The world went fuzzy, as if Sabrina were looking at wavy lines on an old television. Just as quickly, her vision cleared and she found herself outside a restaurant. A neon sign above the door read THE GOLDEN EGG, and Sabrina heard music and laughter coming from within. Her family was nowhere to be seen, so Sabrina guessed they had gone inside to get out of the cold. Before she could do the same, two chubby men appeared in the doorway. Each had big pink wings like Puck's, though the men had hard faces and were much older. One wore a burgundy tracksuit, the other a pinstriped blazer and slacks. They tossed a short, naked man out into the snow.
"How many times have we told you, Emperor? No shoes. No shirt. No service," the fairy in the tracksuit growled. "That means pants!"
"And underwear! This is a respectable establishment," the other fairy added. He resembled a bulldog, with hanging jowls and droopy eyes.
"I am fully dressed!" the Emperor declared. His voice was slurred, and he smelled like liquor. "You are just too stupid to see my clothes."
"You're banned until you learn to obey the dress code!" bulldog-face grunted. He and his partner turned and went back into the bar, leaving the naked man lying in the snow. The man stayed put for a few moments until finally crawling to his feet and stomping away. Sabrina could still hear him cursing as he disappeared.
"That just scarred me for life," she mumbled to herself, then pushed the tavern door open and went inside.
The Golden Egg was a large, wood-paneled supper club with a long oak bar and a roaring fireplace. It had a tin ceiling and smelled like steak and potatoes. Tables were scattered about with roughly two dozen people of all shapes and sizes sitting around them. An ogre played cards with a centaur, a princess talked quietly with elves, and a couple of men who seemed to be part human and part crow were arguing about politics. Other folks were hunkered over tall, frothy mugs at the bar, served by a dark-skinned woman. At the back of the room an enormous man with yellow eyes played a grand piano. Maybe it was just the heat from the fireplace, but the Golden Egg was making Sabrina slightly ill. She felt as if she had walked into the pages of a bedtime story.
She scanned the room and quickly spotted her friends and family standing near the bar. She pushed through the crowd, almost tripping over a hedgehog riding a chicken before she got to them.
"Uh, where are we?" she asked when she joined the others.
"You're in the Golden Egg, honey," the bartender said as she washed glasses. She was pear shaped, with an apron wrapped around her waist. Her warm smile helped Sabrina's stomach relax a little. "We don't serve minors, but I suspect I could find a bottle of soda or two."
"Do you own this place?" Hamstead asked over the bar chatter.
"I'm more of a partner. People call me Momma. Haven't seen you in here before. New in town?"
"We're looking for the fairy kingdom," Granny Relda said.
Momma laughed. "You've found it, lady. What's left of it, anyway."
"This is the fairy kingdom?" Daphne cried.
"Locals call it the Greenery," Momma said.
"Hey!" a voice said from below. Sabrina glanced down at her feet and nearly shrieked. Looking back at her was a walking, talking gingerbread man no more than three inches high. "Watch where you're stepping, kid!"
Sabrina jumped back in horror. In the past three months, she had talked to a lot of things that weren't supposed to be able to talk back, but none of them were baked goods.
"What are you looking at?" the gingerbread man continued. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare?"
"She's sorry," Daphne offered. "It's not every day you get to talk to a cookie, you know."
The gingerbread man's brown body suddenly turned red, and his icing face crinkled in anger. "Cookie! Watch who you're calling a cookie, kid! Cookies are round. Do I look like I'm round?"
Daphne ducked behind Sabrina.
"Relax! She didn't mean to offend you," Sabrina said, finally pulling herself together. As she turned to calm her sister, she felt something hard bounce off the back of her head. She whipped around and found the gingerbread man pulling a gumdrop off his chest. There was one already missing-one she was sure was now lodged in her hair.
"I bet you thought we were all sweet, too, huh?"
"Did you just throw something at me?" Sabrina demanded, quickly regaining her wits.
"Yeah! What are you going to do about it, meat person?" the little baked man taunted.
