Tagus the Night Horse Read online

  “No.” It was Elenna who replied, stepping forward to stand beside Tom. “We’ve been visiting the mountains in the north, and now we’re on our way home.”

  Tom felt his shoulder being tapped. He turned to see the guard who had been so mean the night before. His face looked friendly now. “You’ll need food for your journey,” he said, holding out a loaf of bread. “Take this. We’re sorry we didn’t believe you.”

  Tom was glad he had been cleared. But he still didn’t know how to find Tagus. Then, something occurred to Tom. Maybe he wouldn’t have to go after the Beast — maybe the Beast would find him.

  “Let us help you on the next cattle drive,” Tom suggested to the townspeople. “If you have more people to keep watch, you might have a better chance of keeping them safe.” He exchanged a glance with Elenna.

  “That’s a generous offer,” Adam said. “But it’s risky. I don’t know if we ought to ask you….”

  “We have to go home. And we’ll be safer with the cattle drive than traveling alone,” Elenna pointed out. “At least we can start our journey with you.”

  A broad, red-faced man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. “My name’s Samuel,” he announced. “Me and my neighbor, Jacob, are taking our cattle south tomorrow. It’s the biggest drive of the season — we’re going to the palace to sell the cattle at market. We’ll be glad for your help.” He paused, giving Silver a doubtful look. “That’s a powerful big dog you’ve got there. It is a dog, isn’t it?” he added nervously.

  “He’s a wolf,” said Elenna cheerfully. “But don’t worry. He’s well trained. He won’t harm your cattle.”

  “Maybe he’ll sink his teeth into the horseman,” said a voice from the crowd.

  “Let’s hope he does,” Samuel agreed, grinning with relief.

  Adam nodded, as if he had made up his mind. “Then it’s settled,” he said to Tom and Elenna. “You’ll leave tomorrow at dawn.”

  The next morning, Adam guided Tom and Elenna to the edge of town. The cattle drive was ready to set out. A crowd of townspeople had gathered to see them off. Yapping dogs dashed up and down, and children called out excitedly. Tom gazed in amazement at the huge number of cattle milling about on the plain. The air was filled with the sound of their lowing and the soft clang of the bells around their necks.

  Slowly the herd of cattle began to move off. Some were huge beasts with shaggy black coats and curving horns. Others were young calves, trotting along beside their mothers.

  Horsemen rode alongside the herd on either side. Children from the town ran after them. “Good-bye!” they called. “Good luck!”

  “Good-bye! Take care!”

  Tom found a place near the back of the herd. At home in his village, he had often thought it would be fun to join one of the great cattle drives from Dareton. Now he had his wish, and he wasn’t thinking about having fun at all. He just wanted to see the herd safely on its way, and to find Tagus and release him from Malvel’s evil spell.

  The walls and towers of Dareton disappeared behind them. Tom began to get used to the smell and the noise of the cattle. Silver was running along the edge of the herd, drawing ahead and then bounding back with yelps of excitement. Some of the calves shied away nervously.

  “Silver loves this!” Elenna exclaimed.

  As she spoke, the wolf darted after a cow that had wandered away. He overtook it and turned to face it, throwing back his head to howl. The cow rolled its eyes and galloped back to the herd with the wolf behind it.

  Tom laughed. “He seems to know what he’s doing!”

  As the day went on, the cattle became used to Silver. They moved at the same slow pace, dust swirling around their hooves. The air was full of the sound of their lowing.

  Tom kept scanning the horizon, but he couldn’t see any sign of Tagus. Then he caught sight of deep hoof prints in a damp patch of ground. “Look!” he said to Elenna. “Tagus has been here.”

  Elenna frowned. “It could be one of the cattlemen’s horses.”

  “No — these prints are huge!” Tom shivered. “I think the Beast must be close by.”

  The sun was going down when the herd gradually slowed to a halt. Tom realized that the cattle in the lead must have stopped.

  “We’re making camp,” Samuel told them as he rode by. “There’s a river up ahead where the cattle can drink.”

  Urging Storm on, Tom and Elenna skirted the edge of the herd until they reached the river. A muddy slope, churned up by many hooves, led down to the water. Here and there, the cattle drivers were beginning to make campfires.

