Beast Quest #1: Ferno the Fire Dragon (5 page)

F
INAL
C
OMBAT

I
N DESPERATION,
T
OM SWUNG AROUND AND
whistled to Storm. The jet-black pony galloped over. “Come on, boy!” Tom cried, leaping into the saddle. “We’ve got to save Elenna!”

Elenna had just reached Silver’s motionless body as Ferno prepared to strike. Tom touched his heels to Storm’s sides and the horse leaped forward. They galloped across the hillside. Over the pounding of the stallion’s hooves, Tom could hear the roar building in the dragon’s throat.

“Elenna, get down!” Tom shouted.

She turned and saw the dragon’s open mouth. She gasped and froze in fear.

Tom drew all his weight backward and pulled on the reins. As Storm skidded to a stop, Tom hurled himself from the horse’s back. He landed badly. Pain shot through his ankle, but he didn’t have time to stop. There was a boulder just behind Elenna. If they could both just get behind it … But it was too late.

Ferno’s eyes narrowed to fierce slits. With a roar, he blasted an enormous fireball. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his ankle, Tom dove in front of Elenna and threw up his shield. The deadly flames rained down around them, fire singeing the hairs on Tom’s arms, catching the rim of the shield. He saw the dragon shrink back as the fire rebounded at it. But Tom knew Ferno would attack again, and quickly… .

The inferno died down until only thick black smoke remained. The dragon pulled his head away, roaring in anger. Tom’s shield was badly scorched, but at least it was still in one piece. He swung it
over his shoulder and helped Elenna to her feet. “Are you all right?”

“I think so, thanks to you and Storm,” she said. “But what about Silver?”

“We can’t help him until we’ve stopped the dragon,” Tom said. “If that thing roasted us, nobody would be left to look after Silver.”

Elenna sighed and nodded. “We
have
to get that collar off! But how?”

Tom whistled for Storm. Neighing loudly, the horse tore through the curtain of smoke and skidded to a stop beside them.

“Well done, boy, you were very fast,” Tom told him. “But now you’ve got to be even faster.” He gave Elenna his sword, checked that his shield was secured over his shoulder, and scrambled onto the saddle.

“What are you going to do?” she asked. “I’m going to free the dragon!” Tom cried. “Wish me luck!” With a whoop, he dug his heels
into Storm’s sides. Eyes stinging from the drifting smoke, he pushed Storm into a gallop. The horse shot like an arrow toward the dragon.

Ferno loomed up ahead of them. Fighting to keep his balance and wincing at the pain in his ankle, Tom scrambled into a crouching position in the saddle. The horse was racing right for the beast’s gigantic, outstretched wing. As Storm ducked down to gallop underneath it, Tom leaped into the air and landed on top of the wing. It felt hard as stone, but blood-warm. The dragon flapped its mighty wings in slow, staggering sweeps. Tom felt a gale whip up around him, tugging at his hair, teasing tears from his eyes. Struggling to find a handhold, he felt himself start to slip.

With a furious hiss, the dragon thrust its head up close to inspect its unwanted passenger.

Seeing his chance, Tom ducked under its craggy chin and threw himself at the enchanted collar around its neck.

“Got you!” he cried, slipping an arm through the golden hoop of the giant padlock. Under here he was safe from the dragon’s fire — but already the dragon was shaking its head from side to side, trying to send Tom falling to the ground.

Tom’s arm felt as though it was about to be yanked out of its shoulder socket, but he gritted his teeth and held on. With his free hand, he pulled the charmed key from around his neck and tried to jam it in the lock.

Ferno roared in anger. The noise was deafening. Tom’s arm burned with terrible pain and the world started spinning about him.
I can’t pass out now!
he thought desperately. But the key slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground far below.

“No!”
he yelled. The dragon threw its head forward and twisted its neck, but still Tom held on. How could he get the key back?

Suddenly, through the drifting smoke, he saw Elenna charging toward him on Storm. She was still holding her bow and arrow, and it looked like she meant to use it. But she was aiming at
him!

“Your shield!” she yelled. “Tom, use your shield!”

“What are you doing?” he shouted in confusion. He quickly shifted his grip and raised his shield — just as Elenna let loose the arrow.

With a
thunk,
he felt its arrival in the scorched wood. Tom peered over the top of the shield.

There was the charmed key, tied to the end of the arrow.

The dragon lunged forward and blew another deadly fireball at Elenna, but Storm was quicker. He thundered over the scorched grass, carrying her away from danger.

With the key in his hand, there was still hope! With a final burst of energy, Tom pushed the key into the lock. It turned with a smooth click.

The collar glowed brilliant blue for a moment, then both the collar and the padlock faded away.

Tom couldn’t believe it.
I did it!
he thought.
I really did it!
Then, in the same split second, he realized that now he had nothing to cling on to but the key. With a shout, Tom found himself plunging to the ground… .

But as Tom fell, the dragon brought its wing under him, providing a safe but uncomfortable landing. All of a sudden, Tom was engulfed in a sea of black, unsure of what was happening. Ferno tipped his wing, sending Tom tumbling down the leathery surface to land softly beside Elenna and Storm.

“I can’t believe it!” gasped Elenna, handing him back his sword. “Ferno broke your fall!”

“Did he?” Tom asked, still bewildered. Then Silver bounded through the smoke toward them.

Elenna gathered up the panting wolf in a hug, but her green eyes were still troubled. “What about Ferno?” Tom turned to face the Beast. Ferno squatted
among the hilltops, his red eyes fixed on them. But this time, Tom wasn’t afraid.

“Thank you,” Tom called out softly. “You’re free now.”

The dragon shook out his massive wings. Then he took off into the sky. Flurries of air whipped Tom and Elenna’s hair back from their faces.

Ferno swooped over the dry riverbed and lashed out with his tail at the barrier of boulders. The huge rocks shattered and a wave of water surged down the riverbed like a caged creature released.

“This was just for starters, Malvel!” Tom shouted into the sunlight as the last of the mist melted away. “I won’t rest until
all
the Beasts are free again!”

Ferno drank deeply from the water. Then he threw back his spiky head and roared. The fire dragon took flight for the far horizon, leaving a rainbow of fire across the blue sky.

T
HE
B
EGINNING

“
W
HAT NOW?” ASKED
E
LENNA.

Tom wasn’t sure. “I suppose we should go to the palace and tell the king what’s happened. We’ve done it! We’ve set Ferno free!”

“I still don’t quite believe it,” Elenna admitted with a nervous laugh.

“Me, neither!” said Tom. “But it’s true!” It felt like his blood was roaring through his body with as much power as the water surging through the valley below. He grabbed Elenna in a joyful hug.

Suddenly, she sprang away from him, pointing to one of Storm’s saddlebags. “Look, Tom!”

Something inside was glowing. Light spilled out from under the flap of the bag.

Tom quickly reached inside, pulled out the magical map and unrolled it. A puff of smoke escaped the tiny palace marked on the parchment. It rose up before him, growing steadily larger. Storm nickered, and Silver bared his teeth.

“Is it Malvel?” Elenna asked, her voice only a whisper. “Has he come to get us?”

“I don’t think so,” Tom told her, both perplexed and enthralled, as the smoke took the shape of someone very familiar. “No, it’s all right. It’s the wizard Aduro!”

“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.