The Underland Chronicles: Books 1-5 Paperback Box Set Read online

  They all laughed then, even the bats and Temp. Even Luxa.

  Now that the immediate crisis was over, they had to deal with the larger crisis at hand.

  "The avalanche blocked the Swag. So, how do we get back to Regalia?" asked Gregor. The pursuit of the mice was over. They had to get Hazard home now.

  "It is easier said than done," said Howard. "For we are in Hades Hall."

  "Okay, what's that?" asked Gregor.

  "It is a long passageway that goes very deep into the earth. But there are only two ways to gain entrance to it. On this end, the Swag, which is no longer an option. At the far end, many miles from here, the Firelands," said Howard.

  "What, there's no other way to get out?" asked Gregor.

  "I am afraid not. There are some caves. But no other tunnels," said Howard.

  "The Firelands ... aren't they near the jungle?" asked Gregor. He was trying to call up the image of the Underland map he had once seen, but it was foggy.

  "Yes. The journey should require about five days of travel. Three for Hades Hall, and two to get back to Regalia. But before we begin, we must eat; we must rest. We are all in need of recovery, and I would not move Hazard so soon," said Howard.

  No one wanted to eat. The river water had made their stomachs feel weird. Gregor put his flashlight on low and set it in the middle of the group. It was all they could allow themselves, with a long trip ahead and no torches.

  "Your light, Gregor. How long will it last?" asked Luxa.

  "Not for five days," said Gregor.

  "I don't like the dark," said Hazard plaintively. "I miss the jungle. There was always some light there."

  "When we sleep, Hazard, it will not matter if it is light or dark," said Luxa, smoothing back his curls. "May he go to sleep now, Howard?"

  "Yes, Hazard may rest, but we must wake him every time the watch changes," said Howard. "It is standard with head injuries."

  Luxa wanted the first watch. She was still too worried about Hazard to do anything else. Gregor realized that her loving Hazard had brought a new dimension of anxiety into her life. Made her vulnerable in a way she had not been before. It was unbearable to think about losing anyone you loved, but that time Gregor had thought he'd lost Boots it was as if the world had ended. Little kids ... you just loved them in a special way.

  Between the incident with Hazard and her ongoing fear for the mice, Luxa was being pushed to the limit. Gregor volunteered to take the watch with her before anyone else had a chance. Just to keep an eye on her.

  Despite the dampness of their clothes and fur and even Temp's shell — periodically trickles of water would run out of some part of him — the others fell asleep quickly.

  Gregor sat next to Luxa on the smaller picnic hamper that she had positioned over Hazard's bedside. He reviewed his situation in his head.

  Boy, was he ever in trouble now. The list of his transgressions was quite impressive. He had secretly gone to the mouse colony with Luxa. He had taken Boots along. He had crossed the Swag, which he knew nothing about, and then been cut off by an avalanche. He was five days from reaching Regalia, which meant during that time his family would be in hell. All they would know was that he had taken Boots on a picnic and never returned. A thought hit him.

  "Hey, Luxa, if all that water ran into the Swag from the river, they would know in Regalia, right? I mean, the whole river would be lower," said Gregor.

  "Yes, I suppose so. The water here stopped rising after the avalanche. It seemed to have blocked it off. But we have no idea what happened on the other side of the Swag," said Luxa. "Why?"

  "I was thinking, at least people might guess we had come here and know it might take us some time to get home," said Gregor. "I mean, say they came to investigate why the river was low. And they found where we'd had a fire at the nibblers' colony. Maybe they could put two and two together and know we'd gone through the Swag."

  "But, Gregor, that could have been anyone's fire. And once the river fills the Swag it may flood the nibblers' colony as well, erasing all signs of us," said Luxa.

  She was right. If a big wave had come out of this side of the Swag, a big wave had probably come out of the other side, too. Gregor didn't know enough about science to even guess what would happen to the river or to the surrounding areas when everything had settled.

  "Besides, they have no reason to think we would come so far. Had it been only you and I, possibly. We are not much trusted. But we took Hazard and Boots, whom we cherish. And Howard ... no one ever would expect Howard to make such an unauthorized trip. He is so dependably good," said Luxa.

