Sisters Grimm 05 Magic and Other Misdemeanors (15 page)

He closed the door and the girls tiptoed around the room, pulling on jeans and sweaters and shoving their feet into shoes. Then they crept down the stairs, where they found Charming waiting by the door. He had borrowed a pair of Uncle Jake's jeans and a white shirt and had wrapped himself in an old coat, presumably one their late grandfather Basil had owned.

"What's the plan, Stan?" Daphne asked.

Charming gestured for her to be silent and then ushered them outside into the cool spring air. He closed the door tightly, and Sabrina told the house they would be back soon, activating the magical lock. The lock was just one of the protection spells Granny had used on the house.

"I have a few items I need to collect, and I could use the extra hands," Charming said.

"Items? What kind of items?"

"The kind that will change the future," he said. "Unfortunately, they happen to be at the mansion."

Sabrina was shocked. "The mansion! We can't go there. Mayor Heart lives there now. She's got guards!"

"Guards with swords!" Daphne added. "Sharp, pointy swords."

"Yes, I suppose she does," the prince said as if that were a tiny detail.

"Besides, what makes you think she still has these items? From what I hear, she's broken the bank redecorating the mansion. Anything you left behind is probably at the town dump by now."

"Not these things," he said. "If I know Heart like I think I do, she would never throw these out. Oh, here's our ride."

Just then, two headlights pulled into the driveway. When Sabrina's eyes adjusted, she realized she was looking at a long white limousine. The driver's side door opened and a dwarf in a black tuxedo stepped out.

"Good evening, Seven," Charming said.

The dwarf nodded. "Good evening."

"Thank you for taking my call," Charming said, looking down at the ground. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. In the future, Charming seemed to have respect for Mr. Seven. But in the present, the little man was still Charming's former assistant, and the ex-mayor hadn't been a very nice boss. As Charming's assistant, Seven had been subjected to a steady onslaught of insults and criticisms. Still, the dwarf had been incredibly loyal to the prince, even up to the moment he lost the election and Mr. Seven lost his job. Charming shuffled back and forth as if deciding on whether to apologize for all his abuse. In the end, he simply patted the dwarf on the back.

"Well, as they say in the fairy tales, 'Your chariot awaits,'" Mr. Seven said as if he realized that was as close to an apology as he would ever receive. He rushed to open the door and helped the girls and Charming into the car. Moments later they were pulling away from the house and zipping through the backroads of Ferryport Landing.

"So, what's so important that we have to risk life and limb to sneak into the mansion?" Sabrina asked.

"Amongst other things, a magic detector," Charming said. "A what?" Daphne asked.

"A device that finds magic," Charming repeated. "Your older self was using it in the future to track the time tears. It is an incredibly powerful magical item. I'm giving it to you tonight."

Daphne smiled. "Thanks!"

"And you think giving it to her is going to change the future?" Sabrina asked.

Charming nodded. "I know it is. See, in the future Daphne and I tracked it down. Giving it to you now alters the time line. It will also allow you to find the devices that were stolen, which obviously never happened in the future."

"Turn the car around," Sabrina said to Mr. Seven. The little man raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Charming said.

"I know what happened in the future, when you faced Nottingham," she replied, flashing her eyes toward Daphne. In her mind, she could still see the jagged scar that ran down the future Daphne's face. "I won't let that happen."

"Grimm, neither will I," Charming said, seeming to understand her concern. "I made a promise..."

"Absolutely not!"

"Uh, don't I get a say in this?" Daphne said.

"This has nothing to do with you," Sabrina lied.

"You don't have to be a genius to know that I get hurt in the future trying to get this magic detector," the little girl said. "But we have to do this. Solving this case might make a huge difference. I'd rather have a scar than let the world turn out the way it does, or did, or whatever."

"Daphne, I--"

"It's my choice," the little girl interrupted.

"Sabrina, it will make a difference," Charming said, "which is the basis for my plan. I'm going to do everything I can to alter the future by making as many changes as I can now." The prince turned his attention back to his diminutive driver. "What do you know about security?"

"She's got guards at all the doors and windows," Seven said. "Then a few roaming around the house."

