Henry stared at the blade in his hand, and the tooth, which had already taken on the slightly reddish shade of the liquid, that was still occasionally dripping from the ceiling.

He turned up his nose as he shook his head to get it out of his hair, but to no avail. The pungent reek of iron had engulfed them ever since Kismet had led their way into this system of tunnels, maybe half a day ago. "It will cover our smell, or do you want the rats to spot you the instant we arrive?", she had remarked on Howard's question as to why they had to take this particular way, and since then, nobody had complained.

Henry didn't need to raise his gaze from his carving, to know where the others were. The steady drips of irony liquid allowed his echolocation to pick up the shapes of Howard, then Thanatos with Nike, and finally Luxa with Aurora, all lying under a small ledge. They were all there. Only for Henry, there hadn't been enough room. The exiled prince sighed. He would need to wake them soon. It was almost time for breakfast.

"I will wait for you in two days, at the exit of the iron tunnel", Kismet's words echoed in his head, that she had uttered only a couple hours after they had entered the tunnel with the unusually high concentration of iron. "We need to know exactly where we are going, after all. And I just so happen to be the only one who could get away with trying to blend into the followers of the Bane, if worst comes to worst. So I will meet you up ahead. With news, hopefully." And with that, she had disappeared into the tunnel, quiet as ever.

Henry sighed and directed his attention back to his carving. Maybe ten or so more minutes, then he'd wake them. He hadn't carved in a while, though the muscle memory had instantly returned, as soon as he had taken up the dagger again.

He had wanted to save Ripred's cut-off tooth for something special, but this was special, he thought, as he finally stared at the unfinished figurine in his hand now.

She hadn't regarded him with a single look, ever since she had uttered the words he still heard in his dreams almost every night - It would have been better for us all, had you stayed dead – Henry. Maybe she was right, he thought. Maybe it would have been better.

Henry twirled around the unfinished figurine. The turtle. He had instantly known it would have to be a turtle, as soon as he had started giving it some thought. A turtle with a little girl on its back. A girl who smiled at him now, with her lifeless, ivory face. A girl who would, in reality, never smile at him again.

Henry finally glanced up and, with a sigh, sheathed Mys and dropped the unfinished figurine into his backpack. They should get moving soon. This was only the second time they had woken up, ever since their escape from the trap, but it had felt like an eternity.

He carefully searched through his backpack for supplies and for his pot, before finally adjusting the position of the torch he had put up, to have light for carving, so that he could cook on it.

Henry first went over to Nike and Thanatos, sending them out to catch some fish in a river they had crossed the day before. Then, he walked over to Howard, handing him the pot to fill with water in the same river. "Breakfast will be ready shortly", he tried to give him a smile, and Howard actually smiled back. "I'll hurry." He threw a last glance at Luxa, before disappearing into the direction of the river, after Nike and Thanatos.

Henry followed his gaze and bit his lip, before walking over to her. Last night, Howard had woken her, while Henry had prepared the food, but he was gone now.

"We'll need to press on shortly", he mumbled, extending his hand to touch Aurora instead of Luxa. "You have to get up."

The golden bat raised her gaze, still a little misted from the painkiller Howard had been feeding her. "Yes, yes", she mumbled, nudging Luxa. Henry instantly took a couple steps back. Thankfully, Aurora was feeling better already, Howard had needed to stitch a deep gash in her chest and one of her legs was still broken, but she would recover shortly.

Henry turned around before he could catch Luxa's gaze. If he didn't look, he could pretend she didn't loathe him, like he knew she did now. At least for the moment.

Ten minutes later he had cooked up a stew from the fish the fliers had brought and distributed Howard's water. They had all remained under the ledge, to prevent getting more soaked than necessary from the steadily dripping liquid, but it didn't help much.

But Henry minded the drips little. What he felt suffocate him was the silence that had engulfed the group, like a thick, impervious blanket someone had draped over them, not allowing a word, or even a thought, to escape.

His gaze was on Thanatos and Nike now, they had huddled together, closer than before, he thought. Luxa was sitting between Aurora and Howard, almost actively attempting to avoid Henry's gaze.

It was back. Seething jealousy started gnawing at him, it was all back to how it had been, shortly after they had found out. The invisible wall that separated them, him and the team, how Gregor had called it. It would have been better for us all, had you stayed dead.

