The Secret of Ashona (59 page)

All of a sudden, Bethany’s eyes bugged out. Her hands spasmed on the scepter as if she was being electrocuted, and her hair blew around her head like the Furies’.

Erec didn’t know what to do. Was the thing backfiring or blowing a circuit? He tried to yank it from her hands, but her grip on it was far too strong. It didn’t even look like she noticed he was trying. Finally, her face relaxed, and in a burst of energy Erec ripped the scepter from her grip.

Bethany spun around and glared at him with a look of pure hate. It made him jump—he had never seen her like that before. But then she calmed down and looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Why were you trying to take my scepter away?”

“I wasn’t. But it looked like it was hurting you, so I thought I better get it out of your hands.”

“It didn’t hurt. I could feel the magic working, though. It kind of felt . . . good.”

“I know all about that.” He laughed. “Just don’t do it again. Even if this is just a fake one, it still might be addicting.”

She smiled. “I know that it worked, though. It kind of told me that. So I think we’ll be okay.”

Spartacus appeared, looking somber. “You’re coming in the nick of time, kid. Are you ready to leave now?”

“Yes. What’s happening there?”

“I’ll tell you the reason that there is a trash compactor in the Inner Sanctum. It wasn’t your idea to throw Trevor into it, it was Baskania’s. He’s got him there now, and he’s making his last threats to see if Trevor will help him. Baskania knows that Trevor’s mind is messed up. He’s already searched through all of his memory—what little new memory there is after all the old stuff was gone—and he can’t find anything. He’s suspicious, too, that you were the one that did something to Trevor. Luckily Trevor had no memory of what happened—he can barely keep yesterday’s events in his head, the water of Lethe was so strong. So the Shadow Prince can’t be sure.”

“I’m going to really have to play it up to get him back on my side.”

“Offer him the world. When he sees you have the scepter, he’s bound to forgive and forget.”

“What else can I offer him besides my eyes and the scepter?” Then Erec thought about the Amulet of Virtues and the Twrch Trwyth hanging around his neck. He wouldn’t give those away, and it was too late to ask the scepter to bring them back later. He would offer Baskania something else to throw him off track and make him forget about the things hanging on Erec’s neck.

Spartacus answered his thoughts. “Why don’t you leave the Amulet of Virtues and the Twrch Trwyth here?”

“I can’t take them off. The Amulet protects me. And they are supposed to stay on me, always.”

“Good luck, then. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Bethany, thanks for programming this thing.” He picked up the scepter. It was strange holding one that looked so much like his but did nothing for him. “We have to hurry.”

“Good luck.” Bethany looked like she was thinking.

“She wants to come, but she knows it’s not safe.” Spartacus said.

Erec felt guilty, as he was eavesdropping on her private thoughts. “It’s okay, Bethany. I’ll have Trevor back really soon.” He thought about how little time they had spent together this last horrible month. “I promise I’ll take you somewhere, just the two of us, after all of this is over. We could use a little adventure of our own.”

She grinned. “Thanks, Erec. I’m just going to keep thinking everything will be okay, and maybe I’ll make it through being alone, waiting here again.”

Erec smiled at her as Spartacus grabbed his shoulders and sailed with him to the Port-O-Door in the Castle Ashona.

A blind follower opened the heavy oak doors to the Inner Sanctum. When Erec told him who he was, and that he would like to speak to the Shadow Prince, the poor man had gasped in shock. He stumbled back in his heavy, hooded robe, then turned and plodded to his master. Moments later, he returned and swung the doors open wide. “Please come in. The Shadow Prince will see you now.”

Erec strolled into the room. Hundreds of candles reflected sparkling light over the ornate gold chandeliers and furniture. The sole eye on Baskania’s forehead today swept its gaze over Erec, stopping at the gold scepter in his hands.

Erec could feel the tension in the room. Trevor looked up at him with hope. Next to him was a trash compactor, a huge guard standing next to it.

Baskania tilted his head. “Well, look who has come back to visit.” Erec could tell that Baskania was trying to read his mind, unsuccessfully.

Erec had to play this perfectly. He cracked a grin. “I wasn’t going to stay away for too long. Just learning from the best, that’s all.”

Baskania cocked an eyebrow, listening. It seemed that he was not going to make a sudden move for the scepter, probably because he thought that Erec could use it against him.

