A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I was away for a while, which is why it took me so long to update. Sorry about that.

"We are going to the entrance of the uncharted lands," Ripred announced, after they had been traveling for a few hours.

"What?" Lizzie said, surprised. This was news to her.

Ripred shook his head. "I didn't think of it before, which is too bad. They're not so uncharted anymore, ever since the Dictator." His eyes flickered, landing on each of them in turn. He cleared his throat, eyes set again on the road. "They'd keep her there." He turned again, appearing almost fidgety. "Doesn't it seem like it, logically?"

Kent gave a slow nod. His eyes were bleary with exhaustion, and he seemed fairly unresponsive. Gashlash merely looked over at Lizzie.

Lizzie, she was uncertain. All of a sudden, she trusted no one. For all she knew, they could all be lying, tricking her into a fate of certain doom. She hated that Gashlash had made her feel this way; her ability to trust had always been one of her proudest attributes.

She realized, after a few moments had passed, that they were waiting for her approval. "Alright," she said, "Let's go."

Her fingers shook as she clung onto Ripred's back. They had waited for her to give the okay; they had left the decision up to her. In the real world, it was not so hard to be decisive. She had never been good at it anyway, but at least her choices were not quite so pattered with implications. The last time she was in the Underland, she was not responsible. She did as she was told, and she looked up to her big brother. This time she was on her own.

"Understand, Lizzie," Ripred spoke, his voice silky, "I cannot be sure of anything. We are trying our best."

"What are you sure of?" Lizzie asked. She straightened her back, doing her best to regulate her breathing.

"Things are gray right now," Ripred said. "There are the good, and there are the bad, but it's all blending together."

"Right…" Lizzie said. It wasn't an answer, but she understood him. She snuggled against his back, avoiding Gashlash's gaze. He was staring at her.

"How long will it be?" Lizzie asked. "The journey, I mean."

"Couple more hours and we'll need to rest," Ripred said. "Shouldn't be too long, though. It's the one benefit about all this; the passage ways are hardly crowded." He stopped speaking, but Lizzie could sense that he wanted to say something else. "It's because of those who've died, you know. The Underland population is decreasing; it's less than half of what it used to be."

"Oh," Lizzie breathed, suddenly choking for air.

"The Fliers will be extinct, soon," he said. "And it's not like anyone's having babies."

"Oh," Lizzie repeated. What else could she say? The Underland was Ripred's homeland, and while he acted the way he always did, she guessed that he was hurting. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Lizzie," he whispered. She marveled at the fact that she heard him; his voice was nearly inaudible. "I need you to trust me. Do you?"

So he knew. She closed her eyes, feeling ashamed. "Always," she said. It was not too fast, she hoped. She locked her arms around his neck, sealing the words with sincerity.

"Okay," Ripred whispered. "We're going to get your niece back."

"Thank you," Lizzie replied. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of herself in a puddle. She was grown up, she realized. She'd known, of course, but this time it was different. She could trust people, without giving herself to them. She leaned her head against Ripred's, allowing herself to relax.

And just as quickly as her doubt had come, it went. It was her worry manifesting itself, she decided.

"Okay," Ripred announced, "Time for a rest stop."

Lizzie reluctantly climbed to the ground, her limbs feeling heavy.

"But there's something that we have to do," Ripred said. His eyes flashed, darkening with surprising ferocity. Lizzie flinched, suddenly afraid. She'd seen him do this before, once or twice.

There was a second pause, nearly dipping into the space-time continuum, and then he lunged. He was on top of Gashlash, and Lizzie's screams hardly registered over the snarling. Kent raced across to her, putting his hand on her arm.

"Hush," he whispered soothingly, "Hush, we'll be fine." He looked away, an expression of disgust on his face. Lizzie clung to his arm, trying to calm herself. She remembered the time that someone had broken into her home; she had been a nervous wreck, while her husband had gotten them outside and called the police. She was not good with disasters, and she never had been.

"Why are they doing this?" Kent whispered, putting an arm around her. "Do you know?" He sounded strained.

Lizzie nodded, her chest tight. "Gashlash told me that he thought Ripred was a traitor. Ripred found out." Kent only nodded, pulling her close to him.

The Gnawers continued to fight, clawing and biting at one another. Lizzie shut her eyes, knowing that one of them would soon be dead. She could be grateful, at least, that they seemed to have forgotten about she and Kent. They wouldn't hurt them, she knew.

Many ominous moments later, Ripred lay panting on the ground. Gashlash was beside him, hardly distinguishable as a creature. His fur was soaked in blood, all his appendages bitten to shreds. He was dead.

Lizzie stood where she was, not loosening her grip on Kent. She was scared that she would fall over if she did.

"Come, Lizzie," he said, "Let us talk to him. I will help you."

She nodded, her vision suddenly blurry. Even if he wasn't a traitor, Ripred had just killed someone in front of her very eyes. What was she supposed to think of him?

"Sorry about that," Ripred said, flopping over as casually as possible. "Had to be done, though."

Kent drew his sword, standing protectively in front of Lizzie. "Tell us why." He was sweating, looking bewildered.

Ripred diplomatically backed up, showing his respect and cooperativeness. "He was a spy, I think. It would certainly explain a lot."

"Gashlash?" Kent asked. "But Lizzie said he accused you."

"The oldest trick," Ripred said, nodding. "I'm surprised he was so careless."

"He betrayed us then?" Kent asked quietly.

"Yes," Ripred said quietly. "I mean, we won't know for sure. It seems likely, though."

"He helped so much," Kent protested, his whole body trembling. "He rescued us many times. Stellovet, especially."

Ripred tossed his tail, in the Gnawers rendition of a shrug. "It's possible he was still a good Gnawer." His teeth showed themselves in a smile. "He could have had a good heart, but still passed on all of our information to the Dictator."

Kent shook his head. "But the cabin! He would have told."

"It would have been too hard," Ripred said. "He would have had to explain how it got done under his watch."

Kent sank to his knees, shaking his head. He was mumbling something, but Lizzie couldn't hear him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, stepping forward.

"Why kill him?" she asked, begging Ripred to justify his actions. "Why not let him be? You didn't know… you didn't know that he'd done anything."

"We can't risk anything," Ripred said. "I couldn't let him put us in danger of being captured."

"Okay," Lizzie said. She forced herself to stop, knowing that questioning him wouldn't make herself feel any better. "Okay. Let's rest the night here, and tomorrow we'll find Lucy."

She sat beside Kent, putting her arm around his shoulders. She would do it then, if it fell to her. She would take charge, for once. She would be the one to keep them safe.