24
Gregor spent the next two days learning what went on in the city while he was gone. To his surprise, his family had made a visit. His father was not able to sleep in the Underland (he could barely control his anxiety), and so quickly returned home, but everyone else had a good time. Ripred said Maggie saw the crawlers (adding that it really help relations between them and the humans), and Lizzie spent her time with either Ripred or Hazard. His mother, who was not happy that Gregor went on a mission, kept busy, and after a week, rushed the girls home.
Ripred also told Gregor why he could not join the expedition. Apparently the gnawers were near civil war. They were split between those who wanted to maintain the peace they had with the humans, and those who wanted to go to war and destroy them. Ripred, being both a leader and frightening rager, was given the task of settling the matter.
"Did you succeed?" Gregor asked.
"I believe so," Ripred said. "There are still plenty of gnawers who hate humans, but I don't think they have the nerve to start anything now." He looked at Gregor with a stern gaze. "I tell you this, because you should know there are enemies out there. If you're suspicious of events on the journey, you have good reason to be." Gregor nodded.
Because Luxa took the week to rest up for the coming negotiations (which sounded like torture to Gregor), Gregor got to spend quite a bit of time with her. He decided he had to talk to her about not coming back to the Underland. She immediately made an apathetic face, but Gregor thought it was forced.
"If you do not wish to be here," she said with a shrug, "then leave."
"It's not that I don't want to be here, it's just I can't keep getting called down."
"I will not call for you. You clearly do not wish to be in the Underland anymore." Her voice was raising. "You have an entrance behind your home, correct? Then what is your excuse for not visiting? Simply, you do not wish to see us anymore." Gregor tried to control his voice, but he was nearly yelling too.
"I didn't say I didn't want to see you anymore. But I do have a life up there, Luxa, and it is not easy to balance with one down here. Not to mention I have to think of my family too."
"What does your family have to do with this?"
"Everything. Don't you think they get worried about me while I'm down here? Not to mention they can never tell anyone about the Underland. That's a really difficult secret to keep when you have so many friends down here." Luxa scoffed.
"Friends? I hardly think you consider us friends if you are so anxious to leave and never return."
"I'm not anxious to leave, Luxa!" He did not mean to yell, but she was so difficult. He calmed himself, and spoke softly. "You are one of the best friends I have ever had. And Howard is like a brother to me. And Vikus has been a great mentor. I could go on. I don't want to leave, but I think I need to." Luxa's face softened, and she looked him in the eyes.
"Can we at least enjoy your last days here?" she asked quietly. "As if everything were normal." Gregor nodded.
"I would really like that."
Gregor spent almost all his time with Luxa. His cousin spent her time in a variety of places: with Mareth discussing Regalian weaponry, with Nerissa who was recovery and piecing together lost or damaged Underland history, learning about the city from Vikus, or just bothering Howard. One time, Gregor and Luxa found her reading to him in his quarters.
"You may be ready to leave," Luxa said, "but I am not sure she is." This worried Gregor. He was going to have to have a talk with his cousin.
Now Gregor was trying to sort through his thoughts while he lay in bed. He missed his family, but he knew he would also miss his Underland family. He did not want to be involved in Underland affairs, but he could not help feeling a part of them. There were so many contradictions. Gregor was so completely lost in thought that he did not hear the people in his room until it was too late.
Several hands grabbed him, and dragged him out of bed. It was too dark to see, but Gregor's echolocation told him that there were six soldiers in his room.
"Let go of me! What's going on!?" Gregor shouted and tried to kick out of their grip. Someone struck his head, and Gregor felt blood drip from his temple. He felt a bit woozy, then forced himself to focus again. A soldier was holding each of his arms, and one placed a blade to his neck. Gregor could not talk without causing the blade to cut him.
The soldiers practically carried him out of his quarters, and he kicked and fought even though it caused the blade to cut his neck. He successfully broke free from the guard on his left and wheeled around long enough to see that they did not have his cousin. Then he was quickly restrained again, and carried through the halls.
The soldiers dragged him into the High Hall, and threw him to his knees next to Luxa and Howard. Luxa looked unbelievably angry and Howard appeared to be in shock. Gregor heard shouting as soldiers, fliers, and gnawers moved about the hall, and tried to make sense of everything. Finally the leader stepped forward. It was Stellovet.