by Adam Blade
BEAST QUEST®
AMULET OF AVANTIA
BOOK TWENTY-ONE
RASHOUK
THE CAVE TROLL
ADAM BLADE
ILLUSTRATED BY EZRA TUCKER
With special thanks to James Noble
For Thomas Robert Maurice-Williams, aka Tom-Tom
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Dear Reader
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1: ESCAPING THE DEAD JUNGLE
CHAPTER 2: A MOMENT OF DOUBT
CHAPTER 3: THE DEAD PEAKS
CHAPTER 4: RASHOUK!
CHAPTER 5: BATTLING THE TROLL
CHAPTER 6: THE MISSING PIECE
CHAPTER 7: THE SMELL OF FEAR
CHAPTER 8: A NASTY SURPRISE
CHAPTER 9: WRESTLING A GHOST
CHAPTER 10: THE NEXT QUEST
Teaser
CHARACTER GUIDE
Also Available
Copyright
All hail, fellow followers of the Quest.
We have not met before but, like you, I have been watching Tom’s adventures with a close eye. Do you know who I am? Have you heard of Taladon, the Master of the Beasts? I have returned — just in time for my son, Tom, to save me from a fate worse than death. The evil wizard, Malvel, has stolen something precious from me and until Tom is able to complete another Quest, I cannot be returned to full life. I must wait between worlds, neither human nor ghost. I am half the man I once was and only Tom can return me to my former glory.
Will Tom have the strength of heart to help his father? Another Quest can test even the most determined hero. And there may be a heavy price for my son to pay if he defeats six more Beasts….
All I can do is hope — that Tom is successful. Will you put your power behind Tom and wish him well? I know I can count on my son — can I count on you, too? Not a moment can be wasted. As this latest Quest unfolds, much rides on it. We must all be brave.
Taladon
PROLOGUE
THE CAVE WAS STUFFY AND AIRLESS, AND THE way ahead was blocked by a wall of stone. Fren tapped his cousin Bly on the shoulder. “It’s a dead end,” he said. “We should leave.”
“We must find coal,” Bly replied. “Winter will soon be upon us, and I won’t have my family going cold.” He held his small, flaming torch aloft as he tapped at the wall with his pickax. “It’s hollow.” Bly smiled. “We can smash our way through.”
“We’d be crossing over to the Forbidden Land,” said Fren fearfully.
Bly snorted. “I don’t believe those stories about the Forbidden Land!” He slipped his torch into a crevice in the cave’s wall. “Besides, there might be coal on the other side.”
Bly hacked at the wall and Fren helped, despite his own fears. He and Bly swung their pickaxes with matching grunts that echoed off the cave walls like flung pebbles.
Within moments, they were on the other side.
Fren picked up Bly’s torch and cast light over the new area. “Still no coal!” he growled.
Bly opened his mouth to reply, but his voice was drowned out by a fearsome thudding sound that made the ground vibrate beneath their feet.
“We should leave!” Fren shouted as the thudding got louder. There was a familiar rhythm to it now.
Footsteps.
From out of the shadows came a creature more terrifying than anything Fren had ever laid eyes on. The Beast wasn’t much taller than a man, but was five times as wide, and his shoulders scraped along the cave walls.
Fren recognized the creature, but only from old stories he had thought were fantasy. “A troll!” he cried, stumbling backward as the Beast pounded toward them, his yellow teeth bared. Fren could see that the troll’s hands were the size of large shovels, and that the fingers on his right hand had long, jagged yellow nails. “Run!” he shouted to Bly.
But Bly did not move. “This wretched Beast won’t stop me from finding coal,” he yelled back, raising his pickax.
The troll bore down on Bly, his heavy feet leaving deep craters in the ground with every step. By the light of the torch, Fren could see the Beast’s large drooping ears and sunken eyes, pushed to the edges of his face by a wide nose that appeared to quiver as the Beast sniffed the air.
Bly gave a roar and charged straight at the hideous creature.
