The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (60 page)

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Erec nodded. "You were someone else then, Oscar. Anyway, I know what it's like to be angry at my father. I don't know if I'm ever going to forgive him for what he did to Bethany."

Rosco sat up straight. "What happened?"

"King Piter knew all along that Bethany has a younger brother somewhere. He could have told everyone and she would have never been captured."

Bethany's lip was trembling.

Erec put an arm around her. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. Bad thing to think about."

"No," she said. "It's not that. It's just ... King Piter didn't think he was letting me get captured. He thought I was safe with him, and I guess I was until that scepter messed him all up. He probably thought it was all under control--and not telling anyone about my brother
was
his way of protecting him. I don't even know my little brother, but I'm glad he wasn't captured."

As they talked, it sunk in how good it felt to be finally sitting with Oscar again, not afraid that Baskania would appear because they were with him. "It's really good to have you back, Oscar."

Rosco grinned. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. You've really come a long way, Erec." Then his face dropped. "It's a shame, though. We reach this point again where we can finally hang out together, and it's all going to be over soon."

"Why?" As soon as he asked, though, he regretted it. He was sure he knew the answer.

"The Furies. Baskania is releasing them soon. Forget what he would have done to the world with the Final Magic. This is really going to be the end. I hate to be the one to bring you the bad news, but it's better that you hear it now. Take care of what you need to before it's all over. At least we can say that things got fixed between us before the world ended, right?"

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"Do you really think the world is going to end when he lets the Furies out?" Erec asked.

"Probably. It's not going to be good, I'll tell you that. The three Furies have been enraged at their sisters for so many thousands of years they'll no doubt wreak havoc on the world. And, if that wasn't bad enough, if they want to escape they'll have to agree to be Baskania's slaves. Just wait to see what he does with that kind of power. Destroy kingdoms, bring down countries, kill everyone who disagrees with him . . . and it won't stop. He'll just get worse when he sees how invincible he is." Rosco sighed. "I'd have put a stop to this if I could. But he's far out of my league."

"Yeah," Erec murmured. "We knew about this." The quest paper weighed heavily in his pocket.
He
was supposed to stop them, right? Nobody else. The Fates knew what they were doing, he thought ... at least they always had in the past. Bethany had said that it was all his decision now. King Piter wasn't in power anymore.

"How soon is Baskania letting the Furies loose?"

Rosco sighed. "He's already given them all the humans they need to escape--minus one person. And Baskania has the last guy ready to go. Grabbed him right off his ranch--it was one of King Piter's old AdviSeers. He's giving the Furies a few days to stew about it, and then he's going to bring that last man to them the day after tomorrow. By then they'll be ready to bargain, he thinks."

Erec's stomach knotted. "An old AdviSeer? Who is it?" It could only be one person--

"His name is Spartacus Kilroy." Rosco looked at the horror on their faces. "Oh, of course. You knew him. He was at the castle during the contests. I know. I was disgusted too. Poor Spartacus never hurt anyone. But he didn't trick King Piter enough for Baskania's taste, I guess. So now he's giving Spartacus 'a last chance to really help him.' Sick, huh?"

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Erec broke out in a sweat. This wasn't really happening. The day after tomorrow Baskania was handing Spartacus Kilroy to the three Furies, killing him immediately and setting them free. Then everyone else would probably die as a result.

The answer seemed simple, all of a sudden. The Fates had given him a quest. He would just have to do it.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE Love, Chocolate, Conversation, and Massive Death

HE DAY AFTER tomorrow? Rosco's words kept bashing into Erec's mind like harsh waves against a rocky shore.
The day after tomorrow.
So Erec had one day left before handing himself over to the three Furies. One day left to live.

What would you do if you had one day left to live?
Erec asked himself. All of those times he had played around with silly questions like that in the past ... it always seemed like a dumb game, a joke.
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But now that he really had only one day left, he realized that his answer would be nothing like he thought. Nothing at all. He would not go skydiving, or fly off to a foreign country. He would not try to meet his favorite sports heroes, or get together with the most beautiful girl he could find. In fact, none of those things appealed to him right now.

The only things that sounded nice--or even right at all--were spending quiet time alone with Bethany, and also his mother and siblings. He would have to say good-bye to Danny and Sammy, too. Or Derby and Shalimar . . . no, he decided. They would always just be Danny and Sammy to him.

This wasn't a quest anymore, really. Quests had a different feel. They were something risky, where he might be able to succeed, accomplish a goal. Sure, giving his soul to the three Furies so they could release themselves was accomplishing something, he assumed. The Fates wouldn't send him there for no reason. And a lot was at stake. But going to Tartarus was more of an ending than a quest. A grand finale, a good-bye.

Jack and Rosco were talking happily together, but their words drifted right over Erec's head. Bethany kept looking at him strangely. Telling her--and June--would be so hard. They would try to stop him, of course. In fact, that might just ruin their last day together. All of the arguing about it, crying . . .

Maybe he shouldn't say anything at all. What if they were able to stop him, lock him up or something? Then Baskania would give Spartacus to them, and the Furies would escape. If he was going to give himself to the Furies, he would have to do it soon.

His mind whirred through what he should do with his last minutes. He would not waste a moment on sleep. It would be better to watch Bethany sleep, think his last thoughts, write something down. If only he knew exactly how long he had. . . . "Rosco," he interrupted.

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"What time is Baskania giving Spartacus Kilroy to the Fates, the day after tomorrow?"

Rosco's green eyes focused on Erec. "Mid-morning. Probably about ten, I'd think. The Shadow Prince has a few earlier commitments that morning."

