Everything from that point on was a blur. Henry barely registered Kismet, how she pushed him towards Howard and Nike, and how Luxa's cousin dragged him onto her back before helping Thanatos lift up Aurora.
Kismet had, in the meantime, positioned herself in front of the entrance to the cave, and Henry heard her growl before the sound of battle rang in his ears once more.
His head was spinning, he could not think straight. You should have never shown your face to us, after what you did. It replayed in his head again and again, and every time felt like a new nail was driven into his already bleeding heart.
Luxa. Was this all his fault? Had he pushed her too hard? Was she right? Should he have never... Luxa! His gaze automatically met hers, and it was like the gears inside his head snapped into place again.
Before Nike could take off, he slid off her back. Luxa was still refusing to let go of Aurora, who now lied as a limp weight on Thanatos' back. Henry almost collided with Howard when he twirled around to draw his sword and help Kismet fight the rats, who had apparently spotted or smelled them still alive in here, and were now seeping in through the entrance.
But Henry knew this wasn't the way. They needed to get out of here. Attempting to fight now was certainly a bad idea, as the rats could easily destroy their light source, and neither Howard nor Luxa were capable of echolocation, so they would be useless. No, he thought, they needed better light. They needed to leave.
The noises in the room, together with the still burning torch Howard had grabbed and wielded with his second hand, painted a clear image of the cave in Henry's head and he saw where to go – a second, smaller, exit at the back end. The fliers had surely seen it too.
Luxa screamed violently as Henry grabbed and lifted her up in the air, forcefully tearing her away from Aurora. "You can't help her now!", he called but was almost certain she hadn't registered his words. He easily threw her over his shoulder and carried her back over to Nike, who was waiting impatiently. "We need to leave. Back exit. Reach water. A light source. Maybe further in", Henry called to her, hoping she'd understand his chipped speech, and indeed, the striped bat nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Luxa was still ferociously protesting, her screams echoed from the walls and she was pounding his back with her fists, but Henry was much stronger than her. In a single motion, he loaded her onto Nike's back and called Howard's name – "Howard, come, we need to leave!"
Luxa's cousin understood the direness of their situation instantly and retreated until he mounted Nike behind Henry, extinguishing the torch in the same second. They were good to go.
"I'll hold them back and catch up later!", Kismet called, her tail swiping a rat off his feet and her claws digging into the throat of another. "Save the queen!"
Nike understood, and followed Thanatos who had already lifted off, diving into the back exit Henry had spotted earlier, in the opposite direction from where the rats came. Away from the big cave. Away from Regalia.
In the meantime, Henry had to use all his strength to keep Luxa on Nike's back. She had not seized fighting him for a single moment, and when the back of her fist finally hit his forehead so hard he saw stars for a second and felt a drop of blood run down his cheek, Henry decided he had no choice. If she kept her yelling up, any possible danger lurking out there would easily find them, and they could not afford that. Not now.
He swiftly drew his boomerang and hit the dull side on her head, hard, but not too hard. She let out a sharp but short cry, before sinking back, unconscious. Henry quickly stored away his boomerang and wrapped his arms around her to make sure she would stay on Nike's back – at least that's what he told himself.
"I'm sorry", he whispered, barely audible, tightening his grip and burying his face in her curls. Had anyone asked what he apologized for, he wouldn't have had an answer.
Henry had no idea how much time passed before the fliers finally landed, on the sandy beach by a small lake. He had never been here before, but the exiled prince thought they must be close to the Firelands. They had passed a couple volcanos on the way.
He had no idea when Luxa had awoken from her unconsciousness, but she had been awake when they landed. She had been the first off Nike's back, instantly darting over to Thanatos to check on Aurora. The only thing Henry didn't understand was, why she had let him hold her, if she had been awake.
"We should be safe here, for now", Howard dismounted and took a couple steps towards the lake, before groaning and pressing his hand to his stomach. "We need to... do a medical check-up... and wait for... Kismet..." He finally collapsed to his knees on the beach.
