As the day passed, more recruits trickled in to join the cause. Among the most welcome were Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, which included Will Scarlet, Little John, and Friar Tuck. King Arthur and his knights soon followed, with news that the Scarlet Hand was suffering from a wave of paranoia. Both the Merry Men and the knights were concerned that they would soon be exposed as spies. Making a break for the castle seemed to be the best strategy.
As the recruits were initiated into the camp and given rooms in the castle, the Scarecrow came to find Sabrina and Daphne. “Ready for your next class?”
Sabrina groaned. “You’re not going to teach us how to fight, are you?”
The Scarecrow shook his head. “Not at all. I’m going to teach you military strategy. You may not know this, but I was once the emperor of Oz. I had to defend the city from attacks.”
“How did that go?” Daphne asked.
“I was overthrown by an army of little girls with knitting needles,” the Scarecrow admitted. “But right now, I’m the best you’ve got.”
They went into the Hall of Wonders and then into the mirror room. Inside, the guardians were waiting.
“All right, girls, take a seat. I’ve got to give you ten thousand years of war in an afternoon,” the Scarecrow said. He turned to the mirrors and smiled. “I’m going to give you guys a little bit of a mental workout.”
Sabrina and Daphne listened as the straw man used the mirrors to illustrate important military campaigns throughout the history of the world. Each mirror became an audiovisual display, showing portraits of battlefields and grand paintings of military leaders.
Sabrina learned of Gustavus Adolphus’s brilliant invasion of Northern Germany in 1630 and how his combination of artillery, soldiers, and horses became the template for most modern war strategies. He even turned Sweden into one of the most powerful nations in the world. The Scarecrow talked about Caesar’s invasion of Gaul in 58 BC, which was the first domino to fall in Rome’s conquest of the globe. A painting of Genghis Khan appeared in the mirrors as the Scarecrow lectured about the Mongol Invasion of China in 1218. Sabrina learned the strategies of leaders like Alexander the Great, Frederick the Great, Hannibal, and Napoleon.
Then the Scarecrow discussed how small groups of soldiers had managed to defeat huge armies. He pointed out that three hundred Spartans beat back thousands during the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC by bottlenecking the army into a small space. He showed how Custer’s army was brought down at the Battle of the Little Bighorn by a small number of Indians who drove them into a canyon. He finished his lecture for the night with the American Revolutionary War, in which the military fought off a much bigger invading force by using the terrain to their advantage. By the time he was finished Sabrina’s head was so filled with facts she thought her brain was at war with itself.
“Any questions?” the Scarecrow asked.
Just then, the door flew open and a group of men pushed their way inside. The first was King Arthur, followed by Sir Galahad, then Sir Lancelot, Sir Kay, Sir Gawain, and a dozen other sirs. Then Robin Hood, Little John, and Will Scarlet made their way in. They argued noisily as they jockeyed to be at the front of the parade.
“We were told that there is war planning going on in here,” King Arthur said.
“Not at all,” the Scarecrow said, but he was ignored.
“We demand to participate!” Robin Hood shouted.
Henry pushed his way into the crowded room. “What is this about?” Henry demanded.
“You have placed the fate of this army in the hands of little girls!” Sir Lancelot roared. “Now we’re told they’re in this room plotting strategy.”
“It’s madness!” Little John said.
“What can children know about planning a battle?” Sir Kay asked.
“Send them away and we’ll take over,” King Arthur said.
The guardians of the mirrors appeared. Arden, the beauty with deer antlers, shook her head. “These little girls will save the world, gentlemen. It is prophecy.”
King Arthur’s face turned beet red. “This is no game, witch! We know what the Master is capable of, and no mere child is going to lead the charge against him and his Hand.”
“Arthur, you’re not needed in here,” Henry said.
“Your family is filled with insolent whelps,” Arthur said. “You all believe you know better. You all think you’re so wise. Well, look around you, Henry. How are your big ideas working out for you now?”
Henry stepped up to Arthur until they were nearly nose to nose. “I said go.”