But, to Erec's surprise, the rope curved in the air and headed straight for his Amulet of Virtues. It dove into the amulet, plummeting inside and disappearing, the gold pounding on his chest as it went in. The disc slurped it from the air like a strand of spaghetti.

His amulet had never done this before. But, then again, he now had four segments lit up. The king had said it would get more powerful as he progressed.

414.

The rope had vanished into his amulet, but Baskania was disappearing and reappearing in multiple spots, looking for him. Erec grabbed the rope-bound Bethany and Pi, one bundle under each arm, and ran.

The fog gradually receded as he tore away from the Green House, but it covered all of Alypium. It still gave him complete cover as he raced through the old castle grounds. Pi was heavy, but Erec felt surges of strength, and his adrenaline kept him going until he was inside King Piter's house.

415.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Old Magic.JAM FOUND A silver knife and cut the ropes off a dazed Pi and sleeping Bethany. It was misty in the house, but the fog was not nearly as dense as it was outside. The windows looked like someone had painted them white. Erec knew he was the only one who could see the trees through it.

"Thanks." Pi looked him over in wonder. "I'm heavy, kid. Pretty cool you were able to carry both of us. How could you see to find us?"

416.

"It was a magic thing that let me see you." Erec thought it was better not to mention his Awen. The fewer people that knew about them the better. He nudged Bethany. He wondered if having dragon powers gave him extra strength, too. "Wake up. You're safe now."

"I'll go get smelling salts," Jam said, "and some bandages for those scrapes, Pi."

But the salts did not even make Bethany's eyelids flicker. Nothing Jam could think of would rouse her.

Erec froze. He had forgotten until now that Baskania had knocked her out. The puff of red smoke...

He felt sick. What had that maniac done to her? Would she be okay? Erec huddled on the floor next to the couch where Bethany was lying, keeping watch. He was aware that time was passing, but he had no idea how much. Bethany would be okay. She had to be. Maybe when King Piter came back he'd know what to do. Or they'd take her to the best magic doctor.

Pi slept on a couch nearby. Finally, at some point, overcome with exhaustion, Erec fell asleep.

Hours later, King Piter appeared, waking Erec and Pi. He looked ragged. "Just got back from Avalon. I'm getting a Port-O-Door for the house soon. What's up with the fog?"

Erec noticed the king was not carrying his scepter, and he asked about it.

"I decided it was best that I don't hold it so much anymore," the king said wearily. "It's safely hidden for now."

Erec told him what had happened outside. "What do you think Baskania did to her?"

The king plopped into a thick chair. "Bethany told Baskania? Now he knows where to find the secret of the Final Magic? If he learns that magic, he will destroy the world. His power will be out 417.

of control." He was horrified. Then his mouth fell open. "Or maybe he doesn't know where it is. Either way, we need to protect Bethany from him now, and also..."

"Also?"

"Never mind. Baskania will come after her, though. That's probably why he put the spell on her."

"Can you tell what kind of spell it is?" Erec asked.

"I could with the scepter." A look of longing stole over the king's face. "But it's best I don't use it. I'd guess it's old magic, though. He'd want to keep her an easy target, unable to defend herself, or talk to anyone but him. He won't have hurt her memory--that's for sure. He'd want to keep that intact so he could drag the secret of the Final Magic out of her."

Erec shuddered. "How can we wake her up?"

The king looked worried. "It might not be possible. The reason those old spells are still used is they work so well. They're usually based on unsolvable riddles. Only a strong emotion could bring her out of the spell, but without hearing or understanding anything, she won't be able to have any strong emotions. She'll stay buried deep in her haze." He wrung his hands together then rubbed his face. "We'll take her to Ippocra Asclep. We'll take her everywhere. I just hope someone can find a way."

Erec saw tears in the king's eyes. It was really that bad?

The king sniffed. "I loved that girl like a daughter. Really, I can't see her go like this."

"Is there anyone who knows how to fix this?" Erec felt desperate.

"It's old magic," the king repeated. "She's pretty much Baskania's prisoner. She may start to wake up, which is even worse. Then she'll try to find him, like a zombie."

This was not possible. Erec was sick with the thought of her 418.

answering only to Baskania. If only he'd gotten there sooner. Why had he stumbled? Why couldn't he have seen it coming? It was all his fault.

"Young sir." Jam walked in to the room. "You can't sit next to that couch forever, sir. Would you like me to fix you a cocoa?"

