The Secret of Ashona (26 page)

No, he had to command it to go away again. But there was one thing that he wanted to see first. It was a small thing, and he hoped that he could use the scepter this way without it possessing him again. Maybe he could command it without touching it. . . .

Scepter, I want to see what Baskania used you for when he had you. Show me what happened.

A white screen appeared in the air. Erec was relieved that, as he was not touching it, the scepter did not create the same mad desire in him. But a feeling of power still rushed through his body. The screen proceeded to show Erec a movie that contained everything Baskania had done with his scepter. It was horrifying.

For fun, Baskania made seven men split into a thousand pieces each and then reassembled them, mixing parts, so that they all appeared strangely put together and oddly related to one another.

He turned a general that he was bored of into a giant pudding, and then commanded his soldiers to eat him for dessert.

He shot multiple bolts of power at the moon to remove it from the night sky. The great ball of rock shattered into five pieces, the largest of which turned red.

He gave a talk and made the audience laugh hysterically when he told a joke, to the point where none of them could breathe. One officer died of asphyxiation before he released the spell.

He made himself grow larger than he had been before so that he could fit more eyes in his face and body.

He pointed the scepter around the library and had an instant input of all of the books that were there into his brain, as if he had read them all at once.

The list went on and on. Baskania had used the scepter continuously, and mostly for things that he could have done without it. But Erec knew why—using it felt so good, and gave the user such a sense of power, that he would want to do everything with it. Watching how Baskania abused the magic made Erec want to stay away from the thing even more. It disgusted him.

Baskania also had spent a lot of time talking to the scepter as well. It advised him, and prodded him into using it more, although Baskania would have done so anyway. Luckily the thing also seemed to preoccupy him and distract him from the dragon eyes and the Twrch Trwyth. The scepter wanted Baskania’s full attention.

There were a few more disturbing things that Erec saw:

Baskania used the scepter to create a huge crowd at the coronation ceremony for the Stain triplets. Balor, Damon, and Dollick were crowned the kings of Alypium, Aorth, and Ashona. He then used the scepter to create huge castles for the three boys, as well as ornate crowns that he affixed to their heads.

He created massive statues of himself that erupted straight out of the ground in Alypium and in Americorth North, and from the sea bed near Ashona. These towered over all of the buildings. The statues had moving eyes, and watched all that happened within their sight, reporting everything to Baskania.

He placed Fear Essences into the air of both Upper Earth and the Kingdoms of the Keepers. It created an atmosphere that increased stress and made people prone to anger and greed. It also made them more subject to being ruled, as they would be less likely to communicate with one another.

He created a new group called the Special Tax Service. Countless men and women were enslaved by the scepter, and made to go door to door collecting valuables for him. People were required to give up their most valuable possessions on a monthly basis “for the good of the people.”

He put a spell on his name, so that it could not be spoken without saying, “I worship the Shadow Prince” three times.

And with a particularly powerful swipe of the scepter, he put an idea in the head of every person in the world. Baskania made them all believe that he was born the one true ruler, that nobody should ever defy him, and that they were all there only to serve his needs.

Erec sat a moment in disbelief after the screen vanished. The Diamond Mind was silent too—it obviously was as stunned as he was. Thank goodness that Erec had taken the scepter back from Baskania. King Piter had been right—Baskania would surely have destroyed the world with it if he had it for much longer. He wondered how much time that would have taken.

“How long was I gone?” he asked the Diamond Mind.

The creature spoke quietly. “Three weeks, to the day. I suppose I wish that I hadn’t asked you what happened. I really was happier not knowing all of this.”

Erec shook his head. “I want to send this scepter away again, but first I’m going to have to reverse some of the things that Baskania’s done.” He thought about it for a while. “I have to be careful, though. It’s too dangerous for me to use the scepter for one more thing than I need to. So let’s pick and choose.”

“Are you asking for my help?” the thing asked.

“I guess I am. You saw the movies with me. I don’t know what to do.”

“It seems like you should reverse the false idea he implanted in every human that they are here only to serve him, and that he is the one true ruler.”

“Definitely. And fix the moon! I also need to get rid of those Fear Essences. I’m so happy to get my body back that I can barely notice them . . . but I can sense that they’re there.”

“The spell on his name should go. That is a horrid abuse of power.”

Erec nodded. “And the Special Tax Service. Disgusting.” He sighed. “I should probably leave the rest as is. I’m afraid doing all of that will take far too much out of me as it is, and leave me too vulnerable to the scepter. I don’t see a choice though.”

“Another problem,” the Diamond Mind added, “is that Baskania can redo some of those spells on his own, even without the scepter. He is quite powerful, and extremely connected with the Substance.”

“I know. The scepter feels so good to use that even Baskania ended up doing much crazier things than he would have otherwise. But he might like those things now that he’s tried them.” Erec was quiet, and closed his eyes. Then it became clear. “I might have to stay here a while after this. I’m not sure how long it will take me to recover. . . .”

“As you wish, Erec. You may stay as long as you need.”

