Captured

Gregor cursed. His mind was full of questions. Who had taken the Prophecy? Why did they steal it? Where were they? Luxa placed a calming hand on Gregor's shoulder.

"Please tell me there's another copy," Gregor said.

"There isn't. Nerissa had a dream about it; she doesn't remember it now. That was the only copy." Luxa replied, shaking her head.

Both Howard and Hazard joined them. "What's going on?" Howard asked, looking at Gregor's distraught face. "Someone took the Prophecy," Luxa and Gregor said simultaneously - then glanced at each other in surprise.

Hazard chimed in. "Who took it?"

"I don't know. But the thief has a head start. We need to leave immediately." Luxa stated firmly.

Later, Gregor, Luxa, Howard, and Hazard were flying over a vast river. They had decided to take the bats Cosmos, Aurora, and Nike on the Quest. Gregor was lost in his thoughts. Finally, he asked Luxa a question.

"Did anyone else know about the Prophecy of Night?"

"I do not know. Everyone was sworn to secrecy. The only ones who were told are trustworthy." Luxa replied. Her worried gaze told Gregor that she was thinking the same thing. Who could have betrayed them? It felt a lot like Henry's betrayal, sudden and unexpected. Then again, Gregor could be completely wrong. They might have been a "Sleeper Agent." He had just finished reading a book on spies back in the Overland. A Sleeper Agent was someone who didn't know that they were working for the enemy.

Gregor and Luxa were on Aurora. Howard was flying on Nike, while Hazard was flying on Cosmos. Cosmos was a sleek, white bat. Occasionally, he would swoop around; faster than any other bat Gregor had seen. Luxa had fallen asleep, her head leaning on Gregor's shoulder. Aurora was a big bat, Gregor and Luxa could sit side by side.

Gregor could tell the bats were getting tired. They were still flying above the river, but there was nowhere to land. The raging river would have killed anyone who dived in.

Around an hour later, Gregor saw a cave. It was getting late; his watch said it was ten o'clock. He pointed this out to Aurora, who immediately flew them over as Gregor drew a sword (He had decided to call this one Posideon, it glowed a dim blue oh andy copying other books again) and scouted the area. The only things there were some fish bones and scattered stones. The floor was made of sand, Gregor supposed it would be better to sleep on than stone.

Later, after they had finished a meal of fish, everyone fell asleep. They had provisions, but Gregor decided to save the non-perishable items for later. The bats had fallen asleep instantly; they were exhausted from the long flight. Luxa had fallen asleep next to Gregor. Exhausted, Gregor closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Gregor suddenly woke up. Everyone was still asleep; why did he wake up? Blinking to get the sleepiness out of his eyes, the room came in focus. Well, not really. It was pitch black in the room; the only light came from Posideon. Gregor clicked around; his echolocation got thrown off by his friends and bats. There were seven shapes, not counting him. Seven? That was wrong. There were only seven people and bats on the Quest, including him. That meant there was another person in the room.

Before he could make a move, someone grabbed him from behind. Startled, Gregor couldn't utilize his Rager abilities. Clapping a cloth over his nose and mouth, Gregor had no choice but to breathe in the fabric. The fabric was soaked in some liquid; a faint memory sparked in his mind. The doctors in Regalia had used something like this to prepare him for surgery by knocking him unconscious. The bitter, antiseptic odor made Gregor's mind spin, falling into a dark hole until Gregor knew nothing more.