The Beast met him head-on and swiped his right arm, slashing at Bly with his sharp nails.
Fren screamed a warning, but Bly made no sound at all — instead, he stood completely still. Fren gave a wail of fear and despair as he saw his cousin’s skin darken to the color of slate, and his body become stiff. Bly had been turned to stone!
With a sob, Fren fled back toward the mouth of the cave. Behind him, he could hear thudding footsteps and eager sniffing, telling him that the troll was close.
He heard a whoosh behind him as the Beast swiped down with his claw again.
Fren felt no pain as his body went still. There was only the cold, before every thing went dark.
CHAPTER ONE
ESCAPING THE DEAD JUNGLE
“ALMOST THERE!” SAID TOM, AS HE SWUNG his sword at the last section of wild overgrowth blocking their path out of the Forbidden Land’s Dead Jungle.
“Great,” said Elenna, as she led Tom’s stallion, Storm, out onto the flat grassland. “I thought we’d never get out.”
Storm whinnied in delight. Close behind, Elenna’s pet wolf, Silver, yelped and ran around in wide circles.
Tom laughed and sheathed his sword. “I think they’re happy they can stretch their legs again!”
“Although, to be fair, this place isn’t exactly cheery,” said Elenna, looking around at the dead grassland that stretched as far as the eye could see. “I never knew that anywhere in Avantia could look so dead and depressing.”
“Me, neither,” said Tom, thinking of the beauty of the rest of the kingdom and how the Dark Wizard, Malvel, had tried more than once to destroy it. It was because of Malvel that Tom was on his current Quest. The Dark Wizard had turned Tom’s father, Taladon, into a ghost, and Tom had to find the six pieces of the Amulet of Avantia to make his father flesh and blood again. Malvel had scattered the broken pieces of the amulet around the kingdom’s Forbidden Land, where they were guarded by six Ghost Beasts — evil creatures who could switch from real to ghostly form in an instant.
Tom had already defeated two of them and retrieved two pieces of the amulet. He vowed to overcome the next four Beasts as well — though he would have to do so without some of the magical powers he possessed.
On his previous Quests, he had retrieved all six pieces of Avantia’s golden armor. Each piece had given him a different power, although Tom didn’t need to be wearing the armor to use them.
But the armor did not belong to him. It belonged to his father. And now, every time Tom recovered a piece of the amulet, one of the armor’s magical powers returned to Taladon.
Tom frowned as a feeling of disquiet spread through him. He had already lost the powers granted him by the golden boots and the golden gauntlets. It appeared that he was losing his powers in the reverse order to which he had gained them. Therefore, if he succeeded in defeating the next Ghost Beast, Rashouk the Cave Troll, he would probably lose the power of the leg armor and would no longer have his increased speed.
“Which way shall we ride?” asked Elenna, snapping Tom out of his thoughts.
“Map!” he commanded, stretching out a hand.
The air shimmered as a ghostly map appeared before his eyes. It was a gift from Aduro, the good wizard, to help them navigate the Forbidden Land.
Elenna joined him to study the map. “Look,” she said, pointing at some mountains in the east called the Dead P
eaks. “Didn’t your father say we’d find Rashouk there?”
Tom nodded. He wondered how it would be to do battle with Rashouk now that he’d lost two of his powers.
“Are you all right?” asked Elenna, as the ghostly map evaporated. “You look worried.”
“I’m fine,” Tom insisted.
Elenna nimbly swung herself into Storm’s saddle. Just ahead, Silver scratched at the ground impatiently. The clever wolf knew that they would soon be racing across the grassland at full speed.
“Do you want the reins?” Elenna asked.
Tom shook his head. “You ride. I’ll run,” he told her. “I should make use of the leg armor’s powers while I still can.”
Elenna clicked her tongue, and Storm set off at a gallop. Silver ran alongside.
Tom took a deep breath and ran after his friends. Thanks to the magic he possessed, he caught up in moments. He was going to miss this power a lot — he loved the way he could look down at his own feet and barely see them because they were a fast-moving blur.
