"Oh, come on, the waterway isn't far from here and neither are an entirety of TWO rivers I know of. It would just be a short stop – or do you enjoy smelling like an entire crate of rotten eggs?"
Thanatos chuckled. "Be thankful, you great master of survival, the stink will conceal our presence. As close as we are to the waterway we are to the land of the rats."
Henry groaned but admitted the flier was right, although every fiber of his being despised having to stay like this.
Thanatos finally landed near one of said rivers after all, but Henry knew better than to think it was a good idea to wash off the stench from the caves they had crossed about an hour ago. Instead, he refilled his two water sacks and Thanatos caught fish for them to eat.
After he had freed the flier from the spinners, Henry had stopped counting the days exactly, that had passed. He just didn't feel the need to anymore. All the anxiety and the stress he had experienced while he had been forced to survive on his own had vanished the moment they had left the spinner cave together, so why make the effort to count?
He suspected it had to be around two weeks, more or less. Soon after they had joined up again, they had decided to visit the nibbler colony to catch up with friends, and to consult with Teslas about possible new upgrades and tweaks to their existing equipment.
Everyone back in the jungle had rejoiced at their arrival, especially Lovelace, Curie and, of course, Teslas, who had immediately dragged Henry back into his workshop for chores and experiments.
They had stayed for two days only this time, sharing stories and experiences as well as trading some of the goods they had collected along the way against what the nibblers had.
Though the best part for certain were the upgrades Teslas had had developed in his absence. He had taken a single dismissive glance at Henry's slingshot, that – admittedly – was in a fairly bad condition from frequent use and exposure to water and several other elements, before tossing it into a corner and presenting him with the upgraded version. The model, Teslas had designed, used a fork-shaped frame of bone for further power and stability, and stronger leather as well as elastic strings to attach it.
Henry found it could fire at not only a much faster rate but also with considerably more power. It would still probably not kill a rat, but anything smaller should drop dead the moment it was hit.
And then there was the upgrade to the ignifer. The nibbler had revealed he had spent most his time on improving the formula he, Boyle and Henry had developed, with a specific focus on shortening the amount of time it took to apply, as that was its main weakness – his battle with Goldfang had served as proof.
The prototype he had given Henry to test, were little pellets of wax, with a diameter of only around an inch, filled with the ignifying substance. He was supposed to press one against the blade until it burst and distributed the ignifer automatically, shortening the time it took to apply the substance significantly.
Further, Teslas had slightly changed the formula, allowing Henry to ignite the sword by grating one of the fire stones against the prepped blade itself, instead of having to use both stones.
As happy as he had been about the upgrades and about seeing the nibblers he now proudly called friends, both he and Thanatos had felt the urge to leave again very quickly. The peaceful life in the colony had been a nice break at the time, but both of them agreed it was not for them in long-term. Both he and the flier yearned for adventure too much to ever go back and live with the nibblers again.
Now, they were out in the Dead Land for about a week again and had just finished another successful job recently. A crawler colony on the mainland had asked them to venture to the gnawers' territory to rescue some of their kind the rats had taken prisoner. It had been an arduous journey and not easy, but they were mercenaries. Those were occupational hazards. And also, in a way, the reasons why both of them loved their new job. What was a life without some risk-taking, after all – they would say.
Now, after collecting their rewards, they were making their way back south slowly and had unfortunately needed to cross some tunnels that reeked of Sulphur in the process. Now, both rider and flier stank of the substance, but Thanatos was right when he said it would conceal their smell. Even if they weren't about to visit the rats' land any time soon again.
"So, what do you want to do next? Look for more jobs – or take a short vacation? Because if you ask me, I'm exhausted." Henry asked while placing his new and improved torch, that had an inbuilt mechanism to aim or conceal the beam of light at will, by covering parts of it up with a slider, into a device that allowed it to stand on the floor.
"Eh, a vacation sounds nice. How about you finally show me that crawler island you've been talking so much about? We could –" Thanatos stopped talking mid-sentence. Henry raised his gaze from the torch in alert. As he had feared, the flier's ears were peaked and there was this certain expression in his eyes – it was rats.
Henry quickly grabbed the setup for the torch, his backpack and extinguished the light. He took the few paces in Thanatos' direction and mounted up, all without speaking a word.
The flier lifted off and was soon at the top of the cave, Henry had to bend over to not hit his head on the ceiling. Luckily, the cave here was almost seventy feet high, not even rats could jump that.
"How many?", he whispered into the flier's ear, and he replied "two. And they are heading our way."
