Gregor the Overlander - 1 by Suzanne Collins
Authors: Suzanne Collins
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Detective, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Brothers and sisters, Animals, Siblings, Missing Persons
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more plausible.
"What sort of light am I supposed to bring back?" asked Gregor. "Is there a sacred torch or something?"
"That is a metaphor. By 'light,' Sandwich means 'life.' If the rats can truly extinguish our light, they extinguish our life as well," said Vikus.
A metaphor? Gregor thought an actual torch would be easier to bring back. How could he bring back some metaphor thing he didn't really understand? "That could be tricky," he said. He read on.
TWO over, two under, of royal descent, TWO fliers, two crawlers, two spinners assent.
"What are all those twos about?" asked Gregor.
"That tells us whom we must persuade to accompany us on the quest. We are proceeding as if the 'two over' are you and your sister. 'Two under' of royal descent are Luxa and Henry.
Henry's sister, Nerissa, as you might have gleaned, was not a possible choice. Fliers are bats.
Crawlers are cockroaches. Spinners are spiders. We go now to assemble our neighbors in the order that the prophecy dictates. First the bats."
The number of bats had been increasing as they flew. Henry led the party into a vast cave. Gregor gave a little jump when he realized the ceiling was bumpy with hundreds and hundreds of hanging bats.
"But don't we already have bats?" asked Gregor.
"We need official permission to take them on the quest," said Vikus. "Also, there are matters of war to discuss."
A towering cylinder of stone sat in the center of the cave. Its sides were as slick as those of the palace. On the round, flat top a group of bats waited.
Vikus turned back to Gregor and whispered, "We humans know you to be the warrior, but other creatures may have doubts. Whoever you think you may or may not be, it is essential that our neighbors believe you are the one."
Gregor was trying to unwind that in his head when they landed next to the bats on the huge pillar of stone. The humans all dismounted. Deep bows and greetings followed on both sides.
One particularly impressive, silvery white bat appeared to be in charge. "Queen Athena,"
Vikus said, and presented him. "Meet you Gregor the Overlander."
"Be you the warrior? Be you he who calls?" asked the bat in a soft purr.
"Well, actually I -- " Gregor saw Vikus frown and pulled up short. He'd been about to go into his spiel about how he wasn't the warrior, but then what? Vikus had whispered something about others believing he was the one. There was a war beginning. The bats weren't likely to send off valuable fliers on a wild-goose chase. If he denied he was the warrior now, the quest would be called off, and his father would be as good as dead. That sealed it.
Gregor stood up straight and tried to control the quaver that slipped into his voice. "I am the warrior. I am he who calls."
The bat was still for a moment, then nodded. "It is he." She spoke with such certainty that for a second Gregor succeeded in thinking of himself as a warrior. A bold, brave, powerful warrior that the Underlanders would tell stories about for centuries. He could almost see himself leading a squadron of bats into battle, stunning the rats, saving the Underland from --
"Ge-go, I pee!" announced Boots.
And there he stood, a boy in a goofy hard hat with a beat-up flashlight and a bunch of batteries he hadn't even tested to see if they still had juice.
CHAPTER 13
Vikus and Solovet arranged to have some sort of private war meeting with the bats.
"Do you need me to go along?" asked Gregor. It was less that he thought he could contribute to the meeting and more that he felt safer when Vikus was around. Being stranded on top of a tall pillar surrounded by hundreds of bats made him a little uncomfortable.
And who would be in charge if anything came up? Luxa? That was no good.
"No, thank you, Gregor. We will be discussing battle position for our forces, not the efforts of the quest. We shall not be absent long," said Vikus.
"No problem," said Gregor, but inside he wasn't so sure.
Before they left, Vikus's
"What sort of light am I supposed to bring back?" asked Gregor. "Is there a sacred torch or something?"
"That is a metaphor. By 'light,' Sandwich means 'life.' If the rats can truly extinguish our light, they extinguish our life as well," said Vikus.
A metaphor? Gregor thought an actual torch would be easier to bring back. How could he bring back some metaphor thing he didn't really understand? "That could be tricky," he said. He read on.
TWO over, two under, of royal descent, TWO fliers, two crawlers, two spinners assent.
"What are all those twos about?" asked Gregor.
"That tells us whom we must persuade to accompany us on the quest. We are proceeding as if the 'two over' are you and your sister. 'Two under' of royal descent are Luxa and Henry.
Henry's sister, Nerissa, as you might have gleaned, was not a possible choice. Fliers are bats.
Crawlers are cockroaches. Spinners are spiders. We go now to assemble our neighbors in the order that the prophecy dictates. First the bats."
The number of bats had been increasing as they flew. Henry led the party into a vast cave. Gregor gave a little jump when he realized the ceiling was bumpy with hundreds and hundreds of hanging bats.
"But don't we already have bats?" asked Gregor.
"We need official permission to take them on the quest," said Vikus. "Also, there are matters of war to discuss."
A towering cylinder of stone sat in the center of the cave. Its sides were as slick as those of the palace. On the round, flat top a group of bats waited.
Vikus turned back to Gregor and whispered, "We humans know you to be the warrior, but other creatures may have doubts. Whoever you think you may or may not be, it is essential that our neighbors believe you are the one."
Gregor was trying to unwind that in his head when they landed next to the bats on the huge pillar of stone. The humans all dismounted. Deep bows and greetings followed on both sides.
One particularly impressive, silvery white bat appeared to be in charge. "Queen Athena,"
Vikus said, and presented him. "Meet you Gregor the Overlander."
"Be you the warrior? Be you he who calls?" asked the bat in a soft purr.
"Well, actually I -- " Gregor saw Vikus frown and pulled up short. He'd been about to go into his spiel about how he wasn't the warrior, but then what? Vikus had whispered something about others believing he was the one. There was a war beginning. The bats weren't likely to send off valuable fliers on a wild-goose chase. If he denied he was the warrior now, the quest would be called off, and his father would be as good as dead. That sealed it.
Gregor stood up straight and tried to control the quaver that slipped into his voice. "I am the warrior. I am he who calls."
The bat was still for a moment, then nodded. "It is he." She spoke with such certainty that for a second Gregor succeeded in thinking of himself as a warrior. A bold, brave, powerful warrior that the Underlanders would tell stories about for centuries. He could almost see himself leading a squadron of bats into battle, stunning the rats, saving the Underland from --
"Ge-go, I pee!" announced Boots.
And there he stood, a boy in a goofy hard hat with a beat-up flashlight and a bunch of batteries he hadn't even tested to see if they still had juice.
CHAPTER 13
Vikus and Solovet arranged to have some sort of private war meeting with the bats.
"Do you need me to go along?" asked Gregor. It was less that he thought he could contribute to the meeting and more that he felt safer when Vikus was around. Being stranded on top of a tall pillar surrounded by hundreds of bats made him a little uncomfortable.
And who would be in charge if anything came up? Luxa? That was no good.
"No, thank you, Gregor. We will be discussing battle position for our forces, not the efforts of the quest. We shall not be absent long," said Vikus.
"No problem," said Gregor, but inside he wasn't so sure.
Before they left, Vikus's
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