Page 21 (1/2)

Chapter 21

Gregor was al distance of one of the rats when soht upward A third rat with an unusual gold coat had bolted into the cone right beneath theht as Ares shot up and off to the side, but as the ground ca the throat out of one of his attackers Then it spun around, blood flying froor shook his head slightly, to clear it What was going on?

"Don't be an idiot, Goldshard! He's coray rat

"I would rather have the Bane dead than have it trust you," the gold rat hissed back The rat's voice was slightly higher pitched, like Twitchtip's, and Gregor felt certain it was feray rat crouched down to lunge

"Someone will die, Snare, the question is who?" said Goldshard As Snare sprang toward her, she went into action

Gregor had never seen a full-scale rat fight before Ripred had killed two rats in a tunnel en route to rescuing his dad, but they hadn't had ti, scarred rat had taken on soor hadn't witnessed it because he was busy leaping to what he had thought would be his death Now he had a bird's-eye view

When Goldshard had killed the first time, she'd had the element of surprise on her side This tior was pretty sure was a er than she was

The combat was vicious The rats attacked each other in violent bursts They'd circle for a , then one of them would leap and there would be a blur of teeth and claws As they pulled apart to circle again, both would have neounds Snare lost an eye Goldshard's ear dangled from a shred of fur You could see the bone in Snare's shoulder Goldshard's left front paas snapped in two

Finally, the gold rat cas on his neck In the final throes of death, Snare got his hind feet between their bodies and slashed open the length of Goldshard's belly She lost her grip, staggered back, and collapsed Her intestines spilled out on the ground The rats lay a few feet apart, eyes locked in hate, bodies helpless With a terrible gurgling sound, Snare suffocated in his own blood

Goldshard turned her gaze to Gregor The look was pleading, and he was sure she wanted to say so to him "Don't," she whispered But before she could finish, her eyes glazed over, and she stopped or blurted out

"I do not know," said Ares

"Are they dead?" asked Gregor

"Quite dead All three of the the pools of blood that were spreading out from the rats' bodies

"Do you knoho they are?" asked Gregor "Did you recognize their names? Goldshard? Snare?"

"Not Goldshard," said Ares "I have heard of Snare He was one of Gorger's generals He was out fighting the hen Gorger fell He must have joined with the Bane then It would make sense Whoever is close to the Bane would have or hadn't spent les, but now that he did, so yet? You'd think a rat as big and strong as he is would have taken over by now," said Gregor "What's he waiting for?"

"Even the Bane ather an ar the rats Ripred, for instance He wants the Bane dead"

That was true Part of Ripred's plan for his own rise to power included killing the Bane Snare had wanted to keep the Bane alive, but Goldshard illing to let Gregor kill it rather than let it trust Snare

There was soiven hi him, almost What was it the rat had wanted to say to him? Don't? Don't what? Hurt her? It was a little too late for that Ares's head snapped around to a tunnel entrance

"How or