"The first step toward sucess is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which ou first find yourself." Mark Caine


"Vikus, I do not see the point in this." I groaned to the old man, my arm holding the mirror in attempt to read the Prophecy of Blood was cramping from being up so long. I let it fall to my lap. "I have spent days in here with this thing and I still don't understand it. I don't even think Sandwich wanted us to read it, it's so difficult."

"He wished us to read it, Gregor, or he would never have written it." He knelt down next to me facing the stone wall and ran a hand over the carving. "But Nerissa believes he has purposely made it difficult to read. I am inclined to agree."

I moved back to lean against the stone next to the prophecy to better see the royal. Nerissa was Luxa's cousin and Henry's older sister. I thought she was fragile after his betrayal, but when Luxa disappeared, she only got worse. As the only remaining member of the royal family, she was coronated as Queen, something that many protested, even suggesting that Vikus and Solovet take over again. The two adamantly supported their niece, insisting their time to rule had passed and now it was up to her.

"Yeah, 'Riss? Why is that?" I tapped my head against the cool stone, looking at her all bundled up in a fancy cloak, sitting on the floor. Since becoming queen, she kept her appearance up with nice clothes and her hair in a tidy updo that I know she didn't do herself. Her unhealthy slim body mass and constant shaking made it obvious she would never be able manage it. I don't know where she goes to get it done when she refuses to live in the royal quarters. Whenever I asked her if she would since there's at least three spare rooms still open around mine, Henry's, Luxa's, and her parents'; all rooms I didn't expect anyone to ever live in again, but there was still ample space for her. I never got a straight answer from her, but she could hardly hold her head up straight, so I dropped it.

"If the prophecy itself is difficult to read, so its meaning is hard to understand." She indulged.

I nodded, but philosophy has always been lost on me. "There's just one part that really confuses me." I turned to run a finger over the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth stanzas. The repeating stanza.

Turn and turn and turn again,
You see what what but not the when.
Remedy and cure entwine,
And so they form a single vine.

"Lots of turning, what's all that about?" I muttered.

"There are centuries of scholarly opinion," Vikus said, avoiding the question like he had for the last two prophecies, forcing me to form my own idea. Damn him. "What is your interpretation?"

I sighed and read it for what had to be the five hundredth time. "It kind of sounds like...Sandwich is telling us we're all wrong, and whatever we think is happening, really isn't." Was he trying to use reverse psychology on us? Was that even a thing back then?

"Yes. Not only wrong now, but as we 'turn and turn' in search of the answers, we are still not seeing the truth." Nerissa added with one of the longest sentences I'd heard her say. Usually she just muttered short ideas and let everyone else piece them together.

I knocked my head against the wall again in frustration. Double meanings and over thinking made my brain hurt. "If we're wrong, then why are we doing anything? Why are we going to the Vineyard of Eyeballs if Sandwich is telling us it's the wrong answer."

"The only alternative is to do nothing." Vikus said, not looking any more excited about the uncertainty ahead. "We do know a journey is indicated, and we must go to the cradle to find the cure. A 'single vine' is likely to grow in a vineyard, is it not? So we will go with what Sandwich gives us, and perhaps we will unravel this stanza as we advance."

I rolled my head towards him. "Does that 'we' mean you're coming with me this time?" I asked, hoping that he would, even though he was on the older side, just having Vikus around made me more at ease. If we ever encountered another group of creatures, whatever they may be, having him to make any tense situation easier to handle is a god send. Just his name saved my neck, literally, when I was attacked by a giant spider as it was about to vampire my neck and turn my insides into goo.

He shot me a smile and instantly I knew he was about to crush my dreams. "No, Gregor. Unfortunately, I was using a more general 'we'. I cannot go, but Solovet plans on travelling with you, if it is any consolation."

I let out a breath and nodded in thanks. Solovet was the military mind to his diplomatic force, if the Vineyard was as dangerous as the gnawers made it seem, she'd be the next person I'd want to have in my party. "Ripred? Is he coming?"

Vikus let out a laugh. "He says he would not miss it for the world."

My stone heart lifted a little, it sounded like a solid party, maybe we'd make it back to the palace in time for Neveeve to make a cure and cleanse the Underland after all.

Doubt it.

Someone knocked on the door, which was one of the only wooden objects in the whole city, and requested our presence. "The crawlers and gnawers have returned. We are going to continue the meeting within the palace."

I helped him to his feet then Nerissa, allowing her to clutch my bicep on the way through the corridors. We ended up at a place I would never forget. It was where Ares and I bonded when he was on trial for allowing his old bond, Henry, to fall to his death while catching me. A case that was total bull. He really only caught me first because I fell slower than Henry, and we tried until the last second to catch the traitorous bastard; an act I only did so Luxa and Regalia could get some kind of justice, but the hard floor of the cavern did that for us.