It didn't seem fair for him to have cocoa if Bethany couldn't enjoy anything. She was barely alive. "No, thanks, Jam. I'm fine. Really."

"All right, young sir." Jam nodded.

Erec woke up on the floor, holding an uneaten piece of toast Jam had given him. He was angry at himself for falling asleep. The king had said Bethany needed to be guarded, right? He looked at her, so fragile and helpless, hating himself for letting this happen. He hugged his knees to his chest and watched her.

What had the king said about that old deep magic? It was based on riddles. Too bad Aoquesth wasn't here. He was good at riddles. Erec smiled to himself. Aoquesth wasn't here, but his eyes were. At least he would always be a part of Erec.

Only a strong emotion could bring her out of the spell, but without hearing or understanding words she won't be able to have any strong emotions. She'll be buried deep in her haze.

Erec dropped the toast.

The letter.

He got on his knees and leaned over Bethany, hoping. This was too strange to do. But he had to try.

Erec's lips touched Bethany's. Her eyelids fluttered. As he kissed her, she awoke, and kissed him back.

It wasn't a bad feeling, actually. For a moment he thought that he'd like to try it again, someday, in better circumstances.

"Erec?" She sat up, confused. "Where are we?"

419.

"You're at home, Bethany. You're safe now."

She smiled at him, then lay down on the couch and fell asleep.

Light streamed in the windows in the morning. Erec woke up, his side sore from sleeping on the wood floor. He'd had a terrible dream, about searching for his lost mother in a fog. The dream ended with his old one--the awful memory of the father that was not his, the fake memory the Memory Mogul had given him.

Where was his birth mother, Queen Hesti, now? He knew from the inquizzle he asked that she was alive somewhere. What had happened to her? Was she with his lost, missing sibling? And what was wrong with his other sibling? He would have to find them all, and soon.

The king and Pi came into the room. Both of them looked devastated. Pi sat next to Bethany on the couch and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, sis," he said. "We'll find someone to help you."

Bethany sat up with a bright smile, and threw her arms around him. "Pi! You're all right! How did we get here?"

The king stepped back. "She's awake? But how..."

The Hermit appeared in the doorway wearing terry-cloth wraps around his waist and head. He did a small dance. "I know. Think of the letter Prince Poo-Poo Head wrote to himself."

The king's jaw dropped.

Erec felt a little awkward around Bethany the next day, but she seemed all smiles. They sat on the front porch. Bits of the agora peeked over their manicured lawns. "So," he asked, "you're not upset anymore about King Piter being my father?"

"Naw, I'm used to it," Bethany said. "It just felt like you took the only relative I had. I was jealous. My parents are gone. I'm not even 420.

related to Bea Cleary, that famous prophetess, which bummed me out. Pi travels all the time with his springball team, so I felt all alone. I had to see that the king still wanted me around, that's all. And I guess he does."

"I know he does." Erec smiled.

"And it doesn't make us brother and sister," she added.

"No." Erec thought about the kiss. "It does not."

She laughed. "You know, it's not every girl that gets rescued by a kiss from a prince."

Erec's face turned red. "Let's just...forget about that. Okay?"

"Okay, Prince Charming," Bethany teased.

"Great nickname." Erec grimaced.

"Better than Prince Poo-Poo Head." Pi popped his head out the door, then joined them.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you." Erec was glad to change the subject. "I found out about that memory I got from the Memory Mogul. The one I used to think was my father. It's your your memory. I knew the man's voice was familiar. Turns out it was Earl's. I guess he was trying to ditch you when you were little, and Baskania, his boss, told him you might be useful." memory. I knew the man's voice was familiar. Turns out it was Earl's. I guess he was trying to ditch you when you were little, and Baskania, his boss, told him you might be useful."

Bethany stared in wonder. "So they cut a chunk of my memory out and you got it?"

Erec nodded. "It was just a small snip of your memory though. They must have taken the rest out before that."

The three of them stared at the city of Alypium in the distance. The flags on the Green House now stood higher than any other building.

"So," Bethany said. "You've been having my nightmares for me all of these years?"

"I don't know if it works like that." Erec smiled.

She leaned back on the steps. "Say hi to Danny and Sammy for me when you go back."

421.

Erec was uneasy. Bethany was out of immediate danger, woken from her spell. But Baskania would be hunting for her now that he knew her secret--that she held the key to the Final Magic that he wanted so much. Erec wondered how Bethany could teach Baskania about the Final Magic since she didn't know anything about it herself. Maybe he shouldn't leave her here....

