The Search for Truth (8 page)

“I don't know,” Jack said. “Didn't you just hear Baskania say for someone to go look for you in the maze? It would be crazy to go there.”

“I know,” Erec said, “except we have a sure way out from there. Just hide somewhere near it. Wait till you see me so nobody will catch you. We'll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” Jack shrugged. “Listen, this is so strange. I don't know what's going on.”

“Neither do we,” Erec said, patting him on the shoulder. “Just meet us there.”

Jack disappeared, and Erec shuddered thinking about what just happened. He had lied to Jack about where they were going, but it seemed like there was no way around it. Jack trusted Oscar. If he
knew where Erec went it would just be a matter of time before he told Oscar everything.

When Baskania appeared in the castle, something odd started becoming clear to Erec. But an even stranger thing had just happened that really made him think. He would talk to Bethany about it and see what she thought.

He led her into the south wing. “This is our only chance of getting out of here. I thought about escaping this way when I found out Oscar was coming, even before I got that cloudy thought.”

“Is that what that was?” Bethany shivered. “It looked awful. You were so…dragonlike.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” He took Bethany into the game room and flicked the shelf that had the water symbol up to the wall. The top of the pool table changed from a green, fuzzy surface to water. “I hope these backpacks are waterproof.”

Bethany crossed her arms. “I don't get it, Erec. What's going on? Why did you tell Jack we were going to the maze? So we're not really meeting him there? You don't trust Jack now?”

It was time to try to explain to her what had just happened, but it would not be easy. Erec wished he understood it better himself. He leaned on the edge of the table near the water. “Listen, Bethany, and listen good. Our lives depend on it. You know what I saw in my cloudy thought?”

Bethany shook her head.

“I saw you and Jam getting killed by Baskania while he thanked Oscar for helping him again. Baskania knows everything Oscar knows. Everything. And Jack, whether he knows it or not, is helping. Jack tells things to Oscar.”

Bethany was gripping her arms tight, shaking.

“Something really scary just happened out there,” he said. “I realized that if Jack knew we were going here, to the game room, he
might tell Oscar. So I couldn't let him know. Then I got a thought. I decided to tell Jack something else—that we were going to the maze, that we had a secret way out through the maze. And guess what?”

Bethany looked pale and just stared at him.

Erec nodded. “After I decided to tell Jack about the maze, I heard Baskania yell for someone to get to the entrance of the maze and the center of the maze to look for us.”

“That's creepy.” Bethany was shaking. “I thought I knew those guys. I just can't believe it.” Her voice quivered. “But how could Baskania know about the maze if you hadn't even told Jack yet, just from you thinking it? Could it have been a coincidence?”

“Some coincidence. I think once I decided to say it, somehow that changed the course things were going to take. Like as soon as it was set that Oscar would at some time know where we were, then Baskania knew it right away.”

Both of them thought about that. What could be the connection?

They didn't have much time. They looked into the water in the pool table.

“Where does it go?” Bethany asked.

“I don't know. A lot of places.” He wondered if he could find his way back into Al's Well. He doubted it. At the time, the water in the tunnels had pushed him right to the castle. Would it push him somewhere else this time?

Bethany dragged her fingers through the water. “How will we breathe?”

Erec pointed to his wrist. “Our Instagills. Remember?”

She smiled. “I almost forgot. Haven't used them in a while.”

They both slid into the water, then Erec took a breath, grabbed Bethany's wrist, and plunged down the water tunnel.

A
T FIRST BETHANY
kicked and flailed so hard that her arm slipped out of Erec's grasp. But he didn't need to worry. Soon they were both floating gently downstream through a wide tunnel filled with water. Passageways shot off from theirs, and they swam randomly down odd forks with no idea where they were heading. Their soaked clothing and backpacks weighed them down, but they weren't cold at all. Erec felt great.

Bethany held up her palms with a grin. Little feathery gills opened and shut in her hands. “Which way?” she asked, pointing at a large fork ahead. The words bubbled from her mouth, but Erec could hear her clearly, a side effect of the Instagills.

