Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods-3 by Suzanne Collins

toilets. A stream of continuous water ran through the basin, immediately washing away its contents. For a minute, Gregor thought he was done, but then the image of Ares filled his brain and he began vomiting again.

    Ares had been lying stretched out on his back, his wings awkwardly extended. Large clumps of his glossy black fur were missing. In their place were purple bumps the size of cantaloupes. Several of the bumps had burst and were oozing blood and pus from the ruptures.
    The bat's tongue, which was coated in white, hung out the side of his mouth. His head was tilted back at an odd angle as he struggled for air. Gregor had never seen anything so frightening in his life.

    He got rid of lunch and probably breakfast, too, and then he just heaved for a while, until nothing else came up. His body was bathed in sweat and his limbs were shaky. Finally, he pushed back from the toilet.

    "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said. He felt embarrassed and ashamed of his reaction to seeing Ares.

    "Do not be. Many people have the same response when they first see a plague victim. My husband, a great soldier, fainted dead away. Others face it stoically, then wake up screaming from nightmares. It is a very fearful thing," said the woman.

    "Ares didn't see me, did he?" asked Gregor. It would be awful if his bat had seen him throw up just from looking at him.

    "No, he was asleep. Do not punish yourself with thoughts that you have wounded him,"
    said the woman.

    "Here, rinse your mouth." She pressed a stone cup into his hand and he rinsed and spat into the toilet.

    "I'd be okay if I saw him now. It was just the shock," said Gregor.

    "I know this," said the woman.

    Gregor looked up and saw her face for the first time. There was something familiar about it but he was sure he didn't know her. "Are you a doctor here?"

    "No, I am a visitor like yourself. I come from the Fount. My name is Susannah," said the woman.

    "Oh, you're Howard's mom," said Gregor. That's why she looked familiar. She was the mother of one of the guys who had gone with Gregor to find the Bane. That also made her Solovet's and Vikus's daughter. And Luxa's aunt. Was everyone here related, or what?

    "Yes, my son speaks very highly of you," said Susannah. "He credits you with saving his life when he was on trial for treason."

    "They should have given him a medal or something. He was amazing that whole trip,"
    said Gregor.

    "Thank you," said the woman. Then her eyes welled up with tears.

    "Are you okay?" said Gregor. Had he said something to upset her?

    "As well as one may be under the circumstances," she said. She dampened a towel in a basin and wiped Gregor's face with it. He didn't resist. Howard was one of five children. His mom had probably seen plenty of kids throw up.

    "How is Howard? Is he in Regalia, too?" asked Gregor.

    Susannah stared at him a moment. "Of course, you do not know. Yes, he is in Regalia. In fact, he is but a few paces from us."

    "He's in the hospital? He's not sick, is he?" The truth began to dawn on Gregor. "Oh, no, you don't mean he's...he doesn't have...?"

    "The plague, yes," said Susannah. "But he has only recently been diagnosed. The flier, Andromeda, also. So we are very hopeful that you have arrived in time. That the cure may be found and they will not —" She bit her lip.

    So Howard was infected. And Andromeda, too. She was the bat who was bonded to Mareth, the soldier who had led the quest to find the Bane. During that trip, Howard's bat, Pandora, had been stripped to the bone by a swarm of mites on an island. Then the mites had attacked Ares, who had barely escaped with his life. Howard had tended Ares's wounds.
    Andromeda had slept pressed up against him. No wonder Vikus had had Gregor's family's blood tested the second they landed in Regalia. Boots hadn't been in contact with Ares much, but it must be a miracle that Gregor's blood was clear.

    "I can't believe I don't have it, too," he mumbled.

    "Perhaps, as an Overlander,