Pi winked at him, seeing his discomfort. "Don't worry. King Piter and I will keep a good eye on this girl while you're gone, and Wolfboy, too. I hear you're heading back for a little break with your sibs?"

"Yeah." Erec nodded. "And my mom." Regardless of who his birth mother was, June would always be his mom.

EPILOGUE One Thousand Years Earlier TEN-YEAR-OLD THANATOS ARGUS Baskania saw the long line of people waiting outside his grandmother Cassandra's courtyard. Cringing, he ducked into her side yard. As soon as his grandmother saw him, she would chide him for being late and make him work the rest of the afternoon. And with so many people waiting, the healing would take forever. He probably would miss dinner, even. If he was lucky, he'd get a little bowl of olives and dates.

422.

Best to put off work as long as he could. He knew a great spot in his grandmother's yard where she would not see him. He could spend time there with his new best friend.

Cassandra was an iatromantis, a healer-prophet, the only one in Constantinople. It wasn't a tradition here as it was in Thessaly, where he had been born. But even though there were other iatromantes in Thessaly and the other parts of the Empire that had once been Greek, Cassandra was the best.

Thanatos's grandmother loved that her bloodline was pure Greek. Straight through to Plato, she always said. She missed Thessaly, but they were lucky to have escaped when they did. Nine years ago she'd known to pick up and move, right before Emperor Samuil of Bulgaria attacked. There had been other battles before, with the Saracens. And of course, rogue crusaders galloping through. But this was the worst, and she had been wise to have gotten them out when she had.

Constantinople was okay. It was all that Thanatos remembered. His mother, Magda, hated it, but she hated most things. At least their emperor, Basil II, "the Bulgar Slayer," kept them safe.

Actually, if not for his grandmother's high expectations, life would have been great. He would have spent all his time uninterrupted with his new best friend. But his grandmother had decided that he should be an iatromantis, just like her. She said he had better natural abilities than anyone she'd ever seen. As if he wanted to spend the rest of his life fixing things for one person after the next.

Not that he wanted to play with other kids anymore. They just didn't get it. There were so many things more interesting than playing chase, tossing a ball, or throwing a discus around. His new best friend was showing him tricks he had never dreamed were possible. If it weren't for his grandmother's obsession with healing people, he would have disappeared with his new best friend and never come back.

423.

He knew he was through with other kids when Junius's father had taken a group of them to the hippodrome for the chariot races last Saturnalia, right before the Winter Solstice. He had been to the chariot races before, and he was excited about going. But this time a new spectacle awaited him. Slaves were brought into the arena for a show like the popular one in faraway Rome. They were made into gladiators and had to fight lions, other beasts, people with bows and arrows, and one another, with or without armor. The fights were gory and awful, and it made him sick watching the crowds enjoy them.

These were the people his grandmother expected him to help day in and day out?

Thanatos found a quiet spot behind some shrubs and relaxed. Time to call his new best friend. He had made up a name for her: Life-Song. That's because she was everywhere, happy, and he could hear her singing. If he sat very quietly, he could feel her presence.

In a few moments she appeared. He could not see her, but he could sense everything about her, and hear her too. She didn't actually talk, but he understood what she felt. And when he played with her in his mind, real things would happen around him. The other day he pushed a spot in Life-Song, and a tree in the distance fell over. He was delighted with this discovery. He knew just how he'd done it, just where he'd touched, so he tried it again and again. The tree leaped like a frog across the field, making him laugh. He didn't know how to put the tree back, but he would figure it out.

He would figure everything out. He wanted to learn what every bit meant, how to make Life-Song his own.

Today he found a rush of waves coursing through Life-Song that he had not noticed before. Interested, he moved them in his mind. It made her sing a shrill, sad note. Then somebody screamed in front of the house.

Sure he had caused whatever it was, he ran to see what had 424.

happened. A woman in line had fainted and hit her head on the brick pathway. People rushed the woman to his grandmother. Cassandra closed her eyes and put her hands over both sides of the woman's face. "She'll be all right." Cassandra nodded. "Let her rest under the tree."

Then she spotted Thanatos and clucked her tongue. "Late again, Thaddy," she snipped. "Can't Magda get you out of bed in the morning? Why does she keep you in that place, anyway? You two should live here with me." She grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him to his chair at the other end of the courtyard. "Look at all these people here waiting on you."

Yeah, right, Thanatos thought. Live here with you and slave away every minute of my day?