Into Battle by Garth Nix (TwisTtheTwiTcH)

Author:Garth Nix (TwisTtheTwiTcH) [Nix, Garth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Whatever had swooped in and eaten them accelerated away so swiftly that Tal momentarily blacked out. Then he started to struggle, punching wildly and kicking, until Adras joined in to help and made it too difficult.In his initial panic, Tal hadn't looked around. Now he saw that they were still in the creature's mouth. Whatever it was didn't seem bothered by the heat, possibly because the armor was totally surrounded by ash swallowed at the same time.

Tal tried to sit up, but fell over as their swallower suddenly tilted one way and then the other. It felt like it was still moving very quickly, though it was hard to tell from inside."At least it hasn't swallowed," Tal said after a while. It was still impossible to sit up. They'd twice flipped over completely and if he hadn't been cushioned by Adras, Tal would have been seriously bruised inside the armor."I want to get out," replied Adras. "Out of the monster, out of the armor, out!""So do I!" said Tal.

He thought furiously. What was the story Milla had told him? About Ulla Strong-Arm when she was swallowed by a broken-jawed Selski? She'd cut herself out of the Selski's stomach. But he didn't have a sword. Maybe he could burn his way out… Tal started swimming through the ash to reach the side or the floor of the creature's mouth. But every time he got close there was nothing to hang on to and the next sudden swerve or turn threw him back where he started, suspended in the middle.Then Tal saw two protruding bulbs of flesh at the rear of the mouth.

They were about as big as he was. Though they were constantly quivering, he could at least try and hold on to them.They weren't tonsils, but Tal thought they might be the monster's equivalent.

If he could tickle them, or annoy them, or burn them, the monster might throw up."Let's grab whatever they are and see what happens!" he said, and pointed. A moment later he was hurled across the mouth by a sudden zigzag, but Adras got the message. Together they struggled to swim across to the fleshy appendages.It was a case of two strokes forward and one fall back, but finally they were close enough. Tal hesitated. For a fleeting moment he wondered if it could get any worse. Then he embraced the closer appendage with his now black-hot arms.It wriggled and shook as Tal held it, but the exposed gray-blue flesh didn't seem to burn. He gripped it tighter and tried to throw himself backward and forward. But it was like holding on to a tree trunk in a gale. It went wherever it wanted to and Tal only just managed to hang on.Then the mouth opened a fraction and a fresh current of ash swept through the mouth. Tal shouted in triumph, and prepared to let go so they could get vomited out.But the monster didn't vomit. The mouth snapped open wide and a huge wave of ash came crashing in.

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