Chapter 1: Bond
"Five goals!" Henry shouted, raising a fist high. "Ares, we are dominating them!"
The huge black bat's expression showed little, but his heart surged. Aurora and Luxa possessed astonishing agility, and they often scored more goals than any other bonded pair. But today, it was as if all possible factors aligned. Henry had a new, almost manic energy of late, and Ares experimented with a bold flying style suggested by his bond. The arena was too small to really push his advantage in raw speed… but with just a little bit of bullying, his size could still be decisive. As often as possible, he kept his vast wings at full extension, even as he whirled and dived and corkscrewed. Of all the fliers on Aurora's team, only Gaia could compare to Ares in wingspan, and even she balked at his approach. They all scattered before him, fearing that he might just be wild enough to crash into them. In truth, he was far more cautious than he appeared, carefully tracking the exact positions of all eleven other bats. He wouldn't actually risk a collision. But he, and especially his bond, had such a reputation for rebellious, reckless whims, the others feared them. As he spun and twisted, Ares' wings denied safe access to a significant fraction of the total airspace. While his opponents overreacted, maintaining a greater distance than needed, Ares gave his bond many opportunities to take possession of the ball.
"Careful, Ares," Aurora squeaked in the flier tongue. "If you break your fool neck, or worse, someone else's , Luxa and I will never forgive you."
He wanted to reassure her… but that would spoil the entire strategy.
Diving for the ball, bursting his wings out to their full spread, and dropping speed dramatically, Ares forced both teams to scatter. Henry snatched the ball with playful ease, and faked a yawn as he scored.
The crowd went wild.
Few deeply respected Ares, but with Henry, the two could at least provide excellent entertainment.
With a precipitous drop, a turn so sharp it made Ares' head spin, and a roll tight enough Luxa had to hold on tight, Aurora dashed around Ares before he could accelerate again.
The Queen scored without even looking at the goal.
A low laugh escaped Ares, even as Henry audibly gritted his teeth. But then, relaxing again, the young man laughed too.
Luxa has scored four goals to our six, making the team totals thirteen to twenty. Henry is right. We are dominating.
Crius, Rhea, Epimetheus, and Gaia all tried to form up between Ares and the ball, leaving Aurora and Pollux to pursue it. At shouts from Gaia's bond, the four running interference accepted the risk of obstructing the black giant.
But with two thirds of the opposing team devoted to countering Ares alone, the rest of his team could mob the ball. Soon, all devolved into wild chaos, and Ares boldly barged through the center. Henry jumped straight up, grabbing the ball out of the air, and for just a moment Ares' heart raced. But he managed to slow enough to catch his bond… who promptly scored his seventh goal of the game.
While Luxa shook her head in disbelief, and all six bats on her team glared, the crowd again went wild.
What a perfect day. The whole arena cheering for Ares and his bond, Nerissa's birthday feast planned for that evening, and all quiet on the gnawer borders, the world seemed as close to ideal as it could ever be.
The crowd gasped, and went silent.
Ares' echolocation revealed that several crawlers and two young humans had entered the arena from a small side tunnel. Coming about, he fixed his eyes on the newcomers.
Overlanders… both of them…
Stunned, Gaia's bond let the ball drop to the arena floor.
"Ball!" the littlest Overlander cried in purest delight. She slid off the crawler that had carried her into the arena, enthusiastically forced her way past the others, and toddled across the mossy ground toward the ball.
Ares' sharp ears caught one of the crawlers whispering, "Most graceful, the princess." It was so absurd he almost laughed again.
The older Overlander tried to run after the younger, but the crawlers had bunched up to better observe the little girl, barring the boy's path.
"Now there is a weakling," Henry whispered. "The lanky thing cannot even get past a few crawlers."
The ball bounced a second time, and the silly girl held her arms high as she awkwardly tried to chase it. Luxa whispered instructions, Aurora dived for the ball, and the boy on the ground must have assumed she intended to attack the toddler. "Boots!" he screamed, which must be some esoteric Overland curse.
The younger Overlander knew no fear. "Bat!" she shouted happily.
Aurora's fur skimmed the girl's hand as she pulled up at the last moment. The game had paused at the arrival of Overlanders, and all kept their distance from the Queen. Whatever method she chose for introducing herself, no one else dared interfere.
In a show of grace, confidence, and smug pride, Luxa flipped down from Aurora as the golden bat rolled. She back-flipped twice, twisted around, and landed smoothly right in front of the gleeful little girl. She caught the ball before it could bounce a third time.
"Show-off," Henry whispered. "We must find a way to match her."
But Ares had his eyes on the older Overlander. The moment the spindly boy determined the little girl wasn't in danger, he'd switched from panic to easy calm. His strange clothing was sweaty from a long run, but his breathing wasn't especially heavy. Luxa's display should have daunted any child of the Overland, but this boy showed no sign of being intimidated. Though he was all skin and bones, he was a head taller than Luxa, and he held her gaze coolly.
"The fool does not know what is good for him," Henry said into Ares' ear. "My cousin will eat him alive."
But before she could, the little girl crashed fully into Luxa, almost knocking her down. "Ball?" she begged.
Luxa knelt, and held the ball out to the little girl. "It is yours if you can take it."
The toddler struggled, but she was no match for a trained swordsman's grip. Henry chuckled. "Weak, just like the boy."
Ares did not always see eye to eye with his bond. This was one of those times. He strongly suspected the boy had been blocked by the crawlers only because he did not wish to risk hurting them. And it seemed highly unfair to expect a child in a catch cloth to compete with an athletic eleven-year-old.
"You will have to be stronger or smarter than I am," Luxa said.
With an indecipherable exclamation, the tiny girl proceeded to jab Luxa in the eye.
Understandably, the lofty Queen of Regalia had not expected that level of impropriety, even from an Overlander of such a young age. She staggered back, reeling, and dropped the ball.
The little girl happily chased it down.
"I guess she's smarter," the strange boy said.
"Oh, it is inevitable," Henry whispered. "Luxa will destroy him."
Recovering, Luxa stared him down. "But not you. Or you would not say such things to a queen."
Surely, surely, this revelation would at last break the spirit of this calm, collected boy, to whom every sight and sound must be utterly alien.
It did not. "No, if I'd known you were a queen, I'd probably have said something a lot cooler."
"Cool-er?"
"Better," the boy said.
"I cannot make up my mind," Henry said quietly. "Is he stupid beyond all calculation, or is he merely a good actor, feigning courage he does not possess?"
Ares barely heard the words. His mind was fixed on the fascinating boy on the ground.
"I will forgive it as you are not knowing," Luxa said, very much the granddaughter of Vikus in that moment. "What are you called, Overlander?"
Straightening to his full height, the boy answered, "My name's Gregor."
Author's Note:
Expect seven more chapters, some of which will be significantly longer.
This is the official beginning of my "Underland Illuminated" series, both in terms of Chronology and recommended reading order. It will ultimately include at least 16 stories, 6 of which are already completed and posted at the time of this chapter's writing. Previously, I wrote my Underland works in the order the ideas came to me. I plan to write the remaining stories in intended reading order, noting whenever the next one has already been posted. I recently got over a fairly major illness, but I benefited greatly from all the rest, re-centering, and personal reflection. I hope that my writing can flow swiftly and smoothly, and that you enjoy this journey with me, though the road will often be dark.