Forgive me for the shortness of this chapter. However, this is so close to the good parts that I begin to wonder why it's not posted already- I'm so excited! Perhaps readers could leave lovely reviews like coyearth, Lady Corkboard, stephanie, and Kizanna the Underlander did? I would most definitely post the final battle then.
Chapter Twenty Five: in Which Revenge is the Only Way
"The gnawer armies are gathering on the horizon, Queen Luxa," Lysander, the messenger flier, said.
Luxa turned around from one of the grander maps of the Underland. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, but her posture and tone were erect and alert. "How many?"
"At least another five hundred to the first two. We think more to be coming soon."
"What of our numbers?" Mareth came forward on his crutch. Luxa was secretly grateful for his presence; he had been in hiding ever since the failed escape with the digger tunnels, but he emerged from one of the food-houses when he heard that Luxa, Howard, Nike, and Lizzie had returned. The word was carefully kept from the gnawers, but most of the humans seemed to subtly mind the food-house that Luxa was currently living in. Luxa could sometimes see citizens slip past each other in the shadows at night- changing the guard.
"The citizens and soldiers are in better spirits ever since they heard of your arrival," Lysander reported to Luxa. "But they are also suspicious. They worry of what has happened to the other half of your party, particularly the Peacemaker, the rager, and the blood-drinker. And they are confused as to why the gnawers are thinning their guard in leaps and bounds. Nevertheless, if you provide answers, the entire city will fight to the death to protect you and Regalia."
"It may come to that," Tangent sighed from the corner. He was one of the first people to find Luxa and her friends, and had insisted on being one of the leaders to defend the city. "Tell me about the gnawers' lines. Has Queen Luxa predicted correctly?"
"We can only determine that the front lines are composed of gnawers, from where we stand. No flier is willing to go into the air and face the spinners, if not the few gnawers, upon landing. But we have seen some shapes that may be stingers."
"The stingers may not have followed the gnawers," Luxa said half-heartedly. "We left before they could determine that matter. The gnawers could be thinning their guard in order to make new soldiers to fight with the stingers."
"While I believe that to be the reason," Tangent said, "the gnawers did steal your best translators. And from the rumors I have heard of Locklunge, he will find a way to use those translators to persuade or force the stingers into loyalty."
"But why more gnawer soldiers?" Mareth asked. "Stingers are some of the most powerful creatures in the Underland, even if you do not consider their poison tails. The gnawers know we are half-starving as it is. Why would they need more soldiers along with the stingers? To break our defenses?"
"Perhaps they do not want to merely break down our defenses," Tangent said grimly. "With more soldiers, more people can be killed."
Luxa's eyes widened. "You cannot mean they want to…"
"Why not? They are at the perfect position to wipe Regalia off the map. They are well-fed and numerous, with strong allies," Tangent noted.
"Will we fight still?" Lysander asked. The group had almost forgotten he was there, reporting and waiting for orders.
Luxa ran a hand over her eyes. "I will not sit by to watch my people's slaughter. We will fight. As soon as we can, since the gnawers seem so eager."
"Luxa!" Mareth barked. "You cannot jump into a decision like this! Note you our starvation, our lack of weapons, the capture of many of our soldier-"
"Mareth, are you saying that you would rather we wait here, plotting, while the gnawers prepare to strike? Should we not prepare, regardless of our chances?" Luxa felt like she was spitting acid. "A futile resistance is better than none. The sooner we can assemble some sort of defense- no matter how poor it is- the greater chance we have to live."
"You do not know they will attack us first," Mareth warned. "They may be trying to intimidate us."
"By loosening all of their restrictions?" Luxa shook her head. "The blood-drinker is surely one of those leading the gnawer resistance. And if I know the blood-drinker, and if she has done what I think she has, she will be preparing to charge. She hates humans, and wants us dead. I think this is her plan, to drive us to extinction. I would not put it past her. Someone who drinks from those she loves can surely think of this."
Luxa had a flash of memory- watching the blood-drinker dislocate Aurora's wing. She ran her hand down the scar along the side of her face, subconsciously. Right now, Aurora was missing. Luxa was praying that the blood-drinker was not part of this disappearance, but then stopped. She couldn't think of this now. No matter how much she yearned for Aurora to be here.
