The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, Book 3) (20 page)

Fudge, I made her a giant,

Sabrina thought to herself as Baba Yaga's gnarled hand reached down and scooped her off the floor. Sabrina squirmed but she couldn't get free.

"Oh, goodie for me," the witch said as she held Sabrina close to her face. "I haven't had frog legs since the last time I was in Paris."

Frog legs? What is she talking about?

Sabrina looked down at herself. Her feet were green and webbed. Her skin was slimy and sticky. Her belly was like a massive sack hanging between her skinny little legs. A bubbling gurgle churned in her gut, slowly rising up through her body, and then her wide mouth opened. "I'm a frog!" she croaked.

Baba Yaga lifted the frog girl above her head and slowly dipped her down into her open jaws. Sabrina struggled and used her webbed feet to block her descent into the witch's hungry mouth. Wiggling frantically, she slipped out of the witch's hand and tumbled to the floor. Without allowing herself any time to recover, she leaped toward the door, flailing and screaming as she went. Her new amphibious body could leap incredible lengths but controlling the leaps was impossible.

"My lunch!" the witch cried. "She's getting away! Red Dawn, Bright Sun, Dark Midnight… help Mommy!"

The animals raced into the room. They spotted Sabrina and raced after her. She jumped as hard as she could, and her skinny springlike legs propelled her high over the creatures' sharp claws and vicious fangs. She sailed into the next room. Spotting the front door on the opposite wall, she jumped toward it but unfortunately smacked into it headfirst. She fell, dazed and hurt, as the witch's guardians rushed toward her. All three began to grow and change. Bright Sun returned to his tiger-warrior form, while Red Dawn morphed into a horrible birdlike man with a savage beak and rippling arms. Black Midnight's transformation was equally disturbing. When it was finished, he was a hunched, muscled giant with thick black hair all over his body and savage fangs. All three of the guardians were in armor and held long swords in their hands.

Sabrina hopped onto the table with the witch's potions and powders, knocking over vials and bowls. The three guardians swung their swords at her frog body, destroying books with each mighty blow. Sabrina managed to keep just ahead of the knights, but she couldn't hop forever.

Bright Sun landed a blow that nearly took off her webbed foot and managed to upend a bowl, splattering himself with a particularly foul-smelling potion. He was instantly transformed into a little red mouse. He scurried across the floor, but not before he caught the attention of Red Dawn. The hawk-man dove for the mouse, only to morph into a tiny spider when he knocked a vial of blue powder on himself. Black Midnight kept up the chase, but quickly suffered a similar fate as his companions. Something spilled on him that made his body inflate like a balloon. He soon drifted to the ceiling where he was unable to get at Sabrina.

Sabrina leaped back down to the ground and headed for the closed door. She soon realized that without hands to open it she was trapped inside the house.

"Uncle Jake!" she cried. "Open the door!"

Suddenly, the door swung open and Sabrina hopped out into the cold air. The family stared down at her with mouths agape.

"All right, let me say it for you: 'I told you so!'" Sabrina grumbled.

"Is that you?" Uncle Jake said, reaching down and picking her up off the ground.

"Yes," she said. "You're squeezing too hard."

Just then, a window opened and the witch stuck her head out of it. She shook her fist at the family and screamed.

"She's mine," Baba Yaga shouted from a window. "She tried to steal from me!"

"You know I can't give her back, crone," Uncle Jake said.

"I was hoping you'd say that," the witch said. A liquidy cackle bubbled from her throat and the ground started to shake.

"What's that?" Daphne said.

"Here, hold your sister," Uncle Jake said as he put Sabrina into Daphne's hands. He nervously fumbled through his pockets, yanking out odds and ends and growing more discouraged by the second.

"What's going on?" Sabrina said, struggling for a view around Daphne's thumb. Uncle Jake turned to her and tried to explain, but his words were drowned out by a horrible tearing sound followed by an incredible sight. Baba Yaga's house lifted itself off the ground on two massive chicken legs. It walked toward them. Sabrina wanted to scream but all that came out was "Ribbit!" Daphne and Elvis both whined at the same time.