Good.
Erec's eyes closed. So he would go first thing that morning. That left the whole day tomorrow for himself.

When he opened his eyes again, Bethany was squinting at him, her mouth twisted.

He winked back, kissed one of his fingers, and blew the kiss at her.

She blushed.

It was amazing what having only one day left to live gave him the courage to do.

Erec, Bethany, and Jack went back to Aunt Salsa's apartment to sleep. Rosco stayed in his own place, saying he should keep on pretending things were the same. He would try to find out the details about Baskania's plans with the Furies. He also said that he had an idea about how he might help, but would not tell them the details.

June threw her arms around Erec when he walked in. "You're okay! I was so worried about you. Did you get the quest?"

He nodded. That was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "Hey, Aunt Salsa. Do you have a library around here?"

"Of course." She walked up with a plate of finger sandwiches and cookies, looking happier than ever with all her company. "Just a few blocks away. It's closed for the evening, but you can put on some UnderWear and go in the morning."

"Thanks."

June had an arm around Bethany. "What was your quest?" she asked, interested.

"I don't know." Erec looked at his watch. "It's stupid. Anyway,

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with everything going on with the Furies, I won't be doing a quest now. Right? We should just have a great day together tomorrow and then go to stay with my dad and Queen Posey in Ashona the next day."

June nodded and gave him a loving kiss on the cheek. Bethany studied him, however, as if she didn't know who she was looking at.

When everyone finished their snacks and straggled off to bed, Erec walked back into the kitchen and found Jam. "Hey, thanks for everything you've done for me this last year. Really. You've been a great friend to me."

Jam turned his head and cocked an eyebrow. "Is everything okay, young sir?"

"Yeah, sure. I just wanted you to know."

Jam smiled. "Thank you, young sir."

Erec wandered back to the room he had shared with Danny and saw Trevor asleep in Danny's bed. Probably missing him, Erec thought. He felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that Trevor, Nell, Zoey, and his mother would be miserable when he was gone. Then again, that wasn't as bad as the alternative. Better that they were alive. They would get over it eventually.

Trevor snored lightly, a Cyclops action figure in his hand. Erec looked at the freckles on his face, watched him breathing. Why had he never noticed the little dimple on Trevor's chin before? Erec had probably never watched him sleep until now. Funny how having such a short time left on Earth made him pay attention.

He waited until he was sure everyone was sleeping, then walked into his mother's room. She looked so peaceful sleeping. So what if he never got to know his birth mother? Nobody could ever have been a better parent to him than June. He regretted all of the times recently that he blamed her for things that were really his father's fault. Why did he have to upset her so much? What he was about

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to do would hurt her for the rest of her life. If only he had been kinder before . . .

When watching her sleep became too much, he peeked into the room where Bethany slept in one bed, and Nell and Zoey shared the other. He could not look at Bethany--for some reason it frightened him. But he stood near his sisters awhile and thought about times that they had spent together. When he was gone, who would protect Nell if kids teased her about her walker? Then again, he had been gone so much lately, she must have been fending for herself. Danny and Sammy wouldn't even be around to help her anymore. A twinge of guilt stabbed him. She, and his whole family, would pay for this quest. It wasn't fair to any of them.

But that's the way life is, he thought. No guarantees. Nothing is fair. He had been pretty lucky up until now. If this was the way it had to end, then that was that. He smiled when Zoey stretched--for a moment her eyes opened and she said something that was a blur of words, then she turned over, asleep again. How long before she forgot about him? She was so young.

Bethany's presence seemed to loom behind him, like a wind whipping into a storm that might wipe him out if he did not turn around. But how hard would it be to see her face? How painful? Finally he forced himself to look.

Her head rested peacefully on her white pillow, with a serene look as if life were perfect. Instead of feeling sad, Erec was overcome with happiness and peace himself. She would be okay. Sure, she would be sad for a while when he was gone. But she would eventually recover and live a great life. What he was doing would let everyone live, he hoped. The Fates would not be sending him to his death unless it was going to foil Baskania's plans. And Bethany's expression sealed the deal for him.

He wished he could give himself to the three Furies right now.

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He was ready. Staying around another day would make it harder. And there wasn't anything stopping him. . . .

But he owed his family one last day together. He would try to say everything he always wished he had. Also, part of him gripped on to his life like a vise. How could he give up his last moments?

His eyes were closing despite himself. Okay, he decided. He would sleep now so he could be at his best tomorrow. But he would stay up on his final night and enjoy each last breath.

"So," Bethany chirped in the morning. "Are we going to the library? Anyone else want to come?"

Jack volunteered, but Nell, Trevor, and Zoey wanted to go to the famous Americorth North volcano museum with June before they left the next day. "I don't live far from here," Jack said. "Look." He pulled a paper out of his pocket and showed it to Erec and Bethany. The detailed map had a path outlined on it leading from Aunt Salsa's apartment to Jack's house. "I got this from those crazy druids in Avalon. No matter where I am, this map always shows the way to my house in Aorth. I thought it was a gag gift, but it actually is pretty cool."

They all put on shiny silver UnderWear over their clothing to keep the intense heat at bay, and slipped out of the door. Boiling air blasted in Erec's face for a fraction of a second before his UnderWear took over and a cool wind blew from the suit and hood. They followed Jack down the street for a few blocks, then turned a corner to see a towering building shaped like a giant open book.

"Cool library!" Bethany squealed. "I hope it has some good math books. Good idea coming here, Erec."

"I don't know," Jack said. "You may have liked the volcano museum better."

A tall, thin woman with white hair and pursed lips sat behind