"We should really move soon. I can't stand this reek for a second longer." It was Howard who stood up first, and everyone nodded. Henry bit his lip and sighed. "Come, everyone, get ready, won't you?", he called out, taking his own plate to the cooking station.

Henry was about to pick it up to take it to the river for washing when he saw, from the corner of his eye, Luxa standing up. She disregarded her own plate, that remained where she had eaten, and moved away to presumably fetch her bag.

Henry's gaze fixated on it. He had no idea why this one inconsiderate action, of all things, suddenly had anger boil up in him. He had collected dishes and washed them off so many times in her stead already, that he wouldn't be able to count them. Then again, maybe that was why.

"Hey!"

Luxa instantly froze in her tracks as she heard his voice. Everyone else turned their attention on him as well, most in surprise. None had expected him to address her, and yet here he was.

She turned around to him, like in slow motion, but her gaze was still not on him.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?", Henry pointed a finger at the untouched plate. "Who'll collect that, hm? Me?" He kneeled down to pick it up, only to take a couple steps towards her. Luxa instantly retreated, almost like she was scared, but Henry didn't care. He instead forced the plate into her hands.

"What do you think I am? Your servant?" She was still not looking at him, but he saw her cheeks flush, in shame? "Well, for future reference, I'm not. So go do your own damn dishes, and maybe, you know, maybe ours as well. It would be about time, you know?" With that, he turned on his heel and left her behind, standing, with the plate, in the middle of the cave.

Why was he so angry? Henry finally packed away all his things and, from the corner of his eye, spotted Luxa actually carrying the pot and the dishes in the direction of the river. About... dishes? Of course not. It wasn't that easy. But, he realized, the dishes were part of the issue.

She can hate me all she wants, he bitterly thought, but if she wants to hate me, I at least can stop sucking up to her. To any of them. He straightened out his back, glaring around the room. He had long come to the conclusion he was fine without them, so why was he still acting like this?

Henry was angry at himself, he realized. Angry at still apparently not having had the guts to cut the strings entirely that tied him to them. Pathetic, he scolded himself, gritting his teeth. Only pathetic idiots keep crawling back to people who reject them.

"Hey, you okay?" Henry jerked around when Howard had a hand on his shoulder. "We're all good to go." He stared into the visibly strained face of Luxa's cousin almost angrily but finally sighed. "Let's go."

Henry mounted Nike before Howard and watched Thanatos help Aurora and Luxa on his back. She had insisted on flying with her bond, and Henry's flier had remarked he could easily carry them both.

Nike finally lifted off and led the way through the winding tunnel. For several hours Howard, her, and Henry remained silent. He could feel the burning gaze of Luxa's cousin in his back, but he apparently dared not ask for his little outbreak.

Instead, Nike broke the silence first. "Henry, hear me, none of us approve of the way she is treating you." The exiled prince jerked up, from his slumped-over position. Nike hummed. "Thanatos says you suffered much, he says I'm not supposed to tell you he said it, but I think you need to hear. He says Luxa is in the wrong, and even though none of us openly express it, we all agree with him."

"If Thanatos told you to not tell me, you shouldn't tell me", Henry only hissed in response. In the same breath, he asked himself why he said that. He always wanted to hear everything, especially things he wasn't supposed to hear... didn't he?

Nike sounded a surprised – "Huh? I... I thought it was time one of us finally told you...", she mumbled, and now Howard nudged him in the back too. "She's right, you know?" Luxa's cousin sighed. "I tried talking to her, but she's... she's hard to talk to, at the moment. Though, you know how she can be. Stubborn, that is. She'll find the truth eventually."

Henry clenched his fist. "But what if I don't want to wait for "eventually"?", he finally mumbled, and felt Nike beneath him stiffen. "What... what do you mean?"

Henry closed his eye. "I mean, that I'm sick." He started kneading the rim of one of his belts in agitation, "Sick of sucking up to her. To anyone. Of... of...", he hesitated, "Of feeling guilty."

Nike and Howard remained silent, though he sensed their unease. "I've felt guilty for the last two years, I've risked my life and I've lost so much, including my eye, for the sole reason to atone. And where has it gotten me?" Henry didn't know whether it was a good idea to throw all of these thoughts out there now, but he was too worked up to stop.

