The Grimm Chronicles, Vol. 4

by Isabella Fontaine

  I looked right. “No! Briar, don’t you dare.”

  There they were: Chase and my parents, tucked into one big cage that hung from a chain attached to an old wiry-looking belt that ran along the ceiling.

  A belt capable of moving the cage right over the edge of the platform.

  “Step closer,” Br’er Rabbit ordered.

  “More than happy to oblige,” I said, stepping away from the edge. My legs were jelly. I willed myself to put weight on the ball of my left foot.

  Don’t show weakness. He doesn’t know about your foot, Alice.

  “Do you like this place?” Br’er Rabbit asked, waving his paws around. The circular platform looked old; along the edges were metal vents with dusty grills. The heat came up all around the platform in long, disorienting waves. “Installed the control panel myself. Poor humans had it in another room because the heat was too unbearable. I find I rather like it. The cage I got from the zoo … borrowed your furless boyfriend’s car last night. Hoo boy, that was fun! I think I’ll keep it for future adventures.” Br’er Rabbit’s words stirred Chase; he looked up and, seeing me, grabbed the bars of the cage.

  “Alice! Get out of here!”

  “Oh shut up,” Br’er Rabbit snapped. “You’re stuck in a cage … this is no time to play the chivalrous hero. Alice has a chance to save you, after all. Do ya really want her to leave before she even has a chance?”

  “I’ll do whatever you want, Briar,” I said.

  His whiskers twitched. “I discovered this room quite by accident when I got bored one night. The door was locked up tight. Like, we’re talking some serious chains. Nothing Br’er Rabbit couldn’t deal with, though.”

  “They didn’t want sneaky rabbits inside,” I offered.

  He ignored the snarky comment. “It turns out Milwaukee was quite the secret military target during the Cold War. This little factory was especially useful. This place,” he waved his paws around, “can build a massive steel ring. And then, once it’s cooled, you can press this button,” he held his paw over the green button beside the T-shaped throttle on the control panel, “and the hydraulic lift underneath this platform will push the ring up through the ceiling here, which opens up into the steel yard.”

  “And then?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “And then the ring is fitted into a rocket. And then someone fires the rocket and people die. Ain’t much use now, though. But it didn’t take long to get everything rolling again. That’s what’s so scary about your species, Alice … you always feel so much safer if you can kill someone at a moment’s notice.”

  “I think we’ve already catalogued humanity’s failings by this point, friend.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t call me that!”

  “OK. Br’er Rabbit. How’s that? Better? Or do you just want me to call you what you really are … Corrupted?”

  His buckteeth poked out. He was examining the duffel bag. “Whatcha got in there, hero? Pointy things, no doubt?”

  “And other stuff.”

  “Toss it here.”

  I glanced over at Chase. Beads of sweat monopolized his forehead. His shirt was drenched. One of his hands had found my mom’s hand—she was still passed out, and so was my dad. Chase rested a protective hand on my dad’s chest. “I swear, if you hurt any of them …”

  “Oh they’re fine,” Br’er Rabbit said. “Your parents just passed out. They’ve been cooped up in that cage for an entire day, after all. That, and seeing a giant rabbit sorta scared the bejeezus outta them. Now throw the bag over here.”

  I swung the bag his way. It slid across the concrete platform, coming to a stop at Br’er Rabbit’s big feet. “Now the shield.”

  “No,” Chase said. “Alice, just run. You’re more important than us. We’re … disposable. You’re the hero.”

  “You’re what makes life worth living, Chase.” I threw the shield like a Frisbee. It landed on its side, rolling right toward Br’er Rabbit and bumping up against his big foot.

  “Now,” he said. “Let’s get down to brass tacks. The pen. Drop it over the edge of the platform.”

  The pen. The pen! The sweat on my arms turned cool. Chase must still have my pen. “I don’t have it.”

  His paw pressed down on the throttle. The cage holding Chase and my parents moved very slowly toward the edge of the platform.

  “No!” I screamed. “I don’t have it! I swear I don’t have it!”

