'You!' another official said to Hop. 'Did you know to whom the 'mushrooms' belonged?'
Hop opened his mouth, seemed to inhale and swallow, then said, 'I knew that the little folk — sprites, grigs, atomies, pixies, and brownies — favor such places. I knew that tales told indicate that these folk relish the dweomerdots. I have crept into the glen aforetimes, though, and picked some small amount. Never did I see anyone to contest my right to do so. The produce of the wild wood is surety the property of the one who takes it first'
At this last remark the queen's lovely features darkened. She spoke directly to the two men. 'You humans are presumptuous indeed! Know you not that we have plucked the Coins of Ehlonna — dweomerdots, as you call them — from this very glen since Avalondria became the home of Royal Poochaunla? Not for a century have those of Unsealy Court dared to trespass here!'
Both men shook their heads. 'I crave forgiveness, majesty,' Gord said, 'but I know nothing of Poochauns, Poochaunia. nor. . Avalondria?'
'Her glory speaks of her subjects, her majestic person, and the very tree we are standing in now, dolt!' the officer said angrily.
'Cease badgering the accused!' said the priestly male. 'I shall ask the humans one or two questions — with your glory's kind permission, of course,' he said with a stiff bow toward the enthroned queen.
'As you wish, Panloron. Permission is granted.'
'To what end did you gather the fungi we call Ehlonna's Coins and you name dweomerdots?'
Hop spoke before Gord could. 'To sell, to gain enough money so that my friend, Gord there, could enjoy his few remaining days hereabouts without worrying about costs. The best I would keep for myself, of course, to use in the medicines and potions I make and sell as Hop the Savant — I am not actually a savant, but the claim is efficacious in peddling the products.'
'I see,' the cleric said. 'Do you swindle folk of your race thereby?'
'Perhaps, but I think not. They are pleased with the price, and the material used is of pure and wholesome sort. Some ingredients might actually be beneficial.'
'Hmmm. ., Humans are like this, I know.' Turning to look squarely at Gord, the elderly being asked, 'What plans had you?'
'To select and secret the choicest ere Hop could know,' the young thief found himself saying. He had been angry at hearing the mountebank relate his plan for utilizing the mushrooms in his wares. Now he was blurting out how he thought to cheat Hop out of those of the magical fungi that Gord thought would benefit him, and he could not stop himself from stating the pure truth. 'The bulk I assumed would be sold and the profit therefrom divided. I didn't know that Hop planned to unjustly withhold most for his own use!'
'As you were planning to filch the cream of the crop for yourself. Gord!' the mountebank retorted angrily.
'Cease,' the old cleric ordered them without passion. 'You were each plotting against the other, as your sort do frequently. You have said truthfully that you know nothing of Poochauns. Have you knowledge of the Noblest Little Folk? The Sealy Court? Have you heard of The Princely People?'
Both men shook their heads simultaneously.
'It seems clear to me, my queen,' said the silver-locked cleric, 'that these two humans sought to compete only with such wild folk as they imagined to inhabit the region. That they should know of Avalondria and the Poochauns would be unthinkable. We would never permit such knowledge.. We have recovered what they took, and they have done no harm. I ask that they be enspelled and taken into the forest. Their memory of Ehlonna's Coins will be wiped out so they will not return, and there will be no tales they can tell.'
The queen looked uncertain, and the chief officer spoke up when he noticed this. 'Glorious majesty. Panloron grows senile in his dotage! A hint of unscrupulousness is warrant for these two to be exterminated. That, and that alone, will assure your majesty and all Poochauns their safety.'
'Yes, yes!' the other officers urged, and several of the others around and in the tiers of galleries above cried out their agreement as well. This was followed by other calls in support of the cleric. The queen still seemed uncommitted.
'How dare you tell your twisted version of our laws to her majesty?' The old cleric managed to sound thunderous as he spoke in a piping voice. 'These humans are far from blameless, but this is not sufficient warrant for any Poochaun to condemn them!'
'Any?' asked the queen in ominous tone.
'Not even your glorious majesty!' the elder said stiffly.
'Then I proclaim they be tried by arms,' she said regally. 'Prince Buckbee, you shall serve as Royal Champion, and so shall Sir Dragonfly.'
The two named guard officers bowed at this, vowing to champion their queen and prove they were on the side of right, law, and justice. The old cleric frowned and scowled at the dandies who were cheering on the two noble lords, but otherwise did nothing else. Gord and his friend were bound to fight their duels.
'We need proper clothing and our arms,' the young adventurer suggested to the sneering Prince Buckbee.
'You will be properly attired soon enough, man-ling, and given good Poochaunian weapons to try defending yourselves with.'
This was not what Gord wished at all. 'I demand to use arms of my own choice, and my choice is the sword and dagger I wore when you attacked us!'
The queen and her entourage had departed, and the strange hall was nearly empty. All the Poochauns were probably arraying themselves in festive attire in light of the coming tournament. Panloron remained, possibly to see to the fair treatment of the two accused. Prince Buckbee and Sir Dragonfly were assailed with flts of laughter at Gord's demand for his own weapons. Hop had asked for his own sword, too, and both men stood in angry puzzlement when the sprltelike beings made light of these reasonable demands.
'Come, follow me,' the silver-haired cleric said. 'I will show you the source of their amusement, and you will understand then, I think.' Neither officer objected as Panloron led the two men to a pair of huge doors in the hall. Poochauns standing guard at each side came to attention as the old priest approached. At his signal the valves were swung inward to reveal what lay beyond.
Gord and Hop saw a vast expanse of broad, tangled grass that extended upward just above the heads of the Poochaun and his prisoners. There was a path leading through this thicket of head-high growth, and the cleric began to walk slowly along this track. The pair of humans followed, and were soon standing on a high bank that allowed them a view of the area below. There, half-hidden in the tall savannah, were weapons of gigantic proportions.
'A storm giant has been here?' Gord asked aloud, then cut himself off abruptly. Hop stood in shocked amazement too. The swords, daggers, and belts they saw were their own arms — grown to monstrous proportions!
'Why have you enlarged our gear?' Hop asked.
'Enlarged? Oh no, human, no such thing has been done. Quite the contrary — you and your companion have been made small to fit the accommodations of fair Avalondria.' the cleric said matter-of-factly. 'Now you see why you must accept the arms that we will supply to you for the trial by combat.'
Gord didn't feel any different, but he was only a foot tall! No wonder the glowworms were monstrous, the tree's interior so vast. The young adventurer turned and looked at the growth behind. It appeared to be the most titanic ipt ever to grow on Oerth — the largest tree in the world! What startled him even more were the windows, walkways, oriels, pentlces, stairways, and turrets that were built on or hewn from trunks and limbs. 'This cannot be the same ipt that stands in the middle of the glen!' he said in disbelief.
'The very same.' Panloron said with dignity and pride.
'Impossible!' Hop retorted as he too surveyed the mountain-tall growth that blocked the sky above them from view. 'We saw no such construction. Even at a distance in moonlight these works could not escape the eye.'
'Of course they could, human. You are in a slightly altered place now, just as are all Poochauns when they are within the Realm of Avalondria. In your own world these will be seen by you as bumps, whorls and holes. Your vision will not see through to the true realm beyond.'
'Let's go back and get the clothing and weapons promised to us,' Gord interjected practically. He could see the citizens of this tree-realm peering down at them from windows and balconies, and many of these watchers
