Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - 2 by Suzanne Collins 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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tentacle...."No, it was my fault. I was supposed to be on guard and I...I fell asleep." He felt ashamed to admit it, but it wasn't fair to let Howard take the blame.
Everyone was quiet for a minute, then Mareth spoke up. "We probably would still have been attacked. But it is crucial to stay awake on guard. Not only our own survival, but that of many hangs on this journey."
It was even worse than Gregor thought, then. "Sorry. I was tired, but I thought I could stay awake."
"It is something you learn, how to stand guard. There are tricks to keeping your mind alert. You will find them," said Howard. But Luxa and Mareth said nothing, and Gregor knew that, for them, what he had done was inexcusable. Howard came from the Fount; it was not so dangerous there. Luxa and Mareth had fought too many rats to let him off the hook.
Mareth called a break for dinner. Gregor was famished. He stuffed way too much in his mouth, choked, and had to take a piece of bread back out. "Excuse me. I guess I haven't eaten since dinner last night."
"That was two nights ago," said Howard. "You have been out for almost two full days."
"Two days!" exclaimed Gregor. He had never been out that long before. Two days, plus the one he had traveled. They must be at least halfway to the Bane, and he felt no more prepared to face it than when he had left Regalia. He should be doing something! He thought about asking Mareth to give him a few more sword lessons, but he was so wiped out from the squid venom, he doubted he could lift the sword.
Besides, hitting things with a sword didn't seem to be his problem. In fact, if anything, he couldn't stop hitting things. It was like something took over his whole being, something beyond his control.
In a weak attempt to better his chances with the Bane, he lay on his back for a while, practicing echo-location. Click! But his mind kept going back to the squid and how he hadn't been able to stop hacking away at it. He couldn't really even remember fighting it, the same way he couldn't really remember hitting all the blood balls. Click! Sometimes that happened to people who were crazy....They had blank spots and couldn't remember how they'd gotten somewhere or what they'd been doing. Click! Oh, and there was that guy in that werewolf movie, same thing happened to him. He'd just wake up all bloody, wondering what had happened to his clothes.
Click! Gregor knew there weren't really werewolves. Click! Then again, how did he know that?
If you'd asked him six months ago, he'd have said there weren't giant, talking rats!
Click! Click! Click!
He was getting nowhere with this echolocation stuff. Maybe Ripred was right, he had to focus. But who could focus when they were in the middle of an underground sea, full of squid venom, on their way to killing a monstrous white rat? Not him.
Gregor sat up and saw Luxa sitting nearby, sharpening her sword on some kind of stone.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Better since I ate," said Gregor.
Luxa tested the edge of her blade by splitting a strand of rope. She frowned in dissatisfaction and continued to work on it.
"That looks pretty sharp to me," said Gregor.
"Not sharp enough for what lies ahead of us," said Luxa. "It is doubtful many of us will survive."
"So why did you come?" asked Gregor.
"I thought you might need my help. You have depended on it before," said Luxa. "And Aurora and I, we have Ares to think of as well."
While all of that might be true, Gregor had a feeling there was more going on inside Luxa. "Is that all?"
"Is that not enough?" Luxa asked, avoiding his gaze.
"Sure, I just thought, well, maybe it had something to do with..." Gregor stopped himself.
"With what?" said Luxa.
"With nothing," said Gregor. "Forget it."
"I can hardly forget it now," said Luxa. "Why else would I come?"
"Because of Henry. I mean, if I were you, I might come to show people I wasn't like him.
I might come to make Stellovet shut up," said Gregor.
Luxa
Everyone was quiet for a minute, then Mareth spoke up. "We probably would still have been attacked. But it is crucial to stay awake on guard. Not only our own survival, but that of many hangs on this journey."
It was even worse than Gregor thought, then. "Sorry. I was tired, but I thought I could stay awake."
"It is something you learn, how to stand guard. There are tricks to keeping your mind alert. You will find them," said Howard. But Luxa and Mareth said nothing, and Gregor knew that, for them, what he had done was inexcusable. Howard came from the Fount; it was not so dangerous there. Luxa and Mareth had fought too many rats to let him off the hook.
Mareth called a break for dinner. Gregor was famished. He stuffed way too much in his mouth, choked, and had to take a piece of bread back out. "Excuse me. I guess I haven't eaten since dinner last night."
"That was two nights ago," said Howard. "You have been out for almost two full days."
"Two days!" exclaimed Gregor. He had never been out that long before. Two days, plus the one he had traveled. They must be at least halfway to the Bane, and he felt no more prepared to face it than when he had left Regalia. He should be doing something! He thought about asking Mareth to give him a few more sword lessons, but he was so wiped out from the squid venom, he doubted he could lift the sword.
Besides, hitting things with a sword didn't seem to be his problem. In fact, if anything, he couldn't stop hitting things. It was like something took over his whole being, something beyond his control.
In a weak attempt to better his chances with the Bane, he lay on his back for a while, practicing echo-location. Click! But his mind kept going back to the squid and how he hadn't been able to stop hacking away at it. He couldn't really even remember fighting it, the same way he couldn't really remember hitting all the blood balls. Click! Sometimes that happened to people who were crazy....They had blank spots and couldn't remember how they'd gotten somewhere or what they'd been doing. Click! Oh, and there was that guy in that werewolf movie, same thing happened to him. He'd just wake up all bloody, wondering what had happened to his clothes.
Click! Gregor knew there weren't really werewolves. Click! Then again, how did he know that?
If you'd asked him six months ago, he'd have said there weren't giant, talking rats!
Click! Click! Click!
He was getting nowhere with this echolocation stuff. Maybe Ripred was right, he had to focus. But who could focus when they were in the middle of an underground sea, full of squid venom, on their way to killing a monstrous white rat? Not him.
Gregor sat up and saw Luxa sitting nearby, sharpening her sword on some kind of stone.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Better since I ate," said Gregor.
Luxa tested the edge of her blade by splitting a strand of rope. She frowned in dissatisfaction and continued to work on it.
"That looks pretty sharp to me," said Gregor.
"Not sharp enough for what lies ahead of us," said Luxa. "It is doubtful many of us will survive."
"So why did you come?" asked Gregor.
"I thought you might need my help. You have depended on it before," said Luxa. "And Aurora and I, we have Ares to think of as well."
While all of that might be true, Gregor had a feeling there was more going on inside Luxa. "Is that all?"
"Is that not enough?" Luxa asked, avoiding his gaze.
"Sure, I just thought, well, maybe it had something to do with..." Gregor stopped himself.
"With what?" said Luxa.
"With nothing," said Gregor. "Forget it."
"I can hardly forget it now," said Luxa. "Why else would I come?"
"Because of Henry. I mean, if I were you, I might come to show people I wasn't like him.
I might come to make Stellovet shut up," said Gregor.
Luxa
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