by Adam Blade
“Let’s see if I can find something to help with!” said Elenna. She went to the outskirts of the Dark Wood and found a broken branch, stout and strong, with a sharp end.
They fell into a rhythm, alternating their digging. Every now and then Elenna stopped to take a breather. Thanks to his magic strength, Tom dug tirelessly, without a pause. The hole widened and deepened. Soon they were both standing in the pit, throwing the earth over their shoulders.
Storm and Silver came to the edge, peering down at them curiously.
“That’ll have to do!” said Tom. “It’s almost dark.” He interlaced his fingers so that Elenna could use his hands as a foothold and scramble out. Then she let down the rope so he was able to climb free.
Working fast, they placed slender branches across the top and covered them with reddish leaves. No Beast would ever know a trap was waiting.
“This might be just the advantage we need,” Tom said, gazing down at their work. The moon was out now. It was full, but not at its brightest, and not yet high in the sky. Twilight lingered in the western sky above the trees.
Tom flashed a glance at Silver, who sat patiently beside Elenna.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Elenna as she took Silver by the scruff of the neck and pulled out the rope once more. She knelt in the grass and looked into her pet’s eyes.
“I have to do this,” she told Silver as she tied the wolf to a tree trunk. With a sigh, she climbed to her feet. Tom put a hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know how difficult that must have been for you. But if Silver comes under Luna’s spell a second time, we can’t risk what might happen.”
Elenna nodded sadly. Tom released a long, drawn-out breath. “Let’s go and defeat this Beast,” he said. “It’s time.”
Warily, they stepped into the Dark Wood. Tom and Elenna led, Storm following close behind. They took care to avoid touching the bloodied trunks of the trees. Tom could feel menace pressing upon him. The woods were quiet now. The only sounds were their own footsteps and the occasional snort from Storm. It was as if all the woods were listening to them.
There was no sign of Luna. Yet Tom felt sure that she must know they were coming. Perhaps she’s waiting for the moon to rise to its full height? he thought. Then he heard a noise. He touched Elenna’s arm and she stopped. Storm drew to a halt behind them.
“What is it?” mouthed Elenna silently.
Tom lifted his finger to his lips. They stood still, waiting.
The noise came again. A high-pitched yelp. And another. And another.
Elenna nudged Tom and pointed.
There, half-hidden beneath the gnarled roots of a tree, was a bundle of fur. Tom saw damp snouts poking out, pointed ears, and several tiny pairs of gleaming red eyes.
It was a nest of wolf cubs. Their scent was carried to him on the evening breeze: the same strong, musky animal scent he had smelled the previous night.
Tom and Elenna drew closer. They had seen a nest of wolf cubs before, when they went to do battle with Cypher. Those cubs had been cute, with blunt, round faces and big paws. But these cubs looked ferocious. Their snouts were narrow, their eyes a fiery red; they glared at Tom and Elenna, snapping their jaws.
“They could be useful to us,” breathed Tom. “They must be Luna’s cubs — I’m sure of it! They have the same scent. The same red eyes. If we could get these cubs away from here, she’d follow, wouldn’t she? Maybe we could lure her out of the woods. Then we could fight her in the open — where we might trap her in the pit!”
“If you try to pick those cubs up, they’ll take your hand off,” warned Elenna.
But Tom wasn’t going to be put off that easily. What would tempt such fierce creatures from their nest? They clearly wanted to attack. He could use that to his advantage. “Watch,” he said to Elenna.
Tom bent over the cubs. They growled and the largest cub leaped at him. Tom swiftly brought his shield up. The wolf cub’s fangs crashed against its surface with such force he almost dropped the shield.
“Come on, then,” he said, shifting the shield on his arm. “Come and get me!” The other cubs swarmed out of the nest. There were four of them in all. Yapping and snapping, they advanced on Tom. And in the empty nest behind them, Tom saw something glinting in the moonlight. His heart jumped. He recognized the fragment of silver, with the shard of blue enamel at its heart.
“There, can you see it? It’s a piece of the amulet!” he called to Elenna.
“Can’t we just grab it?” she cried.
