“Did you see any eels?” asked Simber.
“We fought one on the way to the Island of Legends several days ago. Luckily, after a major fight, we were okay—though we nearly lost the medicine. Pan bit the eel’s head off. We haven’t seen any since.”
“That’s great news,” Alex said, but he was preoccupied. He’d forgotten about the potential for eels, and now Henry and Spike were possibly stranded. “Let’s hope that was the last of them.” He signaled to a squirrelicorn on the roof of the mansion.
The creature swooped down to Alex’s side.
“Let our ship’s team know that there could be eels prowling about,” Alex instructed, “and then tell Claire the same thing in the white boat.”
“Yes, sir!” said the squirrelicorn, and she darted off to deliver the message.
“What did I miss here?” asked Florence, adjusting her quiver on her back and making sure she had all of her arrows after the ride underwater. “What’s the plan?”
Alex pulled out the official battle chart that Ms. Octavia had sketched, showing the placement of all the teams in Artimé and part of Quill. He filled Florence in on all that had happened and the strategies in place.
“Basically,” he explained, “I’ve got several teams stationed here on the south shore and all the way around to the west side of the island, facing the oncoming ships,” he explained. “Mr. Appleblossom’s team and mine are covering the lawn from the edge of the jungle to the mansion. Simber’s team is on the west side of the mansion. Also with us in the mansion area are Sky, Kaylee, Matilda, Kitten, and now you. Our teams are small, some with as few as thirty fighters, but every team has a few statues and some squirrelicorns as messengers.”
“Okay,” said Florence. “Where’s everybody else?”
Alex pointed to the chart. “Heading west along the shore in Quill you can see Lani’s and Samheed’s teams. I gave them a few extra members each because they have the most ground to cover. Then, rounding the curve near the lighthouse is Aaron’s team—he recruited some Necessaries and I gave him some strong spell casters, as well as Jim the winged tortoise and the ostrich statue.”
“So far so good,” said Florence, glancing up to check the positions of the approaching ships before looking back at the charts. “Keep going.”
“Beyond Aaron, stationed on the top of the hill at the west point, is Liam and his team. Rounding the island in the northwest curve is Gunnar Haluki and his team.”
“That’s it? No one on the north side?” asked Florence.
“No—I didn’t see a need.”
“And where are Sean and Carina?”
“They’re on the ship with Ms. Octavia, Ahab, Fox, and a team of twenty or so,” said Alex. “I’ve instructed them to stay closer inland than where I expect the ships to anchor. I want our ship to act as a barrier to the mansion. They’ll attack anyone coming in straight on, or force the enemy to go around them.
“And Claire—is that her in the white boat roaming in the shallow water?” asked Florence.
“Yes, with a team of six, plus Charlie. She’s covering the shoreline and will help out wherever needed.”
“Good idea to have a mobile team,” Florence said. “What about the Warbler children—are they fighting against their own people?”
“Many of them are,” said Alex. “I’ve split them up evenly, just a few in each group so their teams can help protect them in case the attackers come ashore and try to capture them.”
Florence nodded thoughtfully as she looked over the chart. “Hmm,” she said. “Not bad work for a kid. You don’t even need old Florence anymore.”
Alex grinned. “Oh, yes we do. I’m extremely glad you’re back,” he said. “I did my best with the assignments, but if you want to change strategies, please do. You’re the expert.”
“You put a lot of thought into it,” said Florence, growing serious, “and you did well. This is very close to what I would have done, except for one thing.”
“What?” asked Alex.
“Well, from the looks of the line of ships as they draw closer around the island, and from the directions the outermost ships are heading in, I don’t think they’ll only stick to the south and west sides of our island.”
“You don’t?” asked Alex.
“No. Look how a few ships are fanning out as if they plan to continue past our island. I think they’ll land on the north side, too. Once they reach the shore, it’s not that far overland to reach the mansion.”
“So we’ll be surrrounded,” said Simber. He began to pace.
“Time will tell,” said Florence, looking at Alex’s chart. “But I’m going to rearrange things a little to cover our vulnerable spots.” She looked up. “And that means I need some more team leaders. Let’s pull Carina off the ship and Sky and Kaylee off the mansion and have them take teams to the north side of the island.”
“Whatever you think is best,” said Alex.