The Secret of Ashona (37 page)

Erec eyes moved upward and saw exactly what was about to happen.
No!
He tried to scream at Rosco to stop, but he could not make words form in his new shape.

“Stop!” Spartacus screamed, also unheard. He dove toward Erec, but Rosco was already in motion.

Erec darted sideways just as Rosco’s foot smacked down on the floor, crashing into the wood next to him. It was all happening too fast. He ran one way and then the other, back and forth. Maybe that way he could throw Rosco off. One of his eyes shifted down to check out the wall. There was a crack not too far away, but he’d have to run as fast as he could . . .

Rosco’s foot shot toward him, but Spartacus was ready. He
shoved Rosco back hard. Rosco tripped and fell onto the floor.

“Who . . . what?” Rosco looked around. “Was that you, Spartacus?”

Erec tried to get his wits about him. He had to turn back into himself fast before Rosco tried to crush him. What was the word again? All Erec had to do was say it in his head and it should work. . . . But how did he pronounce it? He tried thinking,
Nee-way.

As soon as he thought the word, he felt a funny tingling inside of him again, just as when he first read the spell. This must be it, then! As bad as it had been as a spider, at least he had not turned into a
worm
. . . .

He could feel himself changing, but the room size did not shrink back to normal. What was wrong? Was he turning into a tiny version of his original self? This was horrible.

But then something worse happened—his vision disappeared completely. He could sense that there was light around him but could not make out any shapes. Had he accidentally turned into an inanimate object? That would be permanent!

He tried to move, hoping he could at least do something. With relief, he could feel himself stir, but it was not like anything he had ever experienced before. The floor was hard under his body, and he could sense every inch of himself turning and twisting on it. At least he wasn’t frozen, but things were terribly wrong. He must have morphed into a blob—a formless object that wasn’t able to function anymore.

With great effort, he pushed himself forward. Somehow the whole front of his body expanded, catapulting his head forward and leaving his back parts behind. When he could no longer stretch more, he pulled back in, this time bringing his behind in closer to his head. If he repeated this again and again he was actually able to move forward.

But how grotesque he must look! Like some kind of freakish, nasty flesh pile. Now how would he free the captive souls, finish his quests, or do anything at all? Even if he lived like this, what would Bethany think of him? He would never even be able to see her—and didn’t want
her seeing him like this. He felt like kicking himself, if he only had feet under control to do it with. Why had he tried using the spell book without asking Rosco? He obviously had not been ready.

Footsteps echoed louder now, and shook his whole body with the hard wood floor under it. “Spartacus, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you’d better not push me around like that. I’m trying to help Erec just like you are.” The steps grew closer. “Where did that spider go?”

Erec was amazed that Rosco had not seen him yet. Even Spartacus didn’t make any comments on his unusual shape.

Rosco said, “I’ll be darned. The spider’s gone, and now there’s an earthworm here. What is this, the wilderness in here?”

There was shuffling, and then something heavy crushed hard into Erec’s back end. It felt horrible—very wrong—though not exactly painful. When he tried to move, his hind parts were connected to the floor, as if he was stuck.

No . . . not just stuck. Smushed. He was the earthworm Rosco was talking about, and Rosco had just stepped on him.

With all of his energy, Erec flipped himself back and forth trying to set himself free. It was not working.

Spartacus’s voice said, “Is that you, Erec . . . ?
No!
Stop, Rosco!”

Rosco was about to smash him again? Finish him off? There was nothing Erec could do. But he heard a crash, and Rosco said, “I mean it, Spartacus. Leave me alone!”

How had Erec turned into a worm? It didn’t make sense. Had he thought of a worm before saying the spell word? But it was supposed to reverse the spell. Well, he thought, he better try it again. Things couldn’t get much worse.
Nee-way,
he thought.

Nothing happened. This was crazy. Would he stay this way? It would have been worthwhile if he could have used the spell to become a
soul
so he could get into Alsatia. . . .

