"Perhaps the most important thing is to focus – not on your thoughts, but on your senses, on what is around – Gregor, are you listening?"

He jerked up, staring at Henry, somewhat guilty. "I... I'm sorry." Henry shook his head. "I thought you wanted this lesson? At least pay attention then, will you?"

Gregor averted his gaze in shame. After last night's conversation with Luxa, and then with Kismet, he hadn't slept well. He knew he needed to do something, to occupy his thoughts, so he had asked Henry for the echolocation lesson he had promised him, but he still had trouble keeping his thoughts at bay.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Gregor looked up once more and saw Henry was frowning now. He had set his torch down, the only light source in this part of the citadel, and stared at him, concerned.

Gregor knew he had to tell him at some point. He needed to know, especially if he wanted to help Luxa. But he didn't want to load more problems on Henry than he had to, he was visibly strained and sleep-deprived, even more so than yesterday.

Gregor clenched his jaw in frustration – why was everyone being such a huge jerk nowadays? The quest to save the mice had brought their little gang, the questers, as he still called them, so close together, and now, it seemed to be falling apart, right before Gregor's own eyes.

It was not the trip, he suddenly realized, that made me feel safer than I felt in Regalia – it was the team. Their team. The fact that they were all together and looking out for each other – that had been the feeling of security and happiness he hadn't been able to recreate, ever since his return to Regalia.

"Just spill it, Gregor, you won't be able to focus anyway before you get this off your chest", Henry disrupted his thoughts. Gregor sighed. "I... I talked to... to Luxa, yesterday."

Henry immediately froze, before visibly biting his lip. "...about me?" Gregor nodded. "But... but... it's not that easy. She..." He sighed and described Luxa's... condition to the best of his abilities. Henry's face grew darker and darker, the more he talked. When he finally mentioned his conversation with Kismet after, and what her theory on the whole thing had been, he plopped on the floor, almost resigned.

"A... mental block, caused by a traumatic event? But I...", he stopped mid-sentence and Gregor nervously shifted in place. "I didn't understand all of it either, she... she said finding out you were alive, and, were... well, you – the Death Rider, who she saw as a hero and friend – so fundamentally turned her beliefs and established truths upside down, her brain... failed to process it... or something. And now it led to her being stuck in this state where she's holding on to how you're supposed to be dead, even if logic and her own observations tell her it's wrong."

Gregor bit his lip, trying to make out Henry's expression in the shade, but he was facing the floor now. He went over what he had just said in his head, had he repeated all of that correctly? He understood the concept of it, but he hadn't had the mind to remember too many details of what Kismet had said yesterday.

"So, she... she knows it's me... but doesn't at the same time?" Henry raised his head now, and the expression in his eye Gregor could only describe as... broken. "She can't... believe... process... comprehend... whatever – that I'm... a good guy now?"

Trying to keep his legs from shaking, Gregor sat down next to him, leaning on the cold stone wall. "That... I..." He wanted to deny it, but... that was essentially what it was. "Look, you... Kismet, she said you were the only one who could get her out of it."

Henry turned his way, "Me? But she... doesn't want to know, does she?" Gregor shook his head. "It's... Kismet said it's less deliberate, more... you know, subconscious. I didn't really understand that part, to be perfectly honest, ask her about it if you want to know details, but the important thing is – you are the only one who can get her out of it. If... if you – YOU – can prove to her you're alive, that you're you. She said Luxa won't hear it from anyone else, but she may from you."

Henry turned away again. "And how am I supposed to do that?" His voice dripped with bitterness. "She won't even look at me, let alone speak to me. She... she erected a whole mental blockade to be able to keep pretending I'm... dead."

Gregor's head was spinning. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Henry must be feeling right now, but he also knew he had to get him to help her. "She... did. But you still love her, don't you?"

Henry sighed. "I will always love her. I wasn't the best at showing it in the past, but I do." – "Then try. Please. For her." Gregor couldn't deny his motive was semi-selfish – he wanted to help Luxa, no matter what, because he cared about her – but he also knew the fate of the entire Underland might depend on the mental state of its queen. "Please."

Henry opened his mouth to respond, but, after a few seconds of silence, closed it again. Instead, he averted his gaze and nodded.

The two sat in silence for a while, and Gregor thought maybe it was finally time to ask Henry what exactly had happened to him, these past two years. He had been meaning for a while now, but they had always been on the move, with little time for stories. And after a moment of hesitation, Henry had willingly started talking.

