p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"It was a struggle to get going the next morning. Everyone was reliving Vikus's death in their heads./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "But what do we do now?" Gregor voiced the thing everyone had been wondering. Now that they knew the prophecy was a fake did they just fly back home? After that what would they do? Was there a plan for how to get the cutters to Regalia? Would they just walk? /spanem style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Probably,/span/emspan style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" he thought. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We need to get back to Regalia," said Ripred firmly. "They must know of Vikus's death. They will need to select a new head of the council." They quietly loaded onto the bats and took to the air. The second they landed in Regalia, days later, Gregor took off at a run. He had to get his family out of here! It had failed. The cutters would attack. He sprinted through hallways and up stairs until he made it into the museum. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" He feverishly looked around, hoping to find something of worth to him. Most of it was useless: old corks and piles of dirty boots; neatly arranged books and a couple of clipboards lined a shelf; old watches and jewelry were strewn all over the place, and a few larger items such as wagon wheels and guitars lay against the ground./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" So, in short, nothing that he could use. The normally neat museum was a complete wreck. Every electronic device he could see had been gutted and it looked as though somebody had rummaged through the room in search of... something. What was going on? He shook his head. It didn't matter. What did matter, however, was that he had nothing that would help him. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor pounded his fist against the wall and let out a quiet sound of frustration that sounded like, "Ugh." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor!" shouted a voice from outside the museum. Gregor spun around to see his dad flying down the hallway towards him. By the looks of it, his dad must have run halfway around the palace looking for him. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" He was panting and clutching at a stitch in his stomach. His dad still hadn't fully recovered from being held captive by the rats a few years back; while he was a million times better, he tired much quicker. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What?" asked Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor, Mareth wants every able-bodied person in the war room now!" gasped his dad. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Why?" asked Gregor./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "I don't know," said his dad. "He just said so." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Okay," said Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" His dad and he ran through the empty hallway until they reached the war room. It was packed full of people, all jammed shoulder to shoulder. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What's going on?" asked Gregor and his dad in unison. Nobody answer; they probably hadn't even heard. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Silence!" shouted a voice, and Gregor saw Mareth and Perdita force their way into the room. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What going on?" clambered the room at large. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Silence," said Mareth again, and the room calmed down. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "The cutters have launched their attack, they should be arriving in a few hours," began the soldier. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How do you know?" asked Gregor, and he wasn't the only one. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We have positioned spies in various parts of the cutters' territory. We have received intelligence from them a few minutes ago. They have launched their attack."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What are we going to do?" shouted several people from the back of the room. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We are going to take this time to prepare. We must evacuate the city into the palace. It has no entrance so we can hold them off for a while." said Mareth. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How many are there?" asked Gregor's father. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "There are many," said Mareth, "But we have been training hard for the last few weeks." He barely managed to keep the despair out of his voice. He had already given up. And if he had, they must not have a chance. "But what could they do?" Gregor asked himself. They had to fight. If they didn't they would die for sure. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We must recruit our allies!" said Mareth, "Send a flier to the spinners, the nibblers, and the flier's territory. Get everyone you can. Send bats over the city, warn every person to leave their home and come here. Everyone else, prepare yourself for battle!" /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The room emptied in minutes. There was a huge throng of people hustling toward the weaponry. Gregor fought his way into the crowd. Once they reached the weaponry a few people stepped in and then began handing swords, daggers, and bows out to the crowd. Once each person was armed they left for the armory. Several people left to help Miravet suit everybody up for battle. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor managed to reach the armory and saw three men and two women dashing frantically back and forth, trying to get each person a weapon. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What fight you with?" shouted a man. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Uh, a sword." said Gregor, "Oh, and a dagger."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Here you go," said the man, thrusting a medium-sized sword and a light-weight dagger into his arms. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor eyed the razor-sharp blade. Gregor headed down towards the armory. It was frantic with activity. People were throwing random pieces of armor across the room to each other. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Gregor was helped into a shiny suit of bright metal. There were leather pads across his back and a solid breast-plate over his chest. His calves and thighs were protected with solid metal. And the rest of his body was covered in chain mail. It weighed a lot. In fact, Gregor was beginning to worry about fighting in the stuff. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It took almost an entire hour for everyone to get suited up. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor paced back and forth. His heart was pounding. It hadn't worked! His family was still here! And the cutters were attacking. They were all in deep trouble... unless... it was his only hope. He ran around, looking for a bat. But most of them already had riders./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Finally, he found a young bat called Odysseus. It took him a while to convince him, but once he did, the two of them took to the air. It was his last hope. He must try to convince the man to shut down the oil machines. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" When they arrived, they were greeted by death. It was everywhere. Bodies were strewn all over the ground. Two men were keeled over in a truck. In front of them were the bodies of several ants/ One unfortunate man was spread-eagled face down on the ground, Most of his left leg had been chewed off. His pants were saturated with blood. Clearly, a terrible battle had taken place here. Gregor had seen enough. He mounted back onto Odysseus and they took to the air. The flight back to Regalia was agonizing. Had the war begun yet? What was he walking into? The fear for his family and friends burnt into his heart. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They landed back on the wall. There was still no sign of the cutters, at least not yet. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Mareth and Perdita had begun positioning people atop the great wall. Gregor's heart was beating frantically in his chest. Another war! They had just escaped the last one and here they were again. Mareth began issuing orders which were immediately followed out. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" About an eighth of the soldiers were placed on foot at the base of the palace. This was mostly to lure the cutters in their direction. Stationed at the top of the palace wall were several dozen archers. Each with his or her bow drawn and at the ready. The humans on fliers had assembled in the dining hall. They were ready to swoop out over the cutters. Each of them held some sort of fire bomb to drop on the cutters. Ripred, Gregor, and a handful of other people were standing atop the palace wall behind the archers. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" A minute later, the lobsters arrived. They had timed their entrance perfectly. Another hour later and everyone would have died. They came marching in lines of 100. They went on for as long as Gregor could see. There were a lot of them—several thousand. And they kept coming. Once they were within a hundred feet of the human, they stopped. They were lined shoulder to should. Their vicious claws were snapping. And every few minutes, one of the lobsters would twitch their antenna. Everyone was ready. All they had to do was wait. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "So when do we come in?" Gregor asked Ripred. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We—" Began Ripred. And that's when Gregor noticed it: In the distance, a pool of blood seemed to be oozing its way toward the wall. The cutters were here at last. br /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "But what do we do now?" Gregor voiced the thing everyone had been wondering. Now that they knew the prophecy was a fake did they just fly back home? After that what would they do? Was there a plan for how to get the cutters to Regalia? Would they just walk? /spanem style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Probably,/span/emspan style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" he thought. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We need to get back to Regalia," said Ripred firmly. "They must know of Vikus's death. They will need to select a new head of the council." They quietly loaded onto the bats and took to the air. The second they landed in Regalia, days later, Gregor took off at a run. He had to get his family out of here! It had failed. The cutters would attack. He sprinted through hallways and up stairs until he made it into the museum. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" He feverishly looked around, hoping to find something of worth to him. Most of it was useless: old corks and piles of dirty boots; neatly arranged books and a couple of clipboards lined a shelf; old watches and jewelry were strewn all over the place, and a few larger items such as wagon wheels and guitars lay against the ground./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" So, in short, nothing that he could use. The normally neat museum was a complete wreck. Every electronic device he could see had been gutted and it looked as though somebody had rummaged through the room in search of... something. What was going on? He shook his head. It didn't matter. What did matter, however, was that he had nothing that would help him. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor pounded his fist against the wall and let out a quiet sound of frustration that sounded like, "Ugh." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor!" shouted a voice from outside the museum. Gregor spun around to see his dad flying down the hallway towards him. By the looks of it, his dad must have run halfway around the palace looking for him. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" He was panting and clutching at a stitch in his stomach. His dad still hadn't fully recovered from being held captive by the rats a few years back; while he was a million times better, he tired much quicker. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What?" asked Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor, Mareth wants every able-bodied person in the war room now!" gasped his dad. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Why?" asked Gregor./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "I don't know," said his dad. "He just said so." /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Okay," said Gregor. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" His dad and he ran through the empty hallway until they reached the war room. It was packed full of people, all jammed shoulder to shoulder. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What's going on?" asked Gregor and his dad in unison. Nobody answer; they probably hadn't even heard. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Silence!" shouted a voice, and Gregor saw Mareth and Perdita force their way into the room. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What going on?" clambered the room at large. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Silence," said Mareth again, and the room calmed down. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "The cutters have launched their attack, they should be arriving in a few hours," began the soldier. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How do you know?" asked Gregor, and he wasn't the only one. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We have positioned spies in various parts of the cutters' territory. We have received intelligence from them a few minutes ago. They have launched their attack."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What are we going to do?" shouted several people from the back of the room. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We are going to take this time to prepare. We must evacuate the city into the palace. It has no entrance so we can hold them off for a while." said Mareth. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "How many are there?" asked Gregor's father. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "There are many," said Mareth, "But we have been training hard for the last few weeks." He barely managed to keep the despair out of his voice. He had already given up. And if he had, they must not have a chance. "But what could they do?" Gregor asked himself. They had to fight. If they didn't they would die for sure. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We must recruit our allies!" said Mareth, "Send a flier to the spinners, the nibblers, and the flier's territory. Get everyone you can. Send bats over the city, warn every person to leave their home and come here. Everyone else, prepare yourself for battle!" /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The room emptied in minutes. There was a huge throng of people hustling toward the weaponry. Gregor fought his way into the crowd. Once they reached the weaponry a few people stepped in and then began handing swords, daggers, and bows out to the crowd. Once each person was armed they left for the armory. Several people left to help Miravet suit everybody up for battle. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Gregor managed to reach the armory and saw three men and two women dashing frantically back and forth, trying to get each person a weapon. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "What fight you with?" shouted a man. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Uh, a sword." said Gregor, "Oh, and a dagger."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "Here you go," said the man, thrusting a medium-sized sword and a light-weight dagger into his arms. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor eyed the razor-sharp blade. Gregor headed down towards the armory. It was frantic with activity. People were throwing random pieces of armor across the room to each other. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Gregor was helped into a shiny suit of bright metal. There were leather pads across his back and a solid breast-plate over his chest. His calves and thighs were protected with solid metal. And the rest of his body was covered in chain mail. It weighed a lot. In fact, Gregor was beginning to worry about fighting in the stuff. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" It took almost an entire hour for everyone to get suited up. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Gregor paced back and forth. His heart was pounding. It hadn't worked! His family was still here! And the cutters were attacking. They were all in deep trouble... unless... it was his only hope. He ran around, looking for a bat. But most of them already had riders./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Finally, he found a young bat called Odysseus. It took him a while to convince him, but once he did, the two of them took to the air. It was his last hope. He must try to convince the man to shut down the oil machines. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" When they arrived, they were greeted by death. It was everywhere. Bodies were strewn all over the ground. Two men were keeled over in a truck. In front of them were the bodies of several ants/ One unfortunate man was spread-eagled face down on the ground, Most of his left leg had been chewed off. His pants were saturated with blood. Clearly, a terrible battle had taken place here. Gregor had seen enough. He mounted back onto Odysseus and they took to the air. The flight back to Regalia was agonizing. Had the war begun yet? What was he walking into? The fear for his family and friends burnt into his heart. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" They landed back on the wall. There was still no sign of the cutters, at least not yet. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Mareth and Perdita had begun positioning people atop the great wall. Gregor's heart was beating frantically in his chest. Another war! They had just escaped the last one and here they were again. Mareth began issuing orders which were immediately followed out. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" About an eighth of the soldiers were placed on foot at the base of the palace. This was mostly to lure the cutters in their direction. Stationed at the top of the palace wall were several dozen archers. Each with his or her bow drawn and at the ready. The humans on fliers had assembled in the dining hall. They were ready to swoop out over the cutters. Each of them held some sort of fire bomb to drop on the cutters. Ripred, Gregor, and a handful of other people were standing atop the palace wall behind the archers. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" A minute later, the lobsters arrived. They had timed their entrance perfectly. Another hour later and everyone would have died. They came marching in lines of 100. They went on for as long as Gregor could see. There were a lot of them—several thousand. And they kept coming. Once they were within a hundred feet of the human, they stopped. They were lined shoulder to should. Their vicious claws were snapping. And every few minutes, one of the lobsters would twitch their antenna. Everyone was ready. All they had to do was wait. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "So when do we come in?" Gregor asked Ripred. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" "We—" Began Ripred. And that's when Gregor noticed it: In the distance, a pool of blood seemed to be oozing its way toward the wall. The cutters were here at last. br /span/p