~ PANDORA

"The opening's about twenty yards ahead," Pandora whispered. She stopped walking forwards and the others followed her lead. "It curves sharply to the left and is directly behind her. From what I saw, it seems wide enough for you to fly through, Aurora."

"Hopefully we can maintain the element of surprise and kill her before the army can attack," Luxa whispered back.

"Just in case," Pandora countered, "Pan and I can follow you. He can hold back the army. All you'd need to focus on is the queen."

Aurora nodded. "That gives me a bit more peace of mind," she agreed. "To have someone watching our backs."

Luxa nodded. Her lips were pressed tightly together. Pandora had never seen her look nervous before. Was this it? Was she nervous?

"Luxa," Aurora said to her bond. "What is the matter?"

Regalia's queen looked at the scouts. "Could we have a moment, please?"

Matthias nodded. "Of course, your majesty," Heath said courteously. They both backed up further away from the opening.

Luxa waited a moment and then looked at Pan. "You too, Pan. If you don't mind."

"I don't at all," Pan whispered back, quietly fluttering backwards to join the scouts.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Pandora asked.

"I... I," Luxa stammered. "Aurora. We haven't practiced The Coiler in a long time. I don't know..." Luxa sighed. "Gregor defeated the Bane. Without much training at all. But he did not need training. He was a rager. What chance do Aurora and I stand against a similar opponent? Greater, even. The queen can control an army without even being on the battlefield."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Pandora furrowed her brow and jutted her head forward. "You're the Queen of Regalia!" Pandora motioned towards Luxa with both hands outstretched. "You have more courage in your little finger than I do in my entire body. Half of the things you do are purely acts of sheer will! You can do anything you set your mind to. You've been at the forefront of two wars, and you're only eighteen for God's sake! You're one of the greatest women I've ever known... and what? You're comparing yourself to some man who was born with a gift? Or curse? Whatever he thinks it is right now?" Pandora stopped ranting and took a deep breath. She was glad her voice stayed quiet.

"She is right, you know," Aurora said gently. "You never get flustered, Luxa. Take a deep breath. If things don't fall into place the first time, we always find a way to make it work."

"You're right. I'm not sure why I am overthinking," Luxa said. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I used to wake up and tell myself each day that it might be my last. And when I went to bed, I would be happy that I could cheat death another time. Everything is changing now. I don't think like that anymore."

Pandora perked up as if a lightbulb lit up above her head. "I've got something to add to the plan." Carefully and quietly, Pandora swung the backpack off one of her shoulders, unzipped it, and rifled around for the square bottle.

"What is it?" Luxa asked her.

"It's a little thing I'd like to call 'liquid death.' It's actually lighter fluid, but you know..."

"You'll pour that on her?" Aurora asked.

Pandora nodded. She pulled out the box of matches and put them in her back pocket. "Maybe it'll just slow her down, but I know it'll help kill her at least."

"This... may work," Luxa said, a bit of confidence returning to her voice.

"It will work," Aurora pressed. "I have faith."

"I do, too." Pandora turned to Pan and motioned for him to join back up with them.

"Are we ready to go?" Pan asked.

"We were born ready," Pandora said, riding on the high her little pep talk gave her. "Now let's light this queen on fire."

***

~ GREGOR

"How's it looking?" Gregor asked as he got closer to Mareth. The general was leaning over the wall and studying the cutter's army.

"See for yourself," he answered. Gregor looked with him, peering down at the mass of red bodies where farmland once stood. Although he knew he, Barend, and the rest of the winged soldiers took out hundreds, if not thousands, it seemed to barely make a dent. The cutters walked over the bodies of the fallen and got back to climbing the wall.

"When are you sending us out again?"

"I'm not," Mareth said. He walked towards the nearest pot of oil and Gregor followed. He could feel the heat coming off it already. Mareth shared a couple of words with a Regalian who was tightening knots that hooked the pot up to the lift-like contraption.

"What do you mean?" Gregor blurted. "After you pour the oil, we can light them on fire and go down there again. Maybe they'll start retreating."

"You and I both know they will not," Mareth said. "Not when they are so close."

"So, what're you gonna do now?"

"I am going to buy the palace a little more time." Mareth got up to his position and drew his sword, holding it up in the air as he had when he signaled the fliers and bonded soldiers to attack.

"Oil brigade, at the ready!" Lieutenants cried out along the wall.

Gregor stepped out of the way of the nearest team. Some were near the pot, ready to pour. The others held ropes, pulleys, and levers. It was then Gregor realized what the lift-like contraption was for. The oil was going to be poured over as much of the wall as possible, to keep the cutters off. Hopefully for good.

Gregor took a few extra steps away. "I hope the wall can handle being engulfed in flames," Gregor commented while shaking his head.

Mareth held firm in his position. "You and I both."

Sword slashing through the air, Gregor held his breath as the oil brigade teams worked together to slowly pour the oil and spread it across their section of the wall. Skirting around the groups, Gregor made his way back towards Mareth to see what would happen. To Gregor, it seemed to be a brilliant tactic, but how would the cutters react?

A few members of the red army seemed to recognize what was going on, and they climbed back down the wall and away from the bottom. Some were too late to escape the liquid.

"Torch!" Mareth yelled.

A human riding on a flyer took off from the side of the wall, carrying a torch. In a brilliant arc, he tossed it into the air and as it bounced off the side of the wall, flames expanded outwards until the entire side of the wall was ablaze. Gregor shrunk away from the wall as an intense heat creeped up.

"What now?" Gregor asked Mareth.

The general turned to Gregor and shook his head. "We retreat. It is time for the next phase of the plan," he said in a low voice before turning to a group of soldiers on the wall near him and shouting, "to the palace!"

Many soldiers acknowledged Mareth's command with a shout, and a few passed on his order to their comrades farther away. Soon, everyone was on their way off the top of the wall. Farmers made it to the lifts. Spinners invited a few to cling to a web as they slowly made their way down the side and into the city. Fliers had groups of others climb onto their backs before taking off towards the palace.

"Let's finish this," Gregor said to Barend as he climbed on. He waited as a few farmers got on behind him, returning their appreciative nods for sharing a ride.

"To the final stronghold of the city," Barend said as he took off. He coasted over most of Regalia and weaved his way to behind the palace. Landing on the even plain, Gregor could hear the sound of rushing water coming from somewhere but was confused. There was no water around.

"On the other side of the rock," Barend said to him, as if knowing exactly what he was thinking about. "The earthquake changed its course, bringing this waterfall closer to Regalia than before. Our scouts say it builds up behind that wall."