“I brought you a few gifts.” Erec wagged the scepter in the air. “Peace offerings. And also an apology. I did a few things I shouldn’t have when I was with the Furies. Like take away our contract where you would get my eyes. It was too hard to resist. I was there, and I could do it, so I did.” He tried to sound cocky. “But, like I said, I came back. There’s too much for me to learn here. You’ve been really good to me. And when I was reborn from the Furies, I saw a whole different side to you.” He shrugged. “So maybe I shouldn’t have done that with our contract, but I’m going to make it all up to you now.”

Baskania’s eyes widened with delight, gazing at the scepter. “What do you have for me?”

Erec looked at the scepter and tapped on it. But then he glanced back at Baskania. “For one, I have some news for you. King Piter and Queen Posey are in Ashona now. Two royals and another scepter there. Just thought you’d like that information.”

Erec knew full well that that was no news to Baskania. But it seemed best to start slowly. He pretended to notice Trevor for the first time. “Did you get what you needed out of him?”

“No.” Baskania’s voice soured. “He was useless. Someone erased his mind.”

“I know who it was, I’m sure.” Erec crossed his arms, confident. “King Piter said some kind of spell when I was taking Trevor out of Ashona. I didn’t know what he was doing, but that must have been it.”

A look of realization crossed Baskania’s face. “So you didn’t . . .”

“Me? I’m just trying to help you.” He laughed. “And occasionally myself.”

Baskania beamed. “Well . . . what a good boy you are. I’m glad to see you are still using your head.”

Trevor was crouching, arms around his knees, and shaking head to toe. Erec laughed cruelly, and gave him a kick. “Worthless piece of garbage.”

Trevor stared at him with big eyes, in disbelief. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Look at that. He’s useless.” Erec smirked, then kicked Trevor into a large box that was on its side on the floor. He looked up at Baskania and laughed. “Let’s throw him in that trash compactor to be crushed. Trash is all he is, anyway.”

“That’s fine.” Baskania looked at Erec greedily. “Now, let’s see what else you have for me today.”

“This.” Erec held the scepter out to him. “It’s yours again. I got it from the Furies for you. This time nobody will take it away. Why don’t you take my dragon eyes first, so you don’t forget? Once you are using the scepter, you’ll be thinking of other things.”

“Good thinking, boy.” Baskania’s whisper was tight with greed. “Here we go.”

The room went black. Erec felt the scepter lift out of his grip.

“This is it!”
Baskania’s voice echoed. “Oh, it’s so good to have you back in my hands again. I’ve missed you, lovely. Let’s see what we can make you do now!”

Erec could feel the electricity spark in the room and screams echoed from outside. What was Baskania doing with the scepter?
He could not even imagine. But it was definitely working for him. Bethany had been able to program it right. Now hopefully it would go back to Bethany again soon. Erec just had fifteen minutes to get Trevor out of there.

He felt a hand on his arm. “Spartacus?” he whispered.

“It’s me,” Spartacus said. “I entered one of the guards and made him pick up Trevor and drop him into the trash compactor. It was perfect—the guard thought that Baskania was making him do it, and Baskania’s completely distracted now. I’m going to pop back into the same guard and make him wheel Trevor out of here in that thing. I’ll get you in a minute.”

Erec nodded. He could hear Baskania murmuring to the scepter. “. . . and then you will finish my plans to let me conquer the world. You will bring me the rest of the . . . Ashona . . .” Erec wished he could catch everything, but it would probably be too horrifying, anyway.

Someone grabbed Erec’s arm with a heavy hand, and Spartacus whispered, “It’s me . . . in the guard. Let’s go before Baskania finishes with that thing.”

In the hallway outside, Spartacus stepped out of the guard, who sounded surprised. “What do I do? I can’t tell if the Shadow Prince wants me to cart this kid to the trash.”

Erec couldn’t see, but he knew the guard was talking to him. He said, “I’m supposed to do it. That’s why you grabbed me and brought me out here. Get it? Now go back inside.”

“Yeah. I guess.” The guard sounded nervous. Erec could hear him stumble back into the Inner Sanctum. Baskania was still talking to the scepter when the guard opened the door.

