"I'm fine," Erec said. "I look that bad?"

Jam nodded, facing away. "Put the Awen in your backpack, if you please. Maybe that will help."

Erec dropped the green glowing dodecahedron into his backpack. "Any better?"

After a quick glimpse, Jack said "no" and threw up again.

"How bad can I look?" Erec asked. It seemed impossible to look bad enough to cause the reactions his friends were having.

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Melody's hand sheltered her face from him. "Let's just say the new you features a lot of pus, bones, and bugs."

Erec's hands flew to his face without thinking. What he touched felt nothing like a face at all. But at least it didn't hurt him. "I'll walk ahead of you so you won't have to see me."

"Don't look at his back, either," he heard Bethany say, choking.

As they followed Erec's footsteps up the path, Erec's mom's voice echoed around him. "Listen, Erec. I'm really upset ab--" She gasped, then screamed. After some sputtering, Erec heard nothing else.

"Mom?" There was no answer. She must have taken the glasses off.

Then her voice reappeared and she gagged, crying. "What happened to you? Oh, Erec!"

He stopped and covered his face. "Don't look at me, Mom. Just listen to my voice. I'm fine. I just look bad because I picked up this Awen. It will go away. I promise." He thought back to the last time they had talked, and he said, "I'm really sorry about what I said to you before. There was another Awen there making everyone angry. I didn't mean any of it."

Erec heard her breathing hard. She spoke slowly, "Well, I'm glad you're not mad. Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just forget what you saw here. It's not real. Okay? I'll talk to you later."

She murmured something and then was gone.

Jam said, "I think getting the rope may be easier than we thought. Do you agree, Erec? Maybe young Chinpukilla will be less inclined to marry you now."

Erec laughed. "I'll tell her I agree to the wedding. See what she thinks."

When they got to the village, Erec paused and let the others go ahead of him. He heard Jam explain to Hakan how much they needed the rope and how Erec had agreed to marry Chinpukilla.

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"But I warn you," Jam said. "Your curse here is not affecting him well at all."

When Erec walked into the village, people ran away, screaming. Chinpukilla put her hand over her mouth and ran off like she was being hounded by dogs.

Sweating, Hakan said to Jam, "You must take him away. He will bring greater curse. He not stay here."

Jam looked like he was considering the suggestion. "Are you sure Chinpukilla will get over it?"

Chinpukilla was now shrieking to the mountains.

"Yes, yes." Hakan nodded. "Take him away."

Jam scratched his chin. "Hmm...I suppose we could, if you give us a lot of rope."

"Yes. Rope." Hakan rushed into the village. Soon everyone was carrying coils of rope out to them. "Please, take." Erec and his friends grabbed as much as they could carry and then headed toward the tunnel.

"Thank you," Jam said as he left. "I think your Earth Mother spirit will forgive you for doing such a good deed."

The singing crystal pulled Erec ahead toward the rocky tunnel leading back to the Great Wall of China. He grabbed his parka and climbed in first, facing away from everyone else, and hanging his hood over his head to shield himself from their view.

Still, groans echoed in the tunnel behind him. "I think we all look a lot worse now," Bethany said. "I mean, nothing near as bad as Erec." Then after a pause she called ahead, "Sorry, Erec."

"It's okay," he said. "Just as long as it goes away eventually."

They passed around the Serving Tray, but this time they did not share the food it produced with each other. All of them ate with their eyes closed, which was the only way they could enjoy their 275.

meal. The Awen of Beauty made their food look bad, and looking at each other was enough to turn their stomachs.

"Maybe we should talk with our eyes closed too," Melody said, relieved.

"Great idea," Bethany agreed. "Hey, Melody, could I ask you a favor?"

Suddenly, Erec remembered what Melody's gift was. He knew what Bethany was about to ask her for, and he fully approved.

"Yeah?" Melody asked.

"Could you play us something? This trip has been a little intense. And we don't know what tomorrow holds. It would be so nice and relaxing. If you don't mind, I mean."

Everyone born in the Kingdoms of the Keepers had a magical gift. Erec's gift was his cloudy thoughts, and Bethany's was her mathematical ability. Jack could talk to animals, and Jam was always prepared. Melody's gift was exceptional. She could produce the most beautiful music Erec had ever heard.

