"No," Jam pointed out, "but you are blinded. You will not be able to find a ledge to grasp for safety if necessary."

Jack muttered about being useless baggage, but Erec said, "No way. I can't let Melody go across that bridge first. It's not even a bridge anymore, it's just some crumbled stands of dirt. It's way too dangerous. It's nice enough for all of you to come help me like this, but I can't risk your lives any more."

"Chill out, Erec," Melody said. "Jam makes a lot of sense. I'll be tied with a rope to you all anyway. If I fall in anywhere, we all do."

"That's just it," Erec said. "I don't want you all to fall to your deaths. I'm going to untie myself and do it alone."

"That's impossible, Erec," Bethany said, exasperated. "You know it too. If you're alone in the middle of that cavern you'll be stuck out there forever. And once you pick up the Awen of Creation the whole place will crash in around you. You have to realize that."

282.

Erec closed his eyes. Was there any other way? Then he perked up. "I know! I'll do a dragon call. Maybe Patchouli or one of the other dragons can help me fly across the cavern."

"Not possible, young sir. Dragons cannot come into Upper Earth, dragon call or no."

Erec could not think of what to do. How could he risk the lives of his friends?

"Listen, Erec," Jack said. "You're not the only one who is responsible here. We all need to help. Do you think any of us wants Upper Earth to be destroyed in ten years? This affects everyone."

"Jack is right," Melody said. "We're in this together. None of us are going to let you make a huge mess of things, trying it all on your own. We have a chance of making it work if we do it Jam's way, so that's what we should do."

Erec knew she was right, but it was hard for him to accept. "If we're going to stay tied together, why don't I climb out there first, at least. I have the singing crystal, anyway, so that makes sense."

"Like you can't hand it over to someone else?" Bethany said.

"But what if it doesn't work for other people?" Erec pointed out. "Who knows? It was given to me."

"The singing crystal is the master of the Awen, young sir," Jam said. "Not only for a specific owner, I believe. If you went first and fell in, which you would, we would have less strength at the front of the rope to pull ourselves to safety."

Erec thought about it. "Okay," he finally said. "Thanks, guys."

When they climbed out of the dark tunnel into Geirangerfjord, sunlight blasted Erec's face, making his eyes clench shut. But the mist poured out around them. This time he could not see the spectacular mountains nor the fjords rushing below. Even if the mist was not there, his vision still would have been distorted.

283.

Erec passed the singing crystal to Melody. He was not ready for her shocked and disgusted reaction when she accidentally glanced at his face. "Ugh!" she screeched, almost dropping the crystal.

Erec twisted the rope around his chest so he was facing the other direction, at the end of the line. "Left. Right. Left. Right," they called out, taking slow, sure steps. When the dirt began to crumble around his feet, he stumbled. A chunk loosened below him and in a few minutes he heard a quiet splash. Wavering unsteadily, he grasped the cliff's edge, leaning back against the taut rope to help him stay upright.

A loud crash sounded from above, and at the last second he saw a huge boulder racing down the mountainside. "Duck!" Jam shouted. Everyone crouched as the massive rock bounced over their heads, whistling through the air as it flew by. The length of time before they heard it crash into the waves did not make anyone feel better.

Soon Erec heard a scream and a tug on the rope. He stopped.

"It's okay. I'm okay," Melody said, panting. "Almost fell straight down the cliff. I couldn't see where I was going. We're at the cavern."

Erec wished he could see more than white mist and occasional blurry glimpses of rock that must have been the far wall of the cavern. Jack was quiet, but Erec felt for him. He knew what the breaking path looked like, and now he'd have to cross it blinded.

Then he had an idea. "Why don't we put the two Awen down by the side of the cliff here. That way Jack can see for a while when we climb across the land bridge."

"Awesome." Jack grinned.

But Jam said, "Do you really want to take that risk? With the land crumbling beneath us, the Awen might drop into the fjords. And when we're rushing out, what if we can't find them?"

284.

Jack was quiet a moment. "Would it be better if I untied and sat out here, then? That way I won't mess up and pull anyone down."

"I don't think so," Jam said. "We'll need a longer chain than just four people if things crumble. Plus, you wouldn't be able to protect yourself out here, blinded. The earth might crumble under you."

"Don't worry, Jack," Bethany said. "We're tied together. We won't let you fall." She sounded like she was trying to be brave.

