Vedra and Krimon the Twin Dragons Read online

  He took out his map. They were beyond the northern borders of Avantia now. For the first time in his life, Tom was outside his kingdom.

  Epos turned her head as she surveyed the unfamiliar landscape. Tom could sense that the Beast was as unsure of this place as he was. And looking to where Ferno was flying alongside, the anxious light in the dragon’s eyes told a similar story.

  “We’re in Rion,” Tom called to Elenna. “We must find somewhere safe to land!”

  Beneath them stretched a great dense forest of pines. Tom searched for a clearing or open space where the Beasts could set down. Fierce snow-filled winds swept back and forth, making the tall pines bend and sway, and forcing Tom to cling tightly to Epos’s back for fear of being blown off.

  “There!” Elenna called, pointing down. “We can land there!”

  Tom stared down. Yes! There was a clearing in the forest just ahead of them. Elenna and Ferno swooped down, and Epos prepared to follow.

  Tom smiled. Aduro would be pleased with them — they had brought Vedra and Krimon to safety without any sign of Malvel.

  But then Tom felt Seth shifting in front of him. He looked over Seth’s shoulder and saw the boy take a small leather pouch out of his jacket.

  “What is that?” Tom asked.

  Seth opened the bag and dipped his hand into it. Golden powder trickled from between his fingers. “It’s magic!” he said, that familiar cold light burning in his eyes again. “The dark and deadly magic of Malvel!”

  “No!” Tom shouted. But he was too late. Seth leaned forward and hurled the fistful of gold dust into Epos’s eyes. The flame bird let out a deafening croak of rage and alarm, twisting and spiraling in the air.

  Seth laughed and turned, hurling a second handful of dust into Tom’s face. Tom tightened his legs around Epos — he couldn’t protect himself. The golden powder filled his eyes, stinging badly and blinding him. He clawed at his eyes, horribly aware of the air rushing wildly past him as Epos plummeted headlong toward the ground.

  EPOS HIT THE GROUND WITH A CRASH THAT shook the forest. Tom plunged blindly from her back. As he fell, he could hear Vedra crying out and Epos croaking in pain and rage.

  Tom rolled helplessly across the ground, losing his shield and sword as he tumbled over and over. At last, he came to a skidding halt in thick snow. He lay on his back, gasping and dizzy. A dancing golden light filled his stinging eyes, blotting everything else out.

  “Elenna!” he called. “Elenna!”

  He got to his feet, staggering about, his hands hitting against the trunks of trees, his nostrils filled with the scent of pine.

  “I’m here!” called a familiar voice. “What happened? Did something hurt Epos?”

  Tom grabbed hold of Elenna’s arm. “It was Seth. He threw some dust in our eyes. It blinded us.” Tom turned his head. “Where is he?” His voice became grim. “And where’s my sword?”

  “You can’t fight him if you can’t see,” Elenna said, catching hold of Tom as he lurched toward the sound of Epos’s caws. “Wait!” she said. “I can hear running water.” She pushed Tom and he felt his back hit a tree trunk. “Stay right there!” she ordered. “I’ll get water to wash your eyes.”

  Tom stood listening to the sounds of the troubled Beasts — Epos’s angry croaking and the anxious rumbling of Ferno. He could also hear the frightened cries of a baby dragon. How could he have been so stupid as to allow Seth to come along with them?

  “I’m back.” It was Elenna’s voice, and a moment later, icy water splashed in Tom’s face. “Keep still!” Elenna told him as he flinched away from the water. “There,” she said. “How’s that?”

  Cautiously, Tom opened his eyes. There was still a golden glow on the edges of his vision, but the pain was gone and he could see again.

  “Where is he?” Tom said angrily. He set off at a run back to the clearing where the Beasts waited. As he moved, he scooped up his sword and shield, readying himself for battle. He noticed that Seth’s bronze sword was missing from his belt. That was bad. The boy was armed again; but this time, Tom would show him no mercy.

  Epos was shaking her head from side to side, trying to get the golden dust out of her eyes. Ferno stood protectively close by, fire playing at his nostrils and his eyes glittering angrily.

  There was no sign of Seth.

