The Three Furies (Erec Rex) (61 page)

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the desk when they walked in. Erec asked her, "Where can I find books about the three Furies?"

"On the third floor, in the mythology section, under
F
."

Mythology? Erec thought. Didn't people believe the Furies were real?

Bethany shot him a suspicious glance. "Was there a reason we came here today, Erec?"

"I wanted to find out about them, seeing that they're going to be released into our world tomorrow."

She shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. You're not thinking about doing anything stupid, are you?"

He hesitated, then said heartily, "Not at all." That was easy, he thought. Doing his quest might be the hardest--and last--thing he would ever do. But saving everyone he loved was definitely not stupid.

They climbed the stairs and found a row of books about the three Furies on a shelf. "Look at this one." Jack pulled out a book called
Alecto's Anger Management Workshop: A Completely New Approach to Your Problems.
He flipped it open. "Talks about throwing priceless vases, and ... wow, smashing people with baseball bats. Man." He put it back on the shelf.

"This one is interesting." Bethany was holding
Anger, Vengeance, Jealousy, and Other Stunning Traits of the Three Beautiful Prisoners of Tartarus.
She laughed. "Big surprise. They wrote this one. I didn't know the Furies were authors."

"I guess they have a lot of time on their hands," Erec said. He noticed a book called
Dream Vacations in Tartarus
and pulled it off the shelf. "This shouldn't be allowed. It's trying to get people to go visit Tartarus, saying how great it is, and all these fun things you can do for free. Personal chefs, horseback rides, free babysitting ... The minute people arrived they'd be killed, wouldn't they?"

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"At least these are all in the mythology section," Bethany said. "I hope that would keep people from believing what they read."

"Here's a good one." Jack handed a thin cloth-covered book to Erec called
Writings of Megaera.
Erec flipped it open.

When triplets are born, there is always a youngest, even if it is only by a minute. I am that girl. No matter how strong my powers are, how many years of wisdom are under my belt, I will always be the one looked down upon, belittled.

To make it worse, we have three older sisters-- Decima, Nona, and Morta--who think they are so much better than us, and trust us so little, that they locked us away forever. If only I could be one of them, enjoy the kind of lives they lead--it pains me to no end. They are free of bitterness, and full of laughter.

It's not fair. I've spent millennia wishing, wanting what they have. Knowing I'm never to get it makes me want to shred them into tiny pieces and watch the wind blow them away. Only then might I finally be at peace.

He skimmed further in the book.

For example, one of the things that I treasured the most when I was free was my amber collection. I had captured the finest of each type of living specimen, every species from humans to the simplest of viruses. My molten amber mixture was the purest, finest flowing liquid sunlight that

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existed. I found a pure spring of it under what had been a forest for thousands of years, and I was able to keep it melted and ready to cover anything I found. The amber alone was exquisite--a fossil of the sap of oaks, maples, and pines perfectly blended so that not even a ripple or streak was to be seen. And the specimens themselves . . . how can I forget the bobcat caught mid-leap, its glorious paw waving at me through the amber like it was a fly caught in honey.

As expected, my sisters would find problems with anything I loved. The Fates always disapproved that I was ending the lives of my gems, although I assured them that their lives were simple and meaningless compared to my pleasure. Plus, this way I would glorify them always. They would never truly die. Alecto was so angry that she wouldn't speak to me because I was wasting my time on frivolity. And Tisiphone enjoyed destroying my creations whenever she could find them as a punishment for going against my sisters' wishes. But I was able to hide them from her, mostly. Amber was truly my one source of joy.

So, what happened on the day when my sisters, the Fates, imprisoned Alecto, Tisiphone, and myself in Tartarus? Did they bother to warn me, let me take my priceless collection along? Of course not. It floats around out there still, for unappreciative wastrels to find and use as they wish. Such is my life.

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"She's miserable," Bethany said. "I almost feel sorry for her."

"Except for the killing and preserving animals from each species out there," Jack added. "And people. I wonder how often she updated her collection."

"Probably all the time," Erec said. He thought of his backpack at Aunt Salsa's house. In Baskania's fortress he had found a bee captured in amber. Could it possibly be Megaera's? Baskania must have kept it for a reason.

Bethany was flipping through
What do Furies
Really
Want?:
Love, Chocolate, Conversation, and Massive Death.
"I don't want to look at these books anymore. There's nothing but bad news. We can't stop these three from escaping from Tartarus tomorrow, anyway. I'd rather have a last good day, not think about what's going to happen."

Erec pointed at the book. "Is it that awful?"

She nodded. "Basically. Alecto is ready to annihilate us all in a fit of rage, Tisiphone will happily punish us with death for all of our misdeeds, and Megaera wants to shred us out of jealousy. Not much happiness and light among the three of them."

Erec agreed. "Let's go do something fun. Thanks for coming here with me, guys. And, uh, just so you know, thanks to both of you for everything. You've been amazing friends. I'll never forget . . ." He realized that he wouldn't live long enough to forget a single moment of today.

Jack slapped him on the back. "You, too, guy. Guess tomorrow might be the end for us, huh? Let's not think about it, okay?"

Erec couldn't help but smile when he said that. No, he thought. Tomorrow will not be the end for you. That's the greatest part of this. Only he would be gone, he was sure. Everyone else would be just fine.