  “Let’s make our fire over there,” Elenna suggested, pointing upstream to where trees grew close to the water’s edge. “We can keep an eye out for Tagus.”

  “Good idea,” Tom agreed. Tom and Elenna made their way upstream. Beyond the trees the ground sloped upward and the lush grass of the plain gave way to bare rock.

  He and Elenna made a fire at the edge of the river; the leaping scarlet flames glowed in the twilight. Tom peered past the flames and out across the plain. But there was no sign of the horseman. Not yet. Elenna pulled bread and cheese out of one of Storm’s saddlebags. She broke a loaf in two and gave one half to Tom.

  “The people in Dareton were really generous with their food,” she said. “If this cattle drive gets attacked, too, they’ll be without enough for themselves. They’ve already lost so much. We have to help them.”

  “We will,” said Tom. “We’ll free Tagus, whatever it takes.”

  Night fell and Tom could hardly make out the herd among the shadows. The darkness was dotted with the red glow of other campfires.

  “One of us will have to stay awake,” Elenna said. “You try to get some sleep, and I’ll take the first watch.”

  “All right.” Tom pulled his blanket around himself and lay down by the fire. “Don’t forget to wake me.”

  “Tom — Tom —”

  Someone was tugging at Tom’s shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Elenna’s face just above him.

  “Everything’s quiet,” Elenna whispered. “And it’s your turn to keep watch now.” She gave an enormous yawn. “I can’t stay awake any longer.”

  “All right, I’m up.” Tom walked over to the riverbank and splashed his face with water to wake himself up.

  Elenna built up the fire and then lay down beside it. “Wake me if you hear anything,” she murmured.

  Tom scrambled up the tallest tree and found a fork in the branches where he could sit and look out over the plain. A half-moon was shining through thin clouds. Beyond the camp, nothing disturbed the darkness.

  Hours went by, but Tom still saw nothing. The sky in the east grew pale as dawn approached. The danger seemed to be over for another night. But Tom was desperate to find Tagus. When would he appear? Every muscle in Tom’s body was tensed with anticipation.

  Tom was about to climb down from the tree when he spotted a black outline where the sky was the brightest — right on the other side of the river.

  “Tagus!” Tom whispered under his breath.

  At last!

  It was a powerful figure, half man, half horse. As Tom stared, the creature reared, hooves striking

  out at the air. A battle cry louder than Tom had ever heard before echoed across the plain. Tagus began to gallop toward the camp.

  But Tagus attacks only at night! Tom’s stomach tightened and he gripped the branch. If Tagus was now attacking during the day, it meant he was growing bolder. He obviously didn’t care about keeping himself hidden.

  Tom swung himself off the branch and dropped to the ground beside the campfire. Tom felt a rush of adrenaline. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. He could feel the ground vibrating as Tagus pounded toward the herd. Tom drew his sword. “Elenna! Elenna!” he called.

  Elenna sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Tagus is coming,” Tom said. “This is it. We’re going to face him, now.”

 
; CHAPTER SEVEN

  TAGUS BOUND

  “WE HAVE TO HEAD TAGUS OFF,” TOM WENT on. “We can’t risk him getting near the herd.”

  Elenna sprang to her feet and followed Tom as he skirted the edge of the camp. Silver padded at their heels. They quietly passed Samuel’s campfire. The cattleman was wrapped up in a thick blanket. Elenna stooped to pick up a coil of rope from near the fire and slung it over her shoulder. “Which way?” she asked Tom.

  Tom gazed out across the plain. Tagus had disappeared from view, but Tom knew he must be near. He strained to pick up the sound of hoofbeats, but all he could hear were the soft sounds of drowsy cattle.

  Then the mist parted and Tagus appeared. The Beast was on the other side of the river, hooves pawing the ground in a fury. His muscles rippled beneath the shiny black coat of his horse’s body. He flicked his tail in agitation. His face was handsome, and he had curly black hair and a beard. Tom could see that Tagus was ready to attack and was only waiting for the right moment. There was no time to waste.

  Tom gripped his sword and stepped toward the river’s edge. His stomach churned in fear at the thought of those pounding hooves.