“I think Storm’s tiring,” Elenna called, after they’d covered a good distance.
“Let’s give him a rest,” said Tom, slowing down.
They came to a stop by a dense copse of trees. The branches were as black as coal, and no leaves were growing on them. Silence hung heavily all around. As Elenna dismounted, Storm lowered his head to nibble at the grass. His nostrils flared and he pulled away immediately. The grass was coated in mold.
“Sorry, boy,” said Tom, as his horse snorted in disgust. “Nothing for you to eat here. Not in this place.”
Storm nuzzled Tom’s neck. Elenna ruffled Silver’s fur, making a bit more fuss over her pet wolf than usual.
She looked around. “Can anything actually live in a place like this?”
As if in answer, footsteps disrupted the silence like claps of thunder. Storm started, and Tom had to grasp his reins to keep the stallion from bolting.
Elenna jumped to her feet and ran to Tom’s side. “It must be Rashouk!”
CHAPTER TWO
A MOMENT OF DOUBT
“IF IT IS,” SAID TOM, “FOR A CAVE TROLL, HE’S come very far out of his cave.”
The footsteps grew louder and, looking ahead, Tom saw a large creature charging toward them out of the trees. It had shaggy brown fur and a long snout filled with misshapen yellow teeth.
“A bear!” Elenna gasped, and Silver yelped furiously, showing his fangs.
Tom held tightly to the reins as Storm tried to pull away. As the creature got closer, he could see the outline of its rib cage through the thin, matted fur, and that strings of saliva dangled from its mouth. The bear was ravenous, and Tom and his friends were its prey.
Tom gave Storm’s reins to Elenna and drew his sword, preparing for battle. He could not let this creature come between him and his Quest.
“Stay back,” he called to Elenna, as he stepped into the path of the bear. It may not have been one of Malvel’s Beasts, but it was still twice as big as Tom, with cruel claws and jagged teeth that looked sharp enough to crunch through bone.
Tom’s hand tightened around his sword as the bear got closer. His palm was uncomfortably sweaty. The golden gauntlets made me a great swordsman, he thought. But I don’t have them anymore! He shook his head as if trying to empty it of his worries.
The bear was upon him now and it let out a deafening roar, blasting a jet of rancid breath that blew Tom’s hair back.
What if I’ve become too reliant on magic? Sweat trickled into Tom’s eyes and the sword hilt felt slippery in his grasp. What if I’m not good enough when I’m just me?
The bear raised its mighty clawed paws and Tom realized that his hesitation had cost him dearly — there was no time to defend himself!
A gust of air whistled past Tom’s ear, and he saw an arrow hit the bear’s shoulder. The animal roared in pain, before stamping a path back to the cover of the trees.
Elenna appeared by Tom’s side, her bow ready to fire another shot. But the bear had disappeared.
Tom dug his sword into the ground and leaned on the hilt before taking in a deep, calming breath.
“That bear was going to eat you alive,” said Elenna, lowering her bow, “and you didn’t even move!”
Tom turned, seeing her frown at him with concern. “I froze,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure I could defeat the bear without my powers.”
Elenna looked at him in amazement. “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. You were brave long before you won those powers.”
“I wish I could stop doubting myself,” he said, turning away from her. “This is my most important Quest … and I’m not sure I can do it!”
“TOM!” Elenna screamed from behind him.
He spun on his heel, sword raised. He had only one thought — The bear is back. A tree branch spun through the air, heading straight for his head. Tom raised his sword and sliced through it. The two pieces fell to the ground.
Tom lowered his sword and looked over at Elenna, who was rubbing earth and bark from her hands.
“Did you throw that?” Tom asked in confusion.
His friend smiled and nodded. “You may have lost some of your powers,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a bad swordsman.”
Tom found himself smiling in return. “You’re right,” he said, sheathing his blade. “I can do this.”
Elenna headed back to Storm and swung herself into the stallion’s saddle. “No,” she said, a twinkle in her eye. “We can do this.”
