Gregor hadn't heard anything but a bunch of people yelling.
"Oh, man!" He pounded on the door with his fist. "Let me out of here! I want to talk to Vikus!" There was no response. He gave up pretty soon since it really hurt to hit the stone door.
He turned back to Ares. "So, treason, huh? That's great. What happens if we're found guilty? We get banished or something?"
"No, Overlander," said Ares. "The punishment for treason is death."
CHAPTER 25
"Death?" It took Gregor a moment to register. "You mean...they're going to kill us for not killing the Bane?"
"If it is determined that it was a treasonous act," said Ares.
"And who decides that?" Gregor asked, hoping it was Vikus.
"A tribunal of judges. The final sentence must be approved by the queen," said Ares.
"Well, Luxa isn't going to let them —" he started. Then he remembered that Nerissa was queen now. No telling what she would do. "Would Nerissa let them kill us?"
"I do not know. I have not seen her since I allowed her brother to fall to his death," said Ares. "I could not face her."
Gregor slid down the wall and sat clumsily on the ground, overwhelmed. He had risked so much, lost so much for these people, and now they were going to kill him?
"I am sorry, Overlander. I should not have brought you back to Regalia. I should have foreseen this would be a possibility," said Ares. "This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault," said Gregor.
"I thought there was a very good chance we would be banished, but then I could have flown you home. I am as good as banished, anyway, so what matter? But treason...I did not think they would take it this far. They have never put an Overlander on trial before, and certainly not one so young." Ares began to rock back and forth. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Gregor. "I cannot let this happen! I have already lost one bond; whatever his intentions, it does not change the fact that I let Henry die. I will not lose the Overlander, I will not let him be — wait! I have a plan!" Ares turned to Gregor, his eyes darting around as the plan took shape. "I will tell them that this was all my idea. That I would not let you kill the Bane... I...I...stole your sword...yes! That will work because you came home without one. And then I forced you to take the Bane to Ripred because I am in a league with the rats. They will believe this...I am much hated and deeply distrusted here already!"
Gregor stared at Ares in disbelief. Did Ares actually think he would agree to that? "I'm not going to let you do that! I mean, just the opposite happened. I'm the one who wouldn't kill the Bane and I'm the one who wanted to take it to Ripred. If anyone should be cleared, it's you."
"But it will not help me, Overlander. I will die no matter what. This is what they all want. We may still be able to save you. Think of your family," Ares pleaded.
Gregor did, and it was awful. First Boots, now him. But he couldn't throw Ares to the lions that way. His family wouldn't want him to lie and get Ares killed for something he'd done. "No," said Gregor.
"But you —" Ares began.
"No," said Gregor. "I'm not doing it, Ares."
"Then we will both die!" Ares said angrily.
"Then we will!" They sat there, both of them stewing for a minute. "So, how do they do it?" asked Gregor.
"You will not like it," said Ares.
"Well, probably not. But I'd rather know," said Gregor.
"They will bind my wings and your hands and drop us off a very high cliff to the rocks below," said Ares.
It was Gregor's recurring nightmare. For as long as he could remember he'd had terrible dreams about it. Falling through space...smashing into the ground...it was how Henry had died. And King Gorger's rats. He had heard their screams as they fell, had seen their bodies bursting open on the rocks.
For a moment, he was tempted to take Ares up on his offer. But he couldn't.
A small hatch at the base of the dungeon door swung open, and two bowls of food were pushed in. The hatch slammed shut.
It seemed impossible to eat at a time like this, but Gregor's stomach began to growl at the smell of food. "You want to eat?" he asked Ares.
"I suppose we should to keep up our strength," said the bat. "Some opportunity for escape may arise."
The bowls contained some kind of porridge and a chunk of bread. It wasn't the most exciting meal on earth, but after days of raw fish, it tasted great. Gregor wolfed his down and felt a little better. Just because they were accused of something didn't mean they'd been found guilty. Maybe when the tribunal heard his version of what had happened, they would understand. And then there was Nerissa...
"So no matter what the tribunal decides, Nerissa can keep us alive if she wants to?" asked Gregor.
"Yes, she can spare our lives. But Overlander, I let Henry die," said Ares.
"Yeah, but you know what she told me? She told me she thought it was best that he died. Because if he hadn't, everybody else would have died, too," said Gregor.
"Did she?" said Ares. "It must have taken many dark nights to come to that conclusion."
"Does she really see things? I mean, like the future?" said Gregor.
"Yes, she does. I have witnessed it. But she is young, and her gift is a torture to her. She sees many things she does not understand, and many things that frighten her. At times she doubts her own sanity," said Ares.
Gregor didn't respond to that. He wasn't convinced that she was sane, either.
The door swung open, and the guards stepped in. "It is time for your hearing," said the one in charge.
His hopes for escape dimmed when they bound his hands behind his back. Ares's wings were pinned against his body with a rope. It was like they were already being prepared for the execution. All they needed was the cliff.
Several guards hoisted Ares onto their shoulders and marched off briskly. Gregor followed behind as they retraced their steps up several flights from the dungeon and then veered off to another part of the palace.
They entered a room that was set up for judgment. This was not the room where the Underlanders had threatened to banish Ares. It was more formal. More official. A long, stone table with three chairs sat at the front. "That's for the judges," Gregor thought. Directly behind the center chair, elevated by a platform was a throne. Off to the right, as you faced the table, was a stone cube with three steps going up to it. It was positioned so that not only the judges but anyone sitting in the seven tiers of seats that rose to the high ceilings could get a good view of it. The witness stand.
Every seat in the house was filled with either a bat or a human. They stared down at Gregor and Ares with undisguised hatred, but it was eerily quiet. It had almost been better when everybody was screaming and throwing stuff. Gregor was directed to an open area in front of the table. The guards set Ares down next to him. They stood staring at the empty table before them. Then there was the sound of more footsteps. Gregor turned his head and found Howard and Andromeda behind him. They were both bound and looked ragged.
"What are you doing here?" Gregor exclaimed.
"We, too, are on trial for treason," Howard said hoarsely.
"For what?" said Gregor. "You never even made it to the Bane!"
"That is precisely the reason," said Howard.
Then Gregor realized what he meant. Howard and Andromeda were on trial because they had not finished their mission; they had returned to Regalia with Mareth.
"But," objected Gregor, "I made you go back!"
"No one made me do anything," said Howard. "I came back of my own free will."
"Well, that's not what I'm saying," said Gregor. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the way his decision had jeopardized the lives of those who had fought by his side. He couldn't let this happen.