"Can I talk to them now?" Erec heard more rustling behind him, and now in some nearby bushes in front of him too.

"First you must go into the little dark room in your head and open the shades. Look into the well. When the light from your dragon eyes shines in, the Fates will know you are here."

Erec nodded. He had practiced that enough. He leaned over the side of the well, which was as high as his waist, and looked in. Then he closed his eyes.

His imagination took over. He saw himself entering the small pitch-black room in his mind. A warm, comforting feeling spread through him. Then he passed through the next door and the next. There on the table was the small box. A ripple of fear stole over him before he pulled the shades open. He knew what he was going to see would not be pleasant. If only he could figure out what was happening, what building was exploding in the future, he could stop it. He knew that. But how?

Then it hit him. He was at the Oracle. He would ask the Fates! Surely they would know what terrible thing he was seeing.

With greater confidence, he opened the shades covering the windows. Before his eyes, people were screaming, running. Chunks of a building were falling, shattering all around him. Terror surged through him, along with another feeling. A strange confidence, pleasure, control. Power. It filled him with energy.

140.

Erec turned his eyes one way, then the other, looking all around the scene. When he felt he had seen enough for the Fates to get an idea of it, he stepped out of the dark rooms and opened his eyes.

As usual, he felt his eyes swivel in his head, so he knew his dragon eyes had been out. It took a moment to adjust to the brightness outside. He was tired, but excited to talk to the Fates. Now he had two things to ask them: what the rest of his third quest was and what the horrible vision was that he was seeing in his future.

Then Erec smiled. Why stop there? There were so many other things he wanted to know about himself, things that were mysteries to him. He couldn't wait to find out everything.

Below him the water was changing. It began to swirl into a whirlpool of amazing colors, metallic shades, pastels, dusky ones. For a moment the water bubbled up like it was boiling, and then the surface became glassy smooth and dark, so that Erec could see his reflection.

What would the Fates sound like? Erec braced himself. Their voices were probably bone-chilling, inhuman, ghastly. The Hermit gestured him toward the water, and he leaned closer. "Fates? This is Erec Rex. I have a few questions for you."

Silence was his only answer, and for a moment Erec felt ridiculous talking into well water. But then he heard giggling and shrieking. It sounded like he had channeled into a slumber party. Maybe he had gotten the wrong number.

"It's Erec!" one of them shouted, sounding more like a crazed fan than a supernatural being who ruled over the fates of humans.

"Eeeeeek!" they all screamed, laughing.

"We were so so expecting you," a voice giggled. "Too bad you can't pop over and, like, hang with us for a while." She sounded like a Valley girl, yet older and more earthy at the same time. In fact, the Fates managed to come across as extremely young and amazingly expecting you," a voice giggled. "Too bad you can't pop over and, like, hang with us for a while." She sounded like a Valley girl, yet older and more earthy at the same time. In fact, the Fates managed to come across as extremely young and amazingly 141.

old at the same time. The only thing that wasn't quite human was the immense energy in their voices. Erec heard giggling, along with sounds of ice rattling and clinking glasses.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what the rest of my third quest is," he said. "It got broken off in Al's Well."

"Well, like, du-uh!" one of the Fates burst out. Erec could just imagine her rolling her eyes and painting her nails. "I mean, like, who do you think broke it? Unh!"

Another said, "We wanted you to come chat with us, Erec. And you didn't really, like, want want to get the whole quest right then. I mean, did you?" to get the whole quest right then. I mean, did you?"

She was right. Balor would have found out what it was. And if Erec had not had to stick his hand back into Al's Well to look for the rest of the quest, he would never have escaped. "Can you tell me what the whole quest is now?" he asked.

Bursts of laughter issued from the well. A few of the Fates started to talk, but dissolved into fits of giggles. Finally one of them choked out, "G-get...be-hind." They all started laughing so hard that even Erec could not help but smile.

"What is it?" he said. "Get behind what?"

"That's it!" one said with glee, chortling, "Get...be...behind! Oh, yeah," she said with a giggle, "and set it free."

"Get behind and set it free?" Erec repeated, confused. "That's my quest?"

"Yes!" The three of them screamed, laughing anew as if it was the best joke they had ever heard. He heard more glasses clinking. Someone said, "Pour me another Cosmos Ripple, Decima."

"Oeww-kay." Erec glanced at the Hermit, who nodded sagely, as if this were a grave discussion. "So I have to get behind and set it free."