The farmers disembarked. Gregor and Barend returned the farmers' sentiments as they thanked the bat for the short trip to the scene of the next battle. Hopefully, Gregor thought, the last one.

He spotted Ripred and his troops nearer to the wall Barend had pointed out. Gregor didn't know if the cutters made another attempt to enter the city through the arena, but he was glad the troops held firm and made it to the next part of the plan.

Barend met with a few troops from both the wall and the arena. Gregor looked towards Mareth, who was busy talking to his lieutenants. Ripred joined them, probably briefing them on what happened at the arena. Gregor decided not to join as they all waited for the remaining troops to make it through the city.

"Do you think Queen Luxa will finally fight alongside us all?" Barend asked Gregor as he walked back over to join him.

"What do you mean?" Gregor asked.

"I thought she was fighting at the arena," Barend said. "But she wasn't at either battle."

"Oh," Gregor said, completely forgetting that no one knew Luxa was away from Regalia. "Uh... I'm sure she and Mareth planned everything out. Or maybe he's forcing her to stay behind. If I know Luxa, she'd never miss being in the middle of the action."

"For a queen who talks nothing more than peace between the creatures, you do paint her to be much more like Solovet than Vikus," the bat said. Was that disdain dripping off his voice?

"She's... an interesting character," Gregor said nervously. He frowned, looked down at his armor, and busied himself with tightening the gauntlets on his forearms. Gregor wanted to stand up for Luxa and Vikus, but that would probably mean he would spill their secret before it was time. Gregor had promised not to say a word about the mission; he might have come up with idea, but it was Mareth's plan to share.

The general split ways with his lieutenants and Ripred, walking towards the middle of the area. The lieutenants spread out and called for the attention of all the soldiers, and with a few shouts, the different conversations happening around Gregor were silenced. Mareth was about to speak.

Mareth waited a moment more before opening his mouth to speak to the soldiers. "The fires have no doubt died down, and the cutters are surely making their way through the city. Either they will follow the retreating soldiers, or the crawlers stationed throughout the buildings will funnel them here without giving them a choice. Scouts have found the Waterway's course to be altered by the recent earthquake, and we are using this to our advantage!"

Mareth paused before continuing, turning to look at the crowd of creatures gathered around. "How many of you have been driven out of your homes?" A few soldiers shouted in response. "How many of you have had little to eat?" A few more joined the cry. "How many of you stand here because you worry about your family?" Even more joined in. "It is time to end the fear, the terror, and the worry! Our powerful and brave leader, Queen Luxa, is on her way to end the cutter's tyranny as we speak." The shouts rose up once more, but they seemed to carry more of a pleasantly surprised tone with it, rather than anger. "And with the dying screams of the cutter's queen will come a new era of peace and tranquility. For now, this battle in our city is far from over! We will drive the cutters there," Mareth pointed at the rock wall behind him, about fifty yards away. "On the other side of that wall is a section of the Waterway that diverts and cascades powerfully down. Soldiers, be prepared to draw the army as close to the rocks as you can. Fliers, be prepared to dive for our troops who put themselves in harm's way. When I give the signal, we will trigger an explosion to send these rocks crashing down, and we will sweep the cutters out of Regalia on the current of the very thing that gives this city its life. Everyone, get ready!"

Mareth asked the fliers to gather, and Barend prepared himself to join them.

"I take back what I said about our queen," Barend said. "It seems even someone as spineless as the shiners can grow a backbone."

Gregor turned to look at the flyer with his brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to say something back, but the large grey bat fluttered his wings and made his way towards the group Mareth was gathering. What Barend said thoroughly confused him. Gregor was sure the other Underland creatures didn't know Luxa as well as he, but not to the point where they thought Luxa was some soft-bellied pacifist! What about the war with the gnawers? She had been on every quest, whether she was invited to or not, save for the time everyone thought she was dead.

Gregor watched as the fliers allowed groups of crawlers to climb onto their backs, and they all flew up to the High Hall.

"Now that's something you don't see every day," Ripred commented. He had moved closer to Gregor and was also looking up at the fliers and crawlers.

"What're they doing?" Gregor asked.

"Mareth knows the cutters will no doubt climb the palace as well as charge around it to get to us. The crawlers will help defend the openings into the palace by forming moving barricades. They can also warn the guards and have anyone fit to fight inside the palace report to the hallways that lead to the High Hall, as a precaution. The fliers will stay up there to signal us when the army is close, and then it gives them the momentum they need to rescue our soldiers as quickly as possible."

"I can't believe so many are putting themselves in harm's way," Gregor thought out loud.

Ripred shook his head and shrugged. "They'll do whatever they can to protect their home and stop the cutters. If they weren't willing to lay their lives on the line, they wouldn't have stepped forward to join the fighting in the first place."

Gregor turned to look at the scarred rat. "Do you think a lot of the creatures hate Luxa?"

Ripred let out a short laugh. "Hate her? She's forgiven most of them and has managed to come up with many smart decisions in her reign. They all love that little brat."

"Except for the small group who tried to kill her," Gregor said. "Vikus told me all about that little incident."

"Ah, yes the rebels," Ripred growled. "They're all just a bunch of gnawer-hating war mongers. After those involved in the assassination attempt got what they deserved, the rest of them have thought twice about acting on their beliefs." Ripred's ear twitched, and he looked up towards the High Hall again. "They're coming."

"If we need to funnel them towards that spot in the rocks, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinking about shrimp in cream sauce?" Ripred asked, turning to look back at Gregor.

"What? No! How can you think about that right now?"

"I'm hungry."

"No. I was thinking we could each position ourselves on either side of the palace wall and make the cutters go between us, so they follow the troops into the water. We saw at the arena how they'd rather avoid us."

"Can you handle more than six at a time? They won't be funneling through here as they did at there," Ripred said.

"I don't know. Probably. It's a good time to find out." Gregor shrugged. "That's the best plan I have."

Ripred smiled. "You best start counting. The record is four hundred to one."

Gregor rolled his eyes but started to get ready to fight again. He pulled his sword and dagger from their hilts and walked over to the other side of the palace wall, far away from Ripred. If the cutters were about to round the building, or just climb up and over it, he was going to be ready to fight them at all costs.

What if the wall was thicker than the scouts thought? What if blasting the rocks didn't do anything except squash Regalia's few remaining fighters?

There he went... thinking about "what if's" again. Ripred would have found it annoying and dreadfully boring. The plan was in action, there was no way to change it now. What was bound to happen was going to happen, and Gregor would just have to pick up the pieces and make decisions on the fly if it came down to it.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could hear the drumming of thousands of feet heading for them. It was time. Sensing the cutters rounding the corner, he knew what he was about to do.