  "That didn't keep them from putting him on trial for treason," said Gregor.

  "True enough, but he was easily cleared of the charge. And this morning Vikus saw us off with two hampers of food. I expect they are searching well-frequented picnic sites for us," said Luxa.

  "Oh. It was just a thought," said Gregor. "So ... how are you doing?"

  "Better, now that Hazard breathes," said Luxa.

  "Don't worry. Howard will make sure he's okay," said Gregor.

  "Yes, Howard watches over him," said Luxa.

  "He watches over you, too," said Gregor, remembering his uncomfortable date conversation. His face turned hot again. "Look, you know when we were leaving Regalia and I said that whole thing about the picnic being a date? I'm sorry. That was just to get us out of there. I didn't mean ... you see, I didn't know... in the Overland a date's not that big a deal... well, it would be for me, but for other people ... okay, you can stop staring at me now. I'm done."

  Those violet eyes had been locked on his face as he floundered through the explanation. "Did Howard say something to you about it?" asked Luxa, not looking away.

  "Yeah. He made it pretty clear you and I weren't going on any dates," said Gregor. They both laughed.

  "I knew you did not mean anything by it," said Luxa. "I am sure I am not at all the person you would choose to invite on a date."

  "That's not true," Gregor blurted out. Oh, man! Why did he say that? She had been perfectly willing to go with the "that was just to get us out of Regalia" excuse! And here he was, stepping right back into it. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with you." That sounded bad, too. "It's just the whole queen thing."

  "And the Overlander thing," she said, finally looking away.

  "Yeah," he said. What did that mean? That if he weren't an Overlander she might... she might what? He had to stop this now. He needed to change the subject. New subject... new subject... "Do you want a sandwich?" he said.

  "A sandwich?" said Luxa. "Yes."

  "I'll make some," said Gregor. They ate cheese sandwiches and talked very little. When Ares and Nike awoke to take the next shift, Gregor lay down next to Boots and pulled the edge of the blanket up over his face, grateful to be away from Luxa's eyes.

  The next morning, while they had breakfast, Howard explained the geography of Hades Hall. "I have never traveled it myself. Humans rarely take this route, for others are shorter and less perilous."

  "Where does it come out exactly?" asked Gregor.

  "In the Firelands. Here, Gregor, it is like this," said Howard. He dipped his finger in some kind of spicy sauce and drew an A. "We are here." To the left of the A he made a long line. "Here is the river that leads into the Waterway." A large oval indicated the Waterway. To the left of the Waterway, way off to the side, he made a B. "Here lie the Firelands. And Hades Hall runs something like this." Howard drew an S-shaped line between points A and B.

  Gregor stared at the map. Something was confusing him. "Where's Regalia?"

  "Here," said Howard, indicating a point directly on top of the 5-shaped line.

  "So, why don't we run into Regalia on the way?" said Gregor.

  "Because Hades Hall is far below Regalia and there is no access to it. You must not think of the Underland as a flat plain. Think of it as a sphere, where one can go up and down as well as side to side," said Howard.

  "At one point, Regalia will be directly ove
r our heads," said Luxa. "I do not much like going so deep in the earth." Which Gregor found ironic, since she already lived miles below the planet's surface.

  They packed up their gear and got ready to travel. Hazard was the greatest concern. Howard settled him on Aurora's back, giving Luxa specific instructions for his care. Gregor took Boots and Temp on Ares, Howard rode Nike, and they all just hoped that Thalia, without a rider, might be able to keep up.

  At first Gregor was optimistic. Hades Hall was a massive tunnel. At times he could not see both sides of it at once. It had clean streams filled with fish, so they weren't likely to dehydrate or starve. The floor was rocky and uneven, but they would be up on the bats. On the whole, it seemed like it would be a decent enough trip.

  As the hours passed, though, he felt they were making little headway. The tunnel began to slope so dramatically that at times the bats were practically free-falling in space. They couldn't really fly ... they just sort of dropped and occasionally opened their wings to guide themselves. It was not a speedy way to travel. Besides that, it seemed like they were stopping every ten minutes for something. Boots had to pee; Thalia needed a break; Hazard's bandage had to be changed; Nike spotted a good stream and thought they should fill their water skins as a precaution.

