But Spartacus soon returned. “I went underneath the city and found it—the Secret of Ashona is hard to miss when you’re down there. It’s an amazing creature . . . or whatever you’d call it. But it could not hear me or see me at all. Completely frustrating. I tried to ask it what was going on . . . even went inside of it, but it couldn’t detect me.”
“What should I do?”
A familiar voice issued from over Erec’s shoulder. “Pick your nose? Pick your brain? Pick your battles?”
Erec spun around to see the Hermit standing calmly, wearing nothing but an enormous fig leaf over his lower parts and his winged shoes. He posed like a Greek statue, balancing an apple on one hand in the air.
“Hermit!” Erec filled with relief. “I thought I finished my quest, but everyone’s still stuck in Ashona. They’re suffocating in there.”
“Oh, no. Mustn’t have that.” The Hermit’s eyes twinkled with merriment as if he was talking about a kid eating too much candy, and not everyone who Erec loved dying.
“How can we help them?”
“We? So it’s we, now that you want something done, is it?” He giggled.
Erec waited, hoping for usable advice.
The Hermit took a bite of the apple with a loud crunch and scratched his chin. “If you have heart, go to the heart of the problem. If you have a brain, though, think first, or you will find yourself all stomach.” He hooted with laughter, then finished his apple, tossing the core into Erec’s hands.
Erec threw a glance at Spartacus, but when he looked back the Hermit was gone. “How does he do that?”
Spartacus shrugged. “I can’t even scoot that fast. What do you think he was saying?”
“Who knows? I should go to the Secret of Ashona myself. I’ll have to try to find out what’s going on since Posey can’t do it from inside. I guess that’s what the Hermit means—if I have heart, I’ll go to the heart of the problem.”
“And if you have a brain, you have to be careful . . . or you’ll end up in its stomach, I guess.”
“I’m not sure how to be careful with that thing. I guess I just won’t get too close to it.”
“How will you breathe under there? It’s in the middle of the ocean.”
Erec flashed his Instagills. “Easy.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Well, no time like the present, right?”
Erec nodded—and they were off.
Erec had to shout at Spartacus in his thoughts until the ghost noticed that he was trying to communicate with him. They were whizzing through the ocean so fast that it hurt Erec’s skin, and he had to tell Spartacus to slow down. Reluctantly, Spartacus changed his pace. Now Erec could see the sea life they were passing. Octopuses and schools of fish grazed against him as he sailed through the water. It was interesting enough to distract him from where he was headed. The bubble city of Ashona was within view, and Spartacus was taking him down along its side, then underneath it.
Erec hoped this wasn’t a stupid thing to do. If Queen Posey was not able to speak to the Secret of Ashona without being eaten alive, then why would Erec even attempt it? Maybe he would do everyone a lot more good if he stayed on the outside and found Baskania, made him reverse his command about Ashona. Not that he had any chance of doing that.
But the Hermit made it sound like he should do this . . . at least if he did it right, whatever that meant. He hoped he was interpreting the Hermit correctly—he never really knew what that guy meant.
From the outside, the set of connecting bubbles that was Ashona looked smoky-colored, and pulsating—completely different from the way it previously appeared. Before he was close enough to put a hand on its shell, Spartacus yanked him downward. The city went much deeper than Erec expected.
Spartacus pulled him under a long, flat wall of cobbled metal. Erec reached a finger up to touch it. It was pulsing out as if it were about to burst. The tension inside it must have been enormous to make it buckle out like that. He cringed, thinking of Bethany in there, sweltering, with no oxygen. How much longer would everyone last?
A long way under Ashona, Erec saw swirling, rushing bubbles
circling in the water ahead of them. Even through the water, he could hear a rushing sound, like a whirlpool. Spartacus pulled him closer until he began to resist.
I think this is a safe distance,
he thought.
Spartacus stopped. “You can’t even see her from here.”
Her?
“Yeah. The Secret of Ashona. It’s a woman.”
I don’t know how close I can go without getting swallowed.
“Well, you can try talking to her from here.”
Erec was able to speak underwater, thanks to his Instagills. But in addressing the Secret of Ashona, he wasn’t quite sure how to start. “Can you hear me?”
