The Search for Truth (4 page)

“But then when we all found out Rosco wasn't such a great guy, I guess Oscar's dad caught wind of that too. Oscar had to go home. His father told him his magic lessons were over. No more tutors. No living in Alypium. His dad had had enough of his bad luck. He said Oscar would have to stay at home and learn to do something he could handle, like bagging groceries.”

“Oh, that's nice.” Erec couldn't believe it.

“Well, it gets worse,” said Bethany. “They got into a huge fight about it one night. Oscar threatened to run away if his dad didn't let him learn magic. And just then, after Oscar went to bed all angry and
miserable, his father died. Nobody saw it happen. It was like a big mystery. On the table the next morning, they found an envelope with a ton of money in it. A note said that it was to pay for a new magic tutor for Oscar in Alypium. It was just signed ‘a relative.'”

“Weird.” Erec frowned. A huge blue daisy head whirled by his face. On it sat a small leaping lizard, riding it like a spinning spacecraft.

“Can you imagine how Oscar feels now?” Bethany asked. “I was glad he opened up to me about it. It's a lot for him to deal with. He's still angry at his dad, but so sad, too.

And worse, he feels guilty, like it was his fault. I told him that he had to forget that completely. But he can't shake it.”

“Poor Oscar.” Erec felt terrible. The oppressive gloom in the air of Alypium, from its messed up Substance, made everything seem even worse. It would take him a few days to get used to it again. And then the feeling would still come back unbidden every now and then, stray cries of sadness from the air.

They reached the house of Erec's pet wenwolf dog, Wolfboy. The house had been padded for the dog's safety during full moons. The big, mangy, dark gray mutt jumped all over him until he finally knocked Erec over. A big pink tongue covered Erec's face in slippery kisses until he pushed him away. “Good dog.” Erec scratched behind Wolfboy's pointy ears while he nuzzled up by Erec's side.

“You know,” Erec said. “I know just what might cheer Oscar up.”

 

Even though it was January in Upper Earth, and the Asian mountains upon which Alypium was perched were covered in snow, the temperature was perfect. The golden dome covering the kingdom kept the sun's rays filtered in the summer and held heat in during the winter.

But Erec still wore a sweatshirt jacket, with the hood as far over his head as he could pull it, when he walked into town with Bethany, Wolfboy, and Bethany's fluffy pink kitten, Cutie Pie. He hoped that with his hood up, nobody would recognize him. The last time he had been spotted in Alypium, a huge mob had chased him back to the castle. That was thanks to Baskania spreading word around Alypium that the Stain brothers were the true rulers, and Erec was an imposter. Everyone seemed to believe that Erec was some power mad intruder trying to become king, and messing up everything for the poor Stain boys.

They strolled into the agora, where most of the shops were. In a pet shop, they found a furry yellow kitten for Oscar. Erec thought a puppy might be more fun, but once Bethany saw the kittens there was no changing her mind.

They got in line to pay, behind a tall, thin woman. Everything about her was pointed. Her chin, nose, and even her teeth looked sharp and nasty. Gray hair was shorn very short around her face, dangling longer from the middle. When she bent to look in her purse, the lock of hair hung down into a point, making her look like a curved fishhook.

She didn't bother turning around when the kids walked behind her. Her thin lips pressed into a stern line as she talked to the cashier. “Thank you for ordering these, Mabel,” she said, inspecting the gleaming, deep silver horseshoes on the counter. “Have someone carry the feed bags through my Port-O-Door, please.”

Mabel, the cashier, looked just the opposite of the other woman, short and round in a bright red sweater. When the tall woman bent over her purse again, the two of them reminded Erec of a hook poised next to an apple. “Yes, Mrs. Stain,” Mabel said, nodding.

Bethany nudged him, eyebrows raised. Erec had not thought much of their conversation, but now he listened closer.

Mrs. Stain sighed. “Those boys and their dragon horses.” She shook her head. “We had to make their little friend, Rock, give his horse to Dollick. It really wasn't fair that Dollick didn't get one, you know. And we don't like to upset Dollick much. He makes terrible noises and starts to butt his head into people.”

