Chapter 2

The old nursery hadn't changed. It's shadows were still frightening. The turtle at one end was still forbidding. Its leer challenged them to any kind of heartfelt get together. Maybe this room hadn't been the best choice for a reunion.

It was too late to change rooms now. There they all were, gathered and waiting at one end of the unused room. Ripred. Hazard standing next to Luxa. Temp. Dulcet. Aurora. Mareth. Perdita. Someone he didn't know.

"Who are you?" he said rudely.

She had grey hair. Wore some kind of apron over a uniform. Yet this stranger's cheerful smile reminded Gregor of the Vikus of old. "I am Umbria, of the kitchen staff. I wish to thank you in person."

Gregor smiled back in relief that this woman wasn't a guard meant to take him away. He reminded himself that a guard wouldn't wear an apron, anyway. He said, "No, it's me who should thank you. All that food…" He trailed off, unable to vocalize what was in his head.

"It is my honor to finally meet the cooking Warrior." She held out her hand. "I am told you greet others by touching hands."

"Yes." Gregor took it without hesitation, though shaking hands did little but spread germs. Good thing he'd washed his hands the last time he'd used the bathroom.

"You owe me some cooking lessons," he said as they shook, remembering her letter. Her hand was warm, but rough from all the food and knives she dealt with on a daily basis.

Umbria did more than shake his hand. She bowed her head.

This horrified Gregor. "Not you too! Enough with the bowing. I'm nothing important."

Umbria clearly didn't agree with the unspoken part of his protest. "You are the one who cooks what he eats. The one who notices."

"Don't give him a big head," Ripred said. "He's hard enough to take as it is."

"I see you haven't changed," Gregor said to the rat.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint." Unconcerned, Ripred cleaned his whiskers with his paw.

Gregor smiled at Umbria. "Ripred sounds intimidating, but give him shrimp and cream sauce, and he's putty in your hands."

"I will remember, Overlander." Umbria sounded completely sincere.

Gregor's gaze slid slyly over the rat. "Bet you get shrimp and cream sauce so often now even you can't stand it."

"I don't know," Ripred said, still unconcerned. "I can stand an awful lot."

"Not if I make it."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Oh, why didn't you bring Lizzie instead?" he said to Howard.

Umbria took that moment to excuse herself and leave.

When she had gone, Howard opened his mouth to reply, but Gregor didn't let him. He didn't want to get into it with Howard and Ripred. "Temp. Nice to see you, buddy."

"The Princess be with you, be she?" he said, peering around Gregor.

Temp seemed more interested in who wasn't here than who was. He didn't let it bother him. "No, Boots isn't with me this time," Gregor said. "She'll come next trip." If there was one.

"Next time, Warrior bring Princess, next time?" Temp said, emphatic.

"I won't forget, Temp," Gregor said. "I know how important she is to you."

"She be the Princess, be she," Temp said.

Temp receded back behind Merith like he was finished with Gregor since Boots wasn't with him. Gregor took his cue from the roach to move on.

"Mareth, how you doing?" He pumped Mareth's hand up and down, glad to share his germs with his ex-training partner. "It's been too long."

Mareth smiled. "Greetings, Overlander."

That reminded Gregor of the cleanup in Regalia he was missing. "How's it going for Regalia?"

"Well enough," Mareth said, but Luxa broke in with more of the truth.

"The going is slow. Made slower because no one can agree how best to manage things."

Mareth uncharacteristically scowled. "We all thought it was the queen's job to manage things."

Woah. This seemed to touch on some serious issues.

True to Gregor's impression, Luxa scowled back. "I would manage if some would simply let me."

Mareth withdrew his hand with force from Gregor, but spoke to Luxa. "Happily."

Woah again. "Okay you two. This isn't a state meeting. I just want to say Hi to friends before I go."

"Do not listen to them." Perdita quickly stepped in front of Mareth. "The cleanup goes well. The army helps." A rueful smile accompanied her words, telling how much the army didn't like cleaning. "How goes it with you, Overlander?"

Gregor shrugged. "I'm punished till the end of the century, but thing's really are fine."

"Apparently not fighting anyone else is more like he's fighting himself," Ripred said.

"Ripred." Gregor turned to face the rat. "How I've missed your certain brand of help."

"You're a rotten liar," Ripred said. "You missed the queen."

Gregor regarded Luxa with a smile. "You bet I did!" He gave her a hug in front of everybody.

She hugged him back. "And I you. Just ask Hazard how much I spoke of you."

A small voice piped up. "She did. All the time." Hazard smiled up at Luxa and Gregor. "I got tired of hearing about you."

"As did I." Aurora's cheerful voice added to Hazard's statement.

Gregor beamed. "Aurora. You were great to Ares when he was alive. I guess I said that already in my letter. But you were great."

The golden bat fluttered her wings. "I did nothing Ares would not have done himself."

"Yeah, he probably would have," Gregor agreed. "But it was you who did it. I won't forget." He leaned in close to the bat's right ear and dramatically whispered, "We'll get together later and you can give me the real dirt on this bonding thing with Luxa and Ripred."

That idea seemed to please the bat. "I will fly with you so we cannot be overheard."

He had never flown on Aurora before. Would Luxa even let him? He raised his eyebrows towards Luxa.

"I will share my bond if my bond wants to be shared," Luxa said to him with just a hint of exasperation.

Gregor looked again at Aurora. "Then I'll see you later."

The bat nodded once.

Hazard pulled on his shirt. "Did you bring more animal toys?"

"I bet you already have the old one memorized." Gregor said. "I'll see about bringing you another one next time. When I bring Boots to see Temp."

