Page 6 (1/2)

Chapter 6

A dozen people ran for her but Gregor reached her first "Luxa? Luxa?" He could not keep the desperation out of his voice He rolled her onto her back and gently propped her head up on his lap She was still conscious, but barely Another wave of coughing racked her body and fresh blood ran from the side of her nify that she was a doctor, uncorked a bottle and held it to Luxa's lips

"Look at her! She should have been sent hoor looked up and saw York striding toward theo," another voice rasped out Howard, who seemed nearly as bad off as Luxa, crouched down to wipe his cousin's face with a cloth

"You are still here as well?" asked York in exasperation

"I was needed," said Howard faintly "So iant of a or tried to reovernor at the Fount He had been kind to the mice Not much else

"You are no help like that The pair of you! To Regalia! Now!" He raised his head in the air "I need a flier with some life in it!" shouted York

Ares fluttered to the ground "I have life," said Ares "I have been in the ash but a few hours"

"We can take theave theor back the flashlight he'd used in the cave "Load thehed no or scrao

"It would be best if she could re up," said the doctor "Easier for her to breathe" York placed Luxa in front of Gregor "Can you keep her upright?"

"Yeah," said Gregor He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back so her head was resting on his shoulder "I can do it"

"Give her sips of this when the coughing resuor's hand "Hoill advise you Other than that, her hope lies in getting to the hospital in Regalia"

As Hoas being lifted onto Ares's back, Luxa began to struggle "Aurora " she said

"On ht behind you," said York, sot out The rat appeared and stuck his nose up to hers

"Right here," he said

"The nibblers If I die " said Luxa

But Ripred cut her off "You? Die? You're too ed a shness, I'll look after theh and fast"

Ares lifted into the air and shifted his powerful wings into high gear They did not need to take the secret, winding tunnels that had brought thehfares, the trip was excruciatingly long

Nothing Gregor had experienced in the battle ca hiht home Luxa was so ill -- barely able to breathe, wounded in several places, burning up with fever -- that at times he truly doubted she would make it home alive At one point, in fact, when she becaht he had lost her "Luxa!" he cried out and gave her a shake, and she began to cough again, bringing up more blood but still with hior," said Ares "As you did to ht in a web of powerful air currents, Ares had nearly gone insane Gregor had launched into a nonstop ue to distract the bat and keep his spirits up And so he began to talk to Luxa about anything and everything he could think of New York City, funny things Boots had done, a paper he had written on spiders, inter was like, Mrs Cor to keep her fro away

Soor was reh or an order to dose Luxa with more medicine But as poor as Howard's condition was, he was able to stay conscious, unlike his cousin

After what seenize the land down the wild river that ran froalia to the Waterway Only it didn't look as wild as Gregor remembered it The surface was not churned to a white froth -- it was several feet lower than usual The earthquake that had altered the landscape by the mouse colony near the Fount must have affected the river floell