The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (6 page)

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Then he shrank back. What was he thinking? The scepter could
not
rescue Bethany. He had just seen that with his own eyes.
He
had to save Bethany. The thought of her was stronger than the power of the scepter. This thing was just in his way.

Against every fiber of his being, he made a decision.
Scepter, I want you to get lost. Stay far away from human beings, and don't come back to me until
someone else
tells me that I am ready for you.

Suddenly, in a golden flash, the scepter was gone. Emptiness seemed to resound in its place.

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CHAPTER FOUR A Surprise Visit

REC FELT LIKE he was going to be sick.

King Piter curled into a ball. "Is it gone forever?"

"No." Erec was afraid to tell him the instructions that he had given to the scepter. In a moment of weakness, if the king wanted it badly enough he would know how to bring it back. "We'll see it again someday."

The king nodded. "Good." He huddled awhile in silence,

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then with great effort said, "We should go talk to the Fates about Baskania's Draw on Bethany."

Erec agreed. But it was a long while before they made it out of the room.

Jam and the remaining servants had made a multicourse meal for Danny, Sammy, Trevor, and Nell. They were all looking a little rocky, adjusting to the heavy feeling in the air from the Substance.

Erec could not eat at all. Bethany was in incredible danger, and he had to get her back. The Fates had to know a way to beat this Draw that Baskania put on her.

Erec got up and paced, watching his siblings eat. He had to leave now, find out what he could do about Bethany. He knew his father needed rest, but how could they wait when Bethany was in Baskania's claws?

"Dad, should we go to the Oracle now? If you're too tired, I can go by myself."

The Oracle was in Delphi, Greece. It was the only place where Erec could speak directly to the three Fates. The waters in its deep well were one of the few connections to their home.

The king nodded. "You are right. I should go with you." He looked down at his shaking hands. "I'll . . . try. It would do me good to get away from here and clear my head. If I only hadn't been so caught up with that scepter, this whole thing wouldn't have happened." His voice broke.

Erec shook his head. "No. It's my fault, Dad. I should have come back sooner."

Danny looked back and forth between them. "I can't say you guys look a lot alike, but I can tell you're related. You both have the guilt thing down really well."

Erec shot him a fierce look.

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Danny leaned back and put his hands up. "Settle down, bro. The way I see it, it's Baskania's fault, not yours."

Somehow that did make Erec feel a little better. Danny was right, in a way.

"Hey," Sammy said, trying to change the conversation. "There's a big metal plaque in the floor with an eye carved into it down the hall."

"That sounds like the cover over Hecate Jekyll's old storerooms." Erec remembered some of the amazing things that she kept there. "I'll show you sometime--"

A loud shriek boomed through the room, making everyone jump. "They're
here
!" a gravelly voice boomed. "Where am I ... ? I can see them. Look! The kids! Danny and Sammy! Come on, you two. We need to go--"

Then the voice was cut off abruptly. Erec looked around the room, but nobody else had come in.

"What was that?" Sammy looked confused.

A moment later the same voice returned, mid-sentence. "--when I took these off. But look! Now I can see them again! They're in someone's house. And . . . there's King Piter! I knew it. These glasses are magical."

In a flash Erec knew what was going on--someone had his mother's Seeing Eyeglasses. When a person put them on, they felt like they were right in the very room with the person that they missed the most in the world. They could see and hear that person and any people around them. The one wearing the glasses could be heard, but not seen in return.

So who was wearing them? Someone who missed them--and who obviously had no clue how the Seeing Eyeglasses worked. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. "Someone's looking through Mom's glasses, guys. Who could it be? I know that voice. . . ."

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The person had mentioned Danny and Sammy first. Was she looking for them? Who would miss them more than anyone else? It didn't make sense.

Danny and Sammy came to a realization at the same time. Sammy hugged herself tightly. "Mrs. Smith."

Danny nodded. "Dumpling Smith. She got Mom's glasses."

A wild cackle echoed from the walls. "Very good. You recognized my voice, children. I'm so honored. What a lucky day this is for me! These two noble kids, this ... Danny and Sammy, as they are called, know me
that
well." She gave a deep, grating laugh. "Well, you might as well tell me where you are. I'll figure it out soon enough myself. And then we'll find you, don't worry. It's time for you two to come with us."

Sammy's voice shook. "You . . . you just want me and Danny, then? Not everyone else?"

"Yes, that's right," Dumpling's gravelly voice answered. "Let's drop the pretenses. I thought you two might come along easier if you thought we were saving all of you. But there's no reason for that. If I take just the two of you, that will be perfect. I promise you, we will leave your siblings and mother alone if the two of you will meet me somewhere, right now."

Their mother! Erec gasped. What had happened to her? Dumpling had her glasses--that must mean that his mother had come home to find Dumpling and her crew waiting in the house. Was she okay? Was Zoey safe?

Danny looked terrified. He murmured to Erec, "Can she grab us with those glasses on? Should we run?"

Erec shook his head and murmured back, "No, we're safe for now. She'll be able to see you wherever you are, though. If you go somewhere that she can recognize, she can use the glasses to find you. We'll have to hide you guys somewhere safe, in a place she's

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not familiar with. As long as she can't figure out where you are you should be okay."

"You were right," Danny whispered. "She must be up to no good. There must have been a spell on those letters from her to make us think she was safe." He scratched his head. "I still don't get it, though. I was sure from that writing that she meant well. . . ."

"No secrets!"
Dumpling's gravelly voice thundered. "Let's make this easy. Tell me where you are, and I'll come get you two. You need our protection, you see. We'll take care of you. And we'll leave your mother alone."

That sounded like a threat to their mother. "Is she okay?" Erec asked.