"Throw another gumdrop at me and I'll bite your head off, dough boy," Sabrina hissed. Granny was trying to pull her away when the second gumdrop bounced off of Sabrina's nose. "That's it! Bartender, give me the biggest glass of milk you've got!"
The gingerbread man kicked Sabrina in the ankle. Despite his size, it hurt, and she reached down to grab him. The little man darted away and ran through the bar.
"You can't catch me, stupid meat person!" he taunted.
"Girls, leave him alone," Granny said.
"He started it," Sabrina said.
"Sorry, kid," Momma said from behind the bar. "That guy is hard to swallow."
The patrons at the bar let out a groan. Momma giggled at her own joke. "I got a million of them," she said.
"Enough! We have an injured fairy with us," Mr. Canis said impatiently. "Can you help?"
Momma pointed to a pair of double doors at the back of the bar. A hulking guard stood on either side. "Take him to the boss. He'll know what to do."
Granny Relda thanked Momma and led the family to the doors. The guards were so big they were nearly popping out of their suits. They wore dark sunglasses even though the bar was dimly lit.
"Whaddya want?" one of them snapped.
"We need to see the boss," Granny Relda said.
"Sorry, lady," the other one said. "The boss is busy."
"Listen," Mr. Hamstead said, "we were told to come here."
The guards looked at each other and then clenched their fists.
"And we're tellin' ya to leave," the first one said as he cracked his knuckles.
"We have a fairy here who needs medical attention," Canis growled.
The guard pulled the blanket away from Puck's head, then frowned.
"Not this one. Absolutely not," he grunted.
"What?" Sabrina cried. "Why?"
"This is Prince Puck. He's liosta dubh," the second snarled.
"What does that mean?" Daphne asked.
Sabrina shrugged. She usually knew the words Daphne asked about, but she'd never heard liosta dubh before.
"It means he is unwelcome," the first guard snapped.
"If he doesn't get help, he'll die," Mr. Canis barked.
"None of my concern. Now move along, geezer," the second guard said, giving Canis a rough shove.
"Pig, take the boy," the old man said calmly. Hamstead took Puck into his arms. Sabrina watched the change come over Canis for the second time that day.
Granny Relda stepped over and rested her calming hand on his shoulder. "Old friend, I'm sure there is another way to-"
This time, Canis didn't seem to hear her. Before the old woman could finish her sentence, he filled out his suit with fur and muscle. His eyes turned icy blue, and he grew a foot taller, towering over the guards.
"Listen, grandpa," the second guard said with a yawn. "Your little changing act don't impress me none. Move along before things get ugly."
"Oh, they're already ugly," Canis snarled. He backhanded the man, sending him sailing across the tavern. The guard smashed against a mirror behind the bar. Bottles and glasses crashed down on his head. Suddenly, the music and chatter stopped and all eyes turned to Sabrina and her family and friends.
Much to her surprise, the remaining guard didn't run for his life. Instead, he went through a disturbing transformation of his own. His body doubled in size and his skin turned a muddy green. He grew pointy ears like a bat and his lower jaw jutted out past his nose. Two gnarled tusks like those on a saber-toothed tiger jutted out of his mouth, and his eyes turned the color of blood.
"Goblins!" Hamstead cried.
The guard snatched up a knotty club leaning in the corner, and he swung into Mr. Canis's chest as if he were trying to hit a home run. The blow was like a tiny annoyance to the wolf, and he snatched the weapon away, crushing it into splinters. He seized the guard around the neck and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"The boss will kill you," the first guard threatened from behind the bar as he sprang to his feet. He was already changing into a beast as gruesome as his partner.
"I'd like to see him try," Canis said with a wicked laugh. "Do you think he can stand up to the Big Bad Wolf?"
A chill raced up Sabrina's back. Mr. Canis was certainly losing control of himself if he was now referring to himself as the monster he so often tried to constrain.
"I smell your fear, darkling," he continued. "It's delicious."
