The Secret of Ashona (23 page)

“Yes, he is. And a good friend.” Erec’s thoughts went back to his future, whatever that entailed. “I actually feel better now, even though I don’t know why. We have no more idea what we need to do to get out of this mess.”

“Oh, yes we do,” Spartacus said. “We know exactly what to do now. Aoquesth very nicely reminded me of that.”

“What?” Erec was confused, and tried not to get too hopeful that Spartacus had an answer.

“We’re going back to see the Furies. I’m going to give them my soul for you.”

They must have stood there facing each other for an eternity. Erec was unable to respond.
No!
he wanted to shout.
I will not take your soul from you. I will not allow you to turn yourself into a specter for eternity for my sake. I cannot ask for that, or even let it happen. You deserve better!

But another part of him wanted that so badly he could not stand it. To have his soul back! His living body, too! To run at Bethany and tackle her in that huge hug he couldn’t give her before. To play on the grass with his dog, Wolfboy, and feel his wet tongue lick his face. To eat! Erec remembered with envy how wonderful it felt to bite into a thick, juicy hamburger. What joy! So a small voice in Erec argued,
Why not? Why shouldn’t it be Spartacus dealing with all of this, not me?

But reason won out. “Thanks . . . Spartacus. That is more than kind of you to offer. I really . . . really wish that I could say yes. But I can’t do that to you. I couldn’t do it to anyone, now that I think about it. Especially you.”

Spartacus smiled. “Too bad it’s not your choice, then. I’m going to go visit the Furies with or without you. If you want to go spend time with your family now, then go ahead. When you’re done, the Furies will already have their extra soul, and you can get yours back from them at any time.”

“No!” Erec fought his excitement. “I can’t let you do this! It’s crazy. You matter just as much as I do. And how could I live—how could I enjoy a day of my life—knowing that you were out here suffering? Thank you so much, but no.”

“Remember? I said that you had no choice. That’s how you can live with yourself.” Spartacus dusted himself off, looking satisfied. “Anyway, I have a plan. Give me a little credit here. I’m actually looking forward to this.”

“A plan? What are you talking about?”

“Here’s the deal. If things stay as they are right now, we both will stay dead. I’ll go on forever stuck as a Spirit Warrior for Baskania—a
fate worse than death for me. And you’ll become a specter, with the best option being that Aoquesth obliterates you. Right?”

Erec paused. Spartacus was starting to make sense. “Yeah.”

If I give my soul to the Furies you get everything back—your life,
your
soul. You will be in perfect shape. I’ll never be alive again anyway. There is no chance of that.”

“But your soul . . .”

“That’s the point. I don’t need to worry about that anymore. Because after I give up my soul, I’m going to ask the Furies to obliterate me. And if for some reason they object, we can ask Aoquesth to do for me what he offered to you. I’ll be free. My life as a Spirit Warrior will be over before it’s even begun.”

Erec was amazed at the logic of what Spartacus said. As things were, one of them would become a specter—and soon be gone altogether—and the other one would become a Spirit Warrior. If they did as Spartacus said, one of them would be gone altogether, and the other one would be fully human again. He was right. It was the only thing that made sense.

At the same time, it seemed so selfish to think that way. Maybe everything sounded so perfect because he just wanted it so much.

“So, what’s it going to be, friend?” Spartacus asked. “Are you going to the Furies with me, or am I going to do this by myself?”

“You’re really going? I mean . . . really? For sure?”

“I’m really going.” Spartacus grinned and slapped Erec on the back. “I’m doing myself a favor too. It’s such a relief to know that I won’t be doing horrible things for Baskania forever. I’m glad we haven’t been called into service yet or this might have been much harder to pull off. So I better get this done before it’s too late. You coming?”

The words were slowly sinking in. Joy was beginning to seep through every pore, every ounce of his body. He shook his head in
disbelief. “I have to go with you. The Furies would destroy you immediately if you got too close to them unless I was there. And then your soul would be gone along with your spirit.”

“That answers that, then. Let’s go!”

