This Dark Magic

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Grumpy (Leroy): You've seen what dark magic does

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Grumpy (Leroy): You've seen what dark magic does. Fairies use this for good. Now go be a hero. (The Outsider)

Regina's simmering wrath was worrisome, Archie thought. She needed a damper.

Despite the dozen burly men hovering around her, he inserted himself just behind her right shoulder. She didn't notice. Her indignation was centered on David Nolan.

"So, your darling daughter didn't think to place a tracker on the police cruiser? Typical incompetence."

"Watch yourself," David growled.

Regina tossed her hair. "Save your indulgent daddy routine for another night. I'm thinking of Henry."

"I've sent teams—"

"You expect to cover the town, the farms, and the forest with 'teams'?"

David gritted his teeth. The anger he was stifling looked nearly as hot as Regina's. "How else would you suggest we look for Mr. Smee? I searched his apartment. No clues—just a magazine called Big Busty Babes, a bottle of bum wine, and a lot of dirty socks."

Archie sighed. If only Smee were on foot instead of in a car, Pongo could have used one of those socks to track him. Instead, he was grasping his dalmatian's collar, trying to restrain him from snapping at the angry people crowding around them.

"I don't suggest we look for Smee at all." Regina perched a hand on one hip and dropped the other. "We need to find the imp."

Goodness, gracious. Not her, too. Archie began tapping—timidly but determinedly—on Regina's shoulder. "Don't let prejudices s-s-sidetrack us. We have no reason to b-b-believe—"

"Oh, really, Cricket?" Regina peered at Archie over her shoulder then batted away his hand. "Hey, who here thinks we have no reason to suspect Rumplestiltskin?"

The hubbub of responses made Archie cringe. "He made me pawn my grandmother's ring." "He foreclosed on my fishing boat." "He turned me into a Newt."

David made no attempt to rein in the Evil Queen's minions. After all, Archie thought, they didn't join Prince Charming's rebellion in the Enchanted Forest. Why would they listen to him now?

Instead, David stuck his face closer to Regina's. "Speculation is pointless. It's Henry we're looking for—regardless of who he's with—so sending out teams is still the only way to find him."

Regina snickered. "No it isn't. I saw the imp at the fair. Instead of the shiny new cane he's been sporting for the last few months, he's back to his old one. The scratched wood and dented handle are unmistakable."

David shrugged. "So?"

"So, I had our previous sheriff place a tracking device in it." Regina lifted her chin. "No need to thank me."

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⏰ Last updated: Oct 21, 2019 ⏰

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