Epos the Winged Flame Read online

  BEAST QUEST

  BOOK SIX

  EPOS

  THE WINGED FLAME

  ADAM BLADE

  ILLUSTRATED BY EZRA TUCKER

  With special thanks to Stephen Cole

  To Matthew Egerton

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Dear Reader

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE:THE FIERY THREAT

  CHAPTER TWO: BURNING SECRETS

  CHAPTER THREE: ESCAPE TO THE CAVES

  CHAPTER FOUR: TALES OF THE PAST

  CHAPTER FIVE: THE PLACE OF BATTLE

  CHAPTER SIX: THE MOAT OF FIRE

  CHAPTER SEVEN: THE DARK FIGURE

  CHAPTER EIGHT: THE WILL TO SURVIVE

  CHAPTER NINE: THE FIRES OF DESTRUCTION

  CHAPTER TEN: THE FINAL ANSWERS

  BEAST QUEST

  Copyright

  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 horse, 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 young boy shall take up the Quest to free the beasts and save the kingdom.

  We pray this young boy will take up the Quest. Will you join us as we wait and watch?

  Avantia salutes you,

  Aduro

  PROLOGUE

  I’M LOST, THOUGHT OWEN. THE TUNNEL ended in yet another dark cave. Panic rose in the boy’s throat as he tried to retrace his steps. But he knew it was hopeless. Although he had left chalk markings on the rock walls, it was too dark to see them.

  Only a while ago, Owen had been playing outside the caves on the north side of the village. Then he had heard noises coming from inside the caves. Scraping, scrabbling noises. People hardly ever entered the caves, as they were unsafe and stretched for miles underground. Rockfalls were common, too. But he couldn’t just ignore whatever was in there.

  An animal must have wandered in and got lost, he’d told himself. It won’t take long to help the poor thing back out.

  He had tried to follow the scrabbling sounds he had heard — and now he was hopelessly lost. He stood helpless in the cold blackness.

  “Is anyone there?” he called. His voice echoed eerily back at him. These caves took the slightest sound and twisted it, making it seem as though it came from one direction when it came from another.

  He felt ahead and his fingers brushed against pitted rock — then nothing. Stepping forward, Owen realized he’d found the mouth of a new cave. A little way in, there was a faint light. He looked up and saw a chink of gray sky in the rock, high above.

  Then his foot scraped against something on the floor. It was a piece of scorched armor. Where had this come from? And what had happened to the knight who had worn it? It looked like a bevor — which knights used to protect the chin and lower face — only smaller.

  Suddenly, a terrifying screech sliced through the air. Owen yelled out in terror, staring around wildly.

  A dark shape detached itself from the shadows and towered over him. In horror, Owen realized it was a giant bird!

  Its huge, sail-like wings unfurled. They were covered in short, dark-gold feathers. Its beak was as long and sharp as a sword. Two fierce eyes fixed on Owen, blazing like irons in a blacksmith’s fire. The creature’s huge talons were scratching on the rock, tearing it up. Heart pounding, Owen realized that this was the sound he had heard. Here was the animal he had hoped to rescue…. Now he needed rescuing — and fast!

  The creature lurched toward him — and then its massive, feathered bulk burst into flame! Owen hurled himself to the ground as the Beast launched into the air, its great, fiery wings beating wildly as it flew straight at him.

  CHAPTER ONE

  THE FIERY THREAT

  “WE MUST BE NEARLY THROUGH THE FOREST now,” Tom called to his friend Elenna, who was walking behind him. He drew his sword and hacked at the thorny thicket barring his way. The light was thin, the gray sky barely visible through the heavy branches overhead.

  “I hope so,” Elenna called back. She was leading Storm, Tom’s sturdy black stallion. She stopped for a moment, leaning against the horse for support. “I sure could use a good rest!”

  They had been traveling for nearly two weeks and were both exhausted. It had been a long Quest, but they were almost done. There was just one more Beast to defeat before they could return home.

  “I’m tired, too,” Tom said solemnly. “But we must keep going — the kingdom needs us.”

  “Not many people would be in such a rush to battle Epos the Winged Flame!” said Elenna, a weary smile spreading on her face.

  Tom smiled back, but didn’t slow down. With a swell of determination, he raised his sword and swiped fiercely at the undergrowth. He was on a vital quest for King Hugo and he couldn’t give up now, with the end in sight.

  His mission was to save the kingdom from the Beasts — creatures of legend placed under an evil spell by the Dark Wizard Malvel. Tom used to think the Beasts were just fairy tales. But now he knew there was nothing make-believe about them.

  Elenna and her wolf Silver had joined Tom and Storm on the Quest, and together they had risked their lives trying to set the Beasts free from Malvel’s curse. They had already stood up to a one-eyed giant and a slithering sea serpent. They had tamed a night horse, a fire dragon, and a terrifying ice monster. Now their task was to free Epos the Winged Flame. Normally, Epos protected the kingdom from the volatile volcano just outside the capital city. But now that it was under Malvel’s evil spell, there was no telling what could happen, especially if the volcano were allowed to erupt!

