She saw, as she moved past the camp, that Nada was hugging Electra, being consoled. Gloha, the winged goblin girl, was standing beside Prince Dolph, looking forlorn. And Cheiron was directing the rocs and dragons in the renewed attack. It would be a savage one, Chex knew, because of the time limit: whatever was to be accomplished had to be done before the land dragons arrived. The irony was that Cheiron now understood why the goblins needed Che, and that they would not mistreat the foal, but could not retreat from his position. Cheiron was a male centaur: that said it all.

Then they were up above the trees and sailing into the sky. Chex did not want to watch the bombardment; she knew that little good would come of it, no matter how things turned out. Violence was the way of males, and it seldom benefited anyone, but they kept right on with it. She could not tell Cheiron no, but she could signal her distress by absenting herself from the proceedings.

"Oooo, this is fun!" Jenny Elf exclaimed. She definitely knew how to ride; her balance was excellent. The cat seemed to be having no trouble either; by the feel of him, he was asleep again.

"How is it that you know how to ride, Jenny, when there are no centaurs in your land?" Chex inquired.

"We're wolf riders," the girl explained. "We have wolf friends, and when we have to go somewhere fast, we ride them. I don't have a wolf friend yet, but I guess we all know how to ride, just naturally. This is like being on a wolf when it makes a huge leap."

"Those must be big wolves!"

"How big are wolves in Xanth?"

"Too small for you to ride! Actually, the straight wolves are in Mundania, but if they came here, they would be too small to ride. But your wolves—do they fly?"

"No. They just run fast, and protect us, and are our friends."

"Did that make it easy for you to be Che's friend?"

"Maybe it did," the girl said, surprised. "But mostly, Che just needed a friend."

Chex reviewed what Che and Jenny had been into: the deep jungle, the goblins of the horde, a long trek around the Elements, and captivity in Goblin Mountain. She shuddered to think how Che would have fared alone! "He needed a friend," she agreed. "And you have been a good one. But now it seems he has another friend."

"Oh, Gwenny's not exactly a friend. Well, she is, but that's not the point. He's her companion."

"And she needs a companion who can see for her."

Jenny didn't answer.