Gregor was able to clear his mind of all worry and fear. He opened his eyes, targeted the closest member of the red army, and started to spin.

***

~ PANDORA

"I brought four, but this one is pretty small. Sorry," Pandora said to Matthias as she wrapped masking tape around the tiny flashlight and his forearm.

"I'm just happy for the sentiment. Plus, I've got this," the scout held up the torch he was holding in his other hand. Pandora smiled at him before putting the tape away.

"Alright," Luxa said. "Matthias, you and Heath must stay here and stay away from the opening. They do not know you are here. I want to keep it that way, for your own safety."

"In addition, it would be rather difficult to find your way back if we died," Matthias murmured, moving his head to one side as if making an important point.

Heath pulled a hand back as if he was going to slap Matthias' shoulder. He glared at his younger companion, and Matthias shrank back.

"I mean, I am sure you would be able to. It would just be faster if we were there as your guides," Matthias said, starting slowly and having the words roll faster out of his mouth towards the end. He gave Heath a smile as if he successfully saved himself from potentially making Luxa angry. Pandora half-expected Matthias to give him a thumbs-up.

Luxa looked towards Pandora. "Let's go," she hissed.

Pandora gave her a tight smile and a confident nod. When Luxa turned around to climb atop her bond, Pandora let out a breath and her face fell. She didn't want Luxa to see how nervous she became. Sure, she saw the cutter's queen already in her vision, but she knew it was nothing in comparison to real life.

She hoisted herself up onto Pan and held the bottle of lighter fluid tightly. "I'm ready," she told Pan. She gripped him with her legs and held on to his fur with her other hand, leaning low over his neck.

"It's now or never," Pan said with finality. He moved his weight from his left foot to his right, and opened his wings slightly, ready to start down the tunnel.

Luxa clicked her flashlight on and slowly removed her sword from her hilt, careful to not make a sound. She held the hilt close to her hip, keeping the tip of the sword in front of her and above Aurora's head to not get it close to her wings.

Aurora pushed off from the floor of the tunnel and unfurled her wings, her golden fur gleaming in the stream of Pandora's flashlight as she powerfully flapped to gain momentum. She was as silent as an owl.

Pan followed a second later. He took a deep breath and kept his large chest expanded as he kept up with her. They turned the sharp corner gracefully. Luxa was practically standing on Aurora's back, looking as powerful and as agile as ever. Pandora held her breath as they got their first glimpse into the cave.

It looked completely different than Pandora's vision. What she had seen before was as if a hundred torches lit the cavern. She could see it all: every leg on the queen, every mandible of her army surrounding her, every bowed head of those who served her.

Now, she saw nothing. There wasn't a single red ant body within the golden beam of Pandora's flashlight. And then a giant leg came into view.

"Duck!" Pan yelled.

Pandora flattened herself onto Pan's back just in time. She could feel the breeze jostle her hair.

Her breath quickened as Pan kept flying. He turned this way and that, avoiding obstacles that Pandora couldn't see. How could Luxa fight like this?

Still pancaked onto Pan's back and holding on tightly, Pandora looked around for Luxa's beam. It was just above her, twisting this way and that. The duo performed such daring acrobatics that Pandora could barely keep track of how they were flying and where they would go to next.

Pandora could feel Pan inhale deeply. He hadn't started to yell yet, possibly to keep his tactic a surprise until he knew for sure it was needed. The tan bat let out a scream so shrill, Pandora almost wanted to let go and cover her ears. She couldn't see what effect it had on the cutter army surrounding the queen, but Pan's flying seemed to mellow out. He coasted in a circle that became larger and larger as they went.

Pan then twisted back to where Pandora guessed was the queen, judging by how the large ant body parts got bigger as they approached. There were some smaller cutters climbing on her, and Pandora could see one right in front of them, the flashlight beam reflecting in its beady eyes.

Pan screamed at it as well, and it fled down the side of the queen and out of Pandora's line of vision. They were doing it! They were singling out the queen and keeping her away from the army so Luxa could focus on her only target! Luxa and Aurora were going to end the cutter's reign of terror; all they had to do...

Pan was hit from underneath by some powerful force, almost knocking Pandora clean off. The square bottle was forced out of her hand and she could hear it clatter to the floor. She held on with both hands and made sure she was still pressed onto Pan's back. He made a few aerials as he twisted his way out of danger.

"The bottle!" Pandora cried. "I dropped it!"

"I know," Pan yelled back. "Hang on!"

"Pandora," she could hear Luxa shout from somewhere above. "Fire! Now!"

"On it," Pandora screamed back.

"When I say three, lean to your right and pick it up," Pan said breathlessly. Pandora could tell they were now flying low, hopefully towards the place where the bottle landed. Pan let out a shriek and suddenly cried, "three!"

Hoping she could stay on Pan's back, Pandora moved her left hand to grip Pan's fur on his right side, to give her at least a little light where she was supposed to scoop up the bottle. Leaning over far more than she ever dared before, Pandora let her hand drag on the rocky floor until she felt the plastic container.

"Got it!" She yelled triumphantly. Her hand was scraped, but the bottle was saved. She pulled the nozzle open on the top of the lid.

"Let's make this quick," Pan said. "I can't stay over the queen and keep them at bay all at once."

The pair twisted and made their way towards Luxa's light. The pair's flying still seemed crazy to Pandora, but suddenly they seemed a lot more erratic. Pandora had the feeling they might be in trouble. If she didn't weaken the queen soon, Luxa wouldn't stand a chance.

"Go!" Pan yelled.

Pandora flipped the bottle and squeezed the sides. She dared to take her other hand off Pan to get a closer look with her flashlight. The stream wasn't as strong as Pandora thought it would be. At this rate, the bottle would be empty far too late to be of any help.

"Pandora!" Luxa yelled again. She sounded much more desperate.

"Hang on! I've got it!" Pandora said. Gripping the lid in her opposite hand, Pandora gave the bottle a sharp yank, and it popped off. Tossing aside the cap, Pandora upturned the bottle once more. Much better!

Pan circled around the queen, careful to avoid flying over Luxa and Aurora.

"It's empty," Pandora said in Pan's ear before tossing away the bottle. She retrieved the matches she put in her back pocket. "Get ready!" She yelled at Luxa and her bond.

She fumbled to open the package while Pan twisted away from the queen, once again shrieking at the soldiers in the cavern to keep them at bay.

"They're not staying lit!" Pandora said to Pan.