  “Then where is it?!” Br’er Rabbit shouted, matching my intensity. It was momentarily stunning—Briar had never shouted like that. This isn’t Briar. This is Br’er Rabbit. He’s a trickster by trade. And the Corruption has turned him evil.

  “I was hoping you would tell me,” I said.

  He cocked his head. “Why?”

  “Because … I don’t remember where I put it.” I chose my words carefully, doing my best to stay as close to the truth as possible. That was the easiest way to lie. That was what I’d learned from living my double life.

  “Empty your pockets.”

  I dug into my pockets, pulling them inside-out. A few old silver gum wrappers fell onto the platform. Seth’s little black Risk army pieces scattered on the floor. Br’er Rabbit watched. His ears lifted up just a bit when he recognized the pieces. They pulled back again. His gaze hardened.

  Briar is still in there …

  “How did you get these if you don’t have the pen?” he asked, kicking the duffel bag full of weapons.

  “The magic door,” I said. “Remember, Briar? The door with the musicians?”

  “Don’t call me that!” He paced, thinking, ears pulled back, looking up at the cage and then turning and looking at the control panel. “If the pen’s misplaced, that means it’ll eventually choose another hero. Bad news, bad news, bad news. But of course I’m Br’er Rabbit. I’m nobody’s fool. As long as I keep my eyes open …”

  “Let Chase and my parents go, Briar.”

  He stopped and looked at me. “I was considering it. But. But, but, but. That might create some complications down the road. Your boyfriend ain’t exactly the type to just let bygones be bygones.” He bent down, unzipping the duffel bag. “No, I’ve gotta kill all of you. No offense. Hello … what’s this?”

  I held my breath.

  He put one paw inside, then drew in a sharp breath and pulled it back.

  Come on … come on …

  “Oh, you clever little brat.” He grabbed the saber by the hilt. It immediately began burning his paw but he ignored the pain, stabbing the saber into the bag.

  Setting off the spring trap.

  The steel teeth clamped together, ripping the duffel bag and snapping the saber blade in two. Br’er Rabbit held up the broken sword, examining it and then giving me a wry I’m-smarter-than-you look. He tossed the broken blade over his shoulder, into the molten steel below the platform. “That was meant for my arm!”

  “Can’t blame me for trying.” I took a step forward. “Briar … if you’re in there …”

  “He’s not! Briar is gone! Gone for good! It’s Br’er Rabbit’s time!” He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the knives. He held it in his paws, watching black smoke slip out between his little pads. “Juliette’s dagger … oh, if only you knew the significance of this one. Funny, I’d have thought this would be more painful.”

  “Briar,” Chase said desperately. “Briar, please don’t hurt her. Please. I love her. I love her with all my heart.”

  Br’er Rabbit smiled. It was Briar’s amused smile, repurposed now for nefarious intentions. “That’s beautiful, boy. I’m sure she’s happy about it.”

  “I love you, too,” I told him. I fought back tears. “Chase …”

  Br’er Rabbit hopped over the duffel bag. In two steps, he was nearly upon me. I got into a defensive stance, a hundred different thoughts running through my head all at once. Sweat trickled between my eyebrows. My eyes burned; my vision blurred. I took a step back, avoiding the rabbit’s swipe of the dagger.

>   “There’s more than one way to skin a hero!” he shouted, swinging his leg. I couldn’t react quick enough—his big foot connected with my ankle, knocking me off my feet. I landed hard on the concrete, rolling a few times to give myself some distance. I need to think. Think, Alice!

  There was no time. By the time my rattled brain could gather its bearings, Br’er Rabbit was already standing over me. I could smell burnt fur—the knife was still smoking in his trembling hand. He was hurting, but it was as if the Corruption refused to let him accept the pain.

  “Briar …”

  “No. Not Briar.” He bent down, holding the knife in front of my face. The handle of the blade singed the fur between his digits. Gold swirled behind his black pupils. I could see the Corruption underneath the fur, sucking away the beautiful brown color and replacing each hair with a dull gray. His beautiful fur coat began to wane.

  I swatted the knife, kicking him in the stomach and pushing myself backward. I rolled, jumped to my feet, and grabbed the cage, trying to pull the door open.

