Henry fell asleep soon after Thanatos took off. He wasn't particularly tired, but he found it was better to sleep now when he had the time, then later, when he maybe wouldn't get the chance.
He slept for longer than he had planned to and let Thanatos fly without naming a clear goal, so when Henry opened his eyes he didn't recognize his surroundings at first.
He had fallen asleep over the endless-seeming water, now they were flying through tunnels of stone again. It took him a second to get his bearings, but when he did, he realized he had no idea where they were.
"Ehh... Death...? The hell are we? How long have I been sleeping?" He asked, slowly rising up from the position he'd slept in.
"Almost back in the Dead Land. You've been sleeping a while, I have no idea how long, but surely half a day at least."
The revelation shocked Henry and suddenly his head started spinning. "Thanatos, where are you taking me? I didn't want to LEAVE!" He called, turning his head to glance back. But only darkness enveloped them, Henry saw nothing ahead nor behind them.
"Why would you not want to leave? They kicked you out, Henry. Look, I get that these people used to be your friends and family, but you have to learn to let go as well. It would do you no good to stay close to them." Quieter, he mumbled – "if you ask me, we did way too much already."
"But I'm not ASKING you!" Henry could barely keep from shouting, "I can not leave them to fate now! They are risking their lives going to the Labyrinth to kill the Bane, and I'm supposed to just leave them to it? I want to know what happens, and I want to do something! I don't care if they want my help or not, TAKE ME BACK RIGHT NOW!"
Thanatos only scoffed. "And here I thought we were over the part where you try to give me orders. Listen – kid – that might have worked in your previous life, but it won't with me. You should know that by now."
"I do not care what you do, okay!" Henry was enraged. Thanatos' stubbornness was rivaled only by his own, which was the main reason they used to fight so much. They only stopped recently, he realized, because they found they agreed on more things than previously assumed.
"I will go back and I will help them, what you do is up to you. But take me back first – then you can leave or stay, whatever you want."
Thanatos was silent at that as if Henry's words had struck some sort of nerve. "So that's how it's going to be. You think I can just leave you in the rat's land to wait for people who refused your help, simply because you cannot let go of your past?"
"Mareth said their goal was the Tankard. We both know where that is. I'll wait for them there." Henry's tone was determined. "Even if they sent me away, we both know they will be grateful for any help they can get once they enter the Labyrinth. Gregor will be. You heard him."
Thanatos hovered in the air for a second, then he landed. Henry got off and lit his torch. He watched the flier as he cowered on the ground, face cloaked in shadow.
"You will not change your mind about this, will you?" His voice was quiet and yet firm.
"No. I will not."
He sighed. "Let's get on it then. If you wish to be foolish, who am I to stop you?"
The flight back took them a few hours. Thanatos was quiet throughout the entire journey and Henry didn't have much to say either. His mind was made up, and he realized he would remain, no matter what the flier did.
He secretly hoped Thanatos would change his mind and stay with him, mainly because they were so much stronger when they were together. And then there was the navigation-part. Henry feared he would get lost in the Labyrinth on his own – those were the reasons for his wish the flier might stay that he came up with to rationalize it.
In truth, he knew it was more than that. He wanted Thanatos to stay because they were a team. More than that even – if he was perfectly honest, their relationship was so full of contradictions, Henry didn't know how exactly he should call it.
They were not bonds yet they continued risking their lives for each other. They had no real obligations towards the other and yet they stayed together, even now, after half a year of perils and obstacles.
All Henry really knew for sure was that – however you would call it, he didn't wish for things to change.
Formerly he would have demanded a formal bond with any flier he shared this kind of alliance with, but if he was perfectly honest – his view on bonding had changed ever since Ares had let him fall.
Bond or no bond didn't determine if he could rely on someone anymore. It required more than a formal ceremony and a few pretty words to make two people share the sort of connection everyone always claimed a bond was, he understood that now.
For the first time, Henry thought about what had actually gone wrong between him and Ares. Maybe it was because he had seen him again now, maybe because he was trying to determine what exactly he and Thanatos were. Henry didn't know. All he did know was that their mutual betrayal had only officially marked the end of their bond, but the countless problems they had had, were much older.
The more he had grown, the more he and Ares had grown apart. He had not chosen him for his character or any sort of special connection they had, Henry realized he had just been the best one available at the time. Yes, they had grown into friends over time, and yes they had things in common. They had had fun together and Henry remembered being grateful Ares had been his bond a few times, but as nice as all that had been, he realized they had never shared this special connection he saw in Luxa and Aurora.
