I do not own the Underland Series.
Lizzie started reading, "Chapter 7."
Gregor crouched over as his dinner spewed onto the stone floor, splattering into the glass wall and onto his boots. Another wave of nausea hit him and he retched again. And again.
"That's disgusting Gregor." Lizzie said; while making a face, Luxa and Grace agreed with her.
A cool hand touched the back of his neck, and a woman's sympathetic voice said, "Come, Overlander. Come with me." She led him to a nearby bathroom. He found himself gripping the sides of one of the toilets. A stream of continuous water ran through the basin, immediately washing away its contents. For a minute, Gregor thought he was done, but then the image of Ares filled his brain and he began vomiting again.
"Seriously Gregor." This time even Queen Luxa looked a little sick.
Ares had been lying stretched out on his back, his wings awkwardly extended. Large clumps of his glossy black fur were missing. In their place were purple bumps the size of cantaloupes. Several of the bumps had burst and were oozing blood and pus from the ruptures. The bat's tongue, which was coated in white, hung out the side of his mouth. His head was tilted back at an odd angle as he struggled for air. Gregor had never seen anything so frightening in his life.
At this point Lizzie put down the book and ran to the bathroom, Gregor, Luxa, Grace and Howard didn't look far behind. Lizzie came back after a little while and continued the book, her voice shaking a little.
He got rid of lunch and probably breakfast, too, and then he just heaved for a while, until nothing else came up. His body was bathed in sweat and his limbs were shaky. Finally, he pushed back from the toilet.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said. He felt embarrassed and ashamed of his reaction to seeing Ares.
"Don't be," Howard spoke up, "People probably have that same reaction."
"Do not be. Many people have the same response when they first see a plague victim. My husband, a great soldier, fainted dead away. Others face it stoically, then wake up screaming from nightmares. It is a very fearful thing," said the woman.
Howard looked thoughtful as saying the same thing as the woman.
"Ares didn't see me, did he?" asked Gregor. It would be awful if his bat had seen him throw up just from looking at him.
"I would not be ashamed Gregor." Ares spoke up, speaking to Gregor.
"No, he was asleep. Do not punish yourself with thoughts that you have wounded him," said the woman.
"Here, rinse your mouth." She pressed a stone cup into his hand and he rinsed and spat into the toilet.
"I'd be okay if I saw him now. It was just the shock," said Gregor.
"I know this," said the woman.
Gregor looked up and saw her face for the first time. There was something familiar about it but he was sure he didn't know her. "Are you a doctor here?"
"No, I am a visitor like yourself. I come from the Fount. My name is Susannah," said the woman.
'Ah, mother.' Howard thought fondly.
"Oh, you're Howard's mom," said Gregor. That's why she looked familiar. She was the mother of one of the guys who had gone with Gregor to find the Bane. That also made her Solovet's and Vikus's daughter. And Luxa's aunt. Was everyone here related, or what?
Queen Luxa rolled her eyes, "No, not everyone is related."
"Yes, my son speaks very highly of you," said Susannah. "He credits you with saving his life when he was on trial for treason."
"I must thank you again Gregor." Howard insisted.
"It's fine, really." Gregor nonchalantly said. Grace looked on surprised and proud, her son had saved someone's life!
Ripred snorted a little, he just wanted to get these books over with and see what happens on the future that could be vital. Lizzie continued reading when they were done talking.
"They should have given him a medal or something. He was amazing that whole trip," said Gregor.
"Thank you," said the woman. Then her eyes welled up with tears.
"Are you okay?" said Gregor. Had he said something to upset her?
"As well as one may be under the circumstances," she said. She dampened a towel in a basin and wiped Gregor's face with it. He didn't resist. Howard was one of five children. His mom had probably seen plenty of kids throw up.
"How is Howard? Is he in Regalia, too?" asked Gregor.
The Warrior winced, wondering how Howard would take it.
Susannah stared at him a moment. "Of course, you do not know. Yes, he is in Regalia. In fact, he is but a few paces from us."
Howard, Gregor's and Luxa's faces paled, hoping it wasn't true.
