“Do you think the guy who’s causing all the trouble inside the fort could be a spy, too?” Sabrina asked.
“Hush, child!” Charming snapped.
Nurse Sprat raced to the group. “I can’t handle all of these people,” she said. “There’s only one of me.”
“I’ll help,” Granny said. “I worked for the Red Cross during the war. I can dress a wound as well as anyone.”
“You can count on all of us,” Veronica added.
The rest of the day Sabrina and her family ran for medicine, helped bathe patients, and did whatever they could to make the suffering Everafters comfortable. There were twenty critically wounded people and dozens more in need of stitches or a splint for a broken bone. Robin Hood’s close friend Will Scarlet had been hurt badly. Little Boy Blue had two broken ribs. Sadly, a few of the Everafters died while poor Nurse Sprat tried to save them, including Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus. The gingerbread witch had taken a blow to the head and had fallen into the river, and she was too far gone for Nurse Sprat’s skills.
The nurse wept, cursing the Master and his Scarlet Hand. “I’m not a trained doctor,” she cried. “I can only do so much.” No one blamed her. They were grateful for what she could do and at the end of the day she managed to save the lives of sixteen people.
Exhausted, Sabrina and her family stumbled back to the Hall of Wonders. There they found a hundred and fifty or so soldiers, all of whom looked beaten and afraid. Charming, Ms. White, Mr. Seven, and Mr. Canis looked over them like shepherds watching a flock.
Mirror met the family when they arrived. “I hear that things did not go well.”
Uncle Jake nodded. “It’s true.”
“Charming has asked that we all meet. He says he has a new plan,” Mirror replied.
“New plan!” Henry exclaimed. “The last plan nearly got everyone killed.”
“Relda, perhaps you can talk some sense into him,” Mirror said. “The prince can’t send these people into battle again. They’re not soldiers. Does he think that a collection of princesses, talking animals, and elderly witches can beat back the Master?”
“Shut up, Mirror,” Uncle Jake said.
The little man was dumbfounded. “Jacob, I—”
“We are in the middle of a war, Mirror. If you come in here talking about how it’s hopeless, you are going to crush them. They know it went badly. Leave it at that,” Jake said, then stormed off into the crowd. Mirror shook his head but didn’t say any more.
Standing in the front of the crowd, Charming raised his hand until he had everyone’s attention. “Tomorrow we march on the sheriff’s office.”
A gasp went through the crowd.
“This is madness,” Puss in Boots declared.
The Scarecrow joined in. “My calculations tell me we have a ten percent chance of surviving another confrontation with the Hand.”
“That’s suicide,” Ichabod Crane shouted, nursing a wounded arm. “You saw what they did to us. We’re no match for them!”
Charming ignored their protests.
“The sheriff’s office is a central planning base for the Hand. If we can destroy the office we take a valuable asset from the enemy. My hope is that we can capture Nottingham as well. To accomplish this I believe we need a four-pronged attack.”
“You and your four-pronged attacks!” Morgan le Fay cried bitterly.
Charming continued. “The first attack comes from the Pied Piper, who will use his abilities to command rats and squirrels to infest the office, driving Nottingham and whoever else might be inside out into the open. We assume the offices will be filled with card soldiers. My spies have informed me the Jack of Spades and the Three of Diamonds were seen going into the office this morning. Once they are in the street, the second attack comes from the sky. Buzzflower and Mallobarb will lead a squadron of flying wizards and sorceresses over the crowd, zapping as many as they can with their magic wands. The third attack will commence with Goldilocks and the three bears, along with an army of intelligent animals, going after Nottingham. And finally in our fourth prong, Mr. Seven will deliver the final blow by leading our knights, archers, and swordsmen into the fray.”
“Charming, listen to reason,” Beauty begged. The poor woman was nearly in tears and her little dog was yapping in panic. “Are you determined to get us all killed?”
The prince’s jaw stiffened but he didn’t get to respond. Snow White stepped forward, and there was fire in her eyes.
“Charming has told you the truth!” she said. “You have two choices. Fight or die under the heel of the Master. That’s it. There are no other alternatives. Now, I know you wish someone else could do it for you, but that’s not going to happen either. So it’s time to grow up. You people have received your orders. If I hear another one of you crybabies questioning them, I’m going to make you wish you had died at the marina!”
The crowd grew quiet.
“The fort is not safe tonight,” Snow continued. “All of you will camp in the Hall of Wonders. Get some sleep. We march at dawn.”