Belle and the Prophecy of Bane

Chapter 16

Belle pumped her hands frantically over Mareth's chest, trying to restart his heart. All around them, swords were clashing with teeth and stone.

"I need another sword!" somebody shouted, and Belle caught a flash of silver in her peripheral vision. In front of her, Howard was trying to staunch the flow of blood from Twitchtip's nose. Belle pounded on Mareth's chest.

"Come on, come on!" she muttered. She pressed the side of her face against his torso. "His heartbeat is back!" Quickly, she turned to Gregor. "Gregor! What have you in your pack?"

Gregor dumped the contents out onto the floor. There were a few batteries, the duct tape, a couple of candy bars, and some extra catch cloths.

Ripping away the bloody remains of Mareth's pant leg, Belle revealed jagged flesh around a gaping wound. "He was bitten by a serpent when we went in to help Twitchtip," Howard explained. Taking three of the catch cloths, Belle placed them over the hold.

"Hold them," she told Gregor. He obeyed, and she wrapped a length of duct tape tightly around Mareth's place to keep the cloths in place. Howard then placed his hands over the wound and applied pressure while Belle, using her belt, tied a tourniquet above them. There was nothing else she could think of to do. Sitting back on her heels, she shook her head, hoping she hadn't made things worse. "He must be taken home, if he is to survive. Warm him, Andromeda, while we tend to Twitchtip."

Andromeda lay down beside Mareth and enfolded him in her wings. "I must take him home. I must take him home."

Taking the last two catch cloths, Belle and Howard went back to Twitchtip. They used one to bandage the rat's tail.

"I am sorry I had to sever it," said Howard. "There was no other way to free you."

"I would have bit through it myself if I could have," said Twitchtip.

Belle placed the other catch cloth over the rat's nose, winding duct tape around it. "You will have to breathe through your mouth until it heals." Twitchtip nodded.

"What happened to your nose?" asked Gregor.

"Just before Howard cut me free, a serpent crushed it with its tail," Twitchtip said. "I can't smell a thing."

"You can't smell?" said Gregor, alarmed. Then he addressed the more pressing issue. "Then you can't tell, where my sister is, I mean?"

"Do not fret, Overlander," said Howard. "My cousin and Aurora are an excellent team. I am sure they have taken refuge in one of the tunnels."

"I believe they meant to," Twitchtip said quietly, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Belle stared at her. Time had slowed down. "They...meant to?"

Twitchtip hesitated. "It was all very confusing. The serpent was swinging me around and there was so much motion, it was difficult to place any smell."

"Luxa and Aurora caught Boots. They caught Temp. Aurora said this to me," Ares said.

"Yes, they did. I know their scents were all together. But then...but then...there was water between us," Twitchtip said.

"There was water between you!" Belle cried.

"It means...I still smelled them. But there was water between us. Many feet of it. Their scent was getting fainter..."

"I know what it means!"

"You think...they were pulled under, then?" said Howard in a hushed voice.

"I don't know for sure, but that would be my guess, if I was forced to make one," Twitchtip said. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at the ground.

"This did not happen," said Ares hurriedly to Belle and Gregor. "I will call! I will call for them now!" And he shot out of the tunnel.

Nobody moved while he was gone. Belle could feel her blood slowly turning to ice. The numbness began in her feet, creeping up her legs like blood poisoning, over her hips and through her stomach. It had reached her ribcage by the time Ares returned.

"There is no answer," he whispered. And the ice encircled Belle's heart.

Die their baby, die their hearts, for each their most essential part.

They had killed Boots. They had killed Luxa, and Aurora, and Temp. And though she still breathed and blinked and saw, Belle knew that they had killed her, too.

After an indistinguishable amount of time had passed, Howard spoke. "Belle...Gregor? What is it you wish to do?"

Die the baby, die their hearts, for each their most essential part. Die the peace that rules the hour, gnawers have their key to power.

They were off celebrating somewhere, the rats. Gnashing their yellow teeth and laughing and congratulating one another on how well their abominable plan had been carried out. On how they had killed Gregor's baby sister and two of Belle's dearest friends, and a brave crawler with a heart of gold.

The ironic thing was that, for the first time, Belle knew exactly what she wanted to do.

"Belle?" repeated Howard. "Gregor?"

The ice had reached Belle's throat, and when she spoke her voice was calm and cool. Gregor took her hand, and she knew she was speaking for both of them.

"You need to go home. Get Mareth back. Twitchtip, too, if you can."

"And what will you do?" asked Twitchtip.

Belle felt the last bit of warmth leach away as the ice covered her head. There was nothing left to fear. She would not let them take somebody else away from her.

She squeezed Gregor's fingers.

"Us?" Belle said. "We are going to kill the Bane."