"He's in the hospital? He's not sick, is he?" The truth began to dawn on Gregor. "Oh, no, you don't mean he's...he doesn't have...?"
"The plague, yes," said Susannah. "But he has only recently been diagnosed. The flier, Andromeda, also. So we are very hopeful that you have arrived in time. That the cure may be found and they will not —" She bit her lip.
Howard closed his eyes; Luxa leaned over and took his hand, squeezing it.
Howard looked at The Warrior and Queen Luxa, "I survive, r-right?"
They turned their heads to Lizzie, who took the hint and continued. They would have like to tell everybody, but they wanted them to figure it out for themselves.
So Howard was infected. And Andromeda, too. She was the bat who was bonded to Mareth, the soldier who had led the quest to find the Bane. During that trip, Howard's bat, Pandora, had been stripped to the bone by a swarm of mites on an island. Then the mites had attacked Ares, who had barely escaped with his life. Howard had tended Ares's wounds. Andromeda had slept pressed up against him. No wonder Vikus had had Gregor's family's blood tested the second they landed in Regalia. Boots hadn't been in contact with Ares much, but it must be a miracle that Gregor's blood was clear.
"I can't believe I don't have it, too," he mumbled.
"Perhaps, as an Overlander, you have some immunity that Underlanders do not," said Susannah.
The Warrior looked down, they were still warmbloods, it most likely would have gotten them at some point. Queen Luxa squeezed his arm as Lizzie continued reading.
"Maybe," said Gregor. His mom was always really careful about them being up-to-date on their vaccinations. But he didn't think he'd had a shot for anything like what Ares had.
He took the damp towel and did his best to clean his boots. "Can I see them? All three of them? If I promise not to throw up?" said Gregor.
Ripred snorted at that.
"Of course. I am sure the sight of you will be as good as light itself," said Susannah.
She took Gregor back to the corridor lined with glass walls. Someone had already cleaned up the vomit, and the floor and glass were pristine.
Gregor braced himself and took another look at Ares. This time, all he felt was agony for what his bat — his friend — must be suffering. "Oh, geez," he said. "How long can he go on like that?"
"We do not know. But his strength is almost legendary," said Susannah.
Ares looked up a little surprised, he had no idea his strength was almost legendary.
Gregor nodded but he wondered if that was a good thing. What if it just meant that Ares would suffer longer than most creatures before he died?
The Warrior winced at that, had his thoughts really been that morbid?
A shudder ran down one of Ares's wings and he opened his eyes. His gaze was unfocused at first, but when it landed on Gregor the bat came to attention. Gregor mustered every ounce of strength he had and gave Ares what he hoped was an encouraging smile. He pressed his right hand onto the glass and saw Ares lift his left claw a few inches. It was as close as they could get to the locking of hand and claw that signified they were bonds.
The air got a little quieter at that, sinking in that the bat with them right now could very well die in the near future. The Warrior looked down at his right and closed, he still had nightmares, though few, about Ares dyeing.
Ares's eyes drifted shut and Susannah placed her hand on Gregor's arm. "Howard and Andromeda are not nearly so ill. Come," she said.
Gregor followed her farther down the corridor to another glass-enclosed room. Howard and Andromeda were sitting across from each other on the floor with a chessboard between them. Howard had only one visible purple bump about the size of a walnut on his neck.
Howard rubbed his neck.
Andromeda's gold-and-black-speckled coat appeared as healthy as ever. Susannah rapped on the glass and the two looked up. The expression on Howard's face when he saw them was so elated that Gregor didn't have to force his smile. Howard and Andromeda hurried to the wall. They couldn't hear each other through the thick glass, but Gregor was sure Howard said, "Gregor! You are here!"
"Yeah, I'm here," said Gregor.
Howard turned his head to listen to Andromeda for a moment, then mouthed to Gregor. "Boots?"
Gregor nodded. "Boots is here, too."
Just then, a door at the back of the room opened. A woman, swathed in protective clothing, entered carrying a tray of medicines. She ordered Howard and Andromeda into their beds.
"Is that Neveeve?" asked Gregor. "She tested my blood.
"Yes, she personally treats all the plague cases," said Susannah.
