Epos the Winged Flame (2 page)

He frowned at the map. Several villages clustered near the base of the smoking mountain. “Why would anyone build a village that close to a volcano — even a dormant one?”

“The soil around volcanoes is very fertile, so crops grow well,” said Elenna. “I learned that from my uncle.” She looked down at her hands. “It’s been so long since I left my village. I miss the people there.”

Tom smiled. “When we finish our Quest, you’ll return as a hero.”

“But what about you?” said Elenna. “Will you go back to your aunt and uncle?”

“I plan to,” said Tom, looking away.

Tom’s mother had died when he was born, and his father, Taladon, had disappeared soon afterward. Tom had been raised by his aunt and uncle — but he still hoped to find his father someday. All he knew was that Taladon had served King Hugo in the past, just as Tom was doing now.

“Wait.” Tom’s nose twitched. A faint breeze had begun to blow. “Can you smell smoke?”

Elenna sniffed at the air and gave a small cough. “Yes, but it’s not a campfire. It smells different, somehow.”

Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded through the forest and the ground beneath them shook. Storm neighed and reared up in alarm as Tom and Elenna scrambled to their feet. Tom looked up. Through the leaves he glimpsed clouds of dark smoke choking the sky. They were shot through with thin streaks of fire, like shooting stars.

“The volcano!” Elenna gasped.

“We need to find shelter,” Tom said. “Epos must be stirring things up!”

Then Elenna froze. “Look,” she stammered, staring straight past Tom.

Over the forest’s thick trees, a bubbling gray cloud of ash rose into the sky. As it grew, red-hot stones began to pelt down, scorching the treetops and striking the ground with heavy thuds. Tom instinctively grabbed his shield. It would help keep him and Elenna safe, but it was too small to shelter Silver and Storm.

“Quick, we need to find cover!” Tom yelled.

The ground had begun to shake violently. They looked around for anywhere they could seek protection.

“Under that tree!” Elenna screamed, pointing to a large tree with a canopy of thick branches. “We’ll be safe over there!”

As they ran frantically toward the tree, larger
and larger stones began to fall from the sky. The blazing volcanic rocks exploded as they hit Tom’s shield, raining embers down upon them, stinging their skin. They ran faster, finally collapsing in a heap at the base of the tree.

Tom looked up warily, hoping that the shelter would keep them safe.

H
UDDLED UNDER THE TREE,
T
OM AND
E
LENNA
began to have trouble breathing. The air had become thick with gritty volcanic ash and they could no longer see more than a few feet in front of them. They held their shirts up to their noses and mouths to keep from breathing in the toxic air.

After a few moments of terrible shaking, the ground became still again. Rocks stopped falling, and the thundering rumble was replaced by an eerie quiet.

“Are you okay?” Tom coughed and gasped.

“I think so,” Elenna replied with a small quiver. “We need to get out of this forest and see if the village is okay.”

Tom nodded his head and began gathering his sword and shield.

Peering through the smoke, Tom was reminded of the heavy ocean fog they encountered when they had fought the second Beast, Sepron the Sea Serpent. Thinking about all they had seen on their Quest — and all they had survived — gave Tom a boost in courage.

“Let’s go!” he said, leading his companions out from under the massive tree. It was still hard to see, but the smoke seemed to be lifting.

“Hello?” Tom called out, hoping they were close enough to the village to be heard. “Hello?” His voice drifted off into the still forest. They continued walking, picking their
way around all the debris that had fallen from the sky.

After walking for a while, they came to a fork in the trail. As Tom was pulling the map from his bag to see which way they should go, the sound of horse hooves beat in the distance behind them.

Tom and Elenna spun on their heels, turning toward the sound. Storm’s ears pricked up and the fur on Silver’s back bristled.

“What’s that?” Elenna asked.

“It sounds like someone’s coming our —” Tom cut his sentence short as a band of masked men appeared through the veil of smoke.

Tom grabbed the hilt of his sword and Silver gave a ferocious growl as the men drew nearer and then came to a halt.

“There’s no need for that,” called out the largest man. “We are from the village of Stonewin.”