The stage we stood on was empty now, and the bleacher like seating only held a few clusters of the Underland's main species. The human council sat comfortably next to the fliers, the crawlers were to the left, and the rats were on the total other side of the room along the benches.

I noticed randomly that I still had Nerissa's mirror but she put up a hand when I tried to give it back. "Keep it, should you have need of it again." I shrugged and stuffed it into one of my pockets, helping the queen up to her throne while Vikus joined the humans.

When I turned to find a seat, I hesitated. I wasn't the council's biggest fan, and I'm not sure they really liked me much after I didn't kill the Bane. I wasn't going to sit next to Ripred so the old rat could whip me in the back of the head with his tail whenever he pleased during the meeting, like some kind of bully throwing spit wads.

I ended up sitting next to Temp, the roach was nothing but understanding, and he was the only one that I could really rely on in a pinch. Mostly to save my sister when I got too wrapped up in my own fight to look after her. I was working on it, but after nine years of not worrying about anyone other than me, myself, and I, it wasn't easy.

Vikus started the meeting, greeting everyone before starting with the quest details. "It seems we are all in agreement that a journey to the Vineyard of Eyes has become urgent and necessary. The proposed members are Gregor and Boots, as the warrior and princess. Nike will be their flier and a second princess, should we have misinterpreted Boots's role."

I rolled my eyes, something like that had happened during the Prophecy of Bane when a baby was mentioned. Everyone agreed it was Boots, but it turned out to be the Bane himself. She didn't even need to go on the quest, and she nearly died. If that happened again, the next time a prophecy called for a baby or princess, she was staying in Regalia.

"Solovet and her bond Ajax will complete the humans and fliers. Ripred, Mange, and Lapblood will represent the gnawers, and Temp has gallantly offered his services." The old man finished with a nod to the crawler with the bent antenna. It was his only distinguishing feature, and when all the roaches looked exactly the same, I was silently glad he had the quirky characteristic.

"We don't really have to drag that crawler with us, do we?" Mange groaned dramatically.

Lapblood shrugged lazily. "We can always eat him if supplies run low."

Everyone gave low chuckles at the idea but it made my blood boil. Temp said nothing in his defense, but shuttered at the threat. "Sandwich specifically mentions the crawlers." Vikus said in a way that silence the other council members.

I locked eyes with the still giddy rats. "I've had rat before, it's not bad with the right sauce. You can eat Temp, and we'll eat you. Sound good?"

Ripred burst out laughing, nearly falling off his section of the bench. "This trip isn't going to be dull, at the very least!"

"There is no trip." Lapblood hissed, still not over my counter threat. "We have yet to be convinced it will be of our advantage."

Vikus piped up before anyone could argue further. "The council has agreed to open the fishing grounds to the west, it should provide enough food."

"And what about the yellow powder?" Mange pushed, gaining silence.

I looked to Vikus and thought I saw him sigh, as if he had to break bad news. I shot to my feet when the idea of the whole quest breaking down over some pesticide, which they clearly had enough of, if the amount spread over the arena was any indication. "Seriously? You're going to let this fall apart over some powder? Send it to them, have you seen what this plague does? Have any of you seen Ares? No matter how much you hate the gnawers, are you really okay with letting them die like that?"

My rough voice rang along the walls of the large room. No one spoke. I felt my face scrunch in anger, eyebrows frowned with a small snarl. I thought I saw the rats sit up a little straighter when I stood up for them, curious to how it would play out. I ignored them, focusing on the council and daring anyone to present a valid argument.

Eventually, Solovet's low voice responded. "You have a very forgiving heart, Gregor."

I met her eyes, my own steeled and unemotional. "Believe me, I don't." I looked around the other council members and their fliers, internally amused when they recoiled in fear, but kept my face stoic. "I've seen horrible things in my life, done just as many, but this...disease, I wouldn't wish on even my worst enemy. I have a bond and a mother with the plague, your hospital is slowly filling up, and we need the gnawers to find a cure. What will it be, Solovet?"

After delivering my dramatic speech, I sat down and looked away from the old woman. Silence followed for a few more moments until Vikus confirmed the powder would be sent to Ripred's gang, which seemed to sooth Lapblood and Mange's anger just a little. Once he confirmed it, one man stood and silently left in protest. As he passed me, I shot him my most menacing glare, just a little gratified that he slinked away and walked faster to get away from my gaze. I didn't care, if he'd rather see the elimination of the gnawers at the expense of half of his own people, I didn't want him around anyway; I could give two shits about who he was, how important his family was, or what influential person he knew that got him on the council.