Erec's eyes shot wide open as he looked at Bethany. Mrs. Stain! How had he not recognized that name? So this was the mother of the Stain triplets: Damon, with the strange bone that protruded from his head under his gray hat; Dollick, who
baaed
and looked quite a bit like a white, fluffy sheep; and Balor, their ringleader, who was just pure evil.

Mrs. Stain clicked her tongue. Erec noticed that no bone shot from her pointy head, nor did she have fuzzy, white sheep's wool all over her face and neck. It made Erec wonder what her husband must look like.

“You know,” she said as she bent over the counter, hook coming closer to apple. “We're trying to fix the disarray that Rex boy seems to have caused.”

Erec shrank farther into his hooded jacket. He was glad Mrs. Stain was oblivious to his presence right behind her.

She continued, “Spread the word, Mabel. The Rex boy is still up to no good. We think he's going to keep butting into the quests that the Fates are sending up from Al's Well. Which means he's still trying to be king. Even though he knows the whole kingdom is against him. We want to let everyone know that they shouldn't worry.”

“But…” Mabel leaned forward timidly, obviously itching to ask a question, yet nervous. “I heard you already tried to fix things. That your boys went to the Labor Society when Erec Rex was out of town, and they tried to get the next quest without him. Is that true? But the Fates weren't ready to send the quest, so they had to leave without getting it.” She shrunk back, as if Mrs. Stain might bop her on the head.

Mrs. Stain's thin lips disappeared into a tight line. “
That
was just a test run,” she said. “Nothing to be concerned about. It doesn't mean we aren't ready with other ideas.”

She looked at her watch, seeming to have lost interest in the conversation. “Get me help with the feed bags. Now, please. I've had enough here.” Erec turned his back quickly when she looked around, but she was too caught up in herself and the feed bags to notice who was around her.

A scrawny boy with snowy white hair and black eyes lugged the feed bags in and out of the wooden Port-O-Door that led into Mrs. Stain's house. She watched with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. Erec recognized the boy from this summer's contests in Alypium, where kids had competed to see who would be the next rulers.

“Just think,” Bethany whispered. “Balor, Damon, and Dollick are probably right through that door.”

Erec's mind flashed to an image of Damon and Dollick fighting over who got to be the first to kill some dragon babies. He almost threw up.

 

They took turns carrying the new kitten to the apprentice boarding house where Oscar was staying. Cutie Pie rode on Wolfboy's back, an arrangement that looked like it was to Cutie Pie's liking much more than the dog's. On a few occasions Wolfboy tried to shake her off, but her claws just gripped him tighter.

“I can't believe they tried to get the next quest from Al's Well without me.” Erec still felt stunned.

“How can you be surprised?” Bethany asked. “Think who we're dealing with. The thing is, how are you going to know when the next quest is going to start? Do you think Erida will actually come tell you again?”

Erida was the Harpy who had invited Erec to draw his first two
quests from Al's Well. Erec had not thought about what she would do. “I don't know. Maybe she has to.”

“I wouldn't count on it,” Bethany said. “We're going to have to figure out another way to find out when Al's Well is ready for you.”

A strange feeling rose in Erec. It was one he was getting used to, but not one that he liked. This feeling was exactly why he had not been thinking of Erida or his next quest at all. In fact, he'd spent a whole month at home not thinking about it, just enjoying his time with his previously lost siblings—the twins, Danny and Sammy—and putting off coming back to Alypium. Every now and then he wondered if Erida might try to find him, if the next quest might start before he got back. But then this feeling would hit him, and he'd push the whole thing right out of his head.

The feeling. It was a strange mix of opposites. Insane craving and terrific fear. Wanting and dreading. Clinging and pushing away.

It was all about the scepters. Erec had such an intense experience in the past using King Pluto's and then King Piter's scepter. But those experiences were nothing compared to the lingering feelings they left behind in him. Still, months later, there was not a day that Erec did not imagine the scepter's power coursing through him again. There was not a night that he did not dream of wielding one, controlling all he saw.

