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history of Xanth. Could it be by getting himself abducted and killed, and setting off the winged monsters in some sort of rampage?
    No, she couldn't accept such notions! She had to believe that Che would survive to grow into an adult flying centaur, and that in that state he would accomplish something undreamed of in the philosophies of those who presently ignored him. She had to see that he was cared for and educated in the ways that he needed, so that when the time for greatness came upon him he would be ready.
    And surely she would do that, for the Simurgh would have known, if Che were destined for an untimely end. Someone had kidnapped him—technically, kidnapping applied to little goats, but it remained the best word—but would not kill him, and they would rescue him and the prophecy of his greatness would be back on track. That was the way it had to be.
    Reassured for what she realized might not be a fully objective reason, Chex flew on her round, checking the search parties that were radiating from Castle Roogna. Grundy knew where all of them were, approximately, and when they weren't quite where he expected, the neighborhood plants were glad to give him reports.
    They came to a party consisting of two pretty young women: Nada and Electra. They were going to the Good Magician's castle to ask him where Che was. Chex was ashamed to admit that she hadn't thought of that obvious method. The Good Magician, traditionally, knew everything and told it for the price of a year's service. Of course the original Good Magician, Humfrey, wasn't there now, but his apprentice, Grey Murphy, was, and he was trying hard to fill the post. The Princess Ivy was there to Enhance him when he needed it, and that helped. Could he answer? Chex hoped so!
    She went on back north of the Gap, where Prince Dolph was checking the Elements. The Elements were five special regions in north central Xanth: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and the Void. Each was dangerous in its own way, as Chex knew well from her nearness to Air, but Dolph could assume any living form. That meant he could become a creature that could handle any Element he entered, so that he could explore it safely. She didn't see him, which was probably good; it meant he was in some other form, deep in an Element, and if Che had been taken there, Dolph would find him and probably rescue him.
    She had completed the circuit. All the search parties were busy, but none had found Che. She would have to stop at her cabin and rest and eat, before going out on another circuit. She would keep doing this until she had risen to this horrible challenge: that of finding and rescuing her foal.
    As she came down, she saw something in the clearing. Was it Che? Her heart leaped, which caused her body to rise and almost made her overshoot her landing. But it was not. It was only a little elf girl. Her heart sank, which caused her to drop and almost undershoot her landing. She came down solidly on all fours and folded her wings. Then she approached the elf, who was staring at her as if astonished.
    “Who are you?” she inquired. “What are you doing so far from your elm?”
    The elf scuffled her feet. She was young, a child really, yet was unusually large for the elves Chex had seen. A normal elf stood a quarter the height of a normal human being, while this one was half human height. She had a turned-up nose, a few freckles spattered across her cheeks, and ragged brown hair that couldn't quite make up its mind between chestnut and butter. Her eyes were brown, and seemed nearsighted. That reminded Chex of Arnolde Centaur and Good Magician Humfrey, who used spectacles to correct their vision—which was even odder, because she'd never met either of them. “My cat—” the elf child said.
    “But elves don't have cats,” Chex protested. “In fact, nobody does; there are no straight cats in Xanth, only punnish variants like the cat-o'-nine-tails.”
    “Xanth?” the girl asked, seeming perplexed.
    Chex was