Chapter 2: The Ironheart's Warrior

"Again!"

At Solovet's order, Gregor advanced, crossing blades with Perdita, York, Horatio, and Marcus. Together, the four champions were too much for him, but he still made them earn it. Solovet nodded in approval. The boy met York's overwhelming strength with sidesteps and glancing deflections. Against Perdita's speed and precision, Gregor kept his guard tight and close. And the boy blended these tactics against the more balanced strengths of Solovet's personal guards. Gregor landed light taps to the armor of both York and Marcus before Perdita's blade rapped his helmet.

"Again!"

This time, Gregor changed things up, aggressively targeting Perdita. For all the Captain's exquisite skill and vicious speed, she could not match the budding rager. But in his focus on the elite Perdita, Gregor's guard dropped. He managed to land a touch on Horatio just as the flat of York's broadsword caught the boy in the side. Howard's father wasn't especially good at holding back, and the blow threw the boy to the ground. "You… are… awesome," Gregor gasped, slowly rising and picking up his sword. "Also: ouch."

"His left side is noticeably weak," Solovet observed. "Do you agree, Mareth?"

"Compared to his right? Of course. It is a marvel that one so young, even a rager, can face the four best fighters in our army while his left hand contributes nothing."

"Might we double arm him?"

"Wise. But I doubt a second sword would be best. He so favors his right hand. If he tried to wield a sword in his left, his overall precision might diminish."

Solovet pondered. "To the warrior give my blade." For centuries, all believed that would mean the sword. But just in case, the prophet's dagger should also go to the one that must save the Underland.

She stepped forward, drew her own dagger, and presented Gregor with the hilt. "By your bold and aggressive advice that we send more strength to the Firelands, hundreds of my soldiers were saved." And my granddaughter is now far from danger. "This dagger was forged to match the sword you carry, and it is said neither blade may perish unless their rightful owner wishes it. I rarely battle now, but in your hands this weapon may come to the best use. May both blades find the Bane's flesh."

Gregor stared in awe and desire at the weapon, while the others marveled. Long ago, this dagger gave Ripred his scar, but no one else still living had ever touched Solovet's prized weapon, which traditionally belonged to the General of the Regalian Army. She knew no better way to demonstrate her trust in this young champion.

Nearby, Ajax, Euripides, Chthonius, and Gaia were drilling Ares at better safeguarding his vast wings. Against the Bane, who had such great reach, he couldn't afford to fly as recklessly as he did in the Firelands. And with nibblers estimating that the Bane weighed roughly two tons, Ares would have no chance of escape if the monster got a grip on him.

Ripred arrived. "Let's see that spin again."

Though Gregor occasionally forgot about the marvelous dagger in his left hand, the difference in his defense was immediate and impressive. While spinning, Gregor held his own against all four champions, though at first he made no effort to strike back. Many of the onlooking nibblers began to cheer. But Ripred did not.

"Whoa! No wonder you puked your guts out in the Firelands!" Ripred strode in, broke Gregor's guard, and tackled him. "With that novice technique, you're guaranteed to make yourself sick."

"Do you wish to take over?" Solovet asked.

"For now. And I'll see if I can finally pound echolocation into his head."

"Very well. For now, the rest of us will see to duties of greater scale."

Mareth oversaw the administration and defense of the Arena, which had been converted to temporary housing for the nibblers. Lenwen and Marian oversaw the refugees still in the Firelands, and the airlift relocating the mice to Regalia. Perdita and York flew off to rejoin their divisions in full strength reconnaissance missions, skirmishing with rats whenever they had superior numbers or striking their supply caches.

When Solovet's party reached the High Hall, she dispatched Ajax, Demeter, and Artemis to fetch supplies and return to the Firelands. For now, her efforts would focus on the planning in the war room, and their bonds were needed with the airlift. Sixty fliers had lost their bonds in the Firelands, but they alone were far too few to ferry so many nibblers to safety. Any soldier who could perform useful duties on the ground needed to free up their bond to assist. Even Vikus contributed Euripides to the endeavor.

Days passed, with Solovet losing herself in the minutia of logistics, troop positioning, and checking in on the Code Team. She accepted Gregor's advice that any contribution from Boots would likely be a whimsical remark or inspirational flight of fancy, thus she need not actively engage with the Code itself. It was enough that she be present and amused, so Solovet assigned Temp, Dulcet, and Lucent to keep the girl entertained.

Meanwhile, the boy trained. Hard. With Ares pushing himself to the limit in the airlift, Gregor pushed his own body with dedication that impressed even Horatio and Marcus. If he was to die, he would ensure it mattered. Two of Lieutenant Lenwen's sons sent their fliers to join the airlift, and acted as Gregor's training partners. Kleave accompanied him on a ten mile jog each day, Trent guided him through hours of daily weight training, and both observed his vicious sparring sessions with Ripred. The boy's appetite burned like a furnace, and he ate more than Trent and Kleave together. Mareth ensured the boy didn't push hard enough to hurt himself, and ordered him to sleep nine hours a night.

Solovet allowed herself only five. But she wasn't a young boy trying to dramatically strengthen his body in a very short time. Her stratagems, orders, insights, and analysis were what mattered, not her health.