“Let’s get out of here!” Spartacus had Erec and Trevor out a window before Erec could even answer. He flew them to a Port-O-Door that he had left in a tree in the woods of Alypium. It was nauseating being carried through the air blind—Erec could not wait to get his
eyes back again. Spartacus pressed the buttons to go to the Castle Ashona. Thankfully he was not trying to drag Erec and Trevor there through the ocean water.

When the inner door of the Port-O-Door opened, Spartacus walked through it easily. But when Erec tried to pass, he was stopped by what felt like a glass wall. Trevor must have hit it too, because he made a noise and sounded like he was rubbing his face.

“Come on, you guys.” Spartacus looked back at them impatiently. Finally, he took Erec and Trevor by the hands and pulled them, making them slam hard into whatever the thing was.

“Ow!” Trevor rubbed his face. “What pulled me into that invisible wall?”

“What’s going on?” Spartacus squinted until he saw what it was. “Is this stopping you guys? It looks like glass or thick plastic. Sorry. I didn’t notice it here before.”

“That’s okay.” Erec wished that he could see what the thing looked like. Then he remembered the little he had heard Baskania talking to the scepter while he was in the room. “I think Baskania did something to Ashona—he said something, but I couldn’t make out the details.”

A look of realization crossed Spartacus’s face. “You’re probably right. I wonder what he’s up to, closing this place off.”

“We aren’t going to be able to get in there now.” Erec began to worry about Bethany and his family. How would he see them again? How would they know that Trevor was okay?

“I’ll tell them,” Spartacus said.

“But they can’t hear or see you.”

“I’ll get a piece of paper and write on it. Bethany knows what’s going on. I’ll fill her in on what happened, and tell her Trevor is okay.”

“Good.” Erec waited until Spartacus returned.

“She’s really happy,” the ghost said. “She thanked me and said to thank you. The girl can’t wait to see you again, kid. She really misses you.”

“I miss her, too.”

“Yeah, I know. I told her that.”

“Thanks.”

All of a sudden, Erec could see again. His eyes were back. “Look!” He pointed to his face.

“The scepter worked, then.” Spartacus grinned. “I guess it’s back with Bethany now.”

“What are we going to do?” Erec put a hand on Trevor’s head. Trevor looked up at him with frightened eyes, and he gave his brother a hug. “It’s okay, Trev. All that bad stuff is done. I’m here now, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. And I’m sorry about how I acted in that place—I had to fake being mean.”

Erec had not even had time to feel relieved until this moment. All of a sudden, reality came rushing to him—he had saved Trevor! Everything would be okay now. The Furies were free, the souls were free, Trevor was free. Erec had even finished his seventh quest—bravery. Even if he could not see Bethany and his family immediately, things were all good, and everyone was safe.

He wondered how long it would be before he could see his family. Why was this barrier around Ashona anyway? In a flash of fear, he wondered what Baskania had done with the scepter. Did he do this because Erec had pointed out that King Piter and Queen Posey were staying here? Baskania already knew that, though. Maybe he was holding them hostage for Queen Posey’s scepter. . . .

“I guess we should go to Rosco’s place,” Erec said. “We can wait with Trevor there until Ashona opens up.”

Spartacus nodded and took them back through the Port-O-Door
into Alypium. Moments later, Erec and Trevor were sailing through the air toward Rosco’s apartment.

“He’s in there,” Spartacus said. “And I get the sense he’s not happy. I can’t read his mind clearly from here.”

Spartacus was right. Rosco was pacing the floors when they arrived. He looked up at Erec with relief. “Thank goodness you’re here—and you’re okay. I’ve been worried sick.”

“About me?”

“Yes . . . and more than that too. Baskania is attacking Otherness now, and he’s going after Upper Earth next. He showed us his plans in a meeting—he’s starting with Europe, then moving down into Africa, and then North and South America. The guy’s got it planned down to how each town and each city will fall, and the timing of his Golem army crushing everything. He owns all the bridges. And all the transportation—the trains, airlines, buses. He’s bought them all. Plus, he has half the police around the world on his payroll. And with Eye of the World taking over the United Nations, its army overriding the rest of the nations’ militaries, nobody can even put up a fight. He’s obsessed about these details for decades, and the guy isn’t one to forget a detail.”

Erec absorbed this in shock. Just when he thought everything was okay, Baskania was waging war? Or was it even war if nobody could fight back? It was more like Baskania smashing a bug with his thumb—and Erec’s world was the bug.