There was no response.
“I think you’re going to have to get a little closer, bud.” Spartacus pulled him farther.
Erec yanked back, and then tried again to speak to the Secret—and heard no answer.
Like a game of tug-of-war, Spartacus kept pulling one way and Erec kept yanking back. As they inched closer to the swirling torrent ahead, Erec thought about the Hermit’s warning. Was there another way he was supposed to prepare for this? He wished he knew.
The Secret of Ashona was approaching fast. Erec was much closer than he wanted to be. At the same time, it was still not responding when he spoke to it. Steadily, he approached, until finally he could see it clearly.
The rushing water of the Secret of Ashona swirled in the shape of waving hair around a woman’s face. Inside were clear features. Watery blue eyes fluttered at Erec, and lips smiled. She was beautiful, he thought, straight out of a dream. How could anyone be afraid of her? Calm knowledge and happiness radiated on her face.
Erec asked, eagerly, “Can you tell me what’s happening? Everything is sealed in Ashona.”
She opened her mouth, and, in a second . . . lunged. All he could see were jaws and blackness.
He was devoured.
It was dark in the Secret of Ashona. Erec could still breathe in the water, but he could not see. And there was nothing to hear other than the rushing sound of its whirlpool.
He tried to speak to her from the inside, in his thoughts.
I’m Erec Rex. Queen Posey’s nephew. They’re having a lot of trouble up there. Queen Posey can’t talk to you anymore. Can you tell me how to help them?
There was no answer.
After a while, Erec could hear Spartacus’s voice nearby. “Sorry—it took me forever to get in here. Not easy, this thing. It’s almost as tight as the barrier around Ashona. Let’s get you to safety.”
Erec felt tugging on his arm, and then his legs. But he was not moving.
“Hmm. That’s strange.” There was a lot more tugging, and then Spartacus seemed to disappear. Quite a while later, Erec heard him again. “I can get out and back in, but it took me a while. I just have to figure out how to get you free.”
After a lot more tugging, though, Spartacus gave up.
I’m okay, don’t worry,
Erec thought.
Neither of them said the obvious—even though Erec could breathe here, he would not last long without food and fresh water. This had been a mistake. It was over for him.
Long after Erec had given up and resigned himself to his loved ones suffering in agony, he heard a voice from above. It sounded familiar. “We need to talk.”
For a minute, he thought someone was addressing him. But then
the water all around him tinkled into a voice. “You are not my master anymore, Posey.”
“I realize that. You need to stop listening to Baskania. You’re destroying this place, and hurting everyone inside. We won’t be able to live much longer.”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry, Posey. I can’t help you anymore. In fact, by rights I could digest you right now. But I’ll let you go this time, as you were the one who created me. And I have someone else in my stomach now—your nephew, who is delicious.”
Queen Posey’s voice grew shrill with horror. “My nephew? You’ve eaten Erec?”
“I am digesting him now. He’s quite a tasty morsel.”
Erec shuddered. He was going to be digested? He wasn’t sure if that was worse than dying of thirst and starvation, but it didn’t sound good.
“You must let him go! We need him. He is destined to be the King of Alypium!”
“That is not my concern. I only heed commands of the Queen of Ashona.”
There was a pause. “I don’t understand. I am the Queen of Ashona. I thought Baskania was giving you orders now.”
“Who is Baskania? I know no such person. I am following orders of my new ruler—the one you passed your scepter to by full rights.”
“Who is that? Are you talking about ‘King’ Dollick Stain? Because I can assure you that he is not a true ruler. He could not command my scepter. . . .” She thought a moment. “Or can he now? Is that what this is about? Did that idiot boy make this much of a mess here already?”
“King Dollick Stain? I know of no such person. And he is certainly not my new queen.”
Erec was as confused as Posey sounded. New queen? Who could the Secret of Ashona be talking about?
Posey spoke slowly. “What new queen are you following?”
“Your successor. The Metamorpher has acted, and passed on your crown.”
“The
what
? The Metamorpher is here? Hesti? How could that be?”