"A medical check-up on you, yeah." Henry followed him and grabbed his arm to help him stand. "I'm unharmed. You're the only one who needs medical attention here. Well", his gaze darted over to Aurora, who now lied on the beach, Luxa hovering above her, "You and her."
Henry insisted Howard stopped his own bleeding before tending to Aurora. He claimed if the doctor went out of commission, they would all be doomed, and Howard obliged, though he visibly hurried.
His own injury was a mere flesh wound and he bandaged it up fairly quickly, though Henry was perfectly aware of how painful it must be. He had suffered enough similar injuries, during his time as an arena-champion.
Then Howard approached Aurora. It was a heartbreaking scene, watching him almost forcefully separate Luxa from the golden bat, in order to examine her. This time, Luxa did not scream – she cried.
Henry saw her whole body shaking with sobs, as she staggered away from Aurora, at last, collapsing on the floor. It's all too much for her, he thought. The battle, the trap she had been chased into, and him – the knowledge he was here was most likely a significant part of the problem for her.
Henry was at a loss as to what to do. Everything in him screamed to go over and comfort Luxa, but at the same time, he thought an offer for comfort from him would only make things worse. So all he did was stare at her, sitting on the floor, wrapping her arms around herself, sobbing uncontrolled.
She must feel like she's all alone now, alone and betrayed, he thought, realizing he was shaking himself. Aurora is badly hurt, Howard is too busy saving her bond's life to comfort her, Solovet lied about her whereabouts, and Gregor and the rest of her family are miles away, in Regalia.
No, he could not. As soon as Henry finished the thought, he stood up. He could not let her face this alone. Would she push him away? Maybe. But he didn't know for certain until he tried.
"She will be alright." Luxa didn't react when Henry kneeled down next to her at first, she just kept crying. "Howard knows what he's doing. Luxa!", he carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, "Luxa, you're not alone!"
It was like his words had sent an electric shock through her body, she jolted around, and Henry winced as he saw the furious expression in her eyes. "Y... you're LYING!"
He blinked a couple times, unable to respond, but Luxa didn't leave him any time to speak anyway. Instead, she jumped up, anger shone in her gaze. "You... you... GET AWAY FROM ME!" She was heaving now. When he didn't react, she repeated – "I SAID GET AWAY! I won't HEAR more LIES from YOUR MOUTH! I WON'T HEAR"
Howard, still tending to Aurora, turned around now, "Luxa, he –", but she was too enraged to listen. She loomed over Henry now, who was still sitting on the floor, frozen in shock. "Lies! LIES! They are all LIES! Ever since you... you came back, I heard nothing but LIES! You... how dare you call yourself my friend, what FRIEND fakes an identity to get close to you, WHAT friend LIES TO YOU, pretending to be some HERO when in truth, he is only trying to deceive and take advantage of you, LIKE HE ALWAYS HAS?!"
She was no longer trembling from sobs. Now she trembled of anger. "I... I told you to STOP HAUNTING ME! Stop feeding me lies, I WON'T HEAR! Stop manipulating my friends into lying to me as well, what is it you want to achieve with that?! TELL ME!"
She took a step forward and he heard her voice crack. "You... you came to me, you said you were a ghost, come to say goodbye, all in an effort to deceive me further! What is it you are planning this time? Now that you have so meticulously worked on gaining my trust, OUR trust, what is it YOU WILL DO? Sell my life to the Bane, LIKE YOU TRIED WITH GORGER?!"
"LUXA!", Howard cried, but she still didn't listen, "I wish you would have never bothered COMING BACK! It would have been better for us all, had you STAYED DEAD – HENRY!"
He watched, like through a layer of mist, as she finally stormed off. Howard was now yelling something at her, but she paid him no attention. Henry couldn't avert his gaze even though looking at her was like holding his hand above a burning flame. He had done it enough as a child to know how much it hurt. But it didn't hurt enough.
