by Adam Blade
He continued his steep climb. Stinking smoke gushed from vents in the trembling rock, stinging his eyes. His throat and lungs burned every time he breathed in, and the fumes made him light-headed. Tom stopped for a moment and drank thirstily from his water bottle. Battling Epos on this terrain wasn’t going to be easy — if he didn’t stumble off the path in all this smoke and fall to his doom first.
“Turn back, Tom. This Quest is beyond you now.”
The icy whisper came from behind him. Tom whirled around in surprise.
A tall figure in dark robes was standing just a few paces away, wreathed in sickly yellow smoke. Its face was hidden by a hood. Its thin arms were folded across its chest. The figure made Tom shiver, despite the fierce heat.
“Who … who are you?” Tom stammered.
“You know who I am.” The figure took a step toward him. “I am Malvel.”
Tom felt a dizzying rush of terror. The Dark Wizard, who had enslaved all the Beasts of Avantia for his own evil purpose, was standing before him! With trembling hands, Tom tightened his grip on his sword.
Malvel laughed. “I know you’re brave, Tom, but I didn’t think you were stupid. Do you really think a sword can harm me?”
“Stay back,” said Tom, trying to stop his voice from shaking.
“You and Aduro are both fools,” rasped the dark, hooded figure. “While he has been watching you trek through the kingdom freeing the Beasts, he’s been too distracted to hunt for me — and Epos, the most powerful Beast of all.” Malvel strode away through the smoke. “You have served me well, boy. Just like your father …”
Tom felt a shiver run through him. “You don’t know my father. You’re lying.”
“Taladon helped me a great deal,” said Malvel. “My plans could not have succeeded without him.”
“Liar!” Tom bellowed. He raised his sword and angrily flung himself at the hooded figure. With a laugh of triumph, Malvel disappeared.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE WILL TO SURVIVE
TOM STOOD ON THE LIP OF THE VOLCANO feeling lost and powerless. Had Malvel really used his father? The thought seemed too terrible to even consider. For a brief moment, Tom forgot about everything he had been through. He had come so close to finishing his Quest, but now he was not sure he could. If his father couldn’t succeed, how could he?
Before Tom had a chance to feel any worse, he caught a glimpse of Epos out of the corner of his eye. The Winged Flame was coming to finish him off!
No! thought Tom fiercely. I won’t let my Quest end this way. He hadn’t set free the first five Beasts only to be beaten by the last! He thought of the way Malvel had tricked and almost killed him — and an angry determination built up inside him. He would fight Malvel and his evil plans to his last breath. Tom was still clutching his sword, and now he gripped it more tightly than ever.
“I’ll never stop fighting,” he gasped.
With a burst of energy, Tom jumped for the golden band around Epos’s neck as the Winged Flame swooped by. But he couldn’t quite reach it. He stretched and strained, but it was no use.
Epos circled back, gaining more speed as she dove through the smoky sky. Once more Tom reached up to cut the golden band — just as Epos changed direction. The sword slipped from his grip and tumbled down into the volcano.
“No!” yelled Tom. He felt numb. He had lost his shield and his sword. How could he ever win now?
I’ve still got my wits, he thought bravely. “I’m not giving up!” he yelled at Epos.
As if Epos had understood him, she circled back toward Tom, swooping low. This was his chance! Before the Beast could knock him into the fiery crater, Tom twisted around and grabbed hold of her leg. It was like holding a burning log. Tom shouted in pain but he couldn’t stop now.
Epos gave a bellow of rage and tried to shake Tom free. The lava bubbled greedily below them. “I won’t let go!” Tom shouted. But now Epos was flying toward the volcano’s rim. Tom realized she was planning to break his grip by smashing him against the face of the rock! It loomed closer and closer.
At the last moment, Tom let go of Epos and twisted through the air. He seemed to fall for ages — but at last he landed on a narrow ledge, the impact jarring his whole body as he scrambled for a handhold. The rock was burning hot and scorched his skin. But, with the last of his strength, he managed to cling on.
