The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (56 page)

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then." He took two paces to the left. "Here we are. Good day, now!"

"No," Erec said. "We need to go to Alypium. If you can take us to Al's Well we'd really appreciate it."

"Oh, all right, then." The man huffed a bit, then swam out before them.

Erec and Bethany followed him easily back in the direction they had come from. In fact, Erec recognized enough to see that they were indeed retracing their footsteps, which was a good sign.

"Thanks for helping me with the spelling test!" Bethany laughed. "How did you know that's what he meant?"

"Zoey used to do that to me all the time: 'Spell it.' Thanks for helping me with the math part."

"Easier for me than spelling 'it.' Kind of funny."

After a sharp bend, the water had a strange feeling, like it was both hot and cold at the same time. It was uncomfortable, like it was awakening all of the nerves in Erec's body. Soon, it was both burning and freezing.

He recognized the feeling immediately. These were the waters of the Fates. He must be very close to Al's Well.

The man swam a little farther and pointed up to a small hole where sunlight streamed in. "Now I will go back to my village," he said. "They are all awaiting my return anxiously." He held a hand out, as if waiting for a tip.

Erec had no money on him. "Um, thank you."

The man did not budge. Bethany shot Erec a look and shrugged.

The man cleared his throat and jabbed his hand toward Bethany.

"Um, we don't have any money," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Then you will have to give me a tip of another kind."

"Okay," she said. "Think positive thoughts. How's that?"

The man was very satisfied. "Thank you, kind sir. Now I must return."

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"What an oddball," Erec said. "Well, at least he led us to the right place." He swam up to the hole, right under the inside of the toilet seat where Al's Well was. A bit of sunny sky with white fluffy clouds was visible. Erec searched all over, but did not see a paper with his quest on it.

A shadow appeared in the sunlight above him. He looked up to see Al's face peering down at him. "Oh, hey dere, Erec! Heard a little rumbling down here, and I thought something was up. Good ta see ya. I was wondering when you'd come back."

"Hi, Al! I'm just looking for my next quest down here." He wondered how odd he looked, inside a toilet.

Al cupped a hand behind his ear. "Are you talking? Cuz I can't hear ya in there."

Erec stuck his head into the air of the toilet bowl, coughing as he caught his breath. Well, he thought. This wasn't a view he had every day. "I'm here to get my sixth quest. Couldn't think of another safe way to get here."

Al was dressed, as usual, in overalls with a tool belt. He hesitated, looking pained. "Erec--could ya do something for me, pal? Go back down dere, seeing as you're a good swimmer an' all, and see if you can get over dat way." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder toward the Labor Society. "Dere's a bathroom inside where Janus is, so maybe you can find a pipe leading inside. If you can get over dere and sign dat pad of his, dat would make it all official, you know? Seems like the girls like it dat way."

"I'll try." Erec groaned, but he knew Al was right. "See you soon, I hope."

"Good." Al nodded.

Erec plunged back into the water and his gills popped open again. "I guess I have to find Janus. Let's be careful to remember our way back here." The two of them swam slowly, paying attention to

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the details of the water tunnels. A few wide pipes led straight up into the Labor Society building. "You better wait here, okay, Bethany? I'll be back in a minute."

Erec felt nervous swimming into the building's water pipes. Most were too narrow to enter, but the main section was wide enough. He remembered the way he had come in, and looked all around for what might lead to sinks.

Straight above him was a row of openings where light shone in. He hoped he had swum far enough in. Maybe this was Janus's shop. Erec swam straight up into a circular hole and looked up.

A rim ran around the gap, like in Al's Well. And something was moving up there. Was it Janus?

A woman was bustling around, doing something with her clothing. She glanced down and saw Erec's face. She screamed, loud and long. After a few repeated screeches, she stumbled away. "Someone's spying in the toilets! A man is in here!"

Erec disappeared in a flash. Oops! Luckily he hadn't gotten there a few minutes later. That would have been awkward--and disgusting. That thought made him worry about the kind of water he was swimming around in.

He passed a few more rows of openings, this time staying far away, looking for a smaller bathroom. Janus's shop should be at the farthest end of the building. So he kept going until the pipes stopped.

Right above him, tiny bars of light shone through a drain. He hoped he was in the right place. "Janus!" he called out. "Can you hear me? Janus!"

Eventually he heard Janus's voice. "Is somebody here? Anybody? Old Janus is hearing things, I think. Too much time alone has finally caught up with me." Janus began sobbing so loud that Erec was afraid he wouldn't hear anything.

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"Janus! Over here--I'm in the sink."

Janus scuffled closer, and Erec could see his shadow falling over the drain holes. "I'm hearing voices in the sink now. My, oh my. What's become of me?"

"You're not hearing things! I'm in the counter under the sink, looking through the drain. It's me, Erec Rex!"

Janus bent over and peered into the drain, then pulled out a screwdriver and yanked it off to reveal Erec's eye looking through. "It
is
you. Oh, how lovely to have company." Then he looked around suspiciously. "You're not supposed to be here," he whispered. "They want me to call and report you if I see you, you know."

"Please don't let anyone know! I just need to sign your pad, so I can get my quest. Okay?"

Janus's face cleared. "Of course I'll let you. The Shadow Prince says he's my new boss, but I've been here hundreds of years. My only bosses are the three girls, you know. That never changes. And I heard your next quest is ready. I'll be back with that pad." He shuffled away and returned with the paper pad and a quill pen. "How are we going to do this?"

Erec reached two fingers through the hole into the air. "Just put the pen in my hand, and hold the paper for me, okay?" Something was pushed between his fingers, and he grasped it tightly. "Is the paper there?"

