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strength is directly proportional to his ugliness," he added.
    "And to his taste for violence," she agreed.
    "Well, of course. A good ogre can make a medium dragon turn tail just by smiling at it."
    "A good ogre would do the same for me!"
    "While a good ogress can sour milk by looking at it."
    "And turn it to petrified cheese by breathing on it," she concluded. "Enough of ogres, let's see if we can reach the Good Magician's castle before nightfall."
    They resumed their trek The path wound onward, finding its way into craggy country that hinted of the great Gap Chasm to come "This isn't promising," Chex muttered
    Esk didn't comment, because he agreed. Since this was the fourth direction they were exploring, one way or another, and there were no more, it had to be the one
    There was a sound ahead "Not yet another dragon!" Chex exclaimed impatiently "Those little monsters are positively swarming!"
    "It's not growling," Esk pointed out
    "True But it's not walking like a man or a centaur "
    They stopped, waiting for whatever it was to come into view In a moment it did so, surprising them both
    It was a creature larger in mass than Esk, but smaller than Chex. It had a lemon-shaped gray body, a small snout m front, and tiny feet.
    "Why, that's a huge mole," Esk said.
    But Chex's mouth was striving to fall open. "I thought they were extinct'" she said
    "Oh, no, there are many moles underground," Esk assured her. "I've seen them—"
    "That's no mole1" she said impatiently   "That's a vole!"
    "A what1*"
    But now the creature had spied them It lifted its head, showing tiny eyes just beneath its fur The eyes were brown. "Eh1*" it inquired
    "Where are you from''" Chex asked the creature. She did not seem to be afraid, so Esk judged it to be harmless.
    "Eh7 A ventaur," it said
    "That's centaur," Chex said pnmiy "I am Chex Centaur Who are you7"
    It peered more closely at her. "I am Volney Vole Pleav allow me to paw "
    "Don't you know you're supposed to be extinct?" she asked.
    "Volev don't vttnk," it retorted indignantly
    "It has trouble with esses," Esk said, catching on
    The snout turned toward him "And who are you, vir?"
    "I am Esk "
    "Hello, Evk Pleav allow me to paw "
    "We aren't trying to prevent you," Chex said. "Just to learn about you"
    "I have important buvinew with the Good Magivmn. Pleav let me paw"
    "But we're looking for the Good Magician too!" Esk exclaimed. "We thought he was up this path!"
    "Not thiv path," the creature assured him "Only the Gap Chavm."
    "But then the Good Magician is nowhere!" Chex said despairingly. "We have looked along all the other paths!"
    The vole studied them. "Brown and gray," it remarked. "Good colorv "
    'That's right, we all match!" Chex said. "Only you're brown in the eyes, not the fur "
    "Thiv iv my vurfave vuit."
    Chex paused, translating it. "This is your surface suit?"
    "That'v what I vaid, Chekv. I reverve it below." And the vole performed a sudden convolution, becoming brown. The most surprising thing was that its eyes turned gray. Now the three of them aligned as perfectly as they were able
    "Volney, I think we should have a talk," Chex said. "I think we are all in trouble, because we can't find the Good Magician."
    "But I muvt find the Magivian!" the vole said, sounding desperate. "It iv movt important!"
    "It's important to us too," Chex said. "I think we'll find him faster if we compare notes and make common cause."
    Volney considered. "Common cauve," he agreed. Then he convoluted again, changing back to his surface outfit, eyes and all.
    "You see, Esk came looking for the Good Magician from the east," Chex said. "I came looking from the west. We both followed a path to the south, but it wasn't there, so now we were trying the north path—"
    "And I came from the north," the vole finished. "It iv not there."
    "So we seem to have a problem," she concluded. "We all need to see the Good Magician, but none of us can find him. Have you any notion how we should proceed?"
    "What did you find