"What?"

"We're flying too fast! They're too small." Pandora turned to where she could see Luxa's flashlight beam swirling. "I need a bigger flame!"

"Hurry!" She yelled back.

Pandora's mind raced. If she didn't get the lighter fluid lit soon, it would all evaporate and be completely useless.

"Matthias!" Pandora screamed. "Throw the torch! Throw it at the queen!"

Still swirling through the cavern, Pandora turned to look towards the flickering light coming into view.

"For Thomas!" He shouted. "And Boone!" Pandora could see his frame twist as he raised the torch behind him. Using his tiny flashlight to help aim for the queen, and possibly using Luxa's beam as a guide, Matthias hurled the torch towards her.

For a second, nothing happened. Pandora's stomach sank into her shoes. The plan didn't work. Luxa was on her own.

Suddenly, a burst of blue flames flew up from the floor of the cavern and flickered its way up half of the queen's body before turning into giant yellow fingers.

"Yeah!" Matthias continued, standing at the mouth of the cave right behind her. "Never make enemies with a scout! Burn to the ground!" Heath bounded up behind him, grabbed him by the back of the arm, and yanked him back a few feet, probably worried the young man would lose his balance and fall.

"That's right!" Heath yelled, agreeing with Matthias' shouts. He pointed the strong beam of his flashlight into the cavern to get a better look. The two scouts continued their battle cries as they looked on.

The sudden flash of light almost blinded Pandora, and she was about to smile... until she saw how many other cutters were in the cavern with them. It was the most she had ever seen – even more than when their cavern was overrun, and Howard sent her back to Regalia on Nike. They weren't out of the woods yet.

Pan made a wide circle around the queen, his gaze seemingly focused on the army surrounding her. "They're not moving in anymore. They've stopped."

Pandora took a second look. The army looked on as Pan and Aurora circled the queen, seemingly confused and not willing to step forward.

"The queen must be weakened," Pan said.

"She's not giving them orders anymore," Pandora concluded. She turned to look over at Luxa and Aurora. The Queen of Regalia was breathing heavily, looking tired but still poised to strike. "Take her out, Luxa! We've got the upper hand."

Luxa gave her a sharp nod and said something in a low voice to Aurora. Pan and Pandora continued to circle around. Now that the flames were dying out, Pandora's range of vision quickly dwindled back down to the beam of her flashlight and those of her companion's. Pan kept an eye on the army, but apparently, they made no advances.

Pandora watched as the beam of Luxa's flashlight speared up almost to the ceiling. In a beautiful, fluid motion, the beam of light cascaded down, twirling in a perfect range of motion as it evenly turned on its way towards the floor. It made for an amazing sight.

As the pair dove down close to the ground, no flames remaining, they pulled out of their roll and coasted back to the level on which Pan was flying.

The queen was dead. She made absolutely no sound. No dying screams. No pleas for mercy. Not even a single tap.

"She didn't say anything only flyer ears could pick up, did she?" Pandora asked.

"Not a single sound," Pan said. They followed as Aurora and Luxa flew back to the cave. Heath and Matthias moved back towards the wall to give them room to land. Pan and Pandora quickly followed.

The two girls climbed off the fliers and looked at one another. Luxa was still breathing hard, her face unreadable. Pandora couldn't help it when a smile crept up her face. It ended up being contagious, and soon the ends of Luxa's mouth were also upturned.

"So," Matthias said, taking a step towards the pair. "does this mean we won?"

***

~ GREGOR

"Away from the wall!" Someone shouted from behind him.

Gregor could tell he had stopped spinning. He was walking towards the rock wall Mareth had pointed out earlier. He dragged his heavy, armored feet one after the other.

When did he stop spinning? When did he start going after the cutters who followed the soldiers towards the back of the cavern that housed all of Regalia?

He must have lost track of where he was. Did his rager side get the best of him? He was doing so well!

Gregor looked up to see fliers sweeping by left and right, plucking Regalian soldiers off the floor ahead of him and carrying them through the air and out of harm's way. Gregor was so close to the wall... how could he have not noticed before?

"Get out of there!" Ripred shouted at him from near the palace wall. "Stupid boy! They're about to set off..."

Ripred's words were drowned out by an explosion. Gregor covered his ears, but it did nothing to stem the extreme upsurge of data given to his brain by his senses. He became overstimulated. It was as if he was in a pitch-black room for a long time, and someone opened the door and yanked him out into bright sunlight.

Overwhelmed and confused, Gregor stumbled back a few paces, trying his best to not fall over while still wearing his heavy metal plating. He felt something collide with his chest, hard enough to push him back several yards. Even with the chest plate, it made the wind rush out of him.

Gregor lost his balance and would have sunk all the way to the bottom of the enormous wave if it wasn't for the fact that his head became submerged. The surrounding water acted as a barrier between his senses and the thunderous sounds of rocks falling. He could feel his mind clear, and he realized he needed to get as far away from the water as possible. It's too late, Gregor thought, the explosion already happened... he was already being swept away.

Gregor managed to get back to his feet, only to be pulled backwards. Why was the water sucking him back toward the wall? He lost his footing again and spun through the water. No matter how much he tried to swim, he had no control over what direction his body went. Gregor managed to use his dagger to cut through some leather straps on the armor around his legs, allowing the pieces to fall off. Even with the added weight gone, Gregor felt helpless as a second wave pushed him back toward the palace.

Washed head over heels and unsure if he could ever fight with the flow, Gregor's lungs burned and his mind raced. Was he going to drown? There he was... Regalia's renowned warrior. He was the one who sent King Gorger and his horde falling to their deaths, he was the one who killed the Bane, and the one who was helping lead this final battle with the cutters. And now he was finally defeated by water.

A claw grasped Gregor on the flesh just above his gauntlet and yanked him to the right. The claw changed its grip and pulled Gregor's head up towards the surface.

Coughing and spluttering, Gregor could almost not hear Ripred as he tore a strip out of him. "And to think I praised you earlier. You can't even follow simple instructions!"

"Ripred," Gregor choked. "Good to see you," he said in a daze.

"Shut up and hang on. A flyer just saw you. Another reason the black armor was a good idea, eh?"

Gregor heard two claws catch on the side of his breastplate, and then felt himself being lifted from the water. Gregor looked up and shouted to the bat who was taking him to the High Hall, "tell me someone's getting Ripred!"

"Barend is on his way to fetch him now. It is a good thing he was near you," the brown bat commented. "Or I do not think anyone would have noticed him."

"Right," Gregor affirmed as the flyer gently placed him on his feet at the top of the palace.

