As he fell, Ethan couldn't help feeling like an idiot. In his final moments he told himself over and over how stupid he was. Really? You died by trying to save your phone? In the last glimpse before his phone went underwater, he saw the liquid rushing to meet him only ten feet away. He blinked in anticipation and felt himself land hard into the water, but he wasn't dead. Regaining his senses, he realized he wasn't even wet; he was being lifted up by something soft that had caught him – something big.
"Overlander, are you hurt?" a low voice purred. Still dumbstruck from the fall, Ethan didn't answer, but the voice persisted, "Did I injure you when I caught you?"
Suddenly remembering hitting this soft creature, Ethan managed to croak out, "Who…what are you?"
"I am the flier known as Orion. I was out fishing when I sensed your presence falling."
Thoughts began circling rapidly through Ethan's head as he tried to wrap his mind around things. Finally, his thoughts settled on their first question: "A flier? What's a flier?"
The bat seemed flustered, as if it had committed a huge insult. "Oh, my apologies, Overlander. I meant no offense with my bluntness. Of course you are unaware of our customs and language. A flier, as I am, is known in the Overland, I believe, as a 'bat'."
A bat! He was flying on the back of a talking bat! Thousands more questions came to him from the one answer, but he tried to restrain himself and asked simply, "Overland? Wait, if I'm and 'Overlander', then where the heck am I?"
"Why, the Underland of course," Orion replied casually.
"Okay…and that is where, exactly?"
Orion hesitated, like Ethan must not be hearing him correctly. "It…it's under the Overland."
"Well, what do I do now?" Ethan asked, suddenly wanting things to come to a conclusion soon. It seemed to him that Orion had been flying straight for a while now, and he wanted to know what the giant bat that shouldn't be able to speak had in mind. For all he knew it was a giant vampire bat and planned to take Ethan to its kids for dinner.
"Oh, I am not sure what to do honestly. Thus, I am taking you straight to Regalia to see Queen Luxa." The words meant almost nothing to Ethan, but he got the idea that his fate was held in this Queen Victoria, or whatever, lady. He couldn't help wondering if this queen were an old British lady. It was a ridiculous thought in his present situation, but as far as he was considered, the situation itself was all becoming ridiculous. Nobody was going to believe him when he got back home.
. . .
Being a queen had several disadvantages along with the advantages. One of them was that Luxa never had time anymore to train. Today she had a few rare, spare hours to herself, and she was using every last second of them to refresh her body on how to fight. She was disappointed with how out-of-shape she seemed. Memories of being as fit and agile as the best of and Underland fueled her frustration as she tried a simple flip landing off of her bond, Aurora.
"This is embarrassing," She grumbled as she fumbled her landing once again.
"You still have ability capable of rivaling many strong warriors," Aurora attempted to console her. She was having little success.
"Some leader I am; I can't even lead an attack anymore," Luxa was unwilling to let it go. Around them, a commotion seemed to be occurring. "What could it be," she asked, as if nothing could be as important as her woes at the moment.
"A flier is approaching – Orion," Aurora answered puzzled. "He was fishing in the Waterway today. There seems to be something special about his catch."
"What is it? A serpent?" scoffed Luxa, but secretly she was intrigued. Fliers did not generally become excited unless something was truly extraordinary.
"I cannot be certain. Wait, oh my."
"What?" Luxa asked, concerned at Aurora's obvious surprise.
"It seems that Orion caught…"
"Aurora! Tell me!" Luxa was on the verge of threats.
With a look of caution, Aurora quietly said, "Orion has found an Overlander."