Soon, a mesmerizing, gorgeous refrain filled the tunnel. Erec immediately relaxed. The visual horrors of the day were washed away. He snuck a glance and saw one of Melody's legs sawing over the other like a bow across a violin and her arms and fingers waving through the air. He looked away quickly so nobody would see his face, and also because she appeared grotesque with the Awen of Beauty nearby. But with his eyes closed, the music was sweet and perfect. The sounds of violins, oboes, harps, and bells swelled together in perfect harmony. Erec remembered that she could make sounds from even the flutter of her eyelids.

After the concert they all felt considerably better. "Thank goodness the Awen still lets us hear beauty in music," Jam said.

Bethany yawned. "I think we should get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be rough, I think."

276.

"I wish we could see what people back in the village look like now that we took their Awen of Beauty away," Jack said. "They're probably celebrating."

"And thankful that they sent all their bad luck away with Erec," Bethany said.

They made themselves comfortable on their down parkas, and Erec asked the Serving Tray for big marshmallow pillows for everybody again. One glimpse at the pillows made him disgusted. They were full of gloppy green goo, but they felt comfortable. When he closed his eyes he fell fast asleep.

Erec awoke the next morning to shrieks and shouts. Someone had awakened and screamed upon seeing the others, which had set off a chain reaction. He glanced back to see what was going on, but then everyone's screams turned into sounds of full-fledged terror and gagging.

"Sorry." He looked the other way, putting his hood over his head. "At least where we're going next we won't see each other so well."

"That's a relief," he heard Jack say behind him.

Erec remembered the way to the crevice in the Great Wall, even though the singing crystal was pulling him there anyway. He was glad the mists blocked everything, including his face, from view. It wasn't far. Soon, the immense shadow of the Great Wall of China loomed before him.

"I really hope I can see this someday when the fog is gone," he said. "I'm sure it's amazing."

"It must be," Bethany said, "if that druid guy, Bile, picked this spot for his precious Awen."

Erec jiggled the rock, and again a piece came out in his hand just as his singing crystal struck a chord. Behind it was a hazy blue 277.

glow. If he squinted at it he could see that it had sides, another dodecahedron. He pulled it, but it did not budge from where it was wedged. Then Erec remembered and touched his crystal to it. The blurry blue object rose in the air at the crystal's tip. He brought it over his hand and let it fall.

All went black. There was not even the hint of shape or color around him. Erec froze. "Guys? You okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he heard Jack say. "'Cept my vision just got worse when you pulled that thing out. Hard to tell for sure through the fog, but the wall looks like a big blur."

"I can't see anything," Erec said, still frozen. "It's solid black."

He could hear discussion around him. Some voices seemed nearer than others. Jam sounded close. "If young sir cannot see holding the Awen of Sight, I will gladly be the one to carry it."

"Thanks, Jam. But I'm okay." Right now, swamped in complete blackness, Erec just wanted to see a glimpse of what was around him again. But he dragged everyone here along with him. It was only right that he should have to bear the burdens of the Awen.

A strange noise came from nearby. It gave Erec the chills, not knowing what it was. Then he heard Jack say, choking, "I can't handle this. Don't walk over here, guys. I just threw up again. I mean, you'd think it would be better not being able to see you as well. But it's worse. I just got a glimpse of Erec, and it was like this distorted, rotting, worm infested corpse-thing coming at me through the mist."

"Time for me to enter a beauty contest, sounds like." Erec said. "Maybe I should compete against Baskania."

"Yeah, you win, hands down." Bethany's voice was choked. "Sorry. I see what Jack's saying. Problem is, it's so hard to see, I can't stop looking at you by accident. Not like looking at anybody here is fantastic now."

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Jack sounded annoyed. "It's not fair for you to carry the Awen of Sight, Erec. You're the worst one to look at. Someone else should get to have it. It would be a relief to be blinded if it means I don't have to see you again."

A spurt of laughter popped from Erec's mouth at the idea that he looked so bad his friends might fight over who got to be blinded near him. Unfortunately, the sudden laugh must have made everyone glance his way because he heard more screams, moans, and throwing up.

"I'm happy to give this to someone else," Erec said. "You want it, Jack?"

There was a pause. "You sure nobody else wants it?" Jack's voice said. "I'm happy to take it."

"Go ahead," everyone murmured.

Jam unzipped Jack's backpack and put Erec's hand over its large pocket.

"Now drop it, young sir," Jam said.

The minute that the blue dodecahedron left his hand, vision sprang back to Erec's eyes. But he did not have quite the vision he'd had before. He could see what the others were describing. Even though he was right next to the Great Wall, the stones were blurred and distorted. Jam's red, puffy face seemed to pop out in odd blurs through the mist. It was a frightening effect, and he could imagine how bad looking at himself must have been.

