The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (8 page)

62

else was different about it too. A large face was filling it.

Jam saw Erec shielding his eyes while trying to get a glimpse. "Don't worry, young sir. This sun will not hurt your eyes like the one we are used to. It's just a light source, really."

As Erec relaxed, he realized that it was the face of King Pluto himself lighting the city. That struck him as funny, and he laughed.

"Shh." Jam looked around. "Don't let anyone see you do that. The laws are fairly loose here, but anyone who disrespects the king can be punished by death."

They climbed into the vestibule of the Port-O-Door. Could King Piter's brother have gotten this crazy from using his scepter so much? Or was it Baskania's influence on him that warped him more? "That sun is so close. Is that what is making the city so hot?"

"No, sir. The cities of Aorth are a mile and a half under the ground. The earth's core heat does it." They closed the vestibule, opened the other door, and appeared back in King Piter's house. It felt great to be under the dome of the controlled, perfect weather of Alypium after that roasting blast. Jam and Erec took off their UnderWear suits.

Jam went to pack some snacks for their quick trip. For a moment Erec worried that Mrs. Dumpling Smith might peek in on them, but then he remembered that she was only missing Danny and Sammy. She would only see the twins in Americorth North.

Soon Jam came back. "Are you ready to go meet the Fates, young sir?"

Light flashed outside, then flashed again. Erec looked out the window and saw a tall man taking pictures of the house and trying to spy inside. Slick strands of dark hair were badly combed over most of his bald head, and a monocle squeezed into one eye. He spotted Erec looking at him, and waved to him wildly, shouting, "Come out here right now, young man!"

63

Erec knew he had seen the man before, and he had a bad feeling about him. Going outside didn't seem like a good idea, but he raised the window a crack. "What do you want?"

The man snapped a photograph of Erec through the window. "You hoodlum. This house is under investigation. It will soon be deemed illegal under the new rules of the Green House administration. There was no building warrant made for it, and there are rules about houses being built on castle property."

"Castle property?" Erec was confused. "King Piter's castle is gone."

The man sneered. "A new castle is being built very soon, right where the old one was. So your presence here is against the law, which makes you a criminal as well."

A bad feeling crept over Erec. This house would not be safe for long. The Shadow Prince was pulling the strings of the government of Alypium, and they could cause a lot of trouble.

64

CHAPTER FIVE A Green House Investigation

NSIDE THE PORT-O-DOOR, Jam poked the picture of the Temple of Apollo on the map of Delphi. Erec remembered a safe spot to put the door, in a grove of trees just a little ways off the path. Delphi might be a mystical place, but it was still a part of Upper Earth. If someone saw a door appear, and people walk out of it, they would probably call the police.

The sun shone down on them from a vivid blue sky, but a cool breeze hit their faces. Erec was glad Jam had insisted they wear jackets.

65

It was in the low fifties, and after the furnaces of Aorth it felt even colder. They casually strolled away from the Port-O-Door onto the paths that wound up the hill. On top the Temple of Apollo had once stood in its full glory.

Jam stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's earlier here than in Alypium, young sir. Time change. Lucky it's not dark yet. And not too crowded today."

Erec nodded. A few people walked near them toward the ruins--gleaming white columns and parts of ancient stone walls that were scattered around the paths. Cliffs dropped in deep reds and browns from trails that wound through stately olive groves.

A hawk plummeted toward the ground in the distance, probably toward an unsuspecting field mouse. For a moment it made Erec nervous, like a warning to keep his eyes open. He reminded himself that he would soon be speaking directly to the three Fates. Could they tell him how to save Bethany?

There were so many other things that he wanted to find out from the Fates. Maybe he'd get more information from them now. The only other time he had spoken to them, they had seemed willing to tell him anything he wanted to know. But, then again, King Piter had said they could be vague, too. Maybe he could find out where his birth mother was now. He had met Queen Hesti once when he traveled into his past and knew she was supposed to still be alive. He was relieved to know who his father was now, but it would be so nice to find his mother, too.

He felt a pang of guilt. Was he wrong to want to find his birth mother? His adoptive mother, June, would always be his true mother. She had raised him. Would that make her feel pushed aside?

Maybe he'd ask June when he saw her. She probably would understand. June had worked as one of his mother's nursemaids. Maybe June would like to see her again too. And his two missing siblings--the other triplets.

66

Erec almost stopped in his tracks. He had forgotten for a moment. Now he was sure who those other missing triplets were. No doubt they were Danny and Sammy. He strained to remember the little girl and boy he had met that time he traveled into his past. The girl had looked so familiar. It must have been Sammy.

"Jam, do you think Danny and Sammy are my missing brother and sister?"

Jam smiled. "I've been wondering that myself, young sir. It would seem likely."

"And that's why Dumpling Smith is after them," Erec said. "Baskania must have found out about them, and he's sending people out to capture them."

Jam thought a moment. "But, young sir, in that case, why are they not after you, as well?"

"I don't know. Maybe he has other plans for me." Erec shuddered.

"Possibly he expects you to come after Bethany, young sir."

