Back in the forest, Midor and John were trying to find their way back to the castle. Midor found a passing bumble bee named Carl (who, of course, Midor knew by name), and Midor gave the bee the names of several birds who owed him favors, and named the location of their nests. Two birds came soon--Stuart and Sandi--both bright red cardinals. One picked up John, one picked up Midor.
“Goodbye Benjamin. Goodbye Jacob. Thanks for everything,” John called out as he left.
“We’ll meet you at the castle,” Benjamin called back. “It sounds like you could use our help.”
“Always appreciated,” Midor shouted back. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”
The birds held John and Midor in their claws. One claw held each arm, and John and Midor each dangled below the bird as they flew through the air. For Midor, it was not the first time he had travelled like this, although usually he had to rely on bigger birds. For John, however, it was the first time he experienced flight, and he was terrified at first, and then, as he slowly overcame his fears, he gradually became thrilled by the sensation of zooming through the trees.
The birds flew at full speed, and it was no time at all before they were flown in the castle window.
“Find King Carlyle,” Midor said, and the birds zoomed down the hallways, until they at last ended up on a window overlooking the courtyard down below.
Midor couldn’t see King Carlyle, but he did recognize Talon immediately. And he saw a snake slithering through the courtyard, which he realized at once must be Catherine. And then, Midor saw a frog hopping desperately through the courtyard garden, and he knew immediately what had happened.
It was here on the window ledge that Bartholomew the fly met them. “Midor, there you are. I came here as fast as I could, as you instructed. But as you can see, they’d already gotten here before me.”
“They must have used their magic to fly here,” said Midor. “It’s okay Bartholomew. I thank you for your help. Now, we’ve got to stop that snake from eating the frog. Can you fly down and distract that snake?”
“I’ll fly right into its eyes,” said Barthelemew. “People hate it when I do that.”
“Great,” said Midor. Then he said to the cardinals. “Can you drop John and I off down on the ground near that frog?”
Sandi and Stuart picked John and Midor up again, and zoomed towards the frog. They dropped John and Midor down on the ground near the frog. “Don’t worry your majesty, we’re here to help,” Midor said. “This way, hurry.”
Meanwhile the birds Sandi and Stuart took turns zooming down and pecking at the snake, while Bartholomewkept flying into its eyes. Catherine, in fury, struck out at first one bird, and then the other, but the birds managed to keep always just out of the way. They were always close enough so that Catherine was tempted to lunge at them, but they always flew back at the last minute. And then when Catherine tried to ignore them and continue slithering, then they would dive down and start pecking at her again. As for Bartholomew the fly, he kept buzzing so close to Catherine’s head that she couldn’t even see where he was.
While Catherine was thus distracted, Midor and John ran with King Carlyle. “This way, sir!” said Midor. “There’s a small mouse hidden in the garden here. We can go down it.”
“I can’t hide in a mouse hole,” said King Carlyle.
“Please your majesty, trust me just this once,” said Midor.
“Trust you? After what you did to my family? I would sooner take my chances with the snake,” said King Carlyle. He still retained his former voice, even in frog form, although his voice now had a croaky quality to it.
“Your majesty,” Midor said in desperation. “I promise you, when this is all over, I will once again be your most humble servant, and follow your wishes in every detail. But for now, your life is in danger. I need you to trust me.”
“What good does it do to go down a mouse hole? Catherine can just sit at the entrance to the hole and keep me trapped in there.”
“I don’t have time to explain,” said Midor. “Follow me, please.”
Catherine, after having been distracted by Bartholomew, Stuart and Sandi, was now lunging forward and ignoring their attacks. She was almost upon them.
Midor ran towards the mouse hole. John followed, and King Carlyle, somewhat reluctantly, hopped behind.
When they got to the mouse hole, John and Midor were able to slide inside easily (being only 3 inches tall). King Carlyle had been turned into a big green bullfrog, and the hole was almost too small for him. He would have objected, but even he realized there was no time to argue now. Catherine was one second away from striking. He jumped into the hole, and John and Midor both grabbed one of his hands, and pulled. After a brief half a second of King Carlyle being stuck halfway out of the hole, they were able to pull him down inside in the end.
Catherine, however, was too big to follow them down. She was a huge snake, about the size of a python. Once they were down the hole, Catherine looked down the hole and hissed at them. “You think you’ve escaped? I’m just going to change into a smaller snake, and come after you. And now you’re stuck in that hole.”
Catherine, however, could not change into a smaller snake without her wand. And she had left her wand back with her human clothes when she had changed into a snake. “Talon!” she called out. “I need your help. Change me into a smaller snake.”
Down in the hole, King Carlyle bewailed his position. “Oh, why did I listen to you, Midor? Now I’m stuck here.”
“No you’re not,” said Midor. “We just need to get a little bit further. We’ll help to pull you, your majesty.”
King Carlyle, being slightly too big for the tunnel, was still stuck inside unable to move, but John and Midor both pulled on his frog hands, and they eased him down the tunnel gently. And then, slowly, the tunnel started to open up, and become wider. And King Carlyle was able to hop along. “That’s it, your majesty,” said Midor encouragingly. “Now, keep going. We need to keep going down this tunnel.”
“I can’t see anything,” complained King Carlyle. “It’s pitch black down here.”
“Just a little bit further,” said Midor. “We’re almost to the gnome tunnels.”
“The gnome tunnels?” said both King Carlyle and John in surprise.
“Yes,” said Midor. “This mouse hole connects to the gnome tunnels. We’re almost there.”
“So all this time, the gnome tunnels have been right under my castle?” King Carlyle asked in surprise.
“Indeed, they have been,” Midor answered.
“Well, I’ll be,” said King Carlyle. “And I thought the castle was secure.”
“Oh, it’s very secure,” said Midor. “Who do you think has been guarding the courtyard from tunnelling animals? And other creatures? The gnomes have been protecting the underground of your castle for centuries now, by old tradition.”
