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giggled, and Gloha joined her. If there was one person who wasn't intimidated by the Good Magician, it was the Gorgon, and not merely because she was his wife.
    They finished the cookies and milk. Then Wira opened a window, and Gloha bid her adieu, spread her wings, and took off. “Do visit again sometime,” Wira called after her. “There won't be any challenges if you don't come with a Question.”
    “Maybe I will,” Gloha called back. It had been nice visiting with a young woman her own age.
    Then she mounted up, up into the sky, flying for home. It was good to be airborne again!
    But in a moment she suffered a change of mind. That was one of the privileges of being feminine. She had been for a while at the happy hive; it was time to visit her goblin relatives, which included her mother Glory Goblin. So she changed course and headed for the Gap Chasm where the Gap Goblins lived.
    Soon she was there. That was just as well, because the day was getting tired and the sun seemed hardly able to keep itself in the sky; any moment it would singe the trees to the west and dunk itself in the ocean and go out, leaving Xanth in darkness. She glided over the gloomy deep chasm and down to the village perched at its brink. The goblins didn't worry about falling into the chasm; if one did, well, there were plenty more goblins who didn't. In a moment she was hugging her mother, who was still one of the prettiest of goblin women despite being an ancient thirty-seven years old.
    Then Gloha explained about how she had gone to see the Good Magician Humfrey, and failed to get a good Answer to her Question. “But the Good Magician always knows what he's doing,” Glory said. “I remember when your Aunt Goldy met the ogre who was doing his Service for his Answer. That was a funny thing-the ogre was so stupid that he had forgotten the Question by the time he reached the castle, but he did the Service anyway. His Service was to protect the half nymph Tandy, and by the time he was done with that, he married her and was happy, and that was his Answer. And along the way Goldy got her magic wand and found a husband of her own, all because of her association with the ogre.”
    “And she was the mother of Cousin Godiva Goblin,” Gloha agreed, having heard the story before. “And grandmother of Gwenny Goblin, who's only three years younger than me, and has already had adventures galore and become the first lady goblin chief, and I'm not even married yet!” she finished in a wail.
    “Well, you're special, dear,” her mother reminded her.
    “The only one of my land! How can I ever find a suitable man?”
    “Maybe Humfrey's second son will know.”
    “And maybe he won't! And maybe it will take five more months to find out who the second son is. And I'll be pushing t-twenty!” For now she was suffering a delicate little doubt about the efficacy of extending youth by hiding birthdays. Suppose it didn't work? She'd be sadly stuck.
    Glory saw how serious the matter was. “Maybe your Aunt Goldy will have, a notion. Why don't you go ask her?”
    “Thanks. I will.” Gloha spread her wings.
    “I didn't mean right this instant! Don't you want to stay and see your Grandfather Gorbage?”
    “Not if I can avoid it.”
    Glory nodded understandingly. Goblin men just weren't the most pleasant folk. However, she had a more persuasive point. “Are you sure you want to fly in the night? When the other winged monsters might not recognize you?”
    Gloha folded her wings. “Maybe I will visit with you tonight,” she decided. “It's the family way.”
    “How nice of you, dear.” Mothers had a special talent for getting their way.
    But in the morning, before her grandfather could show up, Gloha gobbled her breakfast and bid her mother a modestly tearful parting. There were forms to be followed, after all.
    Gloha took off and flew north toward Goblin Mountain where her Aunt Goldy lived. It was nice to have an excuse to visit there, now that her