Midor led the way, and John and Benjamin the mouse walked after him. Behind them came King Carlyle, hopping through the forest, and Jacob the frog, who was accompanying King Carlyle.
“I must say, your majesty,” said Jacob the frog, “for someone who has only been a frog for a few days, you are handling the hopping extremely well.”
“It’s funny,” said King Carlyle. “It seemed to come naturally enough once I was placed into a frog’s body. It was a bit awkward at first, but now I can hop without even thinking about it.”
“How do you find it being a frog,” asked Jacob. “Do you enjoy frog food? Do you like sleeping in the mud?”
“I haven’t slept in the mud yet,” said King Carlyle.
“You will tonight,” said Midor. “We won’t be returning to the Gnome’s hall tonight. We’ll be sleeping in the woods.”
“Where are we going?” asked John.
“To the land of the fairies,” said Midor. “We need their help.”
“Do you think they can undo the spells,” asked King Carlyle.
“I mean to ask them,” said Midor. “I’m not sure what they will say, though. These magical creatures usually tend to be very picky about undoing other people’s spells. They can usually undo their own spells, but they don’t like trying to undo the spells of others. The magic can get confused--at least that’s what they say. But I mean to ask them nevertheless.”
“Good idea,” said King Carlyle. “Worth a try at any rate. But if I may, Midor, why are we walking? I thought you could call down any of your animal friends to take us for a ride at any time.”
“I like to space my favors out,” said Midor. “I’ve always been careful about how many favors I call in at one time. It’s part of what’s kept me so popular in the forest. The animals are happy to help me out, but they don’t want to be my slaves. Before, I called in favors because it was an emergency to get to the castle before Catherine ate you. But now, it’s not so urgent.”
“Not so urgent!” King Carlyle croaked.
“It’s important,” said Midor. “I don’t want to be stuck 3 inches tall anymore than you want to be stuck in a frog’s body. But it’s not urgent necessarily. At this point, a few more days in a frog’s body isn’t going to make a difference for you.”
“It might,” croaked King Carlyle indignantly. “This frog’s diet does not agree with my constitution one iota. If I don’t get changed into a human body, and eat a good human meal soon, I may die of malnutrition.”
“With respect, your highness,” said Midor, “I find it hard to believe that you will die without human food. Jacob the frog can be a great help in guiding you to what food is good to eat in your condition. As for getting help, we may at some point call in a few favors and ask for a ride. But let’s see if we can make it a couple days walking first.”
There was a rustling through the leaves, and it became apparent that something was running around nearby--it seemed like they were searching for something. “Midor!” came a voice. “Midor!”
“I’m here,” Midor called back. “Is that you, Talia?”
“It is!” From the underbrush, the face of a squirrel emerged. “I had heard you were around here somewhere. I come bringing a message.”
“A message? Of what kind?”
“Sandi and Stuart were looking for you. They bring a message from your wife.”
“His wife!” croaked King Carlyle. “Midor has no wife! I sincerely hope you are not talking about my daughter. I’ll have you know that that marriage was never approve--”
“Your majesty please,” said Midor. “Forgive the squirrel for his inexactness. We can argue about the specifics later.” Midor turned back to Talia the squirrel. “What about Vivian? Is she okay?”
“She is fine. But she desires to tell you that she has fled from the castle.”
“What did Catherine do to her?” yelled both King Carlyle and Midor at once.
“She is unharmed,” said Talia. “I don’t know the details, but she had some sort of discussion with Catherine, and the upshot of it was she felt she could no longer remain in the castle.”
“Where can we meet her?” asked Midor.
“Stay where you are,” said Talia. “I will send word that you are here, and have her brought to you.”
“Well,” said Midor, “I guess we can relax for a time while we wait.”
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