The Secret of Ashona by Kaza Kingsley Page A

inside a toilet, disgust crept over his face. He bit down on the mouthpiece again and sank next to Erec and Bethany.
    A shadow fell on them as a large head leaned over the opening. Looking down through the toilet seat was a man in overalls. Tools hung from his belt, and a patch saying AL was sewn onto one of the blue straps. His mouth hung open in surprise, and then he burst out laughing. Erec and Bethany could hear him perfectly through the water, and they could speak as well—some of the perks of their Instagills. “Boy, do dose three girls have a sense of humor. Dey were complaining that deyr water was clogged with three pieces of . . . Well, never mind. I’m glad dey let me know you were coming. It’s about time you came back to pick your next quest, kid. Things in Alypium ain’t lookin’ so good, wit the Stain boys ’bout to become kings and all. You hear deyr coronation is on June twenty-fifth? Dat’s in just three weeks, enough time to prepare for whatever massive kind of celebration dey’re planning. Do ya think you can finish the rest of your quests before then so’s you can stop them?”
    Erec had not even considered finishing all of his quests in the next few weeks. It actually wasn’t a bad idea—that is, if this and the other quests were a little safer. Once he had accomplished them all, he would be the true ruler of Alypium. The scepter would be his to command, and he would be able to build a huge new castle for himself with its magic. The Stain boys would be no match for him then. Even Baskania might not be able to hurt him with all the power he would wield.
    Then a horrible thought occurred to him. What if he got thescepter and then he turned evil? He tried not to think about how horrible that would be.
    “What’s wrong?” Bethany eyed him suspiciously. “You should see the look on your face.”
    “Um . . . nothing.” Erec wasn’t ready to tell Bethany about his visions of his future. “I’m just thinking about those quests. You know how hard they’ve been.”
    “Al has a point. You might as well try to do them as soon as you can. What’s the use in waiting when the Stains are about to take over?”
    “Yeah . . . we’ll see. Right now I need to get this one done fast so I can get Trevor out of that cave.” He looked up at Al. “Is the quest paper floating around in here somewhere?” He waved his hand around in the water hoping to find it, but nothing appeared.
    Al shook his head. “Nah. You need to sign Janus’s paper pad first. Da ya remember how ya got there last time?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Janus was the guardian of the quests, and he was in the Labor Society building right next to them. “I’ll be right back.” Erec dove deeper and found the water tunnel that tracked under the foundation of the building. Multiple pipes tracked straight upward from the tunnel. Most of them were too small for him to enter, but a few were wide enough. He swam up into one that he was sure he had been in before. Around the corner was a row of openings with light shining through. He cringed as he swam past those, remembering that they were openings from toilets in a bathroom.
    The pipe narrowed, but Erec was able to fit all the way to the end. A small hole opened up above him through a sink drain. Yes, this is definitely where he had found Janus before.
    Last time he was here, Janus had sobbed through the drain. The poor guy had been so lonely, with nothing to do but wait with his paper pad for the few moments of company he would have when Erec signed for his next quest. So Erec was confused whenhe heard what sounded like dance music playing in the room.
    “Woo-hoo! Shake it, baby!” The voice was definitely Janus’s, but Erec had never heard the little man actually sound like he was having fun. Laughter and voices tinkled through the room.
    Erec had no idea how Janus would hear him with a party going on in the room. He shouted through the drain, “Janus! Janus! Help me—it’s Erec Rex. In the