The Search for Truth (36 page)

“I'll be back, Bethany!” Erec shouted. “I'm going to find something for you.”

Baskania's face broke into a sneer. He snapped his fingers and Pi Cleary appeared next to Bethany, in the bubble.

Pi was bound in rope like she was. They gazed at each other sadly. Erec was glad he could not hear what they were saying. It was too awful.

Now what would he do?

“You can't save Bethany and Pi with your dragon friend,” Baskania called to him. “The only way is for you to come in here yourself. We can make a trade. You for them.”

The last time Baskania made a deal with him, he had broken it immediately. Baskania said he would let Erec free if Erec gave him the Archives of Alithea. But when Erec handed the scroll to him, Baskania captured Erec. There was no way he would hold to his word in a “trade.”

Baskania turned his attention to Bethany. He pointed his fingers back at her. “Tell me your secret.”

“No!” Erec screamed. “Stop them!” He dove with Patchouli toward the bubble, sailing into it full force.

When Patchouli hit the dragon shield, she bounced off it so hard, Erec went flying into the grass.

Through his watch Erec heard Bethany say, “When you asked the Archives of Alithea to tell you the secret of the Final Magic, and where it was hidden”—she sounded like she was in a daze—“Erec
asked it how old he was at the same time. And it told you both the answers to each other's questions. But Jam, the butler, heard both of the answers.”

Erec pulled himself to standing, dizzy and helpless. What could he do? He didn't even have a remote control on him. Was there anything around?

And then the answer came to him.

Baskania spoke quietly, in shock. “Erec and his butler know where I can learn the Final Magic? Do you know too?” Recognition settled over his face. “You have the answer, don't you? You know what the scroll told the butler and Erec. What did it say?” His voice became harsh. “Where is the secret of the Final Magic?”

“No!” Erec shouted, running toward them.

Bethany sounded like a robot. “The secret of the Final Magic is hidden in the mind of the smallest child of the greatest seer of the first king of Alypium.”

“The smallest child of the greatest seer…” Erec could see Baskania working out who that was. “The smallest child. Yes. I knew the key was in something small.” He cackled with glee. “But
you're
the smallest child of Ruth Cleary, the greatest seer of King Piter.
You
hold the key I have been looking for all these years? You? What amazing luck. And you've delivered yourself to me.”

Laughter like blades of icy steel erupted from his chest until he howled with mirth. “Somewhere in you, my dear, lies the Great Secret. You will show me how to use the Final Magic. Give me control over everything I desire, life and death. And”—he smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching—“if I can't find the answers from torturing you alive, I'm sure I can discover them when I remove your brain.”

Erec fumbled with the tiny Awen balls on his chain. Which should he pick? They were his only hope, whatever they would do. Maybe the yellow one would confuse Baskania enough that he could rescue—

But then Erec remembered his own letter to himself.

Choose the blue Awen ball first. The yellow one would be a disaster.

He twisted the tiny blue dodecahedron, and its stem cracked off the empty glass boar vial. He ran closer and threw it at Baskania.

White smoke filled the air. At first Erec could not see a thing but white. But then his vision became perfectly clear. He could see the Stain boys looking around wildly, stumbling and falling. It was obvious they could see nothing.

Baskania looked around in a rage, blinded. He shouted, “You're still not safe from me, Erec Rex!” He pointed in the direction of Bethany and a puff of red smoke shot toward her. Erec saw it whiz past her, part of it touching her face. Her head fell limp on top of the coils of rope.

Erec ran toward her and Pi under the cover of the smoke. But Baskania opened his palm. Another of his rope coils unwound from it. Erec darted away as the rope shot toward him. It did not need to see to know where he was. He remembered how these ropes had chased after them in the water when he dove into the well of the Oracle. If the Fates had not intervened then, they would surely have been caught.

Erec stumbled back as the rope flew toward him.

It shot through the air, twisting, ready to capture him.

His heart sank. Baskania had won. When the fog cleared, he would be tied up on the grass with Bethany and Pi.

But, to Erec's surprise, the rope curved in the air and headed straight for his Amulet of Virtues. It dove into the amulet, plummeting inside and disappearing, the gold pounding on his chest as it went in. The disc slurped it from the air like a strand of spaghetti.

His amulet had never done this before. But, then again, he now had four segments lit up. The king had said it would get more powerful as he progressed.