But with those cravings came a deep terror. He knew that if a scepter was offered to him he would not be able to refuse it. And he saw, from his own dreams of conquering the world, that it would bring out the worst in him. Like King Pluto, who had once been a good kid, he would turn self-serving and evil.

And doing more quests meant just one thing. Moving closer and closer to the day when a scepter was handed to him.

“You know,” Erec said, turning to Bethany. “I was thinking. It seems pretty safe for me to bow out now. I mean, I've got the Amulet
of Virtues. That shows I've finished the first two quests.” He held the shiny gold disc on the chain around his neck in front of him, two of its twelve segments glowing red and purple-blue. “The Stain brothers, and Rock Rayson, if he's still with them, don't have these. I bet that means they can't really win the scepters. So let them just do what they want without me.”

“What?” Bethany stopped walking and squeezed the cat carrier to her chest. “You have to be kidding! If you don't compete, they'll take that as a forfeit. The only reason the Stains haven't officially become kings is that old law saying that twelve quests have to be done before the scepters are claimed. And if you aren't doing them, they'll be able to do the quests without you.”

“I don't think they could,” Erec said. “Al's Well has only let me draw the quests, not anyone else.”

“That's because you haven't quit,” she said. “If you quit, the Stains would probably be able to take over.” She started walking again, and Erec joined her. “Listen, is it worth taking the risk? Knowing what would happen if Balor, Damon, and Dollick get the scepters? They'd hand them over to Baskania. And you can imagine what life would be like then.”

Erec didn't have to imagine. He'd had a glimpse with his dragon eyes in his last cloudy thought. It would be the same thing that would happen if Oscar found out Bethany's secret. Baskania would get the scepters, throw the world into slavery, and soon end life as they knew it.

“There's another problem,” Erec said. “Even if I do become king, there are two more thrones that need to be filled. The kingdoms need three new rulers. Who do you think will end up being the other two kings? Looks like Balor and one of his brothers have it pretty well wrapped up. I don't see anyone else in the running.”

Bethany kicked a pebble and sent it flying into a small patch
of shrinking violets. The purple flowers jolted away from the stone, quivering. “I'll rule with you.”

“But you can't. King Piter said the new rulers have to be chosen by the scepter and the Lia Fail stone. The scepter only went to me, nobody else.”

“Well, I wasn't in the castle then,” Bethany pointed out. “Maybe one of the scepters would have come to me if I had been there. Anyway, the Stain brothers weren't picked, and they were there then.”

“Yeah, but they have Baskania behind them, and he can make anything happen,” Erec said.

“Maybe.” Bethany bit her lip, concentrating. “But I wonder who the other two rulers are
supposed
to be. I guess they must be two people who weren't in the room during the coronation.” She looked at Erec. “So it's possible that I could be one, I guess.”

Erec shook his head. “King Piter made it sound like I'm the only one.” He wished Bethany was right, though. No doubt she would do a better job of ruling than he would, given the way the scepters affected him.

Bethany looked as disappointed as Erec felt. “Maybe the other two kids will turn up somewhere. All we can do is hope.”

So, what were Erec's options? Letting Balor and friends ruin the world? Or getting the scepters, and ruining the world himself? Great choices. “I still think I should just give up,” he said.

Bethany studied his face. “I know what it is. You're afraid of getting the scepter again, aren't you?”

Erec nodded.

She sighed impatiently. “I thought we talked about that. You can just not accept it. When it's all done we'll bury it somewhere. Or I'll hide it from you if you want.”

Yeah, sure
, Erec thought.
Right
.

O
SCAR HELD THE
small yellow kitten to his cheek. His eyes were red and puffy. “Thanks, guys.”

Erec tried to cheer him up. “We saw Balor and Damon's mom in the pet store. Looks like she made Rock Rayson give his dragon horse to their brother Dollick. She said it ‘wasn't fair that Dollick didn't have one.' I guess it's only fair for her sons to have things, not other kids.”

“What about their friend Ward Gamin?” Oscar asked. “He won a dragon horse too. You think they'll take his away?”

