Roc And A Hard Place by Piers Anthony Read Free Book Online Page B

bird, quite loyal to her mission.  In fact, she was doing a service for the Simurgh herself, in the Nameless Castle—where the trial would be.  Was this the way the Simurgh rewarded her?
    That didn't seem to make sense.
    Well, there was one fast way to find out.  She would serve Roxanne's summons first, and ask her.  Then she would go after the other important participants in the trial, and finally the Jurors, who were the biggest category and would probably be a nuisance to run down.  Her schedule was coming clear.
    She put the tokens back in the bag, and formed a knapsack to hold the bag.  Then she popped over to the Nameless Castle.
    This was a quaint medieval edifice begirt with towers, parapets, turrets, battlements, embrasures, moat, glacis, pennants, and all the standard accouterments.  There were only one or two things different about it:  It was made of solidified vapor and it floated high in the air.  In fact, it was built on a cloud, which seemed like an island in the sky.  From the ground it looked just like an ordinary cumulus.  For some reason, few folk knew of it.
    She walked up to the main entrance and knocked on the door, because it wouldn't be polite to enter unannounced, and besides, there was a spell that prevented unauthorized demon entry.  In a moment there was a loud questioning squawk from the interior.  “I'm the Demoness Metria,” she answered.  “Here on business.”
    The door creaked open, and she walked in.  The interior hall was elegant in the usual manner, with finely set cloud stones for the floor, and carpets hung on the cloud walls.
    Though the Nameless Castle was made of vapor, it was surprisingly strong, and could withstand all the things a castle was expected to withstand.  Enchanted cloudstuff was light, not weak.
    She came to the vast central chamber.  There was an enormous nest of marbled granite, and on the nest sat Roxanne Roc, a bird so big she could swallow a normal human person without chewing.  Just about the Simurgh's size, in fact, but not as authoritative or beautiful in plumage.  Roxanne was mostly shades of brown.  She had been assigned by the Simurgh several centuries ago to hatch a special stone egg, and was still at it.
    Metria floated in.  “Roxanne, I have a summons for you,” she said.  “But I’d like to know—”
    The big bird opened her beak.  “Squawk!”
    Oops.  She couldn't understand roc-speak.  She could give the big bird the token, but that wouldn't satisfy her; she wanted to know what this trial was all about.  How could she talk with the roc?
    The question brought the answer:  Grundy Golem.  His name was on a token, as Translator.  So she should summon him, and use him to translate for the roc.
    “Be right back,” she said, and popped off to the Golem residence.
    Grundy Golem, Rapunzel, and their seven-year-old daughter Surprise lived in a tree house, actually a cottage industree.
    They were a small family, because Grundy could be picked up in one ordinary human hand, and Rapunzel could assume any size she wished, so preferred to match him.  Surprise did too, for now.  So Metria matched their scale, so as to fit in their residence.
    “Why, D. Metria!” Rapunzel exclaimed, spying her, exactly as if glad to see her.  The truth was that just about nobody was glad to see a demoness, but Rapunzel was beautiful in body and spirit, an ideal complement to the mouthy golem.  Her distinguishing trait, apart from her niceness, was her infinitely long hair, which assumed various colors as it coursed down across her body toward the floor.  “To what to we owe the pleasure of this visit?”
    Rapunzel had succeeded in doing what was almost impossible:  She made Metria feel guilty.  So she hedged.  “Um, could I talk to Grundy?”
    “Of course.” Rapunzel lifted her long hair out of the way and called, “Dear!  There's someone here to see you.”
    Grundy walked into the room.  He was a fully living creature, but still