by Adam Blade
Still leading Storm, Tom and Elenna followed the trail of blood. It led over the hill and along the top of the valley. Nothing grew there. They were once again trekking through a barren wasteland.
“There’s something ahead,” Tom said eventually, peering forward. His keen sight showed him a twisted tree and Tagus, their friend, lying among the gnarled roots. The Beast was moaning in pain and seemed to be straining against something that tethered him to the tree.
“It’s Tagus — he’s hurt!” Tom said urgently.
They hurried forward.
Tagus must have heard their approach. He turned his head as Tom and Elenna came up, his eyes filled with pain.
“Oh, look! Tom, that’s horrible!” Elenna pointed at one of Tagus’s hind legs. It was caught in the jaws of a vicious trap, and blood was still seeping from the wound. A thick chain tethered the trap to a root of the tree.
Tom clenched his fists angrily. “We’re going to get you out of here,” he told the good Beast, wishing the horse-man could understand.
Tom’s presence must have soothed Tagus, because he stopped struggling and lay back against the tree roots with a shuddering sigh.
Elenna bent over the trap. “There’s something written here. It says ‘Torgor.’ “ Puzzled, she looked up at Tom. “What do you think that means?”
“It must be the name of the next Beast we have to face.”
Elenna’s face screwed up with disgust. “What evil is this? How can one Beast treat another so badly?”
“This is Malvel’s Beast,” Tom reminded her. “They’re all evil to the core.”
“Can you get Tagus out of the trap?” Elenna asked.
“I’ll try. Lend me your shawl, Elenna.”
She gave it to him, and Tom wrapped his hands in it, trying to pry open the jaws of the trap. It was no use. The trap would not budge. Drawing his sword, he hacked at the chain, but the blade didn’t even scratch the metal.
Tom let out a shout of frustration. “It’s too strong!”
“We’ve got to do something!” Elenna said, looking down at the limp form of the centaur. “We can’t leave him like this.”
Tom sheathed his sword again. “I can only see one option: We have to find Torgor and force him to free Tagus.”
“Where should we start looking?” Elenna asked.
Tom gazed out at the horizon, searching for an answer. A little way off, Silver was sniffing at something in the grass; he looked up at Tom and let out an inviting whine.
“What have you got there, boy?” Tom asked.
He walked across to Silver. There in the grass was a faint set of bloodstained footprints, leading down into the valley.
“Look what Silver’s found!” Tom called to Elenna, who had knelt down and was gently stroking Tagus’s head. She jumped up and came to join him. “Torgor must have stepped in Tagus’s blood.”
“Another trail! We can follow it!” Elenna exclaimed.
Tom shook his head, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. “I’ll follow Torgor. You should stay here and look after Tagus. Silver and Storm can stay with you, too. They’ll help to protect you if Malvel shows up.”
“I don’t think so.” Elenna pointed to Silver, who was waving his tail wildly, waiting for Tom to follow. “He’s made up his mind to go with you. Look after him, and be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Tom went back to Storm and unfastened his shield from the saddle.
Elenna sat down beside Tagus, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders, and waved good-bye to Tom. Part of him wished that she was coming, too; Elenna was a great friend to have in a tight spot. But he shook off this thought. Tagus needed someone to take care of him.
Torgor, you won’t escape me, Tom thought as he strode forward, his eyes fixed on the trail of blood. I’m coming to get you!
CHAPTER EIGHT
FACING THE MINOTAUR
THE TRAIL LED TOWARD THE RIVER. EVEN though Tom was no longer wearing the golden chain mail, he was grateful for the strength of heart it had passed on to him. He gripped his sword and shield tightly as he braced himself to meet the Beast, and stayed alert for any unexpected sounds, but all he could hear was the wind sweeping across the barren hillside.
The dim light from the red sun made it hard for Tom to see, even with his extra-keen sight. Before long, the bloody footprints petered out, but Silver kept running frantically back and forth, letting out excited yelps as he picked up the scent of the Beast.