Jack stood still. "I can't see anything."

"Yeah, I know," Erec said. "It's pitch-black when you're carrying that thing. We'll have to lead you out of here."

"Yeah," Jack said. "But it's still a relief that I'm not going to see Erec's face again." He gagged, remembering it. "Hey, no offense, Erec, but could someone else lead me out of here?"

"I think this is a good time to use the rope," Jam said. "We'll 279.

need it for sure in Norway, with the earth cracking away under our feet, especially since we can't see well anymore."

That's right, Erec thought. He would have to climb over a crumbling abyss to pick up the Awen of Creation without being able to see well. Chances were, the entire cavern would crumble into the sea a mile below after he picked the thing up. He wasn't sure how they would use the rope, but they definitely needed a plan.

Jam, as usual, proved amazingly helpful. He laid out the ropes and knotted the longest two segments together. With his eyes closed, Jam handed one end of the rope to Erec. "Wrap this twice around your chest, under your arms, and I'll knot it securely at your back." He then measured out four feet of rope and told Bethany to wrap the next coils around herself the same way. After knotting her back, he did the same with himself, allowing another four feet of rope before handing the next part to Jack. "This puts you right between me and Melody," he told Jack. "Erec is way up front, far away from you."

Erec knew this lineup was meant to comfort Jack, and he couldn't get over the strangeness of looking bad enough to inspire that kind of comment. Jam measured out a few more feet and handed the end of the rope to Melody to wrap around herself a few times. He tied some extra knots around Melody's and Erec's rope ends.

"Now, young sir, you will be our leader with your crystal. Jack, I'll keep the rope taut for you to grip. If you need to grab my shoulder it's okay."

Jack held the rope in one hand and Jam's shoulder in the other, taking cautious steps since he could not see what lay underfoot. Blinding mists swirled around them. Erec wished he had a rope to clutch as well. But at least the crystal was pulling him.

After a few steps Erec felt a harsh jerk from the rope, almost 280.

pulling him over. Then he heard Bethany's voice. "Sorry, I tripped. I'm okay."

Then Jam called, "If we're in Geirangerd and the ground drops out under one of us, it will be best if we can keep the rope taut. That is, if we can all remain standing and not knock each other over. Maybe if we walk slowly on the same count."

This was difficult, but they took turns slowly calling out "left, right, left," until they got used to the rhythm. When someone tripped, the others braced themselves to stay standing. And the ones who did trip didn't fall as far that way. After a while they got better at walking half-blinded without yanking each other down.

The ginkgo tree near the grassy hill looked like a looming monster with sharp claw branches against the gray mist. Erec climbed into the rocky tunnel, and the mist followed them in.

They passed around the Serving Tray in the tunnel. Everyone was unusually quiet. "You all right, Jack?" Erec asked. "We can trade off carrying that Awen of Sight if you want."

"I'm okay," Jack said. "Getting used to it. No use switching now that we're learning how to walk around like this. I'll just get better at it. No, looks like I'm blind and you're ugly for the duration."

"I'm going to be destructive, too," Erec said. "Soon enough. Any ideas on how I can get that next Awen, Jam?"

"I've been mulling over our options, young sir. I actually arranged us in this order for a reason."

Erec smiled. "Glad we have one person who's prepared here. What are you thinking, Jam?"

"Well, it seems when you climbed over the ledge to get to the center of the cavern, where the Awen was, the path disintegrated. If you did it again, you'd surely be stranded in the center."

"And there's only one way down from there," Jack said.

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"Thanks, Jack," Erec said. "That helps."

Jam cleared his throat. "Our being tied together like this gives us more...length. If one of us is in the middle of the cavern, another can be at the ledge, or near it. And if the ground breaks loose under someone, we can keep them up this way. We just have to move slowly and steadily."

"What if the ground breaks under two or three of us at the same time?" Bethany said nervously. Erec was sure she was calculating their odds.

"Let's not think about that, modom." He paused. "One more thing. I put Melody at the end because she is the lightest. If the ground crashes away under her, we can hold her up easiest, without her dragging us down after her. So she should be the one to lead the way across the path to the Awen of Creation. Erec, Bethany, and I will be on the other end, pulling her to safety."

"Thanks a lot," Jack said. "Am I a weakling now?"