The Final Battle
Sisters Grimm: Book 9
Introduction
To Sabrina Grimm it was as if the world was slowly falling around her shoulders. She saw the one sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her family, her loved ones, twitching and breathing raspily, trying to breath in one last breath. Daphne was laying on the ground, writhing in pain. She whispered out one word, "Sabrina," and her eyes closed. Her mother and father were lying helpless, they're bodies moving and twisting as if they had a mind of their own. They're movements and motions were jagged and jerked, as if someone else was controlling them. Uncle Jake was on his knees, crying and weeping bitterly. A tear dropped on the floor, it was a crimson red. Mr. Canis was rasping, his breathing becoming more and more labored. It appeared as if someone was stepping on his chest and squishing him slowly and surely. And then there was Puck. Puck's was the worst. His eyes turned a dull black, they had lost they're luster and twinkle. His face was twisted in agonizing pain. Blood dripped from his crackled lips, his nose, his ears, his eyes, and underneath his fingertips.
And then there was an explosion. It shook the ground and rattled her skull. She gulped and turned around. There was a figure standing far behind her. He was hard to make out but she immediately knew who it was.
"Stop," the one word had a lasting impact. It broke the silence which had been occupied only by the agonized screams of her family. Her voice was dry, all saliva had been drained, her eyes were bloodshot and she wanted to go to sleep dearly, her nose held dried up blood from her recent injury but she realized she was completely numb. All the mattered was her family.
"Make it stop," she said again, this time louder. Her courage was rebuilding itself inside of her and she leapt from the spot where she was standing. She wouldn't take it. Suddenly a hatred so deep bubbled and churned inside of her and she stamped her foot on the ground and leapt at the figure. "Stop it!"
"Oh, but we wouldn't want to do that, not yet," the figure said venomously.
Sabrina took one look at the figure in front of her. The figure, oh so familiar. She remembered the first time she laid her eyes on the figure. So full of aw and admiration, yet she was always cautious. But then the figures eyes flashed, a hatred-filled gaze penetrated Sabrina's one calm recollection of the figure before and she remembered that everything had changed.
But it was to late. The figure's fingers crackled with energy and a ball of blue energy shot at Sabrina and hit her squarely in the chest. She was thrown backwards and she hit the wall with a hard 'thud'. She closed her eyes, pain rocketed from her head down to her toes.
"Goodbye, liebling."
1
Five Days Ago
"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 cracked 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 in Charming's gut. The Prince was stunned. Then he fell over and moved no more.
No sooner had he fallen that 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 as 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.
"Everything 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."
"Be my guest!" she cried. "If you haven't noticed, I don't have any magical powers. I'm not an Everafter. I'm just a girl from New York City."
And then there was a fourth and final explosion. A strange, red-haired man appeared over her. He wore a black tunic, heavy boots, and a long scabbard. In one hand he had what Sabrina would later find out was called a flair-a handle connected to a chain connected to a heavy steel ball. He looked at her and smiled, but it was not friendly. It was like a hungry tiger looking at his wounded prey. Then he glanced over at Prince Charming's lifeless body and laughed.
"William, I'm disappointed," Atticus said. "I wanted to kill you myself."
In the confusion, Sabrina watched Granny Relda (i.e. Mirror) rush to the door that had materialized. She turned and looked back at the family. For a moment, her familiar eyes locked onto Sabrina, but then the old woman shook her head as if dizzy and her smile turned to a sneer. She darted through the doorway and disappeared.
Granny Relda took no time to take in her surroundings. She had been plunged deep into the dark woods that surrounded Ferryport Landing. Granny Relda sprinted in between the tall gnarled trees with remarkable speed and agility. She leapt over stray brush, ran across tall, wiry grass, and quickly made her way to the edge of the forest.
She quickly scanned the horizon and soon realized where she was in Ferryport Landing. She then began to run through the streets and soon came upon the Town Hall where the Everafters, bearing the mark of the Scarlet Hand, milled around.
Granny Relda straightened her appearance and she hurried up the stairs to the door of the Town Hall. She opened it with shocking strength and strode purposefully through the lobby. A desk that looked like it hadn't been used in years was occupied by a huge, muscular troll who was shuffling through yellowing pages. A thick layer of dust coated the entire surface of the desk and made the troll sneeze with a slight 'achew!'. Besides the desk, there were a few fold-out chairs and a cheap coffee-table set out by a huge bookshelf with fairytales that featured every Everafter in the Scarlet Hand. Other Everafters milled about in the lobby as well, looking at Granny Relda curiously and suspiciously as she stalked up to the dusty desk and sneezing troll.