They had been friends but never had Henry been comfortable with telling Ares all his secrets, and the older he had gotten, the less personal conversation had happened between them. As a kid, he remembered talking about his fears after the death of his parents, but Henry had no recollection of a conversation like that after he had turned fourteen.
Before, Henry had never realized those problems were problems at all – how could he, after all. He thought that was just the natural course of things, but the more he had watched Luxa with Aurora, the more he had started to ask himself if something was perhaps different between them.
And now, seeing Ares with Gregor, he realized he couldn't care less. If Ares found Gregor understood him better than Henry, they should have each other. He didn't mind – in fact, he could even see himself be happy for Ares.
Frustrated, Henry shook his head. He had so many questions yet not a single answer. He did not know why his bond with Ares had failed, nor what exactly he and Thanatos were. It was just great.
They reached the Labyrinth in around three hours and Thanatos had trouble traversing the tight corridors this place consisted of, so it took them another hour to reach the Tankard itself.
When Thanatos finally flew out of one of the tunnels and over the deep, dark water in the circular pool of water, Henry asked himself for the first time where he was supposed to wait.
The flier landed in one of the tunnel entrances that were high up in the air, maybe a hundred feet above the water. "This is a dead-end, at least for the rats. There is a way out further in, but it is so narrow none of them will be able to use it to get to you."
Henry nodded, thankful Thanatos had thought of that. He assumed he would be able to get down later, through this exit Thanatos had told him about.
"I'd still be careful if I were you. From what I hear rats are fine climbers. They could try to reach you from outside."
Henry nodded. "So you are actually leaving?"
Thanatos groaned. "Of course I am. If you wish to get yourself killed, that's your decision."
"We could try to get ourselves killed together too, like usual." Henry attempted to smile but failed miserably.
Thanatos shook his head. "This is not like usual. Usually, you have a reason for your reckless actions. One that I can understand or relate to – more or less. But not this time."
He paused for a second, Henry was unable to see his face in the dim light his torch gave off. "You would risk your life for people who exiled you? Who would execute you on the spot if they found out who you are?" Thanatos shook his head. "I don't get you this time, Henry. Usually, I do – but then there are times like this when I ask myself "what the hell is wrong with this boy and why am I even still sticking with him?"."
Henry wanted to ask so badly – then why do you? But instead, he allowed his frustration to get the better of him. "Well, of course, YOU don't understand", anger boiled up in him again. They may have kicked him out, but at no point in time did he ever stop loving them or caring for what happened to them. They were his family, the people he had grown up with.
And if Thanatos couldn't understand that, it was his own problem. "They are still my family, Thanatos – I love them, no matter what they do! But how could YOU understand, you have no family! I bet there's NOT A SINGLE PERSON in this world YOU CARE ABOUT other than YOURSELF!"
The moment he had uttered the words, he regretted them immediately, but it was too late now.
He saw the flier's body stiffen up – he had struck more than just a nerve this time. "Oh... Is that what you think?" His voice was quiet but Henry sensed the tense fury in it. "Because in all honesty, it is ME who is starting to think that exact thing about YOU. You are nothing but a selfish fool who thinks he is the greatest, while all he ever amounted to was betraying the people he claims to love!"
He drew closer, Henry was frozen in shock. "You know what I think? I think you do not care about what happens to them in the slightest! You only do this for your own damn EGO! Because you want them to think of you as a hero – you know what you are? You are nothing but a boy who wears the mask of a HERO to hide THE HEART OF A TRAITOR!"
Henry was unable to move. He heard the flier's words through a cloud of mist, trying to comprehend what he had just said – that this wasn't some sort of cruel dream. That it was real.
Then he woke up. A clear voice sounded from his mouth though Henry had no recollection of thinking the words up. "I once said, despite not needing your presence anymore, I wanted it. Well, I don't WANT your presence anymore. Not if that's what you truly think of me."
Thanatos scoffed a last time, before turning away from him, preparing to take off.
"And don't even BOTHER COMING BACK, YOU HEAR!" Henry didn't care how many rats may have heard his scream, all he wanted was for Thanatos to leave him alone.
"Not if that is what you truly think of me", he whispered before turning away and sinking against a wall. For some reason, Henry had to suppress the urge to cry. No – he thought angrily, he would not sit and cry in the corner like a baby over the loss of a relationship of which he wasn't even sure what to call it. It was not worth it.
