The Search for Truth (3 page)

“It's the least I could do. I still owe you for saving my babies and all the other missing hatchlings.” She snorted and a stream of smoke billowed from her nostrils.

Erec sat down and caught his breath. He was alive. Safe.

But he still had no idea where Bethany was. Now he was far away in Otherness. He knew he had to find her fast, before it was too late.

E
REC SAT ON
a rock and rested his head in his hands. He had to clear his mind and figure out what to do. His heart pounded, and his breath was still ragged, plus the tension racing through him made it hard to think. He wondered if he was more driven and stressed about finding Bethany from the command of his cloudy thought, or if it was because he knew she would die if he failed.

“Patchouli,” Erec said. “Could you fly me back to Alypium? I
need to find Bethany right away. It's urgent. Maybe you could scout around with me from the air and look for her?”

Patchouli sighed. The heat from her breath was so intense Erec had to step back. “I wish I could,” she said. “But it's very dangerous for dragons to be there now. The Alypium army is under orders. They have detonation bombs poised at the sky, ready to kill us on sight.” The corners of her mouth curled down.

“But…why?” Erec didn't understand. “I thought things would be better there now, after the battle in Otherness. Didn't the Archives of Alithea show everyone the truth, that dragons were good?”

“I wish that were true,” Patchouli said. “But the only ones who saw the scroll were the soldiers. And what they learned was that the Hydras and Valkyries, who they were fighting, were really good people. I'm afraid it didn't tell them a thing about dragons.”

“Baskania is behind this, isn't he?” Erec said. “He's scaring everyone about the dragons.” The thought of Baskania made him shiver. He had to hurry. “Look, Patchouli, Bethany's life is on the line. The whole world is on the line.”

Patchouli lifted her head and gazed into the clouds. “If it's that important, Erec, you should look into the future with your dragon eyes and decide what to do.”

Erec remembered how Aoquesth read into the future. Now Erec had both of his eyes, but he had no idea how to use them in that way. He shook his head. “I can't.”

Patchouli tilted her face, curious. “Why not?”

“I don't know how.” Erec wished Aoquesth was alive. He would tell Erec everything he needed to know.

“For us dragons it comes naturally,” Patchouli said. “We're just guided a little by our parents when we're young. Maybe I could work on it with you someday.”

Erec kicked a rock across the dirt. Then he looked at Patchouli. “Could you look into the future for me?”

“I'm not sure if Aoquesth told you,” she said. “But we dragons don't use that power, except for emergencies. It is not easy, and it takes a lot out of us. Plus, sometimes seeing the future makes you want to change it. If you live your life seeing and changing the future it soon becomes no kind of life at all.”

That was what Aoquesth had said. Erec knew it was also just what Baskania would do if he had dragon eyes. He walked in front of Patchouli and put his hands on her snout. “Please, Patchouli. This is an emergency. For you as well as me. I mean it when I say our world will end if I don't find Bethany, and soon.”

Patchouli closed her eyes, then opened them. “All right. I will trust you, Erec Rex. The great Aoquesth placed more than his trust in you. He placed his hope for the future in you when he gave you his eyes.”

She rested on the ground, her head on a tuft of grass. “I'll need quiet.”

Patchouli closed her eyes. When she opened them at last, beams of green light shot from them, joining to form a spotlight. It shone on a bush in front of her, making it glow. She held so still that it looked like she was not breathing. Then, all of a sudden, she exhaled and shut her eyes. She sprang to her feet.

“Erec, I was right to believe you. You will always have my trust from now on,” she said. “What I have seen—” She stopped suddenly, and Erec knew why. He had seen it himself with his cloudy thought.

“Climb on my back,” Patchouli said. “I'll take you to the fields behind the Castle Alypium. I know now where I can drop you off safely.”

Erec scaled up her tail to her back, hand over hand, then wedged himself between two bloodred spines. She arched her
back and the earth soon sank below them. Massive black, jointed wings stretched far on each side of him, and below them he saw trees and ponds getting smaller until they were tiny. He grabbed the red spine, squeezing, as they dove into a blinding white cloud.

“Patchouli?” he whispered. “I hope you know the right way.” With the loud wind rushing into his face he was sure she could not hear him.

So he was surprised when she answered, “Of course I do, silly boy.”

