“Dad, let them stay,” Sabrina said. “Let them all stay. He’s right. We don’t know what we’re doing. If anyone in the camp has experience in combat, I need to know about it. I think Arthur and Robin and their men could be a big help.”
“Then there is an ounce of sense in this family after all,” Arthur said, then turned to the mirrors. “I need to see maps of the town!”
His request magically materialized.
“Whatever you were planning on doing, forget it. It’s obvious what you should do. We need to attack in the very center of town with something big and shocking. When the rest of Hand’s goons hear about it, they will come running. When they do, we’ll be ready for them. We’ll surround the town, cram them all into a small space, and pick them off one by one. Henry, take your girls. Robin and our men will let you know when the details of the plan are ready to be announced.”
Sabrina, Daphne, and Henry left the Scarecrow behind and stepped into the Hall of Wonders. Outside the door they found Pinocchio sitting with his back to the wall.
“They’re crazy,” Pinocchio said. “Their plan is pure drivel. I’ve heard better plans for going to the bathroom.”
“And you can do better?” Sabrina said.
“Of course I can,” Pinocchio said. “Anyone who has ever read a book of military history can tell you it’s better to stay hidden and in small groups. You should surprise them and capture them one by one. It’s very similar to the strategy of General Marion during the American Revolutionary War. They called him the Swamp Fox because his soldiers attacked from within the swamps of South Carolina, then sank back—”
“And we should trust that you have our best interests at heart because . . . ?” Sabrina said.
Pinocchio’s face turned red, but instead of lashing out he got to his feet. “Well, I tried,” he said, then walked toward the portal.
Sabrina felt a little guilty for her attitude, but at the same time, could she really trust Pinocchio? His past was a distraction she didn’t need. Besides, Arthur and Robin Hood were leaders. They knew better than a couple of little kids. Just having them in discussing the plan gave her a sense of security. No, she was right. The army needed the smartest people devising the best plans.
She and her sister went back to their room in the castle to wait. The discussion went through the night and into the morning, but Sabrina was too anxious to sleep. Instead, she paced the room while Elvis watched from beneath a blanket on the bed he shared with Daphne. The Scarecrow came to them in the morning and led them back to the mirror room, where they were told that Robin Hood’s plan was considered the best of several approaches. She didn’t understand most of it, but she didn’t have to. She had no physical role in the actual battle. All she had to do was put her stamp of approval on it and the men would take care of the rest.
After breakfast she gathered her army and announced that on that very night they would engage the Scarlet Hand in the middle of the town square. Then she turned over the conversation to King Arthur, who explained the plan in finer detail. Sabrina marveled at his command of the crowd. Like Charming, he had a natural charisma that made people want to follow him. She saw the same thing in Robin Hood and felt herself lucky to have two experienced people helping her with her destiny.
When Arthur finished, Sabrina asked everyone to get as much rest as they could, but that at dinnertime they should meet in the yard with whatever weapons they had. She watched the crowd disperse—some faces filled with eagerness, and others with dread. And then there was only Puck, who stood staring at her, arms crossed, with a face full of disgust.
“What?”
Puck rolled his eyes. “Would you let me know exactly when it’s my time to come and rescue you from this fight so that I can be ready?”
Sabrina threw her hands up in the air. “What is it with you?”
Puck’s wings popped out of his backs and fluttered like a hummingbird’s. “Never mind,” he said, lifting off the ground.
Sabrina was tired of Puck’s attitude. She wanted an explanation. She jumped in the air just as he was about to fly away and snatched him by the pant leg.
“Let me go, bubble head,” he demanded.
“Not until you tell me why you’re so moody,” she said.
Puck tried to shake her off, but he couldn’t. “Let me go!”
“Not a chance, bug boy,” Sabrina said, and then she was rocketing into the sky, hanging on with all her might. “Puck! Put us down!”
“You had your chance, loser,” the boy said as they sailed over the castle and out into the woods, skimming the tops of trees.
“Puck! I was up all night. I’m too tired to hold on,” Sabrina cried. Her arms felt like rubber bands stretching to the point of snapping. She looked down. Too far. She would never survive the fall.
“Wah! Wah! Wah!!!! Help me! Save me!” Puck mocked.
“Puck, please put me down,” Sabrina said. Her lack of sleep and the surge of panic was causing black spots to appear in front of her eyes.