  “No!” Elenna clutched at his arm and dragged him into the shelter of a jutting rock. “Maybe we should wait for him to come to us.”

  “We can’t,” Tom said. “If we let him cross the river, he’ll be close enough to attack. We need to stop him from crossing.”

  “But how?” Elenna asked, a worried look on her face.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Tom said bravely. “Give me the rope. I’ll ride out with Storm.”

  Tom grabbed Storm’s reins and hoisted himself onto the saddle, leaving Elenna and Silver to keep watch. He hated to bring his horse into battle, but it was necessary. It was the only way he could cross the river quickly enough. Storm gave a nervous whinny and Tom patted his mane.

  “I know, boy, I’m scared, too,” Tom said, reassuring his horse. “But I know you can do it. You outran Ferno the Fire Dragon, and now I need you to outrun Tagus.”

  Storm reared up and charged toward the river. As he plunged into the water, Tom gasped. The water was ice-cold and moving fast. Storm fought his way across, but the current was strong and pulled them downriver. Tom watched Tagus on the other side. The Beast was pacing back and forth, like a lion waiting for its prey. Tom felt fear wash over him.

  As Storm neared the river’s bank, Tom tied a quick slipknot on one end of his rope. Tom focused on Tagus’s collar. It gave off a soft glow, and was secured with a lock, just like the others had been. With any luck, he could lasso the Beast and subdue him long enough to break Malvel’s enchantment.

  Storm panted heavily as they reached firm ground. Crossing the river had taken a lot out of him. Seeing that his companions had made it safely, Silver let out a fur-bristling howl from the other side of the river.

  Tom looked toward the Beast, preparing himself for battle. Tagus was cantering toward them. The ground shook with every step.

  Tom lowered his arm and swung the rope around in a tight circle. As Tagus approached, Tom steadied himself in Storm’s saddle. When the Beast was twenty paces away, he stopped suddenly.

  Tom looked at Tagus. He had seen a lot of terrifying things during the Beast Quest, but he had never seen such rage in a creature’s eyes. Tom felt himself choke with fear.

  Tagus charged. His muscular body surged toward Tom and Storm. His eyes narrowed in rage, Tagus kicked with his powerful front legs as he drew within striking distance.

  Steeling himself, Tom flung the lasso at the charging Beast. It landed evenly around his neck, just above Malvel’s enchanted collar. Now, Tom needed Storm’s help to tighten the lasso around the Beast’s neck, so it would hold fast. Tom didn’t even need to flick the reins. Storm knew what to do, and bolted in the other direction, tugging the lasso securely into place.

  Tagus let out a bellow of rage. His horse-body reared as the rope pulled tightly around his neck.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHASE TO THE HILLS

  STORM CHARGED ACROSS THE PRAIRIE. BUT the rope wasn’t very long — they couldn’t keep running.

  “Stop, Storm!” Tom yelled, holding tightly on to the lasso with one hand while tugging on his horse’s reins with the other. “Halt —”

  But before his faithful horse could skid to a stop, the rope was stretched taut and Tom was ripped from Storm’s back. Tom landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

  Before he even had a chance to think, the rope in his hand jerked tight and Tom was being dragged across the prairie. The ground tore at his skin and clothes as he bounced roughly along the plain. Tagus was dragging him, but where?

  Tom tried to hold on to the rope, but it was too difficult. With a powerful jerk, it was pulled from his hands. The sky was beginning to lighten, and the sounds of waking cattle could be heard across the plain.

  Sitting up, Tom looked back toward the camp. The dark shape of the Beast loomed up again out of the mist. He paused for a moment, one foreleg impatiently beating the ground. Tagus reared, thrashing from side to side as he tried to free himself from the rope. His bellows of rage echoed over the plain. Tom could hear the cattle stirring. The noise must be frightening them.

  Tom stood firmly, gripping his sword and matching the fierce gaze of Tagus. It was just him and the Beast on the wide-open prairie. Tom raised his sword and charged. Tagus did the same.

  In the early morning light of the still prairie, Tom and the Beast ran at full speed toward each other. There was no way Tom could survive this. Tagus was five times his size and had ten times his strength. With just one swipe of the Beast’s powerful arm, Tom would be knocked out cold.

