by Adam Blade
BEAST QUEST
THE DARK REALM
BOOK SEVENTEEN
TUSK
THE MIGHTY MAMMOTH
ADAM BLADE
ILLUSTRATED BY EZRA TUCKER
With special thanks to Allan Frewin Jones
For Rosie
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
DEAR READER
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE: TO THE RESCUE!
CHAPTER TWO: LIFE AND DEATH
CHAPTER THREE: AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE!
CHAPTER FOUR: BEATEN!
CHAPTER FIVE: POISON!
CHAPTER SIX: ESCAPE INTO DANGER!
CHAPTER SEVEN: AN OLD ENEMY
CHAPTER EIGHT: NEW ALLIES
CHAPTER NINE: BATTLE TO THE DEATH!
CHAPTER TEN: THE GATEKEEPER’S WARNING
Copyright
Welcome. You stand on the edge of darkness, at the gates of an awful land. This place is Gorgonia, the Dark Realm, where the sky is red, the water black, and Malvel rules. Tom and Elenna — your hero and his companion — must travel here to complete the next Beast Quest.
Gorgonia is home to six most deadly Beasts — Minotaur, Winged Stallion, Sea Monster, Gorgonian Hound, Mighty Mammoth, and Scorpion Man. Nothing can prepare Tom and Elenna for what they are about to face. Their past victories mean little. Only strong hearts and determination will save them now.
Dare you follow Tom’s path once more? I advise you to turn back. Heroes can be stubborn and adventures may beckon, but if you decide to stay with Tom, you must be brave and fearless. Anything less will mean certain doom.
Watch your step….
Kerlo the Gatekeeper
PROLOGUE
“FEEL MY BLADE!” MARCO SLASHED AND STABBED with his wooden sword, which was made from a tree branch. “There! I have defeated another enemy of the Gorgon rebels!”
His mother’s voice rang out from the nearby settlement. “Marco! Get back on watch!”
With a sigh, Marco crammed his branch sword into his belt and climbed back up the lookout tree, an oak that stood at the edge of the forest. From there he could look down on the small rebel camp where he lived, and see right across the forest, all the way to the northern hills.
The rebel camp was in a heavily forested part of Gorgonia. The leaders of the rebellion came here to make plans for the overthrow of Malvel the Dark Wizard.
Marco’s job was very important. If he spotted any Gorgonian guards, his task was to run and warn the Seniors — the men and women who governed the camp. Their weapons would be thrown into a pit and covered by leafy branches, while the leaders would quickly disguise themselves as ordinary hunters and traders.
Marco shifted in his perch. He pulled his tunic close around his neck to ward off the cold wind. A movement caught his eye on a far hilltop. He peered into the distance, but couldn’t quite make out what it was. He climbed higher, then gave a gasp of amazement and delight.
It was a huge creature, covered with scales that shimmered. Vast, leathery wings stretched wide, jet-black against the red Gorgonian sky. Puffs of white smoke came from its nostrils.
“A dragon!” Marco murmured. He had never seen a dragon before, but he loved the stories he had been told of the beautiful, legendary Beasts — and the creature that stood on the far hilltop was most definitely a dragon!
“It’s beautiful!” Marco said. But where did it come from? There were no dragons in Gorgonia.
He had to let the Seniors know what he had seen. He was about to climb down the tree when he spotted movement on the far edge of the forest. Trees waved and shuddered, as though something huge was pushing through them.
As he watched, a fearsome creature came stamping out of the forest. It was a mammoth, larger than the biggest house Marco had ever seen. Her back was covered in thick brown hair that hung in shaggy tangles to her feet. The mammoth lifted her head, sending her trunk writhing up into the sky, as she let out a deep battle cry.
Then she thundered up the hillside toward the dragon. Marco could see scars and old wounds on the mammoth’s ears — but what he especially noticed were her long, curved tusks. As she charged, they sparkled and glinted like gold.
