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she seem truly foolish.
    At least Gloha could check with the ogre. Then maybe she could find Lacuna and ask her. Someone, somewhere, was bound to know. “What's the name of this ogre?”
    “Smash. He's Esk's father, I believe.”
    “Oh, Esk! I know of him. Esk Ogre. He married Bria Brassie, and they have three children.”
    “They do? I knew only of one.”
    “The stork brought them two more, I think. Twins.”
    “How curious. There seems to have been a rash of twins recently. Maybe the storks are up to something.”
    “Maybe it's a conspiracy,” Gloha said, smiling. “An Adult Conspiracy.”
    “That must be it,” her aunt agreed.
    Before she left, Gloha went to see her cousin-once-removed Gwenny, who at sixteen was more like a straight cousin. She was the chiefess of Goblin Mountain, but perhaps would have half a moment to spare.
    Gwenny was at a meeting, negotiating a treaty with the naga folk, but her Companion Che Centaur came out to see Gloha. He was a winged monster too, and they were friends. They hugged each other. He was only eight years old, but already he was substantially larger than Gloha, because he was of a larger species. He was also more intelligent, because that was the nature of centaurs.
    “I’ll tell Gwenny you were here,“ he said. ”I know she would want to see you, but this treaty is so important that she just can't break away. The goblins and naga have long been enemies, and now they will be friends, or at least allies. The details are critical. Prince Naldo Naga is attending, though he'd rather be playing water games with his buxom wife Mela Merwoman, so you can appreciate how important it is."
    “Yes, of course.” There it was again: married folk having fun. Mela had a daughter two years older than Gloha, yet Mela had no trouble finding her man. “But it's nice to see you, too.”
    “I understand you are looking for the Good Magician's second son.”
    “Yes. But I don't know who he is. Do you know?”
    “No, but I'm sure the Muse of History would know.”
    “I don't want to struggle with Mount Parnassus to see her! Aunt Goldy thinks Smash Ogre may know something.”
    Che cocked his head. “That is possible. At worst, he won't know anything, and then you can ask the Muse.”
    Gloha thanked him and went her way. Each person had a different idea whom she should ask. Maybe one of those people really would know. Yet once she found the second son, she would still be at the mere beginning of her quest, because the Good Magician hadn't said that his second son had the Answer. Who knew what convolutions remained? She really wasn't very pleased with Humfrey's offhand dismissal of her Question. Who cared about all the other folk whose Good Magician Answers had turned out, in retrospect, to be good? She didn't even have his Answer, just a stupid referral.
    She emerged from the mountain and took off before the goblin guard could make any more smart-faced remarks. But she couldn't stop him from getting another peek under her skirt before she got out of range. She really did have to change her outfit, the moment she got home. But first she would see the ogre, because his home in the jungle was closer than the harpy hutch.
    She flew south, crossing the Gap Chasm again. She saw a dark cloud, and quickly flew lower before it could see her, in case it should be Fracto. Then she spied the ogre's twisted-ironwood-tree house and descended.
    A really ancient woman of fifty or so met her at the door. This was Tandy, the ogre's wife.
    “No, Smash is out searching for stones from which to squeeze juice for stone soup,” Tandy reported. “He's half ogre, you know, and every so often he likes to exercise his ogre nature. You may have noticed how all small dragons have vacated the area for now. But perhaps I can help you with your concern.”
    “I'm looking for the Good Magician's second son. Do you know who that is?”
    "No, but I know someone who might be able to point him out. That's my father