The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (29 page)

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Baskania's Draw unless Erec found her in his fortress and gave her the dragon blood to drink.

He decided to bring along the rest of the jar of Nitrowisherine. Even though it hadn't been able to break the Draw, it still was pretty powerful stuff. He found the wolfsbane on the
W
shelf and grabbed a handful to put in a bag.

Other shelves held some fascinating items such as eye jelly, worm tears, ground mummy bones, and flea ointment--guaranteed to keep dogs off any flea. He dropped a small vial labeled LAUGHTER in his pocket. Given how horrid the place was that he was headed, he thought laughter might be a good idea.

When he climbed out, the plaque slid back into place and its eye shut. Erec found a bag for the yellow-flowered wolfsbane and put it into his backpack along with the vial of laughter and the Nitrowisherine. Then he noticed a note on the kitchen table.

EREC
,

WE ARE ALL WORRIED ABOUT YOU. I HOPE THIS NOTE FINDS YOU--QUICKLY--AND THAT YOU RETURN TO YOUR FAMILY. YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE. PLEASE LET US KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IS OKAY.

YOURS
,

JAM

He sighed. He would have to go back to Jam's Aunt Salsa's apartment in Americorth North before he left for Jakarta. They must be worried sick.

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A strange noise came from one of the bedrooms. It sounded like a bulldozer scraping over a steel wool carpet. The sound grew louder as Erec tiptoed down the hall--and then he realized it was coming from his own bedroom. He peeked inside, then jumped back in shock when he saw a large figure like an enormous round ball on his bed.

Who could it be? The noise, now deafening, and apparently a snore, reverberated through his room.

Careful not to wake the sleeper, he slowly crept around his bed, until he could see the face of . . .

Dumpling Smith. Drool poured down her cheek, removing a trail of white makeup powder along with it and making an ashen puddle on his pillow.

Eeww!
He bit his lip to hold in his reaction. He couldn't make a sound.

Because in front of her lay something that he wanted very badly.

His mother's Seeing Eyeglasses.

He measured the distance from the bed to the door. Could he grab them and run out without waking her? What was she doing here, anyway? Probably camping out, hoping that Danny and Sammy would come back here. Her friends were probably still in their apartment in New Jersey, trying to cover all their bases.

Erec put another foot in front of him and shifted his weight onto it.

Mrs. Smith groaned and turned onto her back, throwing an arm out near the eyeglasses and the other over her face. "I've got 'em," she muttered in her sleep. "Got 'em by their collars. They won't go away now. . . . Daaanny . . . Saaammy . . ."

He took another step and lifted the glasses off the bed. Moving faster, he exited the room on his toes.

"Hmph . . . ? What's that?" There was a loud creak. "Where are my glasses?"

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Erec bounced away on his toes. "Wake up," he whispered, shaking Griffin. "We have to go."

Griffin sat up, yawning loudly. "Ready and set, matey?" He stood up, smacking his stomach. "Aye, it feels mighty good to sleep again in peace again, after all these years. Mighty good." Footsteps echoed down the hallway. "Who would that be?"

"Hurry. She's after us. Come on!" Erec grabbed Griffin's sleeve and pulled him toward the Port-O-Door.

"What?" Griffin asked, looking around. "We're not running from a girl, are we?"

"She's really big and strong."

Griffin laughed heartily and swung around. Two of the long sabers that swung from his belt were in his hands. "I'd like to see her bother us, cap'n. I'll dice her like a rotten tomato."

Dumpling Smith appeared in the doorway, eyes wide. She looked at Erec's hands. "My glasses!" Her voice was deep and rough. "Give those back, you hoodlum!" She dove toward them, arms in front of her.

Griffin stepped forward, swords whirling in the air. "Stand back, wench! And take yer last breath."

"Eek!" Mrs. Smith screamed and dove away as a saber shot over her shoulder. Wolfboy began to bark in response to the noise, not disturbed at all by the flying sabers.

"No! Stop, Griffin! Don't hurt her."

