He headed into the woods, and Erec followed, ducking under vines and stepping over rocks. “I’m going to take you as far as you can go before you get to the Squirler Trees. But be careful if you find yourself getting angry.”
After a short hike, Spartacus stopped. “Stay here. I’m going to see this family for myself.” He bounded away, leaving Erec in the woods. He was right—Erec began to feel uncomfortable and grumpy just standing there. It came on fast and hard. Soon, anger didn’t even describe how awful he felt. It helped that Spartacus had warned him, but his mind kept thinking of other people to blame, especially Kev Hunter.
Spartacus reappeared, looking even more somber. “The family is terrified. Kev threatened them with death if they speak to anyone. They won’t open the door for you, I’ll tell you that. You’re going to have to break in. And they hid the Levrium stone with their jewelry.” He thought a moment. “I wish I could just get it for you, but at least I’ll keep an eye on things.” He thought another moment. “You’ll need something to help you. Let me see what I can find.” Moments later, he returned with an ax. “This will have to do. You can use it against the Squirler branches and also to break into the house.”
“Break in?” Erec had a sense of déjà vu, sure he had seen the ax before.
“It’s your only choice.”
Erec sizzled with annoyance. Why did this have to be such a pain? He tried to remind himself that the reason he felt this way was from the Squirler Trees, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t even under their canopy and he was miserable. Would it get worse when he was
there? He clutched the ax that Spartacus had given him. The idea of slashing those rotten stinking branches made him feel the smallest bit better. He couldn’t wait to chop and destroy them. . . .
“This ax will mess up those Squirler Trees?”
“If you swing hard and fast enough when you run. Don’t worry—I’ll keep you from getting caught if you mess up. I’d take you over the trees, but that would be worse. They surround and cover the house, and then you’d have to go through too many branches at once. This way you just have to avoid the ones that come down to the ground.”
“I’m ready.” Erec looked at the dirt path ahead. The trees that lined it were still, limbs reaching to the sky. It was hard to imagine them attacking him. But when he stepped forward, he noticed a branch slowly dip in his direction. He aimed with his ax and chopped the end off just as it reached him. Fury raced through his mind, making him feel crazy. It was hard to remember what he was here for—he just wanted to take the ax and chop every tree in the forest to the ground.
“Hurry up!” Spartacus pushed Erec’s back. “If you wait here they’ll all attack at once.”
Tree limbs began reaching toward him, and he slashed them hard, chopping their ends off as he went. It was difficult to focus through his wrath. He kept forgetting why he was there and diving at the branches—even ones behind him. It wasn’t hard to defend himself, maybe because he was enjoying the fight. Branches fell to the ground all around him.
“Go!” Spartacus yelled. “You’re almost there!”
Erec ran fast, holding on to the ax and swinging it wildly. He was sweaty and out of breath. Anger and hate surged through him. Before long he came to a small house made of logs. He knew that he had to break into it. Erec raised the ax above his head and brought it down onto the door, splitting the wood. He yanked it out, then did it
again. Pieces clattered to the ground as he kept chopping.
In a rage, he reached inside and unlocked the knob, then flung the door open with a growl. Before him, a family trembled. The mother held a young child tight, his arms wrapped around her neck. An older girl clung to her knee, crying.
The father stepped in front of them, arms out in a gesture of protection, but his hands shook badly. “Leave us alone. You can take anything you want from here. I don’t care what happens to me, but stay away from my family.”
“Jewels. Necklaces. Watches.” Erec squinted around the room. “Where do you keep them?”
The man stuttered, upset. “D-don’t take any of those. Please. Anything in the whole house is yours—but don’t steal our jewels.”
Erec swung the ax back over his shoulder, aiming at the man’s neck.
“Sorry!” The man stepped back in shock. “I’m sorry. Go ahead. They’re upstairs in my wife’s dresser. But we don’t have much. T-take what you want.”