The dragon turned, lifting its head. Then it opened its wings, preparing to take to the air. But it was too late. Her head down, the mammoth crashed into the dragon’s scaly side. She jerked her head up, catching the dragon with her long tusks, heaving the startled Beast onto its side. Marco watched in dismay as the mammoth wrapped her trunk around the dragon’s neck and tossed the helpless creature back into the forest.
“No!” Marco shouted.
The mammoth’s head lifted sharply. Marco gave a gasp of alarm. The monster had heard him! Small, red eyes peered across the forest, filled with anger and evil. Then she charged through the trees, heading straight for Marco.
The oak shook as the evil Beast’s huge head hammered into its trunk. There was a tearing noise as the deep roots were wrenched out of the ground. The tree began to tilt at a dangerous angle. Marco lost his footing and hung by his arms.
But the mammoth had struck the tree with such force that her golden tusks had become embedded in the trunk. She twisted her head, trying to pull herself free. A thick, clear liquid was dripping from the tree. It gave off a terrible, poisonous stench.
The tree was now at such an angle that Marco was able to drop safely to the ground and race back toward his village.
But as he ran, he saw something else that made his heart thud. Marching along the trail was a company of Gorgonian guards….
CHAPTER ONE
TO THE RESCUE!
“TOM!” ELENNA CALLED WITH A SMILE. “IF YOU don’t stop playing with your new friend, we’ll never get started on our Quest.”
Tom grinned back at her. “You’d be doing the same thing if your shadow suddenly came to life!” he said, watching the fleeting black shape as it vanished around the corner of the castle.
His shadow had leaped into action the moment Tom had fitted Kaymon the Gorgon Hound’s white diamond into his magic belt.
Tom’s vision blurred; then he suddenly realized that he could see two different things at the same time. With his own eyes, he could see the wall of the castle, but he could also see through the shadow’s eyes. He was able to scan the land of Gorgonia, stretching away behind the castle.
“So that’s my latest magic skill!” Tom gasped. “I’ll be able to send my shadow ahead to check for danger. Shadow!” he called. “Come back here, please!”
The shadow bounded back around the corner and skidded to a halt at his feet.
“You’re going to make a useful addition to the team!” Tom laughed, as his shadow reattached itself to him. He turned and walked back to where Elenna and his stallion, Storm, were waiting.
Elenna looked questioningly at him. “Do you know where our next Quest will take us?”
Before Tom could reply, the air between them began to ripple like water. Light blazed for a moment and then an image of their friend the Good Wizard Aduro appeared in front of them.
“Is Silver with you?” Elenna asked anxiously. Her wolf had been badly hurt in their last Quest, and Tartok the Ice Beast had taken him through the gateway into Avantia to be healed.
“He is quite safe,” Aduro reassured her. “He is being well looked after. But a new evil Beast awaits you. She is a formidable foe. Her name is Tusk.”
“Is she a mammoth?” Tom asked. He had seen the great shaggy animals occasionally in Avantia.
“Yes,” Aduro said. “But a mammoth unlike any you have ever imagined.”
“What do you mean?” asked Elenna.
The air began to ripple again, and th
e image of the Good Wizard flickered and trembled. “Alas, I must go,” he called, his voice fading. “My magic is weakening. Good luck, my friends — and be careful. You are going into greater danger than you suspect.”
The image disappeared.
Tom’s heart sank. These brief visits from Aduro always reminded him of how far he was from home. Then he shook himself. There’s no time to waste, he thought. A new Quest is waiting for us!
“At least I know Silver is all right,” Elenna said. “Do you think the Gorgonian map will show us where we have to go?”
“I hope so,” Tom said. He felt a vibration in his shield. He looked at the six tokens, given to him by the good Beasts of Avantia, that were embedded in it. The scale of Ferno the Fire Dragon was glowing red.
“Ferno is in danger!” Tom said. He took out the map that Malvel had given them. They could never be sure whether it would show them a true path or lead them into deadly peril — but it was the only guide they had.