  As Tom and Elenna raced into the clearing, Krimon came creeping out from beneath Ferno’s wing, where he had been hiding. He ran forward, his wings flapping weakly.

  Tom looked into the baby dragon’s pleading eyes.

  “Where’s Vedra?” Elenna gasped, staring around the clearing.

  “Seth must have taken him,” Tom said. Filled with guilt and anger, he ran into the middle of the clearing, swinging his sword in his helpless rage. He shouted: “Seth! You dirty coward! Come back here and face me!”

  A deep, hollow laugh echoed across the treetops. It was a horribly familiar sound that made Tom’s flesh crawl. He came to a sudden stop, his anger freezing.

  “Malvel!” he shouted into the air. “I swear — I’ll get the Beast back from you!”

  Another gust of laughter shivered through the trees.

  Malvel had outwitted him, and now the green dragon was under the evil wizard’s thrall.

  Snow began to flurry across the clearing. Elenna came up behind Tom.

  “We’ve failed,” she murmured. “Malvel has beaten us.”

  “No!” Tom said firmly, gripping his sword. “We’ll get Vedra back.” He looked at her. “We will!”

  But as the blizzard grew worse, his heart was filled with doubt. They were in an unknown land, he had no idea how to start searching for Vedra, and there was still Krimon to protect.

  He had brought the baby Beasts to Rion — at least he had fulfilled that part of the Quest. But he wondered what new challenges awaited him.

  To be continued …

  TOM STARED GRIMLY INTO THE HOWLING blizzard. How were they going to be able to track Seth and the lost Beast in such terrible weather?

  Elenna stood at his side. “The full moon will rise tonight,” she said thoughtfully. “We only have till then to rescue Vedra from Malvel.”

  Tom turned to look at Krimon, shivering at Ferno’s side. Close by, Epos was huddled on the ground.

  “Will Epos be all right?” Elenna asked.

  Tom ran over to the injured flame bird. “I hope so.” He could see pain in the Beast’s golden eyes. “But I don’t think she’ll be able to fly for a while.”

  Ferno crawled closer to Epos, lifting one black wing to shield the hurt flame bird from the blizzard. As the snow touched the great dragon’s scaly hide, it turned to steam, so that the Beasts were shrouded in a cloud of fine mist. Krimon was huddled up against Ferno’s side, mewling and staring around as though hoping that his brother would come trotting out of the snow at any moment.

  Suddenly, the baby red dragon let out a sharp cry and stood up. He scuttled forward into the snow, making little calling sounds in his throat.

  “Where’s he going?” Elenna asked.

  “I think he can sense his brother,” Tom said.

  Krimon headed toward the forest. He turned and looked back at them. Then he lifted his head and let out a small spurt of flame from his mouth. A wing lifted, beckoning to them.

  He turned to the forest again, tilting his head as though listening. He let out a high-pitched growl and darted forward.

  “We must follow him,” Tom said.

  “What about Epos and Ferno?” asked Elenna.

  Tom turned and saw Ferno lift his black wing and curl it over Epos. Suddenly, all that could be seen was a huge black rock in the middle of the clearing.

  “Just like when we first met him!” Tom said to Elenna. “Remember? He looked exactly like a part of the mountain. He’s done the same thing again to keep them both safe.” He turned to the forest. “I can’t see Krimon anymore. We mustn’t lose him!”

  Tom and Elenna plunged into the dark and forbidding forest.
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  “Where has he gone?” Elenna asked, peering into the gloom.

  Tom stared through the trees, but he could only see clearly for a little way and after that, all was black and grim. There was no sign of the baby Beast.

  “We were too slow,” Tom said in despair. “Krimon’s gone!”

  TOM RAN BETWEEN THE SNOW-LADEN TREES, calling out to the baby dragon.

  “Hey! Come back!”

  Elenna ran up to him and caught his sleeve. “Shhh!” she hissed. “Listen!”

  There was a rustling sound in the trees.

  “There!” Elenna yelled, pointing. A moment later, Tom saw Krimon trot into view.

  The Beast stopped in front of them, eyes shining brightly, his head bobbing on his long neck.

  “Do you know which way they went?” Tom asked.

