Chapter 14

"Ares…" Luxa got out as best as she could. Aurora gave a heartbreaking cry. Hera had shock evident on her face.

Gregor just stood there, staring at his bat's body. Finally he rushed up to it, and grabbed the claw that Photos Glow-Glow and Zap hadn't gnawed off. The dead bat's fur was still caked wit dried blood, the Bane's, his, and Gregor's, but there were still parts of the fur that were soft, and Gregor just stroked them. He was still holding his claw. He tried to choke out the words.

Ares the flier, I bond to you

He couldn't continue. He burst into tears, just holding his bat's claw. It had all been too much. He just wanted to die right there, alongside his bat, and see Ares again. He had half a mind to make Luxa kill him, but then came to his senses and just sobbed.

Luxa just stood there. If they hadn't been mad at each other, she would have rushed up to Gregor's side, hugging him while he cried. But they were mad, she was mad, so she just stood and waited for him to stop crying.

Gregor finally let out one last tear; he just couldn't squeeze out any more. He turned his head to Luxa and the bats. "How did we get here? This is in the rat's land, how do these tunnels lead to it?"

Aurora was the one who answered. "We have just flown for hours, Overlander. We have almost flown the length of the Waterway. It is far enough to be in the rat's land."

"Oh." Gregor choked out.

By this time, everyone had forgotten about the rat "pup" sitting atop Ares. It was Luxa who noticed her sitting there again, but she only pointed to it. Gregor started walking up to it, and Hera followed, wanting to protect Gregor, in case the rat attacked. The rat just sat there, only a small bit of fear evident on its face.

"Hello. I'm Gregor, this is Hera. Who are you?" Gregor said softly.

"I am Clipclaw, Twirltongue's pup." The rat answered. Gregor could tell it was a female.

"Twirltongue?" Gregor managed to speak. He hated Twirltongue, and if this rat was anything like her mother, it would be best if they leave, now!

"Yes. Don't worry; I know how my mother was. I won't attack you." Clipclaw said, as if her word would reassure them. "Really, I won't."

"Okay, Clipclaw. Why are you here?" Gregor asked.

"That's why." She pointed her head in the direction of Twirltongue's body. The Bane had ripped her head from her shoulders, but it looked like Clipclaw had moved them together to make it look like they were still one. "My father wanted me to bring her body back, but I have just gotten word of his death not long ago. Reekwell, if you don't know."

"Uh oh, Reekwell. What if Clipclaw didn't like the humans for killing him?" though Gregor. But all he said was, "Twirltongue was Reekwell's mate?"

"Yes. I wasn't very fond of my father, either." said Clipclaw.

"Yeah, he tried to break my neck once." said Gregor, without thinking. Immediately, he regretted it.

"Yes. He did whatever my mother told him to. She was very persuasive. Even though I was younger than him, she made me play with the Bane to keep him busy, while she whispered words of encouragement into his ears. It's what made him so vile." Clipclaw said, and sighed.

Now Gregor was sure Clipclaw wouldn't attack them. Luxa and Aurora came closer, but still not as close as Gregor and Hera.

"Oh, you're Queen Luxa. Fancy seeing the queen who the gnawers made peace with!" Clipclaw said, and Gregor couldn't tell if it was in a sarcastic way or not.

"Hmm," was all Luxa said.

"Why are you on my bat's body?" Gregor couldn't help himself, he had to ask.

"Oh, is this your bat? Then you must be the Warrior, for this is Ares, his bond." Clipclaw said.

"Yeah, I am. The Bane killed Ares." Gregor got out. He was on the verge of tears again.

"Yeah. Well, you killed him, too, because his body's right over there." Clipclaw pointed to the Bane's giant body, lying in the center of the room. "And as to why I was on Ares? I was examining him. Bats are interesting to me." Aurora and Hera flinched, but stayed close. "I'm sorry you lost him."

That was one of the nicest things a rat had ever said to Gregor. Suddenly he felt open hearted to the rat, as he had with Twitchtip. "You want to come back to Regalia with us, Clipclaw? There are other rats there." He asked her, not caring what Luxa would say. Luxa gave a small sound of protest, but then decided to let Gregor bring her.