He would be fine on his own – better than before, even. Thanatos had only been holding him back recently, now he was free to do whatever he wanted, and risk his life for whoever he wanted, without a nagging voice constantly scolding him or calling him a kid.
Things would be better now, that was the last thought he had before the first tear rolled down his cheek.
Henry had no idea how much time he spent, sitting leaned against the wall, first crying, then angry at himself for crying. No rat bothered him, and he had almost forgotten where he was and why he was here – until he heard the splashing sound.
The boat with Gregor and his associates was now floating across what appeared to be a giant, round pool. The surface was as smooth and unbroken as a mirror. There were no beaches, the water went straight up to stone walls on all sides. Tunnel openings dotted the walls, some almost concealed by the waterline, others, hundreds of feet up. In many of them, Gregor could see a large rat.
No one moved. Not the rats. Not the visitors. An eerie silence surrounded them. Then there was a slight scraping sound from above.
Splash! Something landed off to their right, causing a fountain of water to spray into the air.
Splash! Splash! The rats were tipping boulders out of the tunnels and sending them hurtling to the water below.
"Well, that's weak. None of the rocks are even getting near us," said Gregor. It was true – the boulders were missing them by a mile. He felt a little better, knowing the rats were launching such a worthless attack.
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Luxa frowned. "Something is wrong here."
Mareth nodded. "Yes, it is not like the gnawers to waste their energies on futile attacks."
Howard's eyes widened, and he began waving his arms frantically. "Get the boat up! Fliers! Get the boat up now!"
Twitchtip sprang up at almost the same time. "They're waking! They're waking! Fly!"
And that's when Gregor put it all together. The rats weren't trying to sink their boat with the rocks — they were trying to wake the serpents! Aurora and Andromeda latched on to the front ropes, Ares got his claws around the two loops in the back. They lifted the boat out of the water, spinning it in a circle as they rose.
"Where fly we?" came from all three bats.
"Twitchtip, where lies the tunnel?" asked Mareth.
"Stop spinning the boat so fast and I'll tell you!" said the rat. The bats maintained a slower circle and Twitchtip indicated a tunnel opening opposite the channel they'd come in by. "There! The one shaped like an arch!"
Gregor caught it in his flashlight beam. It was only about six feet high, and you could've swum right into it. "But it's half underwater! Does it even have a floor?"
"Further in. Look, this is no time to be picky," snapped Twitchtip. "The serpents are —!"
Bam! Something hit the side of the boat, ripping away a chunk of it. They were knocked sideways. The bats barely managed to hang on.
Gregor thought one of the rats' rocks had made contact. Then he saw it. "Oh!" he gasped. "Oh, geez!"
His first thought was, "So, I guess they're not extinct after all." He meant dinosaurs, but that wasn't quite right. Dinosaurs had the ability to walk on land. This creature propelled itself with flippers. Some kind of aquatic reptile then, but as old as the dinosaurs. And as big as the biggest skeletons he'd seen at the museum in New York City.
Its body was a flattened oval. A whiplike tail beat the water, causing waves to roll across the calm pool. The neck was at least thirty feet long, and atop its sinuous, scaly pink length was a bullet-shaped head. There were indentations where eyes might have been, somewhere in its evolution, but they were long gone. What use were eyes to it down here?
Its mouth opened, letting loose a low howl that chilled Gregor right down to his DNA. And then his light hit the teeth. Hundreds and hundreds of teeth in three rows headed their way.
Gregor already closed his eyes in anticipation of the hit, but it never came. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a light – Gregor was irritated as it was different from the artificial beams from the flashlights.
Then he heard Luxa's scream – a mix of excitement and confusion and followed her pointed finger with his eyes.
Gregor had to blink multiple times to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but no – there, in one of the higher openings in the wall of the Tankard, he saw a figure. He seemed to be holding some sort of torch, and he was seemingly teetering on the edge of the opening. Below him, the sea with the dinosaur-monsters loomed, and before Gregor could shout or even breathe, he jumped.
Gregor watched his fall, almost like in slow-motion. Only when the figure got closer, Gregor realized the thing he was holding wasn't a torch – it was a sword. A sword that was on fire.