  Tom pulled his shield from his back and used it to crush some bracken — dense ferns that would make for a soft place to sit. “Let’s rest for a few minutes while we check the map,” he said to Elenna.

  “Great!” said Elenna, slumping to the ground beside Silver. “I thought we’d never stop.”

  Storm leaned over and rested his muzzle on her shoulder, snorting softly.

  Two leather bags hung down on either side of Storm’s saddle, and Tom reached into one to pull out the magical map of Avantia. It had been given to them by the king’s closest adviser — the wizard Aduro.

  Tom sat beside Elenna. As his finger traced the trees, hills, and lakes, the pictures rose up from the parchment, standing as tall as his thumbnail. A pulsing red line marked the path he and Elenna had taken from the ice fields of the far north to this great forest of the east.

  “We’re nearly at the forest’s edge,” said Tom with relief.

  Elenna pointed to a mountain on the map, just beyond the forest. “That must be the volcano.” As she watched, tiny puffs of smoke rose up from the map’s miniature mountain. “I thought the volcano was supposed to be dormant,” Elenna said, her brow furrowing.

  “Well, it used to be….” Tom thought about this for a moment. If Epos was keeper of the volcano, and if Malvel had put the Winged Flame under a spell, then that meant the volcano might be active. Tom shivered at the thought. The kingdom would be in grave danger if the volcano erupted. A jolt of anticipation ran through him. “Aduro said Epos was the most powerful of all the Beasts.”

  He frowned at the map. Several villages clustered near the base of the smoking mountain. “Why would anyone build
a village that close to a volcano — even a dormant one?”

  “The soil around volcanoes is very fertile, so crops grow well,” said Elenna. “I learned that from my uncle.” She looked down at her hands. “It’s been so long since I left my village. I miss the people there.”

  Tom smiled. “When we finish our Quest, you’ll return as a hero.”

  “But what about you?” said Elenna. “Will you go back to your aunt and uncle?”

  “I plan to,” said Tom, looking away.

  Tom’s mother had died when he was born, and his father, Taladon, had disappeared soon afterward. Tom had been raised by his aunt and uncle — but he still hoped to find his father someday. All he knew was that Taladon had served King Hugo in the past, just as Tom was doing now.

  “Wait.” Tom’s nose twitched. A faint breeze had begun to blow. “Can you smell smoke?”

  Elenna sniffed at the air and gave a small cough. “Yes, but it’s not a campfire. It smells different, somehow.”

  Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded through the forest and the ground beneath them shook. Storm neighed and reared up in alarm as Tom and Elenna scrambled to their feet. Tom looked up. Through the leaves he glimpsed clouds of dark smoke choking the sky. They were shot through with thin streaks of fire, like shooting stars.

  “The volcano!” Elenna gasped.

  “We need to find shelter,” Tom said. “Epos must be stirring things up!”

  Then Elenna froze. “Look,” she stammered, staring straight past Tom.

  Over the forest’s thick trees, a bubbling gray cloud of ash rose into the sky. As it grew, red-hot stones began to pelt down, scorching the treetops and striking the ground with heavy thuds. Tom instinctively grabbed his shield. It would help keep him and Elenna safe, but it was too small to shelter Silver and Storm.

  “Quick, we need to find cover!” Tom yelled.

  The ground had begun to shake violently. They looked around for anywhere they could seek protection.

  “Under that tree!” Elenna screamed, pointing to a large tree with a canopy of thick branches. “We’ll be safe over there!”

  As they ran frantically toward the tree, larger and larger stones began to fall from the sky. The blazing volcanic rocks exploded as they hit Tom’s shield, raining embers down upon them, stinging their skin. They ran faster, finally collapsing in a heap at the base of the tree.

  Tom looked up warily, hoping that the shelter would keep them safe.

  CHAPTER TWO

  BURNING SECRETS

  HUDDLED UNDER THE TREE, TOM AND ELENNA began to have trouble breathing. The air had become thick with gritty volcanic ash and they could no longer see more than a few feet in front of them. They held their shirts up to their noses and mouths to keep from breathing in the toxic air.

  After a few moments of terrible shaking, the ground became still again. Rocks stopped falling, and the thundering rumble was replaced by an eerie quiet.

  “Are you okay?” Tom coughed and gasped.

  “I think so,” Elenna replied with a small quiver. “We need to get out of this forest and see if the village is okay.”

  Tom nodded his head and began gathering his sword and shield.

  Peering through the smoke, Tom was reminded of the heavy ocean fog they encountered when they had fought the second Beast, Sepron the Sea Serpent. Thinking about all they had seen on their Quest — and all they had survived — gave Tom a boost in courage.

  “Let’s go!” he said, leading his companions out from under the massive tree. It was still hard to see, but the smoke seemed to be lifting.

  “Hello?” Tom called out, hoping they were close enough to the village to be heard. “Hello?” His voice drifted off into the still forest. They continued walking, picking their way around all the debris that had fallen from the sky.

  After walking for a while, they came to a fork in the trail. As Tom was pulling the map from his bag to see which way they should go, the sound of horse hooves beat in the distance behind them.

