Belle and the Prophecy of Grey

Chapter 10

Vikus and Solovet arranged to have some kind of private war meeting with the bats.

"Will you need us?" asked Belle.

"No, thank you, Belle. We will be discussing battle positions for our forces, not the efforts of the quest. We shall not be absent long," replied Vikus.

"Okay," said Belle, but inside she wasn't so sure.

Before they left, Vikus's big grey bat bent low to mutter something in Luxa's ear. She smiled, glanced over at Gregor, and nodded. Belle and Persephone exchanged a glance; they'd both seen the look. And Belle was sure they had the same bad feeling about it.

"Euripides says you are bruising his sides," Luxa said once Vikus and Solovet had flown away. "He wants one of us to teach you to ride."

Gregor frowned. "What does he mean, I'm bruising his sides?"

"You hold on too strongly with your legs. You must trust the bats. They will not drop you," Luxa told him. "It is the first lesson we teach the babies."

"Huh," said Gregor, looking put out.

"It is easier for the babies," Belle broke in, touching Gregor's arm. "Like Boots, they have not yet learned much fear. We have a saying down here: 'Courage only counts if you can count.' Can you count, Boots?" Belle held up a hand in front of Boots. "One, two, three!"

Boots grinned widely and held up her pudgy hand in imitation. "No, me! One...two...free...four seven ten!" she cried, lifting her hands triumphantly.

Henry scooped Boots up and held her at arm's length. "Boots has no fear, nor will she when she masters counting. You like to fly, do you not, Boots? Go for a ride on the bat?" he said mischievously.

"I ride!" Boots replied, and struggled to get out of Henry's arms.

"Then ride you!" Henry said, tossing her over the side of the pillar.

Gregor gasped, horrified. "Henry!" said Mareth with shock.

"Oh, Henry, that was unkind!" Belle chided him, while Luxa burst into laughter. "Have no worry, Gregor," Belle assured him. "Boots is fine."

Gregor staggered to the side of the pillar and squinted into the darkness. Then a happy squeal came from above their heads. "More!" There was another gasp as Gregor began to fumble with his flashlight. The beam cut a wide swath of light through the blackness.

Twenty bats were wheeling around the cave, playing some kind of game of catch with Boots. One would take her up high and flip over, sending her free-falling through the air. But long before she reached the ground, another bat would scoop her up, only to rise and flip over again. Boots was giggling ecstatically. "More! More!" she ordered the bats each time she was caught. And each time they dropped her, Gregor's eyes bulged.

"Stop it!" he shouted. He strode to Henry and grabbed him by the collar. "Bring her in now!"

Henry raised his hands in mock surrender. "Take ease, Overlander. She is in no danger," he said with a grin.

"In truth, Gregor, she is safer with the bats than in human hands," Luxa added. "And she is not afraid."

"She's two!" shouted Gregor, wheeling on her. "She's going to think she can jump off anything and be caught!"

"She can!" said Luxa, not sensing the issue.

"Not at home!" snapped Gregor. "Not in the Overland! And I don't plan on staying in this creepy place forever!"

Silence fell. Luxa and Henry may not have known the meaning of the word 'creepy,' but it was clearly an insult.

Luxa flashed a hand signal and a bat coasted by, flipping Boots into Gregor's arms. He caught her and hugged her tightly. There was no more laughter.

"What means this 'creepy'?" Luxa asked coolly.

"Never mind," Gregor told her brusquely. "It's just something we Overlanders say when we see our baby sisters being tossed around by bats. See, for us, that's creepy."

"It was meant to be entertaining," said Henry with a frown.

"Oh, yeah, you guys should open a theme park," Gregor replied sarcastically. "You'll have a line from here to the surface." Again, Luxa and Henry obviously didn't understand, but Gregor's tone was so disparaging the insult couldn't be missed.

Boots wiggled out of Gregor's arms and ran for the edge of the pillar. "More, Ge-go!" she piped.

"No, Boots! No, no! No jumping!" said Gregor, catching her just as she was about to leap from the pillar. "See, this is just what I'm talking about!"

He stuffed Boots into his pack and heaved her onto his back.

Henry and Luxa were baffled by his anger and stung by his tone, even if they couldn't understand his words.

"Well, it was not Boots who needed the lessons, anyway," said Luxa frostily. "It was you."

"Oh, abandon the thought, Luxa," Henry sneered. "The Overlander would never give himself to the bats. Why, when he returns home, he may forget he is no longer in our 'creepy' land and jump from his own roof!"

Luxa and Henry gave an unfriendly laugh. Mareth merely looked embarrassed. Belle, who had watched the whole thing with an air of distaste, caught Henry's eye and shook her head before turning back to Persephone. This kind of behavior was unacceptable, and he knew it. Mouth twisting, he lowered his gaze.

Gregor gave both Henry and Luxa a contemptuous look, then turned and stalked off. Luxa followed him, seething.

"I could have you thrown off the side, Overlander, and have no one to answer to!" she snapped.

"So do it!" Gregor challenged, holding out his arms. Everyone knew it was a lie. She would have Vikus to answer to, and Belle would be furious. Luxa had no wish to disappoint either her grandfather or the girl she had said herself she regarded as an older sister. She bit her lip.

"Oh, let the 'warrior' be, Luxa," Henry broke in rudely. "He is no good to us dead...yet. And even the bats may not be able to compensate for his clumsiness. Come, I will race you to the pitch pool." To her credit, Luxa hesitated. Then, her bruised pride clearly overcoming her, she ran to the edge of the pillar. She and Henry launched themselves into the air like a pair of birds and vanished on the backs of their bonds. Aurora looked as haughty as Luxa, but Ares gave Belle an apologetic grimace as he winged out of sight.

Gregor stood there, hands on his hips, face contorted into a scowl. Belle went to him. "You must not take what they say to heart," she counseled quietly when he didn't say anything. Gregor's answering look was sad enough that she touched his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "They are not always so cold," Belle promised.

"They were kinder as children," Mareth broke in, and they all turned toward him. "I remember. But when the rats took their parents...they changed."

"The rats killed Henry's parents, too?" Gregor asked.

"Some years before Luxa's," Mareth replied. "Henry's father was the king's younger brother. After Overlanders, the rats most desire to see the royal family dead. When they were killed, Nerissa became as frail as glass, Henry as hard as stone."

Gregor didn't answer, just sat down on the top of the pillar to wait. Belle didn't try to make him talk--she knew there was more bothering him than what had happened with Boots. Luxa and Henry's taunts had struck a chord within him--fear. He hadn't jumped because he was afraid to, and though he had so many things to fear in this unfamiliar land, he was ashamed.

Nobody spoke. They just sat together in silence until Vikus and Solovet, then Luxa and Henry, returned. Without mentioning what had happened again, they took off on the next stage of their quest.