"His sword burns!" Mareth screamed from further back, and Gregor knew that they were all watching the scene. The serpent before them once again opened its gigantic mouth to take a bite from the ship, but before it got the chance, the guy, that had jumped, dug his flaming sword into its neck, presumably to stop his fall.
The creature gave off another primeval roar and tried to shake him, but he had his sword lodged deep in its neck now. It swung it's head around, making bone-rattling sounds, but he held on.
When the serpent swung his head in their direction, Gregor recognized the figure wore a mask made from the skull of a rat.
The Death Rider.
"He is RIDING THE SERPENT!" Howard's voice sounded unbelieving.
"I want a sword like that", Luxa whispered, next to him. Gregor saw in her eyes that she currently harbored much admiration for the stranger. He, on the other hand, wasn't even comfortable with normal swords. To light them on fire would only make things worse, really.
Then, an enormous force hit the boat from below, and it split in half. Apparently, a different serpent had come up right underneath them, and Gregor heard Mareth choke out "Abandon ship!" before the floor was split and Gregor had to cling to the side not to fall off.
Gregor was impressed he'd managed to form a coherent sentence at all. He grabbed up Boots and his pack in one swoop and stumbled for Ares.
"On the count of three, everyone jumps!" called Mareth.
Gregor realized he meant "jumps off the side of the boat." It was the only way the bats could catch them. He scrambled up onto the edge.
"One — two — three!" Gregor felt his legs pushing off the boat, and then it was gone, but almost immediately Ares was under them. The bat dipped and swerved, and Temp landed behind them. The poor roach was shaking like a leaf. Well, who wasn't?
Everyone's flashlight was on high beam now, which was good since the single torch that had been lit had just hit the water with a sizzle.
A prehistoric nightmare unfolded before them. Half a dozen serpents had broken the surface of the pool, and Gregor had a bad feeling that more were coming. They were swinging their heads and tails through the air, trying to take down whatever they could find. Since they had no eyes, Gregor guessed they had some other direction system. Maybe even echolocation.
There was no chance of fighting them. It was all Gregor could do to cling to Ares's back while the bat dodged the heads and tails frantically.
Where was the Death Rider? He had no bat to fly on – Gregor looked for a light that differed from the flashlight beams and saw him, he was still clinging to the serpent he had landed on. His legs and arms were wrapped around its neck and he was now swinging his flaming sword for the heads of the others.
Gregor had no idea what he was doing here – but he was glad he had come. His last words came to mind – "We help where we can".
Wait a second... something wasn't right. Why was he here, alone? Where was his bat? Thanatos?
Before Gregor had the time to think about it more, Ares took a sharp turn right to dodge the head of a serpent, almost knocking Gregor off.
In the process he caught glimpses of Mareth and Howard on Andromeda, Luxa on Aurora... but wait a minute! Where was Twitchtip?
Gregor heard a shriek and saw poor Twitchtip dangling by the tail from a serpent's mouth. "Go, Ares!" he cried, and the bat flew straight for the rat. Gregor lifted his sword to attack when a tail caught Ares broadside and sent them hurtling into the air. Boots flew from his arms.
"Boots! NO!" he screamed. "Ares! Get her, Ares!" But the bat caught him first.
"Luxa has her!" the bat cried before Gregor could flip out. "Luxa has her and Temp!"
"Get in the tunnels!" Howard shouted as Andromeda whizzed by. "The tunnels!" He was sitting upright on the bat, trying to hold on to an unconscious, bloody Mareth.
Gregor was still twisting his head to catch a glimpse of Aurora and Boots. There they were, they flew left of them, close to the serpent with the Death Rider. Suddenly a different one came up almost exactly before them.
Aurora took a sharp turn left, but Gregor instantly knew she wouldn't make it. The monster's mouth with the hundreds of sharp teeth was wide-open, it screamed deafeningly. That's when suddenly a flaming blade struck it, directly in the face, leaving a bloody mark.
Gregor watched the Death Rider, who had apparently lept from the neck of the other serpent towards this one, striking it and saving Aurora, who managed to escape the wounded creature.
Everything after that happened in slow motion. He fell – the Death Rider, he had nothing to hold on to. Gregor heard himself scream at Ares to catch him, but they were too far away.
As the last resort, he saw him grab onto the jaw of the serpent, that tore its mouth open and let out a scream of pain and anger. Gregor saw the Death Rider clinging on, pulling himself up – and then the creature closed its jaws around his head.
