The goblins clustered around the captives, but it wasn't clear what they were doing. Then Che reached out and yanked the elf's gag down. Immediately the chief drew back his fist and swung at her, but the elf ducked.

"She must have magic!" Godiva exclaimed. "See, most of the men are just standing around, not helping their chief. So we must not listen." As she spoke, she was stuffing hanks of hair into her ears, to dull her own hearing. "I'll distract them visually; you get in there and get them out."

Nada changed to small snake form and slithered toward the group. She saw Godiva step out into the camp clearing, dancing and swirling her hair around her body. She was good at it; that hair was like a living cloak, that allowed parts of her torso to flash into view briefly before disappearing.

A goblin spied Godiva. "Look at that!" he cried, staring.

Nada didn't look at that; she concentrated on Che and the elf girl. She would slither right in close, then assume human form, and tell the two to run. Then she would assume large serpent form and bite any goblins who looked dangerous. She might get killed, just as Godiva might, but between them they might indeed give Che his chance to escape.

An increasing number of the goblins were standing frozen, and not all of them were looking in Godiva's direction. Could it be true that the elf had some kind of spoken magic? If so, that made Nada's job easier. She continued to concentrate on the two captives, allowing nothing to distract her from her immediate mission.

The chief was still trying to punch the elf, but she was ducking out of the way, and the goblins who were holding her seemed to be in a daze. It must be magic, because normally goblins' first interest was in hurting others.

Nada reached the group. She assumed woman form. "Che!" she cried. "Run for the forest!" Then she became a monstrous huge-fanged serpent and reared up before the chief. If she took him out first, the others might be disorganized.

But the chief's face had also gone blank. There was no point in biting him if he wasn't functioning. She turned to look at the others, and found them all standing slackly, slight ungoblinish smiles on their ugly faces. What was going on?

Che and the elf girl ran, and the elf seemed to be singing. Nada could not distinguish notes very well in her serpent form, so judged by the girl's open mouth. Well, if that was doing it, good for her!

Che and the elf ran to the side, where Electra stepped out, calling something. They followed her into the forest.

Godiva stopped dancing. The goblins remained standing in place. Nada slithered after Che, and after a surprised moment Godiva wrapped her hair around her and followed.