Gregor knew he had most likely left out some things, but his head was still spinning from the tale Henry had shared with him. They had sat there for more than an hour, and Gregor had listened – eager, but also unbelieving and full of horror at times. Had he had trouble understanding how the Henry he seemed to remember from their first quest, turned into the Death Rider before – he perfectly understood now.

Thanatos' words came to mind - I will not allow him to suffer because of this, not anymore. No more suffering. Gregor realized he hadn't been able to fully grasp their meaning before. Now he did.

And then, Henry had finally concluded with his decision to leave for the uncharted lands, after the episode with Dalia. "That... I didn't even think about how hard that must have been for you, to see her do essentially the same thing you did", Gregor sighed, and Henry nodded. "And worse, she had been turned by the same rat who had turned me, back then."

Gregor suddenly remembered Henry had mentioned something along the lines of that, in Longclaw's prison, only nobody had known he was Henry yet, back then. "Tonguetwist... she was Twirltongue's mother, right?" Henry nodded. "I'm eternally happy she is dead, though I worry her daughter will take her place now."

Gregor thought Henry was right and suddenly asked himself how great her influence on the Bane was – what she had made him believe by now. "I... I'm sorry you had to suffer so much", he thought he owed him some sort of response, "but I guess you did find your true calling out here. And Thanatos too."

Henry threw him a grateful smile. "Yeah... I think, to an extent, I needed this. But Gregor", he suddenly raised an eyebrow before standing up, "weren't we actually here for an echolocation lesson?"

"So, what am I doing wrong?" Henry gave him a somewhat forced smile. "A lot, probably." They had both risen up and Gregor saw no more than Henry's silhouette in the dim light. The torch must have nearly burned out.

"I... Alright." He came to a halt before Gregor, "Where did we leave off? Right – you have to try and essentially shut down your thoughts. Focus on sensory input only, your hearing, what you can smell, and otherwise perceive. What do you usually do to make the sound?"

"I... click my tongue", Gregor mumbled, "is that alright?" To his surprise, Henry chuckled. "That is probably the only thing you can absolutely NOT mess up. Echolocation works with every sound, whether you snap your fingers, click your tongue – or yodel, for all I care. Alright." He took a step towards the torch, "Let's start with a small exercise then. Remember, maybe 90% of your chance at success with echolocation depends on your mindset."

He took another step towards the torch, "Then go ahead –", and with one motion extinguished it, leaving them in complete darkness – "Try and find me."

Gregor blinked a couple times, trying to follow the instructions. He instinctively closed his eyes, even though it made no difference. How was he supposed to – then he jerked around. He had heard something that sounded like footsteps behind him. "There!" He pointed in the direction, instantly realizing he had not even tried clicking his tongue.

To his surprise, Henry's voice sounded from the darkness, "Very good. Now try and keep facing me, wherever I move." Gregor furrowed his brows, "But I... I didn't even try to use echolocation. How is that good?"

Henry laughed. "Gregor, I can't possibly expect you to use echolocation actively before you pass the threshold. It's impossible. Besides, don't forget the easiest way is often the best. And even after you pass the threshold, there ain't nothing wrong with using the sounds someone makes to localize them, instead of going out of your way and losing valuable seconds by making your noise."

Gregor blinked into the darkness, and couldn't help but be eternally grateful having someone more open-minded as a teacher for once. Maybe the reason he had always associated echolocation with something negative, had been because Ripred had behaved so much like a jerk.

They kept practicing for another hour, all sorts of hearing- and perception-related exercises, and Gregor had quickly found Henry was a much more pleasant teacher than Ripred, in almost every way. He scolded him not once, even when he couldn't immediately do something, all he said was, that there was plenty of time to still practice that later. Further, he never demanded more of him than Gregor could handle, and at the end of the day, it was even kind of fun.

Soon, they moved over from simple exercises to sharpen senses to practicing and getting familiar with the sound he had chosen. Henry would position him before a wall, and tell him to make the noise, then have Gregor turn around, and make it again, to listen for the difference.

At first, Gregor heard nothing, but when Henry told him to take a step closer to the wall, so that he was only around a foot away, he heard it for the first time. The sound was only slightly different, but he could tell the difference at all, which he could almost not believe. Henry told him to subtly increase the space between him and the wall and listen carefully, and to his own surprise, Gregor found he started hearing a difference even at greater distances soon.

