The Seeker and the Annihilation of the Underland: A Gregor the Overlander Fanfic

Chapter 15

Previously...

But as they approached the palace, she realised that something was wrong. It was the mood. The palace looked really gloomy; the whole structure was dimly lit. The bats seemed to realise that something was wrong as well, because they quickened their flight.

"Why's the palace so dim?" Leo asked the question Stella had wanted to ask.

Stella felt Orion's muscles tense up. "Someone is dying," was all the bat said.

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Stella flung herself off Orion before he had even slowed to a stop in High Hall. She managed to land on all fours.

"Stella!" Leo and Hazard called in unison.

Pushing herself off the floor, Stella dusted her clothes. "I'm okay." As soon as the bats had stopped, and Hazard and Leo had climbed off, Stella dashed towards one of the guards near a hallway entrance. "Which way's the hospital?"

The guard looked perplexed. Maybe he didn't expect Stella to return from the jungle alive? Whatever it was, his perplexed look was soon replaced with a firm one. "Take you that way," he pointed to a corridor entrance across High Hall. "Two stairways down. One left. And please do not run—"

It was too late to not run because Stella was already sprinting across the hall.

"Wait up," she heard Leo call out. Within a matter of minutes, Leo and Hazard were at her heels.

The three of them followed the guard's directions to the hospital, ignoring the gasps and shouts of the Underlanders and guards they met along the way. Stella had a gut feeling she knew who was dying. She was just hoping it wasn't true.

When they turned into the hospital, Stella had to carefully make her way around the doctors with trays of medicine, unlike the first time when she'd bumped into Howard and spilt his tray. That had been a disaster.

"Where's Vikus's room?" She asked a doctor nearby.

The doctor's face turned grave but he tried to remain strong. He turned around and pointed to a corridor, "That way, and the fifth one on your left."

Stella's heart was pumping rapidly with each step she took towards Vikus's room. By the way that doctor had reacted to the mention of Vikus, Stella's guess must be true.

When Stella had reached the curtains of Vikus's room, she burst in. "Vikus!" She had to stop herself to catch her breath. "Vikus?"

A gasp arose around the room.

Leo and Hazard dashed in, panting.

"Stella?" It was Howard. He sighed in relief, "You have all returned."

Stella ignored him and looked around the room. Apart from Howard, there was Gregor, Luxa, Nerissa, Mareth, and their bats. Howard had his hand on Vikus's forehead like he was checking his temperature. Luxa was holding Vikus' hand, looking pale. Gregor was beside Luxa with his arm around her. Mareth stood beside Gregor and Luxa with the help of his crutch. Nerissa sat on the bench beside the bed, staring into the distance.

Upon seeing his cousin, Hazard ran to Luxa's side, "Grandfather?"

Stella's eyes landed on Vikus who was lying on the bed in the middle of the room, wheezing. Her mind flew back to the image of Nora, lying on the hospital bed. Gasping for air. Slowly dying.

Stella rushed to Vikus's side, next to Howard. "Vikus?"

The old man turned towards her, and he squinted like he was trying to identify who had called his name. "Stella?" He barely whispered.

"Yes it's me, Stella."

He pulled his other hand out from under the covers and opened his fist, revealing a key. Stella quietly gasped. It was a key she recognised. She hadn't seen it for six years. The key to the Treasury of Regalia.

"Take you this," Vikus whispered. "You are the treasurer now." His thin body rattled as he let out a painful cough.

Stella's breath was caught in her throat. "No," she shook her head. "I can't, Vikus." How could she be the next treasurer? It was too big of a responsibility. And how could someone like her hold that responsibility?

"You must." Vikus whispered. "You must." He slowly placed the key in Stella's open palm.

Stella shook her head, "No. I-I can't." Despite her refusal, her fingers wrapped around the key.

Vikus lightly smiled, "Hope." Stella watched as his eyes slowly closed.

The room suddenly fell silent and everyone was looking at Vikus.

Gregor broke the silence, "Vikus?"

Howard's hand hovered over Vikus's nose. "He is no longer."

Luxa let go of Vikus's hand and buried her head in Gregor's chest, sobbing. Gregor wrapped his arms around her, as tears rolled down his cheeks. It was like it had set off a chain reaction, because, slowly, everyone went into a fit of crying. Everyone except Stella.

Orion and Hestia must've came in at some point, because they were quietly standing in the corner of the room with Aurora, Nike, and Andromeda.

Stella looked down at the key in her closed palm. What was the last thing Vikus had said? 'Hope.' Stella felt the room spinning. She accidentally stepped back into Leo who put his hands on her shoulder to steady her. She needed to get out of here.

Stella pushed past him and made her way to the curtains, shoving through them. She leaned against the wall outside the room and clutched the key to her chest. Hopeless tears rolled down her cheeks. Vikus was dead. She was never going to see him again. Like Nora. They were both out of her reach.

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A little while later, Stella found herself standing at the dock on the river with everyone else. She watched as a team of Underland soldiers walked in with a stretcher with the body of Vikus. They placed him on a small raft of some kind of woven plant fibre. A torch was inserted in a holder at his shoulder. A woman softly chanted some words Stella couldn't catch. Then, Luxa, Howard, Hazard and Nerissa, got to touch his hand one last time, since they were his family. Then the raft was set in the river and released. The current was strong enough to quickly carry the raft away. Stella kept her eyes on the raft for as long as she could, before it's light disappeared into the distance.

So this was how they buried their dead. Sent them on a lit raft down the river to the Waterway, the giant sea, where they would be swallowed up by the waves. It made sense. There was little earth to bury them in. Stella had seen what she would call soil only in the jungle and in the farmlands. Stones might work, but it would have to be somewhere outside of the city.

She clutched the key tightly in her fist. What was she going to do now? She had a whole new responsibility. A seeker... and a treasurer? She couldn't handle the stress.

"You okay?" Leo asked. He was standing next to her as they both stared into the distant river. The air was cool and the gurgling of freshwater could be heard above the quiet sobbing of Hazard, and the comforting words of Luxa and Howard as they tried to quiet him.

Stella sighed and released her gaze from the river and looked at her brother. "You think I'm okay?"

"I'm just surprised you're not reacting," said Leo. "To the prophecy."

Stella shrugged. "Dunno," was all she could muster.

Gregor walked up to them. "So... um... guys?" He wiped his eyes and sighed. "What are we going to do now?"

What are we going to do?  Stella questioned herself. She looked down at the key in her hand.

"I think," Stella started, looking at Gregor. "I think I should show you guys something."

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