Beyond the Shroud (24 page)

by V.M. Jones

 

Matron's behind bars, Cook's in charge, and life's finally looking good to Adam Equinox. Too good to last.

There's someone new behind the closed door of Matron's office. And Mr Smigielski has plans for Highgate … plans that will bring Adam's world crashing down around his ears.

Face to face with harsh reality, Adam feels as if his adventures in the fantasy world of Karazan happened a lifetime ago. But a mistake made behind the distant walls of Shakesh will soon have consequences more terrible than he and his four friends can ever imagine. The unforeseen and catastrophic chain of events is triggered by the release of Quentin Quested's final computer game,
Power Quest to Karazan
— and brings two worlds to the brink of destruction.

Adam and his friends are catapulted into a series of adventures more challenging and hazardous than any they have ever faced. Questions must be answered, secrets revealed, and solutions found to the mysteries that lie at the very heart of Karazan … before it's too late.

 

Adam Equinox's adventures in Karazan began with
The Serpents of Arakesh
.
Beyond the Shroud
will be followed by two further titles in the Karazan Quartet:

Prince of the Wind

Quest for the Sun

Adam Equinox takes no pride in any aspect of his school work. He has poor social skills and is a negative influence on his peers. He is disruptive …

But a bad report is the least of Adam's problems. Abandoned on a doorstep twelve years ago, he has no idea who — or where — his parents are, no friends, nothing he's good at, and nowhere he really belongs.

When Adam stumbles across the entry form for a competition, his luck starts to change. It's a prize he'd give anything to win — the chance to work with software genius Quentin Quested, test-driving a top-secret breakthrough in computer-game technology.

Adam enters a world he never dreamed existed. And when Quentin Quested reveals why Adam and his four companions are really there, the boundaries between fantasy and reality begin to break down. Together they embark on a perilous quest to the parallel world of Karazan, where the Serpents of Arakesh stand guard over the most precious prize of all …

Josh Cranford loves running, soccer, cricket — anything, as long as it's sport. Most of all he loves to win. Just one person stands in his way: super-jock Shane Hunter. They clash head to head in everything, and Shane always comes out best.

Then along comes an off-the-wall new teacher, and a wicked new challenge: the Energex Iron Kid Triathlon. The perfect chance to take Shane on and come out on top. Except Josh can't swim. If he's going to enter the triathlon, he'll have to overcome his fear of water … and confront a secret buried too deep in his past to think about.

Josh's decision triggers the most important six weeks of his life — not only must he learn to swim; he has to learn to deal with his dad's new live-in partner, Suzanne. And then there's his biggest and most painful secret of all … Buddy.

Pip's not like his big brother, Nick, the ace sportsman, the one with guts. Pip's his mother's son — skinny and blond, with a nose that turns pink and peels in summer; good at English, but not much else. Not much that matters to Dad, anyhow.

Then Pip stumbles across a gift he never dreamed he had. He pursues his new passion in secret, determined it will remain one area of his life his dad can't touch.

But it can't stay secret forever. Somehow, Pip must find the courage to confront his father and claim the right to live his life on his own terms. And then there's Katie, the girl next door …

For Pip, growing up is a complicated juggling act — a lot harder than it looks. Will he manage to keep all the mandarins in the air … or will he drop the lot?

Tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed — and always in trouble. That's Jac. And the person who usually gets him into trouble is his best friend, Daniel. They both work in Mr Blyne's travelling circus, which is headed for the royal wedding in Sweetwater. There, Jac discovers he can do more than make lifelike puppets — he can do things that make people very afraid of him.

Suddenly, he finds himself cast out of the circus and pursued by the evil Archmage Ivan. With their world in danger, Jac and Daniel start a desperate search for the mysterious and powerful Star Crystal. But Ivan is close behind …

There's something odd about 12-year-old Toby, and it's not just his purple eyes or his amazing ability to talk to Klel, the dragon tied up in the courtyard. It's not even his talent for getting into trouble and being sacked from every job at the castle. His new job as page to the mysterious Prince Blaise is his last chance to avoid a cold winter in the poorhouse. When Blaise's half-sister Sanelle arrives unexpectedly, Toby learns of the terrible secret the prince carries in a hidden stone pendant, and his deadly plans for Klel. But Toby has a secret of his own …