The room shrank, and Erec could see again. Spartacus was pacing,
searching on the floor for him. Rosco was rubbing his head and getting up. “Where is that worm?”

But Erec still did not feel normal. He was cold, and lonely. Very alone. Fragile, like the air in the room was blowing through him. Not nice. It seemed as though he was all insides, missing his outer shell. Spartacus and Rosco seemed completely different now too. They both looked wonderful.

He rushed to Rosco first, grabbing him around the shoulders. Even though Erec’s arms passed right through him, Erec was able to hold on somehow. He could not stand to be alone anymore. The feeling was too awful, like living without a skin.

Spartacus stared at him in shock. Rosco couldn’t see him, but Spartacus was completely aware now. But Erec could see something in Spartacus that he had never noticed before. There was a hole inside of him. That was a space that was hurting him, Erec could tell. It needed something. . . . It needed . . . a soul.

Erec could help. He could fix it, and being there would take care of all of his problems too, cover him, warm his essence, and make him whole again. He had to go. . . .

In a second he glommed on to Spartacus. Spartacus must have felt as relieved as he did, because he clasped his hands over his heart and sighed. Erec felt so much better that it was a while before he could even think again.

But when he did, he had a vague idea what was going on. Spartacus needed a soul . . . and that’s exactly what Erec had turned into. Now they were both happy. Maybe he should stay this way forever—it would solve Spartacus’s problems. Maybe Erec didn’t even have any choice in the matter. So far he had morphed into a spider, then a worm, and now a soul. Thinking, he realized that those were the exact things he had thought about after he said the incantation word.

Erec’s heart sank. He had no idea what he was getting into with
this spell. Maybe if he thought the word one more time, and then imagined turning back into his old self . . . but he hated leaving Spartacus soulless and miserable again. It was a horrible feeling—Erec remembered it well. And it would only get worse.

Maybe later, he told himself, he would return to help Spartacus like this. But he had too many things to do. It was time to try again. To be safe, he forced himself to move away from Spartacus, even though doing so was painful.
Nee-way.
Think about my old self. Erec Rex.

Erec appeared next to Spartacus. Rosco looked at him in shock. “Where did you go? I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you, Erec. Don’t scare me like that!”

“You almost killed me!” Erec realized he was panting, and tried to calm down. “That spider on the floor? It was me! And the worm, too! I almost died. . . .”

Spartacus added wistfully, “And the soul. Don’t forget that.”

It was hard to even think about being a soul—Spartacus’s soul. Even though it had seemed so right at the time, it was completely strange. And now he felt a little guilty about leaving Spartacus as a specter again.

“I don’t get it.” Rosco walked over to the open spell book on the table and his jaw dropped. “You tried this morphing spell? And you made it work?” He shook his head in shock. “You must have some power in you, then. Connection to the Substance. Because this won’t work for just anybody.”

“Could you do it?” Erec asked.

“Sure, I could. There’s not much I can’t do. But I’m lucky—and I had a great teacher.”

“Baskania?”

“Well, him too—but he wasn’t the one I was thinking of. My first tutor seemed to know the right way to teach me everything.”

Erec laughed, because Rosco’s tutor was himself. He had gone back in time and found himself when he was young, become his own
tutor. “I wish you were my tutor too. The Hermit’s okay, I guess, but he hasn’t spent a lot of time with me, or taught me fun things—except for finger magic.” He sighed. “I guess I shouldn’t use spell books like this. It didn’t work like it was supposed to. At the end when I thought,
Nee-way,
it was supposed to reverse the spell. But it didn’t.”

Rosco looked the handwritten page over, confused. “Nee-way?”

“Nee-way.”

“That’s not right. How were you saying that again?”

“Nee-way.”

Rosco shook his head and scanned the page. Then he jumped, and screamed,
“No!”
He froze in terror, staring at Erec. “Don’t say anything. Don’t move. Just . . . stop.” He waited, watching Erec expectantly.

Now Erec was confused. What was Rosco watching him for? It didn’t make sense.

