"Awaiting for long, we have," said the voice, and Gregor saw it—a lobster. It was one of the freakiest things he had seen in the underland, and that was saying something. Its body was mostly a dark brown with spots of orange flecked across it. Two long antennae were protruding from the creature's head. And at the front, were two gigantic claws. They stretched almost a full yard across. "What want, do want you?" asked the lobster. Gregor and the others stared in silenced awe. The creature's appearance had taken them all by surprise. Except, it seemed, Ripred. He seemed unshaken by the animal standing in front of them. Gregor remembered something Vikus had told him. Apparently, Ripred had tried to take over the Fount with an army of Lobsters. "You took longer than expected, took you," said the Lobster. The way they talked seemed bizarre to Gregor. Every word the lobster spoke was emphasized with a snap from his wicked-looking pincers. Not to mention the strange phrasing of their sentences.
"Come next, what does?" asked the lobster. He seemed to be talking to Ripred, so Gregor looked at the rat, waiting for an explanation. The rat said nothing, so Gregor voiced what was confusing him.
"But, how did you know we'd be here?" asked Gregor with utter confusion.
"I'll take credit for that," said Ripred. "I have made some arrangements with the lobsters..." Ripred continued to talk, but Gregor wasn't listening. Lobsters? Plural? Gregor looked around, hoping to see the rest of the lobsters. But he didn't.
"So you were just pulling my leg there? About climbing the tower? Really?" He gave Ripred his sternest glare. Ripred didn't look remotely abashed.
"Certainly I did. Was that wrong of me?"
"Whatever," muttered Gregor. Ripred seemed to have lost interest in Gregor. He now spoke to the lobster.
"Do you think you could give us some privacy?" The lobster nodded and scuttled off.
"But what of the prophecy?" said Luxa suddenly, the second the lobster was out of sight.
"Oh surely you've caught in by now," said Ripred.
"What mean you?" asked Luxa.
"There's no prophecy!" said Ripred. "I wrote it and had Nerissa plant it on the wall. She tells me rager-boy here saw her doing it." He jerked his head at Gregor. "I made sure to include this place so that you all would come here. Plus, I mentioned the leaders of Regalia." This statement was greeted by confusion from the underlanders.
"But why?" asked Gregor. What was the point of dragging everyone to this deserted place if there was no prophecy?
"Because," said Ripred, "we need a larger army... any day now, we will be attacked by a bigger army than we have ever faced. Our people are still recovering from the last war," he said.
"And this was your solution?" asked Luxa, looking nonplussed. "A lobster?"
"Yes, and no," said Ripred. "An army of lobsters."
"What made you think we would agree?" asked Vikus.
"I thought you would agree because we will be wiped off this planet without their help. I thought you would agree because they ask little in return... because they are our only hope for survival." It was a compelling argument. He could tell the underlanders thought so too.
"Are things really that bad?" asked Gregor. He'd never heard Ripred sound so worried.
"Yes, I must agree with Ripred," said Luxa, "We have little hope of surviving against the cutters."
"Say we do agree," broke in Vikus, "What do the Pinchers ask in return?"
"They want full control over the second-largest fishing river in Regalia."
"The entire river!" exclaimed Luxa. "That accounts for almost half our fish supply."
"Yes, your Highness," said Ripred. "But how much will you enjoy the fish if you are dead." This silenced Luxa.
"Are they competent fighters?" asked an underland man Gregor had never spoken to.
"They have thick shells, deadly claws... and numbers," said Ripred.
"How many?" asked Vikus.
"Perhaps... ten thousand... maybe more... maybe less," said Ripred.
"That is a lot," admitted Luxa.
"And," said Gregor, remembering something his father had told him, "they can't feel pain."
"If this is true, they would be invaluable to Regalia," persuaded Ripred. "And," joked Ripred, "when the battle is over, we can eat the dead ones... I might start saving some butter if I were you," he added.
"I don't know," said Vikus.
"We'll figure it out," said Ripred. He sounded impatient. Vikus, Luxa, York, and a few other underlanders huddled together and began fervently debating.
"So... how come you didn't tell anyone about this?" Gregor asked Ripred.
"Because I knew they wouldn't come," was the rat's response. "I hoped they might be more will since they're already here. They have nothing to lose.
After only a few moment's debate, the group of underlanders returned.
"We have reached an agreement," said Vikus.
"Which is—?" asked Ripred, raising one ratty eyebrow. '
"Our decision is this: we acknowledge that we need the support of the Pinchers, but we cannot allow them full control over the second largest river in Regalia. Without its fish, our people would all but starve. In exchange for their help, we can offer our third largest river," said Vikus."
"That sounds fair," said Ripred, sounding relieved. "I shall talk to Thaddeus about this," said Ripred.
"His name's Thaddeus?" asked Gregor incredulously.
"Yes," said Ripred, "He's called Thaddeus."
"Okay, sure, just asking," said Gregor. So apparently he had just met a giant talking lobster named Thaddeus. This same lobster was supposed to help them win a war against giant ants. How was this his life? Like really, what happened to him? Ripred returned after ten minutes.
"He has agreed to your terms," he told Vikus.
"Very good," said Vikus briskly. "Than we must leave with all haste! There is much to be done, and little time to do it in."
"What, exactly?" asked Gregor.
"First," said Vikus "we must convince the council that an alliance with the Pinchers is desirable," he said. Oh boy! That sounded like loads of fun! Oh, wait...
"Let us hope we are not too late," said Ripred soberly.
"What do you mean?" asked Gregor.
"Well... the cutters may already have attacked Regalia. We could be flying into a war zone... or, worse yet, a ghost town." Ripred's words seemed to tear at his heart. His mom! Lizzie! His dad! He thought of his parents, injured in the hospital, of Lizzie, small and afraid... and a deadly army of cutters pouring into Regalia, intent on killing every single person. Suddenly he couldn't wait to be back in Regalia. To make sure his family was okay. He could tell other members of the group were feeling the same way. Gregor cleared his throat.
"Okay," he said talking to the group at large. "Let's get going!" And that's what they did. They worked together to pack up their supplies. Then loaded them onto the bats. Once everyone was situated, the bats took to the air. The bats slowly rose in the sky. They made a small circle and turned in the direction of Regalia.
The group flew through the sky all that day and the days that followed. They stopped each night to sleep in their tents.
On their third day, as they were flapping above the waterway, Gregor spotted a small form lying beneath the current. He called the bats to investigate. They began to dive down out of the sky. A bat dropped Gregor on the shore, a few feet away from the figure. The person was floating face down in a dead-man's float. Gregor had a moment of shock and horror as he realized who it was. It was his friend, Angelina.