"Lysander, gather as many leaders as you can and bring them to this food-house. Bring whoever can spread the word to the rest of the creatures here. I wish to submit a theory and assemble our defenses." Lysander nodded to Luxa's request and walked as best he could out the door and into the streets. He was a good flier, to guide Luxa and her remaining company to the hole in the net that Aurora had found. He had filled them in on Regalia's condition, relocated them to the food-house, and stolen her maps and Howard's medical supplies from the palace (the only place where gnawer guard remained strong- no dungeon rescues). But Lysander could not fly and live to tell of it, so he had to trudge the streets. It was good, at least, that he was faithful to Luxa.
"I want to see Howard," Luxa said. Mareth and Tangent nodded, and Luxa climbed the stairs to the single room above them. When she brushed aside the cloth door, she saw Lizzie nodding off to sleep in Nike's wings. Howard got up from their sides and met Luxa at the doorway.
"It was very difficult to speak to her without evoking some very powerful emotions. I think some sleep will do her well." Howard slipped a small bottle into his bag as he spoke. He put his hand on Luxa's shoulder, almost as if he was unsure of whether or not to hug her. "But I think, from what I can understand, that our worst fear has come true. They are dead."
Luxa felt like she'd suffered a blow to the stomach. Her breath would not escape her. "…Gregor?"
Howard nodded. "Gregor."
Luxa simply stood there for a moment as the words sunk in. Gregor, dead. Gone. A memory played in her mind endlessly: when Gregor was about to turn from her to go to "negotiations". When she'd mouthed "I love you" to him before his eyes left hers, she'd done it because she had finally found the words she'd wanted to say the night before, when he had slept with his arms around her. If Luxa had had any idea that that would be her last words to him…
Luxa was in Howard's arms before she could compose herself, and, safe with him for a moment, she let out a great gasping sound. Tears slipped out so fast that she couldn't even try to stop them, and Howard's shirt became a sponge. Gregor, who she'd lost so many times- who she'd rarely had a moment alone with- who looked past her status to see her. They wouldn't go through anything together anymore. It was only her.
Howard rubbed her back, and she shook her head and pulled away. Howard hadn't wanted them together. He rarely let them be anything more than travel companions ever since he discovered their feelings for each other. "How could you miss him?" Luxa's voice broke. He hadn't had such feelings for Gregor. He couldn't sympathize.
"He was a good man, Luxa. Ripred too," Howard said solemnly. "All of our lives were changed because of them."
Luxa wiped her eyes. He had a point, but she couldn't admit it. Her head felt as if it could explode from memories of Gregor, and her mouth couldn't register anything to do with her grief. If she did speak about it, she might cave in altogether. Gregor was gone. Aurora was gone. Ripred was gone. And it was all because of one deranged flier pup.
Luxa sat in the stairway, willing her eyes to clear and her mind to focus on the issue at hand. Howard and Nike tried to rouse her, but when she didn't budge, they began to focus on Lizzie, studying her for injuries, trauma, and depression. The check-up went on while soft thudding noises rumbled the room upstairs. When the noises were loudest and voices could be heard, Tangent peeked his head up the stairs and spoke to Luxa.
"They are here."
"Who came?" Luxa got up and came down the stairs. About twenty humans, five nibblers, and two fliers were milling around the small room with the maps.
"Lysander gathered the local leaders of as many areas as he could reach," Tangent whispered in her ear. Everyone hushed as they saw Luxa looking over them. "They will be sure to spread word of your plan. Whatever it is."
"Perfect," Luxa muttered. She glanced to Mareth, who closed his eyes in surrender as he rested in the corner. It was her show now.
"My friends," She announced, "the gnawers are upon us. Those who formerly guarded us are now being called out of our city to wait at our walls. I know who is making this plan, and I assure you that if we wait any longer, she will send her army and put us at her mercy. The blood-drinker is ready. We must strike first, to save ourselves and our home in the Underland." As Luxa spoke, she made her way through the crowd until she was standing in front of her map of Regalia. There were colored pins arranged by Mareth that showed where the gnawers and the major groups of humans were. Luxa turned around and faced her audience.
"This is how we will do it."
Again: reviews, please? Even wagers as to what will happen (a reference to the Prophecy of Trap would impress me very much) would greatly entertain and awe me.