Gregor and the Marks of Secret-4 Read Online Free PDF Page B

Gregor as his stomach rumbled. Mareth whistled, bringing the bats and their small charges down to the field.

    "It must be now, for the training ends," said Ares.

    Ten minutes later, they were seated around a big table loaded with food. Besides Gregor, Luxa, Hazard, Boots, Ares, and Aurora, there was a young bat that Hazard had taken a shine to.
    Thalia. She was a soft peach color with white streaks like a tabby cat, only about half-grown, and had a love of jokes that Gregor found unsettling. He had modified some Overland jokes for her.
    "Why did the bat cross the river? To get to the other side." Something like that could make her laugh for, no kidding, ten minutes.

    Today he told the old standby: "Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine."
    Unfortunately, she'd had a mouthful of food when the punch line came and nearly choked to death as she cracked up.

    "Do you think she'll grow out of that?" Gregor whispered to Luxa.

    "I hope so. Hazard has his heart set on bonding with her," she whispered back.

    Gregor ate a hearty meal of grilled fish, marinated mushrooms, and fresh bread. He contributed little to the conversation, though, because he kept wondering about Ripred and the Bane. After dinner, when the others went back to Luxa's apartment to play games, Gregor said he had to make a trip to the museum. He really just wanted some time to think. Despite Ripred's warning, Gregor's impulse was to track down Vikus and tell him everything. But it was true that Vikus might go to the council. And most of the council members were jerks. If only he could find out what was in the prophecy Ripred had mentioned ...

    Nerissa! Gregor spun on his heel, heading away from the museum and to the stone room that housed Sandwich's prophecies. Nerissa spent much of her time there. If anyone could tell Gregor what awaited him, it was that girl. She was part of the royal family, Luxa's cousin, and had even worn the crown for the few months when everyone thought Luxa had been killed by the rats. But unlike her resilient cousin, Nerissa was thin to the point of emaciation, psychologically fragile, and had the ability to see glimpses of the future ... sometimes. She was no more able to control her visions than Gregor was to manage his powers to fight as a rager. She often had no idea if an incident she saw was about to occur in an hour or had happened a century before. Still, when she was right, she was dead right. As he had hoped, Gregor found Nerissa sitting alone in the prophecy room. Her physical state had deteriorated back to her prequeen days. Long tangled hair fell to her waist, and she was huddled in layers of mismatched clothing. "Greetings, Overlander," she said with her ghostly smile.

    "Hey, Nerissa," he said, and decided to get right to the point. "Look, I was wondering about the prophecies. About me. Are there any more of them?"

    "Yes," said Nerissa. "One in particular."

    "Am I supposed to kill the Bane again?" asked Gregor.

    She looked at him quizzically. "It is unclear. Possibly he will die," said Nerissa. "Why are you asking this, Gregor?" He didn't answer because that would mean exposing Ripred.
    "Someone has been putting ideas in your head about the Bane again. But you may tell this
    'someone' that the prophecy of which you speak lies in the future, not our present time."

    "How do you know?" said Gregor.

    "Because events reported in it have not yet come to pass. It is possible they never will. As I suspect this 'someone' well knows. Perhaps he believes he can control fate, but he cannot," said Nerissa.

    "She knows it was Ripred," thought Gregor. "Will you show the prophecy to me?" he asked aloud.

    "No. It can be of no use to you now. In truth, I imagine it would be quite damaging. For your own safety and that of those you love, I believe you should avoid knowledge of it at all costs. Of course, if you would like to ask Vikus about it, there is nothing I can do to stop you,"
    said Nerissa.

    After a warning like