One of the first things Midor did, as soon as they had gotten past the narrow parts of the mouse hole, was to block up the narrow part behind them with dirt, effectively closing the tunnel. John and King Carlyle tried to help, but John was unaccustomed to working with dirt, and King Carlyle’s frog arms weren't much help, so Midor ended up doing it mostly himself.
As it turned out, Catherine never bothered pursuing them down the hole anyway. But of course they had no way of knowing that, so they had to be prepared for anything.
Then, they continued on through the tunnel. John and King Carlyle stumbled around in the dark, but Midor seemed confident, like he knew exactly where he was going. And as they followed Midor, the smaller tunnel soon joined up with a bigger tunnel, exactly as Midor said it would. In this larger tunnel, they could move about freely.
What’s more, the larger tunnel had some sort of light source.
“Where is the light coming from?” asked John.
“It’s always light in the Gnome tunnel,” answered Midor.
“I can see that. But I mean, what is the source of the light?”
“Fairy dust,” Midor answered.
“Are the Gnomes magic?”
“No, but long ago they made an agreement with the fairies to keep their tunnels lighted. Of course, that was thousands of years ago, when the fairies were still everywhere in the forest, instead of just living in fairy land, like they do now. But the fairy dust remains. And there’s enough fairy dust left over that they can keep lighting up the new tunnels that they dig.”
“I still don’t understand how they have tunnels right below my castle, and I never knew,” said King Carlyle. “Does anyone know about this? Did Talon know about this?”
“The Gnomes know. And their friends know. But that’s it. It’s been a secret from even the castle sorcerer.”
“Then how did you know about it?” asked John.
King Carlyle groaned. “Boy, I’ll save you some trouble. Never ask Midor how he knows something. He knows everything in this forest. Somehow.”
While they were still talking, they met a Gnome guarding one of the tunnels.
“Dustin, it’s me!” said Midor.
“Midor? How did you get so small?”
“Oh, the usual story. There was a witch and an evil spell. I need your help. Can you take us to the central meeting hall?”
*******************************************************
Midor laughed when John told him about how they had searched for a Gnome entrance but couldn’t find it.
“They’re all over the forest,” Midor said. “You just have to know where to look.” He chuckled to himself before adding, “Admittedly they can be pretty hard to find for someone unfamiliar with the forest. They’re usually hidden by the mushroom clumps.”
“Yes, that’s what the mouse and frog told me. But we couldn’t find any mushroom clumps.”
“Oh, well, you also have to know where to find the mushroom clumps. They can be under a fallen tree, or by a hollowed out log. They’re not hard to find once you know their secrets, but you have to know the forest well. But once you get inside the Gnome tunnels, then it connects the whole forest together.
“And what do you mean by that?” asked King Carlyle, who was still hopping along behind.
“All the animals who made underground tunnels or burrows connect their underground houses to that of the Gnomes. At least in this part of the forest. So the mouse holes link up with the gnome tunnels, and the mole holes, and the badger hold, and all the underground animals can gather in the Gnome meeting hall.”
“Strange,” said John. “The mouse I travelled with didn’t know where the entrance was.”
“Oh, Benjamin? He and his family are grass mice. They make their homes in the grass thickets. Besides, they’re not originally from this area of the forest. They’re refugees from the Bear King’s kingdom. I carried his father over mother over here myself years ago. They stayed in my pockets the entire journey.”
“That reminds me,” said John. “They were heading for the castle to try and help us.”
“We’ll try and get word sent to them,” said Midor. “The Gnomes have a very good network all throughout the forest. Isn’t that right, Dustin?”
Dustin the Gnome was still leading them through the tunnels. “We do what we can,” he answered.
“How is David?” asked Midor. “It’s been many years since I’ve spoken with the Gnome King.”
“You’ll see him for yourself soon enough,” answered Dustin. “I’m taking you to the Gnome King’s throne room now.”
“The Gnome King?” King Carlyle said incredulously. “I thought I was the only king of this part of the forest.”