"It has gotten me nowhere", he concluded, "all I'm left with is more people expecting me to feel even more guilt. I'm sick. Sick of atonement. Sick of letting this one mistake weigh me down. If feeling guilty for the rest of my life is the prize for her, for all of your, contentment, I'm not going to pay it!"

Not Nike, not Howard responded immediately. Henry already thought they wouldn't at all when the striped bat finally raised her almost strained-sounding voice – "Does that mean you... you and Thanatos... will never strive to return to Regalia?" Henry looked ahead, more determined than ever in his decision. "No."

Henry stared out into the darkness. His clothes and hair still stank of iron, of course, as did everyone else's, even though the irony tunnel lied behind them now. Well, at least the rats wouldn't smell them.

They had put up camp almost immediately when they left the irony tunnel behind, after maybe six or seven hours of travel, to wait for Kismet. Henry had not even bothered to make any of them dinner, he wasn't hungry. Should they do it themselves, he thought. All he had announced was, that he was taking first watch, and sat atop the little cliff, maybe ten feet high, that led out of the tunnel they had come from, down into a huge cave. He had napped on the flight. He wasn't tired either.

Henry closed his eye and listened. The cave stretched before him, from somewhere behind him he heard the breaths of his sleeping party, they illuminated his surroundings perfectly well.

He took a deep breath, despite the irony smell. It was like the announcement from earlier had lifted a huge weight off his back, like all the uncertainty and the swarming doubts had become meaningless. There it had been, the cut, he thought, and smiled.

But before Henry could dwell on the thought more, his head jerked up when he suddenly perceived a rat making its way towards them. His hand was on the hilt of his sword instantly, but before he could call his party to arms, he realized it was not necessary.

"I see you still live, despite the pungent smell", Kismet's familiar voice snarled and Henry grinned at her, disregarding the darkness. "You too. You're even on time. Despite the, you know, army you presumably faced."

Henry thought her expression darkened. He wasn't the best at making out faces with echolocation yet, but he was getting better. Like to confirm his observation, she sighed. "I live. But others don't. Gather your party, Henry, and let us talk. Because news I promised, and news I bring. Not many good ones, I'm afraid, though."

"The Bane is planning on paying the city a visit, then." It was not a question, it was a statement, and Howard's voice was bitter. Kismet nodded. "Though, I doubt it is his plan. Any of it." She scoffed, almost dismissively, "I have observed him once, and I already see his head is as empty as it is big. He is but the puppet of those with keener minds. Namely, the oh-so-charming Twirltongue."

Henry clenched his fist. "Thought so." Of course, he had not engaged her yet, but in his mind, the images of Twirltongue and Tonguetwist had merged into one, so he thought he didn't have to. "We kill her then. Let's see what the great Bane thinks of that."

"Not so fast", Kismet interrupted Henry, who was already in the process of rising to his feet. "We can not just storm into their camp, can we now? We need a plan."

"And what is your plan?" Henry felt restless. He thought he had had too much time to himself, over the course of the trip. He felt his spine tingle with the craving for action. From the corner of his eye, Henry saw Thanatos throw him a concerned look, but his eye was fixated on Kismet.

"Now is not the right time to barge in", her voice sounded almost resigned. "We will kill them all, but that is not our priority. We have a mission, Henry, and we will carry it out." Kismet's gaze darted over to Luxa. "The queen needs to return to her city. Everything else is secondary, at the moment."

Henry exhaled frustratedly, plopping back down. He could not explain it, but there was still this inessive nagging at the back of his head, all of this passive waiting around brought with itself.

Kismet threw him a knowing glance. "I know you want to fight. Believe me, we all do. But now is not the time." Henry had not the strength to argue, so she turned to face the others again. "I'm afraid that was the better of the two bad news I had, though."

Nobody needed to ask, she continued on her own – "I will say this here and now, do not ask who it is, because Twirltongue did not mention it so I haven't the slightest proof, but I overheard her talk of consulting with an... informant, how she called it, from inside the city walls."