"But I... don't see anything. Is that not the whole point?", he asked, after another thirty minutes. His lessons with Ripred had always felt like they took forever, while now, he felt the time almost fly by.

Henry behind him hummed. "That'll come after the threshold. You see, the brain always receives information from soundwaves, it's the visualization-part we have to tediously teach it. It'll come, Gregor, I promise. You just have to keep practicing."

"But didn't you say it doesn't work like that?" He instinctively turned in the direction of Henry's voice. "Well, what I meant was, practice is not enough. Just", he hesitated for a moment, "how about this – every time you do this same exercise now, which you should regularly, daily, if possible, you go into it telling yourself this will be the time you'll succeed. Tell it to yourself out loud if you must, even if it sounds ridiculous. But do it. CONVINCE yourself you can make that noise and SEE the wall. Only with that mindset, the practice will pay off, and only like that."

Gregor pondered for a second and came to the conclusion Henry probably knew what he was talking about. "I... I'll mind your advice, I promise."

"Great", came the response, "because we've been here for almost three hours, I think, and I still have to go back and make lunch."

"So, is Henry a better teacher than me?" Gregor's head turned in Ripred's direction, the rat was gnawing on a fish, lazily lying on his side. Their whole group was in the middle of lunch, and the bats had just announced they were in somewhat of a condition to travel again.

"Actually, yes, he is. I learned more in one of his lessons than in all of yours so far." Okay, maybe that was a little exaggerated, but it almost felt like it to Gregor. In just one singular lesson Henry had managed to turn his entire view on echolocation around, from something tedious and exhausting to something he even found himself almost having fun practicing.

"Oh – is that so?" Ripred's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "alright then, let the lad worry about making you a more capable fighter then, I have better things to do anyway." He really tried not to let it show, but Gregor thought he sounded somewhat jealous. Oh well, should he. Served him right for being a jerk, Gregor thought.

"So, where do these tunnels lead? If we can travel, we must establish a plan", Howard suddenly spoke, and Henry sighed, before approaching him. "There is a way from here to the lake you know already, the one we camped at when traveling to save your sister. I believe I can lead you there. And from then on, we should have a clear path to Regalia."

Before Howard could scold him for talking like he'd be going with them to Regalia, a different voice suddenly sounded – "Your path won't be as clear, I'm afraid." All heads jolted around to where Kismet now emerged from the cave entrance. "The most recent volcanic eruption has changed the landscape around here somewhat significantly, the Path of Styx has been partially destroyed. You can't go that way." Henry exchanged a look with her, "Then... can you lead us?"

Howard instantly raised his voice to protest – "I will not follow the lead of a rat!" – "You have followed Ripred's lead before, have you not?", Henry shot back, and Howard bit his lip. "We can trust Ripred."

"Then TRUST me", Ripred suddenly spoke, "that you can trust her. If she says she knows the way, she won't lead you on. What reason would a hermit like her have to lure you into a trap, hm? She didn't even know the Bane had risen and we had war until I told her. So for goodness sake, get over yourself, at last."

Howard still looked skeptical, and Gregor decided he'd had enough. After his late-night conversation with her, and hearing from Henry how much he actually owed her, he realized he didn't doubt her trustworthiness anymore. "I'll follow her", he spoke, to everyone's surprise. "If Ripred says we can trust her, I'll trust her." Henry too, he thought, but decided it would be more damaging than beneficial to say that.

After a long silence, Ares, who had whispered with the other bats, raised his gaze. "We too think Ripred's choice to trust her is enough. We will go with her as well." Gregor gave him a grateful nod. "And besides, it's not like Ripred is LEAVING us with her. He'll be right there!" He gestured in the rat's direction. "Do you WANT to get lost again or what?"

Before Howard could speak, Luxa finally raised her gaze. "You know a way to where we must go?" Kismet, who had somewhat curiously followed the conversation, turned in her direction. "I do. Though I don't remember agreeing to lead you anywhere."

"Oh, come on, it's not like you don't have anything better to do", Henry shot at her, "We could use your help. We all could. This war may not be yours right now, but what if the Bane finds out about you? What if he decides to view you as a threat and sends his army to kill you? If you're with us, you won't be alone against him anymore."

She glanced at him from a narrowed eye. "You... the humans? Help the humans...?", her gaze met Luxa again and she seemed to ponder. "Luxa is not her father", Ripred spoke up, "and I do recall hearing someone talk about how you were "above hating a whole species"."

