Gregor slowly got to his feet, retrieving the torch, but keeping it down at his side. He pressed Boots back against the cavern wall.
Fangor's nose quivered. "This one had fish for supper. Mushrooms, grain, and just a bit of leaf. Now that's flavorful, you must admit, Shed."
"But the pup has gorged on stewed cow and cream," returned Shed. "Not to mention, she is clearly milk-fed herself."
Now Gregor knew what all the fuss about bathing had been. If the rats could detect the handful of greens he'd eaten hours earlier, they must have an unbelievable sense of smell.
The Underlanders hadn't been rude when they'd wanted him to bathe. They had been trying to keep him alive!
He went from attempting to evade them to wishing desperately that they'd find him. He had to hold the rats off. It would give him time. The expression startled him. Vikus had said killing him would give the roaches no time. By "time," did the Underlanders simply mean more life?
He brushed off his clothes and tried to adopt the rats' casual banter. "Do I have any say in this?" he asked.
To his surprise, Fangor and Shed laughed. "He speaks!" said Shed. "What a treat! Usually we get nothing but shrieks and whimpers! Tell us, Overlander, what makes you so brave?"
"Oh, I'm not brave," said Gregor. "Bet you can smell that."
The rats laughed again. "True, your sweat carries much fear, but still you have managed to address us."
"Well, I thought you might like to get to know your meal better," said Gregor.
"I like him, Shed!" howled Fangor.
"I like him, too!" choked Shed. "The humans are commonly most dreary. Say we may keep him, Fangor."
"Oh, Shed, how is that to be? It would entail much explaining, and besides, all this laughter gives me hunger," said Fangor.
"And me," said Shed. "But you must agree, to eat such amusing prey is a great pity."
"A great pity, Shed," said Fangor. "But without remedy. Shall we?"
And with that, both rats bared their teeth and moved in on him. Gregor slashed at them with the torch sending a trail of sparks through the air. He held it in front of him with both hands, like a sword, fully illuminating his face.
The rats pulled up short. At first he thought they were afraid of the flame, but it was something more. They looked stunned.
"Mark you, Shed, his shade," said Fangor in a hushed voice.
"I mark it, Fangor," said Shed quietly. "And he is but a boy. Think you he is ...?"
"He is not if we kill him!" Fangor growled, and lunged for Gregor's throat.
The first bat came in so silently that neither Gregor nor the preoccupied rats saw it. It caught Fangor mid-leap, knocking him off course.
Fangor plowed into Shed, and the rats landed in a heap. Instantly they regained their feet and turned on their assailants.
Gregor saw Henry, Mareth, and Perdita zigzagging their bats above the rats' heads. Besides avoiding one another in limited space, they had to dodge the wicked claws of the rats. Fangor and Shed could easily leap ten feet in the air, and the sparkling ceiling of the cavern over the beach was not much higher.
The humans began to dive at the rats, wielding swords. Fangor and Shed fought back viciously with claws and teeth. Blood began to stain the beach, but Gregor couldn't tell whose it was.
"Flee!" Henry shouted at Gregor as he whipped past him. "Flee, Overlander!"
Part of him wanted to, badly, but he couldn't. First of all, he had no idea where to go. His boat was high on the beach, and the tunnel ... well, he'd rather take his chances in the open than in the tunnel if he had to deal with the rats.
More important, he knew the Underlanders were only here because of him. He couldn't just run away and leave them to face the rats.
But what could he do?
At that moment, Shed caught the wing of Mareth's bat in his teeth and hung on. The bat struggled to free itself, but Shed held fast. Perdita came in behind Shed, taking off his ear with one stroke of her sword. Shed gave a howl of pain, releasing Mareth's bat.