by Jack Patton
Slowly, the current died away and the water receded. Max and the bugs stared in amazement at the remains of the lava bridge. It had been more fragile than they knew. The enormous wave had smashed the middle part of it completely away.
“Barton!” Max jumped off Spike and ran down to the water’s edge, where Barton had washed ashore.
Barton’s wings were waterlogged and one of his antennae looked crooked. The wave had knocked into him. Spike, Jet, and the others all crowded around him.
“What are you all doing?” Barton asked, struggling to his feet and coughing up water. “You didn’t think I was a goner, did you? It’ll take more than a splash of water to finish this old bug off!”
* * *
Later, Max and a dried-off Barton stood on top of the remains of one of the termites’ beach towers. Max looked out at the ruins of the Great Reptilicus. He was sorry to go, but knew he’d soon be missed at school if he stayed much longer.
Webster, Jet, Glower, Buzz, and Spike stood nearby, almost glowing with pride. Below them, across the beach, the bugs of Bug Island had gathered to say farewell to Max, their hero. Hundreds of thousands of multifaceted eyes looked silently up at him.
“I trusted Max to help us win the day,” Barton said. “But I never expected he would make Bug Island safe forever. Now that the lava bridge has been destroyed, the lizard army can never reach us again.”
“You may not be a bug,” Jet added, “but from one warrior to another, I’m glad you’re on our side.” She shook his hand with one of her legs.
Max hugged Barton, Webster, Buzz, and lastly Spike, who seemed a little sad. “Look after yourself, buddy,” he said. “And come back anytime!”
“You will always have a hero’s welcome here,” Barton added. “And to make sure that Bug Island always remembers the human who saved us . . .” He pointed to the cliff, where the termites had been hard at work. A lumpy but still recognizable statue of Max, made from mud and dung, stood outlined against the sky. Max grinned.
“I’ll miss all of you,” he said. “Good-bye, Battle Bugs.” Max lifted his magnifying glass up to the sky. “Never leave a bug behind!” he called, as he was sucked up into the sky. Max got one last look at his bug friends waving up at him, and then the world began spinning around him, faster and faster.
Max found himself alone in the classroom, with his encyclopedia still open on the desk. He closed it and tucked it into his backpack, feeling a little sad. Now that his friends were safe, would he ever be able to return to Bug Island again?
With a sigh, Max headed back to the school gym. At least he still had his ant farm to look after, not to mention all the cool bugs he could find over vacation.
Steve met him at the door. “Max! Where have you been? They’re just about to announce the big winner! Debbie DeSantos came in second with that solar system thing, can you believe it?”
“I . . . I guess not,” Max said, his head still whirring from the trip to Bug Island.
He looked up to see Principal Marsh standing at a podium. His voice rang out across the gym hall. “Finally, it gives me great pleasure to announce that first prize . . .”
“C’mon, soda volcano!” Steve jokingly whispered.
“. . . goes to Max Darwin,” the principal finished. “For The World of Ants!”
Max beamed. First he’d helped save Bug Island, then he won first prize in the science fair. Not bad for one day! he thought.
Max crossed the hall and went to shake the principal’s hand, while applause rang out around him.
“I have seen many ant farms before,” the principal said as he leaned in. “But there was something different about how you constructed and presented yours.”
“What was that?” Max asked.
“You recognized that the ants were living creatures, not just test subjects. You spoke of them not just with knowledge, but compassion.”
“Thanks,” Max said as he accepted the small trophy.
As he climbed off the stage, Steve slapped him on the back and grinned. “Congrats! I guess the best project won.”
“Thanks, Steve. Want to come bug hunting later?”
“Somehow, I thought you might ask that.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Sure. Meet you in the park at five. Bring your big bug book.”
Max smiled. If only you knew what that book could really do.
He opened up his backpack to pack away his things, and took a fond look at the encyclopedia.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.
Deep in the shadows of his backpack, the encyclopedia’s pages glowed with a faint, but unmistakable, silver light, before going dark again.
Max’s smile grew broader.
Maybe I’ll see the Battle Bugs again soon . . .