Kismet shot him a glare, before turning to Luxa again. "You could indeed use my help. All of you." She regarded the whole group for a moment, "I'm not getting my solitude back anytime soon, aren't I?", she mumbled, before addressing them properly – "Well, then it is settled. I'll lead you."

They decided to immediately depart, not without thanking the cockroaches for their extended hospitality and packing their trunks full of supplies. Kismet said they'd reach the lake Gregor recalled from their trip to save Stellovet in around a day, and he once again was angry at himself he had dropped his flashlight.

"How about this?" Henry approached him and held out a small hand-lantern. I traded it from the Flutterers a while ago, but I don't really need it, so how about you take it, to replace that lightstick of yours?" Gregor threw him a smile and gratefully took it. "This'll be perfect, thank you." Henry quickly showed him how to refill it, before calling the group together to distribute seatings.

They had more than enough bats now, especially with how Ripred and Kismet could both run. Thanatos still insisted on carrying Nike, even though her wing was doing better already, that left them with Ares, Hera, and Aurora. In the end, Henry and Gregor took their seats on Ares again, Howard mounted Hera, and Luxa Aurora.

The trek was fairly uneventful, Gregor and Henry spent the time chatting some more, about more stories from his past, and finally, Henry started asking questions about the Overland.

Gregor was in the middle of explaining what a cellphone was and how you used it, when Ares flew out of the mound of a tunnel and he instantly recognized where they were. "The lake!", Gregor exclaimed and heard Kismet below them call for a break. The bats landed around the shore and, after letting the humans mount down, flew over the water to fish. Only ten minutes later they were all sitting around a campfire, eating dinner.

"So, you all know where we are?", asked Kismet as she eyed the group. Gregor nodded. "We were here before. But you say we can't go back the way we came back then?"

She shook her head. "There was a volcanic eruption closeby, not so long ago, it blocked the previous path." – "And where do we go then?", Luxa suddenly asked. "Patience, girl, we will figure it out. The land of the pinchers lies beyond the lake, but they do not like intruders. We might not have much of a choice, this time, though."

Pinchers... Gregor recalled Ares explaining they were lobsters at some point, and he nervously swallowed. He wasn't too eager to meet another new species now, not with all the stress he already had.

"Do we camp here again?", he asked Kismet instead, and she glanced around for a moment, then nodded. "It's a good place for a camp."

Henry stared out onto the lake, his senses peeled for any noise. He had last watch, and Gregor had woken him up a couple hours ago. His gaze instinctively wandered over to the rest of the group. It had not escaped him, the way they had thrown suspicious glances at Kismet, this entire time. The way they had inched away from her when she sat down. Maybe, he thought, maybe I notice it so much because they do the same with me now.

He had not gotten the chance to speak to her properly, not after his conversation with Gregor. He angrily bit his lip, he should hate them for treating her like this just for her species, but he couldn't hate them. None of them. Not even Howard.

"For redemption, you will strive... in their hands, you place your life...", he mumbled almost thoughtlessly, reaching to touch the softly glowing water. Would that part of the prophecy ever happen? It seemed almost ridiculous, with how they treated him now.

And it wasn't even just that – he stared out at the gorgeous scene, automatically trying to spot patterns in the glow – Henry suddenly asked himself if seeking atonement in their eyes was even... worth it. It had been two years now... how long did they expect him to feel guilty for this whole thing? Henry knew, if he had the choice, he'd always prefer parting with them on good terms, but... what would it cost? Feeling guilty for the rest of his life?

His gaze darted over to Luxa, and his conversation with Gregor came to mind. He clenched his jaw instantly, trying to somehow cope with the fact that Luxa wasn't feeling well, and it was all entirely his fault. He had to talk to her eventually, he owed it – not just to her or to Gregor, but to all of the Underland.

"You can wake the rest now, we should press on." She had been silent as ever, but Henry had sensed her coming. "I'm glad you're here", he said on an impulse as he turned around to Kismet. "Thank you. I'm sure it's not easy." She just chuckled. "You know how it is now, to be an outcast, even among those who once loved you. I wish you wouldn't have to know."

Henry sighed and gave her a smile. "I'll be fine, even without them. I'll always have you, won't I?" She shot him a glance, "Boy, we owe each other our lives. I feel like what you did for me is always overshadowed by what I did for you. But never forget, as long as I breathe – you will always have me. Even if you are a little brat sometimes."