Griffin paused with an arm raised, saber waiting to fly from his grasp. "Aye, aye, cap'n. Are ye sure you want to spare this odd bird? It would feel good to fling a blade that actually made a cut, after all these years."

Mrs. Smith huddled against a wall, blubbering. "Spare me, please. I'm just trying to help everyone." She looked appealingly at Erec. "G-give me back my glasses?"

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"They are
not
your glasses. They are my mother's. You stole them, and I'm bringing them back."

She stepped forward, hesitating. "Well, will you take me with you, then?"

"No! Absolutely not. You are to go away now, and leave my family alone. Understand me? And tell your boss--Baskania--that you're going to leave us alone now."

A look of fear washed over her face. "My boss? No . . . he's not my boss. I'm just trying to help. Really . . ."

Griffin whirled a saber in the air and she plastered herself against the wall. Her voice was faint and slick. "Okay. I'll go now." She smiled and nodded, then walked to the door. Instead of leaving, Dumpling hesitated. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I'd love to see where your brother and sister were staying, make sure it was a nice place for them--"

"Get out!" Erec pointed at the door. She nodded and hurried out. Being fourteen was nice, he thought. Almost like being an adult. He didn't have to be afraid of people like Mrs. Smith anymore.

Of course, having a huge adult pirate under his command, with sabers drawn at his side, also helped. He was beginning to appreciate Griffin much more now.

Too bad Griffin hadn't been in New Jersey with him during his break. Danny and Sammy would have thought twice about teasing him then.

"Hurry. Let's go to the Port-O-Door before she can follow us. I don't want her to know where we went."

Erec grabbed a few bags of dog food and called Wolfboy into the Port-O-Door along with Griffin. He found 8 Anodyne Road on the Americorth North map. He hoped she didn't mind that he put the door right into her living room, like Jam had done last

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time. At least they wouldn't have to walk through the insane heat without UnderWear that way.

"Erec!" Sammy shouted. Everyone froze at the sight of Griffin walking in after him. Erec started to laugh, thinking how shocking a sight he must be. Griffin still carried a sharp saber in each hand, and he was dressed like a real pirate yanked off a ship in the 1500s, with his loose lacy shirt and vest shredded over his rippling muscles, a filthy torn rag tied like a bandana over his wild hair, and billowing knee breeches.

June put her hand over her heart. "Erec!" she called out in warning.

"It's okay, Mom. Griffin is my friend."

Griffin's eyes widened and he hugged his sabers to his chest. "Really, cap'n? A friend? I am honored." He fell onto one knee.

"Yes. Griffin is a
good
friend," Erec added. "He helped me with my fifth quest. And this is Wolfboy, for those who haven't met him. Sorry I snuck out," he said to June. "I just had to, for Bethany." He motioned to Jam. "You have to send this Port-O-Door back without us. Dumpling Smith was waiting in my father's house, and she might come back and try to see where we went."

As Jam quickly sent the Port-O-Door away, June gave him a hug. "We were so worried about you. I thought you had gone off to find King Augeas. After hearing that story from Jam I was terrified we'd never see you again. I'm just glad you're back safely. So, was there a different King Augeas that you met, then? A nice king somewhere?"

"No. I met the Nightmare King. I was there for what seemed like forever--but it ended up being just one day and night. It was awful." He shuddered. "But at least I helped a few other people get out of there."

"You missed your birthday, Erec." Zoey hugged his leg. "Mommy cried."

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"We'll have cake today instead." He took out the Serving Tray, feeling bad.

"Young sir, are you sure that you finished your fifth quest?" Jam was looking at Erec's Amulet of Virtues. "Did you really meet King Augeas?"

Erec picked up the amulet. Only four of the twelve segments were lit up with colors. He wasn't surprised. "Well, the quest is not completely done. Someone is still trapped in the Nightmare Realm who I have to save. I understand now what the Fates meant about me saving Bethany before finishing the quest--they must have known it would happen like this."

"Who has to be saved?" Trevor asked. It was unusual for him to speak, so everyone was silent a moment.

