"Snooped on my what?"

"Your circle, loop, omission—"

"You mean those three dots?"

"Right. Your ellipsis. But here's something that should really delight you, Dolph. You know that potion she drank?"

"Yes. I didn't want her to—"

"It didn't work. At least not the way she thought it would."

"But the Good Magician's potions are guaranteed!"

"Oh, it abolished the love spell on her," Metria said. "But that's immaterial."

"Why?"

"Because her magic love faded out years ago. It was replaced by natural love. So the potion had no effect. She still loves you, dope."

"But why didn't she tell me that?"

"I presume because she wants you to be happy and doesn't want to spoil it for you. It's a kind of generosity no demon would indulge in, but human beings aren't up to our standard."

"That's great!" he exclaimed.

"I thought we demons were callous. You have real potential, Prince."

Dolph ignored her, for he spied Naldo and Nada slithering toward the pavilion from the beach. With them was another person, a human woman of middle age, in a full-length white robe. Her dark hair was neatly pinned back, and her nose was straight. He had never seen her before.

"Prince Dolph," Naldo said. "Please meet Clio, the Muse of History, who has come to record the details of this unusual event."

The Muse of History! "But the Muses stay on Mount Parnassus!" Dolph said.

"Normally we do, Prince Dolph," Clio said. "But this is an extraordinary situation, so I came to make sure I had it right." She entered the pavilion and took one of the empty seats, writing busily on her notepad.

"Uh, sure," Dolph said, disgruntled. He hadn't realized that this would be an occasion warranting recording in a history tome! The Muse had not attended the wedding yesterday, after all. How could this be more important than that?

"I suppose we had better get on with this," Naldo said. "Most of the others have chosen not to attend, but the centaur family will be here, and my father, King Nabob, to handle the formalities." He and Nada went to the changing rooms, where they evidently had sets of clothes stored. Soon they emerged in human form. Naldo glanced back the way they had come. "Ah, yes, there they are now."

Dolph looked. In the sky were two centaurs flying side by side, somehow supporting a third between them. As they came in for their landing in the sand he saw how they did it: a girl riding each big one was holding a hand of the little one, Che. They sent up a waft of sand as they touched; then the centaurs folded their wings, the girls jumped off, and all five of them and a small orange cat came in. All of them were wearing big spectacles, apparently enjoying some family joke.

Dolph turned—and there behind him was King Nabob. "Do it," he said.