Hey hey hey, guys! I am back again with yet another wonderful chapter. This chapter seemed difficult to me and then I got home from church sat down at the computer and pumped out the last 2000 words no problem. It was like God sent his spirit into my fingers and caused me to know what I wanted to say(not really, Religion has nothing to do with writing!). Anyway, I'm glad to see people are liking the story and I think this chapter will make you all like it even more. It has all the fun stuff that make the Underland Chronicles so good. Adventure and stuff like that is all present along with sme fun surprises. So get to reading and I'll get to writing the next chapter soon.

Chapter 6

"Did he just say the Fount has been destroyed?" Gregor asked stunned even by the concept. Luxa looked at him and simply nodded her head, their argument forgotten. She bent down over the guard and checked his pulse.

"He is still alive. We must get him to the hospital and fast. He will have more information about what has happened," Luxa said. As she signaled to Gregor to help her, the man coughed. Blood drooled out of his mouth.

"Queen… Luxa. You must… get to… the Fount. Look… for… survivors. Major… attack." His words were labored and he was barely conscious. As the last words left his mouth he slumped over again and closed his eyes. Gregor saw the man's chest stop moving as his light left his body. Luxa was checking for a pulse again as Gregor placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Luxa, he's gone. And we have more important things to do. He said there are survivors and we need to go find them. Fast. If the Fount is truly destroyed, then we don't know how many people are in serious trouble. We need to get a team together as fast as possible. Anyone you can think of run and get. I'll do the same," Gregor said taking complete control over the situation. Luxa was obviously scared for the people she ruled over. If it happened to the isolated Fount, where there are far less people and small reason to attack it, then it could be very likely that whatever attacked the Fount could easily come for Regalia. Luxa jumped into action as if Gregor's words recharged her.

"I'll go find Mareth and Perdita. They will be able to help if we have to fight and are strong enough to help the injured. Where will you go?" Luxa asked in a hurry. Gregor wasn't exactly sure. He had thought of Mareth first, but he couldn't get him if Luxa was. Then he remembered York and Eisen. They were both from the Fount, York being the governor.

"I'm gonna find York and Eisen. They have family there and are just as good in a fight."

Luxa hadn't even waited to hear his response before she had taken off to find her people. Gregor did even shake his head like he normally would. He instead took off towards the direction he had seen York go just an hour ago. There was little of importance for a man like York on this side of the palace. It was rooms for visitors and servants. It had the kitchens and the mess halls for the guards. The hospital was this way as well. But none of those places made any sense for York to be there. This was a problem. "I'll grab Eisen first and maybe he'll know where to find York," Gregor thought as he changed direction and dashed towards Eisen's apartment.

Gregor saw the familiar curtain to Eisen's chambers and dashed right inside without announcing his presence. Eisen was still seated at the table where Gregor had left him. His eyes were closed, but shot open when Gregor came to a stop, breathing slightly more heavily than normal.

"Overlander, what brings you back in such a hurry that you-" Gregor cut through Eisen's question.

"No time for questions man. The Fount has been attacked and we need to get here now. I came to get you and to find York wherever he is." Eisen had leaped to his feet at the news. He grabbed his sword and threw on his boots. He belted the sword on his right hip and nodded to Gregor.

"Check the mess hall, Overlander. York enjoys his drink sometimes. There is no better place to drink than with fellow soldiers like himself. Come, we must hurry," Eisen said as he darted from the room. Gregor chased after him, catching him, and surpassing him in seconds as he dashed up a flight of stairs and around a corner. He heard the faint sound of laughter coming from down the hall and Gregor picked up speed. The sound of feet falling behind him told him that Eisen was not far behind.

The mess hall was extremely warm as Gregor burst in. The torches were burning bright and there were well over one hundred men packed into the room. Their body heat raised the temperature to uncomfortable levels for Gregor. Eisen came in right behind Gregor, breathing heavy. It was a sprint the whole way and even Gregor was out of breath. The two men scanned the room looking for the largest man. Nobody was bigger than York in the Underland. Or at least Gregor didn't think that it was possible.

A bark of loud laughter rang from their left and two heads shot over towards the sound. Eisen pointed and Gregor's eyes followed. Seated among a group of soldiers, York stood out like a sore thumb. His head was higher than everyone else's and he was broader and just bigger in general. Eisen and Gregor walked as calmly as they could to not alert any of the soldiers that something was amiss. York looked up and a smile broached his slightly flushed face. Five empty tankards sat in front of him and he was holding a sixth.