More hysterics broke out when he said it. It seemed best to move on and worry about the strange quest later. In fact, he thought, this 142.

might be a good reason to step out and not do the quest after all. Nobody would be able to figure out what it meant.

"I have another question," he said. "When I look into my future, I keep seeing a building exploding and people running away in fear. What's happening?"

The laughter calmed down, and after a few sniffs one of them said. "You will, like, totally figure that out soon. That's the Castle Alypium exploding, kid." Her voice warbled, "It's like mega-awesome. We love it, don't we, girls?'

There was a chorus of "Oh, yeah"s and "So rad"s.

The Castle Alypium exploding? Erec choked. And they loved it? How could they? He had felt the terror there. Then again, the Fates might not care much about human lives. They saw birth and death on a much bigger scale. But Erec would figure out what would happen to the castle. And he would stop it.

After some more movement in the bushes, a wiry boy with reddish hair rushed toward him--Oscar Felix. Erec flushed with anger as soon as he saw him. "Now you're following us, Oscar? Spying on us for Baskania? So you can tell him what we're up to? Just get away from me. I'm not letting you ruin things again."

Oscar's face was red. "Erec, please believe me. I've never talked to Baskania. He was lying. Really. That's why I came out here. Ask...ask that thing for me. Okay?"

Erec looked into the well. Why not? "Is Oscar Felix letting Baskania know where we are?"

A Fate said, "Well, like, duh. I mean, you already know that. Why are you asking us?"

Erec glared at Oscar.

"No! It's not true. They're wrong!" Oscar said.

Bethany frowned. "Erec, could you ask the Fates if Oscar is lying, if he knows that he is talking to Baskania?"

143.

Erec leaned into the well. "Does Oscar know he is talking to Baskania?"

The Fates began shouting "Yes" and "No" until they were lost in laughter again. Oscar stared into the well, stunned. "There he is, girls. Unh! Fine!"

One of them talked insultingly slow. "I'll put it re-al-ly simp-ly so he un-der-stands. Okay? Rosco is telling Baskania everything Oscar knows."

"Rosco? Can he read my mind?" Oscar's face bunched up like he was about to cry. "I'll get 'im. I will. Just wait. He's dead. I'll get 'im."

"How does Rosco know what Oscar is thinking?" Bethany asked. "Did he put a spell on him? Plant something on Oscar so he knows his thoughts?"

"Rosco ruined everything," Oscar said. "I can't go on the quests. Now my friends can't be with me. And I bet my dad died because of our fighting. That wouldn't have happened if Rosco hadn't turned out to be a criminal."

Bethany patted his back. "Don't even think that. There is no way your father died just because you were arguing with him. That's you feeling guilty."

Oscar jutted his chin up. "All right then. Ask the well, Erec. Ask it. I want to know why my dad died."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Erec did not want to upset him even more.

Oscar shook like he was about to explode. "Do it. I have to know. If you were ever my friend, then do this for me."

There was more rustling in the bushes behind them. Erec looked around, but whoever was there stayed hidden. He asked the well, "How did Oscar's father die?"

"He killed him." The Fate's voice sounded upset.

144.

All eyes fell on Oscar. Oscar looked around, terrified. "I did not! I didn't. They're lying! That's crazy."

Erec turned toward the well. "Who killed him?" He was afraid to hear the answer.

It sounded like one of them said, "Oscar." But then they all heard it loud and clear. "Rosco killed him. He used a magic spell to make him stop breathing."

Oscar sank to the ground, crying. "Rosco did it," he said. "Rosco." He buried his face in his arms, sobbing. Then he rolled on the ground, pounding his feet and fists into it. Erec heard him say between hiccups, "...if it's the last thing I do. I'm having my revenge."

Bethany sat by Oscar and rubbed his back. There was more rustling behind Erec. He had more questions for the Oracle, and had to ask them fast. The Fates' chatter was fading, as if they were losing interest in him. "Wait," he called, "I have another question."

The voice of one of the Fates tinkled like a bell. "Your girlfriend better, like, jump in this well right now, before we talk any more. I mean, if you even like her at all. Or she'll be toast."

"What?" Erec looked at Bethany in shock. That didn't make any sense. Why did she have to go into the well?

Bethany didn't look excited about jumping in either. "Huh? Ask them why."

But the Hermit pushed her to the edge. "Don't argue. These three know what will happen, remember? Get in. There you go."