  The Beast’s head tilted, as if he was trying hard to understand what Tom had said. He snorted and a flicker of flame came from his nostrils.

  Elenna pointed into the trees. “Show us the way if you can,” she said.

  Krimon snorted again and turned back. He moved off through the trees, trotting along confidently, a low purring growl vibrating in his throat.

  The dark trees towered threateningly overhead and shadows crowded around them. Tom gripped his sword — this was no ordinary forest!

  Krimon paused on a snow-covered track and lowered his snout, sniffing the ground. Then he closed his eyes and lifted his head. A moment later, long bright flames streamed upward from his nostrils.

  Tom watched in amazement as the tongues of flame hung in the air above the dragon’s head, bathing the trees in ruby light, changing shape and weaving together until they became a bright red fireball that turned slowly in the air, hovering between the trees.

  “What’s he doing?” Elenna asked, backing away from Krimon.

  “I don’t know,” Tom replied. “But look at his chest!” A gentle orange glow was growing on the red leathery skin just over where the Beast’s heart must have been. As Tom and Elenna watched, the glow deepened and began to pulse — and in the center of the orange light, there was a small heart of emerald green light. A similar green light shone in the middle of the hovering fireball.

  “It’s beautiful,” said Elenna. “But what does it mean?”

  “I think it means that there’s a bond between the two Beasts,” Tom said. “They’re linked in some way.” He called to the dragon. “Go on and we’ll follow.” There was no time to waste — the moon would be rising soon.

  With a snort, Krimon plunged into the trees. Tom and Elenna quickly caught up with him. All three of them pushed their way through the undergrowth, snow falling from the branches all around them, the fireball gliding along in front, and the orange and green light throbbing at the Beast’s heart. Every now and then they heard the sinister sound of Malvel’s mocking laughter, and the deeper they headed into the forest, the darker and more menacing it became.

  As Krimon darted this way and that through the trees, Tom saw that sometimes the orange fireball would become dim and the green light would almost disappear. At other times the fireball would glow as brightly as a furnace, and Tom knew that they were heading in the right direction. But time was against them as the winter daylight faded.

  “It will be dark soon,” Elenna said, her breath white in the chill air. “We have to find Vedra before nightfall.”

  “Aduro said the Beasts would be safe until the full moon reached the top of the sky,” Tom said urgently. “We’re running out of time.”

  Krimon came to a sudden halt. Ahead of them, a great hedge of holly blocked the way, its branches as thick as Tom’s arms, its spiky, leathery leaves shining eerily in the red light of the hovering fireball.

  Tom looked at the prickly, snowcapped hedge. He was sure that it had been deliberately put across their path.

  The baby dragon ran distractedly back and forth along the line of the hedge. As far as Tom and Elenna could see, the dense wall of holly stretched on forever in both directions. Mocking laughter echoed through the shadowy trees.

  Krimon stood in front of the hedge. He lifted his head and let out a long, keening cry. Tom looked at his face and saw that great, shining, diamond-bright tears were running from his eyes.

  His brother was on the other side of that massive hedge, but there was no way through.

  TOM DREW HIS SWORD AND STEPPED UP TO the towering holly hedge, a grim determination building inside him. He was not going to be stopped from fulfilling his Quest. “Not while there is blood in my veins!” he muttered as he gripped his sword in both hands.

  He swung with all the strength he had. The sword sliced through leaves and branches, sending them flying.

  “Good work, Tom!” Elenna shouted. She dragged the twigs and branches away as he stepped forward into the hedge, hacking at it while splinters of wood and spiky leaves flew about.

  His muscles ached and he was soon breathing rapidly with the effort of battling the ancient holly — but he could see no end to the tangle of branches. Behind him he could hear Krimon snorting encouragement.

  At last, he had to pause as exhaustion overcame him. His sword felt unusually heavy, and the muscles in his arms and shoulders were full of pain. He lowered his weapon, gasping for breath. A feeling of defeat overwhelmed him. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he said. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

  “We’ll get through. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”

  Tom looked at Elenna. “We don’t have time. It’s already getting dark,” he said. “You know what Aduro said — if Malvel puts his spells on the dragons when the full moon is at its height, they will be corrupted forever. They will be evil — and we won’t be able to save them.”

