Luna the Moon Wolf (2 page)

“W
HAT'S THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN
two points?” asked Tom.

“A straight line,” said Elenna.

“Right,” said Tom. “So the quickest way off this mountain is …”

“Straight down!” said Elenna, a smile brightening her face. “But how?”

“You've got a rope, haven't you?” Tom asked.

Elenna delved into her quiver and brought out a coil of rope, thin but strong. Tom glanced at a boulder lying on the path. “Perfect! We can tie one end of the rope around that rock.”

Elenna passed the rope around the boulder and double-knotted it. She tugged to make sure the rope held firm, then nodded at Tom. He went to the edge of the path and looked down. The cliff face was a sheer drop. Far below, he could see where the path, a tiny wiggly line, emerged onto the lower slopes.

“What about the animals?” said Elenna, glancing over at Storm and Silver, who were waiting patiently.

“Without us they can go much faster,” said Tom. “They can follow the path and meet us at the bottom.”

“Are you sure the rope's long enough?” asked Elenna.

“There's only one way to find out,” Tom told her. He flung the rope over the edge of the cliff. They heard the
whoosh
of it snaking through the air. Tom and Elenna peered down and saw the end swinging far below.

“If we get to the end of the rope and it's too far to jump down to the ground,” said Elenna, “we'll be stuck. We won't have the strength to climb all the way back up again.”

Tom knew Elenna was right, but he wasn't about to give up now. “I'll go first,” he told his friend.

He grasped the rope, turned around, and lowered himself over the side. Silver peered down at him inquisitively, as if he were trying to figure out what Tom was doing.

“The moment of truth,” said Tom, grinning up at Elenna. He hoped he looked braver than he felt.

He swung out from the cliff face, dangling in empty air. The effort of clinging to the rope turned his hands white, but he managed to get the rope gripped between his knees. That felt more secure! Slowly, he made his way down, hand over hand.

Tom looked up and saw Elenna, Storm, and Silver all peering over the top of the cliff, watching him.

“Don't get too close to the edge!” he called up. Then he stared straight ahead at the cliff face.

His arms ached and his muscles trembled.
Come on, I can do this
, he told himself. An icy wind blew and the rope swayed dangerously. Tom felt himself being blown into the rock face.
No!
He couldn't put out his hands to stop himself and he smashed his head into a jutting bit of rock. A warm trickle of blood ran down his cheek. He breathed slowly, allowing the strength of heart given to him by the golden chain mail to return.

After a few breaths, Tom felt ready to carry on. He found a rhythm: Grip with the right hand, slide the left hand down; grip with the left hand, slide the right hand down; grip with both hands, slide the knees down; grip with the right hand …

His hands were numb.

“It's not far now, Tom!” Elenna called. “You can do it!”

He risked a glance down. The slope wasn't too far below now — about the length of a medium-size tree away. But the rope didn't reach. Not even close.

What could he do?

Jump?

Then Tom noticed an outcrop of rock just below him. If he could land on it, he would be able to scramble down the rest of the way.

There was no other choice.

Tom took a deep breath and let go of the rope. He felt himself falling through the air, weightless. Then his feet hit the rock, jarring his ankles. He staggered — and just managed to right himself in time. He pressed his back against the cliff.

That was close!
he thought. He dropped to his hands and knees and scrambled over the side of the rock, feet first. Then he took a deep breath and launched himself into the air, hitting the packed earth hard. His knees buckled, sending him rolling through the dirt.

Made it!
he thought jubilantly.

“Tom! Are you all right?” called Elenna. Her face was a tiny white oval from this distance.

Tom climbed stiffly to his feet.

“I'm fine!” he shouted back. “Your turn!”

Elenna began the climb. Tom watched with his heart in his mouth. When she got to the end of the swaying rope, Tom called out to help.

“There's a rock that sticks out right underneath you. It's big enough to stand on. Can you see it?”

“Yes,” said Elenna.

She hit the rock and reeled. Tom gasped as he saw her stagger, off balance, over the edge of the rock. He threw himself forward and caught her in both arms. Elenna's weight knocked him to the ground. They both rolled over, then sat up, covered in dust but smiling.

“Thanks!” said Elenna, straightening her quiver.

“No problem,” said Tom.

Elenna whistled up to Silver. The sound carried clearly in the thin air. Alert as always, Silver understood what to do. Tom saw him pad to where the rope was tied. A few moments later the rope came snaking down to Tom and Elenna.

“I trained him to gnaw through knots one time,” Elenna explained. “I never thought I'd need to use that trick again.” She re-coiled the rope and placed it in the bottom of her quiver.