He barely registered something wet rolling down his cheek, dripping into the sand beneath. His vision blurred more, and had they been attacked this very moment, Henry would have been the first one to be killed. He had not even the strength to lift his finger.
Someone was there, in his back, pressing his head against him. Henry thought he heard someone speak, the voice was familiar, but his ears were ringing. It would have been better for us all, had you stayed dead – Henry!
Henry.
She had called him by name. It was the first time in two years he had heard his name from her lips, but it was not comforting or soothing, no, it was burning like a drop of acid on top of everything else she had said.
Henry finally managed to sink on his back, there was Thanatos – was it him? The flier's fur was black, it must be. Henry hadn't the strength to look, even to keep his eye open. He pressed his face into the fur of his bond and shut his eye, passing out almost instantly.
"It's no use. They'll probably be guarding or sealing the entrance, if the trap was thorough. We need to find another way back." Henry was staring at the little group, assembled around a torch on the beach, and only seconds later realized he was awake.
"I haven't traveled in this part of the Firelands much, but I should be able to guide you back home nonetheless." Henry stared at them more and suddenly realized the one speaking was... "Kismet!" She was back.
Kismet turned to him, Henry thought she was smiling. "Ah, he is awake at last. Come, come, join us. We are currently trying to figure out what to do next." But Henry didn't move. His gaze was fixed on Luxa. He couldn't.
Kismet followed his eye and exchanged a glance with Howard, before standing up and walking over to him. "Howard says you're uninjured. Come up, boy, we need your strength now."
From the corner of his eye, Henry saw Luxa snort and stand up, to sit beside Aurora, who was hanging a little offside now, seemingly doing better already. Howard threw her a worried look but finally followed Kismet to Henry.
He placed a hand on his forehead as if to measure his temperature. "Are you feeling any better?" His gaze was worried. Henry stared at him for a while, before nodding. "Sure."
He needed to get up, or they wouldn't believe him. Henry attempted to lift himself up but had to grab onto Kismet's paw to help himself sit. His head was spinning and he blacked out for a second, before regaining composure. Only then he noticed a couple fresh gashes on her body, presumably from fending off the rats. "So, what's the plan?"
Kismet, Howard, and Thanatos exchanged worried looks, though the latter instantly moved a little to stretch his wings. He must have let me sleep on his back for a long time, Henry thought and felt guilty for having caused his bond discomfort.
"Getting her back to Regalia. Finally", Howard finally answered, pointing at Luxa, "Though that will pose difficult as this seems to have been a deliberate trap. Kismet could not find out who set it, but that much she gathered from the attackers."
Henry nodded, instinctively following Howard's gaze. "Where do we go then?" Kismet sighed. "There is a way, though it will lead us close to what the Bane has chosen as his camp, according to rumors. Have you ever heard of the Plain of Tartarus?" Henry thought the name sounded familiar.
"It lies further north, almost directly north of Regalia, even. It's a dangerous path, but perhaps an informative one", Kismet implied, and even though Henry was still chipped from earlier, he understood immediately. "You think we can spy on them?" Kismet hummed. "If... an opportunity presents itself."
Henry nodded, before grabbing onto her tighter to lift himself to his feet. "What are we waiting for then?"
"Welcome back, Gregor. It is good to see you. Have you found all that you need?" Gregor twirled around, Sandwich's sword in hand. No, he suddenly thought. His sword. Vikus was standing in the doorway to the museum, Gregor thought he looked almost sad. "Oh, hi, Vikus." He smiled back. "Yeah. I think I've got it."
"Good", Vikus still looked a little pained, and very tired. "Because I'm afraid you'll need it." He paused for a second, "You just arrived back, right? Solovet said you came to fight the rats before the city walls, together with the Death Rider."
