…

Tunnels Outside Regalia

…

Gregor dripped from head to toe with killer blood, none his own. Sparks of electricity shot through his veins, the repaired sword of Sandwich hanging loosely from its belt. It had been so easy for him to become a rager again. How easy to kill again. It'd all been so simple. Destroy the generator, attack the killers at their weakest while they fumbled for their flashlights. The plan would've never worked even in just a few days' time, when the Americans would have been sure to have had night goggles and greater numbers. Momentum had been on the ragers' side: he and Ripred had torn through the American camp, leaving none alive. Well, except for Helena.

The strange, damaged woman leaned against a far wall, her eyes unfocused. Somehow, she could echolocate just as well as he could, and had spent substantial time with the cutters and the diggers. Gregor had no doubt that the cutters would make their move soon, now that their prospective allies had been destroyed. She would be useful in the war to come.

Would there ever be an end to the fighting? He couldn't ever return to the surface, not after what he'd done. Was that something he even wanted for himself?

Far away down the tunnel, a light grew. Gregor squinted at the brightness as it grew larger and larger. It was Luxa, trailed by ten guards, all on their flyers. Aurora landed only paces away from him, folding her wings, and Luxa hopped off Aurora's back with her torch in hand.

Luxa's face went ashen as she observed the slaughter, and her eyes roved over his and Ripred's bloodsoaked forms, and lingered on Helena for a quick moment. "Gregor…" she trailed off. "I was in my quarters, and heard the sound of bullets. By the time I made it to the walls, the slaughter was over. And now I find this… what happened?"

Shakily, Gregor recounted the events of the last few hours. "This war, it's my fault," he finished. "I shouldn't have returned, but I'll do what I can to return peace to the Underland the only way I know how: through blood."

Luxa's eyes welled with tears before she furiously blinked them away. "No, Gregor, you did not push Clara. It is not your fault." She stalked past him, angrily staring up into the long shaft that led to the Overland. "They wanted this," she said hoarsely. "It's their fault."

Ripred, lounging on the ground, gave a noise of agreement. "Don't let this destroy you, boy. This isn't on you."

Gregor felt all the nightmares he'd had over the last five years flickering at the edges of his vision. He suddenly felt twelve again, struggling to accept his fate. "Is this all I'm good for?"

Luxa stalked over to him, grabbed his bloodstained armor, and without another word, kissed him.

Gregor felt everything melt away. Just for that moment in time, all was perfect. She pulled away after a moment, pale eyes brimming with emotion. "This is what it means to love," she insisted. "To fight. To protect. A warrior kills because he can't help it. A soldier kills because he's ordered to. But a protector… a protector kills because it's necessary to protect who he loves."

Gregor shook his head and snapped himself back into reality. As long as Luxa didn't see him as a monster, perhaps he could live with himself. Perhaps, one day, he could have a future with her. A future where he didn't need the sword. But for now, he would be the protector. "Thank you," he said. Luxa smiled back softly.

His focus returned. "We need to attack the cave entrance immediately," Gregor said. "I'm sure they'll have dynamite nearby as a failsafe, considering they see us as a threat. If we steal it, we can use it to blow up the entrance. They'll eventually be able to dig through, but it'll buy Regalia time to retreat to the Fount. They don't know where the Fount is."

Luxa nodded. "But how do we win?"

Gregor hesitated. "I don't know. But for now, we need time. I'm sure reinforcements are converging upon the entrance as we speak."

Ripred pushed himself up. "I'll rally the gnawers around Regalia to start the evacuation. I also just have a feeling the cutters might be making their move as we speak…"

Luxa put a hand on Ripred's matted fur, which we begrudgingly accepted for a moment before he shrugged her off. "I'll be fine," he grumbled.

"Run like the river, Ripred," she said.

"Take Helena," Gregor said. "Based on what she told us, she might be useful with the cutters."

Ripred nodded shortly.

From around the bend, tens upon tens of bonded humans and flyers flooded the cavern. The army of Regalia. Neptune, the bat that had greeted him back into Regalia not that long ago, landed next to him. "You'll need a flyer, Overlander," he purred.

"I'm not an Overlander anymore," he said. "I'm an Underlander now." Luxa's eyes shone. "Now," Gregor said, "let's go defend what is ours." He drew Sandwich's bloody sword and hopped on Neptune's back, and took flight.

…

New York City

…

It'd already been twenty minutes, and James was growing anxious. They were stuck in what was unavoidable in New York City: traffic.

"Can't you turn on the siren and make these cars get out of the way?" James asked Orange anxiously, who was driving.

"I wish," she muttered. "But that would give away our position immediately. Our best bet now is to try to blend in with the normal traffic."

James nodded tersely. He'd grown up in the city, and lived in it for most of his life. He'd never been bothered by the sounds of traffic before. This time, they set his nerves on fire.