"What is going on here?" bellowed a voice. Four children appeared from nowhere and surrounded the family. They seemed roughly Sabrina's age, but there was something otherworldly about them: porcelain skin, blond hair, eyes as shiny as jewels. They wore jeans, black boots, and leather jackets, and they would have looked like normal kids if it weren't for their pink wings and the crossbows they leveled at Mr. Canis's head. The leader of the group stepped forward. He had a head of shaggy hair, like another fairy Sabrina knew well. In fact, he looked a lot like Puck. "They are attempting to see the boss," the second goblin croaked.
"Which will be more likely if he lets you go," the fairy said, eyeing Canis patiently.
Granny set a hand on Mr. Canis's shoulder. "Old friend," she said softly, and this time it calmed him. He set the goblin back on his feet, then shrank to his familiar form. For a moment, he glanced around the room as if he wasn't sure where he was, then looked down at his left hand with a confused expression. It had not changed back with the rest of his body. It was still covered in thick brown fur and sharp black talons.
"Why won't you let them see my father?" the fairy asked the guards.
"They have brought the liosta dubh."
The fairy leader turned to Mr. Hamstead, who held Puck's bundled form in his arms. He pulled back the blanket to reveal the boy's fevered face. The leader blanched.
"Brother," he whispered.
"You're his brother?" Sabrina said. "But you're so…clean." Puck was usually covered in food and whatever he found in the forest to roll around in. She immediately wondered if Puck was adopted.
The fairy gingerly took Puck into his own arms, as if he weighed only as much as a baby.
"He's wounded, badly," Granny Relda said. "We can't help him, and we hoped your people might know what to do."
"Follow me," the boy fairy said as his wings vanished.
"But Mustardseed," one of the fairies protested. "Your father-"
Mustardseed turned to his friend with a hard stare. "My father will not hear of this, will he?"
The fairy's eyes were now alight with fear. "Of…of course not," he stammered.
Mustardseed strode through the double doors, taking Puck with him. His friends followed, as did Sabrina and the others. He led them down a long, narrow hallway lined with oak doors and red wallpaper. It was lit with chandeliers and featured portraits of fairies in regal poses. At the far end was a pair of doors marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. The fairy shouldered them open and gestured for everyone to follow.
Sabrina found herself in a large, elegant library with hardwood floors. A roaring fireplace crackled on one side and a large oak desk sat on the other. A few high-backed chairs were scattered about. In one of them sat a woman wearing a dress that seemed to be made out of light. It engulfed her in a pale blue that made her glow like a distant star. Sabrina guessed she was in her late thirties. She had long brown hair and the same shocking blue eyes as Mustardseed. Her skin was pale, almost like milk. A pretty young girl around Sabrina's age stood behind the woman, gently combing her hair with a golden brush. When the group entered, the woman's eyebrows arched upward in suspicion.
"Mustardseed, if you are looking for your father, he is not here," the woman said.
"I will count it among my blessings," the boy said as he set Puck on a velvet sofa. "The crown prince has returned."
The woman and the young girl gasped in unison, rose to their feet, and rushed to Puck's side. They knelt down and brushed his matted hair off his sweaty face.
"Son!" the woman cried.
Sabrina was stunned. She'd assumed that Puck had a mother, but she hadn't given much thought to what she might look like. She'd sort of expected her to be old and broken, physically and mentally exhausted by Puck's pranks and immaturity, but this woman was young and healthy and seemed to be perfectly sane.
"Moth, find Cobweb-quickly!" the woman said to the girl. "Tell him to bring his medicines."
"But-"
"Go!" the woman shouted. Moth cringed and raced from the room as the woman turned her attention back to Mustardseed. "Where did you find your brother?"
"They brought him," he said, gesturing to the Grimms.
"What happened to him?" Puck's mother studied the group for the first time, her face full of suspicion.
"He was fighting a Jabberwocky, and it ripped off his wings," Sabrina explained, feeling a lump of guilt lodge in her throat. Puck had been trying to protect her when he was hurt.