Her claim was followed by shocked silence. Henry more felt than saw Luxa's gaze on him and death glared her until she averted her eyes. "But who would...?", Howard was the first to speak. Kismet silenced him instantly – "I just told you – I have no name. Only suspicions. And those you will not want to hear."

Henry just stared at her in utter disbelief. They had had this before. A traitor in their midst. No, not only once, twice. With every new prominent rat leader, there had risen another traitor. Dalia had supported Longclaw. Henry himself had worked with Gorger. And now, with the Bane? He wanted to ask for her suspicions, but at the same time, another part of him refused. Refused to even admit it was all happening again.

"Henry!" Kismet's voice snapped him out of his daze. He stared into her pale eye and realized he had not paid attention. "Henry", she called once more, "It was you who wanted action, was it not? Well, there is one thing we all can do. Because among all the bad, I have one piece of good news."

"You ready?" Henry threw first Thanatos, then Kismet a glance and nodded. They were cowering high up, in the entry to a tunnel, looking down on a vast cave. "The Plain of Tartarus, have you seen it before?", she suddenly asked, quietly, and Henry shook his head. "Only heard stories."

The exiled prince could only see thanks to his echolocation, but the sight was still impressive. Far below him, the floor was occupied by the single largest gathering of rats he had ever encountered. There must have been a couple hundred, sleeping, fidgeting, nursing their wounds.

They had left Luxa with Howard and their fliers, back in the cave they had camped in. Kismet had claimed their mission was far too risky to endanger the queen and their chances of getting spotted sunk with the number of people going. Luxa had, of course, protested, but Howard had promised to keep her safe, so Henry, Thanatos, and Kismet had departed alone. "If we do not return by tomorrow, you will press on without us", he recalled Kismet's final words to him. "Bring her home."

"So what are we waiting for? Can't you just smell where she is?", he finally asked the rat, and she scoffed. "Patience was never one of your strong suits, I know. But tell me, how are we supposed to get to her from here? I know where she is, but the tunnel we must enter lies close to the ground." Kismet pointed at a tunnel below, with the tip of her tail.

"Your flier would instantly get spotted, would we try to enter it now. We have to wait until they leave or their attention is diverted. Then we move. Understood?"

Henry exhaled frustratedly but realized they had no choice. Waiting. How much he hated waiting. What was there to do? Out of sheer boredom, he started rummaging around in his backpack, and suddenly an enticing smell caught his nose.

Henry furrowed his brows, how had those gotten in here? His hand reached for and fetched the almost empty pack of cookies he had seen Gregor give to his baby sister. He must have taken all the food items from the Overlander, at some point during their quest, he thought, that was the only explanation as to how they had ended up in here.

Henry licked his lips, he was hungry. He had not eaten dinner, and the cookies, though old, smelled delicious. "Want one?", he held the pack up in front of the others. Thanatos shook his head, but Kismet sniffed curiously. "I was wondering for that sugary smell", she mumbled.

Henry passed Kismet a cookie and ate the other. If he did end up dead, he was glad the last taste in his mouth came from the sugary sweetness he had been so deprived of, for such a long time.

"My goodness, these are great", Kismet mumbled, after gobbling hers up and snatched the entire pack from him, only to discover it was empty now. Henry managed a crooked smile. "There's a taste to die for."

They sat in silence for maybe an hour, watching the rats go about their business. Nobody talked, least Henry. He was just glad to be away from Luxa for once.

At some point, Thanatos had moved closer to him, yet he did not address his bond. He just lied there, side by side with him, and Henry was eternally grateful for his presence, and for how he asked no questions about his earlier outbreak. He would need to talk to Thanatos, at some point, but he felt like now was not the time.

Finally, the cave seemed to liven up. It was presumably morning time now, and the rats below started chatting, as they rose and started to gather in smaller groups. Henry peeked his ears and was able to overhear some of their banter. To his disdain, it was nothing they did not know already.

Mere mindless chatter about the war, about the Bane, and gloating for how the humans would never crack their code. Then he frowned, as he heard the line "– should have really pursued those diggers. We could have used their tunnels. But noo – Twirltongue says it would take too much time to seek out and persuade them. Stupid, if you ask me!"

Henry frowned, turning to his companions, about to ask how in the world the rats had gotten the idea to involve such a distant, and most importantly, widely believed to be extinct, species like the diggers. But before he got the chance, a clear voice suddenly cut through the murmur below and Henry's attention was instantly caught by – "Gnawers!"