Erec shook off that thought. He had to rescue Bethany. Even if he was walking into a trap, how could he leave her in Baskania's clutches? He shuddered, remembering how she had looked in his vision, chained to a desk. He pictured that black band with little metal funnels around her head. He had to save her as fast as he could.

For a moment, he almost laughed, thinking about the twelve quests he had been doing to become king. How insignificant they seemed now that Bethany was in danger. Who cared about being king, anyway? Let the Stain triplets have the stupid crowns. So what if they destroyed the Kingdoms of the Keepers? If Bethany was gone, Erec would walk away from it all anyway.

They wandered off the paths and into the woods at the edge of the mountainside. Soon Erec found the bubbling Castilian Spring and followed it to the stone well that was the Oracle of Delphi.

67

Down below glimmered the smooth, dark waters. He squeezed his eyes shut. A wave of fear came over him. What if the Fates told him he was too late? What would he do?

"How does young sir speak to the Fates here?" Jam glanced into the well, clutching his arms. Erec realized he was probably afraid as well.

"I have to concentrate and bring out my dragon eyes." Erec raised an eyebrow. "So you might not want to look at me, if that creeps you out."

"I think I can handle it, sir."

Erec paused, looking into the well. He had forgotten what this would involve. It wasn't just rolling his dragon eyes forward that let him talk to the Fates. He had to use them in a way that he had not done in a long time.

Only a medium or a psychic could conjure the Fates at this well. He had learned how to use his dragon eyes to see into the future, which classified him as a medium. That was exactly what he had to do now, in order to call the Fates to come to him. Looking into the future wasn't so hard for him, but the problem was that he could not control what he saw there. What if he saw something that he couldn't face? What if his vision showed Bethany dead?

Every ounce of him wanted to walk away, to avoid seeing what lay ahead. But he couldn't do that. Instead Erec leaned over the well so the Fates would sense when he looked into the future. Only then would they come talk to him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on using the eyes of Aoquesth the dragon.

Please
, he asked himself,
just this once, show me something good. I can't handle seeing terrible things happen now. Nothing bad about Bethany, especially. Just show me a happy time ahead.

As he had been trained, he pictured himself walking into a small, dark room in his mind. After he adjusted to the feeling, a

68

calmness came over him. He visualized another room, blacker and smaller, within this first one, and he entered it, relaxing even more. Deep inside his own mind, he saw a small box set on a table. He was partly imagining it and partly feeling it as a real thing next to him. He could sense its presence more than see it. This box held all the knowledge of the universe that was inside him. Soon it would show him a piece of his future. It felt like a movie projector playing a random, surprise film. And he asked it to show him a happy ending.

His fingers touched the box. It was humming, vibrant. Two windows hung on a wall before him, their shades pulled shut. They would be his eyes once he was ready to see what the box would show him. He felt for the small, soft cord that hung between them, took a breath, and pulled it.

W
ild applause and cheers shook the walls, and the floors vibrated from the dancing and celebration.
O
n two tall thrones before him, his brother and sister,
D
anny and Sammy, sat glowing.
T
hey wore tall, pointed crowns of gold, with diamonds and emeralds capping each tip. Sammy giggled, waving at the masses celebrating behind
E
rec.

J
une stood next to him and could not wipe the grin off of her face. "
I
sn't this wonderful?
I
thought this would never happen.
N
ow everybody knows!"

E
rec crossed his arms and nodded. "
N
ow we all know."
A
nd he knew everything would be better now.

Overwhelmed, Erec backed out from the dark rooms in his mind. He could feel his eyes swivel in their sockets, sliding his dragon eyes

69

back into the darkness and bringing his normal blue eyes out. When he opened them, everything seemed so bright. He was looking down into the well, yet still processing what he had just seen.

So, there was no doubt, then. Danny and Sammy were definitely the missing triplets, the other two slated to be king and queen. They would live, unharmed. They would be crowned king and queen. Maybe not at the same time that he was, but soon enough. When he thought about it, they didn't look much older than they were now. Sammy was wearing more makeup, he remembered, and her nose looked bigger, so maybe it was a few years from now. But they still were young.

They had looked so happy. In Erec's vision, he had been filled with the feeling of everything being right. Maybe soon he would have companions on his quests. What a relief that would be.

If Bethany was okay, that is. He wouldn't do any quests if she wasn't.

Could that have been why only Danny and Sammy were sitting on the thrones? Did Erec drop out and stop doing quests, because something bad had happened to Bethany?

No, he couldn't think about that. The thought flew out of his mind anyway, for the waters below him began to swirl. A rainbow of colors raced around the whirlpool. Hues Erec had never even seen before flashed through the water. Then, all at once, the water rose toward him, bubbling like a boiling stew. A moment later it was quiet again--dark like glass looking through into night.

Erec gazed into the well. Would he have to call for the Fates? Did they know he was there? Feeling a little awkward, he spoke into the still waters. "Fates? Are you there? This is me . . . uh, Erec Rex." He glanced nervously at Jam and made a face.

Wild shrieks issued from the well, turning into fits of giggles. They sounded like girls at a slumber party that had stayed up too late. "Look, you guys--no way! Erec's here!" "Oh, whoopee!" "I mean, like,