Beast Quest #3: Cypher the Mountain Giant
Read Beast Quest #3: Cypher the Mountain Giant Online
Authors: Adam Blade
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OOK
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HREE
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YPHER
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OUNTAIN
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IANT
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DAM
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LADEILLUSTRATED BY
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ZRA
T
UCKER
With thanks to Kyle and Tyrell,
my family
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HAPTER
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OUR
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N THE
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HADOW OF THE
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OUNTAINS
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ANGER ON THE
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OUNTAIN
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OMING OF THE
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IGHT
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MPOSSIBLE
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Reader,
Welcome to Avantia. I am Aduro — a good wizard residing in the palace of King Hugo. You join us at a difficult time. Let me explain….
It is laid down in the Ancient Scripts that the peaceful kingdom of Avantia would one day be plunged into danger by the evil wizard, Malvel.
That time has come.
Under Malvel’s evil spell, six Beasts — fire dragon, sea serpent, mountain giant, night mare, ice beast, and winged flame — run wild and destroy the land they once protected.
The kingdom is in great danger.
The Scripts also predict an unlikely hero. They say that a boy shall take up the Quest to free the beasts and save the kingdom.
We hope this young boy will take up the Quest. Will you join us as we wait and watch?
Avantia salutes you,
Aduro
PROLOGUE
T
HE CARAVAN MOVED SLOWLY ALONG THE HIGH
mountain road. As the slope became steeper, the horses struggled to pull the wagons loaded with goods and supplies.
“How much longer?” a boy in the first wagon asked impatiently.
His father looked ahead at the rock-strewn road that snaked its way up the mountainside. “Once we get to the pass, it’s not much farther, Jack,” he said, pointing to a ridge in the distance.
Jack looked toward the ridge. Above it, dark clouds were beginning to gather. They cast long shadows down the mountainside, and the boy felt the air cool as the sun disappeared behind the clouds.
When the caravan rounded a bend in the road, they were hit by a fierce mountain wind. Jack shivered with cold as he pulled his coat tighter.
“We’d better hurry if we’re going to beat this storm,” Jack’s father called to the other men, his voice almost lost in the wind. “We don’t want to get stuck and freeze to death.”
The caravan pushed on. The wind gained in strength and was now screaming through the trees. Then, as the caravan came to another bend in the road, a thunderous crashing echoed through the valley.
Startled, Jack glanced up at the ridge. There, standing as tall as the trees, was a giant. He held a huge boulder between his clawed hands, and only had one, large eye in the middle of his forehead. Right now, that eye was fixed on Jack and the caravan.
“Look! Over there!” Jack yelled to his father, pointing toward the nearest peak.
“What is it, Jack?” the man asked, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead.
“I saw — I saw —”
But before Jack could finish his sentence, the ground began to shake. The caravan halted and the men looked around in confusion.
They could hear a deep rumbling sound. Then, in the distance, there was a loud crack of splintering wood, as if trees were being snapped in half.
“What’s happening, Dad?” Jack asked with panic in his voice.
His father looked toward the ridgeline and then back at Jack. “I don’t know, son,” he said.
It was the first time Jack had seen fear in his father’s eyes, and it sent shivers down his spine.
As they stood there, trapped, the crashing grew louder — and nearer. The ground trembled so violently beneath their feet that it was hard to stand. The horses reared up, trying to break free of their harnesses.
A wagon broke from its hitch and began to slide back down the road, its contents spilling everywhere. Men dove out of the way as the heavy barrels tumbled toward them. Everywhere there was chaos. Then, just in front of them, a huge boulder tore through the trees and across the narrow mountain road, nearly hitting Jack and his father.