"Just tap with your feet before you set them down," Jam said. "I'll direct you too. We'll all have to concentrate. The ground will be dropping beneath us as we go."

"Let's crawl out there," Erec suggested. They all agreed, dropping to their knees and feeling with their hands on the ground. It felt safer being closer to something solid. Erec could even make out a few distorted blades of grass.

"Step," Jam called to signal a move forward.

Erec felt a huge gap before him. It was only after he reached way ahead that he felt ground. "How did you get across this?" he called to Bethany.

"Feel to the right," she answered. "It's closer."

Sure enough, closer ground lay to his right. All of a sudden, Jack yelled out in terror and Erec felt the rope tug. "You okay?" he called.

"Yeah. I almost fell...."

The five of them crawled a bit more when Melody yelled, "Stop! I'm there." They all held still. Erec could hear the singing crystal ring a chord. Fear raced through him. How fast would everything crumble when Melody picked up the Awen of Creation? Probably right away.

"Wait a minute," he called out. "Before you touch it, Melody, let's all turn around in our ropes and face the other way. That way we can be ready to go."

285.

"Good thinking, young sir." They all twisted and faced back to the cliff edge. Jam said, "Open your backpack, Melody. As soon as you grab the Awen, drop it and the crystal straight into your backpack and zip it. That way you'll have both hands free for climbing."

"Okay," Melody said.

A tense moment passed before she shouted, "Got it! Let's go!"

"Step," Jam called urgently.

Erec grasped the land over the ledge to his right and sprang onto it.

"Unh!" He heard Bethany falling behind him.

An ear-splitting crack echoed through the canyon. Sickening crunches filled the air, rock grinding against rock. Reverberating thuds shook Erec's bones as he struggled forward. He glanced behind him but saw only mist.

A terrified scream burst through the air, and the rope grew tight around his chest. With a jerk it shot to his waist and pulled him backward. Struggling to keep his balance, he tugged the rope from his stomach, and worked it back up to his chest. Still, it was hard to pull. He wondered how many people were dangling. "Get on your knees, everyone," he shouted. "Or the ropes will slide off."

He could not tell what was happening behind him. But as he reached forward he fell awkwardly onto his face, overcome with dizziness. What was happening to him? He needed to concentrate or they would never get to safety. He couldn't lose Bethany, all his friends...

He struggled doggedly forward, nearly blind. As he reached for the next patch of grass he saw a rush of motion in his head. It was like a film playing backward, fast. Upper Earth dying. Baskania with scepters. What was happening? His mind spun and he felt like 286.

he was falling, clinging to the ground around him. The rope tugged him back and he fought it with all his might.

Then the movie in his head played forward. It was a cloudy thought. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved, though, when he saw what it showed him.

Everything was a green blur of mist with distorted Substance netting the air. They were falling, all of them, crashing into rocks on the cliff sides until the fjords rose to meet them. Some were dead already; the rest would be soon after the crash.

No! Erec raged. This would not happen. Fire shot from his mouth, singeing the ground around him.

The ground! He realized he could see it now with his dragon eyes out. Not as well as usual, but he could see where to go. But then his mind was back in the vision.

The rock wall of the cliff whizzed by as they dropped past. Water shot around them, hard as bricks because of the distance of their fall. He was sucked under, pulled down, his breath leaving him.

Fury surged through his being. This would not happen.

Then the instructions from his cloudy thought were crystal clear. Grab here. Grab here. He dug his claws into a bed of dirt, tugging the rope behind him. He dug his claws into a bed of dirt, tugging the rope behind him. Leap there. Leap there. His anger gave him strength to fight. His anger gave him strength to fight. Twist this way. Then jump onto that perch. Twist this way. Then jump onto that perch.

Erec glanced behind him. With his dragon eyes he could see that Jack and Melody were dangling on the rope, Jack's feet kicking into Melody's face. Jam had a grip on some crumbling earth he'd happened to grab when Erec dragged him over it. And Bethany hung between them, the rope under her arms. Her legs flailed around in a panic.

287.

The ground beneath them cracked, giving way faster than they could walk. The center of the cavern was demolished. It was up to him. He knew what he had to do now. And, odd as it was, it felt perfectly natural. A relief, in fact.

Pounce. Dig into the dirt.

And then...

Fly.