  They carried on this way for about six hours, until Howard said they would have to make camp for the night. Hazard couldn't travel anymore. Hades Hall was still angled sharply down, but they found a big ledge on the tunnel wall to stay on.

  Hazard and the bats went to sleep. The rest of them gathered around the beam of Gregor's flashlight and tried to act like they weren't worried. Well, Boots really wasn't worried. She played I Spy with Temp. It wasn't much of a game, since it was too dark to see stuff. But that didn't stop her.

  "I spy, with my little eye, something that is black!" she said about a thousand times. Temp would try to guess. Often the big reveal was just Boots pointing into the darkness at different angles and saying, "That!"

  They were all a little relieved when she finally fell asleep. Gregor felt free to bring up something that had been weighing on him since that morning. Something he had not wanted to discuss in front of the little kids. "Howard, you said this trip was more perilous than other routes. What did you mean by that exactly?"

  "The depth of the tunnels is difficult to navigate. The air becomes foul as we near the Firelands. And then there are creatures who live here who would rather not be disturbed," said Howard.

  "Dangerous creatures?" asked Gregor.

  "Some. Most will simply avoid us. Of those who would seek to do us harm, many do not fly, so we shall elude them. And then there are others who are not hostile but must be acknowledged," said Howard.

  "Like who?" said Gregor.

  It was as if the creature in the darkness had only been waiting for the right opportunity to break in. And when he spoke, Gregor recognized the high whiny voice immediately. How could he forget it?

  "Greetings, all! I am he called Photos Glow-Glow ... and she is Zap."

  ***

  CHAPTER 13

  "No way!" was the first thing that burst out of

  Gregor's mouth. He had never expected to see the fireflies again. The bugs had deserted the ship on the quest to find the Bane and betrayed everyone aboard to the rats. Gregor, Boots, Ares, Howard, Luxa, Aurora, and Temp had all nearly been killed because of their deception. Gregor didn't know what the fireflies were doing here in Hades Hall, but he couldn't believe that they had the guts to come up with a big friendly hello.

  Howard, who had been the most outraged at the bugs' disloyalty, sprang to his feet and drew his sword. "Show yourselves, shiners!" he shouted into the darkness, waking the bats. "Show yourselves, you bloated bags of treachery!" There was a long pause. Then Gregor heard Zap say, "Well, that was rude."

  "Very rude," agreed Photos Glow-Glow.

  "And after all we did for them. One would think a little gratitude might be in order," said Zap in a wounded tone.

  "Gratitude!" spat out Howard. "You sold us to the rats and now you expect gratitude? Show yourselves!"

  "Someone has a very selective memory," said Photos Glow-Glow. "You do not seem to recall how we starved for you, guided you across the Waterway, and masterfully defended you from the squid!"

  "I remember you ate some squid," said Gregor. "That's about it." He hadn't even bothered to rise. The shiners were such lazy, inept creatures, he knew they would never attack. He supposed he could chase them down in the dark ... and then what? He despised them, but he wasn't going to go kill them.

  But Howard was of another mind. "Nike!" he called. "Let us rid ourselves of these traitors once and for all!" Nike fluttered to his side.

  It was Luxa who grabbed Howard by the arm. "Wait," she said. Howard looked at her in surprise. "Do you not join me, Cousin? After all you have suffered at their hands?"

  Gregor could barely hear the next thing she whispered to Howard. "They have light."

  Howard's shoulders hunched forward as he wrestled with what she was suggesting. Finally, he shoved his sword back in his belt.

  "Shiners, will you not show yourselves?" said Luxa pleasantly. "We mean you no harm."

  "It seems more prudent to remain aloof," said Photos Glow-Glow.

  "He means aloft," said Zap. "He can never keep words straight."

  "I meant aloof! As in distant, remote, and detached!" said Photos Glow-Glow.

  And the two launched into a big argument about "aloof" and "aloft." When they were winded, Luxa tried again.

  "That is too bad. For we find ourselves with an overabundance of food that will soon be unfit to eat. Particularly cake," she said.