“Okay. Here goes.” He concentrated.
Scepter, do as I command you. First, reverse Baskania’s spell on his name. Free the slaves from the Special Tax Service and disband it. Get rid of the Fear Essences that Baskania put into the air. Remove the false ideas that he implanted into everyone’s minds. And then make it impossible for him to repeat any of those spells again. Never go to Baskania again. Never work for him. And after you have done all of this, disappear and stay far away from me until I am ready for you. This time, you must disappear until both I
and
somebody else say that I am ready to use you. Do these things now, and nothing else.

Erec watched as the scepter lifted off of the ground, shaking. It rose into the air, red and gold sparks flying from it. Loud snaps in the air around it sounded like miniature thunder cracks. Erec wondered if the amount of magic that he had just commanded the scepter to do was more than it had ever done at one time. If he had been holding it right now he surely would have gone insane from the power running through it.

But even from a distance, Erec could feel an enormous pull on his body and insides from the massive spells that were being performed. Lightning erupted out of his skin, and some of the sparks entered the Diamond Mind. Huge waves of pressure billowed from inside of Erec through the pit, throwing him against a wall. If he had still been a ghost he would have been blown straight into the dirt. The scepter pulled every ounce of magic from him and used it, as well as from the Substance around them. Erec’s mind was electrified from the surges all around him.

For a while it felt like a nightmare that would never end. But then, all of a sudden, the scepter vanished.

Within the same second, Erec and the Diamond Mind fell straight into a deep sleep.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A Scary Future

H
OURS LATER
, Erec’s eyes opened. Sunlight streamed into the pit. The Diamond Mind was awake and humming.

Erec immediately felt even happier than before. The air seemed lighter, and the world more peaceful. Now that the Fear Essences were gone, everything seemed wonderful. He had done it. Fixed things. What a relief!

At the same time, however, his body felt drained and sick. The energy that the scepter had taken out of him had left him reeling. Every inch of him ached, and he was overcome with exhaustion. In
his core, there was also an intense craving for the scepter that was so overpowering that it made him dizzy.

In a normal situation, experiencing all of this would have made him miserable. But he was so happy to be alive, body and soul, that he didn’t care. He was back—and the world was back. It had been saved from his horrible mistake as well. Erec wondered what Baskania must be thinking about the scepter and his dragon eyes disappearing. He would have no clue what had happened to them—thinking about it made Erec laugh. But he knew that Baskania would be feeling even more of a craving for the scepter than Erec did, and he would do anything to get it back.

It took most of the day before Erec felt ready to move. The Diamond Mind did not speak, also recovering from the shock. Finally, when Erec was ready to go home, he realized that there was one thing that he needed to do first. He was whole again—soul and all—so there was no reason for him to be evil anymore. He had to look into his future again, just to know that everything would be okay, that those old visions no longer were going to happen. . . .

Erec closed his eyes and pictured himself going into a dark room inside of his head. It was peaceful inside. He took a moment to relax there and feel the triumph of the day. Everything was right in the world again. He could not wait to see what his future held now. Inside of the room was a second room, darker and quieter.

When Erec entered this one he felt completely at peace. There was the black box on the table, humming and vibrating. It seemed to call out his name and to hold all of the good things in the world that were to come. He touched it, and felt better than he ever had in his whole life. He had taken a big risk, and been through a lot. But now it was all perfect. . . .

It was time to pull the cord and open the shades on the two windows. No longer did he fear seeing himself do evil deeds.

Trevor looked up at Erec with big brown eyes, confused. “Why are you doing this? Let me go.”

Erec gripped Trevor’s wrist harder. “That’s enough from you. Come with me.” His mouth winced into a fake smile. “I would never do anything to hurt you. Remember that.”

Trevor shook from head to toe as Erec dragged him down the hallway. Erec knocked on the tall wooden doors of the Inner Sanctum. When they swung open, he shoved Trevor inside and followed behind him.

“Look what I have for you.” Erec grinned at Baskania.

“Wonderful!” Baskania beamed. “What a treat.”

“Enjoy him.” Erec dusted his hands off with a grin. “Thanks again for letting me serve you. It’s my pleasure.”

Baskania laughed with glee. A silver cage fell out of the air and over Trevor. Trevor put his little hands on the bars and gazed through at Erec with sad eyes. Erec felt a twinge of grief, but he pushed it aside. He had done what he needed, and that was all that mattered.

“How about a dragon?” Erec suggested. “I know one that I can deliver here. I thought that would be a nice next gift for you.”

Baskania strode over and patted Erec’s head with his hand. “Boy, you have turned out to be a pleasure for me. I’m so glad
that we’ve gotten to know each other better and moved past that bad time we used to have.”

Erec was pleased. Baskania was happy now, and that’s what was important.

Erec dropped the shades shut in horror. This made no sense at all. He was going to be evil still? Or at least completely stupid and beholden to Baskania? How in the world could he hand over his precious brother? And a dragon? Erec loved dragons. He would never deliver one to Baskania to be chopped up for parts.