“Who knows.” Bethany looked disgusted. “Those Stain triplets don't care about anyone but themselves.” She glared at Erec, an unspoken reminder that he couldn't drop the ball and let the Stain boys become kings.

The three of them were sitting by a brook in Paisley Park. All around them kids were paired with tutors, brandishing remote controls and making useless things happen in an attempt to harness their magic. Bethany had called her session off today, and Erec had no tutor arranged yet. His previous one, Pimster Peebles, had taught him nothing—had not even allowed him to try using his remote control. He said it was too dangerous.

Erec smiled at Oscar. “Well, one good thing about Rosco Kroc—at least he showed me how to use my remote control to move things. He's the only one who taught me anything about doing magic. I bet he would have shown me more, too, if—”

“If what?” The smile dropped from Oscar's face. “If he didn't turn out to be an evil kidnapper? How could you even think anything nice about that guy? I hate him.
Hate
him.” He glared at Erec with defiance. “It was your brother and sister he kidnapped. Remember?”

Erec rolled his eyes. “Of course I remember. I don't like him either, believe me. But we used to. Remember how you talked about how great he was? How much magic he taught you?”

Oscar's face was bright red. Erec immediately felt bad for making a point of it.

Oscar growled, his eyes slits, “Don't ever speak another word about Rosco Kroc to me. Ever. He ruined my life.”

Erec nodded, but Bethany tilted her head, puzzled. “We all can't stand him, Oscar. We know what he did. But how did that ruin your life? Just forget about him.”

Erec knew why Oscar felt his life was ruined. He had looked up to Rosco, loved him like a father, probably. And Rosco had disappointed him. It must have humiliated Oscar to find out that the person he respected most was a kidnapper and a spy for Baskania, and had lied to him about it. And when he was sent home, he'd gotten in fights with his father about getting another tutor, right before his father died. Maybe Oscar thought that if it hadn't been for Rosco, his father would have lived. He probably blamed Rosco for the whole thing.

Oscar wiped his eyes on the kitten's yellow fur and squinted at Bethany. “Because of Rosco, I'll never get to do any quests with Erec. That's the only thing I really want to do. I could have learned all that magic from anyone.”

Erec had forgotten about that. One more reason for Oscar to hate Rosco.

Bethany held a finger up. “Why can't you do a quest, Oscar? Just because Rosco said so? He's wrong.”

“No,” Erec said. “He's right. Ugry said that he'd make sure Oscar would never go on a quest with me, just because Oscar had been associated with Rosco.”

Oscar's face was pinched. “If I ever see him again, anywhere, he better watch out.”

Erec figured it was time to change the conversation. “Well, I'm probably not going to go on another quest again, anyway. Looks like Balor and crew are working on ways to get the next one without me even knowing about it. We'll just figure out our own fun things to do here instead.”

The edges of Oscar's mouth twitched into a smile. Bethany glared at Erec, but didn't bring the quests up again.

“How long have you been here?” Erec asked.

“Just got here yesterday,” Oscar said. “I have a bunch of money
that I found at home. Some unknown relative left it for me to get a tutor. I still need to find one though. Are you getting a new tutor?”

“I better,” Erec said. “Peebles stunk.”

Oscar grinned and Bethany broke into a smile. She took Oscar's kitten from him and rubbed noses with it. A second later Cutie Pie, pink fur on end, dove from a bush right at her hands. If Bethany hadn't jerked away in time, the kitten would have flown to the ground. “Cutie Pie!” she exclaimed, jaw dropped. “I'm allowed to hold other kittens. Shame on you!”

She handed the yellow kitten back to Oscar. “I want you and Jack to have dinner with us at the castle tonight. King Piter will be there. He'll be so glad to see Erec again. We should make it a party. Sound like fun?”

Oscar nodded. “I still have that autograph the king gave me, from the first time I met him.”

A loud, strangled screech made all three of them jump. In front of them appeared a creature with the body of a vulture and the head of a woman. Shiny black hair plastered on her head wound into a tight bun, and her nose shot out like a beak. Erec wasn't sure if she wore black lipstick or if her lips were naturally that dark. But either way, he recognized her, and her ferocious expression, immediately.