Henry felt a certain relief. Only two rats they could most likely take, especially with the high ceiling. He would be even more comfortable if he could see, but it was dangerous lighting a fire that would direct all possible hostile gazes in their direction. It was better to hide in the darkness.
Thanatos was about to fly in the direction they had come from when he and Henry suddenly hear a voice that both of them recognized instantly.
"And I am telling you, it will only be half as bad as you think. Okay, maybe not half, but certainly not AS bad. Now move your hide along, we don't want to keep the Regalians and the warrior waiting, do we?"
Henry could barely keep himself from screaming "what in the world is Ripred doing here?!" before he remembered they were supposed to be quiet. Thanatos was apparently as surprised and curious as he because instead of leaving, he dove into a niche in the wall, around sixty feet above the ground.
"It's Ripred!", Henry whispered when he was standing on his own feet again.
"I know. Be quiet." The flier's voice was barely audible. His ears, on the other hand, were pointed.
"Oh come on, if you move any slower I could just as well – OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, could this stink finally disintegrate? We've left the Sulphur caves behind ages ago! Or does it just seem like that because a minute in your company feels like an hour?"
All of a sudden, Henry was eternally grateful for the cover the intense reek provided.
"It already has, Ripred. It's not from the caves."
The exiled prince froze in shock. The second voice that now sounded, was much quieter and a few pitches higher than Ripred's – and somehow it had found them out.
"Oh –? Is that so? Well, dear Twitchtip, then how about you tell me WHERE the stink comes from so that I can make sure it stops pestering our noses for good?" That was Ripred again, and a shiver of fear ran down Henry's back. Would the gnawer recognize him?
"Up there! They are hiding up there!" The other rat, whose name was apparently Twitchtip, called. Henry couldn't see in the dark, but she seemed to be pointing in their direction.
"Up THERE? How would anyone even get up there?" Ripred asked, audibly annoyed.
"Because it is a human and a flier. One of each, both male, though the human appears to be barely more than a pup."
Henry felt his heart sink. Who in the world was that rat, and how was she doing that? He knew the gnawer's sense of smell was unrivaled, but any sort of strong cover-up like blood or sulfur usually worked against it fairly well.
"A human and a flier?!" Ripred's voice was unbelieving. Then, he started yelling, presumably in their direction – "Hey, if you guys are spies of the humans, tell your friends I am ON MY WAY. They do not need to send me babysitters, but this traveling companion is not the easiest to deal with!" He seemed to have smacked the other rat over the head as it gave a pained whimper.
Henry looked at Thanatos – or at least he tried – in order to determine what to do. The flier shook his head, and they remained silent.
"Oh no, Ripred, they are not from Regalia." The other rat continued. "They came from the direction we did. They... They smell of the Dead Land. And then there is a hint of jungle – but they haven't spent much time there, at least not recently. Though they seem to have been in the gnawer's land as well, during the last couple days. But no trace of other humans. At least not recently."
"What?" Ripred sounded even more surprised than before. He turned in presumably their direction again. "HEY! Whoever you are, come the hell down here and show yourselves instead of hiding like cowards!"
Thanatos and Henry exchanged another glance. "I'll go. You stay." The flier said, and for once Henry agreed completely. He did not care much for Ripred learning he was alive, especially if they were headed to Regalia. Wait – Regalia? What would Ripred be doing there, with this... this other rat?
"Find out why they're going to Regalia if you can!" He whispered in Thanatos' direction, the flier gave a nod before he took off.
Henry dared snap his fingers in the direction the voices came from a couple times and saw the rats clearly now. Ripred, a looming figure, on his hind legs, the other female rat cowering behind him on all four, pressing her nose into the floor.
He soon heard the silent fluttering of Thanatos' wings as he landed, a few paces ahead of the rats.
The surprise in Ripred's voice had grown further, as he exclaimed – "THANATOS? Good heavens! You're alive – though, that shouldn't come as a surprise. It's you, after all. Ha – out of all fliers it had to be you!"
"It is good to see you Ripred, it's been a while. I see you bring a friend?" That was the flier's voice now, quiet as usual.
Henry was confused for a second, then he remembered Thanatos speaking of Ripred a long time ago. He had told him they used to work together for a while before they parted ways again.
"As have you, it almost seems. Well, where is your new human companion – is he too scared to come out?"
Henry clenched his fist. How much he would like to go down there and teach the rat he was no coward, but first of all, he was sixty feet above the ground, and second, he was nowhere near the skill level he'd need to be to even put up a fight to Ripred. That had been one of the first things the huge grey gnawer had taught him – the hard way.
Henry still felt the painful throb of his hand after Ripred had hit it with his tail to make him drop the sword he had swung at him. What had he said to him back then?