Erec shoved past them and went upstairs. He rooted through drawers, dumping out piles of clothing and old notebooks. There was no stone in any dresser drawers—the man had obviously hoped he wouldn’t find the Levrium stone. Erec yanked everything off of shelves and out of closets, until he spotted some rows of boxes under folded scarves. Paydirt. He tore the lids off, revealing a few thin gold chains, chipped fake pearl earrings, and a plastic-looking brooch. He tossed these to the floor in haste. Underneath was a large box, and in it a brown paper bag. Pulse quickening, he pulled out a glittering gemstone as big as his fist that shone in hundreds of shades of blue—from the brightest hue of the sky to the darkest shade of midnight.
This had to be it. He pocketed the huge gem, and scrambled down the stairs. His anger had faded now that he had been in the
house for a while, and he felt awful about how he had treated this family. This was the vision he had seen when he had looked into his future with his dragon eyes—and it had been correct. He had been horrible, but at the same time he got the Levrium stone back.
This should have made Erec feel better, but instead things seemed worse. For, if all of his visions of the future were coming true, what about the one where he was riding toward Bethany about to stab her with a huge lance? She had no way to protect herself from him, when he came at her that fast—she wouldn’t have even been able to run away.
He tried to shake the image from his mind. The family was still huddled together, terrified, in the front room of the house. It wasn’t going to help much, but Erec figured that he better make amends for being so violent and destructive before. He dropped the ax at his feet and said, “Look, I’m really sorry—”
In an instant, the father made a lunge for the ax. He held it over his head, aimed right at Erec. “What did you take?”
In shock, Erec cowered under the sharp blade. But then a second later, the ax yanked backward and the father flew toward the wall behind him—with the help of Spartacus.
“Get out of here now!” Spartacus yelled. “These people will do anything to get that stone back. I’ll hold them for you.”
Erec bolted from the house and through the trees, dashing between reaching branches. This time he had no ax to swing, so he sometimes had to dart backward and around to avoid being grabbed. The faster he ran, though, the more infuriated he became at his entire situation. Where was Spartacus, anyway? This was ridiculous, having to go through this all by himself. . . .
Something yanked his waist, and then Erec flew into the air. A tree limb wrapped itself tight around his middle as he floated up. He seethed in anger. How could this happen now? It was pathetic.
But instead of curling into the top branches, Erec shot forward in the air. The branch held him like a stiff python, but it was taking him straight forward and out of the grove. That didn’t make sense. Erec looked behind and saw Spartacus holding the other end of the tree limb. He had broken it off and was flying Erec to safety. Other branches reached toward them, but the ghost was able to expertly weave in and out until they reached safety.
The branch around Erec squeezed him tighter, seemingly unaware that it was no longer attached to anything. It was hard to breathe. The thing dug into his waist, and it hurt. Finally, Spartacus severed its coils, and the branch fell away.
Before he could tell Spartacus off for taking so long, still angry from the influence of the Squirler Trees, Erec found himself hurtling through the air back to the Dragon Horse of Fire.
“I got that poor family out of there—sorry it took me a while. There is no time to waste. I’ve been focusing on the minds of everyone, and I’m getting better at reading thoughts from far away. Baskania just came to collect the Levrium stone from Kev Hunter and the family—we got it just in the nick of time! He knows it’s gone, and he wasted no time, shot himself straight back into battle. He’s approaching Lerna now, and it will fall fast if we don’t hurry.”
“Lerna! I hope Tina is okay!” Erec gripped the Levrium stone tightly. The time and distance away from the Squirler Trees let him feel more rational. He had to get on that horse fast and do whatever he could. Moments later, Erec and Spartacus were at the stable in front of the immense dragon horse with flaming red eyes.
I see you found the stone. Thank you for returning it, Erec.
He nodded. “Will you take me to Lerna so we can stop Baskania? My quest was to ride you to victory. I have no idea what to do, but I guess we’ll see when we get there.”
Put the stone in my saddle pocket and climb on.
Erec dropped the huge sparkling blue stone into a small pocket in the horse’s saddle. It would have been nearly impossible to mount the mare if Spartacus did not lift him. But this time, Erec did not feel drained. In fact, he felt great.
Before saying another word, the mare reared back, pedaling her hooves toward the sun. Erec almost flew off, but managed to grab the horn of her saddle. Then she raced forward like lightning. Erec wove first one hand and then the other through her mane, clinging on for dear life. He pressed flat against her back, eyes squinting against the wind. The countryside became a blur as they shot past.