Spreading out the map, Tom saw a small image of the fire dragon in a region of thick forest.
“That’s no more than a day’s ride north,” Elenna said. She pointed to a red circle drawn on the map on the southern edge of the forest. “And it’s close to the rebel camp that Odora marked for us.”
“Yes,” Tom agreed, remembering the rebel girl who had aided them in their Quest to defeat Narga the Sea Monster. “That’s the one thing on this map we know we can trust!” He leaped into Storm’s saddle. “Come on. We have another good Beast to rescue!”
Elenna sprang up behind him. With a loud neigh, Storm set off at a gallop.
“We’ll have to pass close to the rebel camp,” Elenna said. “Do you think we should stop there for food and water?”
“That’s a good idea,” Tom said.
Soon they were moving through a land of rolling hills and forested valleys. Tom looked at his shield. The dragon scale was glowing more darkly now. He had a sense of foreboding as Storm galloped on beneath the red Gorgonian sky. Suddenly, his mind was filled with a dark vision of Ferno writhing and crying out in pain.
“Faster, boy!” Tom urged.
“What’s wrong?” Elenna asked, clinging on as the stallion picked up speed.
“I don’t think Ferno has long to live,” Tom called back. He couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice. “I hope we get to him in time!”
Could our Quest be over before it begins? Tom worried to himself.
CHAPTER TWO
LIFE AND DEATH
THE HILLS AND VALLEYS SPED PAST, BUT Tom could see from the map that they were still some distance from the forest where Ferno was being held.
“Take the reins,” he told Elenna, passing them behind his back. “I’ll go on ahead. Storm will run faster without my weight.”
Without waiting for Storm to stop, Tom jumped out of the saddle. He leaped fearlessly through the air, landing lightly and rolling through the grass. In a moment he was on his feet again. The token from Cypher the Mountain Giant that was embedded in his shield had protected him from the fall.
The magical golden armor that Tom had won in his last Quest was now back in Avantia, and closely guarded in King Hugo’s palace, but he had retained the powers it had bestowed upon him. Now the golden leg armor gave him the ability to race ahead of the galloping horse. It was thrilling to be able to run so quickly, feeling the wind in his hair, sensing the trees and boulders flashing by as he sprinted over hills that jutted into the red sky like sun-bleached bones. He felt as though he could run forever!
Soon the steep valleys between the hills became more stony, and Tom realized the barren ground was scattered with the skeletons of rotting creatures. The air was filled with the putrid stench of stagnant water. At last he saw the great forest ahead of him. It was a dismal sight, and smelled moldy even from a distance. Tom shivered; it was easy to imagine the hideous creatures that lurked under cover of those gloomy trees.
He looked back and was glad to see that Storm was close behind.
The three companions made their way down the hillside toward the forest.
“This place has an evil feel,” Elenna murmured, peering toward the trees. “Tom, look — everything is dead!”
“Not quite everything,” Tom said, shuddering as he stared at the great poisonous-looking ferns that climbed up the rotting trees, choking the life out of the blackened, shriveled leaves.
“I recognize those things,” Elenna said, her voice trembling. “They’re called snake ferns. They grow fast and strangle everything they touch.”
Tom nodded. “But Ferno is in here somewhere. We have to go in,” he said, pushing his own fears aside. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”
He stepped under the heavy canopy of branches. The trees were bunched together and the gloomy forest stank of decay. The only things that moved were flabby toads that dripped slime as they hopped among the litter of dead undergrowth.
A dull vibration shook the forest, followed by a heavy boom. Tom stopped, looking at Elenna. Another boom sounded, and then another. The ground trembled and the trees shook around them.
“Footsteps,” Tom said, staring into the darkness. “Tusk is near!”
Storm whinnied nervously and stepped back. Tom stroked the frightened horse’s neck. “It’s all right,” he murmured soothingly. “Don’t be scared.”
