The Secret of Ashona (16 page)

“I’m glad that you’re back!” Bethany grinned and hugged June, who also looked like she could faint from happiness. Luckily Erec, with his new mind-reading skills, was able to convince all of them that he was feeling too bad to be touched.

“We were so worried about you.” June reached for Erec again, but thought better of it. “Where were you? With the Furies?”

Erec nodded, but before he could talk Bethany added, “What happened? We were afraid that you went and did that stupid quest.” She pointed to the Amulet of Virtues on his chest. “Nope. Still only six done.”

“I got the Master Shem that Tarvos wanted. Then I gave it to him so we could have Trevor back.”

Bethany looked torn between being thrilled and upset. “Why didn’t you wait for me to go with you?” Erec could hear her thoughts as clearly as her words. She had been crying since the morning they had found him missing—and two days had passed here since then. She thought that she would never see him again. Her best friend was dead. And probably the love of her life.

It made Erec sick to think that she had been right, after all. He was dead now, and she had no clue. It seemed too cruel to let them
know that he was a ghost. Let them all be happy for a while. If he could figure out a way to get his soul back, maybe he would never have to put them through that misery. . . .

“How did you get the Master Shem, Erec?” his mother asked.

“The Furies. I talked to them.” He smiled, hoping they wouldn’t ask much more. He did not want to lie, but would have to avoid the details.

Bethany looked excited, and started bouncing on her toes. “Did they give you your soul back?”

How to answer that one? “Not yet.”

“Not yet?” His mother peered into his face. “So, do you think that they will give it to you, then?”

He forced a smile. “They said that they would.”

If only it were that easy. Here he was, stuck without a soul and heading toward becoming evil. How would he be able to find someone that would give up their own soul for him? And was it even fair to ask anyone? Not really. What could he do?

An idea occurred to him. There was another ghost who was wiser than he would ever be, but it was not one who had lived a human life in the past. This was a golden ghost, by the name of Homer, who lived in the catacombs under King Piter’s house where the castle used to stand. Homer guarded one of King Piter’s most priceless possessions—the Novikov Time Bender, a time machine that Erec had used before. Homer had a great knowledge of the world of spirits, and had been alive for an eternity. Maybe he would know where Erec could find a soul to spare.

“Where’s that Serving Tray?” Erec whizzed past his mother so fast that her head spun. He would have to remember to tap the ground more slowly so nobody would notice that he wasn’t really walking. “It’s time for Trevor’s feast.”

Trevor ate exactly what Erec predicted he would. It wasn’t until
Erec saw the food disappear into his brother’s mouth that he realized how much he wished he could still eat. Erec wasn’t hungry at all, but he could remember how good food used to taste . . . the feeling of becoming full. It was hard to watch, he missed it so much. But he made himself stay at the table with everyone else.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” his mother asked.

“I just did.” He smiled. “Later.”

It became harder acting like everything was normal when Jam insisted upon appearing at Erec’s side every hour or so with meals and snacks for him. “Really,” he kept insisting, “I’m just not hungry yet. I’ll help myself.”

It was also difficult to stay in the house at all. Now that Erec had the thought of visiting Homer, he was driven to go find him right away. He could not relax as a ghost, and just enjoy being around his loved ones. He still cared for them, but it was clear that he was here only for a purpose—to get his soul back, and maybe also to get the Master Shem back from Tarvos. Once he gave those ideas up he would be gone. It was like living one long, never-ending cloudy thought.

Until now, being a ghost had seemed easier than being human. But being home made everything completely different. There was nothing he wanted more than to give his family big hugs, and even give Bethany a kiss. Simple things, like eating, breathing, and sleeping seemed amazing. Most of all, he wished he could just relax and enjoy life without being driven like a slave to continue a mission.

If things went right, maybe he would be able to do all of those things again someday. But if they went wrong he might do awful things, hurt people, and have a horrifying afterlife. . . . He couldn’t let that happen. One way or another, he had to fix this. It was time to go.

“Hey, look everyone. I have a chance to get my soul back, but I
have to take care of a few things to do that. It won’t take long, but it’s really something I need to do by myself.”

“What?” Erec could see that Bethany was hurt. She had felt rejected when he told her not to hug him, and now even more that he was about to head off on another adventure without her. It was supposed to be the two of them together, he knew.

“Can I talk to you a minute alone, Bethany?”

He led her into his room. One nice thing about being a ghost was that he knew exactly what she was thinking, and how to make her feel better. She sat on his bed and looked into his eyes, not seeing that he was any different.

Erec stroked her hair lightly with his fingers. It certainly wasn’t something he would have done before he was a ghost, but he knew it was the right thing at the moment. “Sorry I didn’t want you to touch me before. Something happened to me when I was gone, and you’ll just have to trust that I’m going to try and make it better. But I’m not feeling good, and if anyone touches me it would be . . . bad.” He rushed ahead, cutting her off. “And I want you to know something else. No matter what happens to me from this point on, I love you.”

Bethany’s face turned bright red, but Erec could see that she was glowing inside. He knew that it was not at all the kind of thing that he would have said when he was alive. But given that he was about to leave her again, possibly forever, it was what he needed to say now.