Gregor nodded. As soon as he and Ares had arrived back in the High Hall, he had headed for the museum to grab the sword. He was certain Solovet was expecting him in training, or Mareth, or whoever it would be, but he thought he should get the sword before he went to the arena.
Though, maybe there was something else he should do first. He hadn't seen Luxa or Howard anywhere, ever since back in the palace, and he wanted to go check on his mom and Boots too. He had been gone for so long, again, and he had slowly but surely gotten anxious for them, though, at first glance, the palace seemed as peaceful as ever. Sure, Gregor had encountered more armored soldiers than usual, on his way to the museum, but no panic or turmoil was going on.
But before he could open his mouth to ask Vikus for any of his loved ones, he beat him to it – "Gregor, I know Solovet sent you to training, but I believe there is something else I should tell you. About", Vikus hesitated, "It is about your family."
Gregor's heart skipped a beat. His mother. Boots. All his worries instantly popped back into his head. Had something happened while he was gone? "Are they alright?" Gregor sheathed the sword and stepped closer to Vikus, he couldn't prevent his voice from shaking a little.
"Yes, yes, they are all alright", Vikus reassured him. "That is not it. But Gregor, I believe you should follow me."
Even though Vikus had said everything was alright, Gregor still couldn't shake his fear. All the time following Vikus through the palace he was nervously fumbling with the jeweled handle of Sandwich's – his – new sword, consciously keeping himself from running.
His worry grew more as he realized Vikus was leading him into the hospital. "Are we seeing my mom?", he asked nervously, "has her relapse gotten worse?" But Vikus shook his head. "She is feeling much better already, actually. Not well enough to leave the hospital yet, but soon." Vikus' words reinvigorated Gregor a little, that was good news.
They eventually turned the corner to his mom's room, and Gregor couldn't help but start running ahead. No doctor stopped him when he opened the door, "Mom, I'm back –" As soon as the door swung open and he stood in the room, Gregor froze in shock.
"Gregor, baby, there you are!", she called from her bed. She was sitting up now, next to her a used plate she must have emptied earlier. She looked so much better than he remembered, too. But that was not the reason Gregor found himself unable to move.
"Gregor!" Two small arms wrapped themselves around his legs and Gregor unbelievingly stared down at the messy, brown curls of... "Lizzie?!"
"Gregor, there you are! You can't always just disappear like that." Gregor's head jolted in the direction of the other voice and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of... "Dad?"
He stood up from the chair he had been sitting on and moved towards Gregor. "Oh, Gregor... your mother was very worried, and me too. We were expecting to find you here, when Lizzie and I came, but instead, they told us you were out and unaccounted for."
When his dad caught him in an embrace, lifting Lizzie up into his arms, Gregor was still staring at them, not believing what he heard and saw. Finally, his gaze met the doorway, where Vikus stood now.
"Y... you..." He was unable to express what he felt. What were they doing here? What in the world had moved them, moved Lizzie, to make their way down here?
"Gregor, come here", his mother suddenly called and his dad released him, only to follow him to her bedside. "Mom, what is...", he stammered, throwing glances back and forth between his parents and sister. "Oh my god", she suddenly called as she inspected him closer, "Gregor... is that a... a sword?"
He instantly tried to hide it behind his back, but it was too late. "I... I need it", he mumbled, not looking at her. His mom did not even allow him to carry a pocket knife and now he wandered in here, with a real-life sword. Great.
To give her little time to dwell on it, he tried changing the subject, "But dad, Lizzie, what are you all even doing here?" – "We had to come", Lizzie mumbled, climbing onto his mother's lap. "It's grandma." Gregor looked at his dad, who nodded. "She... she is very sick." His dad lowered his gaze. "She's in the hospital now. Mrs. Cormaci is looking out for her." He shook his head slightly, "We owe that woman so much", he mumbled, and Gregor thought he wholeheartedly agreed.