Bethany took a look at Oscar, then she put two and two together. Someone nasty would arrive soon. She jumped into the well with a splash and disappeared. Erec was glad she had Instagills. He leaned over the well again. "Could you tell me, quick, who my father is?"

145.

A hand on his shoulder jerked him backward, and he fell onto the ground. Balor Stain shoved past him and looked into the well. "All right. I've waited long enough, 'got behind' him like I was supposed to. Stupid quest. Now it's my turn to ask some questions."

The Fates could see Balor but not hear him, Erec knew, since he was not a medium. So they seemed to think that Erec's question had been for Balor. "Look!" they screeched. "It's Balor Stain! Can you believe it? And he wants to know who his father is." They giggled.

"I do not," Balor said. "I know my father."

"This will be so so funny," a Fate said. "He has no clue. Who gets to tell him?" funny," a Fate said. "He has no clue. Who gets to tell him?"

Erec dusted himself off and came closer. Everyone stared at the well, mesmerized.

"I'll do it!" the voice of one of the Fates rang out. "Balor, you and your brothers, Damon and Dollick Stain, were born on April twentieth, almost fourteen years ago, in Alypium. You were triplets, cloned from Thanatos Argus Baskania, who is your real father, then given to Mauvis and Perdita Stain to raise. I mean, like, Balor, didn't you notice something was weird about you guys?"

Erec stared at Balor in shock. He did look like Baskania, now that she mentioned it. Just much younger, with black hair and only two eyes. Balor looked like he was working something out in his head.

"Why does Damon have a bone coming out of his head, and Dollick look like a sheep, then?" Erec asked the well.

The Fates giggled. "They really, like, screwed up the cloning job. Thanatos Baskania had just eaten lamb for dinner. And when they took the laser slice from him to clone Dollick, part of the slice went through Baskania's stomach and got some lamb in it. And 146.

the slice for Damon got too big a piece of Baskania's thigh bone. So it messed his head up. That Vulcan cloning thing was pretty new then, and it still had bugs."

"Yeah," another said, "eeew. It was so gross. The bugs were, like, all over it."

A shadow fell over the well. The Fates screamed, "Eek!" and "Eeew!"

Erec looked up to see many eyes gazing back at him from one face.

147.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Snail Mail from Oscar.OSCAR!" BASKANIA CRIED. "Thank you again, so much, for alerting me that your friend is here. You will be well rewarded, I assure you. In fact," he raised his chin and grinned smugly under his many darting eyes, "someday I will place you at my side, put my full trust in our friendship."

Oscar spat in the grass but seemed afraid to say more.

Then Baskania turned to Balor, seething. "Are you happy now, 148.

fool? I sent you to do one thing. 'Get behind' Erec. It was your last chance to do something right. And instead you run up and ask the Fates who your real father is?" He sneered. "That was for me to decide if if and when to tell you." and when to tell you."

Balor looked stunned, like he was not absorbing what Baskania, his father, was saying. Erec knew that Baskania's attention would turn to him before too long. There was only one way out, and he needed to try to escape before Baskania noticed it too.

"Oscar." Erec nudged him with his foot. He nodded toward the bushes and whispered, "Go. Don't look at me." Oscar must have understood, for in a moment he was gone.

Baskania did not seem to care that Oscar had left. He looked at Erec and rubbed his hands together.

In a single motion Erec dove into the well. A second later Bethany was swimming beside him, their Instagills open again.

The Fates must have been helping him, for a strong current sucked them away, fast. The water felt both boiling hot and freezing cold, but it quickly turned to a normal temperature.

"Look!" Bethany screamed. Two thick ropes spiraled through the water toward them like snakes. Erec was sure Baskania had sent them. He kicked faster to get away, but one of the ropes was gaining on him. He knew it would wind tightly around him and drag him back to the Oracle.

"This way!" Bethany took a sharp turn into a small tunnel to the bottom of a lake. The ropes jerked behind them, spinning closer.

Then Erec heard a voice. "All right. Like, fine." "Fine" sounded like "fi-yun." It was one of the Fates. "We'll, like, fix it. Just this one time, since we were having such a fun chat. Don't count on us again, all right, kiddies?"

Out of nowhere two snapping turtles appeared in front of Baskania's ropes. The ropes sprang at the surprised reptiles and bound them tightly, dragging them away.

149.

Bethany grinned, delighted. "Those turtles will give Baskania a little surprise. I hope they snap off his fingers."

"Or at least one of his eyes."

The image made both of them burst out laughing.