Tom laughed as Elenna clicked her tongue, getting Storm going again. Silver followed eagerly and Tom ran alongside them as they all headed around the copse of trees toward the Dead Peaks. Tom felt a swell of pride in his chest — Elenna was far more important to him than any power he could win or lose. He wouldn’t trade her friendship for all the magic in Avantia.
But there was a big difference between a flying branch and an evil Beast. Tom knew big challenges awaited him.
“While there’s blood in my veins,” he muttered to himself, “I’ll meet them and defeat the Beast!”
CHAPTER THREE
THE DEAD PEAKS
“I THINK WE’VE ARRIVED,” SAID ELENNA, bringing Storm to a halt as they came to a narrow path that led up to a mountain range.
Tom nodded as he took in the Dead Peaks, which were the color of day-old ash. They were so tall, they disappeared among the dark clouds in the sky.
“It’s too dangerous to ride Storm on this narrow path,” Elenna continued, dismounting.
“Yes, let’s lead him up instead,” said Tom. They started climbing the winding path. The higher they went, the narrower the path became, and they were forced to take the trail more slowly. The dark clouds hung low, and soon heavy rain began to pelt down, slowing them even more.
Tom frowned. “At the moment, we’re easy targets. We have no idea what could be around the next bend, and the path is so narrow it would be hard for us to retreat. Rashouk has the tactical advantage.”
Elenna pushed her wet hair out of her face. “But there’s nothing we can do about that. What choice do we have but to push on?”
Tom shook his head. “There is one of us who can handle these paths with ease” — he looked at Silver — “by sniffing out danger and warning the rest of us.”
Silver stepped forward as if he knew Tom was talking about him.
Elenna ruffled the fur at the wolf’s neck. “Go ahead, boy,” she said.
Silver seemed to understand as he darted forward and disappeared around a tight bend in the path.
Tom looked back at Elenna. “We still have to tread carefully, for Storm’s sake.”
They made their way slowly, following the wolf’s paw marks on the damp path. Silver howled excitedly up ahead. Tom felt his pulse quicken — it seemed like Silver was on the Beast’s trail! The cave troll must be close.
“I hope we don’t need to climb much higher,” Elenna shouted over the driving rain. “Storm isn
’t happy.”
Tom looked back and saw that Storm was taking crisscrossed steps to stay on the road. The stallion’s flanks were slick with sweat and his nostrils flared as he struggled to control his panic at the sound of thunder rumbling above them.
“All we know is that Rashouk lives somewhere on this mountain,” Tom said. “Either Silver will find him, or we will find his lair — he’s a cave troll, after all, so his home must be a cave!”
Elenna nodded in agreement, her cheeks pinched with cold.
They turned a corner, coming upon Silver, who was sniffing desperately at the earth. If there was a trail, it had gone cold. The path had widened out to a small plateau, but there was no sign of the Beast.
“What shall we do?” asked Elenna.
Tom squinted to see through the rain and mist that swirled around them. There was nothing but mountain rock and empty air. The rain chilled him to the bone, and he could see that Elenna was shivering with cold.
Suddenly, up ahead, Tom saw something that made him smile with relief.
“There,” he said, pointing at an outcrop not far up the path. “That should give us some shelter while we wait for the rain to stop.”
Elenna gently urged Storm forward again, and Tom and Silver followed.
Beneath the outcrop, a mangy mountain goat stood. Tom knelt down and placed a hand on Silver’s neck — he didn’t want Elenna’s wolf to startle the poor goat by running at it.
“He must be the only living thing up here,” Elenna commented.
“Apart from the Beast,” Tom replied grimly.
They scrambled under the outcrop. It extended quite far out from the mountainside, but it wasn’t very wide.
Tom looked more closely at the goat. It was obviously scared, but not of them. Its eyes were wide as it glanced left and right. The goat was keeping an eye out for something.
The Beast?
“Elenna, do you think the goat has seen Rashouk?” Tom asked, still staring at the scared animal.