Page 10 (1/2)

PART 2: The Ticking

Chapter 10

Ripred's ior like a ton of bricks Princess! That could only ht Lizzie was the princess in the prophecy, not Boots, and noould want to keep her here "No! No way, Ripred! You can't have her!" He stood up, putting Lizzie on her feet, and then pulled her by the hand toward the door "Coet you ho, ratty self in front of the door "Well, I can't let you go now It wouldn't be safe"

"This is true," put in Daedalus "Hermes and your sister were ambushed at the bottom of the shaft that leads to your ho it now"

"Then she'll go back up through Central Park," said Gregor

"Even if we had a spare flier at the moment, that wouldn't be advisable There's probably a patrol posted there as well And do you really want to drop off poor Lizzie under Central Park alone? Hoill she et hoor had no idea what time it was, either in the Overland or the Underland But he couldn't just send Lizzie up to Central Park by herself no e for his dad to ain and, if they couldn't send a bat with a et word to hi her or

"Just try to set one toe outside Regalia and you'll be back in that dungeon so fast you won't knohat hit you," said Ripred "And your bat, as well"

Gregor felt desperation growing inside of hiet her ho was true "Why do you even want her? What's this 'princess' stuff? She didn't even get the puzzle right! I know you had shrimp for lunch!"

Ripred rolled his eyes at Lizzie "You see? This is the sort of thing I've been dealing with for the past year Enlighten hior, not what really happened," said Lizzie "In the puzzle the rat ate the cheese"

"How did you know that? Did you just guess?" asked Gregor

"No, it was just the only answer left He said the mouse didn't eat the cheese And the two animals who ate mushrooms and cookies weren't mammals, so that means the spider and the cockroach didn't eat the cheese And cheese wasn't one of the favorite foods of the Overlander, the Underlander, or the bat So, that only leaves the rat See?" said Lizzie

Even her explanation or "All I see is I've got to get you hoo," said Ripred

"Of course she does!" said Gregor

"Let's ask her," said Ripred "Lizzie, if you knew that all the huht die if you didn't help us solve a puzzle, would you stay or go?"

"What?" asked Lizzie, immediately distressed "Would that happen?"

"Don't tell her that!" said Gregor "She's not even the princess! Boots is the princess!"

"And if a princess has a sister, you call them a?" asked Ripred

"Okay! A princess!" said Gregor "But that's just soyou, you'll be Prince Gregor from now on," said Ripred

"My mom and my sister and my brother, too?" broke in Lizzie, who had not yet answered Ripred's question "Would they die, too?"

"They ain, they may live But if you are the princess in the prophecy and you leave us, none of us stands a chance," said Ripred "I think everyone in this room would back me up on that"

"IN THE NAMING IS THE CATCHING," said Nerissa suddenly "That is what the line from 'The Prophecy of Tiht name That was the catch The true princess must be you, Lizzie You are the one ill help us break the Code of Claw"

"Then I have to stay, Gregor," said Lizzie "I can't leave and let everybody die"

"What about Dad?" asked Gregor

"I don't know," said Lizzie Her breathing began to get short again "I don't know"

"I'll send money up there And instructions Your nice Mrs Cormaci can hire a nurse, can't she? There are people who do that, right?" said Ripred

"If you can get a note up there, just have Mrs Coror

"But I'or," Lizzie said unhappily "I have to stay" She turned to Ripred "Hoill you get it to Mrs Cormaci? The rats? The small ones who live up there?"

"Exactly Such a relief not to have to explain myself all the time," said Ripred

"I rite the note and have the money collected," said Nerissa "Then, Ripred, have you need of me?"

Nerissa had turned so white her veins looked purplish-black against her skin The strain of Lizzie's arrival must have beeri too much for her Surely she would pass out at any moment

"No," said Ripred "Go, see to the nurse, and then rest"

"Yes," Nerissa said, ainst the wall "Yes"

"Nerissa, you have been invaluable today," added Ripred, and she acknowledged this with a nod

Boy, the rat really was in good spirits if he was coor was not But he knew that arguing with Lizzie at this point was no good And Ripred had made up his mind to keep her

A couple of Underlanders caor realized how hungry he was He antic roast beef sandwich sainst the wall to try to figure out another plan while he washed it doith a quart of milk

Lizzie, whose stomach was also empty, took a slice of buttered bread at Ripred's insistence "Now co his tail around her and guiding her around the rooe to you, but believe ot or over there"

"Why?" asked Lizzie, shooting a nervous look back at Gregor

"Because you think alike," said Ripred "Oh, by the way, you don't sing, do you?"

"Not much I don't like h of relief came from around the room

"Good Good," said Ripred Then he leaned and whispered in Lizzie's ear so Gregor could barely hear it "You'll have to be patient with some of the to say to Lizzie, who could be alreat difficultyfriends To be honest, she'd only ever had one friend, a weird kid narade at school and, like Lizzie, way beyond the other kids acade worked A car, a telephone, a computer Once, when he'd co about their oven Gregor had finally taken the pair of theoing Lizzie got cold and Jedidiah becaht It was hopeless Also, Jedidiah always insisted on calling Lizzie by her full naot very upset if you called hi a conversation rims "What do you think, Jedidiah?" "I do not know, Elizabeth" Still, the whole farateful for Jedidiah If it weren't for him, Lizzie would have no friends at all