High above, Storm and Silver set off down the twisting path at full speed. Soon Tom and Elenna saw the two animals appear around the corner, running quickly.

“Well done!” said Tom, patting Storm's neck. Elenna ruffled the fur on Silver's head.

“We don't have time to rest,” said Elenna. “We must keep moving.”

They were on the edge of the plain now. The Dark Wood could clearly be seen, no more than half a day's walk away. As Tom gazed at the distant treetops, a shiver passed over him.

“We're getting close, Elenna,” he said. “And Luna is waiting for us.”

T
HEY MADE THEIR WAY OVER THE DRY AND
dusty plain. For a long time, the Dark Wood appeared to get no closer. Tom felt overcome with tiredness. His legs ached. He glanced at Elenna; she looked every bit as tired as he felt. Her skin was covered with a fine film of dust and her face looked pinched and sharp. Storm and Silver trotted on gamely, but even they were panting hard. Daylight was fading fast.

“We have no choice. We need to stop and rest,” said Tom. “And we need to drink something.”

Elenna took out her flask and shook it. The faint sloshing noise demonstrated how little was left. Tom knew his own flask didn't hold much more.

“We need to find water!” said Tom.

“Look!” said Elenna. “What's that?” She was pointing to a clump of greenery a little way off. Tom saw a cluster of stunted bushes and grasses growing around a spring that bubbled up through the rocks. It was the first sign of life they had come across in the Forbidden Land. They ran to the spring. The water was clear as crystal, bubbling to the surface.

The animals gathered at the edge of the water. Tom knelt down by the pool and scooped the cool liquid into his hands. He brought it to his lips and took long, grateful gulps. The water was cold and fresh and sweet. Storm and Silver plunged in, throwing up a spray of crystal droplets, and lapped until their thirst was quenched. Elenna waded in and splashed water over the rest of them.

“It's so cold!” she cried.

“Just what we need!” said Tom. He washed off the remnants of the mud and feathers they'd coated themselves with to disguise their scent when they battled Rashouk. It felt good to be clean again.

“I'm hungry,” said Elenna, shaking the water out of her hair.

Tom nodded. “We should eat, then rest. But there's not much — just a few biscuits —”

“Leave it to me!” said Elenna. She climbed out of the spring and took the bow from her quiver. Then she fitted an arrow to it. “You get a fire going, and I'll find something to cook on it.”

She strode off over the plain with Silver at her heels. Tom went to collect some dried grass, twigs, and larger sticks. He laid the grass and twigs on a flat rock. Then he rubbed two of the dry sticks together. He rubbed until his hands ached — but at last his efforts were rewarded. A thin spiral of smoke rose up from the sticks. A spark jumped and the dry grass caught at once.

Tom carefully fed the flames with the smaller sticks, then the larger ones. The blue-gray smoke rose into the sky. The fire was crackling nicely by the time Elenna returned carrying two large birds. Tom and Elenna cooked the birds over the flames, turning them on long sticks. The aroma of roasting meat made Tom's mouth water. He'd never smelled anything so good!

The birds tasted as good as they smelled. Elenna threw chunks of meat to Silver, who snapped them up greedily. Storm chewed the grass that grew around the spring.

“That feels better,” said Tom. It was beginning to get dark now, and their fire glowed more brightly. Tom yawned. “Let's get some rest. We'll need all our strength tomorrow to face Luna.”

“You're right,” said Elenna, stretching her arms above her head. “Good night!” She drew her cloak around her and lay down on the ground. Silver settled beside her, curling his body close to hers. Storm stood a little distance away, his head bowed.

Tom lay down and closed his eyes. But sleep wouldn't come. He couldn't help thinking about the powers that had deserted him over the past three Quests. He had lost his ability to leap great heights, his magic sword skills, and the power to run extra fast. Piece by piece, his skills were deserting him as Taladon was returned to his true self. Tom knew that next he would lose the magic given to him by the golden breastplate — the power to lift huge weights.

I'm being stripped of my special skills
, he thought, turning over on the hard ground.
Will I be able to carry on defeating these Beasts?

He sat up, watching the flickering flames of the fire. He heard the breeze whispering through the grasses, then other noises — rustling, as though small animals were scurrying about nearby. Snuffling. The tread of paws.

He peered into the darkness, but could see nothing beyond the circle of light cast by the fire. Then a sudden sound pierced through him like a knife.

The high, drawn-out howl of a wolf.