Epos was still circling above him, screeching in fury, and Tom knew he didn’t have a hope of climbing over the edge of the rim. I’m trapped, he thought. An easy target. But then he saw a crack in the rock — a long, smoldering split. Was it wide enough for him to fit through? His arms and legs ached, and his skin felt so raw that every movement was agony. But somehow, Tom started to squeeze through the gap. If he was fast enough, Epos might think he had simply fallen to his death, and give up on him.
All I need is a chance to get my strength back, he told himself, to work out a plan. …
With a last, exhausting effort, Tom wriggled through the split in the stone and fell a short way onto another, cooler ledge — outside the volcano and out of the great flame bird’s reach.
Tom lay on the shuddering, smoking ground, gasping for breath. He was overlooking a small, rocky plain close to the volcano’s summit. He had no weapons and nowhere to take cover. A dark, steep slope towered above him, leading back up to the mouth of the volcano.
Tom realized then that the crack he had squeezed through was part of a thick black split running horizontally across the slope.
A desperate hope flared up inside him. Above that split were balanced thousands of tons of rock — which seemed to be leaning back into the volcano. If only there was some way of bringing it crashing down, it might plug the fiery heart of the volcano — and ruin Malvel’s plans.
“You are too late, boy,” came an icy whisper. “Your Quest ends here.”
Tom spun around to find that the sinister, hooded figure of Malvel had reappeared on the plain in front of him.
Then Epos came swooping down from the rim of the volcano. Tom saw two red eyes glaring down at him. The Beast’s giant beak snapped open. Her dark, glowing wings unfolded, and her talons glinted in the dim, crimson light.
The flame bird lunged forward, ready to tear Tom to pieces.
CHAPTER NINE
THE FIRES OF DESTRUCTION
WITH A GRUNT OF EFFORT, TOM THREW himself out of Epos’s path. The Beast was going too fast to stop and crashed into the rock face. Tom scrambled back up.
Tom tried to escape from the ledge. But Epos was too fast. She lashed out with one wing and caught Tom on the back of the neck. Tom gasped as he was knocked forward, landing with a thud. Before he could rise, Epos grabbed him with her enormous beak. Tom shouted out with pain — it was like being gripped in a vice. Then the Winged Flame flung him to the ground. Every muscle ached. His body burned with bruises.
But still he forced himself back to his feet.
Tom stared as Epos hovered above him. Even in his fear, he found the giant flame bird a breathtaking sight.
Suddenly, Epos dropped down and grabbed Tom’s chest in her huge talons.
Tom cried out in pain as the giant Winged Flame began to squeeze, crushing his ribs.
“Look at the great young hero,” Malvel sneered. “You are as weak as your father.”
“You’re not fit to speak of my father,” Tom gasped. He wrestled with Epos’s claws, trying to weaken the Beast’s grip. The pain was incredible, and the world was starting to spin. “I believe in him,” he said through gritted teeth, “as I believe in the Beasts’ right to be free!”
Epos’s grip on Tom grew tighter still. The ground groaned and shook as the volcano prepared to explode.
“And I believe,” Tom croaked, clutching
desperately at the Beast’s leg, “that it’s my destiny … to beat YOU!”
Tom’s right hand — the one on which he wore his father’s chain mail gauntlet — closed on the locked golden band around Epos’s neck.
&
nbsp; To Tom’s amazement, it tore through the band as if it were wet paper. He stared at the scraps of gold in his hand.
Epos let go of Tom and shrieked. It was a noise like the earth’s core cracking open. She shook violently, thrashing her wings, then rose up gracefully into the air, released at last.
“No!” bellowed Malvel, backing away. “It is not possible!”
Then Epos flew straight at Malvel, grabbing him with her lethal talons and lifting him up above the volcano.
“This is not the end, Tom!” Malvel screamed. “We shall meet again!”
Epos held the dark, struggling figure above the flames exploding from the mouth of the volcano.
Then the Dark Wizard disappeared in a haze of white light, and the Beast’s talons were left clutching empty air. Had Malvel’s dark magic destroyed him? Or had he somehow transported himself to safety? Tom didn’t know.
