Read Online Gregor the Overlander - 1 by Suzanne Collins - Free Book Online

like a sword, fully illuminating his face.

    The rats pulled up short. At first he thought they were afraid of the flame, but it was something more. They looked stunned.

    "Mark you, Shed, his shade," said Fangor in a hushed voice.

    "I mark it, Fangor," said Shed quietly. "And he is but a boy. Think you he is ...?"

    "He is not if we kill him!" Fangor growled, and lunged for Gregor's throat.

    The first bat came in so silently that neither Gregor nor the preoccupied rats saw it. It caught Fangor mid-leap, knocking him off course.

    Fangor plowed into Shed, and the rats landed in a heap. Instantly they regained their feet and turned on their assailants.

    Gregor saw Henry, Mareth, and Perdita zigzagging their bats above the rats' heads.
    Besides avoiding one another in limited space, they had to dodge the wicked claws of the rats.
    Fangor and Shed could easily leap ten feet in the air, and the sparkling ceiling of the cavern over the beach was not much higher.

    The humans began to dive at the rats, wielding swords. Fangor and Shed fought back viciously with claws and teeth. Blood began to stain the beach, but Gregor couldn't tell whose it was.

    "Flee!" Henry shouted at Gregor as he whipped past him. "Flee, Overlander!"

    Part of him wanted to, badly, but he couldn't. First of all, he had no idea where to go. His boat was high on the beach, and the tunnel ... well, he'd rather take his chances in the open than in the tunnel if he had to deal with the rats.

    More important, he knew the Underlanders were only here because of him. He couldn't just run away and leave them to face the rats.

    But what could he do?

    At that moment, Shed caught the wing of Mareth's bat in his teeth and hung on. The bat struggled to free itself, but Shed held fast. Perdita came in behind Shed, taking off his ear with one stroke of her sword. Shed gave a howl of pain, releasing Mareth's bat.

    But as Perdita pulled out of her dive, Fangor leaped onto her bat, ripping a chunk of fur off its throat and hurling her to the ground. Perdita hit her head on the cavern wall as she landed and was knocked out. Fangor loomed over her and aimed his teeth at her neck.

    Gregor didn't remember thinking of his next move, it just happened. One minute he was pressed against the wall, and the next he had jumped forward and thrust his torch into Fangor's face. The rat shrieked and stumbled backward, right into Henry's sword. Fangor's lifeless body fell to the ground, taking the sword with it.

    Fangor's shriek finally woke Boots, who took one look over Gregor's shoulder and began wailing at the top of her lungs. Her cries echoed off the walls, sending Shed into a frenzy and disorienting the bats.

    "How fly you, Mareth?" yelled Henry.

    "We can hold!" cried Mareth, although his bat was spraying blood from its wounded wing.

    Things didn't look good. Mareth's bat was losing control, Henry was unarmed, Perdita was unconscious, her bat was gasping for air on the ground, Boots was screeching, and Shed was insane with pain and fear. Though bleeding badly, he had lost none of his speed or strength.

    Mareth was trying desperately to keep the rat from Perdita, but he was just one guy.
    Henry flew interference, but he couldn't get in too close without a sword. Gregor crouched over Perdita holding the torch. It seemed a fragile defense against the crazed Shed, but he had to do something.

    Then Shed leaped, catching Mareth's bat by the feet. The bat slammed into the wall and so did Mareth. The rat turned on Gregor.

    "Now you die!" screamed Shed. Boots screamed back in terror as Shed lunged at them.
    Gregor braced himself, but Shed never made it. Instead, the rat let out a gasp and pawed at the blade that jutted through its throat.

    Gregor caught a glimpse of Luxa's bat, Aurora, flipping upright. He had no idea when she'd arrived. Luxa must have been flying completely upside down when she'd stabbed Shed.
    Even though Luxa had flattened herself on the bat's back, Aurora barely