Tom tried to circle around the cubs so he could get to the nest, but they rushed at him, their tiny jaws snapping. He was only just able to get his shield up to protect himself.
“I can’t get close to the nest!” he gasped to Elenna. Desperation plunged through him. The silver of the amulet gleamed in the moonlight. If Tom couldn’t retrieve it, he would fail in his Quest. And his father would never be returned to life.
What was he going to do?
“WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE,” SAID TOM. “And fast. We’ll come back for the amulet.”
He began to back out of the forest. The cubs came after him in a pack, just as he’d planned. But it was a dangerous game that Tom had started. The cubs were fast, and they threw themselves at Tom from all sides. No sooner had he dodged one attack than he had to face another. Elenna tried to keep the cubs at a safe distance, using her bow to shoot arrows into the ground at their paws, but they looked determined to taste Tom’s blood, and they nimbly leaped over the arrow shafts.
One of the cubs clamped its jaws on Tom’s shield and hung there, growling. With difficulty he shook it off, and saw the deep marks its teeth had left in the wood. Immediately, he had to leap away from another cub trying to take a chunk out of his ankles.
“Nearly there!” Elenna encouraged him. She was by Tom’s side, watching out for Luna to appear. She had a fresh arrow already fitted to her bow.
They passed the last of the bloodstained trees, with Storm following, and emerged out on the plain again.
It was completely dark now. High above, the full moon shone brightly.
Then Tom heard a sound that made the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end. The high, hungry howl of Luna.
At once the cubs froze. Tom saw his chance. He grabbed one of them by the scruff of its neck. It yowled in anger and the other three cubs relaunched their attack on Tom, scrabbling around his feet. But Silver leaped forward, showing his fangs. The cubs backed off, growling defiantly.
The howl of the mother wolf rang out again — much closer this time. She was almost upon them. Tom stood with the cub in one hand and his shield in the other. Beside him, Elenna raised her bow. Storm paced the ground beside them.
Luna burst through the trees, looking around frantically for her young. Tom’s plan had worked — he’d lured Luna out of the Dark Wood.
Elenna gasped. Tom instinctively took a step backward.
He had never seen a wolf anything like this. Twice the size of a normal wolf, her fur was as white as the moon and her red eyes burned with fury. She spotted Tom and reared onto her hind legs, howling. Her curved yellow fangs glistened with drool. Her claws were black, and fused together like knives. Silver whimpered and slunk backward. Storm stepped protectively in front of his friend.
Twang!
Elenna had loosed off an arrow. It hit Luna’s side and bounced away. Arrows were useless against her thick hide.
The three cubs on the ground bounded toward their mother. Tom let the cub he was holding drop, and it scampered back to Luna, too. Tom drew his sword.
Luna dropped down onto all fours. A second later she was running over the plain toward Tom at blinding speed.
The Ghost Beast launched herself at Tom. He had a momentary glimpse of her narrow snout, burning red eyes, and black claws sailing through the air toward him. He dove to one side.
The claws missed him by a hairbreadth.
Tom hit the ground, rolled, and was
up again. Already Luna had turned. She lunged at him, snapping. Tom just managed to get his shield up in time to protect himself, but the impact of Luna’s weight nearly knocked it from his arm. He thrust his sword at the wolf, aiming for the center of her chest. The blow was firm, but it didn’t penetrate Luna’s thick fur. The blade bounced off with a force that jarred Tom’s whole arm.
Luna swiped at him with her curved black claws. The blow would have taken Tom’s head off if he hadn’t ducked in time.
Tom retreated, half-blinded by the sweat in his eyes, holding his shield before him. He saw Elenna loose off another arrow, this time aiming for the wolf’s head. Again the arrow glanced off without doing any damage.
“I’m sorry, Tom,” she called. “My arrows can’t even scratch her!”
Luna leaped at Tom again. As he jumped aside, he slashed at her muzzle with his sword. He heard Luna howl in pain. He had managed to hurt her. But not seriously. He hadn’t even drawn blood. All he’d done was enrage her even more. Her eyes glowed brighter still, and she showed her teeth as she turned and stalked toward Tom again.