"Boys, come sit and enjoy some ale, will ya!?" York boomed at them. His words weren't slurred even though he had to have consumed a lot of alcohol. He even looked as if he still had all his regular reflexive speed. Gregor grabbed York's arm and pulled him towards the door as he spoke. "York, we have no time to drink. There is something you are needed for. So come on let's get going." Gregor emphasized his words laying on that something very important was going on. York caught on right away. He followed Gregor and Eisen to the hall where he stopped.

"What is so important that I cannot enjoy my drink for the night?" York asked with some concern. Eisen and Gregor exchanged a look asking the other who would tell. Eisen nodded at Gregor and Gregor shrugged. Figured he would have to break the news.

"Me and Luxa found out mere minutes ago that the Fount has been attacked and destroyed." Before Gregor could continue York had already bolted for the high hall, his long strides carried him down the faster than Gregor or Eisen could imagine.

"What are we waiting for? We have to go look for survivors." York's words were hard and Gregor knew they covered his worry and fear for his family and his people. The same way that Luxa had covered her worry. There was no point in objecting, so Gregor and Eisen dashed after him. The high hall loomed before them only minutes later. There were four people standing there. Or three were standing. The other was bent over the unconscious bat and the dead man. Howard stood up at the sound of the heavy footfalls that belonged to his father. Howard took one step forward before his father grabbed him in a hug. The two men hugged for a few moments letting all their emotions out that way. They parted and Gregor and Eisen locked eyes with Howard. He shook his head at them.

"Neither of you two should be going anywhere. It will only make your wounds worse," Howard said before he paused for a moment and looked at Gregor's leg. "Well never mind that. Gregor, you have already broke your stitches." Gregor put his hand to his pant leg and felt the warmness of fresh blood. He had pushed himself to find everyone that he needed to and it had caused his wound to reopen.

"Howard, we are both going no matter what. You can just patch me up on the flight, if you are going." Howard bowed his head realizing that there was no point in arguing. Gregor walked over to the other assembled people without even looking at Howard. It was better that way. Mareth and Perdita stood with Luxa, talking in quiet conversation. As Gregor approached them, he saw Mareth was holding a sheath in his hand.

"Gregor, I have your sword for you. Luxa told us that we were to go armed and I saw your weapon in the armory. Here," Mareth said as he gave Gregor his sword. Gregor had to stop leaving his sword around. That was something he needed to carry around with him always. He belted the sword on and straightened it out.

"Thanks, Mareth. You're always a lifesaver," Gregor said before he turned to the other Underlander. "Hey Perdita. Bad time to see you for the first time since I got back."

"Indeed it is, Gregor. We better get going soon. Who knows what we will find there?" Gregor nodded as he felt the downdraft of six pairs of huge wings. Aurora, Artemese, Nike, Andromeda, and two fliers Gregor had never seen landed in the hall ready to go at a moments notice. Luxa had already climbed on Aurora's back and everybody else followed suit. Gregor hopped onto Artemese's back and was getting comfortable, when he felt someone else climb on.

Howard sat behind him with his medical bag already open, pulling out needle and silk and bandages. Gregor relaxed as he felt Artemese slowly take off at Perdita's command. Mareth and her were the only ones sharing a bat and Nike had no rider. Obviously she was here for Howard.

"Gregor, I need you leg." Howard told Gregor. Gregor stuck his leg out and laid on his side so Howard would have the best access to the wound. The sound of cloth ripping told him Howard had decided to tear a hole in his pants to access the wound. Blood still flowed freely from the wound, but not nearly as fast as it had when he was first cut. Then there was a sharp pain as Howard drove the needle into Gregor's flesh and pulled it tight. Each time the needle sank into his leg Gregor had a deep intake of breath and he clenched his teeth harder. This was more agony than actually getting stabbed. Gregor had his eyes closed, but each time he breathed in he could see an undefined picture around him. They were flying next to Aurora and Luxa, slightly ahead of the rest of the party. He could see Luxa bent over next to Aurora's ear.

"All finished," Howard said after what seemed like hours, but had actually only been a few minutes. It was good timing because they were just about out of light to see by. Gregor sat up and left his leg straight. Howard already had his bag packed and he signaled to Nike as he jumped off Artemese. The pair reappeared next to Gregor mere moments later.

The city was behind them and the six bats were flying North towards the river. The wild churning of the river could be heard even at the height they were flying at. Gregor could see the water white with foam and boulders flying by. It was a reminder to all his past adventures along this river. From his attempted escape on his first night in the Underland, to his venture on the river and the waterway to find the bane, and the rush to find out what happened to the nibblers. Gregor was very accustomed to the river.