Erec immediately recognized his birth mother’s name. Hesti was here? In Ashona? For a second he was excited, but then remembered that he was stuck and couldn’t find her, and she would die with everyone inside of Ashona. His mother had the power to pass the crown from one generation to the next. But could she do it randomly like that? Why would she? And who was the next queen—did that mean that his lost triplet sibling was here as well? He wanted to find his mother and triplet sister so much he could explode. But he was stuck in the Secret of Ashona permanently.
Posey took a few breaths, trying to calm down. “Thank you for letting me speak to you. But there is a problem you should think about. Your new ruler is in Ashona, it seems. If you continue to follow her command—whatever that is—then you will kill her as well.”
The Secret of Ashona was silent for a moment. Then she said, “That is true. It may be a problem. But she has given me no other commands. I have to follow her orders.”
“Can I give you one last order?”
“No, Posey. You may not. I am sorry.” It sounded like the Secret of Ashona was truly sorry that its new queen would die.
“What was her request for you, exactly?”
“My new queen touched her scepter and commanded to me, ‘I want things to stay like this in Ashona forever. I wish nobody would leave, ever, and that absolutely nothing could get in or out.’”
Who would have said that?
Erec wondered. It didn’t even make sense. The person sounded like she had no idea what she was wishing for. But if she was in control of Posey’s scepter, why didn’t she fix everything now?
“I have an idea,” Posey said. “We both agree that it would be terrible for your new . . . queen to die because of a mistake. There is a way for you to reverse a spell. Why don’t we do that?”
“That demands a sacrifice.”
“I understand. I will be the sacrifice.”
Erec listened with shock. His aunt was volunteering to sacrifice herself to reverse this spell?
“But who would sacrifice you? It would have to be someone from the outside. Nobody except you can live in the water long enough to do it.”
“Erec Rex can—if you let him go. He has Instagills.”
There was a pause. The two understood completely what was going on, even though Erec had no clue. So, the Secret of Ashona might let him go, but then he would have to sacrifice his own aunt? He could never do that.
The tinkling voice around Erec spoke. “That might be possible. He would have to ride the Horse of the Elements, and use the lance there. This is how this sacrifice will take place. Piercing the shield around Ashona with the lance will break it open. But it will not work unless it goes straight through the heart of a living sacrifice to reverse this spell.”
Erec felt lightheaded in the swirling waters. He had to ride the Horse of the Elements? That is exactly what his quest told him to do. So the Dragon Horse of Fire wasn’t what he was supposed to ride? But it had worked to stop Baskania. . . .
Was he supposed to do both things, then? He never knew with the Fates. Riding the Horse of the Elements sounded fine, as did spearing the shield with a lance. But stabbing someone with it and killing them—how could he ever do that? Especially his aunt?
“I will be the sacrifice,” the queen repeated.
“No. I won’t take you,” the Secret of Ashona mused. “You are too important to me. It must be someone else. I’ll let your nephew go. He
will find the Horse of the Elements in a small cave a mile north of the northernmost point of Ashona. Place your sacrifice at the tip of the shield on that side. Erec should ride the horse at top speed, and stab straight through the shield into that person’s heart. All will be well then.”
There was a noise as the queen disappeared back into the bowels of Ashona. Erec was tossed around, spun in circles, then spit into the calm water at the undersurface of Ashona.
Erec floated a while, wondering which way was due north. Spartacus was nowhere to be seen. Erec hoped he would come back soon. If Erec took too long, the people of Ashona might not survive.
He thought about what he had heard. His mother was inside of Ashona now—and she was called the Metamorpher? And his lost triplet sibling sister—Elizabeth—was there too? He wondered if she still liked the name “Princess Pretty Pony.” Why were they here? They were so tantalizingly close. Once Erec broke through the spell holding Ashona captive, he would search for them right away.
But there was another problem. Even if it was not his aunt sacrificing herself, how would he ever be able to stab through the heart of anyone—killing them? It wasn’t possible. Then again, if he didn’t do it, everyone would die, wouldn’t they? That would be much worse.
Except
he
would be the one killing someone. How could he live with that?
But how could he not? His aunt seemed okay with it. It was the only logical thing to do. It made sense. But it would be the hardest thing that he ever did.