  But Tom had another plan. Just before the two met in a bloody collision, Tom slid to the ground. He went right under Tagus’s thrashing hooves, grabbing the rope that trailed along on the ground.

  Standing up, Tom now held the rope in his hand. Tagus pawed at the ground furiously. His eyes glared red with pure hate. Rearing up, the Beast charged again, this time with even more speed and anger.

  Where was Storm? Tom wondered. It wasn’t like his horse to abandon him. Without Storm’s incredible speed, it would be much more difficult to defeat Tagus. What could he do?

  Tom held his ground, staring Tagus down as he closed in. Just as the half man–half beast swung a deadly blow, Tom ducked.

  This time, Tagus stopped in his tracks. Tom was now under the Beast’s massive body. Holding tightly to the rope, Tom rolled himself out from under Tagus. The Beast reared again. Tom ran around the creature as quickly as he could. Tagus thrashed, but Tom was too quick. Before the Beast had a chance to recognize what was happening, Tom had wound the rope around his legs. Tagus wouldn’t be able to take a step without falling.

  Realizing this, the Beast stood still, but continued to bellow with rage.

  This was his chance. Tom launched himself at Tagus. As he flew through the air, he let out a whoop of exhilaration. His heart thudded with a mixture of fear and excitement as he landed on the Beast’s back. Tagus’s strong muscles rippled beneath him.

  But all Tom’s strength wasn’t enough to rein in the wild Beast. Another howl of fury escaped Tagus. His horse’s body twisted and thrashed as he tried to escape the rope and throw Tom off. It was all Tom could do to stay on his back. The Beast swung his arms wildly. Tom ducked and slipped sideways; only his desperate grip on the rope stopped him from falling.

  At last, with a fierce snort, Tagus braced himself and grabbed at the lasso around his neck. He tore at the rope, flexing his powerful arms. Tom’s hands jerked backward as the tension in the rope gave way — it had snapped. Suddenly he had nothing to hold on to but the enchanted collar.

  Tagus’s human half twisted until he could look back at Tom. Tom caught a glimpse of his dark eyes blazing in the tangle of his hair. Then the Beast raised one arm and struck Tom a crushing blow on the side of the head.

  CHAPTER NINE

  FREE!

  TOM S
TRUGGLED TO KEEP HIS GRIP ON THE collar. He blinked and shook his head, trying to drive away the dizzy feeling.

  Tagus was stamping on the ground in a rage. Tom spotted something on the horizon. It was Storm! Elenna was riding him, and Silver ran alongside. They were coming to help.

  As they approached, Tagus became even more agitated.

  Tom called out to Elenna, “Spread out. We need to confuse him until I can get the collar off!”

  They split up. Elenna rode Storm in front of the Beast, while Silver darted off to the side.

  It was working! Tagus was confused. He paced from side to side, snorting and heaving. He didn’t know who to go after first. This bought Tom enough time to pull out the key the good wizard, Aduro, had given him.

  With one hand gripping the collar and one hand firmly holding the key, Tom grappled with the collar. But before Tom could get the key in the lock, Tagus gave one last stamp on the ground and stormed off, charging toward the hills. The threat of three foes had been enough to send him retreating.

  With all his strength, Tom gripped the enchanted collar. He had to free Tagus!

  Tom looked over his shoulder to see Elenna chasing after him on Storm. The Beast was moving too quickly for Tom to unlock the collar. It took all his strength just to hold on during the bumpy ride. He had to get Tagus to slow down. But how?

  Tom looked toward his friend. Elenna gave him

  a supportive nod and urged Storm into a gallop. Wind whipped through her hair as she raced after the Beast.

  “Go, Storm!” Elenna yelled. The black horse caught up with Tagus, pounding alongside him before he reached the slope that led to the plain where the herd was camped.

  Tagus wheeled around and launched himself toward Elenna, his fur bristling with anger. He swung his arm wildly as they passed each other. Elenna ducked out of the way.

  “Keep changing direction,” Tom yelled to Elenna. “We need to tire him. I won’t be able to get the collar off unless he slows down.”