Read Online Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - 2 by Suzanne Collins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Suzanne Collins
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Brothers and sisters, Animals, Siblings, Friendship, Missing Persons, Imaginary wars and battles, Quests (Expeditions), Prophecies
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brought up of the dead — the two spiders, Gox and Treflex, the cockroach, Tick, and Luxa's cousin, Henry — were painful for Gregor, they had to be excruciating for some of the other survivors.
It didn't help that this was the first time Boots seemed to notice that Tick was gone. Boots had been asleep with a high fever when Tick had given her life to protect her. When they'd gotten back home, Boots had talked about Tick as if she were fine. Gregor let her because he didn't know how to explain to a two-year-old that her friend was dead and, besides, he'd never planned on coming back here, anyway. Now her little voice going, "Where Tick? Where Tick?"
sent jolts of sadness through him.
After several minutes of "Where Tick?" almost everyone had given up eating. Without even excusing himself, Ares just up and flew out of the room, and Temp hid under the table, making odd clicking noises that Gregor thought might be some kind of cockroach crying.
Even Ripred seemed to raise an eyebrow at the guest list. "Really, Vikus, did you think we were going to swap war stories?"
"I thought it might be healing," said Vikus. "That it might help some accept their losses."
At that, Luxa sprang up, kicking her chair back onto the floor behind her. She and Aurora were gone in seconds.
"And it's working beautifully," said Ripred. "Ah, well, more for me." The rat hooked his paw around a huge serving dish of shrimp in cream sauce and pulled it in front of him. He stuck his entire face in the dish and sucked it down. At least this distracted Boots, who was so fascinated by his eating methods that she dipped her own face in her plate to imitate him.
"Mm," Ripred said dreamily as he pulled his dripping muzzle from the dish.
"Mm," Boots echoed. She giggled, dropped her face back in her dish, and slurped.
Ripred's long tongue swept around his jaws, cleaning off the cream. "Nothing like that in the Dead Land. Nothing much of anything these days, of course. Since the humans have cut the gnawers off from their main fishing grounds."
"Perhaps a little hunger will help them reflect on their poor judgment in attacking us,"
Solovet said, helping herself to a large serving of mushrooms.
"Surely the gnawers are not really starving?" asked Vikus.
"Aren't they?" said Ripred. "You have driven them back to the border of the ants. The rivers left open to them are dangerous to fish and are downstream from the crawlers, so the catch is small. What, in your mind, are they feeding on?"
There was silence.
Gregor tried to imagine being a rat and being hungry. In his experience, being hungry didn't make you think about anything but getting food — or maybe, in the rats' case, getting even.
"It's not helping the grand plan. I have enough to overcome as it is. And you reap what you sow, Solovet," said Ripred.
"Is this what you came to tell me, Ripred?" Solovet said, unmoved.
"No. You know what you're doing. Or at least you flatter yourself you do. I came to deliver Twitchtip and to teach Gregor another trick he can't learn from you." Ripred stuck an entire loaf of bread in his mouth and pushed back from the table. "Ready, boy?"
"For what?" Gregor asked, watching the crumbs fly out of Ripred's mouth.
"Your first lesson," Ripred said with a big gulp. "It starts now."
***
CHAPTER 9
"Echolocation?" Gregor said blankly. "You're going to teach me echolocation?" He was standing in a circular cave somewhere deep beneath Regalia with nothing but his mini flashlight.
Ripred slouched against a wall. Even for a rat, he had terrible posture. When he fought, everything in his body seemed to align and crackle with energy and power. The rest of the time, he wasn't much to look at. He reminded Gregor of one of those big baseball pitchers who kind of lumber around with their stomachs almost popping off their uniform buttons. You wouldn't bet they could make it around the bases without having to stop and catch their breath. But put them on the
It didn't help that this was the first time Boots seemed to notice that Tick was gone. Boots had been asleep with a high fever when Tick had given her life to protect her. When they'd gotten back home, Boots had talked about Tick as if she were fine. Gregor let her because he didn't know how to explain to a two-year-old that her friend was dead and, besides, he'd never planned on coming back here, anyway. Now her little voice going, "Where Tick? Where Tick?"
sent jolts of sadness through him.
After several minutes of "Where Tick?" almost everyone had given up eating. Without even excusing himself, Ares just up and flew out of the room, and Temp hid under the table, making odd clicking noises that Gregor thought might be some kind of cockroach crying.
Even Ripred seemed to raise an eyebrow at the guest list. "Really, Vikus, did you think we were going to swap war stories?"
"I thought it might be healing," said Vikus. "That it might help some accept their losses."
At that, Luxa sprang up, kicking her chair back onto the floor behind her. She and Aurora were gone in seconds.
"And it's working beautifully," said Ripred. "Ah, well, more for me." The rat hooked his paw around a huge serving dish of shrimp in cream sauce and pulled it in front of him. He stuck his entire face in the dish and sucked it down. At least this distracted Boots, who was so fascinated by his eating methods that she dipped her own face in her plate to imitate him.
"Mm," Ripred said dreamily as he pulled his dripping muzzle from the dish.
"Mm," Boots echoed. She giggled, dropped her face back in her dish, and slurped.
Ripred's long tongue swept around his jaws, cleaning off the cream. "Nothing like that in the Dead Land. Nothing much of anything these days, of course. Since the humans have cut the gnawers off from their main fishing grounds."
"Perhaps a little hunger will help them reflect on their poor judgment in attacking us,"
Solovet said, helping herself to a large serving of mushrooms.
"Surely the gnawers are not really starving?" asked Vikus.
"Aren't they?" said Ripred. "You have driven them back to the border of the ants. The rivers left open to them are dangerous to fish and are downstream from the crawlers, so the catch is small. What, in your mind, are they feeding on?"
There was silence.
Gregor tried to imagine being a rat and being hungry. In his experience, being hungry didn't make you think about anything but getting food — or maybe, in the rats' case, getting even.
"It's not helping the grand plan. I have enough to overcome as it is. And you reap what you sow, Solovet," said Ripred.
"Is this what you came to tell me, Ripred?" Solovet said, unmoved.
"No. You know what you're doing. Or at least you flatter yourself you do. I came to deliver Twitchtip and to teach Gregor another trick he can't learn from you." Ripred stuck an entire loaf of bread in his mouth and pushed back from the table. "Ready, boy?"
"For what?" Gregor asked, watching the crumbs fly out of Ripred's mouth.
"Your first lesson," Ripred said with a big gulp. "It starts now."
***
CHAPTER 9
"Echolocation?" Gregor said blankly. "You're going to teach me echolocation?" He was standing in a circular cave somewhere deep beneath Regalia with nothing but his mini flashlight.
Ripred slouched against a wall. Even for a rat, he had terrible posture. When he fought, everything in his body seemed to align and crackle with energy and power. The rest of the time, he wasn't much to look at. He reminded Gregor of one of those big baseball pitchers who kind of lumber around with their stomachs almost popping off their uniform buttons. You wouldn't bet they could make it around the bases without having to stop and catch their breath. But put them on the
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