In a haze, Erec glided with his friend in a direction that led them up a few hills and then to a river, which they bounded across with ease. Even though they had no idea where they were, it was easy to have a sense of how to get anywhere on Earth. This was the right way to Pinefort Jungle in Otherness, which would lead them to Alsatia. There was no need for a Port-O-Door. Traveling as a ghost was lightweight and simple. No matter how far they went they never tired, and gravity would not slow them down.

Even though they were moving fast, it felt like a meandering stroll. Erec understood that this was because Spartacus was scared about what lay ahead, and he did not blame him. Being so close to his goal made Erec want to zoom to the Furies at full speed, but he controlled himself. They would get there soon enough.

Finally Spartacus said, “There’s no use putting this off. If we wait too long Baskania will order us to go somewhere and it will be too late.”

Relieved, Erec nodded. At once, he and Spartacus bounded high into the air. One thousand feet . . . two thousand . . . three . . . They soared higher and higher like helium balloons. Before long, instinctually, Erec pointed his feet in the direction that he knew they had to land, and Spartacus followed. They waved arms against the thin air, slowly picked up speed, and headed toward the wilds of Otherness. Soon the ground approached them, and mountains and trees grew larger. Before long they sailed straight to the floor of Pinefort Jungle.

Both of them were going so fast that they sank deep into the dirt, then pulled themselves back out onto the ground. Erec could not get used to the feeling of sharing his space with other things.

“It’s this way. A big rock formation called Mercy’s Spike. Pretty
nasty-looking if you ask me. Humans used to impale themselves on that thing—that’s why there are a bunch of spirits living in Alsatia.”

When Spartacus saw the needle formation he shuddered. “They must have been awfully brave. That would hurt, if you were alive.”

Erec nodded. “They wouldn’t stay alive for long. Glad it’s not a problem for us. Are you ready?” He pushed up, and then over onto the short plateau that overhung the spike.

Spartacus followed him up, with a grave look on his face. “Ready as ever.”

Erec leaned forward and waved his arms against the air to propel himself downward. Spartacus immediately followed. Mercy’s Spike flew through both of their hearts, one after the next. Eventually they stopped, midway down.

“Is this it, then?” Spartacus asked. “What happens now?”

“Just give it a minute.” Before long the two of them began to spin. Soon they whirled like tops around the axis of the rock through their midsections. They accelerated faster and faster, until all around them looked like a blur of color, and then a murky, moving gray.

Erec could feel himself lifting, and he knew that he was moving somewhere. The spike in his middle grew smaller, then disappeared altogether as he sailed into the sky. As he was spinning so rapidly, his sense of direction was completely gone. Soon they began to slow down, and finally stopped, resting flat on the ground.

What Erec saw around him made him start with surprise. Gone were the fields of rippling grasses, swimming pools, and sandy beaches. Instead he was sitting upon a giant treetop. Its leafy branches spread for nearly fifty feet, and other treetops were nearby. Monkeys swung on branches, popping their heads up to get a glimpse of Erec and Spartacus, and darting back down again. A few people sunned themselves on woven pads of sticks and leaves, and one person in the distance was riding a unicycle from branch to branch.

“This place is amazing,” he said, awestruck.

“It sure is. Look at that.” Spartacus pointed, and Erec saw a tall man holding on to a branch with his toes, hanging upside down and eating a banana.

Erec laughed. “Good thing we can’t get hurt if we fall, huh?”

“Fall?” Spartacus looked confused. “You’d be worried about falling off of a bench?”

“A bench?” Then Erec remembered. “We’re seeing different things. The last time I was here, this place looked like a beautiful little town with mansions and a huge beach. Now we’re on treetops, really high up.”

“Seriously?” Spartacus looked amazed. “I thought this looked the same to everyone. We’re in a massive library that stretches all the way to the sky. It’s beautiful, with oak and teak shelves, gorgeous patterns in the wood, and beautiful books. There’s endless amounts to read and look at. Wow! And over there”—he pointed again—“is a little guy looking at a book that is at least twenty feet tall! This place is amazing.”

“They say if you stay here then things start to look different once you get tired of seeing it this way.” Erec began to walk in the direction of the Furies’ castle. He figured that this time it would not look like a sparkling, diamond palace. Spartacus rushed after him. “Are you sure that you really want to do this? It’s not too late, you know.”