Twice, Gregor asked that his mother be sent back to the Overland. Both times, Solovet politely refused, claiming she was too sick to travel. She trusted Gregor's loyalty, and his courage, but even the best soldiers could benefit from additional motivation. While Grace remained in Regalia, her son would drive himself to greatness that the city may stand. It also did the boy good to be able to speak with his mother from time to time. He dared not tell her much, but Solovet saw what it meant to him. The warrior expected to die soon. Planned to die soon. But with his mother, he could briefly feel just a little like a child.

At Ripred's suggestion, Gregor began doing much of his strength training in total darkness, and he ate and slept in the dark too. More than ever, Gregor was determined to master echolocation. Solovet began to regret not accepting Ripred's advice years earlier. If her soldiers trained in that skill, they would be less dependent on torches, and they could be free of all interaction with the infuriating shiners.

The tides of war ebbed and flowed. Skirmishes frequently went in Regalia's favor, but from time to time a squadron would never report back, or a larger conflict resulted in many casualties. With Ripred acting as her chief advisor, Solovet maintained control, and time marched slowly on.

Then, Hermes brought Lizzie to the Palace.

By the time Solovet received word, Ripred had already interfered. The girl was some sort of mathematical savant, and Ripred believed she was the princess. Solovet wasn't convinced, as this would mean the prophecies of Blood and Time referred to two different princesses. But for now, she would allow it, despite Gregor wanting Lizzie to return home as soon as possible. It helped the girl to be able to see her mother again for the first time in months. As for Grace, it was both good and bad. It distressed her to know that all of her children were now trapped in the Underland, but Doctor Twillen reported that Grace had missed the girl dearly.

Then, a morning came when a scout delivered a message… from the Bane.

Their armies were to meet on the field of battle tomorrow.

"Marcus, send word to my warrior. He is to cease his morning run immediately, cancel his strength training entirely, and rest his body while practicing echolocation. Tomorrow, he must be in top form.

"Remember, Gregor, they still view you as a child." York leaned close, and met his eye. "Today, that will finally end. You will punish their scorn, and those that survive will not forget it."

Gregor nodded, then he looked out across the rat army. Gregor and Ares were positioned at the center of the first wave, with York and Horatio to their left, and on their right Perdita and Marcus. The five deadliest humans in the Underland, all marshaled and ready. Gregor stretched and flexed, pleased with the tension and power in his limbs. A few days of brutal training hadn't been enough to make him look different, but as the rager sensation thrummed through him, he could feel the difference.

"Now," Solovet whispered.

The front line took to the air, and Gregor drew both of his blades. His hands were steady, his heart rate tranquil. He would not die unless the Bane showed himself first.

At a signal Gregor couldn't hear, the line dived. Gregor and Ares had been part of the planning session for this battle, and the first wave included all of the best soldiers available. They needed a moment of shock and awe, which the champions could immediately exploit.

Limbs flew and faces tore as the most elite soldiers of Regalia dealt heavy losses in their very first dive. The five champions in particular unleashed slaughter, with each of them killing at least two rats. General Skull started roaring orders in the gnawer language, and Commander Nipswift joined in, as the enemy leaders tried to maintain order in the face of the opening morale blow.

This just made it easier to pick them out.

According to the true plan, Gregor's kill team whirled, breaking away from the formation just as the second wave struck. With so many wings filling the air, the enemy was too slow to react to a formation of only five bats.

Gregor's sword took Commander Nipswift in the back of the neck, Perdita ran General Skull through, and York split Commander Grime's head down the middle. Horatio left Commander Fourclaw paralyzed, and Marcus killed two gnawers that tried to avenge their officers.

Barely thirty seconds since battle was joined, and every high-ranking rat on the battlefield lay dead or helpless. Gregor's squad reformed, and together they dived into the heart of the rat army, that was already dissolving into chaos. They hacked and stabbed with vicious aggression, except for York, who held his enormous sword straight out, allowing his flier to essentially wield it for him. For every rat that tried to bring down the formation of champions, three others scrambled to get out of their way. At a command from Solovet, everyone disengaged and climbed, just in time for the third and fourth waves to fly low focusing their attacks on the rats that maintained discipline and tried to fight.

Then, Ajax flew over the battlefield. And he didn't have Solovet on his back.

Ripred dropped down from the big bat, landing in the center of the rat army, and bellowed a challenge. Gregor, Perdita, York, Horatio, and Marcus soon joined him.

For a few brief, intensely bloody minutes, rats surged against the small, ultra-elite team, while hundreds of bats whirled and their bonds attacked from above.

Then the rats broke.

Gregor's sword, dagger, and armor all dripped blood.

None was his own.

Ajax returned, this time with Solovet, and she didn't waste time commending them. "Take Commander Fourclaw alive. Treat her gently, but inform her that she will only be fed if she cooperates." She raised her voice for all to here. "Next time, they will be better prepared, and more numerous. But with so many of their best officers dead, we can hope the Bane will be harder for his advisors to control. If he rashly takes to the field, I believe our warrior is ready."

Her words and tone were confident, with no hint of worry or regret. But her eyes were fixed on Gregor. He saw a hint of gentleness there. Once again, if their plans had the best possible outcome… Gregor's time would soon run out.