It was Erida, the Harpy.

 

Erida, from the Committee for Committee Oversight, in the Bureau of Bureaucrats, was supposed to be in charge of the quests. She had invited Erec to draw his first two from Al's Well. Erida thrust a claw toward him, holding a crisp parchment roll. He reached out toward her to take it.

As if he was not right in front of her, Erida shrieked, “Erec Rex! Erec Rex! Erec Rex!”

Erec jerked his arm back in shock. “Is that for me?”

“Erec Rex! Erec Rex! Erec Rex!” she squawked, a glint in her eye, as if she enjoyed making them recoil. Bethany covered her ears. With a flick of her claw, the parchment flew into Erec's face. “Watch out, Erec Rex,” she said. “President Inkle made us the police here now. We've got our eyes on you. See you soon…sucker!” she cackled. Then she swooped through the air and flew away.

Erec shuddered. How could President Inkle have made those awful Harpies the police of Alypium? Then again, the president seemed to do whatever Baskania wanted. Maybe this was another way of scaring the people of Alypium into doing whatever they wanted.

He unrolled the thick crinkled paper. It read, “It is with the utmost pleasure that the Committee for Committee Oversight invites Erec Rex to the Labor Society this Friday at 7:00 p.m. to accept his third quest.” At the bottom, a smug-looking smiley face was engraved next to the words, “Our Mission—PIPS: Pleased, Inspired, Pleasantly-surprised Service.”

“Friday? That's tomorrow. Well, this is a surprise,” Erec said, staring at the invitation in his hand. He fingered the gold amulet around his neck, not thrilled about drawing another quest. “I can't believe that Alypium is going to be run by screaming Harpy police with their dumb committees and red tape.”

Bethany's lips fluttered back and forth between a smile and a frown. “I don't know, Erec. I don't like it. You heard Mrs. Stain. What if they have some kind of plan to trick you? But, then again, you can't quite turn it down, can you? Doing another quest is your only chance to be king and get rid of Baskania for good.”

“I
can
turn it down, Bethany. You saw Erida's face. And the words, ‘Pleased,' ‘Inspired,' and ‘Pleasantly-surprised'? They want me to go. That's not a good sign. I better stay away.”

“So you'll quit and let Baskania get the scepters? Destroy the whole world?” Her eyelids narrowed and she put her hands on her hips.

Erec felt guilty. He was just thinking about himself. She was right. He had to put aside his fears of being given a scepter and actually do something to keep them away from Baskania. He shrugged sheepishly. “You're right. We just have to think about a safe way to do this.”

“Don't forget,” she said, “your Amulet of Virtues will protect you more with each quest you do. It kept King Piter, Queen Posey, and King Pluto safe from Baskania when they were young, after they did enough quests.”

Erec nodded. It also gave Baskania more reason to get rid of him now, before he got any stronger.

Oscar had been quietly watching them. His voice sounded distant as he said, “Just go without me. Nice to know you.”

Erec stared at him. “You know what, Oscar? Who cares what Ugry says? Who cares about these dumb rules? All the rules are being made against me now, anyway. I want you and Bethany to go with me on this quest. Let's see someone just try to stop you.”

Oscar sat up straight. His kitten almost dropped from his lap, and had to cling on to his pants with her claws. “You…you mean it, Erec? I can do a quest with you?” He stood. The kitten tumbled to the ground but landed on her paws. “I can't believe it!” A grin filled his entire face. “Maybe I'll solve the quest myself! Maybe I'll even end up being king with you!”

“I don't think—” Erec stopped in midsentence when he saw Bethany shake her head at him. She was right. Oscar deserved to feel happy.

 

It had been a month since Erec had been in the Castle Alypium, and it felt strange being back. It was so big and imposing compared to the New Jersey apartment he shared with his five adopted siblings and their adoptive mother, June. On his way to the west wing, Erec
caught a whiff of something foul. Around the corner stood a man with a vertical crease running up the center of his bulging forehead.