At that moment, Erec took to the air. He felt wings push out from his shoulder blades, tearing through his shirt, beating against the air. As they grew, they pushed the rope lower down his chest, and pushed at his backpack until he had to slide one arm out of it and carry it from the other. He sprang from his hind legs into the air, wincing from the strain of lifting the four behind him. The rope squeezed tight against his chest, which was growing larger. He flapped, pulling himself through the air to the cliff's edge.

When he landed, Bethany, Jam, Jack, and Melody crashed onto solid ground. But the earth caved in under Melody, leaving her hanging again.

He had no time to waste. Erec jumped, clinging with his claws, dragging his friends from spot to spot on the remaining land. He carried them another short distance, flying over the path they had originally followed, knowing just where to go. Soon he saw the rocky tunnel and dove inside.

After crawling a short distance he relaxed. He pulled a dazed and bruised Bethany in behind him.

She gasped when she saw him, and threw her hand up in front of her eyes. "Now you're ugly and have green dragon scales."

288.

When she was safe, he reached around her to help Jam in. "Wait!" he shouted. "Help Jack up, but Melody can't come into the tunnel yet. She'll have to hang on to the rope until we know what we're doing."

Bethany protested. "We can't let her dangle out there. She needs a rest."

Jam shook his head. "Erec is right. The minute we pull her in here with the Awen of Creation, this tunnel will crumble."

They all rested against the rock wall to get their breath.

"I'm okay out here," Melody called in. "At least when I'm hanging in the air, things aren't caving in around me."

Erec could see landslides rushing past her, but Melody was close enough to the ravine's face to avoid them so far. The entire area would be a pile of rubble after this.

Erec felt his dragon eyes revolve back and his regular eyes come out, which meant that his vision was lost again in the mists. Yet his powers had saved them from an impossible situation. They had completed their third step.

The tunnel was filled only with the sounds of quiet breathing. Everyone was afraid to move an inch after what they had been through. Erec faced away from everyone so they wouldn't accidentally look at him.

A strange swirl of yellow and green appeared in the dust between two rocks. It was hard to see, but he was sure a pair of eyes were peeking at him.

"A snail!" He picked it up and pulled a letter out, holding it next to his face so he could read it.

Dear Erec, Please, please stop writing me. I don't know if you are okay, but 289 289Rosco appeared again right after I read your letter, and Baskania was with him. They took it from me, and it seemed like they knew exactly where you were talking about. Rosco said something about the Fire Pit volcanoes under Aorth and how that would be a likely place for a quest. And Baskania knew just where the coldest place on the planet is. They planned to find you, and then they vanished.

If you are still there, you have to be more careful. Sending me a letter is like sending it straight to Baskania.

I am, and will always be, working and planning for the day when Rosco no longer has his grip on me.

Your friend, Oscar Erec read the letter aloud, and Bethany and Jack cheered. "We'll have to send a few more letters," Erec said happily. "Lead them on a wild-goose chase. But right now we need a plan to get out of here. Once we get to the island, we'll all forget what to do. And with the Awen of Creation with us, we'll just sit there as the land collapses around us."

Bethany said, thinking aloud, "Last time, we all followed you when you told us what to do. I still remember you saying, 'Get coats and backpacks. Follow me,' like it was from another life."

"A simple chant won't be so easy this time," Erec said. "We have to do several things. Get the crystal. Put it somewhere. Then follow the crystal to the next tunnel. All the while the Awen of Creation will be causing destruction around us."

"I've got an idea," Bethany said. "Those of us in the tunnel won't be affected by the Awen of Knowledge until after we climb out. Melody, Jack, and Jam can stay in the tunnel and shout out directions."

That seemed like a great idea until Jack said, "Better do it fast, though. The tunnel will start caving in the minute Melody comes in here."

290.

"I better take the singing crystal now," Erec decided. Melody fished it out of her backpack, and Jam passed it to Erec.

"One other problem," Jack said. "Who's going to hold this next Awen? If it makes us all forget what to do, I'm sure the person holding it won't be able to function at all."

"I'll do it," Bethany volunteered. "I haven't held one yet. And I'm right behind Erec, so he can help me if I need it."

Erec smiled when she said that. So Bethany trusted him the most. Even if turning into a dragon made him kind of a freak, it still was pretty cool what he was able to do. She was proud of him, he was sure, which, for some reason, seemed like the most important thing of all.

291.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A Furious Butler.BALOR STAIN TREMBLED. Three rows of eyes crossed his father's forehead today. Balor could not help but wonder if he recognized Ward Gamin's or Rock Rayson's among them. Thankfully, he did not.