The woman eyed her coldly. "And where would my son encounter a Jabberwocky?"
"Ferryport Landing," Daphne replied. "He lives there…with us."
"So that's where he went," Mustardseed said.
"Your Majesty, Queen Titania. It is quite an honor to meet you. My name is Relda Grimm. I've been looking after Puck for some time now. These are my-"
"Grimm? More troublemakers?" the woman bellowed.
Sabrina sighed. Everywhere the family went, they got an angry reception from Everafters. Was this just old hatred of Wilhelm and Jacob…or had her father, Henry, been meddling in Everafter business in secret? Sabrina's heart sank. It seemed the longer they were in New York City, the more her old, normal life felt like a lie.
"You must know our father, Henry," Sabrina said, testing her theory.
"Your father? No! I'm talking about Veronica Grimm," Puck's mother said.
"Veronica?" the Grimms cried in unison.
"You know our mom?" Daphne said.
The woman fell back as if she'd been slapped. "Veronica Grimm has children?"
At that moment, Moth returned to the room. "Your Majesty, Cobweb is collecting his things and is on his way."
"Very good. Mustardseed, the presence of these people is no longer required. Escort them back to the park," Titania snapped.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mr. Hamstead said. "We're not just going to leave him here."
"He's part of our family, too," Daphne said.
"You can leave on your feet or in a box," the woman threatened.
Mr. Canis's eyes flashed blue. He stepped forward, fists clenched in rage. He started to open his mouth but was quickly interrupted by another angry voice.
"Well, well, well. I turn my back for one moment only to find my wife ready to plunge a knife into it!"
Sabrina spun around and found three large men entering the room. Two were the same goons Sabrina had seen tossing the naked man into the snow. Their leader was a stout, bearish man a bit older in appearance than Puck's mother. He had a big, thick face and thinning black hair. He was wearing a black suit, expensive shoes, and a gold watch. His wings fluttered furiously. All three of the men were carrying violin cases.
The leader charged at Titania, grabbed her roughly by the wrists, and shook her violently. "You've pushed me too far, Titania."
"Get your hands off me, Oberon!" the woman roared.
"Throw the traitor out of my kingdom!" Oberon ordered, pointing at Puck. His two huge cohorts moved toward the sick boy, but Mustardseed blocked their path.
"He's hurt," Mustardseed said.
Oberon turned his anger on his son. "Would you like to join your brother in banishment?"
Mustardseed shook his head, but he didn't move. "Your son needs your help."
"He's no son of mine," the king snarled, standing over Puck's weak body with clenched fists. "He turned his back on thousands of years of tradition. Banishment was a mercy. In the old lands, the King of Faerie could have had his head on a pike for such disobedience."
"What's a pike?" Daphne whispered to her sister.
"A long, pointy stick," Sabrina replied quietly.
Daphne cringed.
"You and your traditions are tearing this family apart. The old lands are dead and gone, Oberon," Titania said.
"Bah!" he scoffed. "Not for long!"
Just then, a tall, thin man with long black hair entered the room. His eyes were sunken and purple. He wore a leather suit that seemed to be made out of silk and spider webs. He carried a black case in one frail hand.
"You called for me," he said.
"Cobweb, I'm afraid you've wasted a trip. We won't be needing any medicine today," Oberon said, dismissing the fairy with a flick of his hand.
Sabrina was stunned. Would Oberon really let Puck die?
"No! Wait!" Titania cried. She pulled her husband aside, and her voice suddenly softened. "Let Cobweb heal Puck, and I will give you a present."
"What could you give me that I would ever want, Titania?"
"Power, Oberon," Titania said. "I can give you power over the entire Everafter community."
"I already control them," the fairy leader said with a laugh. His goons giggled with him.
"You don't have their respect. You don't have their admiration. They obey you begrudgingly, mostly due to tradition, but they are growing tired of waiting for your promised kingdom. How much longer do you have before they turn against you? I can give you something to capture what you've always wanted-their support."
"And what would that be, wife?" Oberon asked.
