"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 25.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 26.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 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." 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.

27."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 did die. Not that you care. You were never my friend, obviously." 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."

28.Oscar's face wrinkled into a ball, lips sticking out. "No!" he growled. "I would not 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 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 not talking to Rosco, or Baskania, okay? I don't even talking to Rosco, or Baskania, okay? I don't even want want to know that dumb secret anyway. So don't even tell me. Just leave me alone." 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 29.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.

"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 30.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.

31.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.

32.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 baaed and looked quite a bit like a white, fluffy sheep; and Balor, their ringleader, who was just pure evil. 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.

33.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 34.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 35.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 36.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 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." 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?"