Some people looked surprised that she was treating all the plague victims, while Queen Luxa and The Warrior glared at nothing in particular.
"Wow. That's not a job for wimps," said Gregor. When he saw Susannah didn't understand, he said, "You've got to be brave to do that."
"Oh, yes. Neveeve is extremely dedicated," said Susannah. "She is determined that we will cure 'The Curse of the Warmbloods.'"
Howard stripped off his shirt and Gregor thought he should give his friends some privacy. And his mom was probably wondering where he was by now. He had to get back before she started getting worried.
Grace shook her head, still a little disappointed that he had lied.
As he made his way back through the hospital hallways, Gregor heard a familiar voice as he passed a room. "Overlander!"
Inside, he saw Mareth sitting up on a bed.
Gregor smiled, at least Marth was alive.
"Hey, Mareth!" said Gregor. "Man, it's good to see you!" He didn't add "alive" but that was what he was thinking. The last time he'd seen Mareth, the soldier had been unconscious, bleeding heavily from a bite a sea serpent had given his leg, and a long way from home.
Mareth grabbed something, swung off the side of the bed, and came to meet him. It was only then that Gregor saw that his injured leg had been amputated. All that remained was a few inches of his thigh.
Gregor winced and grew upset; he had to get his leg cut off.
"Your leg." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Yes," said Mareth, leaning on his crutch. "I am working hard to be like Temp, and grow a new one."
"Yeah," said Gregor weakly. "That's a neat trick." The cockroach had lost two legs in a squid attack, but Ripred said he had grown them back in the Dead Land.
Temp waved the two appendages that he had grown back as Boots giggled.
"They could not save it. The infection spread too deep. But what need have I for a leg when I have Andromeda to ride upon?" said Mareth. As if he had suddenly remembered about his bat, Mareth passed a hand across his eyes.
Ares and Aurora looked down, hoping that she would be all right.
"She's going to be okay, Mareth," said Gregor. "The meeting's going to start any minute. There's got to be a cure. They'll find it."
"This is what I believe," said Mareth, pulling himself together. "They tested you? Your blood is clear?"
"I'm fine. So is Boots. And I guess you're okay, too, since you're not behind glass," said Gregor.
"Yes, somehow. It does not entirely make sense to me," said Mareth. "How some of us escaped it."
"I know. It's weird," said Gregor.
"Everyone was so afraid you would not come. But I knew you would," said Mareth.
"Of course I came. I mean, it's only for a few hours," said Gregor.
The Warrior shook his head; he had been so naive back then.
Mareth looked confused. "A few hours? Did Vikus tell you this?" he asked.
"Yeah, he said you guys just needed us for the meeting. Then we can go home," said Gregor. "Someone else is going to find the cure."
"Vikus said this? That you are not to go on a quest to find the cure with the gnawers? You are certain?" said Mareth.
"That's what he said." Gregor thought for a moment, and hesitated. "Well...no, I guess Vikus didn't tell me that himself. He sent Ripred to tell me," said Gregor. "But Ripred wouldn't lie about..."
Ripred shook his head, of course he would lie! They needed the Overlander, so yes he would lie to get him to go to the Underland. He rolled his eyes as Gregor stared at him and Grace glared.
A terrible realization came over Gregor. Yes, Ripred would. He would lie. If he thought it was the only way to get Gregor and Boots to the Underland, Ripred would lie in a second.
"Course I would," Ripred said as everyone looked at him, "People were dyeing and sadly, you and Boots and the only people that can most likely save us."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while before Gregor broke it.
"I'll read the book next," He took it from Lizzie and read, "Chapter 8."
AN I had a little trouble adding things in, so it's a little short and that's why there's not that much talking. I will try to update as soon as possible, I'm going to be on a trip for two weeks in less than a week. So I'll try and update before then, other than that, review :)
EDIT: I am really sorry about what happened, I have no idea what did that
Purrskitty6: I'm glad you like reading it!
Jedi1: Thanks :) I'm trying to keep everyone in character, good to know I'm doing a good job
CrazyJ888: Thank you! I'm glad I'm spacing it out right, don't want too much commentary or too little
Alatum Laminis: Good to know this interests you :)