He spontaneously caught her in a hug and for the first time, she returned it. "Go and wake them, will you? Before they catch you hugging a rat." – "I don't care", he mumbled, but let go nonetheless. "But... you'll never be alone either, you know? Because you'll have me on your ass now too. For the rest of your life. Whether you like it or not."

Kismet shook her head at him as she reached into the lake, presumably to catch fish. Henry threw a couple glances back while walking towards the group to start waking them.

Gregor awoke instantly when Henry touched his shoulder and he told him to go and wake up Howard because he didn't want to deal with him right now. Only after Gregor had already walked off in his direction Henry realized where that left him – with Luxa.

He cautiously approached her – it would be alright. She had huddled together with Aurora, and the golden bat awoke instantly as Henry raised his voice – "Hey, you two, Luxa, it's time for breakfast."

Luxa twitched in her sleep, and slowly untangled herself from Aurora. He cautiously bowed down to pat her shoulder, "Hey, Luxa!", but as soon as he touched her, Luxa jolted around, suddenly grabbing his arm – "Henry?", she called, her hand so firmly gripping his arm it almost hurt.

The exiled prince froze in shock. He blinked a few times, and stared at her, trying to process she had just called him by name, despite what Gregor had said, when she suddenly furrowed her brows. She seemed to inspect him closer now, before jerking away from him, almost tripping into Aurora in the process. "You... oh... oh, I'm sorry, I", she stuttered, biting her lip and avoiding his gaze, "I... I had you confused with someone..."

A jolt of pain pierced his heart, and Aurora threw him a somewhat apologetic glance. "She'll be ready shortly", the golden bat mumbled, and Henry could do nothing but leave them to themselves.

"We could take the way around, but that would mean losing a few days", Kismet announced during breakfast. Luxa looked up, "Around what?" – "Around the territory of the pinchers, dear", Kismet pulled in another fish and tossed it onto the grilling plate over the fire.

Luxa narrowed her eyes. "The... pinchers. They are not our enemies, are they?" The rat shook her head. "No, they just prefer their territory intruder-free, last time I checked." Luxa disregarded her, "Then we go to them."

Everyone stared at her now, Howard's mouth stood slightly agape, even Ripred looked perplexed. "Pardon me?", he finally asked, and Luxa threw him a cold glance. "We are here to gather allies. I am not going to pass up an opportunity like this."

Her words were followed by silence, only interrupted when Howard stood up. "You can not just march into another species' lands, expecting them to agree to your alliance request!", he called, and was surprisingly backed up by Ripred. "Especially not the pinchers'."

"And why not?" Luxa's tone was still icy. Ripred shifted almost nervously. "Oh, I... I mean, you may be misinformed on their lack of hostility towards humans, Kismet."

She eyed him, before sighing. "Alright, what did you do this time?" All eyes were on Ripred and he gave a somewhat dry chuckle. "Oh... I... you know, may or may not have convinced them the territory around the Fount-settlement was rightfully theirs, at some point, and, you know, launched an... unsuccessful attempt to conquer it...?"

Howard's head jolted up, "Father told me you once tried to conquer the Fount... with an army of lobsters. It was shortly after I was born." Ripred nodded, and Henry had to suppress a chuckle. "An... army of lobsters. Oh my goodness... why though?" Ripred shrugged. "... boredom? I don't know, I was young and... you know, had this crazy idea that one day I could set up my own base camp in that land. So I... improvised."

Nothing kept Henry from breaking into almost hysteric laughter now, he saw some of the others were giggling too. "I remember that day, actually", Thanatos now spoke, "Arya and I had been sent there to stop you. I believe it was the first time I ever saw you."

Ripred looked around with a mix of pride and slight regret. "And that is why I should probably not show my face to them... ever again. Or you, Your Majesty, for that matter. I have no idea how... angry they still are with my lie, but it's probably not a good idea to provoke them in these specific times, is it now?"

Luxa had not moved a single muscle, throughout the entire tale. Only now she glanced around, disregarding Ripred like she hadn't heard a word he had said. "I do not care if you go. If any of you go", she spoke now, and Henry felt shivers on his back from her tone, "I will."

