The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (38 page)

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there, waiting, just as Erec had seen in his vision. Erec couldn't escape his fate now.

The image of what he had seen popped into his head again. Everyone was running around in chaos. He couldn't avoid one particular spot, or try to be somewhere different to stay away from that snake thing. It seemed to fly through the air right toward him.

"Young sir?" Jam was walking next to him. "You seem upset again."

Erec shrugged, keeping his face turned away.

"That was the problem, wasn't it?" Jam asked. "A police officer will be waiting for you on the way out, won't he?"

Erec gurgled, "Mmm-hmm." A huge lump filled his throat, making it hard to speak.

Jam's hand patted his back. "Young sir, I will stand between you and any police officer in that room."

"No!" Erec found his voice. "It--he will get me either way. You need to stay away. Because . . . Jam?"

"Yes, sire?" Jam whispered.

"I need you and Griffin to go back to the Nightmare Realm and rescue Wandabelle for me. Would you do that?"

"Aye, aye, cap'n! At yer service." Griffin's voice boomed in the narrow hallway. Erec suddenly realized that the whole group had been listening to everything he had said.

"I don't understand," Jack said. "You're going to get caught on the way back? You saw that--and you're still coming with us?"

"I have to," he said simply. "It's the only way to save her. It wouldn't work if you went without me. I checked."

They walked a ways in silence, thinking about the sacrifice Erec was making.

"What if you waited here?" Melody asked. "Maybe that would work."

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"No." Kyron patted Erec on the back. "It's too late, Melody. He might as well help us for this part. That's not the problem. It's when he goes back out again. But I'll fight for you, Erec. I battled a manticore every night for most of my life. Nobody else could do that and survive. I can fight a police officer. No problem."

That seemed to make everyone else feel better, so Erec didn't say anything more to upset them. Unfortunately, he had seen what would happen with his own eyes. The room would be far too crowded and confused for Kyron to stop the snake thing before it bit him. Then it would all be too late.

Light appeared at the end of the long hallway. They filed ahead, then came upon a narrow beach. Somehow they were outside now. They had entered a different world, far from the little shop in Jakarta. The sun was setting over the water, its light dancing on the ripples of the waves.

"Look!" Melody pointed over the water. A gigantic castle stretched across an entire island. Sharp black spires raked the sky like angry spikes, and lonely turrets spun into the air--perfect places for lost princesses and bearded prisoners.

"It looks like it's moving," Jack said.

In fact, it did. Tall gates encircled the castle, and they were swarming, it seemed. As Erec's eyes adjusted, he could see that it wasn't the gates themselves that were moving, but huge creatures in front of them.

"It's the guards," Jam whispered. "Ferocious beasts. All the worst types."

Kyron pulled his sword out and Griffin swung several sabers around.

"How do we even get there?" Jack asked, his voice filled with dread.

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"Swim, I guess?" Kyron tested the water with his foot. Earsplitting screams filled the air and the ground shook. The water filled with small ball-like waves that raced toward them, all aimed at Kyron's foot. He yanked it out of the water just before a slew of skeleton fish with long, sharp teeth jumped into the air, snapping their jaws with frightening clicks. The fish fell back in the water, springing up again and again, but were unable to climb onto land.

Kyron panted, backing away from the shore. "What
were
those things?"

"Phantom barracudas," Griffin growled. "I haven't seen 'em since the old, old days, before I was a prisoner of the Nightmare King. They're only found in the dead of night, in the deepest parts of the blue sea. They rise over the graves of the pirate ships of old, which have sunk into the deep for all eternity. Nasty varmin, they are. Eat yer flesh right off yer bones, and chew through yer skeleton fer dessert."

"I guess swimming is out," Kyron said. "Any other . . . uh, ideas? We must be able to cross, if Baskania invites people in this way."

"Unless he picks them up personally," Erec said. "Maybe it's another way to keep people out."

"Hard to think he'd spend his precious time transporting people around," Kyron answered. "I don't think of him as a gracious host."

"Look at that thing over there." Melody pointed at a tall stand that jutted high into the air on the other shore. "Is that a . . ."

"It's a bridge!" Kyron said. "They must lower it when they're expecting someone. I bet it grows longer to stretch out this far. Little good it's going to do us from over here."