It was nearby. Tom smelled a musky, hairy animal smell, like Silver's scent but far stronger. He stood up, his hand on the hilt of his sword. His heart was thudding in his chest. Then he saw, glowing in the darkness, two fiery red dots. Close together, like eyes. They were coming closer.

Something was out there — and it was heading straight for Tom!

M
OVING QUICKLY, AWARE OF THE GLOWING
red eyes watching him, Tom ran over to where Elenna lay sleeping. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of what lay just beyond the firelight. There, in the semidarkness, a host of wild animals lurked. There were foxes, badgers, rats, and wild dogs. Tom saw their bared teeth glimmer in the darkness. And behind them, those two red eyes, like burning embers. They were getting closer.

“Elenna!” Tom hissed. Silver sprang to his feet. His legs were straight and stiff, his hair bristling on end. He planted himself in front of Tom. His black lips were wrinkled in a snarl, his long fangs exposed. A deadly glint of threat lurked in his eyes. Tom had never seen Silver like this.

The growl in the wolf's throat deepened, becoming more threatening.

“Hey, Silver, it's me,” said Tom. “What's the matter?”

“What is it?” said Elenna, awaking with a start. Silver flattened his belly to the ground.

He's going to spring!
thought Tom. Then Silver flew through the air toward him.

Tom tried to leap to the side. Too late, he remembered that he no longer had the power of the golden boots, which had allowed him to leap enormous distances. Silver smashed into Tom's chest and the weight of the wolf knocked him to the ground. They rolled over and over together in the dust. The animal scent of Silver's fur filled Tom's nostrils.

“Silver!” Tom heard Elenna cry. “Stop!”

Tom found himself lying on his back. He could feel the powerful muscles rippling beneath Silver's coat. The wolf's slavering jaws were a hairbreadth from his face. Desperately, he managed to get his arms up to ward the wolf off. Silver's teeth sank into the soft leather of his jerkin.

Storm neighed in alarm.

“Silver! No!” shouted Elenna. She grabbed Silver by the scruff of the neck and tried to drag him away. Silver snarled and turned to snap at her. His fangs only just missed her hand.

“Stay back!” panted Tom. “He's gone wild!” Beyond Elenna, he could see the eyes of the forest animals, glittering in the light from the campfire as they watched and waited. How long did Tom have before they attacked, too?

Thinking fast, Tom pulled his sword out of its scabbard and pushed the flat of the blade into Silver's face, holding him at bay. The wolf snarled furiously. Tom looked into his eyes, and saw nothing but rage. What had happened to their friend? He gripped the sword more tightly, forcing Silver's muzzle away from him.

“Silver!” shouted Elenna. She grabbed him by the fur on his back and tried again to drag him away. The enraged animal shook her off.

Tom saw that the creatures encircling them were growing bolder. Rats, foxes, badgers, and wild dogs advanced, snorting and growling.

“Elenna — keep those animals away!” gasped Tom.

His friend snatched up a flaming branch from the fire and thrust it at the creatures. They backed away, snarling.

The pair of red eyes was moving in the dark, circling the campfire. As they came closer, Tom realized that the eyes were the only part of this animal that was visible. The campfire didn't light up any fur or muscles, and Tom couldn't see claws or teeth. This must be the Beast! Tom knew from Aduro and Taladon that all the Beasts on this Quest had the ability to change into ghostly form.

Luna gave another wolfish howl. From the other side of the fire, more dogs and foxes came forward, snarling. Silver launched himself at Tom again, even more ferociously.

The Beast is controlling the animals
, Tom realized.
They're doing her bidding; she's making them attack. Silver, too.

Storm ran at the wild animals, stamping his hooves. They shrank back, then regrouped. Luna howled again. More wild animals darted forward. They were coming from all sides now, and the flaming branch was knocked from Elenna's hands as she tried to fight back a large dog. She cried out as she was thrown to the ground.

As she twisted around to look at Tom, he could see the fear in her eyes.

He reached out his free hand toward her, but Silver launched a new, frenzied attack. He ripped the sword from Tom's hands with his teeth and threw it to one side. Tom heard it clatter to the ground, beyond the light of the fire. Then Silver threw his full weight onto Tom, covering him with his body and smothering his face with his thick fur. Tom struggled beneath the wolf, but felt the fight draining out of him. Silver's teeth flashed in the moonlight as he lunged closer. Tom turned his head away and felt the wolf's hot breath as the animal writhed on top of him, his claws tearing into Tom's flesh.

“No, Silver!” he cried. But when he turned his head back around, he saw a light in Silver's eyes that didn't belong there. It was the glow of evil.

There was nothing he could do now. If Silver wanted him dead, Tom didn't stand a chance.