With a rasping shriek, Epos plunged down inside the volcano. Tom heard the echoes of the shriek hang in the air for a few moments. Then they too were gone.
“I’ve done it,” Tom murmured. His body was burned and bleeding, but he couldn’t stop smiling. “Whatever has happened to Malvel, his plans have been defeated — because I’ve set Epos free!”
Just then the ground bucked beneath him, and a split opened up, belching fire and thick yellow smoke. Tom sat up in sudden terror. This was no time to congratulate himself. The volcano was about to blow. The kingdom of Avantia was still in danger!
Panting for breath, Tom stared at the steep slope of rock shielding him from the fiery force of the volcano. So many cracks were running across it, and he remembered his desperate plan. If he could topple all that rock, it just might plug the volcano!
Tom yanked off his father’s leg armor. Each piece had a pointed end. He placed one end against a narrow crack and grabbed a rock to use as a hammer. He just had to drive the spikes into the cracks to widen the splits. With luck it might bring the rock face tumbling down.
Choking on smoke, he struck the pointed armor again and again. The cracks started to widen — but the rock face didn’t move. Desperately, Tom scooped up the other piece of armor and wedged it into another crack.
I can do this, he told himself, swinging his rock hammer again and again. Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes. The piece of rock slipped from his numb fingers.
It was no good. Tom simply wasn’t strong enough.
Suddenly, he felt something watching him. He spun around.
Epos was hovering in the sky above. The Beast’s eyes were no longer red. They shone like the purest gold.
As Tom stared in amazement, the Beast flew down and crashed into the rock. Again and again, Epos hurled herself at the stone. Huge splits opened up in the rock as Epos drove her beak into the stone.
“You understand!” Tom cried in amazement. “You saw what I was trying to do, and you’re helping me!” He felt torn. He was so grateful for the Beast’s help, but it was awful to watch her flinging herself against the rocks, violet sparks flying from her body.
With new hope, Tom grabbed another lump of stone and used it to drive his crumpled leg armor deeper still inside the cracks. Working together, he and Epos might just succeed.
At last, the huge slope of rock began to crumble! Black zigzags were spreading across it. “Yes!” Tom cried.
With a last, roaring shriek, Epos flung herself into the center of the rock face. With a grating, grinding noise, it collapsed.
Tom was standing at the edge of the slope, but the giant bird had no time to get clear.
“Epos!” Tom yelled as the Beast disappeared beneath the falling rocks and into the mouth of the volcano.
CHAPTER TEN
THE FINAL ANSWERS
TOM WAS KNOCKED TO HIS KNEES AS THE ground rocked beneath him. He covered his ears as huge crashes echoed all around.
Then the tremors died away. Smoke, mixed with dust, rose up into the black sky. For a long, stunned moment, Tom wondered why it was suddenly so much darker. Then he realized that the fierce glow of the molten lava had been buried beneath thousands of tons of rock. The volcano’s fires had been put out.
The kingdom was safe at last!
But Epos was dead. The noble Beast had sacrificed herself for the sake of Avantia.
“No!” Tom shouted, scrambling over the fallen rock, trying to find some way of reaching the flame bird. But there was no way through.
Tom barely noticed when some of the swirling smoke began to shine and sparkle, and a familiar, red-cloaked shape appeared beside him. At last he turned.
“Hello, Wizard Aduro,” Tom whispered.
The old man smiled down at him. “You have done well, Tom. You have defeated Malvel — and saved the kingdom.”
Tom cast a glance at the base of the volcano where the village used to stand. The lava had begun to cool, turning a dark red. The forest fires had burned themselves out, and each tree was now a black skeleton. “I still don’t understand how I broke the band to set Epos free,” he admitted, removing the chain mail gauntlet and drawing out the wizard’s key from around his neck. “I didn’t even need the enchanted key.”
Aduro smiled. “It was your faith in your father and your friends — and your faith in yourself — that allowed you to break the evil charm. Malvel did not understand goodness or loyalty. So his charms had no defense against one who prized those things so highly.”
Tom’s gaze fell to the ground. “But I couldn’t save Epos. She’s dead.”