"But you...", his dad interrupted him. "I couldn't go alone, and leave Lizzie behind. And I wouldn't let her go alone either. Even though she offered. My brave little girl." He messed Lizzie's curls and she giggled a little.
"Gregor, they came to take us home." His gaze darted over to his mother, who now cupped his cheek with her hand. "We were just waiting for you. I am almost ready to leave. The doctors say a week at most, then I am free to go." Home. Gregor looked at his parents, his mom, and her hopeful smile, his dad, grinning back at her. Home?
"I can't go home." Both his parents turned his way as he blurted out the words. Gregor swallowed at their mortified faces. His thoughts reeled back to the Prophecy. When the warrior has been killed.
"Nonsense, Gregor", his dad furrowed his brows, "What are you talking about?" Gregor's gaze fell back on Vikus. Even if he wanted, he realized, they would never let him leave now. Not before this war ended. Not before he had spilled the monster's blood.
Gregor took a deep breath. Not even if he wanted. For a second, he considered it. Considered sneaking away, with his family. Have Ares take them up, to never return again. That was what his parents wanted, probably. But... was it what Gregor wanted?
"I can't go", he firmly stated, instinctively gripping the handle of the sword. "I can't go, because I can't just abandon everyone here. Mom, they need me. My friends are all here, and they need me. They are counting on me to stay and help, and that", he paused, his mind reeling back to what he had seen. The corpses at the bottom of the pit. The mice suffocating in the volcano. Luxa's determined face, when she had sworn her oath. "That is what I want, too."
"I am awaited in the council room. They have turned it into a war command center now." Vikus was audibly displeased. "To negotiate new alliance contracts with the friends your party made on their way. That pincher, Iro, he is a fascinating conversation partner." Vikus smiled. "So I'm afraid, here is where we part ways. Mareth awaits you in the arena."
Gregor nodded. They stood before the former council room, and Vikus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for saying what you did, to your parents. We are all eternally grateful to have you."
Gregor smiled at him. Yes, his words had actually silenced his parents up. They had only exchanged glances, and when he had turned to look back at them upon leaving, he thought the way they looked at him had shifted. Their gazes had not been angry, like at a defiant child, but... strangely calm and almost sad, like parents who had realized their child was no child anymore.
"See you, Vikus!", Gregor called after him and made his way to the High Hall. He knew the way by now. There, he was greeted by Ares, who, to his surprise, had Solovet's bond Ajax at his side. "He is to escort us to the arena and supervise our training", the black bat explained, and Gregor gave the giant rust-red bat a nod. "Hi. I don't think we've properly met yet."
Ajax returned the nod. "It is good to make your acquaintance, warrior. Now follow me." He instantly lifted off and Ares had to hurry to follow. "Not the most talkative, is he?", Gregor remarked when they were in the air, and Ares hummed approvingly. "I do not care much for him. Almost no one does. Of course, very few care for me, either." So Gregor tried to keep an open mind about Ajax.
In the arena, he was awaited by Mareth and a female soldier, whom Gregor at first didn't recognize. "Gregor, welcome – oh, have they still not given you proper armor?" Mareth threw him an encouraging smile. Then, pointing at the woman next to him, "You remember Perdita?"
Perdita! Gregor thought he recalled the name, and then it dawned on him, he had met her during his very first visit in the palace. "Hi Mareth, hi Perdita, it's nice to see you again!" She smiled at him. "It is an honor, Overlander. Mareth and I will oversee your training today. Please follow us."
The next couple hours flew by, the two soldiers were excellent teachers and by the time they granted him his first break, Gregor was much better at handling both his sword and his new dagger. After the break, he reunited with Ares, whom they had sent to train with Ajax, and they practiced different airborne maneuvers. In the end, the time flew by so fast he was surprised when someone offered him dinner. Only when he saw the food, he realized he was starving.
Ares and he sat to eat with Mareth and Perdita, right there in the arena, and for the first time, Gregor had the opportunity to properly digest all that had happened since his arrival back.
