The Sisters Grimm: Book Eight: The Inside Story by Michael Buckley, Peter Ferguson Page A

shoulders.
    “What’s all this?” Daphne said, as the soldiers set up their tree stumps.
    “Clearly we are going to execute this boy for crimes against our story,” the Queen barked. “Off with his head!”
    One of the hooded soldiers forced Pinocchio’s head onto the stump while another sharpened his ax on a black stone.
    “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Sabrina cried. “You can’t kill him!”
    “We can’t?” the King of Hearts said. “We have everything we need at our disposal to kill this criminal. Show her one of the axes.”
    The hooded guard flashed the deadly blade in Sabrina’s eyes. “See, it’s very sharp!” he said proudly.
    “I’m not arguing that you can kill him,” Sabrina exclaimed. “I’m saying that you shouldn’t. The Editor wants him out of this story. He’s caused enough problems and the more you change, the more has to be fixed.”
    The Queen let out a frustrated harrumph . “The Editor does what the Editor does. As the Queen of this Wonderland, my obligation is to pass judgment on every accused criminal here. Pinocchio entered our story with his marionettes and quickly went to work destroying it. That is a crime punishable by death.”
    “Don’t let them kill me,” Pinocchio pleaded as he fought against the much stronger men.
    “The Editor can fix all this,” Daphne said. “But if you kill the puppet, that’s permanent.”
    “I’m not a puppet!” Pinocchio said.
    “Dear, dear, I think I understand what the girl is saying,” the King said, patting the Queen on the back. “The other children are jealous that they aren’t being executed.”
    “Very well,” the Queen said. “Consider it a gift from me to you. Off with their heads!”
    “Keep your little butter knives to yourselves,” Puck said. His sword was immediately in hand, but the card soldiers snatched him from behind, knocked his weapon to the ground, and tied his hands behind his back. Before Sabrina could react, the card soldiers had grabbed her and dragged her over to one of the stumps. Daphne was soon tied up as well, though she did manage to bite one of the guards on the hand.
    “I’m sure you understand,” the Queen said, “this is the only true deterrent to crime. In the hundreds of beheadings I have ordered, only a handful of the criminals have become repeat offenders.”
    “They were incorrigible, dear,” the King said.
    “On your command, Your Majesty,” a hooded guard said.
    Sabrina could not move. All she could do was look helplessly from the corner of her eye at the sharp ax above her.
    The Queen cleared her throat. “Indeed. We can’t very well be bothered by this inconvenience all day. We have a game of croquet to play. Good sirs! Prepare your axes!”

 

5
     
    s the guard raised his ax, something fell out of the trees above and landed in the crowd with a grunt. Several of the soldiers were flung to the ground. Sabrina craned her neck to get a better look at the chaos and was surprised to find an enormous striped cat fighting the cards. It was nearly as big as she was, and had a bushy tail and a big mouth full of teeth. It swatted men left and right with its oversize paws, and despite its fierce assault, a clever, almost happy smile stretched across its face. His attack was accompanied by a high-pitched whistle, which signaled more bizarre creatures to rush into the melée. Soon a giant puppy and an odd bird with an enormous beak were fighting by the cat’s side.
    The card soldiers were befuddled. They jabbed their swords at the odd collection of animals. “Shoo! Shoo, you flea-bitten curses.”
    The animals held their ground. The puppy charged at the men and sent them flailing into the woods. The unusual bird slammed its hard beak into the heads of villains. From the Queen’s party, the White Rabbit ran out to join them.
    “What is the meaning of this?” the Queen bellowed.
    “We’re busting out!” the White Rabbit said, swinging his pocket watch threateningly. The Queen fell