Balthazar Ulrich Theodore Ugry, King Piter's AdviSeer, leaned on his dark carved walking stick. The scarab amulet on his black cape was glowing. “Ahh,” he said, eyelids narrowing. “I can see I'll be busy again.”

Erec frowned at him. “Not on my account. Just do your own thing. I'm fine.”

As many times as Erec had been suspicious that Ugry was up to something nasty, though, he had been proved wrong. As unpleasant as he acted, and smelled, it seemed that Ugry meant no harm. In fact, he had saved Erec from a shadow demon. He could not let himself forget that.

“So are you saying you don't need a babysitter anymore?” Ugry looked perpetually annoyed. “Because that's not how it seems to me. Each time you're here you get in trouble.”

“I'll be fine. Just…” Erec waved as if to shoo him off.

Ugry smirked and drifted down the hall. Erec found Bethany in the west wing dining hall. Its soaring ceilings, stained glass windows, chandeliers, and fancy china on the long table made Bethany look tiny.

Jam Crinklecut, the butler in charge of the west wing house staff, walked in. He carried a silver tray stacked high with cheeseburgers, pizza, and stuffed potato skins. His gray vest, long black dinner jacket with tails, fancy white shirt, and even his white gloves looked perfectly pressed. Fortunately, his hair was no longer slicked to the side with thick grease as it had been when Erec first met him.

Jam was more than a butler to Erec, he was a friend. He had followed Erec into Otherness and fought by Erec's side against the entire Alypian army. Not that Jam would ever brag, or even admit that he had been brave. He was too humble, and noble, for that.

Jam broke into a grin when he saw Erec. He put the platter down, rushed over, and put his hands on Erec's shoulders as if he were about to give him a hug. Then he thought better of it and instead bowed again and again.

“Aw, cut it out.” Erec boxed Jam's shoulder playfully, then gave him a quick hug. “How've you been, Jam?”

“Most pleasant, young sir,” Jam said in his crisp British accent. “And how may I best serve young sir today? Are there any special requests you might have?”

Erec thought a moment. “Yes, Jam, I do.”

Jam straightened, ready as usual to serve.

Erec smiled. “I request that you join us at the table for dinner.”

Jam's eyes flew wide open. “But…young sir.” He looked around uncomfortably. “This is highly irregular.”

Before Erec could answer, King Piter came through the doorway. His long white hair was pulled back under his crown, and his eyes twinkled. The king's magnetic presence made everyone turn to him like needles in a compass.

Or was it what he was carrying? In his hand glimmered a golden scepter. Erec's breath caught when he saw it. For a moment he forgot that everyone else in the room existed. It was just him and the scepter.

“Well, Jam,” King Piter said, “I think it's a wonderful idea. I'm sure Erec would enjoy a meal with you.”

Jam bowed to the king. “Yes, sire. If you say so, sire.” He looked around uneasily as if wondering what to do next, then stood a moment, staring at the plates. Finally, he sat next to Erec.

Bethany flew across the room and gave King Piter a hug. “Hey, Daddy!”

A smile played on the edge of Erec's lips. Bethany used to catch herself when she called King Piter her father, but she must
have given into it finally. Erec was happy for her. She had wanted parents so badly, and King Piter was pretty close, basically adopting her. Bethany had seemed over the moon when the king told her he thought of her like a daughter.

The king patted her head, the corners of his lips tipping into a wistful smile. Then he looked at Erec. “Come here, boy.”

Erec approached him, as he had when he'd first dined with the king, unsure what to do. The closer he came to the scepter, the more he began to squirm. He wanted to touch it badly but was also terrified of it.

Then something inside him relaxed. It was better this time. The urge was less. He was sure of it. No doubt his cravings for the scepter were still there, but its grip on him was loosening. Finally! He stayed on the other side of the king as he came close, feeling slightly more in control.

King Piter planted a thick palm on his head and mussed his hair, then walked to his seat at the head of the table. As Erec sat down, a woman's voice sounded in the room. “Erec?” The voice sounded familiar. He looked all over, but no woman was there.