The exiled prince stared unbelievingly at the giant white mass that had now emerged from one of the tunnels on ground level, flanked by two rats half his size. One of them carried a man-made lantern, and for the first time, Henry could take the scene in with his eyes.

His gaze was caught by the Bane though. He had most certainly grown, from when they had seen him, back in the Firelands, the exiled prince thought and bit his lip in nervous anticipation.

The Bane instantly had the attention of all his followers. "What do we do?", whispered Henry, like he was in any danger of being heard by the rats below. "Wait. Wait and listen", Kismet shushed, "We can not do anything else. Not as long as he is down there."

The Bane had now stepped forward and leaped onto a rock, towering above the others even more than before. Henry saw his gaze was caught by the entrance he had emerged from, and from where another figure now entered, and he instantly recognized the silvery-grey fur.

"Very good", the Bane snarled as Twirltongue pranced around and climbed the rock beside him. But she hadn't been the one he had fixated. Behind her, Henry suddenly saw the shapes of three rats, two smaller and one bigger, but they didn't give the impression like they were following her.

No, he suddenly realized. They were being escorted. The one ordering the escort was following behind, consistently driving them forward with his tail. His fur was silken black, and Henry saw a scar on his forehead. He blinked a couple times and realized Thanatos beside him had stiffened up. "Bonebreak", the flier mumbled, and Henry instantly recognized the huge black rat. With something like pride, he thought the scar on his forehead must have come from his own slingshot.

"Ah, Bonebreak, you bring the prisoners. Very well, let us begin with the trial then!", the Bane roared, and the rats around him cheered, before clearing a little space in front of the rock he sat on. The three rats, Bonebreak had escorted, were now being pushed out into the open.

Only now the exiled prince saw the rats – the prisoners – were in fairly bad condition. All were bleeding heavily, the biggest looked like its front paw was broken. One of the smaller ones was missing half its tail, the other was covered in nasty cuts. They were all motionlessly cowering on the floor, apparently powerless to resist their new king's wrath.

Henry frowned, what was going on? Since when was the Bane making prisoners among his own species? But the white rat left him no time to think, as his speech continued – "Gnawers!", he repeated his call, "As you all know, we are at war."

He started pacing around, as well as he could, with his size, on the rock. "And a nasty war it is. The latest battle cost the lives of many, too many." Henry now saw Bonebreak settle beneath the rock while Twirltongue climbed on the Bane's back, she seemed to whisper something to him.

"Yes, we are still strong. Our code remains unbroken", the Bane continued, "but we must not rest on our laurels. Instead, we must think of why we are so strong and do everything in our power to preserve that strength."

He now stopped and stared down accusingly at the three rats on the clearing. "We must be, first and foremost, sure of the loyalty of our own warriors. There is no room, in our midst, for the halfhearted."

Henry frowned. What was he talking about? "We will not tolerate TRAITORS!" The exiled prince froze in shock. He registered the cheering in the pit only on the side as he stared at the rats. Traitors? "Looks like this will be interesting. Perhaps there is more we can do than I thought", he heard Kismet mumble next to him.

"Especially those who dare question my position. Is that not what you have been doing – you filth?", the Bane asked the biggest rat, who had now protectively stepped before the two smaller ones. She was of a nice crème color.

"I never questioned you!", Henry heard her voice crystal clear. "Oh? And what are those rumors Twirltongue has told me about, then? The rumors you belong to the despicable sort of rat who is friends with the scoundrel Ripred?", the white rat fired back, and an uproar of protest echoed through the cave at the name.

Henry listened up. "Ripred? They are friends of –" It all made sense now. Why they were prisoners, why they were considered traitors. Because, in the Bane's eyes, Ripred was one.

"I have known him a while ago", the crème-colored rat had apparently some spirit left. "But I haven't seen him in a long time. Do you wish to condemn me for something that happened while you yourself were still a pup?"

Her words were met with agitated calls, but the Bane silenced them. "No! No! Twirltongue says you have conspired with him recently! You and your whole family! Tell it to my face, tell me that it is a lie – you who they call Lapblood!"