“Your majesty, you did not,” said Midor. “You knew that the bees and ants always organized themselves into their own kingdoms, and never respected outside authority.”
“Well, of course. The bees and the ants. That’s different. And I’ve always respected them, and never tried to impose my will on any of their colonies...err...kingdoms. Or whatever you call it. But I never imagined there was a Gnome kingdom as well!”
“Did you know that the Kingdom of Mora lays claim to the whole expanse of this forest?” asked John.
“What? That’s ridiculous. The King of Mora doesn’t know how vast this forest is.”
“And yet he believes he rules it,” said John. “We believed it ourselves until several weeks ago when we set off into this forest.”
“Yes, the point is a good one,” said Midor. “There are many things in this forest that no one knows about. It is foolish to claim that you rule them all.”
****************************************************************************
Dustin led them into the great gnome hall. It was much bigger than the rest of the gnome tunnels, and was clearly designed as a great meeting palace. As Midor had told them it would, it proved to be a meeting place for many of the animals. Badgers and hedgehogs and moles all travelled through this hall, and many of them were talking to the gnomes. They all stopped to gaze in surprise when they saw Midor walking through. “What’s happened to you?” they asked.
“An enchantment. A witch. Catherine is back in the forest,” Midor answered.
“But how? Didn’t the human king, Carlyle, drive her out?” asked one of the hedgehogs.
“Behold, King Carlyle, formerly a human,” said Midor, gesturing to the green frog hopping behind him. “Catherine has transformed him into a frog. And she has taken the throne. We have come to ask the gnomes for their help.”
“Come and sit with me Midor,” came a voice from across the throne room. It was the King, seated on his throne.
“Your majesty,” Midor replied, and Midor beckoned for John and King Carlyle to follow him. They crossed over to the King’s side of the room, and sat on the empty stools facing the King.
“You know, Midor,” began the Gnome King, “That I am grateful for everything you have done for me and for my people, and that I would refuse you nothing that is in my power. But I also know the ancient forest law, and that throne belongs to Catherine by the right of succession. When Carlyle drove her from the castle, we did not complain, of course. She was a bad and wicked queen, and we were grateful to see her gone. So we did not interfere. But we did not help him. And we certainly can’t help him regain the throne now.”
“I understand, King David,” Midor answered (for that was the Gnome King’s name.)
“However,” the Gnome King continued, “we will do everything we can to undo the enchantment that Catherine has placed you under. And for your friends as well. We will seek out whatever magic or magicians that we can find to get them to change you back to your normal size. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you need to. We have spare rooms and spare beds for both of you, and we can find some nice soft mud for the frog.”
“A nice soft bed will be fine, thank you,” croaked King Carlyle.
“Your majesty,” Midor said gently to the frog, “Frogs do not recline on their backs the same way humans do. You will not find a bed suitable for sleeping on in your present state.”
“I prefer a bed all the same,” said King Carlyle in a bit of a testy voice, “But far be it from me to argue with my hosts. If soft mud is what is designated for me, then soft mud is what I will sleep in.
“Prepare a soft fluffy feather bed for the frog king,” said the Gnome King, clapping his hands, and several gnomes ran off to do just that.
“But you must be hungry. You can eat before you sleep, if you wish.”
Midor bowed. “Thank you, your majesty.”
“We’ll prepare a light meal for you now. Then I imagine you’ll want to rest and revive your energy. Then there will be a big feast in your honor tonight with lots of singing and drinking. Be sure to rest up now to conserve your energy for it.”
“We will, your majesty,” Midor answered.
“A feast? A rest? Singing and drinking? I don’t think you realize the gravity of the situation,” King Carlyle complained, mostly directed to Midor. “Catherine is in the castle. You remember what happened the last time she controlled the throne.”
“I do, your majesty,” Midor said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it tonight. Besides,” he added in a softer voice, “We must be gracious guests. We are going to need the assistance of our hosts very soon.”
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