Furiously, Luna opened her jaws in a howl and arched her back as she reared up on her hind legs. Tom watched as she slowly became paler, then transparent, as if she were made of glass. Then she disappeared completely. All Tom could see was her two glowing red eyes. Now he had to fight an invisible Beast! He heard Elenna gasp as the eyes rushed toward him.
Tom dove to one side. He felt the snap of Luna’s fangs just inches away from his neck; her fur tickled his skin as she passed, even though he couldn’t see her.
“I’ll keep fighting you!” Tom called out.
He got to his feet, holding out his shield and sword. He could see the red eyes bobbing in the air, but he had no idea from what direction Luna would attack him again. Behind him, he heard Storm pacing the ground.
Tom warily kept his sword up, making sure he was always facing the eyes as they hovered and circled him. From the edge of the Dark Wood, he heard the animal noises rising again — baying, snuffling, growling, howling.
“Tom!” shouted Elenna. “The wild animals are coming back!”
Tom glanced over his shoulder and saw the black outlines of foxes, wolves, and wild dogs at the edge of the forest. The moon had come out and now Luna was at her strongest. The creatures of the Dark Wood were waiting to attack him. Time was running out for Tom.
He had to be brave and win this Quest — and he had to do it quickly.
“ELENNA!” HE CALLED. “I’LL DEAL WITH LUNA. You and Storm try to keep the animals at bay!”
“We will!” she cried. She was already fitting another arrow to her bow. A flicker from Luna’s burning red eyes warned Tom that the wolf was about to leap to the attack again.
Luna came back into full view. Tom saw her glittering white body and her black, knifelike claws hurtling through the air toward him.
He flung himself to the ground. Luna landed beyond him, snarling with anger. Tom was on his feet again in a flash.
He glanced up as the sky darkened even further, and saw that a huge, tattered cloud had passed over the moon. In the same moment, Elenna loosed an arrow, hitting one of the wild dogs in the side. It yelped and fled back into the woods. Storm advanced, driving the other animals back. Luna’s power over the animals fades when the moon’s hidden! Tom thought. She has a weakness!
Luna was stalking Tom, her red eyes fixed upon him, her black lips curled back in a snarl. Her belly was close to the ground; she was clearly preparing to spring again.
Tom backed toward the secret pit he and Elenna had dug. He couldn’t keep dodging Luna’s attacks for much longer, he knew. Come on! he thought. Just a little farther …
Luna sprang. Tom saw the wolf’s dripping fangs, her black, razor-sharp claws. He leaped toward the pit. Without the magic powers of the golden boots, which had helped him jump huge distances, he had to rely on his own ability to reach the other side of the hole.
Tom heard Luna howl triumphantly as she followed him. He fell, rolled, and turned….
Luna landed on the branches above the pit. They cracked beneath her weight. Her huge jaws opened in shock and rage. An anguished, furious howl burst forth as she crashed down, paws scrabbling helplessly, leaves and broken sticks flying up around her.
“Elenna!” shouted Tom. “Quick!” Elenna was already running toward him.
“Help me cover her!” said Tom.
“Yes!” panted Elenna. “We’ve got her now!”
Tom was already furiously scooping earth down on the enraged Beast. Elenna joined in at once. The soil spattered on Luna’s glittering white fur. With a defiant roar, the Beast half raised herself from the pit, struggling to escape. Tom would never forget the sight: those red eyes blazing up at him through the dirt. Furiously, he and Elenna shoveled more earth down on her.
But Luna seemed to find fresh energy and heaved herself up, dirt pouring off her thick pelt. Her massive claws scrabbled at the side of the pit.
“Get out of the way!” Tom called to Elenna as they jumped to either side. Luna leaped into the air, her white fur glittering and her jaws snapping. But she fell onto the jagged end of a branch that had covered the pit. The point of the splintered wood pierced her chest and dark blood spurted across her fur. Luna howled in pain. Tom knew he had to grab his chance. He ran forward, unsheathing his sword, and slashed the blade across the Beast’s red eyes. She let out a final defiant hiss and sank to the ground. Tom and Elenna watched as the Beast’s magic faded and she turned pale and transparent for the last time — for good.
