The roc touched ground, bounced, and slid along the hard surface, its claws sending up sparks as they braked against rocks. A small brush fire started, but a steamer dragon was ready to douse it with several well-aimed bursts. The roc finally came to a stop and hopped off the landing strip. It held a small beerbarrel tree trunk in its beak: evidently this bird was on the beverage committee.

"Go ahead," Chex said, touching Dolph and Gloha with two flicks of her tail. Immediately both Dolph and the goblin girl became light. Dolph trotted onto the field, spread his wings, and jumped into the air. He was airborne, not as neatly as the real winged centaurs managed it, but well enough. He flew up to join Cheiron, who was circling overhead.

In a moment Chex was coming up behind him. When the three were at a suitable elevation, they spread out and flew south, watching the ground.

"I think it's true," Gloha said. "We really did see Prince Naldo and Bud Elf down there, and they told us about the covenant."

"But that won't make Cheiron give up his foal," Dolph said. "More likely, he will launch a desperation attack to get Che back before any more goblin allies come."

"But with the naga there—"

Dolph sighed. "I guess that makes it my problem. I mean, it already was, but now even more so. We can't start killing naga! Especially not Nada's brother!"

"Or elves," she said.

Dolph remembered Jenny Elf. "I don't think that's the same. Jenny's not the same kind of elf."

"But humans have never warred with elves!"

Oh. "Yes, not that I know of. They keep mostly to their elms, and once our kind learned to leave the elms alone, that was that. About four hundred years ago Jordan the Barbarian made a deal with Bluebell Elf—I don't know exactly what it was, but the stork brought her a crossbreed baby, and Rapunzel is their distant descendent. So I guess humans and elves can get along when they try. Certainly we don't want trouble with them. But if we support Cheiron, and the goblins won't let Che go—"

"I'm not sure Che wants to go," Gloha said.

"Well, as Cheiron said, if there is duress—"

"I'm not sure there is. For one thing—well, how well do you know Jenny Elf?"

"Not that well, really. But she seems all right, and Che really seems to like her. She didn't have to go with him into Goblin Mountain, but she did."

"So if it's a hard decision for him to make, because maybe there's a threat or something," she said carefully, "what about Jenny? Would it be hard for her too? I mean, if she doesn't have to stay there?"