"You know what?" Uncle Jake said, giving up his search. "Let's just make a run for it." He spun around, snatched Daphne's free hand, and dragged her back down the path. Elvis followed, barking and growling at the house that stomped after them.

"I hope you're happy," Daphne said to Sabrina as the group raced through the woods. "When we find Mom and Dad, I'm telling!"

The dense forest slowed the house down a little, but with each step its sharp chicken claws got closer and closer, eventually snagging the back of Uncle Jake's overcoat. Desperate, he slipped out of the coat and left it behind.

The house stopped abruptly and lowered itself to the ground. Baba Yaga popped out of the front door, scurried over to the overcoat, and snatched it up in her gnarled hands. She riffled through the pockets and let out a laugh that echoed through the woods. Sabrina turned her little frog head and saw Baba Yaga holding the final piece of the sword high in the air above her head. Her heart sank. They'd been so close to recovering the third piece of the blade and she'd ruined it. Why couldn't she just let the old woman have the wand? Why had she been so reckless?

But then the witch did something incredible. She tossed the blade through the air. It landed at Uncle Jake's feet. "You forgot your prize, Jacob!" she shouted, then held up his overcoat. "I'll take this as payment for the child's thieving ways," she said as she rolled it into a ball. She went back into her house and the gigantic chicken legs lifted it once again. Awkwardly, it turned itself around, and then lumbered back the way it came.

"Uncle Jake, I'm so sorry," Sabrina said. "It's my fault you lost all your magic."

"What's important is we have the last piece of the blade," Daphne said. "Uncle Jake can find a new coat."

"Except I did have a magic potion in my inside pocket we could have used to de-frog Sabrina," their uncle said.

"What am I going to do?" Sabrina groaned.

"I think you should stay like that for awhile and think about how you're behaving," Daphne said.

"I absolutely agree," a voice said from nearby. The group turned and found Mr. Canis lurking in the trees.

"Mom sent you to check up on us, huh?" Uncle Jake said, sounding offended.

Canis ignored the question. He approached the group and stared down at Sabrina, who was still resting in her sister's hands.

"How did you get into this situation?" he said.

"She went back in for the Wand of Merlin," Daphne said. Sabrina looked up at her and flashed an angry look.

"And how did you come across the Wand of Merlin?" Mr. Canis growled, studying Uncle Jake.

"Uh, I gave it to her," Uncle Jake admitted.

The old man' eyes were aglow with anger. "The child is eleven years old. Grown men can't handle that kind of magic."

"He was trying to prepare us for the future," Sabrina said.

"You and I will have words later, child," Mr. Canis barked. "For now, we need to find a way to change you back."

"Why don't we just take her home? Mom is sure to know something in the Hall of Wonders that will fix her," Uncle Jake said.

Mr. Canis turned on Uncle Jake and grabbed him roughly by the collar. "Ever since you were a child you have been nothing but a problem for her. Every mess you made you expected your mother to clean up for you! Well, look at the mess you've made this time!"

"It's a simple frog-spell," Uncle Jake cried. "She's not hurt."

"I'm not talking about the spell! Sabrina risked her life and the safety of her family for a stupid piece of magic wood you gave her. The child is touched. She is addicted and you are to blame!"

"Mr. Canis," Daphne said setting her hand on his arm. "It's OK."

The child's comforting words had a soothing effect on the old man.

"This kind of spell can be broken with the kiss of someone with royal blood. Puck would have been perfect but he's still very ill," Mr. Canis said.

Sabrina wondered if anyone could tell when a frog blushed. She hoped not.

"Well, this town is crawling with princes," Uncle Jake said. "Who should we call?"

"Unfortunately, I am going to have to clean up this mess myself," Mr. Canis said. "Jacob, you're forcing me to ask a favor of my bitterest enemy."

"Absolutely not!"

Sabrina cried when she realized whom he meant.

* * *

"Absolutely not!"

'Mayor Charming bellowed. "It's the only way," Mr. Canis growled.

Charming looked around his mansion as if he were searching for an escape route. The entire house had become his campaign headquarters and signs blocked most of the windows. When he realized he was stuck, he scowled. "The Big Bad Wolf is asking for my help? The Devil must have his long underwear on today."

