Gregor and the Prophecy of Death (Book 7)

Chapter 21

Skeletons over skeletons over skeletons.
The Arch of Tartarus.

Just as Gregor had remembered it but more. Of course there were more skeletons. Of course the aftermath of the war would decompose. And of course it still made Gregor uncomfortable.

They set up 'camp' on a less bony area. After a very short dinner, Gregor decided to go check up on Boots who had been with Hazard the whole trip.

"Hey Boots. How are you doing?" Gregor asked sitting down beside her.

"It's fine I guess. Hazard's really nice," she said.

"Yea he is. How are you getting along with Temp?" Gregor asked.

"Apart from the roach part, I like him. He seems to already know a lot about me though," Boots replied.

"You were really close," he paused. "Can you promise to make and effort to talk to him?"

"Yea of course. Can you promise me something too?" shale asked him, suddenly becoming serious.

"What is it?" Gregor asked her.

"Could you promise... to save me? Make sure I don't die?" Boots asked him.

Gregor held out his pinky. "I promise."

Boots returned the gesture and they both crossed the middle and index finger on the hand with their pinkies hooked doing their special pinky promise.

Gregor sat the rest of the meal with Boots and Temp who had joined them. He and Temp caught up while they told Boots about the good parts of his past time in the Underland. Most of the time though Gregor's thoughts shifted to Lizzie and Hazard who he saw from the corner of his eye eating together. Despite all that was happening the time they both spent together seemed to make them happy. It made him think of he and Luxa during the war. What if they ended up like that? Separated because of their circumstances. Having to sacrifice each other's lives? Gregor's thoughts were washed away from fatigue that overcame him and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Lizzie POV

By the end of dinner I could see that Gregor had already fallen asleep. Typical Gregor. I spent all of dinner with Hazard, who despite ignoring me, seemed happy to be talking to me. I was happy talking with him too. After dinner, Ripred told us that we were both going to be keeping watch for the night and sleeping on the bats while everyone walked.

So now I lay next to Hazard on my back, hands behind my head staring into the dark abyss above us. Somehow, I had landed myself a night alone with Hazard. I told myself not to get excited about it though. At the moment Hazard was definitely way more confusing than the other guys I've talked to. One second he doesn't want to talk to me. The next he's blushing and then acting like my best friend.

We lay in silence for an hour before Hazard spoke up. "I really don't think it's a coincidence at this point."

"What?"

"Us," he began. He turned his head to look at me then turned back to the darkness. "We're always together. It's like what Vikus said to Gregor. Intertwined destinies."

I stayed silent for a while. What was that even supposed to mean? We're meant to be together? "So you mean fate?"

"Yes I think. Is that what you say in the Overland?" he asked.

"Yea," I said although my mind was lost I thought. He thought we were being put together by fate? So he likes me? Or has feelings for me? Or means it in a completely different way.

"In what way?" the question that had been going around my head spilled out of my mouth as barely a murmur without control.

"What?" Hazard asked.

"I just said... in what way did you mean by fate," I said.

"I don't know. Maybe because of the prophecy. Or it was part of Gregor's intertwined destiny that we're re intertwined. Or...," he paused.

"Or what?" I asked with a yawn.

He turned his head away from the darkness and looked into my eyes that were already staring at him.
"Or in a completely different way," I heard him softly whisper. I didn't reply already being overcome by sleep. Hazard kept staring into my eyes until they began to close. The last thing I remembered seeing was his hand reaching out towards me, and feeling my hair being pushed out of my face.