He still shook his head at the impossibility his entire family was now down here. He had almost written off the thought of ever seeing Lizzie in the Underland if he was perfectly honest. But then again, they all had seemed... to be doing good. His mom was almost cured, and his dad... Gregor had no idea when he had last seen him doing this well. Even Lizzie had seemed alright. Maybe, he thought, maybe his mother's rule applied after all. Maybe things were best when they all were together.
After they had more or less finished eating, the two soldiers started asking Gregor questions about his travels with the Death Rider, and Gregor willingly talked, though made sure to keep Henry's identity a secret.
"I am vastly disappointed I was not there to see him today", Perdita remarked, "I have heard tales of him, but never saw him in person."
"You'd get along", Gregor smiled. He thought Henry must know Perdita, they seemed like they would get along. "Yes, Luxa speaks very highly of him", Mareth added, and Gregor's head jolted up. Luxa.
"Where is Luxa, actually?", he finally asked. "And Howard? Solovet said they were here!" He hadn't seen any of them this entire time. Mareth and Perdita exchanged glances. "Then they must be, though nobody has mentioned to us the queen has returned." Perdita sounded cautious.
"Well, maybe you should go and ask dear Solovet herself then." Gregor twirled around as he heard the familiar snarling voice. "Ripred!"
"In the flesh", the rat grinned and plopped down next to him, shamelessly starting to help himself to the food before them. Gregor cared little. His hunger was satisfied anyway.
"I'll do exactly that, then", he announced, as he got to his feet. "Or do you guys still need me here?" Mareth and Perdita exchanged glances. "Not to my knowledge", Mareth shrugged. "You're free to go, Overlander", Perdita nodded.
Gregor turned around to Ares. He had no idea where Solovet was, but he would find her eventually. He needed answers. "Let's go then –", but before he could even lift his foot to mount up, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. "Overlander?"
Gregor turned, only to see an Underlander he had never seen before standing before him. "Yeah?" The man cleared his throat again. "Overlander, you are being called to the code room. They said there is some emergency with your sister."
Gregor was sprinting through the halls, almost faster than Ripred could lead. What sister? He thought primarily of Boots, he hadn't seen her yet. But what if it was Lizzie?
Then again, what would Lizzie be doing in this code room? Ripred had explained on the way that it served the purpose of breaking the secret code the rats used to communicate in times of war. Gregor had trouble believing any of his sisters would somehow end up there. Then again, he remembered the prophecy. It spoke of a code, a code broken by a princess. Did they mean Boots?
"Faster, come on!", he urged Ripred, who groaned. "What would any of them even be doing in this code room?", he asked, and the rat sighed. "Boots has spent most of her time there. They think she is the princess who will break the code. But if you ask me, we're misinterpreting something there. She is... oh well, hard to bear."
So that was it. Gregor quickened his pace more. It had to be Boots. As he sprinted down the narrow hallway his foot slid in something. Blood. Someone had bled, leaving a trail all the way to the door. "Boots!", he cried. If they had hurt her, if they had harmed one hair on her head –
Boots flew into the hall. "Gre-go! Gre-go!", she called in distress. He picked her up, running his hand through her curls, looking for injuries. "What's the matter? Are you okay? Did somebody hurt you?"
"No, I am okay. In here! In here!" Boots tugged on his shirt to make him enter the room. Totally confused now, Gregor stepped inside. There, crouched in the center of the stone floor, was Lizzie.
"Oh, no", Gregor exhaled. He quickly scanned her with his eyes, but she did not seem to be bleeding. She was still hurting though, because Lizzie was in the middle of one of her panic attacks. She was panting for air, shaking like a leaf, and he could see the shine of sweat on her palms.
