Beast Quest #1: Ferno the Fire Dragon by Blade Adam

Author:Blade, Adam [Blade, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780545414678
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Published: 2011-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE FOREST OF FEAR

STORM PULLED AWAY FROM TOM AND REARED up, kicking out with his front hooves. Tom threw himself into the bushes by the side of the trail. But the wolf didn’t attack Tom. It growled at something that was crashing through the undergrowth.

Suddenly, three soldiers smashed their way into the clearing, their eyes glinting fiercely through the slit in their helmets. The wolf advanced toward them and its growl grew angrier.

“We’ll teach that girl and her vermin to steal from our master!” snarled the first soldier, aiming his crossbow at the wolf’s head.

“No!” Tom scrambled up from his hiding place just as the soldier shot an arrow. Thinking quickly, Tom threw his sword. It spun through the air and sliced the short, heavy arrow in half before plunging into a tree trunk.

“Another poacher! Get him!” One of the soldiers charged at Tom, sword raised. But the wolf threw itself at the man’s legs, knocking them out from under him. Outraged, the other two soldiers charged toward Tom.

Tom grabbed Storm’s reins and swung himself onto the horse’s back. Lying low in the saddle, he rushed at the men with the wolf at his side, sending them running. Steering sharply, he pulled Storm back around and wrenched his sword from the tree trunk. He rode toward the soldiers once again, scattering them into the woods. The wolf pulled ahead, and Tom and Storm galloped after it.

The wolf moved like the wind, only slowing once it had led Tom and Storm a safe distance from the soldiers. Tom eased Storm back down to a trot.

And then they saw the girl.

She was tall and skinny, dressed in breeches and a dirty blouse. Her black hair was short and messy, and her face was red with scratches. In her hand, she clutched a bow. A quiver of arrows was slung over one shoulder. As she crouched to welcome back her wolf, her green eyes narrowed at Tom.

“It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you,” he promised, pulling back on the reins until Storm stopped. “My name is Tom,” he said, dismounting. “You can trust me.”

The wolf trotted over to him and pushed its nose into Tom’s hand.

The girl visibly relaxed and grinned at him, her smile full of warmth. “Well, if Silver trusts you, so will I.”

“Where did you get him?” Tom asked.

“I found him injured on a hunting trip to the North,” the girl replied. “I nursed him back to health, and we’ve been friends ever since.” She stepped forward, took his hand and shook it firmly. “My name’s Elenna.”

“Were those soldiers after you?” asked Tom.

Elenna frowned. “My father’s a fisherman — but now that the river has dried up, there’s nowhere to fish and nothing to eat.” She sighed. “Silver and I came here to hunt rabbits. But the soldiers thought we were after the local lord’s deer.”

A noisy crashing came from somewhere behind them. Tom looked around in alarm. “Quick! We’d better get out of here!” Putting his foot in a stirrup, he swung himself onto Storm’s back.

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