The next part of the meeting was centered around getting to and through the Vineyard of Eyeballs safely, or as safely as we could manage while also going as fast as we could. A familiar map was rolled out, needing four people to secure it. It was separated in a dozen or so pieces like a crude matching game, each painted differently as if they were done at random times.

Regalia was in the north, what was left of the gnawers' region was in the south, and the Waterway took up most of the middle. Southwest of Regalia were the fliers and crawlers, but beyond those main species, there were only small factions of names I had seen a few times here and there among other maps during my research. From the large map, the war history of the Underland was obvious. The most recent change was over a section of the rats' territory that was colored over with the same shade covering Regalia, simply labled 'occupied'.

The most concerning part was the large river that ran through it, and if it was large on a map, no telling how big it actually was. Something that big would yield a ton of fish, no wonder why Ripred struggled to teach Bane how to fish, they had close to nothing after the war. I was suddenly mad at the humans, there was spoils of war, and then there was starving a species damn near to extinction.

Solovet stepped up with a pointer and laid it on a green triangle next to the gnawers and halfway up the eastern portion of the Waterway. "Our best estimates put the Vineyard in this general area." I frowned, it was so deep in the jungle it was almost off the map entirely. "It is very near the Firelands, but any entry from the east would be blocked by the cutters."

"Who are the cutters?" I asked Temp quietly so I didn't interrupt, but I knew he wouldn't dog me for not knowing either.

He didn't seem to know how to answer me, and turned to click a few times to the other crawlers. "Ants, some call them we think, ants."

I nodded, just glad they weren't, like, giant praying mantis or something worse. "Why would ants block our way?"

"Hate warmbloods, cutters do, hate warmbloods."

One side of my face curled up but I tried to focus on the arguing. "-goes on for days, how are we supposed to find the Vineyard in a sea of vines?" Mange countered.

Nerissa cleared her throat, a small noise that gained nearly the whole room's attention. "I have arranged a guide for you."

I won't lie, my eyebrows went up in surprise. "You have?" Ripred spoke, even his expression was confused as he looked to Vikus for confirmation.

The old man shook his head, if he didn't know about it, how did Nerissa manage to get word to anyone that far away? "When did you do this, Nerissa?"

Her eyes gazed over at the recollection. "Oh, quite some time ago. I have every confidence he will be there, I have seen him with the Warrior in a vision."

I almost facepalmed, whenever she started talking about her visions, everyone around her gained an annoyed, unbelieving expression. I never understood it, if these people respected Sandwich so much, who had the same kind of visions, why Nerissa wasn't seriously considered totally escaped me.

"A vision?" Lapblood spoke, sounding very much like she was speaking to a child. "I thought I had a vision once, but it turned out to be some bad mushrooms. Have you eaten mushrooms recently, Your Majesty?"

I glared at her, the comment totally uncalled for. "Nerissa has no taste for mushrooms." Vikus crossed his arms and retorted with a piercing glare. "And while her visions may not always be complete, we have gained value from them in the past."

"Who is this guide?" Solovet asked her niece.

Nerissa shook her head. "I cannot tell you, on my word. Only that you are to meet him some eight hours hence at the Arch of Tantalus."

"Are we?" Ripred jumped in, no longer affected by his previous surprise. "Don't get me wrong, my dear, I love the Arch of Tantalus, always a good bone or two to gnaw on there, but what if you only just dreamed of this guide?"

"If I indeed dream this guide, then you would be none the worse than you are now Ripred." She came back, standing her ground against his teasing. "The Arch of Tantalus is a good place as any to enter the jungle."

"Yes, if you ignore all the skeletons that seems to collect there." He dug a claw into the crevice of his front incisors. "Top-notch, really." The room gave a murmur of agreement but offered no further options.

Nerissa shook her head but didn't back down. "It is where your guild will await you, Ripred. Whether you choose to meet him is your own doing." I gave her an approving nod and smile. She cast a dreamy gaze towards me, making her defiance to the gnawer seem more of an incredible feat. Honestly, I didn't know she had it in her. At the moment, she almost looked like a confident ruler.

As much as I had come to appreciate and adore Nerissa like a quirky aunt type figure, even during moments of extreme clarity, the only one I could ever imagine wearing the crown was Luxa. No matter what, Luxa had to come back and rule Regalia, and I was going to see to it if it killed me.

"That is that, then." Ripred nodded, catching my gaze to add, "You idiot."


I realize I messed up my time periods and posted that mini chapter too soon, but I reread it and it isn't necessarily anchered to a specific time frame, so I'm deciding to just leave it as a...flash forward or...something. I don't know, but if anyone has trouble keeping the time line straight, I'll remove it and repost it when it's actually time.

Oh man. Anyway, I hope you're on board even if I can't figure my sh*t out. ^_^'

Yours,

Artemis.