Gregor and the New Race

Chapter 7

The two bats glided through the air toward the stone city. As the light from the city grew nearer, Abigail gasped as she saw the black and white striped bat she was riding. Upon seeing the bat, she instantly tensed up again.
"Look up" Gregor told her pointing over her shoulder at the illuminated city. Another gasp escaped her lips.
"Where are we?" She asked slowly,
wonder filling her voice.
"We are in the underland, and that's the city of Regalia." He said. It had been a long time since had had seen the city, and nostalgia instantly filled his his heart.
"Woah." Harry said from behind him. "Are we going there?"
"Apparently." Gregor responded, but he wasn't sure why they were. Gregor thought maybe rats had kidnapped Abby and taken her somewhere, but when he had seen her on Nike, he hadn't thought about why she was there. Gregor looked behind him to see the two adults riding a large grey bat. Their faces were bright with fascination, as they gazed upon the city.
The bats glided down to the High Hall. There were a few underlanders staring up at them, but one of them Gregor recognized immediately. He was leaning on a cane, and a half smile was on his face as he watched the two bats fly down.
"Vikus!" Gregor exclaimed.
"Gregor the Overlander. It is good to see you again!" He replied as they landed. "I see you have brought more friends than I anticipated." He said with a glance at the other Overlanders, whose faces were almost as pale as his own.
"Who are they?" Asked Abby.
"They are the underlanders. They live down here." He replied, beginning to get tired of answering their questions. As soon as they touched ground, Gregor hopped off and ran to the old man. He hugged him gently, not wanting to hurt him or knock him over. They separated and watched as the four friends literally fell of their bats. They all quickly walked over to where Gregor stood, receiving strange looks from the nearby underlanders.
"Gregor, where in the world are we?" Dr. Nyles asked. Gregor suppressed a smile as the the doctor turned to him for answers.
"Under it. We are in the underland. This city is Regalia, and this is Vikus." Gregor replied.
"Greetings. I must admit, I had not been expecting you all. I sent two flyers to catch two Overlanders. The girl, and Gregor." Vikus told them.
"You sent the..the...the rat after me?" Abigail asked, trembling with fear and anger. Gregor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at the old man for explanation.
"Well yes. Ripred was there to bring the girl to the Waterway." He said as if it was a minor detail.
"Yes. Bring her. Scare her. Same thing I suppose if it did the job." A rough voice came from a nearby wall. Ripred was leaning against a wall. "Hello, Gregor. The pup didn't tag along this time?" He asked. Gregor smiled. He was happy to see his old mentor again. However, his friends were not. They looked as if they had seen a ghost and their skin was as pale as one.
"Not this time. Wasn't really expecting to pay a visit." He replied.
"Yes. Well things rarely work out the way you hope in the underland." Gregor knew that much. The underland was full of surprises. And there was no shortage of surprises for the four Overlanders as they gazed at the large rat.
"Gregor, I'm scared. I want to go home. Please take me home!" She pleaded, yanking on Gregor's arm. The other three nodded in agreement. Gregor looked to Vikus. Gregor didn't really want them there either. He figured that Vikus had taken Abigail to lure Gregor down as he had done with boots, but he saw no reason in keeping them there any longer.
"That can be arranged shortly. However, wouldn't you prefer to dine and bathe before you go?" Vikus asked with a smile.
"Uh, no. not really." Harry's father replied, speaking for the four. Vikus frowned slightly.
"I am sorry to inconvenience you all. However, our flyers are tired from carrying the five of you. They must rest before you return. You may stay here if you please, but we would be more than happy if you would dine with us." Vikus replied, and he said it with such friendliness that they agreed and followed him out the door of the High Hall.

As they followed Vikus, Gregor made his way to the front and walked beside his old friend. Ever since he had returned to the underland, one thing had been on Gregor's mind.
"Vikus, where's Luxa?" He asked. The old man looked at him and smiled.
"You haven't changed one bit, Overlander." He replied, avoiding the question.
"Vikus, I need to see her. Where is she?" He didn't want to sound rude, but he needed to know.
"To be truthful, I do not know. I have not seen her yet today. I don't believe anyone has. Aurora is missing as well. I do not doubt that she will be back soon, however." He said, finally answering his question. Gregor was pretty sure he knew where she was.
"Does she know I'm here?" Gregor asked, but realized it was probably a stupid question. Luxa has become queen after the council had been killed in the war. If anybody should know, it should be her.
"Actually, no. She does not. Ripred and I planned on bringing you down, and decided not to tell her. Being queen, especially in times like these, she cannot be burdened with distractions." He said. Gregor didn't know what he meant by "distractions", and the man anticipated his next question. "It is of no use to keep your arrival hidden from her any longer, as you are already here, but I ask you to first dine with us before visiting her." Gregor was fascinated that Vikus knew his thoughts even before he spoke them. He knew that Gregor knew where Luxa was, and he knew that Gregor wouldn't be willing to wait for her to return to see her.
"Okay, but I'm not really hungry." He replied.
"Then perhaps you would bathe instead?" Vikus suggested. Gregor agreed and turned to his friends.
"Follow Vikus. He will take care of you guys. These people don't know a lot about the overla- the surface, so try and be polite. I'm going to go take a shower," He decided to use the term "shower", even though they used bathtubs in the underland. "And I'll see you guys soon. Don't worry. We'll get you home quickly."
"Wait! You're leaving us with these...human-type-people?" Harry asked in a concerned whisper.
"I don't think so. You are not leaving my sight." Dr. Nyles said sternly, but Gregor could tell that he wanted Gregor to stay more than he didn't want him to leave. Gregor didn't want to argue, but thankfully Vikus defended him.
"Don't worry. Gregor is very capable of defending himself. Much better than much of us who are taught to fight from a very young age." Vikus told them.
"And don't worry, I'll be back before you guys finish dinner." Gregor said, and turned around quickly found his way to a bathroom, and bathed. Then, after getting dressed, he almost ran to the High Hall. He entered and saw Ripred gnawing on a fish bone. Gregor scanned the room, but quickly realized sadly that he no longer had a bond. Ripred seemed to read his mind.
"I know where you want to go. I'll take you." He said.
"But how do you—" Gregor began.
"We're bonds. Remember?" He cut him off. "C'mon, I know a shortcut." Gregor followed the rat out the city, and through various tunnels that Gregor had never been in. Ripred stopped at the mouth of a cave.
"Follow this cave, and it'll lead you to the place." He said, and then turned to leave.
"Thanks, Ripred." Gregor said.
"No problem" he replied.
Gregor walked through the tunnel until he got to the place where he knew she was. He took a deep breath before entering. He walked into the cave, and immediately spotted her. She was sitting on a rock next to Aurora. Her hair was tied behind her in an elegant braid. Her crown lay loosely on top of her head, and her violet eyes sparkled. Luxa looked up when he entered, and when she saw him, she smiled.