Titania gestured to Sabrina and Daphne. "The daughters of Veronica Grimm."
"Huh?" Sabrina said. "What are you talking about?"
Oberon laughed. "Another one of your lies."
Titania crossed the room and grabbed Daphne roughly by the wrist. "Tell the king who your mother is, human."
"Veronica Grimm," Daphne said, yanking her hand away.
"I think you've got the wrong Veronica Grimm," Sabrina said. "She wasn't involved in any Everafter business."
Oberon's eyes flashed so brightly Sabrina had to look away. He turned to Cobweb. "Heal the boy!" he commanded. "But when he is well he can go back to whatever rock he has been living under for the last ten years."
Mustardseed and Moth looked saddened by Oberon's declaration, but Titania nodded without argument.
Oberon spoke to the fairy in the tracksuit. "Bobby, I need the Wizard."
Bobby nodded, reached into his violin case, and took out a long, thin stick with a big silver star on the end. He waved it in circles above his head, and with a flick of his wrist a man suddenly appeared from nowhere. He was short and paunchy, with thinning hair and a big, bulbous nose. He wore gray trousers, a white shirt, and an emerald green apron covered in oil and dirt. He seemed completely bewildered, his eyes darting around the room in panic. Then he frowned.
"Blast it! How many times have I asked you not to do that, Your Majesty?" the man complained in a thick Southern accent. "I was in a staff meeting. An entire group of trainee elves and Santa Clauses just saw me disappear into thin air. They're probably falling over themselves in fear. You might think that forgetful dust grows on trees, but it's very expensive and harder and harder to get!"
"Wizard, your inconvenience means nothing to me. I need your particular talents," Oberon said. "Tonight we're having a celebration, and I want to see every Everafter in town. Tell them I have…a special surprise for them. Attendance is mandatory."
"A party? Tonight? Oh, no. That can't be done," the Wizard argued. "That requires weeks of planning. Details have to be discussed, and then there's the signal. I can't just turn it on and off whenever you like."
The fairy with the bulldog face grabbed the Wizard by the shirt collar and lifted him up. "You're the Wizard. Nothing is impossible."
"Get your hands off me, you oversized fruit fly!" the little man cried.
Oberon stepped close to the man. "Wizard, you're the guy who makes miracles. Make one for me tonight."
The Wizard frowned but nodded. "I'll do my best."
"That's what I like to hear! Fat Tony, let him down."
The fairy did as he was told.
"I will need a little privacy with the prince," Cobweb said as he opened his case. He removed several vials containing liquids and powders, a few empty glass jars, and a mortar and pestle.
"Everyone out," Titania demanded as she exited the room. Moth and Mustardseed followed close behind, leaving the Grimms and their friends alone with the Wizard, Oberon, and his oversized henchmen.
The king turned to his men and gestured at Sabrina and her family. "Keep them somewhere safe. We don't want the community's Christmas present damaged before they get to open it, right?"
"Will do, boss," Bobby and Fat Tony said at the same time. They turned to the family and cracked their knuckles threateningly.
"Keep your hands to yourself, or you'll lose them," Canis snarled.
Granny took his arm. "It's all right, old friend, we'll go with them."
Bobby and Fat Tony led the family out into the hallway. Sabrina felt Daphne slip her hand into her own and squeeze tight.
"Don't worry," Sabrina whispered to the little girl, wishing she could take her own advice. She had no idea what Oberon's henchmen had in store for them. They had hands as big as pumpkins and acted as if they had seen too many mobster movies.
"The boss wants you to wait in here," Bobby said when he stopped at one of the many doors in the hallway. He roughly shoved everyone inside before slamming the door closed. The room was full of boxes and extra tables and chairs that matched the furnishings in the main room.
"Wait a minute!" Sabrina cried. "You can't lock us up."
"We can't?" Fat Tony said from the other side of the door.
"I thought we just did." Bobby laughed.
"You're not very nice," Daphne shouted. "What kind of Everafters are you?"