Take care, lad, or you shall end up like me – stripped of any respectable rank and warming your hide at the fire of your enemies.
Henry almost laughed at the memory and at his own grim thoughts after. Who'd have thought Ripred's little prophecy would actually come true? Because, and that Henry realized now, it had.
"Oh, he's not scared, but why should he bother with you? Nothing I can't handle alone." That was Thanatos again, and Henry was eternally grateful the flier covered for him.
Ripred laughed. "Well, if there is anyone out there who can take me, I shall be glad it is you. Though I never expected YOU, out of all fliers, in the company of a human again. After what happened to Arya – didn't we both agree she was the only human who was able to even stand your company?"
Henry listened up. Arya? Who was Ripred talking about? But Thanatos' angry hiss at the mention of the name interrupted his thoughts.
"And we also agreed the past is the past, Ripred. Or do you want me to start delving into yours?"
The scarred gnawer laughed. "Well, alright, if he wants to stay hidden, he shall. Where did you even find this human in the Dead Land? I've not heard of any recent banishments. You're making me curious."
"Well, STAY curious then. It's not like me to reveal secrets, you should know that." Thanatos dismissed his question.
Ripred pondered for a while. "Alright, alright, keep your secrets, it is indeed much like you to do so."
"Yes, though, sharing stories of the past isn't really what I came down here for." The flier continued.
Henry could hear Ripred's cautious tone now – "Oh, and why did you then?"
Thanatos' tone was casual. "Well, I happened to have crossed your path and welcomed the chance to say hello to an old friend. And find out what drives you to Regalia at this time – especially with this kind of company."
Henry rolled his eyes. Very subtle, Death, very subtle – he thought. But all Ripred did was laugh.
"And since when have you become so curious? What difference does it make to you why we travel, as an outcast. Or runaway. Whatever you are."
Thanatos hesitated for a second. "You mentioned the warrior earlier. Does that mean another prophecy has come upon us? Because if so, it would be good to know – even for an OUTCAST like me. There are some that speak of great evil that the entire Underland will suffer from if my memory doesn't fail me."
Henry had to internally applaud Thanatos for his quick thinking. He hadn't even registered Ripred had mentioned Gregor.
"Oh... did I say warrior? Really?" Ripred pondered. "Well, maybe I did. And maybe... another prophecy is upon us."
"Are you headed there to join the quest to fulfill it?" The flier asked.
Ripred laughed. "You seem to know a great deal about how this whole thing works. Oh well, whatever your source is – no, I'm not joining. She is." He pointed at the other gnawer at his feet.
"And the humans will allow that?" Thanatos asked what had been on Henry's mind too. Was she one of his allies? Did Vikus know her as he did Ripred?
"Your curiosity today knows no boundaries, does it now? I'll say this much, they will – they need her. And now, we should be on our way. Come, Twitchtip." He signaled the other rat to follow him.
Thanatos leaped up and blocked their way, spreading his gigantic wings. "HALT! What prophecy is it? Is there reason to worry?"
Henry admired the flier's courage to step in Ripred's way while being fully aware of the gnawer's fighting skills. Ripred hissed, visibly annoyed about the further holdup. "Even you should learn to not anger me too much – but fine, if you let us continue, at last, I will tell you what has come upon us." Henry believed the flier nodded his head.
"I am actually surprised you haven't heard of it yet. Yes, the rats conceal him well, but for someone with your scouting skills –", Ripred scoffed lightly, "The Bane, Thanatos – it is the Bane. The warrior has come to kill him, and she will help – if she ever expects me to let her stay with me."
Around half an hour later Henry and Thanatos were sitting not far from where they had rested earlier. The torch standing between them provided light, though it didn't help clear Henry's head of thoughts.
Another quest. Gregor was back, and they would go out together again, all his friends and family. Henry was almost certain Luxa would come again, as would Aurora. Solovet maybe, like Mareth. The names filled his head and all of a sudden he wanted nothing more than to be back there, embarking on an adventure with these people once more.
"Let me guess – you want to go back more than ever now, right?" Again Thanatos had guessed his thoughts.
Henry sighed. The flier continued while shaking his head – "Henry, this is foolish. You can never go back. They would execute you. You know that as well as I do, even better."
"But... they will only execute me if they recognize me." Henry realized he had spoken without thinking. "Y... you know – what if...?"
"Oh no no no, don't even get me started." Thanatos firmly shook his head. "You are not returning to Regalia. It's suicide."
"Hey, you didn't even let me finish!" The exiled prince complained.