  Br’er Rabbit laughed, running over to the control panel. “Perfect! You can all die together!”

  I looked up at Chase, reaching out with my free hand. The cage jerked, then began to slowly move toward the edge of the platform. Chase grabbed my free hand …

  … And slipped the magic pen between my fingers.

  “Briar!” Chase shouted. “Briar, remember what you promised me! You promised me you would never hurt Alice! You promised!”

  The cage stopped moving. I let go, landing on the edge of the platform. The rubber treads of my shoes were the only thing that kept me from slipping off the edge and into the molten steel.

  “You’re in there, Briar!” Chase said. “I know it. I could tell when you abducted us. I could tell when you looked down and saw Seth’s little black armies. Fight this!”

  Briar’s ears lifted up. He had his back to us. “Alice,” he said in a shaky voice. “Chase.”

  “Briar!” Chase wiped the sweat off his flushed face. “Briar, you’re our friend.”

  I crouched, legs tense.

  “Alice,” Briar said. “Hurry! I can’t control it!”

  There wouldn’t be another opportunity. The toes of my right foot pressed into the concrete, kicking me off. Br’er Rabbit turned. His ears pulled back. I lunged forward, head-first, holding the magic pen like a knife. He swung his dagger and I met it with my pen. The sharp blade deflected the pen and stabbed my shoulder, bouncing off the chainmail and cutting my shirt. I cried out, grabbing his vest as I fell to the ground.

  Br’er Rabbit gasped. The dagger fell onto the platform. He looked down, watching the burning blackness slowly spread around the area on his vest where the magic pen had stabbed him. Nothing ran through my mind. No feelings. No thoughts. I’d already prepared for the next two steps and I couldn’t second-guess my decision, couldn’t let my feelings overcome me. My hand reached under my shirt, under the chainmail armor, pulling out the little magic vial. I popped the top and shoved it into Br’er Rabbit’s mouth. He gagged and pushed my hand away, but it was too late.

  The burning blackness stopped. It reversed itself, retreating to the pen. When it reached the nib, it popped the pen out. The pen rolled on the platform, landing next to the duffel bag.

  A soft paw clutched my hand.

  “Alice. I’m so sorry.”

  “Briar,” I whispered. I grabbed him and hugged him as hard as I could. “You don’t have to apologize, friend.”

  “I’ve made a terrible mess of things. I could see myself doing it, but I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t—”

  “Shhhhh.” I cradled his head in my arm, scratching the fur between his ears. “It’s OK.”

  The warm air all around us seemed to retreat, replaced by a cool wind.

  “Oh dear,” Briar said. “Death is coming for me, isn’t he?”

  “Listen,” I said, stifling a sob. I wiped the tears off my cheeks. “He’s going to take you and you’re going to wake up somewhere else. A better place. A place where you were always supposed to be. And when you get there, you’re going to head west, past a little town called Badenheim, past a forest and into a clearing where you’ll find a big briar patch.”

  His sleepy eyelids lifted up. “The briar patch? You mean … home?”

  “Home.” I tugged on his vest, smoothing it out. “Go inside. I left a present for you on the table. And there are carrots in the basement.”

  He smiled. “Alice ... my friend.”

  The wind picked up, throwing my hair over my face. I looked around, searching the walls and ceiling for Death. He would emerge like a nightmare, like a shadow come to life. There wouldn’t be much time to think when it started.

  “Alice … you mean to fight him?”

  I nodded, smiling. “Always were a perceptive little bunny.”

  He reached up and used his paws to wipe my cheeks. “Well, what are you doing sitting around? Get up! Get up now!”

  I let go, crawling to my feet. He sat up with a groan, looking around. Taking in the setting.

  “What do you have in there?” he asked, pointing to the bag.

  I pulled out what I’d brought: half a dozen daggers, one more fencing foil, and the armed spring trap with massive steel jaws. Attached to it was a heavy chain.

  “Right,” Briar said, glancing over my shoulder with narrowed eyes. Above us, the shadows between the massive steel ceiling beams had begun to swirl and take shape. The shape of a creature wearing a heavy robe. The creature’s shadow swam across the ceiling, down the far wall. “Not much time! There,” Briar pointed with one paw to a square-shaped steel grate in the middle of the platform. “Pull it up.”