"That's not good."

"It gets worse. Nottingham is living in the house. The mayor's a little on the paranoid side and is convinced someone is going to come in and kill her in the night."

"The mayor is smarter than she looks," Charming said. "Good work, Seven. I'm sure the general will give you a medal for this."

"I'm sorry, sir?"

Charming smiled sheepishly, then flipped the switch that raised the divider between the front and backseat.

The limousine snaked its way through the farmlands of the town until it reached the street in front of the mayor's mansion. Seven stopped the car and helped everyone out, then strolled around to the trunk and opened it. Charming scooped up a pile of rope and some flashlights, then closed the trunk.

"This could get dangerous," Charming said to his former assistant.

"Danger is my middle name," Mr. Seven replied as he got back into the car. "I thought your middle name was Albert," Charming said. "It is, sir. I was making a joke."

"Oh," Charming said. "Could you stop that?" Seven nodded.

"Maybe Charming could get a sense of humor," Sabrina whispered to her sister. "That would totally change the future."

Seven started up the limo and pulled into the mansion's driveway. While he drove, Charming led the girls onto the property. They darted from tree to tree, waiting in the shadows as they got closer and closer to the house. It wasn't long before they spotted some of the mayor's guards: men with arms, heads, and legs like people but torsos that were nothing more than extra-large playing cards. Sabrina fought back the dizzy feeling she often got when faced with something that should have been impossible.

Seven parked the limousine by the front door, next to a fountain that had once featured a statue of Charming at its center. Now it contained a marble sculpture of the Queen of Hearts, though substantially thinner and more attractive than the real person. The moment the little man opened the limo door, an obnoxious dance song blasted through the car's brutally loud speakers.

"What's he doing?" Sabrina said.

"Just wait," Charming snapped, as if irritated that she would question the details of his plan.

"Here they come," Daphne said, pointing at a half a dozen of the playing-card guards as they raced to the limo. Shouting over the music, they quickly leveled their swords at Mr. Seven's head. Sabrina couldn't make out what they said, or what he said back, but they seemed to be arguing. A moment later, the front door flew open and Nottingham stormed out, dressed in a robe and slippers, his crooked dagger in his hand.

"Let's go," the prince whispered. He led the girls around the back of the house, where they found a door. Charming tried the handle, but it was locked tight.

"I was hoping this was going to be easy," he said, pulling the rope off his shoulder. One end had a grappling hook attached to it. He tossed it onto the roof and it caught on something. He yanked it hard to test it and gestured to Sabrina.

"You want me to climb this?" Sabrina said.

"Looking at it is not going to get you onto the roof." Charming sneered.

Sabrina shrugged, grabbed onto the rope, and pulled with all her might. She had learned to climb ropes in gym class. The trick wasn't in the shoulders or the arms, it was in the feet. Wrapping the rope around her heels kept her from sliding down and made the whole effort much easier. Soon she was on the roof, looking down at her sister and the prince. Charming had Daphne leap onto his back, and a few anxious moments later, they joined Sabrina.

Charming darted over to the chimney. He peered down into it and felt the bricks. "Good, she hasn't built a fire."

Meanwhile, Sabrina was quickly pulling up the rope. Her heart nearly stopped when one of the guards rushed around the house below her. He ran right by the rope, and though he didn't seem to see it in the darkness, it flicked against the back of his neck. He threw up his hand as if he were shooing a mosquito, and he would have certainly discovered the rope by his ear if Sabrina hadn't been pulling as quickly as she possibly could.

"Bring it over here," Charming whispered.

The girls pulled the heavy rope across the roof the best they could. The prince took it and attached the grappling hook to a rain gutter, giving it a good yank. The gutter creaked but seemed to be stable. Then he tossed the loose end of the rope down into the chimney and hoisted Daphne onto his back.

"We'll go first," he said. "If there happens to be someone waiting for us at the bottom, then climb back down to the lawn and run for your grandmother."

"But you have the rope," Sabrina reminded him.

"Well, then, I guess we're all in deep trouble if there's someone down there."