  A snort made them both turn. Krimon was peering at them with sad, lonely eyes. The orange light at his chest was dim and the green heart of fire had almost vanished.

  The dragon extended his long neck and gently took the collar of Elenna’s tunic in his mouth.

  “What’s he doing?” she gasped as the dragon drew back, tugging her along with him and making urgent growling noises in his throat. “Hey! Careful!” she called as she was lifted off her feet and put to one side. “You want us out of the way? Is that it?”

  Krimon released her and made a sharp, high-pitched croaking noise.

  “Tom!” Elenna called. “Come out of there. I think Krimon has a plan.”

  Tom stepped out of the hole he had cut in the hedge. The dragon pushed his head into it. Tom saw his sides expand, as though he was taking a deep breath.

  A moment later there was a roaring of fire, and a burst of red flame came pouring from the Beast’s mouth and nose. Smoke billowed out of the hole and there was a sharp smell of burning. As Krimon moved forward into the hedge, clumps of snow fell from the upper branches, turning to thick white steam as they hit the flames.

  The dragon pushed farther into the hole.

  “He’s burning his way right through!” exclaimed Elenna. “Good work, Krimon!”

  Tom and Elenna followed the dragon into the scorched and smoldering hedge. The smoke made them cough, and they could hardly see a thing as they stumbled along behind the Beast, but it was not long before they were through the hedge and breathing fresher air.

  Tom wiped his watering eyes with his sleeve. Beyond the barrier of holly, the forest looked quite different. There were no pine trees here, just endless parades of snow-laden holly bushes, tall as trees and as dense as the bush they had just fought their way through. Paths led through the ranks of trees, thick with untrodden snow.

  “There are so many different pathways,” Elenna said. She looked at Krimon, who was staring this way and that as though he was trying to find an elusive scent on the air. The glow on his chest was pale and the ball of fire that floated above his head had gone dim.

  Elenna patted the dragon’s neck. “Find him!” she said encouragingly. “I know you can do it!”

  The Beast ran forward along one of the m
any paths. The fireball grew even fainter. He turned and ran back, following another path. This time the fireball began to glow more brightly.

  “That’s the way!” Tom said.

  Paths led off to the left and right, and sometimes the main path forked and Krimon had to pause for a moment to decide which route to follow. But Tom could see the orange patch glowing bright on his chest, and the heart of green light shining out strongly. The fireball was throwing out sparks of red and green, bright and fierce.

  Tom stared up into the sky. The snow clouds were gone and the sky was clear — pitch-black and sparkling with the cold glitter of winter stars. A deadly chill came creeping through the holly, and Tom was glad of the protective power of his shield as his breath clouded. Krimon did not seem to feel the cold, but he saw that Elenna was shivering despite her cloak.

  “It can’t be long now before the moon rises,” he said to her.

  “But look how bright the dragon fire is,” she said. “We must be very close.”

  They came to another fork in the path. Krimon hesitated. A sudden burst of flame ignited close to Tom’s head. He jumped back, his shield up and his sword ready in his hand.

  Elenna gave a yelp of alarm as another flash of fire appeared on the other side of the pathway. Then more and more fires appeared, igniting one by one all along the path.

  “They’re torches!” Tom said in amazement, gazing at the long lines of bright lights that hung from the holly branches. “Look — they’re everywhere.”

  “I don’t like it,” Elenna said. “It’s as if the forest has come alive.” She frowned. “This is dark magic. These lights aren’t here to help us.” She turned. “Oh!” She backed away from the hedge.

  Tom saw a large dark shape among the branches. Red eyes glinted. The torchlight gleamed off of raised claws and bared fangs.

  “Get back!” Tom shouted, leaping in front of Elenna. A monstrous creature reared above him.

  TOM RAISED HIS SWORD DEFIANTLY AS THE creature loomed over him in the torchlight. It was human-shaped and dark green. Its thick, shiny hide was covered in spikes, its claws as long as swords and its eyes like boiling blood. But then Tom realized the creature was not moving. Puzzled, he stepped forward.