However, at the riverbank, the wolf seemed to lose the trail. He ran up and down, splashing through the shallow water and whining unhappily.
“What is it, boy?” Tom asked. “Where is the Beast?”
Silver let out a frustrated howl, and Tom guessed that the Beast had crossed the river. The water would have killed his scent; there was no way of following him any farther.
Tom looked back up the hill to where he could still see the twisted tree and the tiny figures of Elenna and Tagus. How were they going to help the good Beast now?
Suddenly, Silver let out a warning yelp. Tom turned around and spotted something flying through the air toward him at an impossible speed. He flung up his shield, just in time to fend off a huge tree branch. In spite of the strength he had been given when he won the golden breastplate, he staggered under the force of the blow. Then his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. The branch thumped into the mud at the edge of the river.
Tom scrambled up, staring in disbelief at the enormous missile. Someone — or something — with incredible strength had just hurled it across the river. He gazed at the other side of the sluggish water, trying to spot his attacker, but could see nothing. “Tom! Tom!”
Tom spun around at the sound of Elenna’s voice. Mounted on Storm, his friend was racing down the hillside toward him.
“I saw what happened!” she gasped, jumping down from the horse. “I had to come. If someone is trying to attack you, then we fight together.”
“Thanks,” Tom said. “I —”
He broke off as Elenna’s eyes widened. Twisting around, he saw that a pair of horns had appeared above the crest of a low hill on the other side of the river. They were huge, curved and shining, with wickedly sharp points.
“Torgor,” Elenna breathed.
The pair of horns was followed by a bull’s head, with eyes that reflected the scarlet of the sky. Below the neck was a man’s body covered with thick black hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist, and in one hand he carried a giant ax with a golden blade. A ruby jewel winked where the axhead met the handle. He let out a roar of fury.
Tom’s heart beat faster and his palms sweated as he reached for his sword. The huge Beast strode down the riverbank and splashed across the river toward him. Even though Tom knew that he still had the powers of the golden armor, he felt helpless in the face of such a monster.
But he stood his ground. He wouldn’t give in without trying to fight.
“While there’s blood in my veins,” he vowed, “I’ll defeat this Beast.”
CHAPTER NINE
THE BATTLE BEGINS
TORGOR RACED OUT OF THE RIVER AND SWUNG his ax above his head.
“Look out!” Tom yelled at Elenna, who was quickly placing an arrow in her bow. As the ax whirled down toward them, Tom and Elenna leaped aside. The golden blade slammed down, shaking the ground so hard that they both lost their balance and sprawled flat on their backs.
Tom jumped to his feet, slashing at Torgor with his sword. But the Beast barely noticed the blows. Jerking the axhead out of the ground, Torgor headed up the hill, straight for the tree where Tagus still lay tethered. He swiped his ax through the air as he stalked toward the injured horse-man.
“He’s going to kill Tagus!” Elenna gasped. “We’ve got to stop him!”
Tom launched himself up the hill. He couldn’t believe how fast Torgor was. Even with the extra speed given to Tom by Tagus’s horseshoe token, he had a hard time keeping up with the evil Beast’s giant str
ides. He left Elenna and their animal friends far behind and reached the hilltop just a few paces behind Torgor.
The Beast stood over the trapped centaur, who was staring up at his captor with fury in his eyes. Tom was flooded with rage. As Torgor raised his weapon, Tom dropped his sword and shield, leaped up, and caught the ax by the blade. The Beast let out a bellow of fury and waved the ax wildly, but Tom managed to cling on, even though the golden blade cut into his palms.
As Torgor continued to whirl the ax around his head, Tom felt his hands slipping. Finally, he lost his grip on the ax’s blade and was thrown to the ground. The fall knocked the breath out of him. Gasping, he forced himself up onto his hands and knees. He could feel the hope in his heart failing. He just didn’t have the strength to combat this Beast.
A short laugh made him look up. To his astonishment, Kerlo the Gatekeeper was standing in front of him, shaking his head.
“You’re just like your father, Taladon,” Kerlo said. “Too stubborn to admit defeat.”