“We did it!” said Tom. They stood there, breathing hard, tired but triumphant. Storm came trotting over and Elenna ran to release Silver, who leaped around her as the two of them rejoined Tom and his stallion.
“I suppose she’ll stay there forever now,” said Tom. “The moonlight will never shine on her again.” He heard a chorus of desolate howls. All the wild animals had fled back into the Dark Wood, except the four wolf cubs. They stood at the edge of the trees, howling at the moon. They had lost their evil mother. The sound sent shivers up Tom’s spine.
THE CUBS CREEPED CLOSER, SNIFFING THE AIR.
“What do we do about them?” asked Tom. He didn’t like to see Luna’s young abandoned, even though they had tried to attack him. One of the cubs broke away from the pack and came to sniff around Elenna’s feet, before looking up at her with friendly eyes.
Elenna laughed and reached down to stroke the cub’s head. He nipped playfully at her fingers, before darting back to join his siblings. They chased one another joyfully and ran back into the forest, barking encouragement to one another.
“They’ll be okay,” Elenna said. “Let them run wild. That’s what they’re born to do. They’re old enough to fend for themselves.”
“The amulet!” said Tom suddenly, as he realized the cubs’ nest was now left unguarded. He set off at a run into the Dark Wood. Elenna, Storm, and Silver followed.
Tom felt the change in the atmosphere as soon as he entered the forest.
“Look, Tom!” Elenna called. She put her hand to a tree trunk, but when she pulled it away, it was no longer smeared in blood. There were just a few green streaks of moss across her palm. Tom smiled, and carried on striding through the undergrowth. He could hear the noises of animals moving about in the undergrowth, but there was nothing sinister or threatening about the sound now. The woods were wild, but released from Luna’s spell, they were no longer evil.
Tom found the nest again easily — a dark hollow beneath the roots of a gnarled tree, where the shard of silver amulet glinted in the moonlight. A sliver of blue winked at him from the fragment’s edge. Carefully, he picked it up. It was heavy in his hand, and his fingertips felt the inscription on the back of the precious metal.
The three other pieces of amulet Tom had gathered hung on a leather thong around his neck. He raised the fourth to join them. There was a silver catch that clicked into place with a satisfying sound. Four pieces, he t
hought. Just two more to go. With each new fragment, he was bringing his father closer to life.
“It’s beautiful,” said Elenna, as she caught up with him.
“Yes,” said Tom softly.
Storm whinnied, as if in greeting. Tom looked up. His father, Taladon, was standing before them in a vision. Taladon still looked ghostly. Tom could see the outlines of the trees through his body. But his strong, bearded face shone with pride as he looked at his son.
“Well done, Tom,” he said in his deep voice. “I am proud to have a son who fights with such skill and courage.”
Tom modestly lowered his gaze to the ground. “Well, I had a lot of help,” he said.
“Yes.” Tom looked back up to see Taladon’s gaze pass to Elenna, and then to Storm and Silver. “My son is lucky to have such brave and loyal friends. Thanks to you all, I feel my powers returning.”
As he said this, it seemed to Tom that his father grew more solid than before. The trees behind him became less distinct. At the same time, he felt a change in his own body — as if energy was leaving him. By this stage in the Quest, he understood that another of the magic powers he’d gained from the golden armor had leaked away.
A fallen tree lay nearby in the forest. Tom went over to it. He bent down, placed both hands beneath it, and tried to lift.
Nothing happened.
He tried again, tugging with all his might. But the trunk was immovable. He straightened, breathing hard.
“I’ve lost my strength,” he said. “The magic strength the golden breastplate gave me. It’s gone!”
Taladon nodded gravely. “Every gain must bring some loss,” he said. “And magical powers alone do not make a hero! It is the spirit that truly counts.”
“Think of all the things you’ve done without magic powers,” said Elenna. “Like when you leaped over the pit so Luna would crash into it — that was a tremendous jump and you did it with no help. You’re just as much of a hero without the golden armor — more so, because you’re doing it all yourself!”