Rosco put his hands up. “Maybe you’re okay. Maybe that last time—or the first time—it didn’t take. . . .”

Before Erec could ask Rosco what he was talking about, a strange feeling filled his insides. It was the same gummy, bubbly feeling that he had when he morphed before, but this time it was stronger. What was happening now?

The room shot up around him, becoming huge again. Although he could not feel his body changing, he could see giant hairy jointed limbs jutting out from his sides again. How could this be happening—he was a spider again now? He looked up to see Rosco and Spartacus bent over him with amazement on their huge faces.

Erec tested out his legs and walked a few steps. Was he going to be stuck forever this way now? But then the bubbly feeling came back again and the room went dark. . . .

He was a blob again. An earthworm. And he could feel that his back end was still smushed. It was broken free from the floor now, though, so he could drag it along. Sitting still seemed worse than
stretching, moving. He was too exposed here . . . a moving target . . . Someone might step on him. . . .

The feeling was back inside of him, and the room shrank again. He was a soul—and there was Spartacus, an empty spirit needing a soul. Without thinking, he rushed to Spartacus and became his soul, made him a whole person again. It was a relief.

“Where did you go?” Rosco was looking all over the floor. Spartacus did not bother answering, knowing that Rosco could not hear him.

But then the bubbly feeling returned and Erec was his normal self again. He had not left Spartacus, but as the ghost was made of vapor, he simply stepped out of Erec’s space.

“What’s happening to me?” Erec was terrified. “That spell really messed me up. What if it happens again?”

“You said the wrong words.” Rosco’s hand was clapped over his mouth.

Before he could say anything else, Erec morphed into a spider again, then a smashed worm, and then a soul. It happened faster this time, and was more disorienting. When he turned back into himself, he started to speak, but then he crashed toward the floor as a spider again. Spider—worm—soul—self—spider—worm—soul—self. The changes flickered faster and faster until his parts seemed to be everywhere at once, blinking in and out of the room.

Finally, it stopped. Erec was himself again. Sick and exhausted, he collapsed on Rosco’s plush blue couch.

Rosco sat next to him. “I’m sorry, Erec. I should have been watching you, and warned you not to try any spells without my help. This is my fault. And I’m going to find out a way to reverse this—don’t worry.”

Erec was very worried. He was so tired that it was hard to form words. “What’s happening to me?”

Rosco brought the spell book over and pointed to the bottom of the page. “You said ‘Nee-way,’ and that wasn’t the right thing to reverse the spell. You should have said this.” He tapped the word
“Nuiay.” “That would be pronounced, ‘Na-wee-I.’ Subtle change, but all the difference in the world.” He showed Erec the writing at the bottom of the paper. “‘Nee-way’ continues the spell, and lets you morph into the next thing that you think of. But the worst part is this.” Rosco held up the book so Erec could read:

Be careful! Saying Nee-waye three times or more will make your series of changes permanent. This is an opportunity to enjoy many different forms throughout your future! And it will add an unexpected variety to your life. Surprise your friends—and yourself. You will never know when it will happen next. But think hard before you choose this path—it is irreversible!

“What! I can’t believe it. But I didn’t say . . . that word three times, did I?” Erec could not believe what he had read. He couldn’t have done that, could he?

“You did. I’m sure you said it three times.” Rosco put a hand over his eyes, then pointed at the word Erec was supposed to have said to end the spell. “You better say
this
one quick, to make sure you don’t morph into something new. Say ‘Na-wee-
I
.’”

“Na-wee-I.” Erec felt no different. “This is awful! Do you think I’m really going to change into those things again? How will I know if it’s going to happen?”

“Don’t ask me. The book says you’ll never know when you morph next. I’ve got to find a way to change this. If we have to, we’ll see what the Shadow Prince can do. He’s practically a miracle worker—I’m sure he can help in some way.”

Erec did not want to owe anything to Baskania. He hoped that someone else could fix him instead.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Old Memories