Erec shrugged and pointed to the left. It was easy to swim anywhere. Unlike before, when it seemed the Fates had decided to deposit him at the castle, Erec found the water pulled him in any direction he began to swim. If he wanted to go back where he had come from, after a few kicks the current would reverse. He and Bethany played around with it awhile, and they found they could even go in opposite directions past each other, each with their own current pulling them.

“This is so cool!” Bethany bubbled.

“I just wish we knew the way to Greece,” Erec said.

As they swam, the tunnel grew wider until it was more like a cavern. Then, around a corner, appeared a huge round opening, about twenty-five feet across. The tunnel leading from it was much larger than the others. A sign glittering above its entrance read
ASHONA
.

“Look!” Bethany pointed. “We could go see Queen Posey!”

Erec shook his head and swam away from the entrance to Ashona. “We have to find the Oracle and a medium somehow. We can't get sidetracked.”

After swimming for what seemed like hours, Erec wondered if they would ever see land again. At last he followed Bethany into a small tunnel that led up toward a spot of light. The spot quickly grew, and their heads soon popped above the surface in a cold lake. Both of them gasped for air.

The lake was surrounded by mountains. Birds twittered in the air, but no people or animals were in sight. Blue pine and silver fir trees added hints of color to the otherwise snowy woods.

As soon as Erec took a breath through his mouth, he felt cold. An icy wind hit his face, and his teeth started to chatter.

Bethany's skin looked blue. She said, “D-did you realize that we don't have d-dry clothes? It's January. I forgot, being in Alypium. The gold d-dome keeps it warm.”

She was right. They would freeze when they got out of the water. It was already hard for Erec to speak through his clenched teeth. “We can't stay here. We'll freeze. Let's try to find somewhere warmer.”

They dove back into the water. As soon as Erec's gills opened up, he felt warm again. “That was awful,” he said. “We need to go someplace warm. Plus, I'm starving.”

Bethany counted on her fingers, calculating. “I think we're traveling faster than it seems. Once we start to swim, the current really pushes us. Maybe we're near a coast.”

“Yeah, but where?” They swam past more tunnels. “We better be heading south.”

“I don't think we are, but I'm not sure,” she said. “I think we're going east. Or west.”

“That's reassuring.”

“It might be okay.” Bethany plunged left into a smaller tunnel. “We were in the mountains. If we just get past them it might be a lot warmer.”

Erec followed her awhile, hoping she knew where she were going. He was beginning to feel tired and a little worried, and wondered how Bethany could stay so positive. She swung around and seemed to be able to read his expression. “Hey, just think—we're free. Nobody knows where we are. Baskania's probably still searching the maze for us. And getting lost in it.”

Erec laughed, good humor restored. Even if they were cold awhile, they were free. And they had food waiting for them too. He mentally thanked Jam for throwing that silver platter to him.

He dove into a small tunnel that led upward, Bethany at his heels. Above him opened a circle of light. This time when their heads
popped above the surface, the hot sun shone on their faces. They had surfaced near the edge of a huge lake surrounded by tropical teak forests and bamboo thickets. They swam until the water became shallow enough that they could walk.

Hot sunshine warmed Erec immediately, and his shirt began drying fast. “It must be over ninety degrees here,” he said with a grin. “Don't know how we managed that one!”

“Look around,” Bethany chirped. “No mountains. We must have gone pretty far.”

“Where do you think we are?” he asked.

But there was no answer. Erec turned around to see Bethany standing in knee-deep water, her face pale.

“Bethany? You okay?”

She made a strange sound between a cough and a sputter, and pointed down into the lake. A knobby gray-green log drifted nearby. “Is that driftwood?” he asked, shielding his eyes from the sun.

But then it blinked. Was Erec imagining that? No, the log blinked again.

Then it yawned. Rows of sharp white teeth lined its mouth.

Bethany backed toward Erec, tripping and splashing in the water. She looked at Erec in terror. “It's a crocodile.” Her voice shook. “A big one.”