“You can hear me?” The rush of wind was so loud in his ears he could barely hear himself.

But the dragon's voice boomed loud. “Our hearing is a little better than yours.”

They burst from the cloud. Mountains shot by below them, covered with green pine forests. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Patchouli,” Erec asked, “when you looked into the future, did you see anything you would change?” Aoquesth had said that dragons could change the future that they saw, if they felt it was necessary. But Aoquesth had accepted his future willingly, even knowing he would give up his life for Erec.

“Yes, I did,” Patchouli answered. “I am changing it. I would have dropped you off too far away, and you would not have found Bethany in time.” He could feel her shudder through her scales. “I found a way to work it out.”

Erec was enjoying the ride when the spires of the castle finally rose below them. They started soaring downward, and the ground lifted fast to meet them. He felt dizzy and had to squeeze extra hard to be sure he didn't fall off.

They made a soft landing on the ground. Patchouli's voice was quiet. “Bethany is with your friend Oscar in the castle gardens, right
near the flagpole garden, close to the castle maze. Now go. She will tell Oscar her secret in just two minutes.”

Erec slid from her back and stumbled, trying to regain his balance. He jogged away, then turned to Patchouli. “Thank—”

“Run!” she boomed. Then the dragon soared into the clouds.

 

Erec ran as fast as he could past the maze and into the gardens. Oscar was a good friend. He was one of the first people Erec had met in Alypium, and he had been at Erec's side all along. It didn't make sense that he would put Bethany in danger. But Erec knew that's what would happen if he didn't get there fast.

Right past the singing flagpoles, he saw two figures on a bench. Oscar and Bethany. Oscar's head was on her shoulder, his red hair gleaming in the sun.

“Nooooooo!” Erec ran toward them, screaming.

Bethany and Oscar froze, staring at him in shock. Then a grin spread across Bethany's face. “Erec! You're back? That's great! I was wondering when you'd get here.”

The smile left her face as she glanced at Oscar sitting on the bench. His eyes were red and his lip was trembling.

Erec's insides froze. Why was Oscar so upset? Had he done something terrible? Like let Baskania know Bethany's secret? Was he too late? “Wh-what's wrong?” he stammered.

Oscar looked up at Erec, and hot tears began streaming down his face. “My…my…dad.” It was all he could say.

Bethany put an arm around him. “Oscar's father died, Erec. It happened four weeks ago, but I just found out. Oscar came here today from Aorth.”

“Did you…” Erec pointed at Bethany. “Did…you tell him…” He grabbed her arm. “Come here. Quick. I need to talk to you.”

“Erec!” Bethany looked shocked. “Could you be a little more
sensitive? Did you hear what I said? We should help Oscar feel better now.”

“I know…I will…Ugh!” Erec smacked his fist into his hand. “Listen! Both of you! This is urgent. I came here because I had a cloudy thought. Something terrible was about to happen. I
have
to make sure it won't happen. So I have to talk to you privately, Bethany. Now! Then I want to catch up with you, Oscar.”

Bethany stood, sending Erec a disapproving glance. “I'm so sorry, Oscar. We'll be right back.”

Oscar put his head in his hands. His voice sounded strangled. “Just go. Nobody cares, anyway.”

 

“But why would telling Oscar my secret have mattered?” Bethany asked. “It doesn't make sense. Three minutes later Baskania would have appeared? Why?”

“I don't know why,” Erec said. “I just know it would have happened. For sure.” He searched her eyes. “You promise you won't tell him now? It's important.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said. “It is funny. The thought had just occurred to me to mention it to him, right before you showed up. I thought I could trust him. He was confiding in me about how he felt. It seemed like telling him something that worried me might make him feel less alone.” She shook her head. “I just don't get it.”

They walked back to the bench, but Oscar was gone.

“Oh, no!” Bethany cried. “We have to find him. What must he think? You show up and rush off with me, even after hearing that his dad died.” She looked around. “Oscar!” she called.

Erec sat on the bench. “I don't know, Bethany. I thought we could trust him. But he must be helping Baskania. Can we be sure his father even died?”

Erec heard a bush rustling. He turned and saw a shadow move.
“Oscar?” Erec cleared some leaves out of the way, and Oscar's tearstained face appeared.