"Wrong," Ripred retorted as Barend cleared the top of the wall and placed the rat beside him. The bat seemed winded but was able to carry Ripred for all that time. Gregor had only seen one flyer able to carry him. "It is a good thing I jumped in to rescue him," he corrected the flyer who picked up Gregor.

Ripred then turned to chastise Gregor more. "And to think you got out of there completely unscathed. I, on the other hand, was hit by a rock." The old rat limped around to show Gregor his back-left leg. "Look at my foot! It's broken." Ripred turned over his shoulder and looked at Gregor with wide eyes. "You owe me."

"Gregor! Ripred!" Mareth called them in a no-nonsense way. "Some creatures weren't able to escape the water in time. Talk about this later. Privately."

"Oh. Uh... I'm sorry," Gregor said. He walked over to the side of the palace and glanced over at the scene, ruffling his hair to shake out some of the excess water. Ripred and Mareth joined him and they all looked on in silence. With half the wall gone, the water was starting to dwindle down into a flow with a current that led it away from the palace. Gregor wondered if blasting the rocks and changing the course of this part of the Waterway had any effect on the bathrooms or the dock that was inside of the palace.

"Look at the survivors of the cutter army," Ripred said, nodding his snout towards a group of ants clambering their way out of the water and onto shore. They wasted no time in heading back into the city. They rounded the corner of the palace and vanished from sight.

"Why do they not still attack us?" Mareth asked. As they looked on, another few soldiers were able to keep conscious and walk away from the palace. "The cutters will keep fighting even if they do not have a single leg to stand on. Wouldn't you think they would fight to the last soldier? They're in the city of Regalia. They made it to the last stronghold left. Why do they flee?"

"Luxa," Gregor said, looking up from the water. That must have been it. She must have killed the queen. "She did it."

"I think you are right," Ripred said. "They must be thinking for themselves for once."

"Instead of a hive mentality. Yes, that has to be it! Luxa killed the queen," Mareth said.

"She killed the queen," Gregor repeated. "We... we won."

"You say that as if you didn't think we could," Ripred said.

Whether they were down near the water, up in the air, or in the High Hall, the creatures who defended Regalia soon all realized their efforts were not in vain. Shouts of victory echoed across the palace. Soldiers ran inside to spread the news, and civilians started to walk out of the halls of the palace and into the High Hall.

"Howard. Nike!" Mareth called the pair who were circling with Howard's younger siblings and their bonds in the air.

"Yes, Mareth!" Howard called down to him with a haggard smile on his face.

"Go to the fliers' lands and inform them of our victory. I'd also like to enlist volunteers to help start bringing the wounded to the hospital, if you could spread the word please."

"Of course," Nike answered the general before the two flew away.

Medics and extra personnel from the hospital rushed stretchers and bags of medical supplies up, intending to help any wounded from the most recent battlefield and transport them back for better care.

"Well, I feel useless standing here," Gregor said. He threw away his helmet and untied the leather straps holding his breastplate in place. "I'm gonna do what I can to help. It's time to clean up this place!"

A flyer offered to give Gregor a ride back down. Although still soaking, Gregor wasn't uncomfortable now that some of the extra weight was off his chest and back. He soon found a place in a line of others, carrying cutter bodies away from the palace one by one. Gregor didn't know where they were taking them to, possibly the arena to be cremated all together, but he kept his place in line – accepting each body one at a time and handing it off to the next soldier. The work quickly began to make Gregor sweat, and he was glad his clothes kept him cool.

He looked on at the few members of the Regalian army that were saved from the water. There weren't many. Some were lucky enough to make it ashore by themselves but were suffering from wounds made by the falling rocks. Those who seemed worse off were taken to the High Hall on the back of a flyer, with a spinner companion who would quickly tie them in place. It was the fastest way to the hospital, Gregor was sure.

Not long after, a large group of civilians joined in the clean-up.

"Please, let me take your place," an older gentleman offered to Gregor. "I've had my rest. It is time for me to do my share. Now you go and take your rest."

"That's nice of you," Gregor told the man. "I'm fine for now, but I think this guy could use a break, though." Gregor turned to the soldier on his left, who was obviously starting to struggle. He noticed him wincing every time Gregor handed him the next body. Perhaps he hurt his shoulder. "Go to the hospital, man. You've been great today. Let someone else be great, too."

The man eventually caved and let the older man take his place in the line, walking to the other side of the palace to get on the lift and get treated for his shoulder.

Small children walked around with pouches of water and bags filled with bread. Even though it was a scene still fresh from the battle, it made Gregor smile that creatures of all shapes and sizes were doing what they could to help. Soldiers agreed to take short breaks when a child approached them and accepted some water and bread. It was a smart tactic, Gregor thought. Many soldiers appeared too proud to accept a break, but when a small child is asking you to, how could you say no?

Eventually, a child approached Gregor as well and he accepted the snack and break. Another civilian rushed over to take his place in the line, and Gregor chewed on the bread as he slowly made his way around to the front of the palace. He passed groups of soldiers who were returning. From what Gregor could hear, Mareth sent them out into the city to make sure no cutters were left behind. He asked a group if they saw any, and there were none to be found. Any survivors had completely fled.

As he rounded his way to the front where the lift was, Gregor stood still in amazement. Before his eyes, he was witnessing a city coming back to life. Elderly farmers were making their way off the lift with wheelbarrows filled with small crops. Gregor could see the strange glowing lights that dotted the grounds in the bags on their backs. They were going to replant the fields! The Regalians must have cleared all of them before the battle, in order to save as many of the crops as possible and ensure they wouldn't starve as they waited for more to grow.

Gregor saw families reuniting, and there were enough joyous meetings to outweigh the somber ones. Many civilians came down from the palace and started to clean up the city streets and buildings. He was sure they were getting tired of the crowded, stuffy interior of the palace!

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Mareth commented from behind Gregor. "How resilient we all are!"

"Yeah, and none of us would be here if we didn't have a great general," Gregor replied.

Mareth was about to argue when Gregor cut him off. "And I don't want to hear any of that 'a leader is nothing without a great team...' or 'geez, I'm not that great' kind of overused, boring material," Gregor continued. "You're great. You took people's ideas and ran with them. You innovated along the way. Just take the compliment."

Mareth smiled. "Thank you, Gregor. You weren't too bad yourself."

Gregor laughed. "Now, you're starting to sound like Ripred. Do you know where he is? He didn't make his way to the hospital to complain enough about his leg to get some shrimp in cream sauce, did he?"

