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"Stellovet Oh, I did not think of that," said Howard

"You going to leave her in charge of Regalia?" asked Gregor

"No, I around the pal Pandora and Luxa, whom he'd only just found, really, and the responsibility of a kingdo over him -- he was clearly overwhelmed "I do not knohat to do Androht the Overlander and risk injuring hi Mareth home," said Andromeda "And you should coo out of Howard "I cannot fight all of you," he said He sat there for a few et back to business "Well, then, every second counts if we hope to get Mareth back alive But Androht without rest, and there is nowhere safe to land"

That was true They all pondered it, then Ares spoke up "There are soe, but they still float"

"Maybe you could or

"What is this, a lifeboat?" asked Howard

"In the Overland, big boats, like ships and things, have lifeboats attached to theet in if your ship sinks or soht enough to carry, and I could rest for a few hours at times, I could make it," said Androe

"I'll go with you," said Gregor He needed to talk to his bat He waited until they were flying out over the Tankard to speak "You don't have to do this, Ares Coo together," said Ares "Besides, the gnawers have killed every reason I had to return to Regalia If by soins for me"

What the bat said was true With Luxa and Aurora gone, Ares would have no contact with anyone He could probably sit in his hideout for years without anyone bothering to check on hio hoood as banished

"Okay," said Gregor "We'll go together" He had a feeling they would never have a discussion like this again -- about whether one would go into danger without the other He didn't bother to thank Ares So each other Soor realized that the journey filled with squids and whirlpools and ed them It had made the oath they had sworn in front of that furious crowd in Regalia real He reht of the words he'd said with Luxa pro him

"Ares the Flier, I bond to you,

Our life and death are one, o

In dark, in flame, in war, in strife,i save you as i save or was Ares's human They were truly bonded now

If there was one positive note, they ood haul Ares found three pieces of the boat, and Hoas able to fashion the the last few strips of duct tape It wasn't anything you'd want to try crossing the Waterway on, but when they went down and tested it, it held up under the coor, Ares, and Howard

"It should do for a few hours at a tih for Andromeda to sleep a bit"

Ale were the two packs they retrieved They had washed up inside one of the tunnels when the waves were high The first contained food The second, to Howard's great relief, was his first aid kit

"Oh, this! This is as good as light itself!" he said He ian to work on everyone He changed Mareth's and Twitchtip's bandages, dousing the wounds with or's ar some improvement, and dabbed Ares's or take the rest of the food, since Mareth couldn't eat, anyway, and he and Andromeda could live on raw fish "And who knohat you will find in the Labyrinth?"

Gregor took Mareth's sword; Howard still had his own Finally, they divided up light They had torking flashlights; Howard's had died during the serpent attack, and two had disappeared into the deep with Luxa and Boots So, there was one flashlight per party, but Howard ht, Androet us home You have many or nodded He put his candy bars, the food, and the spare batteries in one backpack He wedged Mareth's sword between two straps The flashlight was still taped onto his good arm

Andromeda flattened out her back, and they laid Mareth on it Howard tucked the spare blanket fro over the bat's neck "Fly you high, Gregor the Overlander"

"Fly you high," said Gregor Although "Been nice knowing you" seeain

Andro the raft in her claws as she left the tunnel Alor, Ares, and Twitchtip turned and headed into the tunnel without a word