"And was that door barred when you were fighting those rats?" asked Luxa.
"No," admitted Gregor. If he had not waylaid them with the lamp, nothing would have stopped the rats from entering the palace. "But I didn't know they were there. I thought it would only be Ripred and the Bane."
"They are everywhere, Gregor," said Howard softly. And that's when Gregor knew how careless he had been. Howard didn't fly off the handle like Luxa. If he was concerned, there was a real problem.
"I always left the door unbarred during my lessons," said Gregor. "Vikus never told me different."
"Because he knew I was there and I wouldn't let anyone up to the palace. Lay off the warrior. Blame me, blame Vikus, if you want to blame someone," said Ripred.
"I blame you all," said Luxa.
"If you must. But it's not fair," said Ripred.
"It is not your city!" said Luxa.
"It may not be yours much longer, either, Your Highness, if such incompetents as Gregor and I do not choose to defend it!" snarled Ripred. "Or have you not kept up on your prophecies?"
"Your defense is no guarantee of anything, or have you not kept up on your prophecies?" retorted Luxa. "And finding you languishing in a pit does little to reassure me of your worth!"
"Stop!" Howard sprang to his feet. "You upset the children. You upset us all. You gain nothing by being at each other's throats."
Gregor looked around. Howard was right. Hazard and Boots stood by Temp, holding each other's hands tightly, worried looks on their faces. The bats were rustling their wings in agitation. Cartesian tossed in his sleep.
"Who are you again?" said Ripred to Howard.
Gregor thought the rat was just trying to be insulting. "Shut up, Ripred. You know who he is," he said.
"No, I actually don't," said Ripred.
"Oh. His name's Howard. He's Luxa's cousin. His dad runs the Fount," explained Gregor.
"Well, all I was going to say was that I thought Howard made a good point," said Ripred. "Fighting gains us nothing, Your Highness. We have much to do if we are to help your friends."
"I do not need your help, Ripred," said Luxa.
"I suppose you can take on the Bane's army yourself," said Ripred.
"The Regalian army will be here in a few days. They will free the nibblers," said Luxa.
"In a few days, there will be no nibblers left to free," said Ripred.
CHAPTER 20
The rat's comment was enough to make Luxa drop her hostile manner. "What do you mean?" she said.
"What do you think the Bane's doing out here, anyway?" asked Ripred.
"We heard him speak. He said he was driving the nibblers to a place from which there is no return," said Howard.
"And did he mention where that would be?" asked Ripred.
"Somewhere outside of the Underland," said Gregor uncertainly.
"In the Uncharted Lands," said Luxa.
"The nibblers could return from the Uncharted Lands. They would only have to retrace their steps," said Ripred. "My dears, there is only one place from which there is no return."
The rat waited while it sunk in.
"Death," Luxa whispered.
"So it would seem," said Ripred.
"Are you saying he means to kill them? All of them?" said Howard.
"That is the general idea, yes," said Ripred.
"But there are thousands of nibblers. They may allow themselves to be driven somewhere, but they will not lose their lives without a fight," said Howard. "How can he kill so many?"
"Now there you have me," said Ripred. "Nibblers are good fighters, when backed against a wall. They outnumber the gnawers here, I would guess, ten to one. It would be bloody, they would lose many lives, but they could overpower the Bane's forces now if they wished to. So, they must believe, as you did, that they are only being moved to a new home. That they are saving their lives by not resisting. But have no doubt about it. The Bane means to kill every last nibbler."
"So say I!" a raspy voice choked out. "So say I!"
They all turned to see Cartesian. He had rolled onto his stomach and was struggling to lift himself up on his front legs.
Howard hurried to his patient. "Easy now. I will give you something to help you heal." He removed the large green bottle and pulled the stopper.
"We must fight! This is not like the other times. The gnawers do not want this land by the Fount. The humans will not allow them to have it!" said Cartesian.
"Stop, Howard! Let him talk!" exclaimed Luxa. She ran over and kneeled by the mouse.
"He believes he is still at the Fount," said Nike.
"Yes," said Luxa. "Cartesian. Cartesian, I am Queen Luxa of Regalia."
"Oh, the good queen. The good queen," said Cartesian, calming a little. "Tell them, 'Fight now! Fight here by the Fount!'"
"I will tell them," said Luxa, running her hand down his back.
"I told them so, but few will take my side. Most believe the gnawers when they say they will only take us to other lands," said Cartesian. "Do not believe it!"
"No, I do not believe it. I believe you!" said Luxa.
"Why would the gnawers want this land by the Fount? You humans will not let them keep it," said Cartesian.
"Why would they want the jungle, either?" said Ripred. "No rat would live there by choice."
"So say I!" said Cartesian, and then his fevered eyes locked on Ripred and he went wild at the sight of the rat. "Where are the others? Where are the others?" He bared his teeth at Ripred and tried to attack. Cartesian's broken leg crumpled beneath him. "Where are the others?" he demanded.
"Now might be a good time for that medicine," said Ripred.
"Where are the others?" shrieked the mouse.
Howard quickly dosed Cartesian before he could really lose control. Within a few minutes, the mouse went limp.
Cartesian's words had given Gregor insight into the rats' invasion of the nibbler colony. The mice had argued then, about whether to fight the rats or go quietly. And Cartesian's side had lost. Gregor bet it was Cartesian who had scratched the scythe into the cave wall.
"So, you can believe me and your nibbler friend there, or you can continue to console yourselves with the idea that the nibblers are going to some lovely new life somewhere," said Ripred.
Gregor thought of the baby mice, the twisted bodies beneath the cliff, the Bane's speech. "No, I can't. We've got to find the mice and warn them. Can you travel?" he asked Ripred.
"Yes. I'm a bit stiff, but give me a few miles and I'll loosen up," said the rat.
"I have not agreed to let you join us," said Luxa.
"Fly on ahead, then," said Ripred. "You may miss me when you reach your destination."
A line appeared between Luxa's eyes as she pondered what to do.
"It is better to bend a little than to break, Cousin," said Howard. "We do need him. Let him pay off his debt to you."
"Yes, let me make things even between us," said Ripred.
"I will not be taking orders from you," Luxa snapped at the rat. "You will be following mine."
Ripred shrugged. "Fine. I have given enough orders for a lifetime. You make the plans. Of course, if you'd like my advice at a given moment, don't hesitate to ask."
"Let us go forward, then," said Luxa. "Keep to the gnawer's pace."
They climbed back on the bats and took off, flying at Ripred's running speed. The rat made pretty good time given that he'd been confined to a pit for several weeks.
Gregor was preoccupied with the nibblers. How could the rats kill them all? Drive them off a cliff maybe, like they had in Hades Hall? Drown them? He was pretty sure the mice could swim. Starve them? That seemed like a popular choice in the Underland. Or maybe they would try to infect them with a plague....
After about half an hour Gregor looked down and realized that Ripred really needed a break. He was panting hard and foaming slightly at the mouth. Gregor knew the rat would be too obstinate to ask to stop.