“Go away! I heard what you said. My father
did
die. Not that you care. You were never my friend, obviously.”

Erec crouched in front of the bush. “I'm sorry.” Looking at Oscar through the leaves, fierce and defiant, it seemed impossible that he was lying about his father. “Oscar, what happened to your dad? I feel awful.”

“He died.” Oscar sniffed. “Nobody knows why. But you don't feel awful. You don't even believe me. And you think I'm helping Baskania?” He sounded stunned by that idea. “How could you?”

“Oscar,” Erec said, “come on out, okay? I'll tell you everything that I can, and maybe we can figure this out together.”

Oscar crawled out from under the bush, face puffy and eyes red, and took a seat on the bench, arms crossed. Bethany and Erec sat on either side of him.

Erec had to think fast. How much could he safely tell Oscar? Obviously not what Bethany's secret was. But he couldn't see why Oscar could not know the rest. “I had a cloudy thought,” he explained. “I had to find you and Bethany before she told you…something, and stop her.” He described what had happened in the Green House, and with Patchouli. “I don't know why, but if Bethany told you that…that certain secret, then Baskania would know right away and capture her three minutes later.” He looked into Oscar's eyes. “Have you talked to Baskania at all?”

“Never!” Oscar said, outraged. “I've never even seen him in person! He doesn't know I exist. Your cloudy thought was wrong.”

“Maybe it's because someone else you know is connected to Baskania. What about Rosco? He worked for Baskania.” Erec breathed a sigh of relief. “That's it! You would have told Rosco, and he'd have let Baskania know right away.”

Oscar's face wrinkled into a ball, lips sticking out. “No!” he growled. “I would
not
have told Rosco anything. I haven't seen him in a month, ever since we found out he kidnapped your brother and sister. I'll never speak to that jerk again. I hate him.” He glared at Erec. “I am
not
talking to Rosco, or Baskania, okay? I don't even
want
to know that dumb secret anyway. So don't even tell me. Just leave me alone.”

Oscar got up and stormed down the path. Bethany rushed after him and threw an arm around his shoulder, but Oscar brushed it off and ran away.

 

Erec and Bethany walked through the castle gardens past brightly colored daisies in blues, yellows, greens, and pinks. Their huge tops spun into the air like small helicopters, then landed on the stems of neighboring plants, like a giant game of musical chairs. Some of the daisy tops couldn't find anywhere to land and had to spin back up again and again.

They brushed leaping lizards from their faces as they walked. Then Bethany held up a finger and her dark brown eyes shone. “I got a cell phone, Erec! Usually they put them in your finger, like a tiny cell, when you're born. King Piter let me get one last week. It didn't hurt at all, just a pinch. So now I can make calls here.” She tucked a curly strand of long, dark hair behind her ear. “I'm worried about Oscar. I think we should find him. Maybe I'll call him on my cell. He's a mess.”

Erec nodded. “I'm sure. He must feel awful. I know how I'd feel if—” But then he stopped. How would he feel? He had no idea what it was like to have a father. Of course he would be upset beyond thinking if June, his adoptive mother, died. But a father? Oscar was lucky at least to have had a dad as long as he had. Bethany took it for granted too. Not that she had a real one. Her parents had died when
she was young. But King Piter had become just like a father to her. It was almost the same thing.

Erec shook those thoughts from his head. He was just jealous of Oscar and Bethany, which was ridiculous now, after what had happened to Oscar. He should figure out ways to help.

Bethany bit her nail. “You know what he was saying, Erec?” She hesitated a moment. “I guess it's okay if I tell you. I mean, it wasn't a secret, I think. You knew Oscar never got along too well with his dad, right?”

“Yeah.” Erec remembered Jack saying that Oscar's father was pretty rough on him. He had sent Oscar away to boarding school when he was young. And whenever he did see him, he'd always seemed disappointed in him. “Oscar was afraid to tell his dad when he lost the third contest in Alypium last summer. His dad made him think he had to win all six of them.”

“That was a bit high of an expectation,” Bethany said. “Considering there were over six hundred kids competing and only three could win.” She shook her head. “Oscar tried so hard to impress him. He told me his father was finally coming around. After Rosco taught Oscar how to do magic without a remote control, his dad was actually impressed.