Howard instantly stood up, but before he could protest, Luxa had already taken a stand before him. "Do not even START!" Howard was so surprised at the hostility in her tone, he actually remained silent. "You all...", she raised her finger and pointed around the room, "You all need to stop TREATING ME LIKE I'M A CHILD in need of A BABYSITTER! I am YOUR QUEEN!" Her cry echoed from the walls of the cave. "I have... have... a MISSION. And I do not want – or need – any OF YOUR HELP! So get lost – this is my final decision, my ORDER. As QUEEN."

For the first time, Henry was genuinely scared for her condition. He knew Luxa, he knew her better than most of the people in this room – and this was not... Luxa.

"You are... the queen", a voice sounded from an unexpected direction, and everyone jolted around to Kismet, who slowly stood up now, "But that doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself, dear. Look at them, look closely", she continued, glancing at Henry, "they aren't following you because they think you incapable or in need of protection, they follow you because they wish to serve your cause. All of them. Do not push them away, dear, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Luxa stared at her for a second, before lowering her gaze. "You will follow me... you all will?" Henry exchanged a glance with Gregor, then looked at the bats, and finally at Kismet. "Anywhere."

He saw Howard and Gregor nod too now, only Ripred remained silent. "I'll... pass. My presence there will only lower the chances of getting on their good side, I'm afraid. I'll...", he pondered, "I'll meet you back at Regalia, if you don't mind. After all, you have a new guide now." He eyed Kismet, "And she can protect you as I could. If not better."

"Do you think this'll end well?", Thanatos asked while following Ares with Kismet. They had rearranged their seatings so that Ares could carry her, as Nike had claimed she was fit to fly now, and Henry had finally taken his seat on Thanatos' back again.

"It's Kismet... I doubt there is any way this could go wrong", he laughed, while internally unsure. The questers, especially Howard, had not taken too well to Ripred leaving them with her, but in the end, he had claimed he followed Luxa, not Kismet, and somehow nobody had made too big of a scene of it. So far, they had not encountered pinchers either, but the whole point of being here was encountering them, so he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Eh... you have a point", Thanatos admitted, and Henry chuckled, tugging at the straps of his saddle. "Hey", for a second he wrapped his arms around the neck of his flier, "I missed you, these last days. I mean I know you guys have a thing or something for each other, but do you prefer Nike's company over mine now?"

Thanatos only snorted, "we don't have any THING for each other, Henry, that's not... you have the wrong idea here." His bond laughed, "Oh, SURE. Absolutely. I mean, I'm happy for you and all, but I'd still like to SEE you sometimes, kay?"

Thanatos was about to shoot back when Ares before him let out an alarmed shriek. Henry blinked a couple times, the only light source was Gregor's hand-lantern he had lit, somewhere behind him, and the picture his echolocation painted was confusing.

Had something just... jumped out of the... wall and... tackled Ares from the air? Before Henry could try to understand what had just happened, let alone draw a weapon, he felt something hit him from the side. He saw stars for a second and felt the straps of the saddle tighten, as Thanatos was thrown off-course by the blow. Then his head hit the opposing wall and he saw nothing anymore.

Henry awoke to discover he was entirely unable to move. He was still strapped into the saddle and something was sitting on his back, pressing his face into Thanatos' fur. He couldn't make out what it was. "H...hey, what...", he struggled and managed to turn his face sideways, to be able to breathe.

"What seek humans in land that is pinchers?", a deep, almost melodious voice sounded from somewhere before him, and Henry now realized Gregor's hand-lantern was still burning somewhere. He couldn't see much, but when his eye had gotten used to the darkness, he made out a shape before him.

I've seen this shape before, he thought, and an unwanted memory flashed in his head suddenly – the lake. The same lake they had camped at, and... the waterfall. The fall.

"We did not mean to offend –", he heard Luxa's voice, somewhere behind him, but she was cut off – "We dislike trespassers. King should decide their fate", another of the pinchers spoke, and Henry felt the one who apparently sat on his back, move.

He finally took a deep breath and slowly rose up, gasping for air, and looked around. He saw the others were held in similarly restrained positions, only Luxa had apparently wiggled free. She stood before who appeared to be the leader of the lobsters, an enormous creature of more than six feet.

Before Henry could call a warning, he had jabbed at her with his claw, presumably to recapture her, and would have surely severed her leg, hadn't – Kismet, she leaped at the creature out of the shade and wrapped her tail around Luxa's waist, pulling her out of the way.

She cried in shock and the lobsters now all raised their claws, prepared for attack, when suddenly a single voice called, from Henry's left – "We have met before, this one. Have we?"