"The last I saw of him, he was heading to the water. I think he is going to annoy some troops into taking some well-needed breaks."

"At least he's putting his talents to good use," Gregor said. "Thanks, Mareth. Now you go and get a break, too! Or at least see a kid and get some water and bread!"

"I will only take a break after all of my soldiers take one first," Mareth replied to him as he made his way back to the other side of the palace. "And that includes you, Gregor!"

~ PANDORA

Several hours had passed since Luxa killed the cutter's queen. According to Heath and Matthias, they were almost at the outskirts of Regalia.

Once the queen was dead, the army in the cavern was no threat to the six of them. Some even climbed up into the cave they were in and ran right past them. They were completely ignored, to everyone's relief. It seemed most, if not all, of the red army did not share in their queen's sentiments towards the warmbloods. Perhaps they could all live in harmony with the cutters one day. But for now, avoiding conflict, or any interactions altogether, sounded just about perfect.

As they rounded another curve in a tunnel Heath promised was the fastest way back to the city, Pandora got curious enough to ask. "What happens to the cutters now? Do they crown a new queen? Do they wait for one to be born? Not all of them are that big... are they?"

"That is the largest one I've ever seen, by far," Luxa said. "Perhaps they will eventually crown a new queen."

"I'm just hoping the rest of the army attacking Regalia shares the same feelings as the ones in the cavern," Aurora said.

"Yes," Luxa agreed with her bond. "I am going to wait for things to settle. Maybe one day we can reach out to the cutters on peaceful terms. We could see if we can strike up a deal similar to the one we always keep with the spinners."

Pandora nodded. "Worth a shot."

"I'm glad we all managed to make it back in one piece," Matthias said from his place behind Pandora.

Pandora could see the tunnel open up ahead, and soon they were circling over the place they met on the outskirts of Regalia. How long had it actually been since they left? A long time, that was for sure, Pandora thought. Perhaps a full day. She sure was exhausted, and could bet the others were as well, especially Luxa and Aurora.

"And it is good to be back!" Matthias exclaimed. "Look at everyone!"

The group looked on from their viewpoint of the city. Before they left, Regalia was completely deserted, with everyone taking refuge in the palace or deep within the fliers' lands. Now, civilians made their way through the streets with wheelbarrows and bags. The city was brighter, too, with torches on every wall. It felt good to see it so lively.

"Mareth and many soldiers are that way," Pan pointed with a wing towards the back side of the palace, where water now touched the edge of the city. "They must be cleaning up. It seems... very different."

"It is very different. The water did not run like that," Luxa commented.

"Let's go see," Pandora suggested.

Matthias and Heath asked permission to depart from the group, to go find their families. Wasting no time, Luxa thanked them for their service and sacrifice and sent them away with a blessing. Both were grinning from ear to ear, which looked a bit silly on Heath's face, as he hadn't smiled on the entire journey.

Pandora, Pan, Luxa, and Aurora made their way to the back of the palace with the sole purpose of finding the general and briefing him on their success. Creatures of every size and age were helping in the clean-up.

"Gregor," Luxa said in an angry tone.

Still wearing half of his black armor, Gregor looked up from the work he was doing with other soldiers. "Luxa! You're back!" He immediately stood up and walked swiftly over.

He opened his arms, about to wrap Luxa up in a big hug when she put a hand out to stop him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm about... to hug..." Gregor said, tripping over his words and looking very confused.

"No. How can you still be out here? You haven't even taken off your armor. Eat, bathe, and sleep. That's what I need you to do right now. You look terrible! Go straight into the palace now." Luxa crossed her arms over her chest.

Gregor grinned. "Glad to see you care." He turned to Pandora and offered her a hug as well. Pandora accepted. "Thanks for all of this," he said to her.

"Wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for you," Pandora replied.

"And what about me?" Ripred limped up to the group, glaring at Luxa. "You're gushing over your boyfriend refusing to take a break and here I am, your bond, I may add, and you don't think I am in need of some care?" The old rat got more dramatic with his charade the longer Luxa let him carry on. "Just look at me! I'm famished, I'm hurt... See? My foot is broken, and you can thank Gregor for that."

"You can go on all day about your aches and pains, Ripred," Luxa sighed. "I believe you have lived long enough by now to know your own limits."

Ripred chuckled and started to limp away. "No pity for the old rat it seems," he exclaimed. "While you're over here showering him with affection, I'm going to be with the general talking about the battlefield we are currently standing on."

Luxa rolled her eyes and started to follow him. "I mean it," she warned Gregor over her shoulder.

Gregor put up both hands to show he had given up with the grin still on his face. "Okay, okay," he said. "I'll be in the luxury room waiting. I'm not gonna eat without you."

"Fine," Luxa shooed him away.

Pandora caught up to Luxa and noticed her smile. She didn't know much about Gregor and Luxa's history, but she knew they had one.

Once they caught up to Ripred and Mareth, they overheard the end of their conversation.

"Yes, we do need to start prioritizing certain areas. We need to get things up and running," Ripred said.

"I say we establish a certain block of buildings near the palace and ask everyone to concentrate their efforts there," Mareth said. "We can have families back in those homes within a few hours and it will start emptying the palace immediately."

"What of those who are too wary to leave just yet?" Luxa asked.

"We can place guards around that area of the city to make them feel safer, your majesty," Mareth said with a smile, obviously glad to see they all returned safely.

"Hopefully, those families will be kind enough to take in others. It would really help the palace empty out faster," Pandora suggested.

Mareth nodded. "I have many volunteers and farmers working on cleaning the fields now, that is the first priority. I also like the idea of dividing the city into sections and getting them cleaned up one by one."

"Regalia will be thriving again in no time," Luxa said.

"Glad to see I have your approval," the general nodded.

***

~ GREGOR

Gregor was just about to round the corner of the palace to get to the lift when he ran into Barend.

"Hey," Gregor greeted him. "Are the fliers finished taking the wounded to the hospital already?"

"We finished a few hours ago," Barend responded. "Once word of our victory reached the rest of our kind, many volunteers pitched in. I started to help transport..."

"Regalians!" Called a voice near the water. It was a man's voice, but it wasn't Mareth's. Who could be trying to get everyone's attention? A grateful civilian, maybe? Gregor turned to find the source of the call.