  "Cake?" said Zap. There was another long pause.

  "Has this cake ... been frosted?" asked Photos Glow-Glow.

  "Oh, yes. I do not care for it any other way," said Luxa. "But it is such a pity to waste it." She removed a round cake from the hamper and looked at it regretfully. It was rather battered from being tossed over and over in the flood, but it gave off a delicious smell.

  "Well, Your Highness has not been rude to us, as some have. So if my eating that cake would please you ... I do not have any objection to it," said Photos Glow-Glow.

  "Nor I!" said Zap, and suddenly the pair of fireflies were right in front of Luxa, their rear ends ablaze with yellow light.

  For the first time in days, Gregor could see properly. He was immediately aware of things he had missed. That there were large patches of mushrooms growing on the ceiling. That puffs of vapor periodically emerged from cracks in the walls. That Boots had a big bruise on her arm. If he had not seen these things, what else had he been blinded to? What dangers lay out in the dark beyond his vision's reach?

  Gregor knew Luxa absolutely loathed the shiners. She also knew they could be of use. He had to admire how quickly she'd assessed the situation and made the decision to make peace with them. He thought Ripred would have applauded her shrewdness. It was something the big rat would have done himself. If he were here. Instead of hunting down the Bane. Or whatever. Hopefully by the time they returned to Regalia, Ripred would have checked in.

  Luxa divided the cake in two and the bugs gobbled it down to the last crumb.

  "How come you to be in Hades Hall, Most Gracious Queen?" said Photos Glow-Glow.

  "We crossed the Swag for a lark and were cut off by an avalanche. Now we must proceed home this way," said Luxa. "And yourselves?"

  "We live here," said Zap unhappily.

  "You live here?" asked Gregor. He had never thought of the fireflies as living anywhere.

  "We were driven out of finer lands by villains who greatly outnumbered us," said Photos Glow-Glow. "The slimers."

  Howard gave a snort of derision. "Snails, Gregor. They were chased out of their lands by snails."

  "Are snails fast down here?" asked Gregor.

  "Fast enough!" snapped Photos Glow-Glow.

  "At full speed, they travel one yard an hour," said Nike.

  "Bu
t they are persistent!" said Zap indignantly.

  "It is widely believed that the snails did not even know they overthrew the shiners, so nonexistent was the resistance," said Howard.

  Gregor could tell Howard had hit a nerve. Zap's light came in short, angry bursts, and Photos Glow-Glow's butt had turned bright red.

  "Howard, Nike, why do you provoke my guests?" said Luxa.

  "We are hoping they will be offended enough to leave," said Nike.

  "And I am hoping they may join us for a few days," said Luxa. "After all, this is their territory. They know it well. Do you two?"

  "No," said Howard sullenly.

  "Then counter not my desires," said Luxa.

  "I hope you know what you are doing, Your Highness," said Howard.

  "You seem tired. Why do you not get some rest?" said Luxa.

  Grumbling to himself, Howard wrapped up in a blanket and lay down. Nike fluttered over to his side. They would make good bonds, Howard and Nike. They both were honorable, brave, and good-natured. Already they trusted each other with their secrets. And they clearly agreed about the shiners.

  "It seems that some believe us to be the villains in our last encounter. When in truth it was you humans who broke your contract with us," said Photos Glow-Glow. "We were guaranteed a certain measure of food ... which was not supplied."

  "We stayed extra days, just as a favor," said Zap.

  "Yes, unquestionably we were the injured party," said Photos Glow-Glow.

  It was sort of interesting to hear things from the fireflies' perspective. They had some valid points, in a way. The trip to find the Bane hadn't been their quest. They were hired lightbulbs. Gregor still couldn't stand them, though.

  "It wasn't so much that you left. It's that you told the rats we were coming," said Gregor.

  The fireflies shifted around uncomfortably.

  "That was Zap's idea," mumbled Photos Glow-Glow.

  "Liar!" shrieked Zap. She flew furiously at Photos Glow-Glow. Their heads smacked into each other with an unpleasant cracking sound, and they both plopped back on the ground, groaning and spitting insults at each other. Then they just glowered at each other.