by Adam Blade
“I’ll free you!” Tom said defiantly.
Malvel laughed cruelly. “You can try.”
Tom reached out to Aduro, but his hand passed through air. “Tell me what to do!”
“You must find the full suit of armor…. It is the only way.”
Malvel let out a piercing laugh. “That will never happen. You’ll fail the next test, Tom, when you have to face my second evil Beast — Claw.”
“We’ll do it,” Tom vowed. “We’ll free Aduro and destroy you once and for all.”
“I can hold out against him,” Aduro insisted, though his face was pale. “It is the Quest that matters now!”
Malvel’s laughter rang out again as the vision faded.
Tom and Elenna exchanged a horrified glance. All of Tom’s sense of triumph had vanished. He could only think about Aduro in Malvel’s clutches.
As they beached the boat, Calum came up to them, leading Storm. Tom had been wondering how to explain to Lindon why they had taken his boat without permission, but thankfully, the fisherman was nowhere in sight. Tom climbed out of the boat and took the stallion’s reins, stroking his nose.
“Thanks,” he said to Calum. Glancing out to sea again, he added, “I don’t think you’ll have any more trouble.”
Calum met his gaze steadily. “I won’t ask questions,” he said. “You saved us once before, and that’s good enough for me.” He bent to give Silver a pat. “You’re welcome to come and stay with my family if you’d like.”
“Thank you, but we can’t,” Tom said regretfully. “We have other duties.”
“I understand,” said Calum. “But I hope you’ll come back when you can. You’ll always find friends here.”
Taking up his sword and shield, Tom climbed into Storm’s saddle with Elenna behind him.
“Farewell!” Elenna called.
“Farewell, and good luck!” Calum replied.
With a last wave, Tom and Elenna headed up the beach to find the road that led back inland.
Tom felt as if a huge weight was pressing upon him. “This is our most important Quest yet,” he said.
“I know.” Elenna tightened her arms around his waist. “This time we’ve got to succeed.”
Tom nodded. She was right. The Quest wasn’t about his need to prove himself, not any more. It wasn’t even about the magical golden armor.
It was about rescuing Aduro.
Could they do it?
“While there’s blood in my veins,” Tom swore, “I’ll never give up!”
Copyright
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Text copyright © 2008 by Beast Quest Ltd.
Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover art by David Wyatt
Cover design by Tim Hall
Beast Quest series created by Beast Quest Ltd., London.
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First printing, June 2008
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eISBN: 978-0-545-29646-5