The two stared at each other in disgust. They had a long history and none of it was nice. Most of the time when the two got together, Granny Relda had to separate them like two schoolboys bent on fist fighting.

"You can do it on your own or you can do it with a substantial bite taken out of you," Mr. Canis threatened. "Your choice."

"I liked you better when you were dead," Charming said through gritted teeth. He stepped over to Daphne, who held out Sabrina in her hands. "Personally, I think the girl looks better this way. The mustache and goatee were unsettling. She's rather striking as a frog."

"Mayor, if you don't do this, I will follow you wherever you go. I will be your shadow until you relent. You will never escape me. Your scent is one I know well," Canis said.

"Fine," Charming said, rolling his eyes and picking Sabrina up out of her sister's hands. "I suppose you'll be registered voters eventually. Remember who did you a favor once."

He raised Sabrina's frog body to his face, closed his eyes, and planted a tiny peck on the top of her head. Sabrina felt the spell break immediately. There was a puff of smoke and when it was clear she looked down, saw that her feet and hands were normal, and almost started dancing with happiness.

The mayor, on the other hand, looked as if he might barf and quickly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"Mayor, you're so cool," Daphne said, racing over to him and wrapping him in a big hug. He struggled to free himself but the little girl wouldn't let go. "I hope you win the election."

Charming smiled slightly and then managed to push away the affectionate little girl. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. The latest polls are in and I'm going to win by a landslide. If all goes well, I think our friend the Queen of Hearts is in for a very rude awakening." He stepped over and pinned "VOTE FOR CHARMING" buttons on everyone's coats. When he got to

Mr. Canis, he just set it in his hand. "Remember, vote early and vote often."

Mr. Canis squeezed the button hard and when he opened his hand the pin was crunched into the size of a dime. He dropped it on the floor without a word.

"Well, not that this wasn't fun, but it wasn't. You can find your own way out," the mayor said, sticking his face in the old man's. "Don't forget to take your dog with you."

Charming turned to Daphne and noticed Elvis at her side. "Both of them," he said. He ushered them out of his house a little bit more roughly than was polite, and slammed the door.

"Are you going to tell Granny what I did?" Sabrina asked Mr. Canis.

Mr. Canis scowled. "The disrespect you have for that woman is outrageous. Do you think she doesn't know every step you make? Every night you have left her house and disobeyed her she has known. I have followed you two children all over this town since the day you arrived. Your grandmother is not stupid."

The old man's eyes flared with anger and then he darted into the woods behind Charming's house.

The family gathered at the dining room table with the three pieces of the sword. Without one of Spaulding's hints, they were stumped as to how to find the Blue Fairy.

"Maybe the witch tricked us," Sabrina said bitterly as she picked up the final piece and studied it closely. "Maybe this isn't the real blade."

Uncle Jake took the sword piece and flipped it over. His face suddenly grew red and he slammed the metal down on the table. "We've been on a wild goose chase!" he said. "We've been wasting our time all along!"

Sabrina was surprised by his outburst.

Granny picked up the broken sword piece. "It's not a fake. This is part of the Vorpal blade."

"Well, a lot of good it's going to do us!" Uncle Jake shouted. He jumped up from his chair and stormed out of the room. A moment later they heard the front door slam. Sabrina went to follow, but Granny took her arm. "It's the magic, Sabrina. His pockets were filled with all kinds of things. He's going to have a short temper until he gets over his addiction to it all."

Sabrina nodded. She went to the closet and put on her coat, then pulled an old blanket off the top shelf, and went outside.

Uncle Jake was pacing back and forth on the front porch. The sun was rising but its rays had little effect on the sharp, cold air.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"I'm just frustrated, 'Brina. We were so close to fixing everything," Uncle Jake said. "Now we're back at a dead end and there's nothing I can do about it. I hate feeling helpless."

Sabrina handed him the old blanket. Without his overcoat he was shivering. He wrapped it around his shoulders. "Thanks," he said.

"This is about more than just saving my mom and dad, isn't it?" Sabrina asked. Uncle Jake nodded. "Mr. Canis was absolutely right. I was a problem to my parents from day one. I never listened to them. I snuck out. I got into all kinds of trouble. I was stubborn and thought I knew everything."

"You sound a lot like me," Sabrina admitted.