The mynaraptor on Griffin's shoulder was making a funny, muted squeal. Erec realized that it badly wanted to speak and was holding its tongue by their orders.

"Yes, Lalalalal? You want to say something?"

"Aaaaah." Lalalalal sighed in relief. "This reminds me of the time

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when I was in my nest at home, and I was talking to Huhuhuhuhuhu about the terrible weather we'd been having. She was so caught up in the details of the last storm that I couldn't get a word in edgewise! Can you imagine! It was dreadful having to sit there, waiting and waiting. Of course I had to say a few things when she was going on or I would have gone insane. I'll never forget that storm, by the way. It was a bit unusual, and I notice this type of thing about the weather, believe me. There was a certain pink-and-orange haze to the clouds as they darkened, and it made me wonder how--"

"Enough! Stop it!" Erec patted the bird's head. "Please, Lala-- just tell us what you need to about this place."

Lalalalal looked annoyed. "You did bring me along for a reason, right?"

"Of course. To tell us about the creatures we run into. Quickly and quietly, right?"

"And . . . ?"

Erec was stumped. But Melody shouted, "To fly us places! Lala can grow big and fly us over the water, right?"

The bird nodded.

"Perfect," Erec said. "Now we just need to come up with a plan."

Devising a plan to avoid the hordes of nasty creatures awaiting them was much harder than they thought. They did not know who and what guarded the fortress. They decided to cross the water when it was dark, to avoid attention. Jack suggested going first, as it was his gift to understand animals. "I'll spy on them a while and let you know what they're up to."

Lalalalal was making loud choking noises, and the bird's eyes looked about to pop out of its head.

"Um, cap'n?" Griffin said. "Methinks the bird may have something to say."

"Yes, Lala?" Erec said. "Do you have an idea?"

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The bird sighed with relief, stretching one claw, then another into the air from Griffin's shoulder. "Yes." It spoke slowly, with concentration, to keep on track. "Why don't I fly over first? With my small size nobody should notice me. I'll dip down to scout out the creatures, then find a good place to land when I bring all of you. Best we travel as quickly as possible."

Everyone agreed that was a good idea. Lalalalal sprang from Griffin's shoulder. The bird's broad wings became a blur as it rose into the evening sky. Soon it had flown out of sight.

After several rounds of passing the Serving Tray, after which Griffin took a short nap, Lalalalal returned. The mynaraptor settled onto Griffin's shoulder contentedly, looking at each of the travelers in anticipation.

The bird conspicuously waited to be asked what it saw, cocking its head to point out how its orders to stay quiet were ridiculous. Then it settled into a comfortable squat, leaned against Griffin's head, and fluffed its feathers.

"Aaaah, let's see," it said. "So much to tell. So much to talk about." It was very pleased, finally having the audience it had always dreamed of. "You know, I always say that creatures, birds especially, are only as good as the stories they have to tell, the things they have seen. My life has been interesting, mind you. I have had many experiences that would likely blow the wind out of your sail. Now, maybe my friend Griffin, here, could rival me a bit. But let me tell you something. Life is an adventure. Lived right, it will be a source of endless delights--"

Lalalalal paused, gazing in delight at the rapt attention that was paid to it. "I was born a very small bird, and penniless. My parents were quite wealthy, but frankly I was too small to hold even a farthing of it in my own claws. I spent quite a while that way, you see, which makes me rather understanding to the situation of the poorer

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birds I come across. Which reminds me of the time I met a beggar in a pumpkin field in Otherness. It was a human beggar, not a bird, which made the situation even worse I thought--"

"Stop!"
Erec held a hand up. Lalalalal's beak snapped shut, and it lifted its jaw in protest. "Lala, can you please just tell us what you saw across the water?"

The bird sulked a minute, then said, "Am I allowed more than three words to answer?"

"Yes, of course. If you could just talk about what's waiting for us at the fortress, we'd appreciate it."

Lalalalal picked a loose feather out of its wing with its beak, then assumed an important air. "Well, all right. I'll skip ahead then, past the years of my childhood, on through my encounters with all types of sorcerers and fools, and even gloss over the great wisdom imparted upon my during my teachings by the great--"

"Lala!"
Melody exclaimed. "Get to the point!"