"We're fairy godfathers," Fat Tony said.
"I've never heard of fairy godfathers."
"And that's just how we like it," Bobby replied. "Now, you sit in there and keep your mouths shut, and no one will get hurt."
Sabrina heard the lock turn. The men's muffled conversation faded as they walked down the hall.
"Veronica was a real looker," Bobby said.
"She had great gams, too," Fat Tony added.
"What does gams mean?" Daphne asked when the men were out of earshot.
"They liked her legs," Sabrina replied.
"Relda, I could easily knock this door down," Mr. Canis said. "Overpowering those two fools would be child's play."
"You can count on my help," Hamstead said.
"And we may need you both," Granny said. "But Puck's health is what's important right now. I'd rather not cause a ruckus until I know he's well. I don't believe we are in any danger."
"Not in any danger?" Sabrina cried. "Oberon says he's giving us away to the Everafters. I think we should go get Puck and break out of here right now."
"Then the boy will certainly die," Canis said. "I believe your grandmother is right. We will play their game until Puck is back on his feet."
"I'm confused about one thing. Why does everyone seem to know Mom?" Daphne asked. "Wouldn't it be cool if she was a fairy-tale detective, too?"
"Don't be so gullible," Sabrina said.
"I'm not being gullible!" the little girl insisted. "What does gullible mean?"
"It means you believe everything you're told. Oberon and the others couldn't have known Mom. She wasn't part of the family business. Dad would never have been OK with it, either. He moved to Manhattan to get away from the craziness in Ferryport Landing. Remember, this is Puck's family! He's the Trickster King! I bet pulling pranks is a family tradition. I'm sure this is all some big joke."
"I'm not so sure," Granny said. "Your mother was a Grimm, after all. She may have been involved with this community."
"My mother is a Grimm by marriage," Sabrina said a little louder than she intended.
"I'm a Grimm by marriage, liebling," the old woman said. "And, the life I married into is pretty enticing."
"Actually, your mother seemed to love detective work. She and your father got into a number of adventures in the short time she lived in Ferryport Landing," Mr. Hamstead said.
"Adventures?" Mr. Canis grumbled. "More like near-death experiences. The only thing that slowed her down was when she found out she was pregnant with you."
"She was a natural. Veronica fit into the family very nicely," Granny Relda said with a smile. "She might not have had Grimm blood running through her veins, but she certainly had a healthy dose of the family spunk."
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Sabrina yelled. Nobody knew Veronica better than she did. Her mother was a normal, everyday, predictable person who enjoyed reading, museums, and spending time with her children. She was exactly what Sabrina wanted to be when she grew up. She turned to her grandmother. "This can't be true, and we should get out of here now!"
Granny shook her head. Sabrina wanted to argue more, but she knew it was pointless. When the old woman made up her mind there was no use trying to change it.
The family waited for over an hour in near silence. After some time, Bobby and Fat Tony brought them a dinner of antipasti, salad, stuffed shells, and lemon chicken. It smelled delicious, and Sabrina was starving. Mr. Canis sniffed it and assured everyone that there was nothing unusual about the food, but she still wouldn't eat.
Some time later, the door opened and the man Oberon called the Wizard entered. He looked frazzled, as if he had spent the past hour pulling out what little hair he had left on his head.
"I'm real sorry about the inconvenience, folks," he said, but he couldn't get out another word before Mr. Canis sprang, knocking him to the ground. His fangs hovered dangerously close to the Wizard's neck.
"We have questions," Canis growled. "And we're tired of waiting for answers. How is the boy?"
"I don't know anything! Cobweb has been locked in that room with him for hours," the Wizard cried. "All I know is what the king told me. You're supposed to come with me. The party is about to start."
Mr. Canis turned to Granny Relda, who nodded. "Let him up."
The Wizard brushed himself off and checked his neck for puncture wounds, then said, "Listen, I'm just the messenger."
"And who exactly are you?" Hamstead asked.
