Beast Quest #3: Cypher the Mountain Giant (5 page)

T
OM’S HEART JUMPED AT THE SOUND OF HEAVY
footsteps clattering on the cobbles. Eight men stepped toward him. Tom gripped his sword.

“My name is Griffin. We’re here to help,” the biggest one said. Relief swept over Tom. Then, turning toward the house, he began to think of how to free Randall and his friends.

“We need to know where the door is so we can remove the rocks from in front of it!” Tom yelled to Randall and the others trapped inside. “Can you bang on it for us?”

A faint thumping started up.

The men wasted no time. They braced their
shoulders against the rocks and started to heave them out of the way, but some of the rocks were huge. Even when they used wooden poles as levers, some of the stones were impossible to shift.

Griffin looked up grimly, his hair wet with sweat. “It will take all night to clear this.”

“The house could collapse before then!” Tom said desperately. He thought hard. There had to be some other way.

Tom remembered something he had learned in his uncle’s blacksmith shop: Everything has a breaking point. One day, his uncle had demonstrated this by shattering a sheet of metal with the soft tap of a hammer. His uncle explained that it was just a matter of finding a point of weakness, and then applying pressure to it.

Tom studied the largest boulder closely. He didn’t know what he was looking for until he saw it — a small line near the bottom. It wasn’t a crack. It was a line where two different layers of rock met.

Tom pulled his sword out of its scabbard and held it up in front of him. Crouching down, he cocked his sword back, keeping his eyes focused on this small line. With all his strength, Tom swung the sword, striking just to the left of the crack. The impact sent painful vibrations up his arms, but nothing happened to the rock. Tom took aim again and swung the sword even harder.

This time, it hit the mark. There was a sharp cracking sound and the rock crumbled into pieces. Tom could hear gasps of shock from the men behind him.

“What is that sword made of?” someone asked.

“Never mind that,” said Tom, examining the next boulder for its weak spot. “We should clear this rubble.”

Griffin and the others scrambled to drag away the smaller pieces of rock. Tom kept bringing his sword down in ringing blows against the massive boulders. The muscles in his arms were soon
trembling with the effort, but he couldn’t stop. Not while people were still trapped in the house.

With a surge of hope, Tom saw the door to the house slowly being revealed. He fell to his knees and used his bare hands to dig away the last of the rubble. The door creaked open. Randall, Michael, and Edward staggered out.

Belco smiled at Tom. “I don’t know where you learned to use a sword so well, but that was quick thinking, my young friend.” He clapped his hands. “Let’s get our new guests to the town hall with everyone else. Come along.”

“Thanks, but we’ll have to join you later,” Tom called, hanging back from the crowd with Elenna. “We can’t lose any more time,” he added in a low voice. “We must find Cypher and stop him before he can cause another rockslide — or kill someone.”

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Hey,” said Randall, who was standing with Michael and Edward. Tom and Elenna whirled
around — they hadn’t heard them approach. He paused. “Not everyone would help to save a thief. Thank you. Are you sure you don’t want to take shelter in the town hall?”

“I’m sure,” Tom said, with an uneasy glance toward the mountains.

Michael stepped forward. “Are you headed up there?” he asked, alarmed.

Tom nodded solemnly.

The third man, Edward, had been silent so far. But he now looked closely at Tom. “You know, we may be thieves,” he said, “but you learn things wandering through the empty side of town.”

Tom and Elenna exchanged a glance. “Cypher,” Tom whispered.

“Yes,” said Randall. “It wasn’t always this way — - the legends say he protects us! But not now.”

“If the giant is what you’re after, boy, I’d turn around!” Michael said.

Tom shook his head. “I won’t give up,” he said.

Edward turned to Tom and Elenna. “If you’re set on it, the legends say he lives on a plain called the Place of the Eagles.” He paused, thinking. “All the short routes have been blocked. But the main trail will still take you there. It splits in five directions — always take the right. Then an hour’s hike will bring you to the plain. That is where you’ll find the Beast.”