Spartacus nodded. “I’m positive. I feel great about it.”

Bounding over the leafy treetops, Erec stopped when a familiar face waved him down. He recognized Jox, but was surprised by the angry look on his face.

“What are you doing back here?” Jox put his hands on his hips. “You won’t be able to stay, you know. I’ll get you thrown right out.”

“What’s going on?” Spartacus looked confused. “Erec’s a good kid.”

“He might have been a good kid,” Jox said. “But he’s on his way
to becoming a specter. And we don’t want his kind ruining our nice little world.”

Erec started to respond, but Spartacus held a hand up. “It’s okay. I’m giving Erec my soul today, so he can get his own soul back. And I promise that I won’t stick around here and bother you after that.”

“Really?” Jox looked shocked. “You don’t want to do that. I mean, you’re going to ruin your afterlife.”

“It’s already ruined.” Spartacus laughed. “This is my only hope. Let’s go, Erec.”

The two went farther, over what looked like a few taller rounded treetops, to what appeared to Erec as a gigantic bird nest with sticks covering the top like a roof.

“That’s it.” Erec pointed.

“Wow . . . a huge turret, spiraled with gold and gems. It’s amazing.”

Erec laughed. “Looks like an intricate pile of twigs to me. But that’s where we’re headed. I’d better go in first. Wait here, okay?”

He bounded into a hole in the side of the nest. Birds fluttered everywhere, and he followed a few of them around corners, under and over huge sticks and feathers. Around a final corner perched three immense birds: one red, one black, and one white. They preened themselves and picked at their feathers with their beaks.

“Good to see you again, Erec,” the red one, Alecto, said, with a voice that sounded fluttery and light.

Erec was not fooled for a second by the delicate sound of the Fury. He knew that she could tear his being to shreds in the blink of an eye.

The black one, Tisiphone, purred, “We see that you have brought a soul to exchange for your own. Good for you. Let’s bring that young man in here now.”

In a blink, Spartacus stood at Erec’s side. He gazed around him in wonder. “Wow. This is amazing.”

Erec wondered what Spartacus was seeing. It must have been completely different from Erec’s view, although Erec was sure he’d prefer his own.

“So,” Megaera, the white bird, said. “Are you donating your soul to us, so that Erec Rex will be able to get his own back?”

“I am.”

Erec could see Spartacus shivering, and he put a hand on his shoulder.

“Both of you may go into the soul storage facility, then,” Alecto said. “I will loosen your soul now, Spartacus, so that you can give it willingly when you get inside. Only after yours is gone will Erec be able to take his own back again. Our storage facility knows what is going on inside of it. It will not allow either of you back out again until the correct number of souls are left behind.”

“Lead them there, Agathea,” Tisiphone said to a tiny hummingbird buzzing above her head. She winked at Erec. “Agathea is my favorite Harpy.”

The bird circled in the air a few times and dove in front of Erec. It looked nothing at all like a Harpy. Then again, nothing here was as it looked. Anyway, it was just as well, as far as Erec was concerned, that Agathea looked like a bird. He had enough bad associations with Harpies. Agathea led them around a few corridors in the nest and then down a ladder made of twigs that seemed endless. They went farther and farther down, until they were at the underside of the nest.

Spartacus had a gleam in his eye. “Can you believe that spiral staircase, inlaid with gold? I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!”

At the bottom was a large room that looked to Erec like a vast, curved root cellar, shaped like a giant saucer. In the center was a round trapdoor that had no handles or other way to open it. Erec could not tell what the door was made out of—it looked like a shiny, glittery substance.

The little hummingbird twittered, “The storage facility is alive. The Fury sisters gave it life so that it can serve them. It knows that you have access, so all you have to do is knock to get in, and knock when you are ready to come out. But like Tisiphone said, you are going in with one soul between the two of you—you won’t be able to leave with more than one. So don’t think about trying anything funny. One word from the storage facility and the Furies might not be so friendly anymore.”

That was a veiled threat if Erec had ever heard one. But they didn’t have anything to worry about—there were no plans to steal souls. He asked Spartacus one last time, “Are you sure about this?”

“Definitely.”