Distantly, he heard a siren wail. "They're onto us!" he said. "They're going to close down the roadway!"

Orange hesitated. "Open the door and run. Now. The New York Times building is only 10 or so blocks away. Black, go with him."

James didn't hesitate. He swung open his door and ducked between the gridlocked cars, the endless sea of stopped traffic, and made it to the sidewalk, Black just behind him. "This way," Black said, taking the lead. "Try not to look anxious or in a hurry. Blend in."

James slowed his pace, sliding between sweaty bodies in the crowd. It was 10pm at night—why was it so crowded? New York City was the city that never slept, but this chaos—James sensed something in the air that was out of place. Something was wrong.

The sirens grew louder and louder and all of a sudden, several armored vans were right behind them, riding halfway on the sidewalk and halfway on the bicycle lane. People screamed as they ducked out of the way. James let the crowd push him out of the way and he watched, dumbfounded, as they hurtled past him and made a left turn at the next intersection. He began to count the armored vans as they hurried by. 10, 15, 20… where could they be heading?

James's blood suddenly went cold. "Central Park," he said. "They're heading to Central Park. Something must have happened."

Black grabbed his arm before he could take off running. "The best way you can help your son now is to give that interview and tell the world the truth."

James nodded in agreement. "Alright. But let's hurry. It's clear that they aren't hunting us." But what could they be hunting?

Screams, piercing his ears. The crowd billowed and he was forced to a standstill, flush up against several bodies. James looked to the sky.

From around the corner, a giant bat flew into view, an Underlander on its back.

…

Regalia

…

Helena rode on the back of Ripred, who seemed to be grumbling "it's faster this way" to himself as he hurtled through the darkness. The blood had somewhat dried on his fur, making him easier to hold on to.

To think that just a week ago, she had known nothing about this world. Not the cave, not its creatures, nothing. She laughed into the dry, stale wind. She would give anything to go back to being that woman. She didn't need a big discovery. She didn't need fame. She just needed sanity, her mind back. Paradise Valley. Paradise Valley. Those soaring mountains…

Ripred rounded a curve and Helena gasped as the city of Regalia came into view. Soaring towers with minarets, tall walls, built against a roaring river and a looming stone wall. The city seemed to consume the spacious cavern, and glowed with a thousand lights.

It was the most beautiful thing Helena had seen in a long, long, time.

Ripred didn't slow his pace as he ran towards the gate, but Helena couldn't stop herself from laughing and weeping from joy. To think that such a wonder was hidden in a hellish place like this. To think that there was still beauty left for her after all. She barely registered the bloody battlefield outside the walls. It didn't matter. The glory of Regalia overpowered it, overwhelmed her. She would do anything to preserve its beauty.

The gate opened, and Ripred darted inside, gently nudging her off his back. "We need to evacuate the city to the Fount, Mareth," he growled to the nearest guard. "Send a runner for Lapblood, tell her to gather the gnawers. The cutters could attack at any moment. We need to organize a defense of the evacuation."

Mareth nodded, and gave a quick signal to one of the men behind him, who took off running. "How long before the Overlanders return?" he asked. "The city cannot defend itself against their weapons."

"Gregor and Luxa are going to blow up the entrance to buy us time," he growled. "Days, weeks, it remains uncertain. I've seen the likes of these Overlanders before. They'll be back. They won't be satisfied until we're all without light."

Mareth grimaced. "I don't know how we'll win this one."

"It's simple," Helena said in a rare moment of complete lucidity. "The Overlander public will never stand for the atrocities being committed down here. We need to tell them."

Mareth jolted slightly at the sound of her voice. "They don't already know?" Helena shook her head.

Ripred scratched his head with a long gnarly claw. "Makes sense. Government always contains the worst individuals."

"Aren't you a part of the government now?" Mareth asked wryly.

Ripred rolled his eyes. "No, but I'm bonded to it. A poor decision on my part." His eyes narrowed as his gaze turned back to her. "If we do inform the Overlander public about our world… won't that worsen the invasion? How will our world remain separate from theirs?"

Helena looked up towards the city with its glowing thousand lights. "You're right, they'll never leave you alone after this… but the killing will stop. The lights will remain."

Mareth and Ripred shared a look. "Alright, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Mareth said. "How do we inform their public?"

Helena opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a long, deep blast of a horn. It blew once, twice, and then a third time, longer than the other two. Mareth and Ripred froze.

"What is it?" she asked, shaking, her lucidity fading, because she already knew what it was in her heart of hearts.

"It's the cutters," Ripred said coldly. "They've come to finish what the Overlanders started."

…

Author's Notes

I am still following my original vision for the story with some slight modifications. My writing style has matured since I began this story, but I am trying to keep the feel/structure as consistent as possible. Thanks to all who have read and supported this story.