“I . . . you know, I . . .” Bethany was struggling, not sure how she wanted to reply.

“Hey. It’s okay. Don’t answer me. You’re my best friend, that’s all that has ever mattered. I’m really sorry that I have to do this alone. There is nothing on earth—nothing—that I would rather do than just spend time with you and my family. But all I can tell you is that I’m having something like a big, long cloudy thought. I just have to go take care of this. I will come back to you afterward,
no matter what. And then I will tell you everything. Promise.”

He could tell that she still was worried, but she felt much better about him leaving. “Okay, Erec. If it’s like a cloudy thought, then I understand. Just be careful. I’d hate to lose you. Okay?”

Erec nodded, knowing that he was already lost.

Before anyone else could stop him, Erec darted into the Port-O-Door and shut it behind him. In a flash he had tapped the spot on the Alypium map where King Piter’s castle once stood. The door opened into the house where he had recently lived with his father. In a flash, he whisked away the swatch of carpet that lay over the opening to the catacombs, and pulled the trapdoor open. Down a flight of stairs, around one corner then the next, Erec glided faster than he used to be able to run. He had known the way to this room even as a human; now there was no question. But this was the first time that he had come here to see Homer himself, not the Novikov Time Bender.

In moments, he stood before the glimmering cloudlike being. “Welcome back, Erec.” Homer beamed. “It’s so good to see you here again.” Homer did not seem at all surprised that Erec was now a ghost. It was almost as if he had expected it all along. “I’m glad that you chose me to help you.”

That sounded reassuring. Erec was not able to read Homer’s mind, so he said, “I guess you understand why I am here. I need to get my soul back so I don’t turn into some kind of evil spirit. Can you help me?”

“Don’t worry, boy. There is a way for you.” He sighed. “I wish I could help you more, but my kind has made a vow not to interfere with humans. I can get around that a bit, I suppose, because you are not exactly human at this point. You’re a bit more like me. So I’ll help you a little. But you’re going to need to do most of the work yourself.

“You have a few choices. There are other spirits like you who
occupy different regions. Some of them may help you, others won’t. In order to get your soul back, you need to find a true friend. And he exists out there, but nowhere you would ever normally go. You need to discover places beyond in order to find what you seek—somewhere where there are lots of ghosts just like you. There are others in need of help, too. Those three thousand souls in bondage with the Furies all have the same sad story to tell that you do.

“Right now, you know better than to force a living person to give their soul for you. But if you don’t act soon, you will become evil. And then you will likely do exactly that—bring an innocent human to the Furies, and take their soul from them. So take heed, and proceed with speed and caution.”

“I’m trying—if I only knew what to do. Since I’ve become a ghost I can’t stop being on the move, anyway.”

“I know. Your type of ghost is always in motion—unless what they have to do involves waiting. Ghosts in that situation usually become very unhappy. They are quite impatient.”

Erec realized that Homer must be incredibly patient. He was always here, in this same spot. Erec thought about what Homer had told him. “You’re saying that I need to go somewhere where I can find other spirits, like me. Can you tell me where that is?”

Homer paused. “I cannot tell you where to go. That is meddling too much.” He thought a moment, and smiled. “I suppose, however, that I could tell you where
not
to go. You should
not
look anywhere except for a place that is controlled by your worst enemy. That is the best that I can do.”

It was time to move on. Erec sensed that Homer had said all that he would say.

CHAPTER NINE
Fire and Destruction

E
REC’S DRIVE TO GET
his soul back bordered on obsession. He had never felt this focused on anything when he had been alive. There was no need for sleep anymore, nor conversations, or anything else that would take him away from his goal.

A place controlled by his worst enemy. That was easy—Thanatos Baskania, the Shadow Prince, was obviously the person who had been against him from the start. All of the others: the Stain triplets, the armies of Alypium and Aorth, even President Washington
Inkle, all were mobilized under Baskania. The question was—what would Baskania have to do with spirits and ghosts?

Maybe he had some stashed in his fortress in Jakarta—the place where Bethany had been held captive in the spring? A thought occurred to Erec—one that was very appealing. If he found Baskania now and spoke to him, Erec would be able to read his mind completely. He would be able to find out exactly where any spirits were being held. And, on top of that, he could actually see what his archenemy was planning. Maybe Erec could interfere with his strategies.

That seemed to be the perfect answer. Erec had no fear of Baskania now—what could he do to Erec? Kill him? Seeing Baskania would actually be entertaining. Erec glided up the catacomb stairs back into the Port-O-Door. Straight to Jakarta, Indonesia. He knew where to park the door, nearby the cross streets of Jalan Kemang Raya and Jalan Bangka. Once there, he concentrated on tapping his toes against the ground to glide at a normal speed so he would not stand out in the crowd. The city was packed with people gathering at cafés and galleries, so he wasn’t too worried about strangers paying him too much attention.

He was focusing on avoiding a group of people gathered around a food stall, and didn’t notice that a young man in a business suit was walking fast right toward him. They normally would have bumped shoulders, but the man was walking forcefully enough that he passed right through Erec. He turned around, in shock, to get a better look at Erec, so Erec bolted ahead faster to get out of his view.
Oops.
He would have to pay closer attention next time.