Charming ignored her. “The Editor came to me. He told me to fight. The real people must leave the Book at once. A door to the real world will appear at any moment.”
“No, we won’t go without the boy,” Granny Relda said. She turned to Bunny Lancaster. “Can you remove Mirror from him?”
“Yes, but like I said, he’ll just jump into one of us.”
“Do it!” Granny begged.
The Queen’s hand turned red once more. She waved it at the boy and his body flew toward her against his will. The burning hand clamped down on his head and Mirror’s voice cried out for mercy. Then the little boy collapsed to the ground. Veronica raced to his side and swept him up into her arms. He began to cry from surprise and shock.
The Queen couldn’t hold on to the black blob and it darted around the crowd, searching for a new vessel. It looked like a shapeless dog sniffing for a buried bone. As Sabrina watched, fascinated, it attacked, clamping down on her shoulders and trying to force its way into her mouth. She fought back, grinding her teeth to keep it from entering her, but the creature was strong. After a few moments of fighting, seemingly frustrated, it darted to her sister.
“Don’t open your mouth!” Sabrina shouted. Daphne was doing all she could to fight it.
“I’m afraid we can’t stop it,” the Queen said. “It must find a body to possess.”
A clarity came over Sabrina that she had never experienced before. She realized that when things were at their worst she could always find an answer. Sure, she had made many mistakes, but most of them were misjudgments fueled by prejudices, mistrust, or stubbornness. But when it was a matter of life and death involving a friend or loved one, she never made mistakes. When it came to protecting her family, the answers were always clear.
She raced to Daphne’s side, but Granny Relda was already there. Sabrina knew what she was going to do. It was exactly what she had planned herself.
“Mom! No!” Henry shouted as he wrestled with a reviser.
Granny Relda turned and looked to her family. “He’ll get out, Henry. We know he will. And he’ll take some poor child or another Everafter who’s already ripe with power. If he must possess someone, it should be a person nearing their final days; someone old, and tired, with creaky joints and arthritis, and no magical ability. If he’s going to take over the world, then the world should only have to suffer for so long.”
“Granny!” Sabrina cried.
“I love you, liebling,” Granny said, blowing kisses. “Take care of Puck—he’s one of mine too.”
She turned to the ghostly spirit attacking Daphne and buried her fingers into the blackness. “Let her go, Mirror!” Granny cried.
The creature resisted but she would not let go. Eventually, it surrendered and entered the old woman. Granny’s face lost its rosy color. Her bright green eyes flashed white hot, and her sweet, soft smile disappeared. It was replaced with an angry scowl.
“You have ruined everything!” Mirror’s voice bellowed out of the old woman. “Look at this body!”
“Vile creature,” Prince Charming said. He waved his sword threateningly at Granny Relda. “Release your hold on that woman.”
Mirror raised the old woman’s wrinkled hand and sparks crackled from the tips of her fingers. “You ridiculous oaf. Do you think I would stay in this body if I had a choice?” Electricity charged out of Granny’s hands and encircled the Prince’s sword.
It yanked the weapon out of Charming’s grasp and Granny took it. “My opportunity—stolen! So I will bring this world down around your ears.”
Granny thrust the sword into Charming’s gut. The Prince was stunned. Then he fell over and moved no more.
No sooner had he fallen than the world shook so violently that Sabrina was knocked backward to the ground. Her head slammed against the soil and her sneakers were blasted off her feet. Before she could stand and retrieve her shoes, there was a second explosion. This one was louder, and the blast of wind that accompanied it was so hot it scorched her face, neck, and hands. But the third explosion was the one that frightened her. It split columns in two and churned the ground like a pot of boiling water. Fissures formed, allowing skin-searing steam to escape from deep below. Along with it came an unearthly concoction of lights and sounds and colors. It wasn’t a mist or a fog—it was alive, made from something old and angry. It spun into a whirlwind and surrounded the children.
“Everyone must go,” the Wicked Queen shouted. “Atticus is coming!”
“Sabrina, this is not good!” Daphne shouted over the din. It was clear the little girl knew what was happening as well. “We have to stop it.”