"Where is Heart and Nottingham?" Granny Relda demanded in a deep, masculine voice.
"Um. . ." the troll said, his voice wavering and his expression showed he was completely and utterly befuddled.
"Right here, Relda," the Queen of Hearts said. Nottingham stood by her side, his hand at his serpentine dagger waiting for the moment when Granny Relda would realize that she wasn't going to be going home. He smirked. But "Granny Relda" didn't 'gasp', nor did she look surprised or even the remotely worried. She just looked coldly at Heart and Nottingham with an icy stare.
"Heart. . .it's me, Mirror," she said smoothy, in a deep voice. Heart looked taken aback, as did Nottingham. Then, Heart recomposed her face, closed her mouth (which had opened in shock) and sneered.
"Good one, Relda. But we're not falling for it. I never knew you were so good at impersonating voices. Impressive," the Queen of Hearts said
"It is me, Heart. Now don't be an idiot. Relda would never pull this off without her annoying, whining family. Now where can we talk. . .privately."
"Oh, dear God. What happened to your plan? Did it fail? You look so like Granny Relda? Did you make it inside of the book? Did you switch bodies with Relda? Where are the Grimms now? Is the camp destroyed? What happened?" Heart asked, her mouth asking questions a mile-a-minute.
"My plan failed. I'll explain later. Now, where can we talk privately?"
"The study is quiet and private, Master."
"Take me there, I would also like a cup of hot tea, Nottingham, fetch it for me."
"Yes, Master," Nottingham replied before rushing off into an adjacent hallway. The Queen of Hearts took the Master down another hallway, turned right into the first doorway and opened into a room with a fancy, mahogany desk, sheets of parchment, a quill and ink, a telephone, and a matching chair. It would seem a completely harmless, and ordinary office or study if not for the huge axe that hung above the desk. There were two leather chairs next to a fireplace with a roaring fire set inside. Granny Relda (or Mirror) took a seat in one and beckoned Heart to take a seat in the other. It was obvious that Heart wanted to press on about what happened and why Mirror was sitting in Granny Relda's body but Granny Relda put a finger to her lips to signify silence and Heart, grudgingly, shut her mouth. Granny Relda then closed her eyes and let her muscles relax.
They sat this way for about five minutes when Granny Relda finally spoke in a clear voice, cutting through the silence like a razor-blade. "It happened like this. I had gone into the book like planned, taking the child with me. All had gone accordingly, I went to the genie and made my wish and found myself in Snow White's story. I went to the Wicked Queen's castle but, alas, in no more than five minutes, the Grimms had shown up. They made a bargain with that dried up Editor, something I thought was impossible for he is a rather grouchy old thing and quite annoying, popping in and out of stories with his Erasers. They tried to stop me, but the Wicked Queen did my bidding and I was free in the boy's body. But the Grimm's would hear none of it and they took me out of his body. I fought to go into that Daphne's body, she is young enough and spry enough to give a long life but no, Relda got her claws in me and I was forced into her dried up shell. I made a distraction with that Atticus fellow, and a door popped up. I went out and here I am."
During Mirror/Granny Relda's explanation Nottingham had slipped into the room, carrying a tray with three cups of piping tea, steam rising from each cup, and falling gently onto the tray in glistening water drops. After Mirror recapped his adventures, Granny Relda's chest rising in falling as his voice grew in volume, Nottingham gave Granny Relda a cup of tea and she sipped at the hot liquid before closing her eyes and relaxing a moment.
The Queen of Hearts took a deep breath and began to sip at her tea as well. Nottingham eyed the piping liquid in a glare that looked as if he was curious about the drink, and detested it at the same time.
The trio remained this way for quite some time, the only sound being Granny Relda's rasping breath, the sipping of tea, and the crackling of the fire. Granny Relda had remained very still, as if she was a statue, and, if not for the rising and falling of her chest, she may have well been one. Granny Relda was wearing a purple dress and a matching hat with sunflower applique on it. The quaint outfit was eerily out of place, Heart noted, in the headquarters of the evil group.
"We must gather our troops and attack the Grimm's camp at the end of the week," Mirror finally stated, taking another sip of his tea.