Hazard's smile grew. "Good. Boots is good with sounds."

"Better than I am."

"Yes. I like Boots."

"And she likes you. And so do I. You're honest," Gregor said with an approving nod of his head. "Tells me the hard truths. Just like your dad."

Hazard beamed. "I would love to be like my dad."

"Don't fight anybody and you will," Gregor predicted. He took the hand of the person standing next to Hazard. "Dulcet! How are you?"

Dulcet smiled. "I am well, Overlander. Pity you could not bring Boots with you."

Wow, everybody sure loved Boots. "Yeah, well, this visit was a bit unexpected," Gregor excused. "Next time." If there was a next time. His mom would not like his being here. "Are you still taking care of the mouse babies?"

Dulcet's look turned grim. "Other nibblers have taken the pups in," she said.

"They live in Regalia." Mareth wrinkled his nose. "Many races live in Regalia now."

Why did Gregor get the feeling that things with Mareth hadn't been going so well lately? The ex-soldier seemed unhappy, especially for someone who Gregor thought of as unfailingly cheerful. "You still don't seem like yourself, Mareth. Something wrong?"

Mareth's gaze slid to Luxa. "If only I could train more."

Luxa instantly lashed out. "I would be more agreeable to that if not for the rat, and you know it!"

Gregor casually said to Ripred, "Causing problems again, huh?"
Ripred gave a flick of his tail. "I wouldn't be me if I didn't."

Hopefully that exchange stopped any bad feelings.

Another pause to Luxa and Mareth's possible explosion was Nerissa panting into the room.

"Overlander!" Her hair was a mess of tangles. The rags she wore didn't match. Her pale skin was even paler than the last time he'd seen her. But she smiled in spite of looking like a good wind would knock her over. "I have missed you."

Gregor held out his hand for a handshake. She gave him a hug instead.

"I hear you are my warrior," Nerissa said.

Gregor gave a start, then remembered what he had written in one of his letters. "I see you've been talking to Stellovet."

He saw Howard roll his eyes. Nerissa said, "She talks of little else. My uncle sent her to Regalia to get away from her constant chattering."

"At least she's talking about me." That was preferable to talking to her. "But I'll be glad to be your warrior, Nerissa."

"Yes cousin," Luxa broke in. "I will share him too."

Every single male either rolled his eyes or shuffled his feet. "Females," Ripred announced. "They're so proprietary."

"Be quiet," Luxa said without looking at him. "Who recently saved you from a guard beating?"

"As I recall, I saved myself," said Ripred.

"No one would dare touch the queen's bond," Luxa countered.

"Queen's bond, my eye." Ripred cleaned his claw. "Everyone's scared of me."

"And do you blame them?" Luxa demanded.

Gregor mock whispered to Nerissa, "They're not even warmed up yet. Just wait till they get going." He hugged Nerissa to his side. "How are you, truly, Nerissa?"
"I am well, Overlander."

Gregor said, "As long as you stay away from Stellovet."

Nerissa didn't disagree.

"Any more prophecies?" he said.

"If there are, I will not tell you about them."

Shamelessly flirting (when had he become a flirt?) he said, "That's the way I like it. No prophecies, no chance of dying."

"No chance of the Warrior turning to peacemaking," Luxa said, clearly unimpressed with his flirting.

"I like the no-dying part of that better than the lost-chance-of-peacemaking part." Gregor pulled Luxa flush with his side opposite Nerissa and kissed her cheek.

"Ugh!" Ripred pretended to gag. "I'm leaving before I get sick." He met Lapblood at the door. "Take my word for it and don't stay longer than you have to."

"I have time only for greetings," Lapblood said. "And to get Howard. Now the council is done for the day, we are both needed in the hospital."

Howard immediately headed for the door. "I will see you later, Overlander."

Lapblood stopped him. "I'll go with you. I wish to greet the Overlander."

"Well hi," Gregor said. "Bye. Nice seeing you."

"And you. I'm glad you're well." Lapblood followed Howard, only more slowly. "I do not forget you remembered my pups."

"I always will."

"Yes, you're like that." Lapblood paused at the door. "A true Warrior worthy of the name." She disappeared into the hall.

"Well, it's good to see that some rats and humans get along," Gregor said.

Luxa agreed. "Yes, I envy Howard."

"You and Ripred are much alike, cousin," Nerissa said.

Luxa looked horrified. "I hope you do not mean that!"

Nerissa smiled but said to Gregor, "I am glad of your return." She slipped out of the room as silently as she had slipped in, leaning against the wall for support.

"I always liked her." Gregor pulled Luxa closer. He was surprised when she buried her face in his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The others quietly left the room as Luxa exclaimed, "Oh Gregor, it has been awful since you left. Only you can make it right."

Gregor laughingly protested, "But I haven't done anything yet."

"Maybe Ripred will treat me better now you are here."

Oh, that made more sense. "You know he's only awful to someone he likes."

"Then he likes me a lot."

Yep, that was Ripred. But she must know that by now. So Gregor only said, "Come to the museum with me. I have to find something expensive for my family to live on."

Luxa sighed and nodded. "If you bring something back, perhaps you will not be… what is the word? Grounded."

Gregor laughed. "I could never find something so good that I won't be grounded again."

Luxa drew a deep, shivery breath. "We both have had a difficult time these last months."

Gregor said, "Yeah. I bet life for Vikus hasn't been any bed of roses either."

Luxa's face grew puzzled. "Roses. These are flowers?"

It was too hard to explain. "Never mind. Feel better?" She gulped, but nodded, and Gregor turned to the door. "Then let's go."