by Adam Blade
“Well done, Tom,” said the wizard’s ghostly image. “And you, too, Elenna. Avantia owes you both a great deal.”
“How are you doing this?” Tom asked. “How can you see us?”
“Remember the jewel I wear around my neck?” The wizard smiled. “With that, I can see throughout the entire kingdom.”
“Then you saw everything that happened with the dragon?” Elenna asked.
“I did,” said the wizard. “You both showed great courage and determination. You are proving to be true heroes. But your journey is not over — I must reveal to you the details of your next quest.”
Tom nodded, a tingle of excitement creeping down his spine.
“Malvel will not give up his quest for destruction after just this first defeat,” Aduro continued.
“We won’t give up our quest, either,” said Tom firmly. Elenna nodded.
The wizard smiled. “Those are brave words. But first, Tom, the scales must fall from your eyes.”
“What does he mean?” asked Elenna.
Tom shook his head, baffled. Then he followed the wizard’s gaze to something glinting in the crook of a scorched branch of a nearby tree. Ignoring the aching of his overworked muscles, he scrambled up to retrieve it.
It was a red-black dragon scale. “Wow,” he murmured. “What a souvenir!”
“It is more than that,” said Aduro. “You have earned it by winning your battle with Ferno. Now, if you place it in your shield, it will deflect all kinds of heat!”
Elenna pointed to a scorched groove in the center of the shield. As Tom reached out his hand toward it, the groove gave off a bright, ruby-red glow. Tom pressed the scale into place and the wood seemed to heal around it, leaving it glinting like a jewel in the light.
“Your shield is a little less plain now, eh, Tom?” Aduro smiled, before his face turned serious. “But there is no time to waste. You must follow the path on the map to the next stage of your Beast Quest!”
Tom and Elenna gazed at the map. A snaking green path was starting to form on the parchment, stretching across to the Western Ocean.
“What about our families?” Tom asked.
“Don’t forget that you are Taladon’s son,” the wizard said. “Why do you think your uncle Henry tried so hard to keep you safe at home, young Tom?”
“My uncle knew about the Beast Quest?” Tom asked in surprise.
“No. But he knows you have a great destiny to fulfill,” Aduro answered. “Your families will accept your absence more easily than you might expect. I will ease their worries and make sure they know you are safe.”
“We understand,” said Elenna.
“I must leave you,” said Aduro. His image began to dissolve like smoke in the breeze. “Good luck, my friends.”
“Wait,” said Tom urgently. “What about my father?” He wanted to tell him about his battle with Ferno, to earn his respect and to make him proud. But most of all, he simply wanted to know his father was alive and safe. “Will I ever know what happened to him?”
“You will learn a lot on this quest, Tom,” said the wizard mysteriously, his words echoing into the air. “Farewell… .”
The image of Aduro faded slowly, smoke disappearing into the sky. All that was left was a sparkle in the air where the wizard’s eyes had been.
Tom looked again at the parchment map. The green path led to a tiny image of a sea serpent, rising up and splashing with its tail.
Suddenly, he felt his blood chill and his mind darken. He pictured himself struggling in foaming black water against a huge, writhing foe. He could almost feel huge ivory fangs closing down around his body and sense fierce eyes staring into his very soul.
He shook his head and the visions faded. Imagination? A warning from Aduro? Or could it be Malvel himself placing images in his head — a dark prophecy of the dangers to come… .
“Tom?” Elenna’s worried voice broke his concentration. “What was it? Did you see something?” Tom nodded, unable to speak. “Was it horrible?” she asked curiously. Tom looked toward the horizon. “There are dark times ahead,” he said gravely. “But if we proved anything today, it’s that there’s nothing the two of us can’t face.”
Elenna smiled at him. Together with Storm and Silver, they set off down the hillside, heading west.
Copyright
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Beast Quest series created by Beast Quest Ltd., London. BEAST QUEST is a trademark of Beast Quest Ltd.
Text copyright © 2007 by Beast Quest Ltd.
Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover art by David Merrell
Cover design by Tim Hall
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First printing, March 2007
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e-ISBN: 978-0-545-41467-8