Thanatos was furious. Beyond furious. He was frustrated and tired and nobody had the right to say that about him. Nobody he was supposed to be in an alliance with.
He took another bite from the fish he had just caught, it was small and not satisfying at all, and yet that was the only food one could get in the rat's land nowadays.
He groaned. I bet there's NOT A SINGLE PERSON in this world YOU CARE ABOUT other than YOURSELF!
He heard Henry's voice, clear as if the boy was standing only a few paces away. He had had no idea what he was talking about. Let's see how he got on without him out there.
But Thanatos knew he was making a fool of himself. Henry was probably fine, like last time, and besides... it's not like the flier had been much friendlier either.
What had he said again? Thanatos didn't recall immediately. All he saw was the shock and pain in Henry's face, and his – I don't want your presence anymore. Don't even BOTHER COMING BACK!
What had he said? Thanatos tried to remember. Then he heard his own voice, cold as ice - You are nothing but a boy who wears the mask of a HERO to hide THE HEART OF A TRAITOR!
The flier tensed up. Had he honestly said that? After everything that had happened, after how many times they had been there for each other, laughed, had fun, saved each other's hides, often risking their own – had he told it to his face he thought he was nothing but a traitor?
Thanatos was up in the air faster than he could think. All he thought was that he needed to go back. He needed to say he hadn't meant that, as much as he hated apologizing, this time he would have to do it. There was no other way.
On his way, Thanatos suddenly asked himself why he cared so much. Like, sure, he had been furious and he probably shouldn't have said that but who had been the last person that had gotten him to apologize?
Thanatos' memories flew back, back to a time when things had been better – when she had been alive. He saw the laughing face of a girl, her hand around his claw – a ceremony.
Thanatos the flier I bound to you.
Her voice sounded clear in his head and it stinged like an arrow to his heart. That same voice, screaming his name.
Then silence.
The flier shook his head. Arya had died almost eight years ago. She was the past – and yet, she was also the last person he had apologized to.
With Henry, it was different. They weren't bonds – Thanatos wasn't even sure if they would ever be. Sure, they stuck together and Henry had, for the first time ever since he had left civilization, given him a true purpose to live. He remembered having told him to keep searching for a reason, to throw himself at life until it threw back a purpose.
Was Henry now his purpose? It was a strange relationship the two shared, and yet it was a strong one, and one that Thanatos cared more about then he would ever admit.
The flier had been languishing his existence with no hope for things to ever change, and then there had been this boy. He had disrupted the lonely monotony his life had been and given him something to care for again.
Thanatos realized he considered it his duty now to teach, to guide, to kick his butt when he did something stupid. His own words came to mind - If you wish to be foolish, who am I to stop you? But the truth was, that was EXACTLY his job.
He never had a younger sibling before – in fact, he had always been glad he didn't, but all of a sudden all he wanted was to protect this boy, that wasn't his brother by blood, but by heart, from all harm imaginable.
He should have never left him alone. Thanatos tried to fly faster, he was now in the middle of the spiraling tunnels of the Labyrinth and it wasn't easy, but he pulled through. He always did.
The flier heard the sounds way before he reached his destination. He recognized the cries of serpents and his heart sunk. Please, let the idiot be okay – he almost prayed. Please let that not have been the last thing I ever told him.
When Thanatos finally flew out into the open air around the Tankard he was almost hit by the open mouth of one of the creatures and dodged in the last second. He saw the fliers from the boat – among them Ares – dodging the serpents frantically, but his eyes searched Henry.
One of the serpents gave a bestial roar and Thanatos saw the shape of a flaming sword slice its head.
Henry.
He dove in his direction, he could just about make out Henry had clung to the jaw of the monster, he tried to pull himself up – and then the serpent closed its mouth around his face.
Thanatos saw everything like through a cloud of mist when he heard the crack of bone and the high-pitched, pained scream of a human.
Two pieces of mask fell into the water, the serpent had bitten the rat skull in half. It roared one last time, before throwing Henry, who was still dangling from his mouth, into the water after it. His sword flew from his hand and landed in one of the tunnel entries.
Something short-circuited inside Thanatos' head. He only saw the monster – the handle of the sword. In a second he had reached it and closed his jaws around it. With the still burning blade in his mouth, he zoomed in on the serpent and in one swift motion he slit the throat of the creature, that fell back into the waves, after a final primeval roar.
Thanatos threw the sword into a random tunnel entry, he couldn't care less about it.
He dove after Henry.