The rope had vanished into his amulet, but Baskania was disappearing and reappearing in multiple spots, looking for him. Erec grabbed the rope-bound Bethany and Pi, one bundle under each arm, and ran.

The fog gradually receded as he tore away from the Green House, but it covered all of Alypium. It still gave him complete cover as he raced through the old castle grounds. Pi was heavy, but Erec felt surges of strength, and his adrenaline kept him going until he was inside King Piter's house.

J
AM FOUND A
silver knife and cut the ropes off a dazed Pi and sleeping Bethany. It was misty in the house, but the fog was not nearly as dense as it was outside. The windows looked like someone had painted them white. Erec knew he was the only one who could see the trees through it.

“Thanks.” Pi looked him over in wonder. “I'm heavy, kid. Pretty cool you were able to carry both of us. How could you see to find us?”

“It was a magic thing that let me see you.” Erec thought it was better not to mention his Awen. The fewer people that knew about them the better. He nudged Bethany. He wondered if having dragon powers gave him extra strength, too. “Wake up. You're safe now.”

“I'll go get smelling salts,” Jam said, “and some bandages for those scrapes, Pi.”

But the salts did not even make Bethany's eyelids flicker. Nothing Jam could think of would rouse her.

Erec froze. He had forgotten until now that Baskania had knocked her out. The puff of red smoke…

He felt sick. What had that maniac done to her? Would she be okay? Erec huddled on the floor next to the couch where Bethany was lying, keeping watch. He was aware that time was passing, but he had no idea how much. Bethany would be okay. She had to be. Maybe when King Piter came back he'd know what to do. Or they'd take her to the best magic doctor.

Pi slept on a couch nearby. Finally, at some point, overcome with exhaustion, Erec fell asleep.

 

Hours later, King Piter appeared, waking Erec and Pi. He looked ragged. “Just got back from Avalon. I'm getting a Port-O-Door for the house soon. What's up with the fog?”

Erec noticed the king was not carrying his scepter, and he asked about it.

“I decided it was best that I don't hold it so much anymore,” the king said wearily. “It's safely hidden for now.”

Erec told him what had happened outside. “What do you think Baskania did to her?”

The king plopped into a thick chair. “Bethany told Baskania? Now he knows where to find the secret of the Final Magic? If he learns that magic, he will destroy the world. His power will be out
of control.” He was horrified. Then his mouth fell open. “Or maybe he doesn't know where it is. Either way, we need to protect Bethany from him now, and also…”

“Also?”

“Never mind. Baskania will come after her, though. That's probably why he put the spell on her.”

“Can you tell what kind of spell it is?” Erec asked.

“I could with the scepter.” A look of longing stole over the king's face. “But it's best I don't use it. I'd guess it's old magic, though. He'd want to keep her an easy target, unable to defend herself, or talk to anyone but him. He won't have hurt her memory—that's for sure. He'd want to keep that intact so he could drag the secret of the Final Magic out of her.”

Erec shuddered. “How can we wake her up?”

The king looked worried. “It might not be possible. The reason those old spells are still used is they work so well. They're usually based on unsolvable riddles. Only a strong emotion could bring her out of the spell, but without hearing or understanding anything, she won't be able to have any strong emotions. She'll stay buried deep in her haze.” He wrung his hands together then rubbed his face. “We'll take her to Ippocra Asclep. We'll take her everywhere. I just hope someone can find a way.”

Erec saw tears in the king's eyes. It was really that bad?

The king sniffed. “I loved that girl like a daughter. Really, I can't see her go like this.”

“Is there anyone who knows how to fix this?” Erec felt desperate.

“It's old magic,” the king repeated. “She's pretty much Baskania's prisoner. She may start to wake up, which is even worse. Then she'll try to find him, like a zombie.”

This was not possible. Erec was sick with the thought of her
answering only to Baskania. If only he'd gotten there sooner. Why had he stumbled? Why couldn't he have seen it coming? It was all his fault.

 

“Young sir.” Jam walked in to the room. “You can't sit next to that couch forever, sir. Would you like me to fix you a cocoa?”

It didn't seem fair for him to have cocoa if Bethany couldn't enjoy anything. She was barely alive. “No, thanks, Jam. I'm fine. Really.”

“All right, young sir.” Jam nodded.

 

Erec woke up on the floor, holding an uneaten piece of toast Jam had given him. He was angry at himself for falling asleep. The king had said Bethany needed to be guarded, right? He looked at her, so fragile and helpless, hating himself for letting this happen. He hugged his knees to his chest and watched her.