Tom’s fury surged up again. “Leave me alone!” he shouted. What right did Kerlo have to criticize him or his father? Anger and determination gave him the strength to stand, to grab his sword and shield to attack the Beast once more.
An approving smile spread across Kerlo’s features, and Tom realized that the gatekeeper had been deliberately trying to make him angry so he would get up and fight again. Was Kerlo on their side after all?
As Tom started toward Torgor, he heard a furious yelping and turned to see that Elenna was at the top of the hill with Silver and Storm. His friend was busy firing arrow after arrow at the Beast’s back, but they bounced off his thick hide. Tom swung his sword around his head and jumped forward to hack at the Beast’s muscular legs. But the Beast easily kicked the blade away.
Tagus tried to back away from the minotaur. But the horse-man’s struggles only drove the teeth of the trap farther into his flesh, and a new stream of blood began to trickle down to his hooves. He kicked out with his forelegs, but the evil Beast was out of his reach.
Brave Tagus can’t fight like this, Tom thought. If only we could free him!
As Torgor raised the ax above his head once more, Tom had an idea. He sprang between the two Beasts, just in front of the chain that tethered Tagus to the tree, and swung his sword at Torgor.
The minotaur let out a bellow of rage and swung the ax down with all his might toward Tom. At the last moment, Tom dove to one side. He felt the wind of the blade ruffle his hair and heard a loud clang as it struck the chain.
The links had parted. The chain was broken!
Tagus let out a roar. Rolling over, Tom saw him leap up, his hooves pawing the ground. Still trailing the vicious trap from one leg, he threw himself upon Torgor. As the two Beasts wrestled together, Tom felt a stab of pride. How brave the horse-man was! He surged forward to help, and rained blows on Torgor’s back. Silver darted in and out, nipping at Torgor’s ankles.
“Tagus, you can do it!” Elenna cried triumphantly.
The two Beasts churned the ground as they fought. Torgor wrapped his arms around Tagus’s body, trying to crush the life out of him, and lowered his head to gore the good Beast with his horns. As quick as lightning, Tagus reached up, grabbed the nearest horn, and twisted it.
A drawn-out cry of agony came from Torgor as Tagus snapped the horn away from his head. The minotaur instantly let go of the centaur, who dropped to the ground, panting. Torgor stumbled backward, then grew suddenly still.
“That’s it!” Tom cried. His confidence came surging back. “Torgor’s strength is in his horns. That’s the way to defeat him!”
CHAPTER TEN
THE BATTLE ENDS
TOM RAISED HIS SWORD TO ATTACK TORGOR, but before the blow could fall, the Beast sprang into action again. He tossed his injured head and rushed at Tagus with a bellow of rage.
“Elenna!” Tom hissed. “Keep Torgor busy! Make sure he doesn’t notice me!”
Elenna dashed forward and fired more arrows at the Beast, this time aiming for his face. The arrows seemed to sting Torgor like irritating flies; he batted at them and swung his head around to fix his red eyes directly on Elenna.
Tom dropped his shield but kept a grip on his sword as he climbed the tree. He worked his way along one of the branches until he was almost directly above Torgor.
With a loud battle cry that echoed across the deserted land, Tom leaped down from the tree and swung his sword at Torgor’s remaining horn. The blade sliced right through it, and the Beast froze with his ax raised just above Elenna’s head. The ruby set in the axhead flared with sudden light and fell to the ground.
As Tom landed lightly beside it, he bent and picked it up. His hands were bleeding from clinging to the ax’s golden blade. He hadn’t been aware of the pain until now.
“Tom!” Elenna gasped. “Look at Torgor!”
Tom straightened up. Red light surrounded Torgor, gradually hardening until it encased the Beast in a ruby prison. It reminded Tom of an insect trapped in amber. The Beast’s mouth was still open in a roar of fury, but no sound came out.
“You did it, Tom!” Elenna exclaimed. “You defeated Torgor.”
