coming right at us!”

  The dragon made a beeline for the catapult. Once it was close enough, it reared back and prepared to blast them with its fiery breath. Puck gave the order, and Daphne slammed her hand down on a red button. The giant spring inside the machine screeched, and, with incredible force, the arm of the catapult whipped upward. The boulder rocketed into the sky.

  “Eat that, ugly!” Puck cried as the boulder slammed into the dragon’s face. The beast bellowed in agony, and magma poured from the wound. The creature fell out of the sky and slammed into the courtyard. Its eyes closed, and its heaving chest grew still.

  “That’s one!” Puck crowed, celebrating with a ridiculous victory dance.

  “Nine to go!” Sabrina said as she pulled the levers to lower the catapult’s arm. “We need to reload. You think you can pull that off?”

  Puck spun on his heels and transformed into an enormous elephant. He lumbered over to the nearest boulder and pushed against it with his head. The huge stone rolled slowly forward. It was clearly an effort for Puck, even in this state, but he pushed onward until the rock sat firmly in the catapult’s arm.

  The girls fiddled away at the knobs and weights once more. While they worked, Sabrina watched her father in the east tower. The cannon he maneuvered was fed by the water tower, but with the valve busted it was useless. As a brown dragon flew by, it blasted the exterior wall of the camp. Helpless, Henry could not put out the flames. When the dragon doubled back and buzzed past the top of the watchtower, Henry was forced to duck low to avoid its black talons.

  “How’s it going, Mom?” Sabrina shouted, panicking.

  Veronica stood atop a ladder near the tower and was trying to pull something out of the gears. “Pinocchio shoved something in here. If I could only get it out, the water will come . . .”

  “Could you hurry?” Henry shouted from across the camp.

  “Keep your pants on, Hank!” she cried.

  The brown dragon pivoted in the sky and flew like an arrow at Henry’s watchtower. He was a sitting duck.

  “Puck, we have to get the brown one now!” Sabrina screamed.

  Puck transformed back to his regular state and then turned the catapult in the proper direction. He looked through a scope to line up his shot.

  “Puck, don’t miss,” Sabrina said fiercely.

  “I won’t miss,” Puck snapped back. “Fire!”

  Daphne slammed the red button, and another rock flew into the sky. It rocketed past the monster and flew into the forest.

  “Oops,” Puck said.

  Sabrina looked up and saw the dragon preparing his blast. Her father stood, cornered, on the tower. There was nothing she could do.

  “I got it!” Veronica cried, and, suddenly, water was blasting out of the cannon directly into the mouth of the dragon. It gurgled and gasped as it fell to the ground, dead.

  “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Puck cried as he ran for the other watchtower. “You guys handle the rock thrower. I’m going to have fun with the big squirt gun!”

  “Hey! How are we supposed to load this thing?” Sabrina cried after him, but the fairy boy was already gone.

  Daphne looked over at the next boulder. “There’s no way we can lift that thing. Even together.”

  “You help Dad. I’ll go get Puck,” Sabrina said, and the girls raced off in opposite directions. Soon, Sabrina reached the platform where Puck was busy spraying water all over the forest, ignoring the circling monsters.

  “You really have an attention problem,” Sabrina said, pointing to a jade-colored dragon looming toward them. She wrenched the cannon from Puck and turned it toward the monster. She pushed the firing button lightly, just to see how much water would come out, and was surprised to see a flood blast from the nozzle. As the dragon got closer, she braced herself and fired. The water shot out of the cannon and hit the dragon right in the jaw. It was a lucky but effective shot, and the creature reared back in panic.

  “Hey! I saw the squirt gun first! Go kill dragons with something else,” Puck shouted as he shoved Sabrina out of the way. A white dragon appeared on his left and barreled down on the fort, shooting a blast of flame that left a scorched trail across the courtyard and ignited the far wall.

  “You’re not supposed to let them burn the place to the ground!” Sabrina shrieked. “If you can’t do this, step aside.”

