Free Isle Of View by Piers Anthony

nicely.” She went to a cupboard and brought out a small branch with round green leaves and little black berries. She picked several berries and handed them to Electra. "You activate them electrically; that will be easy for you. Just hold one and run a charge through it and throw it up, and it will sparkle enough to alert anyone in the area, especially at night.''
    “Thank you,” Electra said. “We'll set one off when we find Che, if we need help in getting him away from the goblins.”
    Ivy led them to the cellar. Grey was there, standing before a huge hypnogourd. “This doesn't take just your mind, it takes your body,” he said. “I have nulled its magic for safekeeping, but I'll free it long enough for you to enter. Hold hands as you step in, so you don't get separated. You must follow the right path or you will get lost. Since you are going to the With-a-Cookee River outlet, watch for a cookie or a symbol of one. That will show you the correct path, when there is any choice of paths. You will arrive in just a few minutes, if you keep moving. Don't tell anyone about the gourd; we prefer to keep this system private.”
    Electra was impressed. “I should think so! You must be able to get anywhere in Xanth in a hurry!”
    “Pretty much,” Grey agreed. “Wherever we have big gourds placed, anyway. Now, are you ready?”
    Electra and Nada nodded.
    “Don't be surprised by anything you see in the gourd,” Ivy said. “Remember, it's the realm of dreams. Just stay on the cookie path, and you'll have no problem. Don't let any of the dreams tempt you away from that path.”
    “We, won't,” Electra promised.
    Then Grey released the magic. The gourd seemed to glow faintly. The two girls stepped into the peephole.

Xanth 13 - Isle of View
    Chapter 4: Dolph's Dilemma.
    Dolph pondered briefly as he approached the Element of Air. What form would be best for this? He was in young man form at the moment, having used it to take a stick and poke a suitable hole in the flypaper surrounding the kingdom of the flies, but he doubted that would do for Air. He knew there would be air currents of all kinds here, including fierce storms. He could become a squat turtle and let it all blow safely over him, but it would take him forever to explore it. He needed to check it quickly, because if Che Centaur were here, he could be in serious trouble, and time would be of the essence. But if Dolph assumed a flying form, he could get blown everywhere else but wherever Che was, and that was no good either.
    He came to the border. On one side were green plants and manure and rotting things, suitable for the delight of flies; on the other was a turmoil of wind.
    He decided that a flying form was best, but not one that could be blown about. So he assumed the form of a ghost. He wasn't a true ghost, of course, because he wasn't dead; he just looked like one and acted like one, and the wind couldn't touch him because he wasn't solid enough.
    He floated through the border. The wind tried to take him and hurl him about, but it couldn't get a grip on him. It howled with exasperation.
    This might once have been a nice region, but the wind had scoured the soil from the land and the clouds from the sky. Probably it had also blown away the stars of the night. But he wasn't here to appreciate the view; he had to find Che, if he were here, and to be sure he was somewhere else if he weren't here.
    He floated around just inside the border, picking up speed. He would spiral in toward the center of Air, looking at everything; he didn't dare miss one spot, lest that be the one where a poor injured foal lay waiting for rescue. Actually, since Che had been foal-napped, he probably wasn't alone, but captive of some other creature. Still, that creature or creatures could be holding him here, so it was best to look for a house or shelter too, and inspect any he spied.
    This was a dull region, once he allowed for the violence of the wind. There was no vegetation at all,