Read Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - 2 for Free Online Page A
Authors: Suzanne Collins
But on another, he resented them for dragging him back into their troubled world. What was it Vikus had said? "...as our destinies are intertwined, blah, blah, blah, blah." He wanted no part of it, but here he was.
Again.
Boots conked out the minute her head hit the pillow, but Gregor felt restless and anxious.
He couldn't sleep thinking about his family, the threat to Boots, and the looming presence of some giant white rat out there somewhere, waiting for him. He finally gave up and decided to take a walk around the palace. It should be fine; he wasn't trying to escape or anything this time.
The doorways he passed seemed to lead to people's living quarters. The common rooms, like the High Hall or the dining rooms, were open. But on Gregor's floor, curtains blocked most of the rooms from view. Stone doors must not have been practical, and the only wooden door he'd ever seen in the Underland led to the room filled with Sandwich's prophecies.
Gregor had been walking about ten minutes when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms. They were somewhat muffled by the curtain, but still audible because the people were arguing. It was Vikus....
"You should have told me about the training. I should have had a say in it!"
And who was he talking to?
"Yes, yes, we could have gone round and round while you tried to think of some way to protect him, but it is not possible. No matter what you want."
It sounded like Solovet. She was Vikus's wife, Luxa's grandmother, and the head of Regalia's military. Usually she spoke in a gentle, stately voice. But Gregor had heard her barking orders in combat. Solovet's ability to swing between gracious lady and soldier unnerved him because he never knew which one to expect. She sounded more like the soldier now.
Gregor didn't want to eavesdrop, so he turned to slip away. But then he heard his name and couldn't help listening.
"And what of what Gregor wants? Does he have no say in this? He pushed away the sword, Solovet. He does not wish to fight," Said Vikus.
"None of us wish to fight, Vikus," said Solovet.
Vikus made a sound like "Hm," which suggested he thought maybe somebody in the room enjoyed fighting.
"None of us wish to fight," Solovet repeated in a steely voice, "but we all do. And the prophecy calls Gregor 'the warrior,' after all. Not 'the peacemaker.'"
"Oh, the prophecies are often misleading. He is called a warrior, but perhaps his weapons are not the ones we are familiar with. He did very well last time with no common weapon," said Vikus. "I am telling you he pushed away Sandwich's sword!"
"Yes, when he was safe and he thought everything was over. But I remember he asked for a sword on the quest," shot back Solovet.
"But he had no need of it. He was better off without it, I think," said Vikus.
"And I think that if you send him out unarmed this time, you guarantee his death," said Solovet.
Then there was silence.
Gregor retreated from the doorway as quickly as possible and somehow made it back to his room.
The little sleep he had that night was filled with disturbing dreams.
***
CHAPTER 6
The next morning Gregor was exhausted and in a bad mood. Another Underlander he'd never met served him breakfast. He left Boots under the care of the woman who'd bathed her the night before, and headed out. Today, he was supposed to start his training. Whatever that was.
After walking down a few halls, Gregor realized he had no idea where to go. Luxa had mentioned something about a field. Did she mean that sports arena? It was the first thing he had seen in Regalia, the large stone oval where the Underlanders played some kind of ball game on bats. It was a twenty-minute hike from the palace.
Gregor eventually made his way to an exit flanked by two guards. Outside the doorway was a platform attached by ropes. When he asked the guards if they would lower him to the ground, they reacted with surprise. "Did not your flier arrange to meet you in the High Hall to
Again.
Boots conked out the minute her head hit the pillow, but Gregor felt restless and anxious.
He couldn't sleep thinking about his family, the threat to Boots, and the looming presence of some giant white rat out there somewhere, waiting for him. He finally gave up and decided to take a walk around the palace. It should be fine; he wasn't trying to escape or anything this time.
The doorways he passed seemed to lead to people's living quarters. The common rooms, like the High Hall or the dining rooms, were open. But on Gregor's floor, curtains blocked most of the rooms from view. Stone doors must not have been practical, and the only wooden door he'd ever seen in the Underland led to the room filled with Sandwich's prophecies.
Gregor had been walking about ten minutes when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms. They were somewhat muffled by the curtain, but still audible because the people were arguing. It was Vikus....
"You should have told me about the training. I should have had a say in it!"
And who was he talking to?
"Yes, yes, we could have gone round and round while you tried to think of some way to protect him, but it is not possible. No matter what you want."
It sounded like Solovet. She was Vikus's wife, Luxa's grandmother, and the head of Regalia's military. Usually she spoke in a gentle, stately voice. But Gregor had heard her barking orders in combat. Solovet's ability to swing between gracious lady and soldier unnerved him because he never knew which one to expect. She sounded more like the soldier now.
Gregor didn't want to eavesdrop, so he turned to slip away. But then he heard his name and couldn't help listening.
"And what of what Gregor wants? Does he have no say in this? He pushed away the sword, Solovet. He does not wish to fight," Said Vikus.
"None of us wish to fight, Vikus," said Solovet.
Vikus made a sound like "Hm," which suggested he thought maybe somebody in the room enjoyed fighting.
"None of us wish to fight," Solovet repeated in a steely voice, "but we all do. And the prophecy calls Gregor 'the warrior,' after all. Not 'the peacemaker.'"
"Oh, the prophecies are often misleading. He is called a warrior, but perhaps his weapons are not the ones we are familiar with. He did very well last time with no common weapon," said Vikus. "I am telling you he pushed away Sandwich's sword!"
"Yes, when he was safe and he thought everything was over. But I remember he asked for a sword on the quest," shot back Solovet.
"But he had no need of it. He was better off without it, I think," said Vikus.
"And I think that if you send him out unarmed this time, you guarantee his death," said Solovet.
Then there was silence.
Gregor retreated from the doorway as quickly as possible and somehow made it back to his room.
The little sleep he had that night was filled with disturbing dreams.
***
CHAPTER 6
The next morning Gregor was exhausted and in a bad mood. Another Underlander he'd never met served him breakfast. He left Boots under the care of the woman who'd bathed her the night before, and headed out. Today, he was supposed to start his training. Whatever that was.
After walking down a few halls, Gregor realized he had no idea where to go. Luxa had mentioned something about a field. Did she mean that sports arena? It was the first thing he had seen in Regalia, the large stone oval where the Underlanders played some kind of ball game on bats. It was a twenty-minute hike from the palace.
Gregor eventually made his way to an exit flanked by two guards. Outside the doorway was a platform attached by ropes. When he asked the guards if they would lower him to the ground, they reacted with surprise. "Did not your flier arrange to meet you in the High Hall to
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