She was absolutely correct. But Chex knew that Che, young as he was, was highly discriminating about friendship. He would not have been her friend without good reason. That was the best recommendation Jenny Elf could have had, though she did not know it.

"Yet you gave him up to Gwendolyn Goblin."

"Oh, I didn't do that!" Jenny protested. "I'll always be his friend! But she—she really does need him for her companion, and she's nice too, and—"

And Jenny was crying. She could have had Che to herself, as it were, but had done what she felt was right, knowing that there would be a smaller place for her in his life because of it. She also surely hurt to think of him remaining tied to the depths of Goblin Mountain. But since he could leave it, in the company of the goblin girl, that was the lesser concern.

That explained why Che had asked Jenny to make the decision. He had known that she would be making as much of a sacrifice as he. Gwendolyn's gain was Jenny's loss. Che had not felt right about deciding that for Jenny. So Jenny had decided it for Jenny. Now she was on the way to being bereft of her only real friend in Xanth.

Chex was not satisfied with that, but in the complex situation they faced, she had no ready solution.

She looked down and spied the land dragons, now significantly closer to the mountain. They were big ones, without even vestigial wings, which meant they were in no way bound to see to Che's safety. The smaller winged dragons would not be able to oppose them. Once the land dragons arrived, they would guard the mountain, and only the rocs would be able to attack. That would not be enough. Cheiron was right: whatever he did had to be done promptly. He surely had a stratagem to bring the mountain down faster than the goblins thought it could be done, and force their capitulation before the following morning. But there was so much danger to Che in that violence!

"Here is the problem," Chex said after a bit. "Cheiron simply is not going to allow our foal to be held in this manner. If Che has a commitment to the goblins, Cheiron is prepared to void it by eliminating the goblins."

"But that's worse than ever!" Jenny protested. "They aren't such bad folk, really, not like the horde, and Gwenny truly is nice. And so is Godiva, when you get to know her. And this way the goblins will get better. It's not just Gwenny, it's that it's right to do."

"I think perhaps it is," Chex said. "But Cheiron is right too. Do you see any way out of this impasse?"

"I just wish they could all be friends and not fight any more," Jenny said tearfully.