  Puck growled. “Leave me alone. I know what I’m doing.”

  He fired the cannon but didn’t aim very well. The white dragon was unfazed and continued circling the fort.

  “Give me the cannon, Puck,” Sabrina said, pushing the boy out of the way. Once she was in control, she searched the skies for the flying menace. She soon spotted the same white dragon approaching fast. She trained the weapon on the beast and waited patiently. She needed to let it get closer in order to blast it with enough force to kill it. In fact, to get the best shot, she needed it to be nearly on top of her. Though her brain was telling her to run, she grasped the handle of the cannon tightly and forced herself to stay put. Closer. Closer. She could feel the heat of the creature approaching. Her ears were full of its roars and beating wings. Let it get closer. Any second! When she couldn’t wait another second, she fired right into the dragon’s open jaws. It fell out of the sky, crashing inside the camp and leveling the mess tent. It skidded across the yard, slamming into another dead dragon.

  “Lucky shot!” Puck complained as he snatched the cannon away again. He spun it toward another approaching monster and fired, missing the mark completely. He tried again and again but failed every time.

  “What’s the matter, booger brain? Do you need a bigger target?” Sabrina mocked, pulling the cannon away from him.

  He yanked it back. “I probably can’t hit anything because you’ve infected me with your puberty virus.”

  “Puck, puberty isn’t a virus. You go through it when you grow up.”

  “Well, I’m an Everafter. I don’t grow up!” he shouted. “I’m perfectly happy to stay this age forever, but you came along, and now all of a sudden I’m getting taller and my voice is changing. It’s all your fault!”

  “Don’t look at me. I didn’t ask you to grow up,” Sabrina said, scanning the sky for more dragons.

  Just then, three arrows thudded into the side of the platform. Sabrina ducked and scanned the forest for their source. She nearly fell over in shock when she spotted the massive army approaching. There must have been two thousand Everafters marching in their direction. Sh
eriff Nottingham and the Queen of Hearts led the throng.

  “The Scarlet Hand is here!” Sabrina shouted down to the soldiers inside the camp. The news caused the panic to escalate, and many fled into cabins and tents, choosing to hide rather than fight. She snatched the cannon back from Puck and turned it on the approaching forces. It unleashed a typhoon of water, knocking nearly a hundred goblin soldiers flat. She didn’t let up, showering the villains mercilessly and leveling another five hundred before the water unexpectedly turned into a trickle.

  She turned to the water tower where her mother was peering into a glass window on its side.

  “It’s run dry!” she shouted. “We’re out of water.”

  “That can’t be right! You must be doing it wrong,” Puck said. He pushed the FIRE button over and over with no results. “You broke it!”

  He swung the cannon around in anger, and the nozzle hit Sabrina in the chest, knocking her off the platform. How ironic, she thought, as she fell to her certain death, that at that moment she would have given anything to be a giant goose again.

  9

  Air rushed past Sabrina’s body as she plummeted to the ground, but, suddenly, she felt a tingling on her back, and she was no longer falling. Instead, she was hanging upside down, inches from the ground. A long, furry tail stuck out of the back of her pants. It was wrapped around one of the tower’s beams and kept her dangling like a yo-yo.

  Puck flew down to her.

  “Look what you did to me with your stupid pranks. I have a tail!” she raged.

  She expected him to cackle with glee, but Puck’s face was trembling. “I’m sorry.”

  “What?” Sabrina said blankly. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.

  “I almost killed you,” he said, rubbing his teary eyes on his filthy hoodie. He was deeply troubled. He gently freed her and placed her safely on the ground.

  “Since when do you care?” Sabrina asked.

  Prince Charming and Snow White rushed to their side. “We . . . we have to retreat. Get your family and go.”

  “Retreat? To where?” Sabrina asked.

  “There are too many dragons, and their army is too big,” Charming said. “Sabrina, I think we should herd everyone into the Hall of Wonders.”