"See before you what coming together as creatures has done to our home!" There was a man standing in the middle of the area remaining between the edge of the water and the back wall of the palace, turning to look at everyone gathered there. Farmers, soldiers, and civilians alike stopped their work and became an audience to him. "The fields that sustained our bodies no longer feeds us. The arena that once brought us joy is used for anything but the entertainment it was made for. The once-predictable current of the Waterway that allows us to live in these walls is now changed in ways that cannot be undone. Is this how our city goes on? Our food given to strangers? Are we supposed to sit back and let everything we held dear be pried from our fingers? The leadership that guides us comes from the mouth of a young woman. A dreamer who takes advice from a gnawer. I say we do not stand aside and watch our beloved city fall into ruin. It is time to take Regalia back for ourselves!"

"I don't like where this is going," Gregor said, eyes narrowing as he looked on to the man who was speaking to the crowd. "I've got a bad feeling."

Gregor took a few steps closer to what was transpiring, but was stopped when a large, dark grey wing blocked his path.

"As I said on top of the wall, Gregor, to each his own. I cannot let you intervene."

"Barend, what? Why?" Gregor tried to push his wing out of his way, but the bat held strong. "I need to get down there. I don't like this."

"Ragers don't cope well in a world of peace," Barend said, the wise light in his old eyes being overrun with the shine of rage. His words were as harsh as daggers. "You feel as though your morals are stronger than your instincts. And that is what makes you weak."

With a growl, his dark grey form lunged at Gregor, teeth bared and claws out. Gregor was so surprised; all he could muster at first was a jump backwards and a quick parry with his still-armored forearm to keep the sharp nails away.

"Barend, stop!" Gregor cried. He pulled out his sword in self-defense and straightened out into a ready stance. "Why are you doing this?"

The bat twisted to Gregor's side and whacked him in the ribs with a wing. Gregor fell sideways and sprawled onto the floor. Although struggling to regain his breath, Gregor quickly turned over and was just in time to block a claw from entering his exposed flesh.

Gregor pushed against Barend's attack with both hands, one on the hilt of his sword and one pressed onto the flat side at the top. His arms burned and shook with the effort.

He looked over at what was transpiring behind him. Luxa looked at the monologuing extremist with confusion hidden by a sly smile. She didn't seem to notice Gregor's predicament.

"The queen must die," Barend growled. "It is the only way."

Gregor kicked the bat's claw away and managed to parry and spin off the floor to quickly get back to his feet.

"Over my dead body," Gregor said.

"That can be easily arranged." Barend lunged for him again, but this time Gregor was ready. The bat might have had the element of surprise at first, but now the playing field was even.

It was rager against rager.

***

~ PANDORA

"... and where are we now? A flooded city with no crops. No way to sustain the survivors."

Pandora looked on with the others as the man continued his speech. He seemed just as weary as the others in the crowd. Perhaps he fought alongside them in battle. The man started to walk around. Regalians stepped aside to give him some room.

Pandora put a hand on Luxa's shoulder and followed her as she stepped back as well. Mareth and Ripred looked on from the other side of the scene, seeming just as confused. What was this man carrying on about?

"We are overrun by other creatures. Even with the threat of the cutters gone, our lights dim by the day! This alliance with the gnawers, and now with the stingers, has gone on long enough! It has brought us nothing but more destruction and more chaos."

The man spotted Luxa in the crowd and watched her like a hawk as he continued. "If those disease-ridden rodents were back in the Dead Lands right now, the cutters would have never tried to cut us down!" He took a step towards her, jabbing a finger in her direction as he blamed her. Pandora moved back with her and they distanced themselves from him. "This entire war would have been avoided if we had remained separated!"

"Now boy, settle down and we can discuss this somewhere else," Ripred said, looking around at the crowd that had gathered.

"Do not try to talk to me, you traitorous worm!"

"Listen here," Aurora spat. "Luxa has more wisdom than her years would show. We are in an era of peace between the warmbloods because of her!"

"At what cost? The cutters don't care about an era of peace! They struck because we moved too closely together. We were a target that was tantalizingly too easy for their numbers to destroy. They walked across the now-deserted Dead Lands with ease, they terrorized the crawler's land as if they batted a fly, and they have destroyed Regalia, with the help of our own hands!" The man pulled a knife from his belt. "You've brought us nothing but pain and destruction, Queen Luxa, and now you must pay the ultimate price! With your death, we can finally become free of all the promises and pacts you made with the other creatures. Free the humans!"

"Free the humans!" Cried several others around them.

Pandora turned away to try and find how many others were believing the lunatic. Instead, all she saw was another man with rage-filled eyes barreling his way towards Luxa. With their backs turned, neither Luxa nor Aurora was paying attention to anyone else besides the man who spoke.

He wasn't the only one brandishing a weapon.

Pandora took the hand that was still on Luxa's shoulder and shoved her to the side. "Look out!" She shrieked. She locked eyes with Ripred, on the other side of the speaking man, who also noticed what was transpiring.

He was too far away to make it in time.

The queen turned, and Pandora hoped she realized the man's speech was just a diversion. As creatures saw the man running through the crowd with a weapon, they jumped out of the way, clearing a path headed right towards Regalia's queen. It was too late for her to move. Pandora wasn't convinced she had even noticed the other man rapidly approaching.

Aurora, however, did notice, and extended a wing. She dove for her bond, wrapping her tightly and protecting the queen's body with her own.

The crowd grew silent as the man creating the diversion repeated his cry of "free the humans!" The sickening sound of a spear entering flesh was heard, and then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Pandora's gaze was split between the man who had tried to kill Luxa and the spear sticking out of her chest.

"Pandora?" Came a familiar voice. Howard came sprinting, sword drawn with an expression on his face that Pandora had never seen before. The crowd parted and started to disperse, fearful of the rebellion and the possible massacre. "No!" Howard raised his sword as he drew near, eyes locked on the man who tried to kill Luxa.

Having no time to escape, the man stood and accepted his failure as, in one sweep of the sword, Howard beheaded him.

The man who coordinated the coup stood his ground, outraged at their second failed attempt to kill Regalia's queen. Mareth had grabbed the wrist of his hand that held the dagger as the man tried to advance towards Luxa. "You stupid girl!" he cried as more and more soldiers blocked his path. "You can't get it through your head that you're unwanted here! Go back to the Overland. Go back to the squalor of your..."

The screams ended with a swipe of Ripred's claw as he downed the man. The rat kept running as if nothing happened. Soldiers knew better than to get in his way. "Keep a close eye out for others," he growled. Running on three legs, his injured one curled up near his side, Ripred headed towards where Gregor appeared to be fighting with a large grey bat.

Pandora tried to push herself up onto her hands to get a better look but was unable to. Something was pressing on her chest. Were people trying to hold her in place? No. She looked around to see no one near her, and then she looked down. Oh yeah, she thought, she had a spear in her body. She was sitting on the ground, everything happening around her feeling like some strange nightmare.