  I ran over, slipping my fingers into the grate and pulling it up. It was an old compartment with a little box labeled EMERGENCY OVERRIDE and a handful of other little electrical boxes. Lots of wires tied together between steel rods. “Briar, I don’t know what all this is. If you want me to splice any wires …”

  “Hook the spring trap chain to one of the steel rods underneath the electrical box,” Briar ordered. “Got it?”

  “Yeah,” I said, looping the very last link of chain. I used both hands to pry the steel jaws apart, setting the trap again by clicking the little toothpick-sized pin into place at the connecting coils.

  “Alice, hurry!” Chase shouted.

  I looked up just as the shadow jumped off the wall, landing on the far end of the platform. First the cloak materialized, then the hood, then the bleached white skull underneath.

  Then the scythe.

  Death skulked closer, moving over the platform in one fluid motion, glowering at Briar through his empty eye sockets.

  “Remember his power,” Briar said, ears pulled back. He stared down Death with the same brave face he’d shown during his unsuccessful attack of the golden dragon. “Remember he is no man … he is a creature. He’ll work on instinct, mostly. Avoid the sharp end of the sickle.”

  I ran back to the Briar.

  “Stay back,” Briar said. “Goodbye, Chase! Take good care of this young lady!”

  “I promise!” Chase shouted. I glanced back to him, surprised to see a tear on his cheek. “And thank you!”

  “Right-o,” Briar said. The pull of Death’s cloak was causing Briar to slide across the platform. I crawled alongside him, pulling on his vest, unable to let go. “Don’t cry,” Briar ordered. “Consarn it, hero! The time for tears is not now. Be strong. Remember to move quickly. And grab a dagger just in case!”

  “Look for the briar patch,” I told him, furiously wiping away the tears. I reached out, grabbing one of Seth’s black army pieces and putting it in Briar’s paw. He squeezed the army piece, smiling. “Find the briar patch.”

  Briar’s legs disappeared into the darkness under Death’s cloak. I could smell the creature, a mixture of rotting flesh and dead wet leaves.

  “I will!” Briar called out, slipping into the darkness. He held a paw out, as if expecting me to pu
ll him back. But then his little digits spread out and he gave a little wave. The cold wind stopped flowing. The heat returned.

  And then it was just me and Death.

  He turned. As if our business was done. As if I would actually let the bastard leave.

  I grabbed the staff of his scythe, feeling an intense power course through me.

  The scythe … I need the scythe.

  Death turned back to me, glancing down. His hood fell back a bit and I saw the empty eye sockets. A little brown worm crawled out, wiggling on his cheekbone.

  “We’re not finished here,” I hissed.

  Chapter 6: Chase

  I watched it all. I watched Alice walk in, I watched her take down Briar, and then I watched Death himself emerge from a shadow on the wall.

  And then Briar was gone. It was just Alice and Death, standing face-to-skull. Alice was staring up at him and he was looking down at her like he couldn’t believe she had the gall to even so much as touch his scythe.

  The cage was hanging from a chain, half over the edge of the platform and if I leaned over I could see the molten steel far below. Briar had started everything up hours and hours ago. He’d taken us quick, right after I got home from dropping off Alice. He said he knew a place where we’d be safe and I’d trusted him.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  Alice’s parents and I had been in the cage all night. They’d woken up earlier and held each other and then held me tight and then they saw the giant talking rabbit and they’d both passed out. Their clothes were drenched with sweat, like mine. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs felt like they were full of sludge. My heart wanted to just bust right through my ribcage.

  “Alice,” I whispered, then swore at myself. The last thing she needed now was any sort of distraction. But what the hell was she doing? This was Death. This was the living embodiment of every boogeyman in literature since the days of Ancient Greece.

  And now Alice was challenging him to a fight.

  Death seemed as surprised as me. First, he looked down at her. Then he wrenched his scythe from her grasp. Alice stepped back. Her tense fingers clenched into fists.