The day whizzed by too fast. They couldn't find any cloud cream shops in Aorth, but Jack took them to Molten Lava Sundaes. Erec

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ordered a molten amber parfait in honor of Megaera and his bee, although it tasted more like honey than hot liquid rock on the ice cream. Super A Fastaurants were all over, even more than in Upper Earth, it seemed.

The three paid a surprise visit to Jack's family. They had thought he was studying with his tutor in Alypium. Jack didn't have the heart to let his family know that they had one more day to live, but Erec could see the tears in his eyes when he hugged his parents. "Do you two mind if I stay here a few days?" he asked them. Then he turned to Erec and Bethany. "You can stay with us, guys, if you want."

"Or--does your family all want to come to Ashona with us?" Bethany said. "It would be a fun vacation."

"We better not, dear," Jack's mother said. "Too many things to do here. And Jack, I'm surprised you're taking a break like this. Your tutor won't like you getting behind in your studies."

He nodded, unable to explain. Erec wanted to tell him that it would be okay, but Jack would see soon enough.

Bethany and Erec found their way back to Aunt Salsa's. Danny and Sammy were talking to everyone on e-mail, decked out in royal robes with their hair standing on end, clown style. Everyone was saying their good-byes, just in case, not knowing what the next day would hold.

The day ended with more hugging, weeping, and storytelling. Erec felt lighter with each tear, however. He was the only one who knew, the only one who was strangely relieved. If everything went right, all of his family and friends would go on to share many more stories together--and think back to the times they had spent with Erec. He would live on in their memories.

The night sped by like lightning, even though Erec did not sleep a wink. He had no problem staying awake, actually. His mind raced

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with a mixture of fear, excitement, and desire to capture each last second of the feeling of being alive. Air felt cold as he sucked it in through his nose, and his warm breath caressed him on its way out. He could feel his blood flowing, the electricity running through his nerves. Life felt so good. Why hadn't he paid attention like this every day of his life? Why hadn't he noticed more?

He ran his fingers along the walls as he walked into the rooms of his loved ones. Every tiny bump under the paint was so beautiful he wanted to cry. Would he remember this world after he left it? Would he be able to look down and see everyone . . . or even stay on as a ghost?

It occurred to him that he could use his dragon eyes one last time to see into his future. But did he want to? Aoquesth had avoided it unless he had to. He had said that knowing when and how he would die would have ruined his life. Then again, Erec thought, he only had a few hours left to ruin. Why not take a look?

Unless . . . What if the way he would go was horrible? What if he saw himself in pain, dying slowly? Would he still have the guts to give himself to the Furies?

A small voice inside asked--
what if?
What if the Fates were wrong and him giving his life up wouldn't save anyone at all? They hadn't exactly come out and said that's what would happen, did they?

No. But at the same time, he was sure of it. All of his quests ended up helping people. And this was the big threat now.

In the end, Erec decided to take a glance into his future. He was too curious not to. Heck, there were only a few more hours left, he would find out soon enough. But he wasn't going to waste any more of his precious time sleeping tonight, and it gave him something to do. He hoped he didn't see something awful. That would make it so much harder to hand himself over to the Furies.

Then it occurred to him--he might not see anything at all.

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Would there be nothing but darkness? Would he see his own funeral?

Pushing all thoughts from his head, he sat on his bed and crossed his legs. He tried to relax, which was hard with the tension clicking through him, and imagined entering a small, dark room inside his mind.

Once he stepped inside, everything became more peaceful. All of the burdens were lifted. Erec was tempted to stay there forever . . . but he knew that wouldn't help anybody. He found the doorway into the smaller, darker room and went inside. Here an even greater calm swept over him. All seemed right with the world. A living, beating thing, like a heart, was nearby on a table . . . the box that knew everything that existed, all the whys and hows in the universe. Wisdom he once had known himself, when he experienced the Awen of Knowledge. Too bad he had given that up, he thought.

He reached to touch the boar-shaped vial that still hung around his neck, with small glass balls attached to it. There it was, the yellow glass ball attached to the boar's snout. It was a part of the Awen of Knowledge. He would be able to use it one time, when he broke it. But he had no idea how it would work. The only glass ball he had broken so far was the blue one--the Awen of Sight--when he had saved Bethany and her brother Pi from Baskania a few months ago. It had filled the air with such a dense fog that nobody around him could see a thing--except for him. He had been able to see clearly when everyone around him was blinded.

What would happen if he used the yellow ball--the Awen of Knowledge? If he broke it when he was in before the Furies killed him . . . he would know if there was a way to get out alive and stop them from destroying the world.

Yes! It felt great to have a plan. He looked at the other Awen balls attached to the boar vial. The green and black ones on its feet were the Awen of Beauty and Creation, and the red one on its tail

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was the Awen of Harmony. The magic of the Awen crystals was one of the most powerful forces in the universe. He hoped the remnants that hung around his neck were strong enough to help him.

Erec rested his hand on the box. He was ready to see his future now. With the Awen of Knowledge, the quest might actually work okay. He pulled the silky cord hanging between the two windows and their shades flew up.

T
here was peace in the immense, cold cavern.
H
ope, love, and joy echoed around them like the calls of long-lost friends.
T
he
F
uries were relieved, grateful, and
E
rec was awestruck.
A
ll was well.

A
reddish mist floated through the air, smelling of rosebuds.
E
rec held the boar vial around his neck--what was left of the
T
wrch
T
rwyth--with the red glass ball broken off.

"
T
hank you, again."
A
lecto smiled upon him. "
Y
ou have done us a great service."