The crocodile swiveled, eyeing them. Erec stepped back in panic, his feet slowed by the water, and fell.

With a swish the crocodile's tail swung around so it faced them. It opened its huge mouth wide, flashing its teeth.

Suddenly, Erec's head spun. He felt his eyes turn in their sockets. Everything looked green. His dragon eyes were out. A lacy netting of Substance floated in the air, not the thick ropes he saw in Alypium and Otherness. This must be Upper Earth, he thought. He yanked Bethany behind him and took a step toward the crocodile.

“Watch out, Erec!” Bethany shouted. “What are you doing?”

As he walked closer, he felt himself changing, growing. Soon his backpack felt too tight, so he shrugged it off, hoping Bethany would catch it. The buttons on his shirt popped. His skin felt funny, and when he glanced at his arm he saw scales.

Interesting, he thought. This was a cloudy thought, and he knew what he had to do. But he was not angry this time. And there was no vision or premonition. He wondered about that as he walked toward the crocodile, growing, claws sprouting from his hands. All fear had left him. Only a calm feeling remained in its place. Erec was not upset at the crocodile. It was only doing what its instincts told it to do. It was hungry and saw food.

The creature drew back as he got closer. Then it lunged at him.

Bethany screamed.

Before its giant mouth clamped on his neck, Erec breathed a stream of fire right into the crocodile's jaws. The animal jerked back in pain. A fierce surge of strength gripped Erec. He raised his claws, slashing down on the crocodile, breathing more fire on to its back. In seconds, the beast ducked under the water and swam away.

Erec was surprised. Breathing fire had filled him with a feeling of power, dominance. It felt good. He looked back at Bethany, who had picked up his backpack and was squeezing it with shaky arms. “It won't bother us again,” Erec said.

Bethany stared at him in terror, not answering.

“What's wrong?” Erec splashed her, relaxed now.

A strangled squeal came from her throat. She pointed at Erec.

“What?” Erec spun around. “Is there another crocodile?” He couldn't see any.

Bethany shook her head. Her breathing sounded ragged. Finally she gasped, “You still look…funny.”

Erec looked down at his reflection in the water and jumped in
surprise. He was green, although it was hard to tell, since everything looked a shade of green through his dragon eyes. His chest was lined with scales. Torn clothing hung off him, and claws still jutted from his fingers. He wondered what his face looked like. Maybe it was best he didn't know.

“I won't hurt you.” Erec held his hands up. “Sorry, Bethany.” He knew he must look terrible. He strode to the shore and walked out. His shirt was already dry from the heat, and the cool water on his ragged pant legs felt good. Bethany followed him, though she looked uneasy.

Erec began to feel unsure too. What if he stayed like this forever? Would he always look like a freak? He'd never have any more friends. Everyone would be afraid of him. And would Alypium want him as their king then? Doubtful, he thought. They didn't even want him as king now. He sat under a tall broad-leafed tree and leaned against the trunk. “Time for a snack?” He realized he was starving.

Bethany nodded solemnly and took Jam's Serving Tray out of Erec's backpack. Several huge colorful butterflies floated past, and a golden-backed woodpecker tapped high over their heads.

“Look.” Erec pointed at a huge ox wandering by with horns curling over its head. Bethany saw it and cringed, clinging close to the tree.

Erec laughed, feeling much better. “It won't hurt you. But I realized something. I figured out why I still look like this.” Relief surged through him. He would not look like a dragon forever. He was sure of that now.

“Why?” Bethany's eyes darted to his. He could tell she was hopeful.

Erec pointed up into a tree. Slung over a sloping limb, one leg thrown over a smaller branch, a Bengal tiger lazed, black stripes cascading across its orange back. It was watching them.

Bethany froze in terror. She muttered, “Should we run?”

“Nah,” Erec said. He sniffed, and rested his head back on his arms against the tree. He had to shift when he felt spines jutting from his neck and back grinding into the tree bark. “It'll come check us out in a few minutes and I'll scare it away. Then it'll leave us alone. I think we better wait to eat, though.”

