Excerpt:
Solovet gave orders for Twitchtip to be taken to a remote cave outside Regalia, where the city's smells wouldn't be so torturous to her.
Before they left, Solovet turned to Gregor. "I have not had time to welcome you properly, Gregor. I hear you made quite a stir at training today."
"I guess," said Gregor.
"He hit the total," Solovet said to Ripred.
"Did he?" Ripred said, surveying him with interest. Suddenly Ripred's tail came up out of nowhere and sliced at Gregor. To Gregor's surprise, he found the rat's tail clenched in his hand. He had reflexively blocked it inches from his face.
"Well, you can't teach that," Ripred said, slipping his tail out of Gregor's grasp.
Ripred went off to the palace with Solovet through some secret passage to avoid causing a panic in the city.
Ares flew Gregor back to the palace. Guards greeted him at the High Hall and, after a moment of discomfort, they greeted Ares as well. Maybe Aurora was right. Maybe things would be better for the bat now that he was bonded to someone who could hit a lot of blood balls.
In the bath, he scrubbed and scrubbed at the fake blook, but it still left a stain on his skin. He finally gave up, hoping it would wear off before he went back to school - after the white rat was dead or whatever.
He went to get Boots from the nursery and was happy to see Dulcet, the really nice nanny who had cared for the toddler the first trip down. "How's she been doing?"
"Oh, Boots has had a very good day. I think it has been somewhat trying for Temp, though, " said Dulcet, nodding toward a corner.
For the first time, Gregor spotted the giant cockroach. He was being decked out in dress-up clothes by a group of little kids. Each of his insect legs wore a different kind of shoe. His head poked out of a long purple gown that bunched up around his neck. Pink ribbons festooned his drooping antennas. Boots plunked a fuzzy hat on his head, and the kids all jumped up and down, squealing in delight.