"Sure, I guess." Clipclaw agreed.

Before they left, Gregor went back up to Ares's body and held his claw. This time he was able to get out the words.

Ares the flier, I bond to you

Our life and death are one, we two

In dark, in flame, in war, in strife

I save you as I save my life

He could almost hear Ares saying it back to him.

Gregor the human, I bond to you

Our life and death are one, we two

In dark, in flame, in war, in strife

I save you as I save my life

He laid his head on Ares's bloody chest and looked up at his face. He could almost hear Ares's occasional "huh huh huh" of laugher. Before he pulled away, he softly said, "You were awesome, Ares. I miss you, and so does everyone else." He then pulled away, though he never wanted to let go. He wordlessly jumped, and Hera was under him in seconds. He motioned for Clipclaw, and when she was up, they flew off.

It was on the ride back that Gregor realized how long they had flown to get there. On the way there, he and Luxa had been preoccupied with their fighting, and had not noticed how long it took. Now he was left with nothing to do but sit and think, and he realized how long it was. Suddenly, he remembered the other part of Sandwich's note. Clipclaw was supposed to give answers to the prophecy! But how?

He thought and thought, but for hours he had nothing. He began to run the prophecy in his head.

As warrior, is he done?

For a new plan has begun

Fate is now becoming clear

Is there not scratching left to hear?

Okay, well that staza was already unraveled. He was not done as the warrior, the plan was Gushore's idea to wipe out the humans from the Underland, what would happen to him was becoming evident. and yes, there were more rats who wanted to take over the Underland.

Following a bloody war

Will there be peace forevermore?

To keep the peace and keep the light

Can we fight a bloodless fight?

Okay, well that stanza wasn't completely unraveled, but there was nothing in there that seemed to have anything to do with Clipclaw.

Now that the monster has been slain

The one we call ferocious Bane

We must keep the compromise

And free the light from its disguise

There's something! Suddenly he realized the last line. Free the light from its disguise! Clipclaw was the "light", as it had said in the note from Sandwich. Her disguise was the fact that she was a rat, and Twirltongue's pup. She was disguised in her past, everyone would expect her to be mean and persuasive like her mother, but she was really not bad. Now her true self was revealed, "freed from its disguise"! He decided to check the final stanza before he told the others.

Overlander, bond deceased

Opens door with light released

Give the Underland its power

Stop those who wish to devour

There was something else, but it was still a little hazy. Sandwich had purposely mentioned Ares, to show that they would find the light by him! And he still wasn't sure about this one, but the door might be metaphorical, he had "opened it" when he decided to be kind to Clipclaw!

"Luxa! I've solved the prophecy! Or most of it, anyway!" Gregor blurted out. He didn't care if she was mad anymore, he just needed to let her know.

Luxa sighed. "Gregor, how can this event possibly solve the prophecy? All we have done was found the "light"." Then his meaning and her own words begain to dawn on her. Her expression went from frustrated to shocked. "Oh, the light...you have released it...we have found it...freed it... oh, we have!" She blurted out, realizing. She turned to Clipclaw. "Do you not see it? You are the answer, our light! The key to the peace with the remaining gnawers! Of course, Ripred has helped with that earlier, but still! You are the answer to the prophecy!" She shrieked.

Clipclaw just stared at her. Of course, she didn't know about any prophecy, and now Luxa was telling her she was the answer to it! She just looked at her, blinked, and said, "What?"

Gregor explained the prophecy to her, and she sort of got it. She understood how she was diffrent from her mother, and things like that, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to make peace. And there was still the part about the "bloodless fight". If it was reffering to a physical fight, than they had not fulfilled that, because of the fight in the feilds, but if it was like Nerissa said, an argument, then they still had to fulfill that part.

"Gregor, we near the palace. Aurora and I will fly back, but it is probably best if you and Luxa return here, along with Clipclaw." Hera said.

"Okay." Gregor opened the second turtle shell, and he and Luxa waved to the bats and ascended the stairs. They talked little, only for Luxa to say that they should leave their swords there. They opened the shell of the first turtle and went into the nursery. Luxa blew out the torch and they went into the hallway.

"Gregor! Luxa! Where have you been?"