A smile snuck its way across Erec's face. It felt pretty good to know he could fight off a hungry crocodile and a huge tiger. There was no doubt in his mind what would happen. He wasn't seeing an image, like a movie in his head, like he had with his other recent cloudy thoughts. This time he just knew what would happen and what to do.

Bethany's lip quivered. She kept looking between Erec and the tiger. “There is no way you could fight that thing off.”

“But I will.” Knowing what would happen made him completely calm. Even better, a part of him was glad that Bethany was there to see how cool he was now, how strong. He began to whistle, thinking how impressed she would be.

In moments, the tiger scaled down the tree and approached them. Its huge shoulders and legs carved a swath through the tall grass. Its back swished and its tail flicked back and forth.

Bethany looked ashen, staring like a deer into headlights. The tiger, only a few feet away now, began to crouch.

But before it leaped, a huge roar erupted from Erec's chest. The tiger paused a moment. Erec sprang toward the tiger, flames shooting from his mouth. Fire shot into the tiger's face. It twisted its head back and forth, upset, and backed away from the flame. Then it turned and ran into the jungle.

Erec had known that was going to happen, but he was still surprised at how it felt. It seemed like every time he breathed fire, a strong emotion overcame him. Before it had been a sense of
dominance and power over the crocodile, and the other times it had been anger. But this time it was a feeling of protectiveness for Bethany—shielding her, defending her from harm.

He turned to her with a smile, waiting to see her grateful face. But instead she was curled on the ground, tears drenching her cheeks. “Bethany? You okay?”

Bethany buried her face in her knees, which were squeezed to her chest. She didn't answer.

Erec sat next to her and patted her head, smoothing his fingers down her cheek. He could see his skin turning back to normal, his claws disappearing. “It's okay, Bethany. It's all over now.” He kept his hand on her shoulder until she finally stopped shivering and fell asleep.

 

Erec fell asleep too, and he awoke starving. The sun was beginning to set. He shook Bethany. “Hey, wake up. Let's eat and see if we can find some kind of shelter around here.”

Bethany opened her eyes. A big sigh escaped her when she saw her friend looking normal again. Erec picked up the Serving Tray. “I wonder how this thing works.” He turned it over, rubbed it, and knocked on it. Nothing happened.

Bethany called out, like she was in a restaurant, “Give us some hamburgers.”

In a flash, two huge, juicy hamburgers were sitting on the platter. Erec grabbed his and took a giant bite. “This is the best hamburger I've ever eaten,” he said between gulps.

Bethany nodded, mouth full. “Give us some ketchup,” she said. “And pickles.” Little paper cups of ketchup and pickles appeared on the platter. They dumped them on what was left of the burgers.

Erec wanted to try. “Give us potato chips and scrambled eggs with cheese.” The chips appeared in a paper bowl, and a pile of eggs
with cheese appeared in another. Erec grabbed some of the eggs with his hand and scooped them into his mouth.

Bethany laughed. “What a barbarian. Give us forks,” she said. And plastic forks appeared. They ate the eggs and chips, and Erec's hunger finally started to fade.

“Now, platter, I'd like a nectar fizz sundae.” One popped onto the platter. “And a spoon,” he added. “Bethany?”

“Me too. That looks good.” Another appeared next to it. They dug in. After warm chocolate-chip cookies and milk they finally put the Serving Tray away.

“Thank you, Jam,” Bethany sang out into the air.

Getting up, they walked aimlessly through the trees. While Bethany crunched over dried leaves and sticks, Erec moved soundlessly on them with his magic Sneakers. But they found no paths. “Shh…” Bethany stopped and pointed. “I think it's a hyena. Is it safe?” she whispered.

Erec saw what looked like a gray-brown dog with big pointed ears. It took a look at them and scrambled away. Erec felt a little nervous. “I guess it's okay. I'm not getting any more cloudy thoughts.” He hoped he would get another one if he needed it. “At least I look normal now.”