Malig Tumora
Page 10
‘I hope it doesn’t rain,’ he said.
‘We’ll stay dry in here, won’t we?’ said Aden.
‘You’ve got a bit to learn,’ Berrin answered, but this wasn’t the time to explain. He sat down with his back against the curve of the large pipe and let his hands rest beside him on the cold concrete. Something brushed against his fingers.
‘Ugh,’ he said, flinching. It felt like fur. A rat maybe. But not the kind of rat he’d been hoping to find.
It was indeed a rat that had brushed against Berrin’s hand. It squeaked to announce its presence. Aden jumped at the sound. ‘I’m not staying here if it’s infested with rats,’ he said.
Berrin didn’t hear him. He was listening for another squeak. When it came again he recognised it. ‘Jasper,’ he called softly. ‘You know it’s me, don’t you? Come on, come here.’
No sooner had the little rodent snuggled into Berrin’s hands than another sound filled the pipe. It sounded faint, as though coming from far away.
‘What’s that?’ Aden asked. He stood up, ready to flee.
But Berrin had no intention of running. That sound was the best thing he had heard in a very long time. He willed it to come closer and strained his eyes for the light he so hoped to see. There it was, coming towards them much too fast. He could guess what that meant.
He stood up, holding Jasper carefully in one hand and waving with the other. The light caught him strongly now — the light of a Dodgem.
It skidded to a stop only metres in front of them. Two bodies tumbled out. ‘Berrin! Berrin, is it really you?’ cried voices he had feared he would never hear again.
‘Olanda,’ he called as a girl came forward. ‘And that has to be you, Quinn. Only you can drive a Dodgem like that.’
Berrin felt a huge surge of joy. His friends had survived the flooding of the pipes after all.
Quinn appeared from behind the light. ‘You’re back.’
‘Yes,’ said Berrin with a happy sigh. ‘I’m back.’
WATCH OUT FOR
The Doomsday Rats: Book Four
Available March 2006
In the Lair of the Mountain Beast
Malig Tumora — that chilling name once belonged to a human being. Now a ruthless machine has taken his place.
On the streets of the city, the Gadges are on guard. There is no way to destroy the purple flowers which keep the grown-ups in Malig Tumora’s power. Or is there? Berrin has heard of a special moth that feeds on the purple flowers. It might be the weapon the Rats are looking for. This moth is said to survive on Mount Windenbeck, but no one has heard of such a place. Can Berrin and his team of Doomsday Rats find it? Can they bring back the precious moth before Malig Tumora discovers it for himself and destroys their last hope?
HAVE YOU READ?
The Doomsday Rats: Book One
The Tunnels of Ferdinand
A city under a spell and the children are the only ones who can free it.
All his life, Berrin has lived in a dormitory with hundreds of other children, guarded by the inhuman Dfx.
Then one day he is rescued by the Rats, a resistance group of children who secretly survive in the storm-water tunnels beneath the city. He learns that the city is controlled by the evil Malig Tumora and policed by his fearsome creations — including the monstrous Gadges and their leader, Gadger Red.
The only one who remembers what life was like before Malig Tumora took over is Ferdinand, the founder of the Rats. But he has grown too big for the tunnels and is in hiding outside the city — or is he?
Soon Berrin will not only discover the truth about Ferdinand, but he will also find that he himself holds the key to defeating Malig Tumora and saving the city …
HAVE YOU READ?
The Doomsday Rats: Book Two
Scorpion’s Tail
Time is running out for the Rats to save their tunnels from Malig Tumora’s evil creatures.
After a narrow brush with death at the hands of Gadger Red, Berrin escapes into the tunnels with valuable information. But it has come at a cost — the secret of the Doomsday Rats’ underground hideout has been revealed.
Now the resistance group of children are fighting for their lives, as they’re tracked through the tunnels by the hideous Gadges using a strange beast with powerful senses. But is the beast really on the Gadges’ side?
There’s worse to come, as the Rats must face the terrifying Firedrake and a robotic scorpion. Malig Tumora is determined to exterminate the Rats … and not all of them will survive.
About the Author
James Moloney is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded children’s authors. His comic novel, Black Taxi, was shortlisted for the 2004 Adelaide Festival Children’s Literature Award and for the 2004 Children’s Book Council Award for Older Readers. He has won the CBC Award for Book of the Year twice, for Swashbuckler in 1996 and A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove in 1997. He has also received Family Awards for Children’s Literature, Children’s Peace Literature Awards and Multicultural Children’s Literature Awards, and had titles selected for inclusion in the International Youth Library in Munich.
Most recently, James has enjoyed tremendous success with his highly acclaimed The Book of Lies.
OTHER BOOKS BY JAMES MOLONEY
For Young Adults
Black Taxi
For Younger Readers
The Book of Lies
The Doomsday Rat series
The Tunnels of Ferdinand
The Scorpion’s Tail
In the Lair of the Mountain Beast
Copyright
Angus&Robertson
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
First published in 2005
This edition published in 2013
by HarperCollinsPublishers Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
A member of the HarperCollinsPublishers (Australia) Pty Limited Group www.harpercollins.com.au
Copyright © Buena Vista Books 2005
The right of James Moloney to be identified as the moral rights author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000 (Cth).
This book is copyright.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
HarperCollinsPublishers
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia
31 View Road, Glenfield, Auckland 10, New Zealand
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JB, United Kingdom
2 Bloor Street East, 20th floor, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8, Canada
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022, USA
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Moloney, James, 1954–.
Malig Tumora.
For children aged 9–13 years.
ISBN 0 2071 9667 2. (pbk)
ISBN: 978 0 7304 4481 7 (epub)
I. Title. (Series: Moloney, James, 1954– Doomsday Rats series; bk.3).
A823.3