Holding the reins, he moved forward again, Elenna close at his side with an arrow in her bow.
“Be careful not to touch the snake ferns,” Elenna warned him. “They’ll grab you if they get the chance, and once you’re caught, there’s no getting free again.”
Tom nodded and drew his sword. The stink almost made him retch, and the tree trunks that pressed in around them were dripping with a thick, sticky red sap that looked like blood.
They made their way deep into the sinister forest, pushing through large rotting plants. Green light seeped in weakly through the branches. Still the tremors shook the forest.
“We have to get to Ferno,” he said. “But how will we ever find him in this dreadful place?”
“You could try calling to him,” Elenna suggested.
“Good idea!” Tom declared. “Torgor’s ruby will help me understand him.” He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the red jewel in his belt. “Ferno!” he called.
Suddenly, his head was filled with the groaning of the trapped dragon.
“I hear him!” he said, his heart aching at the pitiful sound. “He’s asking for help.”
“Is he saying anything else?” Elenna asked.
Tom frowned, listening hard to the dragon voice in his head. “There’s something about … twin blades,” he said.
“What does that mean?” Elenna asked.
“I don’t know,” Tom said. “But there’s no time to worry about it now.” He pointed into the crowded trees. “I’m sure his voice is coming from that direction! Follow me!”
He plunged through the trees, leading Storm and using his sword to sweep aside the huge rotting plants. He was desperate to get to the dragon as quickly as possible.
Then a terrible scream rang out behind him.
“Elenna!” Tom gasped, spinning around. “No!” he shouted as he saw a thick snake fern draw Elenna up into the high branches, its vicious tendrils coiled tight around her ankles!
CHAPTER THREE
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE!
TOM RAN BACK TO WHERE ELENNA WAS HANGING. The long snake fern had reeled her right into the treetops, pulling her up far above his head. She was dangling upside down, squirming and twisting as she tried desperately to get free.
Tom came to a halt beneath her, staring up in alarm.
“Don’t worry!” he called up. “I’ll get you down! Are you all right?”
“I’m not hurt,” Elenna gasped, her face red and her eyes bulging. “The horrible thing took me by surprise, that’s all!”
A snake fern spooled down toward Tom like a long, thin tongue, its end twitching. Tom swung his sword at
the evil plant, cutting through it. Green sap sprayed out as the fern pulled away from him, writhing as it retreated back into the treetops.
There was no time to lose. “Grab my hands!” he called as he sprang upward, using the power of the magical armor’s golden boots to propel him through the air.
He managed to catch hold of her hands, but almost immediately, Elenna let out a piercing yell. “It’s not going to work,” she cried. “The ferns are tightening around my legs! They won’t let go!”
Tom hung from her grip, watching in dismay as a long tendril of snake fern came creeping down Elenna’s body and coiled itself around her neck.
He swung himself, desperately hoping that their combined weight would rip Elenna loose from the ferns.
“Tom, don’t!” Elenna choked as the fern tightened around her neck. “It’s strangling me! Let go, please!”
Reluctantly, Tom released Elenna’s hands and dropped to the ground. Elenna brought her hands up to her throat and forced her fingers under the tightening fern, pulling at it and gasping for breath.
Tom stared up at her. What could he do now? Even with the power of the magic boots, he couldn’t leap high enough to cut through the ferns that were holding her.
The heavy footsteps were still booming through the forest, making the ground shake. And Ferno’s voice was still calling weakly in Tom’s head. He had to think quickly.
“I’ll throw you my sword,” Tom called up to Elenna. “Then you can cut the ferns!”
“No,” gasped Elenna. “If I let go of the fern around my neck, it’ll choke me before I can cut myself free. I’m all right for the moment. Go and save Ferno!”
Tom hated the thought of leaving Elenna in such danger. If only Silver were here, he could send the loyal wolf in search of Ferno while he helped his friend.