their way is all. They’ve heard us approach.”
The next moment, the wall in front of us collapsed, revealing a hole. In the hole was a face, which took up the entire opening. A pair of dull yellow eyes was staring at me. When the mouth opened, I could see enormous jagged teeth far more lethal-looking than any knife I’d ever seen.
Luc looked at the creature and said some words that I had no way of understanding. They appeared to be a cross between grunts and hisses. Then he turned to look at us. “They know Thorne’s not with us. No need to worry now.”
I looked down at the morta. “Then why do you have that out?” I asked.
“Well, grubbs might’ve struck first and then found out Thorne wasn’t here. Pays to be cautious when dealing with anything as big and unpredictable as a grubb. That one there weighs about a ton.”
I crept forward and rested my gaze on the grubb. It gazed back at me.
“Why is the grubb staring at me like that?”
“Well, you look like Thorne. A Wug, I mean.”
“Can you tell it that while I am a Wug, I’m not a Wug like Thorne?”
“Already did, Vega. It’s why it hasn’t tried to kill you.”
My stomach lurched and I found myself backing up a pace or two.
“Its name is, well, no use saying it, you won’t be able to pronounce it, much less remember it. We’ll just call it Grubb.”
“Hello, Gr-Grubb, sir,” said a panicky Delph.
“Matter of fact, ’tis a female, Delph,” said Luc. “You can tell by the eyes. Yellow for the females and blue for the males. Don’t know why, just the way it is.”
Luc marched forward and patted the grubb on its, or, rather, her head. The grubb let out a sound that I had heard before. But then it had been a feline purring.
“Peaceful creatures,” said Luc. “Keep themselves to themselves. They tunnel down here. Can eat through rock faster’n gnomes with their claws can.”
“They eat rock?” gasped Delph.
I watched as Harry Two sidled over to the grubb and sniffed it. My canine was perilously close to those enormous teeth and I was about to call him back, when Harry Two licked the thing.
Before I could move, a long, slithery tongue appeared between the jagged teeth and the grubb licked Harry Two back. I moved forward and cautiously put out a hand, stopping and looking questioningly at Luc.
“G’on, then,” he said encouragingly. “Grubb knows you’re okay.”
I patted the grubb’s head and then Delph joined me in doing so. It was far softer and not nearly as slimy as I thought it would be. It was like touching a cattail down by the pond back in Wormwood. I could see that it was about twice the size of a creta, which was very large indeed. It must eat a lot of rock.
As we were petting the grubb, Delph’s and my fingers touched. I looked up at him and he down at me. We smiled at the same time.
“Like being down at the pond in Wormwood,” he said. “You remember?”
“I was just thinking of the cattails we used to rub,” I said, blushing a bit.
The grubb licked Delph’s hand.
“She’s taken a right shine to you, Delph,” said Luc.
“What?” gasped a thoroughly wonked Delph. “No, I don’t think … why, what business is it of yours if Vega Ja—”
I felt so badly for Delph that I interrupted him and said, “I think he means the grubb , Delph.” I could feel my cheeks afire.
Delph stared openmouthed at me for what seemed ten slivers. His face held so many different expressions, one tracking another, that it was all I could do not to laugh, though I was as embarrassed as he.
“Oh, right, o’course he does,” he said in a voice he was trying so hard to make firm that it wobbled badly.
“Um, why do they hate Thorne so?” Delph asked, keeping his gaze away from me.
“Well, they have good reason.” Luc pointed to the creature’s skin and then rubbed it. “Its hide is strong. But it can also do something else.”
“What?” I asked.
“It can expand. Big as you want it to. It’s why
The next moment, the wall in front of us collapsed, revealing a hole. In the hole was a face, which took up the entire opening. A pair of dull yellow eyes was staring at me. When the mouth opened, I could see enormous jagged teeth far more lethal-looking than any knife I’d ever seen.
Luc looked at the creature and said some words that I had no way of understanding. They appeared to be a cross between grunts and hisses. Then he turned to look at us. “They know Thorne’s not with us. No need to worry now.”
I looked down at the morta. “Then why do you have that out?” I asked.
“Well, grubbs might’ve struck first and then found out Thorne wasn’t here. Pays to be cautious when dealing with anything as big and unpredictable as a grubb. That one there weighs about a ton.”
I crept forward and rested my gaze on the grubb. It gazed back at me.
“Why is the grubb staring at me like that?”
“Well, you look like Thorne. A Wug, I mean.”
“Can you tell it that while I am a Wug, I’m not a Wug like Thorne?”
“Already did, Vega. It’s why it hasn’t tried to kill you.”
My stomach lurched and I found myself backing up a pace or two.
“Its name is, well, no use saying it, you won’t be able to pronounce it, much less remember it. We’ll just call it Grubb.”
“Hello, Gr-Grubb, sir,” said a panicky Delph.
“Matter of fact, ’tis a female, Delph,” said Luc. “You can tell by the eyes. Yellow for the females and blue for the males. Don’t know why, just the way it is.”
Luc marched forward and patted the grubb on its, or, rather, her head. The grubb let out a sound that I had heard before. But then it had been a feline purring.
“Peaceful creatures,” said Luc. “Keep themselves to themselves. They tunnel down here. Can eat through rock faster’n gnomes with their claws can.”
“They eat rock?” gasped Delph.
I watched as Harry Two sidled over to the grubb and sniffed it. My canine was perilously close to those enormous teeth and I was about to call him back, when Harry Two licked the thing.
Before I could move, a long, slithery tongue appeared between the jagged teeth and the grubb licked Harry Two back. I moved forward and cautiously put out a hand, stopping and looking questioningly at Luc.
“G’on, then,” he said encouragingly. “Grubb knows you’re okay.”
I patted the grubb’s head and then Delph joined me in doing so. It was far softer and not nearly as slimy as I thought it would be. It was like touching a cattail down by the pond back in Wormwood. I could see that it was about twice the size of a creta, which was very large indeed. It must eat a lot of rock.
As we were petting the grubb, Delph’s and my fingers touched. I looked up at him and he down at me. We smiled at the same time.
“Like being down at the pond in Wormwood,” he said. “You remember?”
“I was just thinking of the cattails we used to rub,” I said, blushing a bit.
The grubb licked Delph’s hand.
“She’s taken a right shine to you, Delph,” said Luc.
“What?” gasped a thoroughly wonked Delph. “No, I don’t think … why, what business is it of yours if Vega Ja—”
I felt so badly for Delph that I interrupted him and said, “I think he means the grubb , Delph.” I could feel my cheeks afire.
Delph stared openmouthed at me for what seemed ten slivers. His face held so many different expressions, one tracking another, that it was all I could do not to laugh, though I was as embarrassed as he.
“Oh, right, o’course he does,” he said in a voice he was trying so hard to make firm that it wobbled badly.
“Um, why do they hate Thorne so?” Delph asked, keeping his gaze away from me.
“Well, they have good reason.” Luc pointed to the creature’s skin and then rubbed it. “Its hide is strong. But it can also do something else.”
“What?” I asked.
“It can expand. Big as you want it to. It’s why
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