The horse’s strong muscles rippled beneath Erec as they rode. Her black coat shimmered in the wind. The green and brown blur below them became a rippling blue for a while—Erec realized that they must be charging over a lake. This horse could ride on water? Then again, the thing was so strong, it probably could do anything.
The landscape around them blurred more as the mare cantered faster. A giggle in Erec’s ear made his skin jump. He cocked his head to the side . . . but maybe it had just been the wind. He wanted to look over his shoulder, but all he could do was hold on. Something squeezed itself into his hand, still tightly gripping the horse’s mane. He was stunned to see it was the ax he had left in the house on the outskirts of Alypium. Another hand gripped it too—and Erec followed its arm with his eyes until he saw Spartacus Kilroy, floating alongside of the galloping mare.
Spartacus was on his side in the air, a hand propped under his chin. He was letting himself be carried by the horse, tugged by his hand on the ax.
Erec tried to understand why Spartacus had given him the ax, but it was too hard to talk into the wind.
Spartacus heard his thoughts. “Sorry, it was the first weapon I
could find. I’m still carrying the Calamitizer and Rapid Transitator too, in case we need help.”
Erec nodded, trying to grip the ax and the horse hair at the same time. Soon it was easier as the animal slowed to a trot. They were in the wilderness of Otherness now—Erec saw a dragon soar overhead. As they sauntered through a clearing, a sound from the distance echoed like thunder—only it kept growing louder. Soon, it burst through the woods in a flurry of hoofbeats and crashing feet.
Before Erec’s eyes was the largest army he could ever imagine. Rows of soldiers on horseback broke through first, followed by hordes of giant sand creatures with blocklike features: the Golems. Through the middle of the Golems and flanking them on the sides were foot soldiers, more on horses, and sad-looking Cyclopes who looked unsure why they were there. Machinelike creatures on wheels, cannons jutting from their faces, followed behind, and scattered through the army troops.
At the end of the cavalcade marched rows upon rows of Spirit Warriors, with a few specters thrown into the mix. Spartacus gripped his shoulder, and Erec knew they were sharing the same thought: This is where they both would have been if not for the help of the three Furies. At least, no matter what else happened, he had done right for them.
Leading the army was a face that Erec could never forget. Eyes blazing in all directions, Thanatos Baskania headed the cavalcade with glee. Waving something above his head, a wild grin on his face, he galloped on a huge black steed with blazing red eyes.
Baskania’s horse looked just like Erec’s, only much smaller. Erec now realized why the Fates told him that he had to ride the Dragon Horse of Fire into battle. He was now a match for Baskania.
At the same time, Erec realized what Baskania was holding in the air—it had to be the Master Shem. He was commanding the
Golem army, and was about to use them for more destruction when they reached Lerna.
Erec fixated on Baskania’s hand. There lay the key to saving Otherness and Upper Earth. There was the way to keep Danny and Sammy safe, as well as the rest of the clowns—and Tina and her family in Lerna too. The rest of the army was powerful too, but the Golems were unbeatable destructors that could not be injured. And maybe, somehow, stopping this would save his family from dying in Ashona.
He had to get that Master Shem back. Everything in his life centered around this one small object in the hand of his worst foe. There was nothing that could stop him from fighting for it. Every person he cared about in the world would be affected by this, and they were all counting on him.
Erec eyed the ax in his hand, hoping that it would be enough to do the job against his enemy.
“Don’t forget,” a voice said in his ear. “I have some things up my sleeve too.”
Erec remembered that Spartacus had the Calamitizer and the Rapid Transitator. “Maybe you could use that thing to take the Master Shem now?”
Spartacus aimed the Rapid Transitator at Baskania and squeezed its trigger, then pointed in the opposite direction and shot at a tree. Erec watched in wonder, waiting to see the Master Shem transport itself to the tree.
It did not. The thing tugged sideways in the air, but Baskania easily resisted Spartacus’s weapon. Baskania, however, swung around to look straight at Erec. Horror and rage swept over his face.
“Um, I guess that wasn’t the best idea,” Erec said. “I can’t give him time to think. Let’s go.”