  Tom and Elenna spun on their heels, turning toward the sound. Storm’s ears pricked up and the fur on Silver’s back bristled.

  “What’s that?” Elenna asked.

  “It sounds like someone’s coming our —” Tom cut his sentence short as a band of masked men appeared through the veil of smoke.

  Tom grabbed the hilt of his sword and Silver gave a ferocious growl as the men drew nearer and then came to a halt.

  “There’s no need for that,” called out the largest man. “We are from the village of Stonewin.”

  Tom loosened his grip on the handle of his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We were on a trading mission in the next village when we heard the eruption,” the man continued. “But we must return to make sure everyone in the village is safe.”

  The man removed his mask to reveal a strong, kind face. He had dark hair and a thick beard. There was concern in his eyes.

  “My name is Raymond,” he said, “and this is Jacob and Leroy.” The other two men took off their masks.

  “I’m Tom, and this is Elenna. These are our companions Storm and Silver,” Tom said. “We were on our way to your village to help.”

  Raymond looked Tom up and down, a curious expression on his face. But he didn’t question what a boy and girl were doing alone in the dark forest. Instead, he said, “Well, Elenna can ride with me and you can ride your horse. We need to hurry in case the village is in danger.”

  Elenna climbed on the back of Raymond’s steed as Tom mounted Storm. With a whoop, they set off down the forest’s trail, racing through the smoke toward the village.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ESCAPE TO THE CAVES

  AS THEY RACED ALONG THE TRAIL, THE THICK curtain of smoke parted, and Tom realized they had arrived in the village at the foot of the volcano. A small lava flow was trickling down the side of the steep slope. It was headed right toward the houses at the edge of the village. As the lava flowed, a group of brave villagers were frantically digging a ditch on the hillside to divert the molten rock. Raymond and the other men sprinted up the hill to help.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Tom joined the villagers, using his shield to scoop away at the soft soil of the hillside. Every so often he would glance up the volcano’s side. Puffs of gray smoke popped from its top as a stream of lava worked its way slowly toward the village.

  “We’re lucky that wasn’t a real eruption,” Raymond panted as he heaved piles of dirt with a homemade shovel. “Otherwise the whole village would be buried in lava!”

  If what had just occurred was minor, Tom could only imagine what the devastation of a real eruption would be like. He knew that he had to free Epos from the evil spell before something worse happened.

  Because the volcanic soil was so soft and fertile, it didn’t take long for the villagers to dig a ditch that would channel the lava away from the houses and into the forest. They finished just moments before the molten rock reached the top of the ditch.

  As the gurgling molten rock coursed away from the village, Tom stood with the men and watched. Elenna came and joined them. Once they were sure the ditch would divert the lava, they made their way back down the hillside to the village.

  “Do you think Epos did this?” Elenna asked Tom in a whisper as they reached a cluster of houses.

  Tom nodded slowly, watching the deadly lava snake past the edge of the village and into the forest.

  “We have to do something,” Tom said. “And quick.”

  Just then a skinny, fair-haired boy of about Tom’s age burst out of the forest, coughing hard, a singed sack in one hand. A collar-shaped piece of old armor protected his chin and neck. He flopped down on the grass near one of the houses.

  Elenna and Tom ran over to him.

  “Are you all right?” Tom asked the boy, helping him to take off the armor around his neck. “What’s your name?”

  “Owen,” he croaked, staring up at them. Soot covered his face. “Our village is going to b
e destroyed!”

  Elenna gave him some of her water, and the boy drank thirstily. “Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “The lava isn’t going to harm your village.”

  Owen gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

  “She’s right,” Tom said. “Your village is safe — for now at least.” Then, getting a better look at the armor, he grabbed Owen by the shoulder. “Where did you get this?”

  Owen frowned. “I … I found it in the caves.”

  “Where’s the rest of it?” Tom demanded. He tried to keep his feelings under control, but he could feel his fingers tighten on the boy’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know!” Owen wailed, pulling away. He jumped to his feet and scowled at Tom, rubbing his shoulder.

  “Tom!” Elenna dragged his hand away. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “But you see … this armor was made at the forge where I grew up.” He pointed to a small hammer design stamped into the metal. “My uncle stamped his hallmark on everything he sold.”

  Elenna took the armor and studied it. “Hey, there’s something else scratched here.” She rubbed soot and rust away from the plate’s metal rim and read, “T … A … L … A …”

  “Taladon,” whispered Tom, his stomach clenching with excitement. “Elenna — this armor belonged to my father!” Tom tried on the piece of armor. It fit perfectly.

  Elenna stared at him. “That means your father was a knight?”

  “I don’t know,” Tom admitted.

  At least, Tom had never been told his father was a knight. Tom could barely contain his excitement. What if his father really was a knight? Then, another thought occurred to him — a terrible thought. What was his father’s armor doing in the cave? What if his father was dead? Tom felt his stomach sink.

  This horrible thought was interrupted when, suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake again and plumes of crimson fire streaked across the sky.