"The Clown Fairy. Her name is Wandabelle."

"You found the Clown Fairy!" June became very alarmed. "She's trapped in the Nightmare Realm? Oh, how awful. At least you know where she is, though." She looked so hopeful that Erec could not bring himself to tell her that Wandabelle was in great danger.

Then he remembered what he was holding in his hand. He raised the Seeing Eyeglasses. "Look what I found!"

"Yeah!" Sammy jumped up and down, cheering.

Danny smacked Erec on the back. "All right, kid. Good job."

"Hey, you can't call me kid anymore. You know we're the same age, right?" Erec said, feeling a little reckless pointing that out.

"I'll call you kid, kid. We don't even know when your exact birthday is. Anyway, I'm sure I'm older than you." He winked. "Thanks for getting those glasses back. I guess we don't have to hide anymore."

"Yeah, except that Dumpling Smith and her pals are camped out both in New Jersey and Alypium looking for you. Life isn't back to usual yet."

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"Usual?" Danny laughed. "When has life ever been usual for us? As far back as I can remember, we've always been moving around, living in tiny apartments. Then all this crazy stuff that's happened in this last year. No offense, guys, but this family is an odd bunch. Except for me and Sammy, of course."

Something Danny said caught Erec's attention. "As far as you can remember? How far back can you remember? Either of you?"

"I dunno." Danny shrugged. "I remember pretty soon after Mom adopted us. That first apartment, the blue one with the ugly black drapes." He shuddered.

"Yeah, me too." Sammy agreed. "I can't remember anything about our birth parents, though. Probably blocked them out since they abandoned us."

"Me too." Danny nodded.

A chill ran through Erec. Of course they couldn't remember. They had had their memories of those early days removed, just like he had, so they didn't know they were King Piter's children, destined to rule the Kingdoms of the Keepers. He was so tempted to tell them, but he bit his tongue.

"Erec's right," June said. "We should stay far away from King Piter's house, to be safe. But we don't have to burden your Aunt Salsa anymore, Jam."

"Burden?" Salsa exclaimed. "This has been the biggest treat for me! Young people to talk to--" She looked Griffin up and down. "Exciting things happening. I'd just die of boredom if you all left now. Please, consider this home until you need to move on."

"Thank you so much, Salsa." June gave her a hug.

"That's
Aunt
Salsa, honey. Now, let's get some nice snacks for our new guest." Aunt Salsa fawned over Griffin, who was more than pleased with her attention.

Erec suddenly remembered what else he could do with the

250

Seeing Eyeglasses. His eyes began to ache at the thought, he could feel them well up, and his heart pounded.

"Would you all excuse me?"

June could read his face, and she knew just what he was thinking. "Of course. Why don't you go find a quiet room." But she grabbed his shoulder as he walked by. "Are you sure you're okay using the glasses? You might not want to see--"

Erec pulled away. "I don't want to see, Mom. I have to see."

Erec sat on Aunt Salsa's bed, staring at the Seeing Eyeglasses, terrified. What if it was too late?

He struggled with himself, forcing his hands to bring them to his face. He slipped them over his eyes, and suddenly he was in a huge, darkly lit space. Bethany sat at a wooden desk, her arms chained tightly to her chair, eyes red and wide. Small metal cones were implanted in a circle around her scalp. An old picture of herself working in a notebook was frozen on the screen in front of her.

Someone was yelling. Baskania was furious, screaming, "Simpler! Can't you speak English? Tell me so I understand."

Erec gasped in reaction, without thinking.

"What was that?" Baskania spun around. "Who is here?" He paced, looking through the air.

Erec whipped the glasses off. How stupid he had been to make a sound. He waited before putting them back on, in case Baskania had some way he could detect that he was watching.

When he looked through them again, Bethany was talking, hoarse and exhausted. "I'm trying. It's just hard to put it in other words." Her voice droned on, patient. "Let's say you had a set of infinities. And the set of all sets included the set of infinities. But each of the infinities also included the set of all sets. It's biconditional, but I was sure one had to be lower bound. So, if you just think