Gregor and the New Race

Chapter 9

When Gregor and Luxa entered the Dining Hall, they were greeted by smiles from all around the table. Most of them were happy to see their queen back, while the rest, mainly the Overlanders, were relieved to see Gregor.
"I take it you two have visited?" Vikus asked smiling. Gregor took a seat beside Abigail, who's body was tense as she stared at the fish on her plate.
"Uh, Yes, sir. We have." He said and looked at Luxa, who took her seat next to him.
"Good to see that our queen has returned." Vikus said, shooting a glance at her.
"And it is good to see that the Overlander has as well." She replied, throwing the look right back at him. Gregor interfered.
"Hey. Guys, this is queen Luxa. Luxa, this is Abigail, Harry, his father, and Dr. Nyles." He said, introducing each as he went down the table.
"Oh. So this is Luxa, the girl you were talking about in your dream." Harry blurted out. Gregor blushed bright red as the whole table turned to look at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Luxa smile, turning the same color as Gregor. Gregor cleared his throat.
"Well. Yeah. You know. And all of you guys. It wasn't just her." He replied, trying to brush off his embarrassment. He shot a look at Harry, who got the message.
"Yeah. Right. That's what I meant, of course." He said. Abigail chuckled quietly beside Gregor.
"So..." Gregor said loudly, trying to change the subject. "Where's everybody else?" He asked. Vikus looked at Luxa with a concerned expression. She huffed angrily and picked at her food. Gregor was starting to get angry with all the secrecy.
"They are not currently at the palace." Vikus said.
"Vikus, what's going on? Why are you being so secretive?" Gregor finally asked.
"Gregor, we did not want to upset you. The truth is, we have much need of you here. Regalia is not safe." He said. The Overlanders looked uncomfortable.
"If it's not safe, why are we here?" Asked Dr. Nyles.
"It was not our intent to bring all of you down here. We only meant to bring Gregor. Unfortunately, our plan did not work entirely smoothly." He explained. "We will return you to the overland as soon as possible."
"What do you mean 'as soon as possible'? You said we could leave as soon as the bats were rested!"
"You may. We do not hold prisoners here. However, it would not be in your best interest. As I said before, it is not safe yet. If you wish to preserve your time, you should stay here. I assure you, no harm will come to you here." He replied calmly, but worry and doubt was hidden behind his words. They hadn't heard of the "time" expression yet, but they understood what it meant. They didn't answer. They were terrified of what he meant by "not safe". But after flying on giant bats and chased by oversized rats, they knew that it was anything but safe. Abigail leaned over to Gregor and whispered,
"Can I have a word with you?" She asked, worry filled her voice. She stood up and walked out of the room. After a moment, Gregor stood up and followed her. He entered the hall and saw her sitting against the wall.
"Sit." She commanded. He sat down beside her. She took a deep breath, her hands shook with anxiety. "Gregor, I know these people will keep me safe, and I know that I'll be okay..." she began, knitting her hands. "But I'm really really scared. I didn't ask for this. This place is creepy, and I want to go home." She said. Her voice was shaky and her eyes started to water. Gregor remembered the time when he had called the underland creepy. He knew exactly how she felt.
"Can you promise me something?" She asked, looking deep into his eyes.
"Yeah. Anything." He replied,
returning the gaze.
"That you won't leave me. I don't trust these people, and I need someone to trust. Please...don't leave." She said, looking at him, wanting, needing his reassurance. She wanted to know that she could count on him. Gregor could see the pure fear in her eyes.
"I promise." He said. He knew what this meant to her. "I won't leave you."
"Thank you." She said, and the shaking stopped. She instantly relaxed. Apparently that was all she needed. His reassurance and protection, and when she got it, her fear left her. She sat there a minute before starting again.
"So...what's with you and the queen?" She asked with a wry smile. Gregor blushed again.
"Yeah...well, she and I are—we are—"
"I get it. You two are together. I saw the way you look at her."
"Really? It's that obvious?" He asked surprised, but relieved that he didn't have to explain.
"Yes." She said with a giggle. He laughed. After a minute, Gregor said,
"We should probably head back in there. They're probably wondering where we are." They stood up and left the hall, and returned to the Dining Hall. They entered in the middle of a conversation that Dr. Nyles and Vikus were having.
"...Wow that's interesting. In the overland, we usually get from place to place with cars, or it would more be equivalent to us riding horses." Gregor realized they were probably talking about fliers. He noticed that he was not as tense as he had been before. He was talking freely and had lost his worried expression. Harry was still uncomfortable, however, and he was glad when his friends walked back in. While they were gone, he and Luxa made small talk, but it didn't lighten his mood. In fact, the more he talked to her, the more uncomfortable he got. When Abigail and Gregor sat down in between the two, Harry let out a sigh of relief.
Gregor didn't want to interrupt the conversation, but he still had questions.
"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "But I'm still confused, Vikus. Why is Regalia not safe? The sooner I know, the sooner I can help." He asked once again. Vikus sighed. Gregor could tell he still wanted to keep the answers from him.
"I was planning on telling you in private, but sooner or later, you all would have found out. I suppose it is time you know." He took a deep breath. "Gregor, we brought you down here because we are at war."
"I thought you made peace with the rats..." Gregor said, confused.
"We did. And still are" He replied.
"Then who are you at war with?" Gregor asked. Vikus looked at Luxa. She looked at Gregor.
"Humans"