Time flew by as they rushed to the Fount. Nobody spoke as each person was lost in thought. Gregor looked over at York and Eisen, each with worry and concern etched on their faces. Gregor himself was worried. What could have or would have attacked the Fount? The humans were at peace with the gnawers, the spinners, and the crawlers. There weren't many other species with the numbers or the incentive to attack humans. It was all a mystery.

There was a faint smell coming down the river toward them:smoke. The smell of burning debris and other more unpleasant things met the noses of the party. The fliers, without even knowing they had, sped up. Their wings beat faster and harder against the air and they streaked forward. Gregor's hand naturally moved towards the hilt of his sword. He loosened it from its scabbard and held it tight, just in case.

The smoke smell grew stronger and stronger and the cavern started to fill with the haziness of smoke. It was dark black smoke from a ferocious blaze. Gregor could see the light from the fire even from where they were. The river turned a corner and Gregor could finally see the Fount. Or what was left of it.

York, Howard, and Eisen each took a sharp inhale of breath at the destruction. Most of the buildings behind the high wall were not standing. The wall itself had a breach in it crushed almost all the way from ground to top. It was as if the US Army had shot heavy artillery into the wall. Rubble was everywhere and the fires crackled everywhere. Perdita signaled for the bats to land in what once would have been a market area. It was a wide area and the remnants of shops stood as burned husks or were sitting as piles of stone. Dead bodies laid interspersed in the rubble, some under it, some on top of it. It was gruesome. Blood stained the streets from mutilated corpses.

Gregor crouched down next to one of the dead. The man's body was crushed near flat in the middle as if he was placed in a giant vice. His organs had been smashed into viscous goo and they surrounded his body. Nearby another body had a gaping wound clean through the abdomen. Problem was what could cause such damage? He pondered all he knew of the Underland and nothing came to mind. When Gregor stood he was alone except for Luxa and Perdita.

"York has gone to the Governor's palace to search for his family," Luxa told Gregor in response to his look. "Howard, Eisen, and Mareth have gone to look for Survivors in the western part of the city. We shall look for them in the eastern part." Gregor nodded and left the dead bodies behind. It would take time to find all the survivors and even more time to find all of the dead. Everywhere Gregor looked there was a dead body. Many had died in a similar way to the men he had looked at before. Parts of their bodies had been crushed to the extreme. Flesh was turned to paste and bones were crushed into powder. And others had wounds like a tank shell had torn through their chests. The wounds were massive. It was worse than anything had ever seen. He had seen terrible things during all the wars he had participated in. He himself had caused destruction against snakes and cutters, cut them to pieces. And yet, the carnage he saw before him was worse than all of it. Innocent people had been meticulously killed. Limbs were gone and bodies were ripped apart. Some people had burned to death and their bodies were charred and smoked.

There was no certainty that anyone had survived the destructive force that had flooded into the city. Neither Gregor, Luxa, nor Perdita had heard a scream for help or a whimper of pain and they all were listening as hard as they could. Perdita carried a medical kit, being the only one of the three with any major healing ability. A faint shout could be heard from behind them. It sounded like Eisen or Mareth or maybe Howard. Perhaps they had found someone. Even if they found just one person it would help them know what happened here.

They reached a fork in the street and were stuck as to what to do. Each one looked hesitant on splitting up. Whatever had attacked may still be there, hiding somewhere amongst the destroyed houses.

"Okay, Ladies you go to the right. I'll take the left," Gregor said taking command of the situation. Before he got a response he drew his sword and started down the street. He looked back and saw Luxa and Perdita were gone down the other street. If he found someone in need of serious medical attention he would have to improvise or hope he could run fast enough to catch up to Perdita.

His mind started to wander as he looked around him. He walked past a roaring blaze alight from some kind of oil store. The heat was stifling and Gregor walked passed it as fast as he could. Then something clicked into his mind. Where were the bodies of whatever had attacked? The guards of the Fount were scattered among the dead bodies, so they had to have fought back. And if you fight back usually you kill at least one of the attackers. But there was nothing dead besides humans. He hadn't even seen any fliers. Either this enemy was highly skilled or they took their dead with them. It was a conundrum for Gregor.

Something snapped him out of his trance of thoughts. A whimper caused Gregor to quickly look to his right, scanning the rubble. He heard it again and he worked his way towards it. The whimper was quickly replaced with a scream. A babies scream. The crying was constant now. And Gregor could still not find where it was coming from. He searched high and low, pulling rocks away and digging through piles of debris. Still, there was no sign of the source of the sound.