"Lizzie!", he called, stepping into the room, only to almost collide with Nerissa. "I will send for your father." As she spotted his concerned look, she quickly reassured, "The blood is not hers, it's Hermes'. He came here with new scrolls of code earlier. He was ambushed by gnawers. But your sister", Gregor only now saw Nerissa was shaking herself, "She wanted me to show her the palace, but when he came in and collapsed, oh Gregor! She is not injured, but we cannot quiet her!"
He gave Nerissa a grateful nod. The sight of an injured bat was most certainly enough to scare Lizzie this much. He quickly kneeled down next to her, "Lizzie, Lizzie, I'm here." He wished he had one of the paper bags they kept in the kitchen for these kinds of situations, but of course, he didn't have any. He still tried his best – "Breathe. Nice and slow now. Nice and slow. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anyone harm you." He knew it had been a bad idea to bring her here.
"Now, wait, Nerissa, I don't think we need to trouble their dad with any of this." Ripred now swept into the room behind Gregor, who had almost forgotten he existed. Lizzie's head instantly jolted up. Ripred's nose was twitching, clearly registering the unfamiliar smell. Then his eyes landed on Lizzie, and he became still, except for the tip of his tail, which twitched from side to side.
An expression came over his face that Gregor had never seen before. If he had to put a name to it, Gregor would have called it... tenderness. The rat's voice became positively gentle – "Oh, I didn't know we had company. But I bet I can guess who you are. You're Lizzie, aren't you?"
Lizzie just stared over Gregor's shoulder at the giant, scarred rat. "You're Ripred", she whispered. "That's right. I'm glad to finally get to meet you. I wanted to thank you for all of the lovely snacks you've sent me. They're always the high point of my day", Ripred snarled. Or... purred? Gregor thought his tone almost sounded like it.
He shook his head almost in disbelief, staring at the scene. Gregor could not make sense of Ripred's behavior. Why was he being so nice to Lizzie? He had never been nice to Boots.
The rat moved in slowly. "Sometimes it helps if you talk," he said. "Do something to distract yourself."
The next ten minutes Gregor watched the scene unfolding before his eyes, almost thinking he was dreaming. It was like Lizzie's appearance had entirely changed him, not a single drop of the usual spite and crankiness was left when he talked to her. Instead, he soon lied down beside her, distracting her with math problems.
Gregor was so absorbed in the scene that he completely neglected to look around the room, and when a cockroach and a bat suddenly appeared on Ripred's left, to participate in the conversation, he almost jumped.
Luckily, Nerissa had him covered. "They are the code team. A member of each species works in this room, to break the code. Oh, and one particular member you should recognize." She smiled and pointed at the second rodent, who had now sat down on Lizzie's right, marveling at her math skills.
Gregor's eyes widened as he recognized the black mouse. "Teslas!" He instantly took a couple steps forward, "I'm so glad you're okay!" Only now he realized he had never gotten the chance to check up on him after they had brought him to Regalia.
Teslas turned to him. "Oh, hello Gregor. It is good to see you. I'm feeling much better, yes." Gregor eyed him and thought Henry would be glad his friend was okay, though his eyes were still misted with pain. Of course, he thought, he watched his entire family die. And most of his species with them.
"Teslas?", asked Lizzie suddenly, "Like the inventor? Nicola Tesla?" Ripred hummed approvingly. "Oh, that's right. You are indeed smart. Especially since, if I'm informed correctly, he here is an inventor too."
Gregor stood by Nerissa and watched his sister, sitting between the two giant rodents, now almost happily chatting. Soon, Ripred asked Temp to take Boots to the nursery, and as soon as she was gone, the rest of the code team joined them too. Gregor saw the bat and a spider, both coming to greet Lizzie, who seemed to have completely recovered from her attack. They all seemed to be almost excited. Could it be they were just relieved to have Boots out of their hair? But no, it seemed like something more had happened. But what exactly?
Just then Ripred stood up. The rat was actually smiling at Lizzie. "So", he said, "So, so, so." He sat back down on his haunches and then tipped his head forward in an elaborate bow. "Welcome to the Underland, Princess."