Lalalalal must have decided that Melody was not to be messed with. It sighed. "Okay. First I flew around the castle. Nasty-looking creation, it is. The water goes completely around it, like a huge moat surrounding the island. Would be impossible to reach without flying. I'm sure those phantom piranhas would chew through a boat in seconds.

"After circling a few times, I perched in different spots to get a good look. The only entrance that I could find is right in front, facing us here. I guess that's not surprising, given Baskania would want to keep it hard to get inside or out again. The entire perimeter of the castle is surrounded by a horrid assortment of creatures, both living and dead. Really there were no deserted spots at all, although most of the nasty things were toward the front, around the door."

Melody's voice trembled. "What do you mean--living and
dead
?"

"Now, now," the mynaraptor said crossly. "Make up your mind.

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Do you want me to tell you what I saw, in a logical order? Or do you want me to relate things my way, and make a good story of it? Because that would be a lot better, you know. It reminds me of what my old Uncle Jamesjamesjames once said. It takes more patience to whittle a flute from a stick than to use it as a bat. Which is rather a funny saying for mynaraptors, as we can't quite whittle sticks, now, can we? Or play flutes. But the idea is--"

"Stop!"
Erec was trying to be patient. "Okay, if you could please continue, as you were before, and tell us everything you saw. I think you just started to talk about the island full of awful creatures over there. Was there any place that seemed safe for us to land?"

"Ahem!"
The bird took a deep breath. "The largest part of the sickening crowd of evil beings on the island were in front, guarding the only entrance. But a good number wandered around the castle, some singly but mostly in groups. There were no windows on the lower floors either, likely to keep anyone from breaking inside, or moreso, escaping. The walls were made of a thick stone. From the windows higher up I could see that the stone was more than a foot deep. The sloped roofs were also made of stone. It was hard to place the type. The look was similar to slate, but it was colder and slippery.

"As far as the guards and creatures on the lookout there . . ." Lalalalal paused, enjoying everyone's baited breath. "Not a happy story, I'm afraid."

Erec noticed that the mynaraptor seemed quite happy. Was it really fearless, or were the creatures they would face be worth all the stories it could then tell about them later? It probably wouldn't face the kind of danger they would, anyway, as it could simply fly away at any time.

Lalalalal fluffed itself and shuffled a bit, flexing its horned legs. "Ah, yes. The creatures. An ugly lot, they are. Many different types, too. Looks like Baskania is a big fan of the undead when it comes to guarding his place. Not a dumb move, actually. Can't quite kill

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'em. Lots of Vetalas down there. Don't want to get mixed up with that sort. I spotted zombies, too, but it looks like the Vetalas are in charge of 'em. There are specters flying all over the place. I didn't see those at first, you know, they're kind of see-through, like white winds. And there were some spirit warriors, too. Saw one shadow demon--probably more down there, though. You know what they say, when you got one shadow demon you've got a hundred.

"On top of that, hoards of minotaurs were running around wild, and some manticores, werewolves, and wenwolves." He chuckled. "I even spied a few lions and tigers roaming through, but they looked more creeped-out by the other things than truly ferocious, if you ask me. They kind of kept to themselves."

Erec's spirits plummeted, and the rest of the group looked as defeated as he did. The only creatures that didn't worry him were the shadow demons. He had faced one before and learned a big lesson from it. They got into peoples' minds and twisted their thinking, and if you started to believe them they would devour you. Walking through them would make them disappear. And maybe Kyron could defend them from a manticore, or a lion. But a tribe of lions? And what about all of those other undead things?

Lalalalal yawned, holding a feather over his sharp beak. "Oh, let's see, what else . . . ? The plant life wasn't too spectacular. There were some scrawny trees, not much else. Not that I saw any plant-eaters. No, those were all vicious meat-eaters. At least the ones that ate at all--"

"That's enough!" Melody shouted. "I think we get the idea. Erec, are you sure the Fates said we could rescue Bethany? Cuz it's not sounding too good."

He nodded, overwhelmed.

"What are minotaurs and manticores?" she asked, voice shaky.

Kyron whispered, "My father and I had a manticore chasing