Gregor closed his eyes and let the sorrowful, nerve wrenching sound flow towards him. What he couldn't see he could hear and his body naturally shifted towards it. He felt the heavy slab of what had been a building's roof in front of him and he stopped down to try to move it. As he strained to move it he felt his muscles tense and tighten and yet the massive stone didn't move an inch. Gregor's eyes opened and he looked at the rock. It was about a foot thick and well over 20 feet long. It was several feet wide at the thickest and only a foot or so at the thinnest. It was only part of the roof and it leaned down towards him at an angle. It was impossible for him to move it though. It had to weigh about 20 tons Gregor figured. The only way to move it would be to lever it up and move it to the side.

Anything long and solid could work as a lever. Gregor scoured the ground with his eyes looking for something. He was looking as fast as he could because the wails of the child were uncomfortably loud. There were chunks of rock everywhere, but nothing was lever worthy. Massive boulders and small chunks of rubble made up most of the content of the destroyed houses. Some were mudbrick and had been utterly crushed to dust or burned to the ground. And that's when Gregor saw it.

A metal pole sticking out of the ground. It must have been a flagpole as it was well over 25 feet long. Gregor dashed to it and grabbed the pole, and yanked at it with all his might. It didn't budge. He pushed his back against it and used a stone to prevent him from sliding and as a way to use himself as a wedge. If he couldn't pull the whole pole out then he would break it. As he pressed his back against the pole he felt something giving way. The rocks under his feet started to move and slide away. The pole was so strong that it was moving the rocks as Gregor pushed it. Suddenly, it fell. And it fell fast.

Clanging against the ground, the entire shaft of the pole was exposed. It was perfect for Gregor to use as a lever. He grabbed the massive metal rod up in his hands and carefully and slowly moved it towards the slab of rock. It was slow work as it weighed almost a ton itself and Gregor had to drag it behind him. He dug it into the dirt ground under the rock head, til the pole was sticking up at a decent angle. Maybe 30 degrees. And then he pushed with all his strength and might. The pole bent and bent in the middle, but it did not break. And then the rock started to shift up. It was slow, but as Gregor pushed down further and further, it got higher and higher. When he felt the pole scrape the ground, he dragged it around so he could use it to lever the slab out of the way. Facing the raised slab from the slide Gregor heaved on the pole, pulling it so that the rock started to shift and spin on its 'axis'.

Finally there was enough room for Gregor to get into the area behind it and he let go of the bar with an audible sigh. It sprang up with such speed and force that if Gregor had not moved his head it would have taken it off. Yet, Gregor hadn't even noticed his close call. He had already ventured into the remains of the destroyed house. On the floor lay a barely breathing woman and her little child, probably no more than 2 or 3. Gregor knelt down next to the woman and saw her wound. A sharp piece of… something... had impaled her through the stomach and she was slowly bleeding out. She was already laying in a pool of blood that surrounded her whole body. The child was kneeling in it next to his mother.

"Mama move. Mama move," the child said over and over to his mother. She couldn't make her body move from the waist down, but she picked up her hand and stroked his face. Then she looked at Gregor. She was paler than even the paleness of an Underlander, with absolutely no color in her face. Gregor dropped to his knees at her side saturating his pants in her blood. He grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. It was there, but it was so weak Gregor was surprised she was still able to keep consciousness. On top of that she spoke to him.

"Please… take care of… Thomas. He is… so young," she said as she let her eyes close. Gregor hadn't let go of her wrist and he felt the pulse get weaker and weaker. His eyes kept darting between the wound in her stomach and her face.

"Hey, stay with me! Stay with me! Don't die…" Gregor encouraged the woman, but it was too late. Her pulse stopped and her eyes flickered no more. There was no life left in them.

"God damnit!" Gregor yelled as he slammed his fist into the ground. He got up and put his hands behind his head and walked away from the body. If he had been a little faster they may have been able to help her. To find a way to stop the bleeding. Why had it taken him so long to find the source of that damn crying?

"Mama sleep? Mama wake up? Mama… Mama…" Gregor spun around as he remembered the little boy. He was shaking his mom and crying in her face hoping she would move and wake up. Like she was sleeping or playing a game with him. This was no game though. Gregor crouched down and looked at the boy.

"Hey, little guy. Come here for a minute," Gregor said in a soothing voice. The same voice he used to use when Margaret wouldn't sleep. The little boy heard him and walked with small teetering steps towards Gregor. As he walked he fell backwards onto his butt, but he got right back up and finished his teetering walk to Gregor. A smile forced its way onto his face as he watched. It was to cute not to.

