The faculty was in chaos, chasing after the headmaster with questions and shouts of concern. Mr. Badwolf howled. Counselor Mother Goose clucked. Coach Gingerbreadman was especially speedy. But Grimm managed to get to his office first and lock the door. He leaned against it, still cradling the Storybook of Legends in his arms. In the hallway, he could hear Baba Yaga cackling.
“How dare Raven Queen defy me?” he whispered. “How dare that girl question Milton Grimm?”
He carefully opened the book and touched the torn remains of Raven Queen’s page. He shuddered, as if touching a wound.
He put the book safely back into its case and locked it tight. And then he began to pace.
How could everything have gone so wrong? He’d been meticulous! Using an eavesdropping spell, he’d overheard Raven and Dexter in the library after the Legacy Day practice. She wanted to hunt down Old Man Winters. Well, by the time she reached Book End, Grimm had been ready. Dressed in a perfect Illusion Spell, he’d sat in the park feeding the pigeons, so they’d see him first before going to the real Old Man Winters’s house.
Grimm had slipped that sketchbook into Bella Sister’s box in the Lost and Crowned Office. He’d made sure that Raven and Apple saw the trollskin tree in the Enchanted Forest. And the Crumbling Spell on the fake letter couldn’t have worked better! Had the quest to the caves gone too far? He didn’t think so. After that long and dangerous journey, he was certain Raven would be exhausted, discouraged by the skeleton, and convinced by those fateful words he’d sent Helga and Gus to paint on the cave wall.
No, his plan had been a brilliant balance between mysterious and obvious. Something else must have happened to make Raven question his fake story. Someone else must have—
From far away, Grimm heard the sound of knocking.
Giles? Had Raven found Giles? His troublesome brother did have dangerous ideas about allowing choice to replace destiny. But no, that was impossible. No one knew how to enter the Vault of Lost Tales. Giles was safely locked away where he could do no more harm.
Grimm seized a pitcher of water and threw it across his office. It shattered against the tile floor. How could he have failed?
Well, it wasn’t over. He straightened his tie and smoothed back his hair. He would find a way to get Raven to sign. He would cure the school of this “choice” madness and restore tradition and safety to Ever After.
“I am Milton Grimm!” he whispered. “My word is law. And those who break it will pay!”
From deep within his office he heard a cackle. How had Baba Yaga gotten in?
Grimm followed the sound. No sign of the old sorceress. But a faint glow crept out of the mirror he used for Mirrorcasts. From inside the mirror, the cackle built to a deep, throaty laugh.
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Every book requires a team of people to bring it into creation, but this one more than most. The enchanting team at Mattel built the world of Ever After and all its fabulous characters. Fairy kisses to Cindy Ledermann, Lara Dalian, Emily Kelly, Christine Kim, Robert Rudman, and Ira Singerman. Thanks for letting me play in your playground!
Thanks to the royally rebellious team at Little, Brown, including Erin Stein, Connie Hsu, Andrew Smith, and Melanie Chang.
Dean, Max, and Maggie Hale are not only a fine crew of lovable misfits but also charming collaborators. Thanks for your wisdom, patience, and hexcellent humor.
New York Times bestselling author SHANNON HALE knew at age ten that it was her destiny to become a writer. She has quested deep into fairy tales in such enchanting books as The Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, Rapunzel’s Revenge, and Newbery Honor recipient Princess Academy. With the princely and valiant writer Dean Hale, Shannon coauthored four charming children, who are free to follow their own destinies. Just so long as they get to bed on time.
THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING.…
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COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
NEVER TOUCH THE MIRROR
CHAPTER 2
SIMPLY, UNQUESTIONABLY PERFECT
CHAPTER 3
ALWAYS DOING IS HOW IT’S UNDONE
CHAPTER 4
MADDIE’S CHAT WITH THE VOICE
CHAPTER 5
THAT DANGEROUS WORD
CHAPTER 6
NEVER AFTER AGAIN
CHAPTER 7
THE LOOMING THREAT OF LEGACY DAY
CHAPTER 8
BEWARE THE GLARE OF THAT FAIR HAIR
CHAPTER 9
A HOT MESS OF WOLVES, SCREAMS, AND PASTRIES
CHAPTER 10
THE UNSIGNED PAGE
CHAPTER 11
A HERO IN EVERY STORY
CHAPTER 12
MADDIE BOTHERS THE NARRATOR AGAIN
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
HER VERY NAME COULD CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE
CHAPTER 15
ALMOST THROUGH THE WALL OF BRIARS
CHAPTER 16
A MASSIVE SNOOZE FEST
CHAPTER 17
CUTE AND CUDDLY THINGS
CHAPTER 18
PLUMP RED APPLE WHITE
CHAPTER 19
MADDIE PESTERS THE NARRATOR YET AGAIN
CHAPTER 20
RED PAINT ON THE WALL
CHAPTER 21
A NOTICING GAME
CHAPTER 22
THE UNDISCOVERED VAULT OF LOST TALES
CHAPTER 23
THE HORRIBLE POWER OF EVIL
CHAPTER 24
BORN TO WEAR IT
CHAPTER 25
GOING OFF SCRIPT
CHAPTER 26
TREADING WATER IN A WELL
NOT YOUR MOMMA’S FAIRYTALE
CHAPTER 28
MADDIE ANNOYS THE NARRATOR ONE LAST TIME
CHAPTER 29
REWRITE, IGNITE, RESTART
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Mattel, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Hachette Book Group
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Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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First ebook edition: October 2013
ISBN 978-0-316-40123-4
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