Page 24 (1/2)

Chapter 24

Gregor vaulted onto Ares's back "Go!" he shouted "Go!"

Ares didn't object, but he did reor: "They will kno! That you still have life!"

Ripred had told Gregor to lie low until the Bane arrived, but that seemed of little importance now He hardly noticed -- or cared -- that his appearance was a huge shocker for the rats, who began to howl his name the second he and Ares left the cover of the rocks

Gregor ignored them He would deal with the Bane later, if the white rat even showed up Now he had a farto h now to gauge the amount of time it would take him to travel a certain distance, and they were too far The rats would beat them Nike could not fend them off His sisters would be torn to pieces and --

Suddenly he saw a for up the side of the cavern wall toward Nike It didn't seem possible that any creature could scale such a steep incline with such speed But one could The one Gregor would have chosen "It's Ripred!" he told Ares "If he gets in, we can attack the rats froht as the rats froan to rain down onto the shelf of rock and lunge in after her At least twenty had ht, he raced over the backs of the enemy rats and ed by the darkness beyond Seconds later, Gregor and Ares dove in and threw theor, like when he had first becoer and the adrenaline rush had obliterated his awareness of his actions But he was so afraid, so deeply terrified for Boots and Lizzie that he could not contain himself Every stroke of his blade was a death stroke, every ed his blade into rat after rat, oblivious to all else

Ares had to arch back and crack Gregor in the face with his head to get his attention "Gregor!"

"What?" Gregor snarled back "Get in there, Ares!" His bat was drawing him away "I have to kill those rats!"

"Try this one!" Ares said The bat swung around and there was the Bane, right in his face

To Gregor, who had been absorbed in the fight to save his sisters, it seemed as if the Bane hadout of the ground to exact his revenge Ares veered sharply to the side just as one of the powerful clawed pahistled by Gregor's ear and then scraped down the side of the cavern, unleashing a nified sound like nails on a chalkboard

"We ht the Bane trapped up against this wall They needed rooan Then he knew he had to let theo To trust Ripred and the humans and bats who had flown in to save theht!"

Ares swiftly flew back toward the heart of the battle, drawing the Bane after theor had a few moments to assess his opponent Boy, the Bane was a royalfrom their last encounter The stue ball of bloody spider silk Losing the tail see to the Bane's sense of balance, because he moved unsteadily, ale was the look in the white rat's eyes One glance told Gregor he had crossed over the line fro across the plain toward them as the other creatures desperately fled to escape hiround burst open under his feet Anyone in reach of his claas shredded

"This isn't like before," thought Gregor "I' a whole new opponent" For a moment, he felt a shudder of fear deep inside him Then he pushed it down "Where'd he coht," Ares replied "I know it It leads farther into the rats' land"

"Is there e tunnel, then or "Let's make him work for us" A chase would hopefully wear the Bane out a bit and keep hior a less distracting place to fight He wanted quiet He wanted one-on-one

Ares shot down the tunnel, and the Bane was right behind theone, but Gregor's breath was co The tunnel led into a rocky cavern that soared high into the air Ares flew up higher but the Bane followed, es as he followed behind At first, Gregor could sense other rats in the area, but soon they fell away, either unable or unwilling to pursue thee tunnel with dripping rock for to rest on a plateau that seemed a million miles from anywhere He was able to land for a minute and rest They listened to the sound of the Bane, bellowing in rage and pain as he struggled toward them

"Will this place do?" Ares asked

"It's perfect," said Gregor

As the Bane took one last giant leap onto the plateau, Ares took to his wings The chase had been a good idea The Bane was drained, gasping for air, thick foa from his mouth Several wounds had reopened on his face The spider silk bandage had ripped off somewhere and blood ran froor said But they weren't

"Take avoice "Calue," Gregor said to Ares "Where'd she come from?"

"I do not know," said Ares "She was not with him on the Plain of Tartarus"

The Banethe way She leaped off of his back now, onto a pile of boulders A nice safe place to observe the or could see she was unmarred, not a wound on her anywhere Her silver coat was flawless and unruffled

It was all Gregor could do not to take her out right then and there She was the one who had ed creature She'd probably ordered Twitchtip's death, too Twirltongue and her silken voice How he hated her "You're looking good, Twirltongue," Gregor called "A little too good Seeingthe Bane in to lose his tail and such?"

"My tail? My tail?" said the Bane He began toto locate it "My tail!"

"A king does not need a tail," said Twirltongue

"He's not going to be king," said Gregor "Are you, Pearlpelt?"

The na now! The rats followyou? Plus the spinners, the crawlers, the huor "Hey, that whole nibbler thing kind of blew up in your face, didn't it?"

"Twirltongue says I'!" said the Bane