With a long sigh of relief, Tom knelt beside his shield and touched his wounded hands to another of his magical tokens: the feather of Epos the Winged Flame. At once the blood on his hands disappeared and the wounds closed up, leaving no scars.
At the same moment, Tom realized that somehow the leather belt Torgor had worn was now wound around his own waist. Six slots were positioned along its length, and it seemed right for Tom to place the ruby in the first of these.
“I wonder if this will give me another power, like the tokens in my shield, and the pieces of the golden armor,” he said thoughtfully.
“Can you feel anything?” Elenna asked eagerly.
“No …” Tom began, then stopped as he heard a voice speaking inside his head. The voice was too weak for him to hear distinct words, but he could sense a powerful feeling of gratitude.
Tom looked at Tagus in astonishment. The Beast nodded.
“That’s it!” Tom exclaimed. “Elenna, I know what Tagus is feeling! The ruby must help me to communicate with the good Beasts of Avantia.”
A huge smile spread over Elenna’s face. “That’s wonderful!”
“Tagus,” Tom asked, “is it true that Malvel has captured all the good Beasts? Are they all here in Gorgonia?”
Yes. Tagus’s voice came through more clearly now.
Pain and anger flooded through Tom, as if Tagus were showing him what the other Beasts were suffering.
Tom exchanged a glance with Elenna. “This Quest has only just begun.”
Suddenly, he became aware of his shadow stretching in front of him. A blue-white light was shining brightly behind him. At the same moment, Elenna exclaimed, “Aduro!”
Tom whirled around to see the good wizard standing under the tree. The gnarled trunk was visible through the wizard’s body, and Tom realized it was only a vision.
“Well done, Tom,” Aduro said. “Well done, both of you.” He beckoned to Tagus, who limped toward him, his leg still in the trap. “I cannot stay long,” Wizard Aduro went on. “I have little strength in this place, and I must use it to send Tagus back to his home in Avantia. Tagus, are you ready?”
The centaur nodded. Tom heard the word farewell echoing in his mind. “Good-bye, Tagus,” he said.
“Good luck!” Elenna called.
Aduro raised his arms, and the blue-white light appeared again, flaring up as it transformed into the Lion’s Gate. Through it, Tom could see the green plains of Avantia. A pang of homesickness resonated inside him, but he realized it would be a long time before he could return.
Tagus hobbled through the gate, but the moment his hooves touched the green grass of Avantia, the trap fell off his leg and he began to gallop. The terrible wound was healed. He raised a hand in a last farewell before racing into the distance.
Then the bright light fade
d and Aduro was gone.
Tom and Elenna turned to face each other. “I’m glad we saw that,” Elenna said softly. “I needed to know that Tagus was all right.”
“Me, too,” Tom agreed. “Meanwhile, we remain in Malvel’s evil kingdom. We’ve work to do here.”
“I can’t help wondering where Malvel is,” Elenna went on as she began to collect her spent arrows. “I’m surprised he hasn’t turned up.”
Tom suppressed a shudder. He didn’t want to think what the evil wizard might be up to.
“Never mind Malvel,” he replied resolutely. “We have more Beasts to free.”
“I wonder which one we will find next,” Elenna said.
Tom looked around for their animal friends. Storm was waiting a little way down the hill, while Silver had padded up to the ruby prison surrounding Torgor and was sniffing curiously at its base.
Tom recovered his shield and went over to tie it onto Storm’s saddle. Then he saw that the feather he had received from Epos the Winged Flame was shining and vibrating softly.
“That’s it,” he said. “The next Beast we have to save is Epos.”
He turned and looked out across the barren hills of this strange new kingdom. Somewhere out there, another good Beast needed their help.
Whatever it took, he, Elenna, Storm, and Silver would rise to the challenge!
Copyright
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Working Partners Ltd., Stanley House, St. Chad’s Place, London WC1X 9HH, United Kingdom.
Beast Quest series created by Beast Quest Ltd., London. BEAST QUEST is a trademark of Beast Quest Ltd.
Text copyright © 2008 by Beast Quest Ltd.