Henry froze up. Lapblood...? He knew that name. His mind suddenly reeled back to the jungle, the pointless quest for the cure. Lapblood... Henry stared at the formerly beautiful, crème-colored coat of the rat and realized he recognized it.

He was barely able to quickly inform Kismet about where he knew her from before Lapblood herself replied – "Alright, I will. I will tell it to your face. Have you ever considered Twirltongue might be lying?"

Her words seemed to enrage the white rat entirely. He angrily lashed out at her with his tail, but caught one of the smaller ones instead, who had pushed her aside. "Leave mother alone – she did nothing wrong!" Mother. They were her pups.

The Bane bared his teeth, but Lapblood cried out before he could – "Leave them! Condemn me if you want, but leave my pups alone! They have never even met Ripred! They have never expressed any sort of disloyalty!"

The Bane retreated a little, and Henry released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "So, you two are loyal to me then?", he addressed the two smaller rats, who now flanked their mother. "We are!", one cried out, "We never betrayed you!"

Henry noticed Twirltongue whispering something to the Bane again. "Then surely", he spoke on, "you will not mind proving your loyalty? You will be accepted as full-fledged members into the rows of my army", he paused, "if you kill... the traitor." His tail pointed at Lapblood.

The young rats cried in shock. Henry heard both Kismet and Thanatos beside him gasp. "For how long should we remain passive?", his bond mumbled, and Henry nodded. But Kismet silenced them. "They will tear us to shreds if we attack now."

"I'd rather die myself!", the slightly bigger pup cried out now, disregarding his torn tail, and stepped before his family. The Bane exchanged a look with Twirltongue, then glanced at Bonebreak. "Very well. Kill him."

Henry was stopped only by Kismet's tail on his back from drawing his weapon instantly and leaping to save the young rat. "We can not help him", she whispered, but Henry heard the strain in her voice.

What followed was hard to watch, but the exiled prince could not avert his gaze. Bonebreak hesitated not for a second, he leaped at the bigger pup, and though he tried to defend himself, he was visibly exhausted and the versed general was the much stronger warrior. He had the pup by his neck in seconds. Henry twitched at the sound of it breaking.

Lapblood's cry was heartwrenching, and she had already prepared to defend her pup when the other was restrained by a different rat. "You can try to fight", Bonebreak sat up, spitting out blood, "but then he dies too." His laugh was almost maniacal and Henry already felt the satisfaction of finally putting a blade through his spiteful throat, like he should have, two years ago. Soon.

Bonebreak gazed up at the Bane. "Should I kill them too?" The exiled prince felt the knuckles on his fist grow white from how hard he clenched it and heard Thanatos' shallow breaths beside him. His flier was shaking and pressing his face into Henry's side so hard it almost hurt.

But the Bane shook his head. "They might be useful to us alive, later. Put them with the other prisoner", he gestured over to the same tunnel where Kismet, Thanatos, and Henry knew their goal was held. The prisoner.

Then, he jumped off the rock, his followers immediately parting to make way for him. "The trial comes to an end", he called, "for now we have more important things to do. Follow me." He led the way to where he had come from, and soon the giant pit was void of rats.

A solid five minutes passed before Henry realized the only sounds he heard were the breathing of his companions and his own. His own mind was reeling, he saw impressions of what had just happened, like they had burned themselves onto his inner eye.

Lapblood's desperate scream, her pup's neck snapping. He couldn't have been older than Luxa. Henry felt his head starting to spin with anger. Anger at himself. Once more he had sat idly and watched death claim innocents. Without doing anything. Without –

Henry didn't realize he had screamed and jumped to his feet until a rat's tail pressed him back on the floor. He fought her, but his rage blinded him. He had done nothing.

"Henry, we can not help them", Kismet's voice sounded dull, like all life had faded from it. She now pressed Henry's face into her own fur – was she hugging him? "We could not have saved them." Her words stung like acid, not least because they were true. Henry knew that perfectly well.

He buried his face deeper in Kismet's fur while wrapping his arms around her, trying to suppress tears of frustration, when a different voice spoke – "But... we can save them now." It was Thanatos, equally fidgety, as the exiled prince realized. Kismet only nodded. "Well, looks like we'll have more than one prisoner to rescue."