"My dearly departed mother named me Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs." He reached into his pocket, took out a silver remote, pushed a button, and waited as a business card spit out of a slot in the front. He handed it to Granny Relda.
"The Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs?" she said.
"The one and only," the man said, then winked.
"Are you an Everafter?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, ma'am. My friends call me Oz."
Daphne let out a deafening squeal. She jumped around in a crazy jig. When she was finished, she stood shaking and giggling, biting down on the palm of her hand. After a moment, she removed her hand, launched herself at the stunned man, and wrapped her arms around him before he could stop her.
"You're my favorite!" she cried.
"Favorite what?" Oz asked.
"Favorite everything!"
"Well, it's always nice to meet a fan," he replied, squirming to free himself.
"Don't be too flattered," Sabrina mumbled. "She does the same thing when the pizza delivery guy shows up at the door."
Granny pulled the little girl away with considerable effort.
"I assume you are from Ferryport Landing. We don't get to meet too many of our neighbors from the north. None, actually," Oz said, quickly turning to Sabrina. "And I know you. I haven't seen you in years. Your momma used to bring you by the store all the time. I remember once we put you on Santa's lap to get a picture, and you wet your pants. Santa was furious. Oh, Veronica was so embarrassed, but I found it very funny."
Liar! Sabrina thought, blushing. She was tired of the game the Everafters were playing with her. "My mother never worked in a store."
"Oh no, I work in a store-Macy's department store, actually. Your momma and I were great friends. She visited me there often." Oz turned to Daphne. "And you must be Daphne. I held you when you were no bigger than a snow pea. You both look so much like her. The both of you are going to be great beauties."
He turned to address the rest of the family. "Folks, I'm truly sorry for all the hubbub. I'm sure you have a million questions, and I promise they will all get answered, but right now everyone is waiting for you."
"Everyone?" Sabrina asked.
He nodded, then led the family down the hallway and back into the restaurant. Every seat was taken by pirates, dwarfs, goblins, talking animals, even a human-size bug wearing glasses. All eyes were on a sultry, blond singer whose act brought catcalls and laughter from the audience. She wore a shimmering sequined dress and long, white gloves, and she prowled around the room flirting with the patrons while she purred through a song.
"Wow," Hamstead said. He seemed dumbstruck by the dazzling singer. "She's the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
"And she's off limits, if you know what's good for you," Oz said. "Her name is Bess, and she's Fat Tony's girlfriend. He's the jealous type, if you catch my meaning."
Just then, Oberon and Titania entered the room, followed by Mustardseed, Cobweb, Moth, and more fairies. Their arrival was met by a chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd that forced the singer and the piano player to stop their lively performance.
"You've made us wait, Oberon!" an ogre shouted from his seat. "I've shared the same air with a Houyhnhnm for too long!"
A horse at the back of the room booed and stomped its hooves.
"Why have you brought us here?" a tiny porcelain doll cried from her seat. "I came all the way from Harlem. Do you know what the A train is like this time of day?"
"Friends, thank you so much for coming. I assure you it is going to be worth the inconvenience," Oberon said as he moved through the crowd.
The group exploded with anger. Many rose to their feet, shouting angry words about dirty fairy tricks and not being fooled again. Oberon seemed unconcerned, smiling into the angry crowd.
"Now, be nice or I won't give you your present," he said.
"What present?" an orangutan wearing a crown demanded.
Oberon rushed over to Sabrina and Daphne, grabbed each roughly by the arm, and dragged them onto the stage at the back of the room.
"What's the big idea?" Sabrina said, trying to pull away from his powerful grip.
Oberon ignored her and turned to the crowd. "Christmas comes to the kingdom."
"What is this nonsense?" asked a knight wearing a suit of green armor.
"Yahoo no want present from fairy," yelled an incredibly hairy man.
"Is that so? You don't want the children of Veronica Grimm?" Oberon cried.
The crowd instantly hushed. They sat motionless, watchful and suspicious.
I knew it, Sabrina thought. They hate us here just like they do back in Ferryport Landing. They're going to kill us.