Janus pushed the paper pad toward Erec's fingers, holding it steady. "There you go. Sign this."

Erec could feel a firm surface against the pen's tip, so he signed his name. He was sure it was the sloppiest signature he had ever made. "Did that work?"

Janus pulled the pad back, and Erec saw the paper splitting where the ink marked on it, light streaming through.

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"You're fine," Janus whispered. "Best of luck, Erec Rex." He took back the pen.

"Thanks, Janus."

Erec swam back the way he'd come in, and shimmied down the pipe to find Bethany waiting under the building. They swam back, the water getting hotter and colder as they went.

Al was waiting by the well, peering inside when Erec returned. Erec searched around in the water. It had to be here somewhere. He closed his eyes and felt . . . something warm in his hand. Thick paper. This had to be his next quest.

He waved the paper at Al, who winked at him and pulled the toilet handle--

--and Erec and Bethany were flushed, spinning fast through the water tunnels, whirling as the water became normal again. Then, splash! They burst through a hole into the pool in King Piter's gardens.

Coughing and sputtering, the two ran inside and found towels to dry off. "We got it!" Erec waved the paper over his head.

"That was quite a swim." Bethany grinned, drying off her hair.

Erec collapsed onto a couch, not caring if he made it wet. Something was bothering him, but he could not put a finger on it. They were back, and okay. They had accomplished their goal. . . .

Oh, yes. The thing in his hand. He would have to look at it, he supposed. But he really didn't want to. His father had warned him to stay far away. What would it tell him to do? Something awful? Deadly?

He shouldn't think that way. The odds were just as good that it would have something simple on it. Maybe he just had to stop Rosco from finding something, or help Balor Stain get himself together again. Little things sometimes had a big effect, he told himself. One thing led to another. Maybe just the smallest action could save the world from what Baskania was doing.

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"So, what does it say?" Bethany asked. "Have you read it yet?"

Erec looked at the paper and turned it around. He guessed now was as good a time as any.

He read the paper in his hand.

Give yourself to the three Furies.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Noble Revenge

O, WHAT DOES it say?" Bethany plopped beside Erec on the couch.

Hiding his shock, he held the paper to his chest. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Bethany put her hand out. "Come on. It says nothing at all? So this quest is a freebie, I guess? That's pretty lucky."

"Look, I don't want to talk about it." Erec did not want to even think about it. What this quest was telling him to do was crazy. His

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father had been right--as little as he wanted to admit that.

"Come
on
!" Bethany grabbed the paper and read it. "Give yourself to the three Furies. . . . Is this a joke? That's your quest--to basically kill yourself? Donate your soul so that the Furies can escape and destroy the world? Great." She dropped her head into her hand. "Why did the Fates bother giving you twelve quests if you won't be around to do the rest of them? Your amulet should just have six segments on it." She handed the paper back. "Well, I guess that's one to chuck off, huh?"

He was puzzled. "It doesn't even make sense, anyway. Why would the Fates want me to help the Furies escape?" A nagging thought crept into his mind. None of his quests had made sense right away. But, then again, none had asked him to do anything so insanely dangerous before.

Erec started to feel guilty. If he didn't give himself, how much worse would things get for the rest of the world? If only he could know in advance what all his options were . . . what would happen if he ignored his quest . . .

He couldn't think about it right now. "Tell you what. Let's have a Serving Tray special. I'm starving. What's your order, Bethany?"

"Mmm. I'll have to go with a veggie cheese omelet, a pancake on the side, French fries, and a chocolate milkshake."

"That covers all the food groups." He laughed, handing over her order. "I'll take a double cheeseburger with tomato and ketchup--those fries look good, I'll have more of those--an apple, cut up, and warm chocolate brownies." Food appeared, looking amazing. "Can you believe that crazy guy who was just standing there underwater? 'What . . . is my favorite food.' What a nut!"

She giggled. "At least he helped us out, though. We were so much farther away than I thought."

The food was delicious, as usual. Erec bit into a French fry, trying

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to forget the paper sticking out of his pocket. "What are we going to do? It doesn't seem safe to stay here. King Piter isn't going to be able to live here anymore. I guess until I'm king, Alypium won't have a ruler. Except for Balor, when he finishes his fake quests and takes over. Nobody will be here to oppose him, I guess."

That thought made him feel even more guilty. If he didn't do this quest, would he still become king? He didn't think so. That meant he really would be handing Alypium over to Balor Stain.

Bethany looked at him funny. "You know, it's not up to your father anymore."

"What's not?"

"This whole thing." She waved around the room. "Taking care of Alypium. Deciding what to do with the scepter, the quests. They're all your decisions now, Erec."

Although it was hard to grasp, he knew it was true. The scepter was undoubtedly his now, as were the quests. If he wanted to defend Alypium from a future of Balor Stain and Baskania, nobody was stopping him--but himself. "So, do you think I should hand myself over to the three Furies, then? Would that really help anything--me dying that way?"

She shrugged. "You're right. This is a crazy situation."

A thought occurred to Erec. If he did give himself up to the Furies and died, maybe his sacrifice would protect everyone else. He had two other lost triplet siblings out there. Maybe they would be found and they could finish the remaining six quests. They would become the next rulers. He slowly raised his eyes to Bethany's, wondering if she was thinking the same thing.

She must have been, because she said, "You can't just die. There has to be another way. The Fates aren't perfect, are they?"

If she really had wanted to protect him from the Furies, that was the worst thing she could have said. As far as he was concerned, the