The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (23 page)

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN Wandabelle

REC SPUN DOWN a huge dark tunnel that led straight into the earth. The walls of the tunnel narrowed, closing around him. As he dropped, little creatures with pincers reached for him from the walls. Red liquid oozed then gushed down the sides of the tunnel, covering the creatures. A few drops splashed onto his clothing, burning holes through his sleeve like a strong acid. He tumbled head over heels, waiting to crash.

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Below him, fast approaching, was a bubbling pool of black lava, steam gushing up to meet him. He dropped into it head-on, and it turned into a murky ocean. Heavy weights were tied to his ankles, and he was sinking, fighting for breath. He kicked and struggled to get free. The surface was just feet above him, but he was being pulled farther away.

Laughing mermaids with long, sharp teeth pointed at him as he sank. He reached up in desperation . . . and then he was tied to a huge target. Circles were painted on his chest and on the round board he was stuck to. The water was gone, replaced by a huge man dressed like a pirate with a torn lacy shirt and vest, and billowing knee pants. He glared at Erec, sabers in both of his hands, then raised one high in the air and flung it toward Erec. The blade sank straight into his heart, pinning him to the board.

For some reason he wasn't dying. The man threw some more sabers at him, stabbing him in the stomach and legs. They didn't hurt, but they terrified him.

Why couldn't he feel them? Erec was confused. Was this a dream? He must have fallen asleep. But it didn't feel like a dream. He could remember what happened before he got here--that wasn't normal for a dream. He remembered eating birthday cake with the Hermit, then dropping through an arctic channel into King Augeas's chamber.

No, this wasn't a dream. But he also remembered falling asleep. What did that make this, then?

The Hermit had said that while he was here, he would be living a nightmare. Would it really go on forever, like King Augeas said? Would that be his fate?

Once he realized that the sabers did not hurt, the huge man lost interest in throwing them. "Eh, if only me sabers worked like they should here, I'd be doing ye a favor. Nobody in this place will die." Then

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he waved at others around, shouting, "Look what we have here, people! Another new peasant. Funny-looking clothing this one has too."

People poured out of buildings until a crowd formed around Erec. They seemed to be from another era. Some of the men were mud-covered, wearing ragged britches and cloaks made from animal skins. Others wore simple tunics, reminding Erec of ancient Greece. One man sported a short dress with shoulder epaulets and tight knee-length pants underneath. A few of the women, with tattered puffy-sleeved dresses and bonnets, looked like they had come out of a picture book of the Middle Ages.

But what struck Erec more than their odd clothing was the look of their faces. All of the villagers wore the same fierce, hateful expressions.

"Well, look what we've got 'ere." A woman walked around him, eyeing him up and down. "Is this some type of clown, I suppose, sent to amuse us? What's your job here, boy?" Erec stared, speechless, and she slapped him in the face. "Answer me, wretch. What job did the king give you?"

Erec tried to remember what the king had said. It seemed like that had been in another world. "I'm a stable boy."

The crowd laughed, jeering. A few people threw things at Erec.

"So, we've got ourselves a stable boy now," the woman said. "Well, don't think we'll let you hang around resting all day. It's work, work, work around here. We're all working our way out again, you know. As soon as I get my job done, I'll be free as a bird, back to me old life."

"What is your job?" Erec asked. He was starting to feel uncomfortable pinned onto the target board. If only he could reach the rope ties, maybe he could free his arms and pull the sabers out. . . .

The woman scowled. "I'm the cook here. I have to hunt the rats with my bare hands and turn them into stew. Eat them before they eat us, that's what I always say. I chop their tails off first while they're biting me. That way I can season it a bit with my own blood."

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The image was so atrocious that Erec almost threw up. He would not be eating anything here, that was for sure. "But I thought you said you'll be free when your job is done. When will it be done?"

"As soon as I catch the last rat."

The big man with the sabers laughed. "They multiply by the hundreds each day. There's a million more rats here now than when you arrived."

The woman kicked the man in the shins, but he did not seem to mind. "That's better than what you have to do," she screeched. "At least I'm not a toilet scrubber."

Being a stable boy didn't sound half bad compared to what these people had to do. The crowd was getting restless. People were spitting, cursing. Someone threw a moldy tomato at Erec. Then everyone joined in, throwing things that smelled so awful they must have been rotting for months. He gagged, struggling against the ropes that held him.

A twinkle of light appeared in the corner of his eye. As it came closer, Erec saw a beautiful girl in a long sparkling dress walking toward him. Long, golden hair flowed around her face. Her eyes sparkled in a multitude of colors, like a small child had made them from glitter. The girl looked remarkably clean, even in the filth that seemed to hang in the air. The people throwing things at him cowered in her presence, throwing her disgusted looks. Then they started throwing fistfuls of mud at her white dress.

Erec felt a tug and then his hands were free. The girl had come close enough to untie him, but then the crowd grabbed her, shoving her back where she had come from.

Only a few people stayed around as Erec worked the sabers out of himself and finally stepped off of the target board. A gray-haired man in a tunic flexed his arms and walked closer. Erec cringed, wondering if the man was getting ready to punch him. The man's face changed

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into that of a horse, then a hideous creature with long, sharp teeth. He shoved Erec roughly down a narrow cobblestone path. "Get thee to the stables. They haven't been cleaned since we've been here, for about two thousand years now. You've got a lot of work to do."

Erec could not leave that creepy guy behind fast enough. Horrid screams filled the air as he walked. Crumbling buildings lined the road and rats raced through the dirt streets. Inside a few open windows Erec saw enormous spiders with webs filling entire rooms. This was a nightmare. It felt like one in every way. Only, he was awake. But then he remembered King Augeas saying that he would stay asleep forever. Which was he, then? Awake or asleep?

