Free Roc And A Hard Place by Piers Anthony Page B

 “Ida—there's a big bug about to land on you!”
    Ida smiled.  “That's not a bug.  It's my moon.”
    “Your what?”
    “Planet, globe, orb, heavenly body, orbiting fragment—”
    “But what are you doing with a little moon?”
    “It just came to me, and it was so cute, I couldn't tell it to go away.  It's really no harm.”
    Apparently not.  It was just a tiny blob that slowly swung around her head.  “It does look sort of sweet,” Metria admitted.  “Will it grow up to be a big planet someday?”
    “I hope so.” Ida smiled.  “What can I do for you?”
    “You can accept this summons to participate in the trial of Roxanne Roc.”
    “Why, of course,” Ida agreed, accepting the token.  She was a very agreeable person.  “And I see I am to defend her. I shall surely do my best.”
    This was almost too easy.  “You're not worried because you don't know what you're defending her from?”
    “I'm sure I will soon find out.”
    Metria decided not to argue.  She had too many tokens still to serve to waste time.  “And you can find the Nameless Castle?”
    “I'm sure I will.”
    And if she believed it, she probably would, because Ida's talent was the Idea:  Whatever she believed would be, would be.  Except that the Idea had to come from someone who didn't know her talent.  That limited it considerably.
    But it was clear that Princess Ida did not yet know what this trial was all about.  Metria's main vice had always been her curiosity, and now it was becoming almost painful.  Why should there be such an enormous effort because of one big bird who seemed never to have done anyone any harm?  The mystery intensified with every step Metria took.

Xanth 19 - Roc and a Hard Place
    Chapter 4:  THRENODY.
    Metria returned home to stoke Veleno up for a few more hours, then assessed the remaining tokens.
    Most of the names seemed straightforward, and she thought there shouldn't be any problem locating them.  But one name she dreaded, because that person was bound to be uncooperative.  What would happen if she managed to serve every summons but one?  Would the trial be delayed, and would Metria then fail in her service and be denied what she most desired?  That would perhaps be fitting, but she sincerely did not want it to happen.
    If she was going to fail, this was the name that would fail her.  So the sensible thing to do was to tackle it next.  Then if it went wrong, she wouldn't have to bother with the other names.  Unless she got a release from the Simurgh.  This was, after all, just one of the Jurors, and there were more than a dozen of them; some would be eliminated at the trial itself.
    But she rather thought that she had better get all the names, if she possibly could.
    So she lifted the token for Threnody, the half demoness wife of Jordan the Barbarian.  It tugged, and she floated where it led.
    Deep in the jungle near the slowly diminishing Region of Madness, she caught up to Jordan and Threnody.  They were eating a freshly picked pot pie.  It was, of course, shaped like a pot, and was rich in iron.
    Metria turned invisible and floated quietly up to them, knowing that a certain amount of discretion was in order.
    But it didn't work.  Threnody lifted her nose and started sniffing.  She was a lovely black-haired black-eyed dusky sultry beauty of comely aspect and statuesque proportion; in fact, she looked good, considering her age.
    “Fee fi fo fum,” the luscious damsel said darkly.  “I smell the bod of someone's mum.” She glared.
    'You never could fool her, you know,' Mentia remarked for no particular reason.
    Metria sighed and turned visible.  “I really wish you would let bygones be bygones, Thren.”
    “Corpulent chance.  Met!  Go away.”
    “You know I've changed recently.”
    “Well, change into nonexistence, Demoness.”
    Jordan Barbarian continued eating, seemingly not interested in the dialogue.  He was a rough-hewn primitively handsome man of middling age