She'd saved Luxa's life, and everything was happening too fast for her to keep up. She could clearly see the spear buried in her ribs, but she didn't feel any pain. Was that why she didn't notice she was impaled? It was difficult to breathe with the extra weight, and she brought her hands up to the shaft that jutted out from her body. Perhaps she was in shock.

"Don't touch it," Howard exclaimed as he knelt by her side. His face was covered in sweat, tears, and blood. His clothes were equally as dirty. "Lie down. All the way down and on your side."

Pandora tried to laugh, but it came out as a wheeze. "I don't think I've ever seen you angry before," she said breathlessly.

He took one of Pandora's hands in his and caressed her cheek.

"Take Pandora to the hospital, now!" Luxa yelled. She knelt next to her cousin and touched Pandora lightly on the upper arm. Her watery eyes didn't do anything to hide her panic. Pandora felt as though she was thinking the same thing Luxa was. The entire mission went so well, almost textbook, and now nothing seemed to be going right. The war was over... so what was going on? "Someone, anyone!" Luxa cried, "get the medics! Quickly!"

***

~ GREGOR

Gregor wanted to look over at what was transpiring by the water, but there were no pauses in Barend's constant attacks. It took almost everything Gregor had to block him. He hadn't gotten in a single move.

Not sure if Barend was planning on killing Luxa himself or just keeping Gregor occupied, he strategically stood in between the large bat and the waterway. He was grateful for a clear mind, even when his senses were so heightened, as he parried, blocked, and diverted Barend's swift attacks.

Just to keep up with the war-weathered flyer, Gregor allowed some of his hits to land, just so Gregor had extra time to get ready for more crucial times to block. A claw aimed for the back of his knee and Gregor picked his foot up just enough to have the leather back of his shin-guard take the scratch.

A wing swept towards Gregor's head and he ducked just enough to keep from getting knocked out. His head snapped to the side as the bone caught the very top of his skull, but Gregor wasn't about to dip his entire body down any lower and endanger himself by changing the distancing between him and his attacker.

Barend leapt forward and caught some air, just enough to get above Gregor's head. He dropped down towards him like a torpedo cutting through water. Gregor dove and rolled out of the way of the claws. Barend hissed in his direction, turned, and took to the air again, this time heading towards the docks.

Gregor pushed the muscles in his legs to work harder, trying to cover the distance between himself and Barend. He swung at the traitorous bat, attempting to slice him with the tip of his sword, but he was much too far away.

"Luxa!" He shouted with every ounce of air in his body. He looked on with wide eyes as Barend's dark grey form closed the distance between him and Regalia's queen.

A large furry mass hurled itself out of the crowd and attached itself to Barend, weighing him down. Claws found their way into his flesh, moving up and down repeatedly as they shredded the equally sized opponent, and the rat got a better grip on his prey. Ripred!

Gregor sheathed his sword and ran a hand through his sweaty hair, looking on with disbelief. Barend thought every rager loved nothing more than death and destruction. He was wrong, Gregor realized, and Ripred was the proof. Sure, the rat was not always on the same page as his compatriots, preferring to ally himself with anyone that suited his own agenda, but he never decided to aim his life in a certain direction just for the sake of war.

Completely wiped out and not having a moment to regain his breath, Gregor ran towards the water as fast as he could manage, prying off the gauntlets that were still on his forearms.

"He's one of them," Gregor said to Ripred, making it to where Barend fell. He put his hands on his knees and doubled over. "He's a rebel."

"Obviously," Ripred answered. He wiped his bloody maw with a front foot. "Why else would he act stupidly?"

"Thanks," Gregor breathed. "I didn't know how long I could keep that up. It was like fighting you."

"Please," Ripred dragged out the word as he hobbled over to the water to clean his fur. "Within five seconds, I took this flyer from dominating the air to dead on the ground. With a broken foot I may add, thank you again very much for that."

"I weakened him for you. You're welcome."

"Don't try to joke right now, boy," Ripred snapped as he made his way back from the edge of the water. "The rebels took us by surprise, and the outlook is grim. We need to get back over there," he motioned towards where a small group still gathered. Hands covered mouths; heads leaned on other's shoulders. It looked bad.

"Oh no," Gregor said under his breath. He should have never left Luxa's side.

***

~ PANDORA

Howard's face was getting blurry. Pandora blinked hard as she looked around. Underlanders were clearing out from behind the palace. Aurora and Ripred stood close to Luxa's side.

"Why would you?" Aurora asked her softly. "Did you see it in a vision?"

Pandora shook her head slowly. "No," she whispered back. She tried to take a deep breath, but her chest wouldn't expand. Furrowing her brow, she took several shallow breaths before continuing. "No vision. I just wanted to... save my friends." Pandora gave Luxa a small smile. "You've been through enough."

"And so have you, Pandora," Luxa said gently. A single tear streamed down her cheek. "You're going to the hospital now. Please... focus on healing."

Pandora nodded. "Howard," she looked to where he once sat next to her, only to notice he had moved. She looked around for a second as if lost before finding him again. He was sitting close to her head. A few medics had approached and taken over care. One of them had an armful of bandages, and they carefully worked as a team to hold the spear shaft in place as they wrapped around the hole in Pandora's chest.

"Don't move, Pandora. They are stabilizing the spear, so you are easy to transport to the hospital," Howard advised her.

The medics had to turn her body to the side several times in order to wrap the bandages securely. Her chest started to ache. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for them to finish. It seemed as though all her muscles clenched up as she felt the pain; it was surprisingly sharp and dull at the same time. Howard kept a hold of her hand.

Another group of men and women came behind the medics with a stretcher held between them. The four of them each grabbed hold of Pandora and carefully lifted her onto the cloth. During the process, Pandora's hand slipped from Howard's. She fished for it blindly until Howard placed his hand back into hers. "You're coming with me, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Of course, I am," he said. "I will be with you the entire time. Will you stay with me?"

"I... promise," Pandora answered. She found it harder and harder to speak. Or breathe. Something was very wrong, and she hoped her face didn't show what she was feeling. Howard had been through hell and back ever since Pandora first arrived in the Underland. She couldn't imagine how he would feel if he had been through so much, just to lose his love.

"I promise," she repeated again. She was jostled around a bit and suddenly felt fur underneath her. She was on the back of a flyer. Pandora's vision got blurrier as she felt more and more like a fish out of water. No matter how many breaths she took, she couldn't seem to get enough air. "I pro..."

Her vision went black, and Pandora passed out.