"She is fine." Dumpling's voice became sickeningly sweet. "I'm sure we'll all keep it that way. Now, where are you?"

Sammy blurted, "Um . . . we can't say right now. But please, don't hurt our mom. We'll come with you, okay?" She looked at Danny desperately. "Meet us in Alypium in one hour. In front of Medea's magic shop. Okay?"

"Very good." Dumpling sounded satisfied. "Kookles, stay here with June and Zoey until we get back."

She must have taken the glasses off, because the room fell silent. Everybody sat, frozen, afraid to move.

"Hey, Sammy, not bad," Danny said. "I know you're not thinking we're going to meet that maniac. But you bought us an hour. Now we better figure out what to do."

"Will Mom be okay?" Trevor looked white as a ghost.

"Yes." Erec was suddenly confident. "As soon as Dumpling and that guy in the barrel go to meet Danny and Sammy, Mom and Zoey will be alone in the apartment with just the tall guy. We can take him out and rescue them."

"But how can we get back there fast enough?" Sammy looked

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confused. "We don't have the Substance Channel here anymore."

"I know. But we have something better." Erec smiled. This world had all sorts of magical ways. "This house has a Port-O-Door."

"What's that?" Nell sat straighter in her chair, hopeful.

"It's a door that you can tell to open anywhere. It lets you travel there immediately. Let's go. Dumpling Smith has probably left by now. I'm sure she'll hurry so she doesn't miss you guys." He led them to a thin wooden door in the hall by King Piter's bedroom. The kids and Jam crowded into the small room inside. The king stayed at the kitchen table. He looked like he could barely hold his head up.

Once the door shut, a screen lit up. It was divided into four squares: a white one marked ALYPIUM, a blue one marked ASHONA, a red AORTH square, and a yellow OTHERNESS one. Underneath lay a thin orange stripe saying OTHER. When Erec poked it, a world map appeared. He touched North America, then New Jersey. Each map grew bigger as he zoomed in--right to the apartment where they lived.

"Wow," Trevor said, impressed, when Erec touched the apartment in the building, and a room plan sprang onto the screen.

"The bathroom, guys?" he asked. "I think that's the best place if we don't want that Kookles guy to see us come in." After they agreed, he opened the Port-O-Door right into their bathroom at home.

"Cool!" Trevor grinned.

"Shhh." Sammy looked frantic. "You guys stay here. I'll go try to find Mom and Zoey. If we all come out, it might take too long to get back in."

"No, wait," Erec said. "Let me go. I think it's safer. It's you they're after, not me."

Sammy nodded reluctantly.

Erec twisted the bathroom doorknob slowly, hoping it wouldn't squeak. Nobody was in sight in the hallway, but he could hear Zoey

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crying in the kitchen. "I don't
like
that funny guy, Mom. Make him go away. I want Trevor and Nell!"

He could barely hear his mother soothing her. Then he saw movement at the end of the hallway. He jumped, almost slamming the door shut, but luckily he stopped short before making a loud noise.

It was the coat rack. The thing was sad, pacing the floors, limbs drooping.

Erec waved toward it, staying silent. The coat rack stiffened, then waved a thin arm back at him. Erec held a finger up and motioned for it to come closer. It swung its top from side to side, as if making sure the coast was clear. Then it hopped down the hall.

Erec whispered to it, "Can you get Zoey and Mom to come here--to the bathroom? We're going to save them."

In a matter of minutes, Zoey was following the coat rack down the hall, laughing. They were playing a version of their favorite game, the hat toss. The coat rack was using the hats as lures, tossing them closer to the bathroom.

Zoey was distracted by the game, forgetting about her other problems. Erec wished his mother had come along too, but a minute later June popped a head around the corner. "Stay with me, Zoey," she said.

Erec waved at her frantically. When their eyes caught, June's jaw dropped. She clasped a hand over her heart and walked quickly down the hallway toward him.

Everything would have been perfect if Zoey had not shouted, "Erec! Yeah! You're here!"

"Huh?" Erec heard a deep voice from the other room.

"Come on, quick!" He waved his mother and Zoey into the bathroom. Just before he locked the door behind them, he caught sight of the tall man, Kookles, peering around the corner. His long strides

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carried him down the hall. He pounded on the locked door. "Open up! I said, open up!"

Erec yanked his mother and Zoey into the Port-O-Door and slammed it shut just as the bathroom door burst open with a loud thud. He wondered if Kookles saw a flash of the Port-O-Door in the wall before it disappeared.

After June had finished bowing to King Piter for what seemed like the hundredth time, Jam fixed her a pot of cocoa and a warm meal.

"I don't understand," Erec said to her. "Why do they just want Danny and Sammy, and not the rest of us? Who
are
those people?"

"I wish I knew." June shrugged nervously. "They must know something about the twins." She picked at her food, upset.

"Know something? What is there to know?"

June shrugged. It seemed strange to Erec. Usually he was the one that everyone was after. He was the known heir to the throne of Alypium. He was one of King Piter's triplets--the other two were still missing. Even though most people thought they were dead, Erec knew that they were alive. One day the three of them would claim their thrones in the Kingdoms of the Keepers. So that made Erec an obvious target.

Of course, if the other two missing triplets were found, then they would be targets too. But they were safe somewhere, according to King Piter, unknown probably to even themselves.

An idea occurred to Erec. What if . . . No. It couldn't be.

But the truth was plain as day. No matter how much he tried to deny it.

Danny and Sammy might be the other missing triplets.

That would explain why people were after them now. It all made perfect sense. They
were
Erec's age--now that Erec had learned he was really thirteen, almost fourteen. He didn't know his real birthday,