He climbed into the chimney and Sabrina watched Charming and her sister descend into the darkness below. After several moments, she decided it was her turn. She scaled the chimney side, grabbed the rope tightly, and lowered herself down.

In no time at all her nose and mouth were filled with soot. All the dust made breathing impossible. She leaned against the chimney wall with her back and used her feet to lock herself into place. Then she reached into a coat pocket for a handkerchief, put it up to her nose and mouth, and took shallow breaths until the itching in her throat stopped. Then she shoved the handkerchief back into her pocket and continued on.

Unfortunately, climbing down in the narrow space was extremely difficult. She kept knocking her knees and knuckles against the rough bricks of the chimney. She scraped her back so hard she cried out, and before she knew it, Sabrina hit the floor with a thud. Luckily it wasn't a long drop and she wasn't injured. She looked around to get her bearings and saw the opening of the fireplace before her. If she craned her neck, she could see into the mansion's grand hall. She was just about to crawl out and find Charming and Daphne when she saw two sets of unfamiliar feet.

"What does that moron want?" a woman asked. Sabrina recognized the grating voice. It was Mayor Heart.

"He says that you hired a limousine to take you to a bachelorette party," the second voice said. Sabrina knew that one as well--it was Nottingham, and he was boiling with rage.

"That's nonsense," Mayor Heart cried. "Send him away."

"I'm trying, but the little fool won't listen," Nottingham replied. "I suspect he may be dim in the head."

"Then can't you cut it off and be done with him? I need my rest.

Just then, there was a rush of feet and another man's voice said, "The driver has departed, Sheriff."

"Very good," Nottingham said. "Go back to your post."

"As you wish, sir."

When the man was gone, the wicked duo continued their conversation.

"Nottingham, I'm very distraught over all of this. I doubt that I will ever get to sleep now, unless..."

"Don't even think about it!" the sheriff said.

"But my bunions are killing me. Come to my room and rub my feet," Mayor Heart begged.

"Absolutely not!"

"But it's the only thing that puts me to sleep!"

"Try counting tax payments. It eases me to sleep every night."

"DO IT OR I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD CHOPPED OFF!" There was a long pause.

"You get fifteen minutes," Nottingham replied. "Not a second more."

"Oh, you're an angel."

Moments later they were gone, and Sabrina crawled out of the fireplace. She scanned the room for Charming and Daphne and spotted them hiding behind a gaudy curtain in the hall. They rushed to her side, struggling to hide their laughter.

"What?" Sabrina whispered angrily.

"You seem to have got a little of the chimney dirt on you when you came down," Charming said.

Sabrina stepped over to a mirror hanging on the wall. In the moonlight she could see she was completely covered in black soot. Her hair, clothes, and every inch of her skin was as black as coal. Worse, she was starting to itch. She gritted her teeth, did her best to regain her dignity, and then turned back to the pair. Neither had a speck of dust on them.

"Naturally," she grumbled. "What now?"

"Follow me," Charming whispered. He led the girls through the rooms on the first floor. He opened each door, took a quick peek inside, and then closed it. Whatever he was looking for was not downstairs, so they were forced to climb the steps. Sabrina, who had snuck out of many places in her life, knew that the best place to walk on stairs was on the edges, as that was where the nails had been placed and so was usually the quietest. She gave the tip to Charming who nodded and did as he was told. Moments later, they had climbed the grand staircase and were exploring the second floor. It wasn't long before they exhausted their search.

"It's in her room," Charming mumbled. "It has to be."

"What's in her room?" Sabrina said.

Charming ignored her question. "We're going to have to go in there."

"What?" Daphne cried. "Nottingham is in there."

Again, Charming ignored them. He walked down a hallway and stopped at a door. Before the girls could argue, he opened it and dragged them through.

Mayor Heart's room was a shrine to herself. There were pictures of her in various gaudy outfits, all of which were covered in little red hearts. Hanging over her bed was a huge ax that Sabrina was sure could easily lop a person's head clean off his shoulders. On the far wall leaned a full-length mirror. Nottingham was slumped in a chair by the mayor's bed. He was sound asleep with Heart's corn-covered foot in his lap, mumbling something about "taxes."