The child stopped in Gregor's out stretched arms. He scooped him up and ducked out of the house, saying soothing words to the baby the whole time. The baby didn't look back at his mom, he was focused intently on Gregor and his voice. Gregor carried the boy back to the fork in the road forgetting about finding any other survivors. As he got there, Luxa and Perdita stumbled back in carrying a wounded man between them. Gregor put the kid on the ground and ran over to help. He took over for the burdened Perdita and carried the man the last few yards before they set him down. It was obvious Perdita had already bandaged and stitched his wounded legs, but he couldn't walk on them. By the time Gregor finished looking the man over, Luxa had found the boy.

"Gregor, where did you find this child?" Luxa asked as she picked the boy up, not trusting him with all the debris around.

"He was trapped in a collapsed house with his mother. She was died after I got there, but I took him." It was obvious that Gregor took not being able to save the woman very hard. Luxa could see it etched across his face.

"Does he have a name?" Luxa asked to distract Gregor from the rough memories.

"Yeah. I think his mom said his name was Thomas." At his name the boy shot his head up and put his arms up for Gregor to take him. He did so with joy and made cute faces to make the boy laugh. Gregor loved kids and was always good with them. Luxa had a smile on her face as she watched Gregor. "We should be getting back. See if Howard and the rest found any survivors." Gregor added after a moment.

Luxa took Thomas and Gregor carried the weak man by himself. He wasn't very heavy as he looked to be in his elder years. It took time none the less and by the time they were back to the landing area they found Howard, Mareth, and Eisen there with several others. Many were wounded severely, but others were relatively unscathed. Gregor placed the man with other wounded, before turning to look at Mareth and Eisen.

"Did you find all of these people?" Gregor asked curious," Because we only found two people."

"No, we found only one man. The rest were here when we got back and several more showed up while we waited. They brought what injured they had found with them. It is a miracle that even that many were unharmed. And there is much left of the city to search." Mareth said.

"On top of that we sent Nike back as soon as we returned so she could bring a much larger force to search. They will be here within the next few hours hopefully." Eisen added to what Mareth had said. Gregor absorbed the information, letting it wash over his brain. There were maybe 25 survivors including the badly wounded. And that could be a small number of those trapped similar to how Thomas was. This was a task that nobody was ready for. And then Gregor's stomach growled.

"We didn't bring any food did we?" Gregor asked sheepishly. "I could use some food I think. Been running on adrenaline mostly. And I'm feeling a bit hungry and weak." Howard was next to him in minute checking his body and his wound. It was remarkable how the stitches hadn't torn under all the strain Gregor had endured to just get Thomas free. Howard sat him down and sent all of the fliers to the river to get some fish. Mareth grabbed some burning debris and very carefully made a fire to be able to cook on. Food would be good for everyone, especially those that had injuries. Soon after Artemese came back and sent almost a dozen fish rainin down on top of Gregor's head.

The smell of cooking fish soon filled the clearing. Each bat had brought nearly a dozen fish back. Plenty for the people and for the bats to eat. Mareth had some help from the uninjured survivors skinning the fish and they had several fires cooking them up. The smell was delicious, but Gregor would have eaten anything. Thomas sat next to him watching the fish cook.

"Fish," He said pointing with a small finger at the fire.

"Yes, Thomas. Fish," Gregor replied congratulating him.

"Tom-as," the little boy said again pointing to himself. It was like having a little Margaret with him again. Back when she was Boots and did the same silly things.

"Yes. You are Thomas," Gregor laughed out. And then there was a man pointing and shouting. Gregor jumped to his feet and drew his sword. There were people coming towards them, some on fliers. Gregor caught the glint of light off of a helmet and saw the towering form that only could belong to York. He sheathed his sword and signaled for everyone else to follow suit. York approached and let out a small laugh. "Started eating without us, did you Gregor?"

Before Gregor could reply to the man, he was knocked backwards from the force of a person running straight into him and wrapping their arms around his chest.

Lots of interesting stuff happening here. And I ended on cliff hanger teehee. Best way to end a chapter I say. Always brings people back to read more. So I have two questions for ya guys to answer.

1) What attacked the Fount?

2) Who just bull rushed into Gregor?

Well, guys tell me your thoughts in a review and answer the questions. I'll see if you guys can guess what I have planned. Drop them Revies, favorites and follows and tell me what you think of this chapter. Bye bye for now chaps!