Black widow spider
The females of this species have jet-black bodies with distinctive, bright-red, hourglass-shaped markings on their abdomens. They’re much more recognizable than the smaller, gray/brown males—and they’re much more deadly.
The black widow spider is also highly venomous and dangerous to humans. The spider’s bite can be as much as fifteen times stronger than a rattlesnake’s and can cause nausea, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing.
Fortunately, black widow attacks are rare. They only bite humans in self-defense, or if you make the mistake of sitting on one. So, if you find yourself in a location with a black widow presence, it might be best to check before you sit down!
Scarab beetle
The family of beetles known as Scarabaeidae consists of a massive thirty thousand different species. The largest species, and most widely known among them, are the scarab beetles.
The most famous of the scarab beetles is the Scarabaeus sacer. This particular insect was sacred to the ancient Egyptians and it represented creation and rebirth. The way that the beetles roll huge balls of dung across the ground mirrored the Egyptians’ belief in the sun god, who would roll the sun across the sky each morning.
The scarab is one of many coprophagous species of insect. This means that it feeds on the waste products of other living things. Female beetles lay their eggs in the center of dung balls. When the young are ready to hatch, they have a meal ready and waiting for them!
The lizard’s tongue shot from its mouth like a whip. Then, slowly, it lumbered forward. Max held his breath. It was gigantic. The ground shook with every stamp of its big, clawed feet.
“How nice of you to drop in,” it hissed, “just in time for dinner.”
Max gulped. From where he was sitting, the lizard looked as big as a dinosaur. It could easily win a battle against the scorpion. As for the tiny human being on its back . . .
“Back off, you scaly bully,” said the scorpion. It raised its stinger threateningly, ready to strike. The stinger’s pointed tip was hanging right next to Max’s head, a bead of white venom on the end. Max edged away from it, lying down as flat as he could and peering over the scorpion’s eyes.
The lizard hissed. “I don’t like it when my snacks fight back,” it spat. It advanced again, backing the scorpion up against the branch they’d just climbed.
Max knew that the emperor scorpion was well armed. Its huge, powerful pincers and venomous stinger made it a dangerous enemy. But the lizard’s scaly skin would be far too thick and tough for the scorpion’s stinger to pierce.
There has to be some way out of this, Max thought, his heart pounding. Maybe the scorpion can outrun it? He looked at the lizard’s powerful legs, and swallowed hard. Scorpions could run fast, but the alligator lizard looked quick, too, and it wasn’t carrying a passenger.
The lizard opened its mouth, showing its sharp, pointed teeth, and suddenly leaped forward. Max clung on tightly as the scorpion scuttled to the side, dodging out of the lizard’s reach.
The lizard turned slowly to face them, its yellow eyes glittering. Once again, it stepped closer. Then it stopped and tipped its head to one side.
“What do you have on your back?” it asked curiously.
&nbs
p; Max looked up to see that the lizard was staring straight at him. The scales on its flat, crocodile-like head were all the same size, except around its nostrils, where they were smaller and darker. Suddenly, Max remembered something.
“Quick!” he whispered to the scorpion. “His scales are weaker around his nostrils! Use your pincers there!”
“Stop that whispering!” bellowed the lizard. “What sort of thing are you, anyway?”
Max glared back at the lizard. “I’m his secret weapon!” he shouted.
And with that the scorpion darted forward, taking the reptile by surprise. Before it could react, the scorpion snapped one of its pincers onto the lizard’s nose. The lizard gave a high-pitched hiss and backed away, twisting its head in pain.
“Let’s go!” shouted Max.
The scorpion charged around the lizard as it retreated, holding a clawed foot to its injured snout. But Max knew they weren’t out of danger yet. The lizard might still come after them. And if it did, it would be even angrier than before.
The scorpion seemed to have realized this, too, because it was running as fast as its legs could carry it. “Thanks for the tip,” it shouted back to Max.
Text copyright © 2016 by Hothouse Fiction.
Cover and interior art by Brett Bean, copyright © 2016 by Scholastic Inc.
Text excerpt from The Lizard War © 2015 by Hothouse Fiction.
Cover and interior art from The Lizard War by Brett Bean, copyright © 2015 by Scholastic Inc.
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eISBN 978-0-545-91314-0
First printing 2016
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