"But, Master, that gives us only a few days to ready our troops. We must have at least a fortnight to prepare."
"No, it must be a week. The Grimm's are at their weakest point right now. They barely have any weapons and no soldiers. It must be at the end of this week. Nottingham, go ready the troops. Heart, appeal to the other Everafters. Perhaps we can use a few of them yet."
"Yes, Master," the duo nodded and exited the room.
Granny Relda smirked and looked into the fire, an evil gleam in her eye.
"I don't see why we had to go to her house in the middle of the night. I mean, who are we kidding. The hag is completely creepy!" Puck complained.
"You're just a scaredy-cat! Grow up and get a spine!" Sabrina spat. She rubbed her eyes with her calloused hands. Her eyes were bloodshot because she hadn't slept in a few days. The memories of the recent events came flooding back to her in detail but she ground her teeth together and stuck out her lip. She wasn't going to cry.
In fact, Sabrina noticed, the entire Grimm family seemed to be in a melancholy mood, Uncle Jake had big black circles under his eyes, her mother and father were clinging to each other and they're newly recovered son for dear life, Mr. Canis was looking more gaunt then ever, his face grave, for once Daphne wasn't twittering and chatting about whatever entered her head, her face was still and it appeared as if she was in deep thought, and then there was Puck. Puck's eyes were bloodshot, too. He'd stayed up to "Protect the Grimm family" with Sabrina and as he walked through the thorny trees it was apparent that he could fall asleep at any moment. Sabrina looked at Puck and gave a small smile. Puck looked back at her and, though it could have possibly been her imagination, he gave a smile to. The engage was noticed by Daphne, who bit her palm, a quirky habit the girl had when she was happy or excited.
The path slowly changed from long tall grasses and muddy dirt to what appeared to be stones. Sabrina and Daphne carefully avoided the stones for they were actually skulls planted by Baba Yaga, a century old witch. Puck, on the other hand picked up every skull he set eyes on, teasing and heckling Sabrina and Daphne.
"Get away from me, Puck!" Daphne shrieked in fear.
"Hey, little girl, I vant to suck your blood!" Puck said with a thick accent, holding a skull as if he was a ghostly puppet.
"That's what vampires say not skulls, you idiot!" Sabrina noted. Puck growled at her and mumbled a few incoherent words but shut his mouth as the group came to a halt about ten yards from a run-down cottage with a bleached picket fence. Everyone took a deep breath and slowly filed into the gate (which Daphne and Sabrina made sure to not touch, seeing as the fence was made of bones). The group gathered around her front door.
"Okay, Uncle Jake, you can knock on the door," Daphne said.
"I can't knock on the door, Baba Yaga would put be in a cauldron of bubbling water and eat me for breakfast. Hank, why don't you do it," Uncle Jake stated.
"I've never exactly seen eye-to-eye with Baba Yaga, Veronica?"
"Nuh-uh, I'm not being eaten for breakfast," Veronica, Sabrina and Daphne's mother, said, "Puck, you're immortal. Why don't you take the ball on this one."
"As much as I love Baba Yaga this seems more like a Daphne-thing," Puck said.
"You babies! I'll knock on the door! What's the worst that can happen!" Sabrina said impatiently. She grabbed the knocker (which looked like a claw holding a piece of parchment made out of a molded metal) and knocked on the door a few times.
"See!" Sabrina said, "Nothing happe-AHH!" The group screamed in surprise and fear as the floor beneath them gave way and they fell a distance of about thirty yards into a dark, musty room. It was dark and it took a few minutes for their eyes to get adjusted. Sabrina was the first one to get up and, after quickly checking Daphne and Puck for broken bones, she took in their surroundings. It appeared as if they were in a giant birdcage, thick iron bars surrounded her family and suddenly a realization dawned on her that caused her mouth to open slightly in fear and anger. They were locked in a cell. In a basement. Underneath Baba Yaga's house.
For the Grimm family, things just went from bad to worse.
A/N: Okay, this is my idea for the last Sisters Grimm book (yeah, I know it's sad). CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms are welcome, but please refrain from flaming. My ego is fragile enough as it is, actually that's a complete lie and I couldn't give a crap about what you think, unless it's constructive criticism or compliments. Anyway, there will be eventual Puckabrina, but this isn't just about Puck and Sabrina (though I wish it were). Anyway, please Review!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, I swear. Pinky promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!
Cheers,
ManMenDude!