“Are you sure?” the old wizard said gently. A deep rumbling sound rolled around them. Before Tom could react, an enormous ball of light rose up from the sealed volcano. Something stirred inside it — the golden shadow of a bird. Then the ball of light burst apart and, with a mighty squawk, a gigantic, majestic creature appeared.
“Epos!” Tom cried.
“She is a phoenix,” Wizard Aduro reminded him. “She must allow herself to die in flames, so that she can rise anew from the ashes.”
The Beast circled above them, flapping her golden wings, leaving trails of golden fire in the air.
“Now that she has thrown off her old form, all trace of Malvel’s evil has died with it,” Aduro murmured. “Thanks to you, Tom, she will be free forever.”
“Wait,” whispered Tom. “There’s something in her mouth….”
Epos opened her beak. A smoking sword and a blackened, wooden disc fell out, landing with a clatter at Tom’s feet.
“My sword! My shield!” Tom shouted. “Epos brought them back from the volcano!”
With a last, deafening screech, Epos soared up into the heavens. In her wake she left streaks of magical fire that burned away the dark clouds of volcanic smoke and ash hanging over the village.
Tom laughed as he found himself staring up into the clear blue sky of an early morning.
Aduro put a hand on Tom’s shoulder. “It is a new dawn for the whole kingdom — thanks to you, Tom.”
Just then, something else fell from the sky, right into Tom’s hand. It was a golden feather, still blazing with the phoenix’s heat. Instinctively, Tom knelt to place it in his shield. At once, a golden light shone out from the shield and bathed his skin.
“Aduro?” Tom called uncertainly. “Where are you?”
“Do not be afraid,” the wizard murmured. “Someone special wishes to see you — and he does not like to be kept waiting….”
Tom felt a jolt go through his body. His senses spun. He felt as if he were flying. Then the air was suddenly fresh and sweet in his lungs. All was quiet. Gingerly, he opened his eyes to find himself in a large, luxurious room, decorated in crimson and gold. He was kneeling on a polished floor of white marble. A man sat in front of him on a magnificent throne.
With a gasp, Tom realized where he was. He was in the royal palace with his sword and shield — on his knees before the king!
“Greetings, Tom,” said King Hugo. “Wizard Aduro has brought you directly to me so I can thank you without delay.”
; Tom gulped and bowed his head. “It was my pleasure, Your Majesty!”
“All Avantia owes you a great debt,” the king went on. “Ask for anything you desire, and you shall have it.”
Tom rose to his feet and bowed. “Please, Your Majesty, all I want is the answer to one question….” He swallowed hard. “What happened to my father?”
“It is time you knew,” the king said. “Taladon the Swift was a young knight. Many years ago he encountered Epos in the caves near the volcano.
Epos was under no spell, but she thought your father was an intruder. Your father fought the Beast — and lost. And from that day on, he made it his mission to know all he could about the Beasts. He went to stay with his brother in Errinel, read old books, gathered secret knowledge … and found a wife, of course.”
Tom nodded. “My mother.”
“Soon after, Taladon began to dream about the Beasts. Strange and awful nightmares which told him that something bad was going to happen. These nightmares did not go away….” King Hugo leaned forward. “He believed they were a prophecy that would one day come true. So did your mother. And because they both loved you, they wanted to protect the land in which you would grow up.”
Tom listened, astounded, as the king went on.
“Your mother’s dying wish was that Taladon should go on a Quest to find out more about the Beasts. That he should track them down all over the world, learn their strengths and weaknesses. That way, if they ever did attack, the kingdom would be prepared — and its people could live without fear.”
“But, Your Majesty,” Tom began nervously, “Malvel said my father helped him.”
Wizard Aduro stepped up beside him. “Malvel stole Taladon’s journals, filled with hard-won secret knowledge of the Beasts,” he explained. “He used that information to gain control over six of them. That is the only way in which your father helped Malvel.”
Tom felt a surge of pride in his father’s achievements. “Then I have followed in his footsteps!” He looked hopefully at Aduro. “Do you know where he is now?”