“Thank you,” said Tom.

Tom and Elenna climbed astride Storm. With a snort, the horse cantered away, steam puffing from his nostrils. Tom was both afraid and excited as they set off on the winding trail. Looking up at the towering peaks, it was incredible to think of how small they had looked in the distance. The colossal mountains seemed to stretch up as high as the stars, their summits lost in dark wisps of cloud.

The main path twisted and turned up the mountainside, but Storm kept his footing. Rock faces rose up to their right, and to their left cliffs
dropped into nothingness. The higher they climbed, the colder the air became. It was thinner, too, and becoming more difficult to breathe.

Finally, the road leveled out onto a plain, where five more paths led in different directions. It was eerily quiet.

Tom pointed. “Randall said to take the right route….”

Elenna frowned. “Looks like Silver wants to take this trail on the left.” The wolf was edging along the first path with his head cocked to one side, as if listening to something. Then he started yapping. “What’s gotten into you, Silver?” she asked in surprise.

Silver bolted away.

“He must want us to follow him,” said Tom. “Maybe he knows where Cypher is!”

Tom urged the horse on. Storm galloped after the wolf. Tom and Elenna leaned forward to take as much of their weight off his back as possible.
Storm was brave and strong, but they both knew it was hard work for him on these steep mountain paths. Elenna looked up ahead and gasped. “Silver, come back!” she yelled. “Now!”

“What is it?” asked Tom.

She pointed upward. “Look!”

Tom felt a chill go through him colder than ice. It looked like a dark cloud was rolling down the mountainside ahead of them. The ground started to shake. Tom could feel the vibrations traveling up his legs. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before — and it wasn’t good. Tom knew that was no cloud. It was a rockslide.

 C
HAPTER
S
EVEN
 

F
OR A SECOND,
T
OM HESITATED.
T
HERE MIGHT
be a chance to get out of the way, but it would mean leaving Silver behind. The wolf could always fend for himself, but before Tom could make a decision, Elenna leaped to the ground.

“There’s Silver!” Elenna shouted, pointing as the wolf darted into the mouth of a small cave, half-hidden in the mountainside. “Silver!” she yelled above the gathering roar of the rockslide. “I have to get him,” she cried, running toward the cave.

Tom looked up and saw the rocks and debris hurtling down the mountainside toward them.
Silver barked wildly, running back and forth into the cave. The rockslide was almost on top of them!

Elenna reached Silver as the first pieces of rock rained down. Storm reared up, kicking the air.

“We’ve got to get out of the way!” Tom cried. “Or we’re going to be buried alive!”

Tom brought Storm under control and turned him around. He didn’t want to abandon Elenna and Silver, but he had a plan. Leaning forward in the saddle, he urged the horse into a gallop down the mountainside. Rocks hurtled through the air.

“Faster, Storm!” Tom urged. “Come on —” He broke off with a cry of pain as a chunk of rock cracked into his shoulder and knocked him off Storm. He felt himself falling through the air. He hit the path with a bone-jarring thud. The pain washed over him, and he could feel himself blacking out. “I have to stay awake,” he murmured, forcing his eyes open. But his vision was blurry. He heard the clatter of Storm’s hooves disappear into the
roar. Without thinking, he rolled over into a small ditch next to the path.

Then the tidal wave of rubble and debris poured past him. His mouth and eyes filled with grit. He squeezed them shut.

Soon, everything went quiet again. For long, silent seconds he didn’t dare to open his eyes. When he did, the world was dark and he was covered in the dust and silt thrown up by the rocks that had hurtled past.

Gasping for air, he looked over and saw that Storm, too, was covered in silt, but otherwise unharmed.

“Elenna! Silver!” he called out, straining to hear a response. After a few long seconds, he heard the muffled sound of barking. They were still alive — but the cave was sealed shut by the rockslide.

Tom climbed his way up to the blocked entrance. “Elenna!”

Barely, he could hear her cries for help. He began to scrape away some of the tightly packed dirt.