"Because I know what you will say", The flier sighed, "you will say you can disguise yourself to follow them in secret and help – but once again, it's suicide. Even if they don't know who you are – you're clearly an outcast. How do you think they will react if someone that has no allegiance to them appears out of nowhere? Do you truly think anyone will welcome you with open arms?"
Henry hated that the flier had a point. "Hey, since when are you so cautious", he mocked sulkily.
Thanatos scoffed. "It's not caution, it's self-preservation. Even if it sometimes seems like I lack that, I do not – not entirely at least."
That night Henry had trouble falling asleep. Had he been able to lock out the past before, it had become impossible now. The fact that there was news now, a new quest, had made it utterly impossible to keep his mind off it. Regalia was no longer a mere memory from the past, it suddenly was a real place, that harbored events and people he yearned to be part of again.
He knew that Thanatos was right. It would border on suicide to even think of going back, but it also felt like something he had the duty to do. Henry wondered if it was guilt, or pride, or both – maybe a mix.
"If you could stop tossing and turning for a SECOND you might be able to sleep, you know?" Thanatos' voice interrupted his thoughts when the flier leaped to the floor before him, from where he had kept watch.
"No, I can't sleep. Not tonight." The exiled prince sighed.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still thinking about returning to Regalia?" Thanatos scoffed.
"You don't understand, Death. It's not that easy." The flier visibly rolled his eyes, but this time he let him finish.
Henry sat up and took a deep breath. "Listen, I... I know this is hard to understand for you, but... I don't think I even have a choice in this. It's... it's something I have to do."
"Oh don't say this is about something as ridiculous as proving them wrong when they call you a traitor. Because first of all, you did what you did in the past, and there is no way to change that. And second of all, how will you prove anything if they won't know it's you?"
"I'm not just proving it to them. I'm proving it to myself. That I can be more than what I was when I saw them last. More than just the traitor."
Henry's words hit Thanatos like a bucket of cold water. So that's what this is about, he thought. He is trying to make peace with the past, not in the eyes of his former people, but in his own. He is willing to risk his life to confront his past and seek atonement.
Thanatos had trouble hiding the wave of respect towards the exiled prince that overcame him. He's been an outcast for only six months, and he already seeks a way to face his past, while I have been running from mine for seven entire years, he thought, not without shame.
He looked back at Henry and suddenly saw the resolve in his eyes. That moment he realized there was nothing he could say or do to keep him from this. All he could really do was come along – and keep him from more trouble.
He sighed. "And what exactly is your plan? Do you even have a plan?"
Henry rejoiced when he noticed Thanatos wasn't trying to stop him from going anymore. "I... well... plans are for people who can't improvise, right?"
The flier sighed and shook his head. "When will you finally grow up, Henry? Listen, if we're actually going to do this, we'll need more than a plan."
The exiled prince groaned. "Look, I'm not even sure what exactly I'll do yet. All I want is to journey in the direction of Regalia and keep my eyes and ears peeled. All we know is that there's a quest, not where it's going or how it travels. It's simply too early for a plan." All Thanatos did was sigh reluctantly.
"Wait... hold on", Henry suddenly remembered, "Did you say "we" earlier? You are... coming with me?"
"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Leave you to yourself? You'd get killed in two minutes", then he remembered that he couldn't really say that anymore, and added, "well, in close proximity to Regalia, at least."
"So we do this... together?" Henry's voice was excited all of a sudden. He knew he should fear this venture, but fear wasn't exactly what he usually associated with risk-taking.
"We do. And I am telling you, at the end of this, we'll both regret it."
They decided to get a night of sleep before Thanatos would start his flight north, in the direction of Regalia. When they were finally in the air, the flier had Henry swear once more he wouldn't try to be unnecessarily reckless, and that all he wanted to do was check out what was going on.
The exiled prince had to promise a hundred times that he wouldn't try to intervene or go out of his way to have any place in this quest, but Thanatos still didn't believe him. How could he, after all, when he knew Henry perfectly well?
The flight to Regalia was long, around a day, and Thanatos could have made it in one go easily, but decided to take a break in between, as they weren't exactly in a hurry. Then they needed to take a detour to avoid the land of the fliers, which cost another half a day. Slowly but surely Henry started worrying they would not arrive before the quest took off.
Only when, after more than a day of travel, Henry slowly but surely started recognizing their surroundings, he realized how this would be – Returning to this place that he had been born and raised in, and that would never accept him again.
When at last they flew out of a long, winding tunnel and saw the hundreds of lights in the distance that signified the outskirts of the city, Henry felt a huge lump rising in his throat. How often had he seen this view, always associated with the positive emotion of returning home – on the back of a different flier and in the company of different friends? Now, all it reminded him of, was his own misery and foolishness.