What had the king said about that old deep magic? It was based on riddles. Too bad Aoquesth wasn't here. He was good at riddles. Erec smiled to himself. Aoquesth wasn't here, but his eyes were. At least he would always be a part of Erec.

Only a strong emotion could bring her out of the spell, but without hearing or understanding words she won't be able to have any strong emotions. She'll be buried deep in her haze.

Erec dropped the toast.

The letter.

He got on his knees and leaned over Bethany, hoping. This was too strange to do. But he had to try.

Erec's lips touched Bethany's. Her eyelids fluttered. As he kissed her, she awoke, and kissed him back.

It wasn't a bad feeling, actually. For a moment he thought that he'd like to try it again, someday, in better circumstances.

“Erec?” She sat up, confused. “Where are we?”

“You're at home, Bethany. You're safe now.”

She smiled at him, then lay down on the couch and fell asleep.

 

Light streamed in the windows in the morning. Erec woke up, his side sore from sleeping on the wood floor. He'd had a terrible dream, about searching for his lost mother in a fog. The dream ended with his old one—the awful memory of the father that was not his, the fake memory the Memory Mogul had given him.

Where was his birth mother, Queen Hesti, now? He knew from the inquizzle he asked that she was alive somewhere. What had happened to her? Was she with his lost, missing sibling? And what was wrong with his other sibling? He would have to find them all, and soon.

The king and Pi came into the room. Both of them looked devastated. Pi sat next to Bethany on the couch and put his hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry, sis,” he said. “We'll find someone to help you.”

Bethany sat up with a bright smile, and threw her arms around him. “Pi! You're all right! How did we get here?”

The king stepped back. “She's awake? But how…”

The Hermit appeared in the doorway wearing terry-cloth wraps around his waist and head. He did a small dance. “I know. Think of the letter Prince Poo-Poo Head wrote to himself.”

The king's jaw dropped.

 

Erec felt a little awkward around Bethany the next day, but she seemed all smiles. They sat on the front porch. Bits of the agora peeked over their manicured lawns. “So,” he asked, “you're not upset anymore about King Piter being my father?”

“Naw, I'm used to it,” Bethany said. “It just felt like you took the only relative I had. I was jealous. My parents are gone. I'm not even
related to Bea Cleary, that famous prophetess, which bummed me out. Pi travels all the time with his springball team, so I felt all alone. I had to see that the king still wanted me around, that's all. And I guess he does.”

“I know he does.” Erec smiled.

“And it doesn't make us brother and sister,” she added.

“No.” Erec thought about the kiss. “It does not.”

She laughed. “You know, it's not every girl that gets rescued by a kiss from a prince.”

Erec's face turned red. “Let's just…forget about that. Okay?”

“Okay, Prince Charming,” Bethany teased.

“Great nickname.” Erec grimaced.

“Better than Prince Poo-Poo Head.” Pi popped his head out the door, then joined them.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.” Erec was glad to change the subject. “I found out about that memory I got from the Memory Mogul. The one I used to think was my father. It's
your
memory. I knew the man's voice was familiar. Turns out it was Earl's. I guess he was trying to ditch you when you were little, and Baskania, his boss, told him you might be useful.”

Bethany stared in wonder. “So they cut a chunk of my memory out and you got it?”

Erec nodded. “It was just a small snip of your memory though. They must have taken the rest out before that.”

The three of them stared at the city of Alypium in the distance. The flags on the Green House now stood higher than any other building.

“So,” Bethany said. “You've been having my nightmares for me all of these years?”

“I don't know if it works like that.” Erec smiled.

She leaned back on the steps. “Say hi to Danny and Sammy for me when you go back.”

Erec was uneasy. Bethany was out of immediate danger, woken from her spell. But Baskania would be hunting for her now that he knew her secret—that she held the key to the Final Magic that he wanted so much. Erec wondered how Bethany could teach Baskania about the Final Magic since she didn't know anything about it herself. Maybe he shouldn't leave her here….

Pi winked at him, seeing his discomfort. “Don't worry. King Piter and I will keep a good eye on this girl while you're gone, and Wolfboy, too. I hear you're heading back for a little break with your sibs?”

“Yeah.” Erec nodded. “And my mom.” Regardless of who his birth mother was, June would always be his mom.