Walking seemed to steady him a little. He felt himself shaking from fear, so he tried to ignore the disturbing images, some of which winked in and out along the sides of the road.

A familiar voice called to him. "There you are, you pathetic scoundrel. I've been trying to get rid of you for a long time." Erec was shocked to see Balthazar Ugry pointing his walking stick at him. A blast of smoke sparked from its end--Erec barely jumped out of its way. The rocks behind him exploded.

Erec shrank back in terror. Then he remembered how powerful Ugry was. Maybe he would know a way for them to get home. "Balthazar!" Erec ran toward him. "How did you get here? Are you stuck here too?"

Balthazar Ugry sneered and faded into the air. He was just another of the false visions that haunted this wasteland. This realm was populated with nightmares, drawn from all of its residents. He doubted that anyone else but he knew Balthazar Ugry, so he must have been a new addition.

Out of nowhere, a hissing snake appeared at his feet, ready to strike. Erec dove away in the nick of time. Whose nightmare was the snake from?

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And who was that girl who had untied him? She didn't fit into this horrible place at all.

The stable was located at the end of the road, although Erec could smell it long before he could see it. Animal dung, ranging in age from ancient to new, filled the entire huge stable. Only a few animals were inside, because they had barely any room. But masses of oxen, cattle, and goats roamed around the yards surrounding the stable.

A thought occurred to Erec. With so many cattle here, why was the cook making stew every day out of rats?

"Because." Raucous laughter filled the stable. King Augeas's face was projected onto the enormous dung heaps inside. "Those are the rules. And why would the cook waste her time preparing cow meat if her only ticket out of here is to kill all the rats for supper? Rules are rules. This is your stable to tend. You must clean it day and night until every last piece of filth is removed. Once you make room for more animals, you must bring them inside to stay, taking them out and bringing them back in every day."

Erec felt tiny among the mountains of mess surrounding him. "What shall I clean it out with? Where are the shovels?"

The king tittered. "Use what you brought with you, of course. Your hands. You'll find a river behind the stables. You can use it to wash up with. Dump this mess into the water so the grounds outside don't get dirty." King Augeas was loving this plan. "A perfect job for a prince--some good, hard labor will put you in touch with the earth. Once this place is sparkling clean, you'll be free to go." He vanished, leaving only echoing laughter hanging in the air.

Erec put his hands on his hips and looked around. The enormous stable was nearly filled with mud and slop. He tried not to be overwhelmed. If this is what he had to do, then he would do it. Disgusting as it was, there could only be so much filth in this stable. He would scoop every last bit of muck out and go save Bethany.

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Holding his breath, Erec grabbed two handfuls off a towering pile. Then he looked around. This was ridiculous, he thought. He dropped the muck back onto the ground. He would take forever to clean this place out if he took such small bits at a time. No--he had to take larger loads somehow. Really blocking his nose, Erec leaned into a smelly stack of sludge, wrapped his arms around it, and pulled, grabbing an armful out. The stuff was mushier than he thought, though, slipping through his arms and down his stomach, leaving him grasping only a small wet mound against his chest. He picked up some of the more solid parts from another pile, loading up as much as he could carry.

With all the piles of manure in front of him, he couldn't see where he was going. After only a few steps he slid in some wet dirt. His feet shot out from under him, and he collapsed, face first, into the dung.

"Eeewww!" The mire was all over him. He tried to get up, but his feet gave way, slipping on more wet slime. In a minute he was covered, swimming in it. Every time he managed to stand and grab an armful of muck, he slipped right back into it.

Finally Erec gave up trying to take an armload and carried two large handfuls down to the river behind the stables. The mindless oxen and cattle nudged him as he wound his way through the hordes that filled the yards.

The river raced cold and clear behind the cattle yards. Erec dove in, letting the water wash the filth off him. After pulling himself out, he lay dripping on the bank and looked back at the enormous stable. Why had the Fates sent him here? At least his other quests did some good for someone. This task wasn't going to help anyone. It was just keeping him away from Bethany. He should never have listened to them. His mother had been right. Queen Posey had a better chance of getting Bethany out of Baskania's fortress than he

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did. What was he trying to prove, anyway, doing all this himself?

Erec closed his eyes. His mother. He had forgotten how this would affect her, too. She would never see him again. What had he done? This truly was a living nightmare.

Well, as long as he was stuck here, he would never stop trying to get out. He sloshed back into the stable, this time slipping even more since he was drenched from the river. He fit a little more into the crook of his arm this time before sliding back out and going down the hill to the river. Then back again to the stable.

After a few trips, he tried to take his shirt off and use it to carry piles of gunk. But it was stuck to him. His clothing seemed to be part of him now.

This was definitely not reality, he decided. Some weird, crazy version of it was running around inside his head.

At least he wasn't getting tired--probably because he was already asleep. Back and forth, back and forth, Erec trudged from stable to river, bringing small bits of slop out with him. How long had he been doing this? Days? Weeks? Months? Time seemed to blend together. Soon he had cleared out enough space to bring more animals inside. The only problem was that they made a huge mess as soon as they came in.

He needed to find help here. The thought occurred to him that if the entire village worked with him, he just might get the stable cleaned. He rinsed himself off in the river, then set out to see if anyone would lend him a hand.

A small bald man in a worn gray tunic was sweeping the rat-infested, filthy streets. Bugs raced through the dust behind him, and bats flying above left fresh droppings that he sailed into the air with his broom. Thinking he knew how to clean up, Erec approached him. "Excuse me. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I have to