After a few seconds, he averted his eyes and stared at the path ahead instead. Suddenly he asked himself if it had been a good idea to come at all, and at the same moment, he realized he didn't have a choice. He hadn't given himself one.
Thanatos stayed away from the city to avoid being spotted by guards. Instead, he flew alongside one of the rivers that bordered Regalia, and eventually found a bigger cave near the shore where he landed.
"How about you haul up in here and keep quiet while I go and scout a little. It's dangerous for you to come any closer to the city, and – as you said – we're only here to gather information. The sooner I start, the sooner we'll be done and can leave again."
Henry had no objections, he let Thanatos fly off, stored away his things and lit a fire. He grilled a fish for dinner and eventually couldn't stop himself from exiting the cave and sitting on a ledge not far from it – with view on the lights of the city.
Henry had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, leaning against the wall and watching the lights, but he must have fallen asleep on accident. It wasn't surprising as he had gotten little sleep the night before. All he remembered was suddenly being violently shaken awake.
He jolted up, fearing he had been caught, but it was just Thanatos. He started lecturing him about how foolish it was to fall asleep in plain sight, and how he had promised not to take unnecessary risks.
All Henry did was sigh and roll his eyes. When the scolding was finally over, all he asked was what Thanatos had been able to find out. He had been gone for almost a day, the exiled prince realized, and he was eager for news.
"Well, I have good and bad news for you. An old moth friend of mine lives in a cave nearby, and she is a friend to the shiners that they hired to accompany the quest. She told me they told her everything."
"And?" The excitement in Henry's voice was evident.
"And – the bad news is, they left half a day ago."
Henry's heart sunk. "And... the good?"
"The good news is, you won't have to worry about whether you want to follow them in secret or not because they made that decision for you." Thanatos' tone was joyful. "They are taking the boats across the waterway. Apparently, the Bane is in the Labyrinth, the part of the rats' land that lies south of the Vineyard."
Henry hesitated for a moment. "Well... okay, but why does that mean I won't have to decide whether to follow them or not?"
Thanatos groaned frustratedly. "The waterway, Henry – no flier can cross it in one stretch, that is why they are taking BOATS."
Henry pondered for a second. Then a crazy idea came to mind. "Actually...", he began, "... actually, you're wrong. It is not impossible to fly over the waterway. It's just that nobody has done it before."
"Well, that is kind of the deal with impossible things." Thanatos suddenly started having a bad feeling about this. "Okay, Henry, what the hell are you implying...?"
When the exiled prince turned to face him again, the flier feared the mischievous expression in his eyes. Then, Henry turned away from him again and started pacing. "I had plans to try it actually. Back then, with Ares. We even calculated a route and how many hours it would take."
He paused for a second. "But then we never ended up doing it. Ares told me he was up for it, but whenever I wanted to set a date he drew back. Always had some sort of excuse..." Henry snorted dismissively.
"I hope you are not implying what I think you are implying." Thanatos' voice was gravely serious.
The exiled prince turned back to him with that feared crooked smile. "Oh come on, you don't seriously want to tell me you never thought of trying it. I KNOW you did. It's you – how could you not?"
Thanatos wanted to say he was wrong. He really wanted to – but in the end, his silence revealed everything. "OKAY. Okay – I did think of trying it before. But Henry, this is madness! I can't just – WE can't just – Look, as much as I want to try this someday, that day isn't today."
All the exiled prince said was – "And why not?"
Thanatos could think of so many reasons. Even if he COULD cross it, theoretically, he'd have to be careful not to get spotted by the boats, and if Henry wanted to keep an eye on them, they wouldn't even be able to proceed once they reached them. And then what?
"Come on", Henry was standing before him now, hands to his hips, "you know you can do it. You are by far the most tenacious and untiring flier I have ever met. By FAR. If anyone can do it, you can. And besides, don't you want to call yourself the first who accomplished what so many couldn't, or wouldn't even try?"
Thanatos had no words. There it was, the one argument he had feared. Because in truth – that was exactly what he wanted. Henry hadn't been the only one with plans to undertake this challenge. He remembered a time, ten years ago, when he had planned to do it himself. And here he was – a decade later, with a different rider, who had the same dream – and apparently knew exactly what to say to convince him.
The flier sighed. "Okay – you know what, tell me. Your research results, how long does it take? What's the best route, where to start, where to land?"
Henry jolted around "You're DOING it?!"
Thanatos stopped him immediately. "No. NO. I did not say anything like that. I just want your information. Then I'll decide."