Tom loosened his grip on the handle of his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.

“We were on a trading mission in the next village when we heard the eruption,” the man continued. “But we must return to make sure everyone in the village is safe.”

The man removed his mask to reveal a strong, kind face. He had dark hair and a thick beard. There was concern in his eyes.

“My name is Raymond,” he said, “and this is Jacob and Leroy.” The other two men took off their masks.

“I’m Tom, and this is Elenna. These are our companions Storm and Silver,” Tom said. “We were on our way to your village to help.”

Raymond looked Tom up and down, a curious expression on his face. But he didn’t question what a boy and girl were doing alone in the dark forest. Instead, he said, “Well, Elenna can ride with me
and you can ride your horse. We need to hurry in case the village is in danger.”

Elenna climbed on the back of Raymond’s steed as Tom mounted Storm. With a whoop, they set off down the forest’s trail, racing through the smoke toward the village.

A
S THEY RACED ALONG THE TRAIL, THE THICK
curtain of smoke parted, and Tom realized they had arrived in the village at the foot of the volcano. A small lava flow was trickling down the side of the steep slope. It was headed right toward the houses at the edge of the village. As the lava flowed, a group of brave villagers were frantically digging a ditch on the hillside to divert the molten rock. Raymond and the other men sprinted up the hill to help.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Tom joined the villagers, using his shield to scoop away at the soft
soil of the hillside. Every so often he would glance up the volcano’s side. Puffs of gray smoke popped from its top as a stream of lava worked its way slowly toward the village.

“We’re lucky that wasn’t a real eruption,” Raymond panted as he heaved piles of dirt with a homemade shovel. “Otherwise the whole village would be buried in lava!”

If what had just occurred was minor, Tom could only imagine what the devastation of a real eruption would be like. He knew that he had to free Epos from the evil spell before something worse happened.

Because the volcanic soil was so soft and fertile, it didn’t take long for the villagers to dig a ditch that would channel the lava away from the houses and into the forest. They finished just moments before the molten rock reached the top of the ditch.

As the gurgling molten rock coursed away from the village, Tom stood with the men and watched. Elenna came and joined them. Once they were sure the ditch would divert the lava, they made their way back down the hillside to the village.

“Do you think Epos did this?” Elenna asked Tom in a whisper as they reached a cluster of houses.

Tom nodded slowly, watching the deadly lava snake past the edge of the village and into the forest.

“We have to do something,” Tom said. “And quick.”

Just then a skinny, fair-haired boy of about Tom’s age burst out of the forest, coughing hard, a singed sack in one hand. A collar-shaped piece of old armor protected his chin and neck. He flopped down on the grass near one of the houses.

Elenna and Tom ran over to him.

“Are you all right?” Tom asked the boy, helping him to take off the armor around his neck. “What’s your name?”

“Owen,” he croaked, staring up at them. Soot covered his face. “Our village is going to be destroyed!”

Elenna gave him some of her water, and the boy drank thirstily. “Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “The lava isn’t going to harm your village.”

Owen gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

“She’s right,” Tom said. “Your village is safe — for now at least.” Then, getting a better look at the armor, he grabbed Owen by the shoulder. “Where did you get this?”

Owen frowned. “I … I found it in the caves.”

“Where’s the rest of it?” Tom demanded. He tried to keep his feelings under control, but he could feel his fingers tighten on the boy’s shoulder.

“I don’t know!” Owen wailed, pulling away. He jumped to his feet and scowled at Tom, rubbing his shoulder.

“Tom!” Elenna dragged his hand away. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Sorry,” he murmured. “But you see … this armor was made at the forge where I grew up.” He pointed to a small hammer design stamped into the metal. “My uncle stamped his hallmark on everything he sold.”

Elenna took the armor and studied it. “Hey, there’s something else scratched here.” She rubbed soot and rust away from the plate’s metal rim and read, “T … A … L … A …”

“Taladon,” whispered Tom, his stomach clenching with excitement. “Elenna — this armor belonged to my father!” Tom tried on the piece of armor. It fit perfectly.

Elenna stared at him. “That means your father was a knight?”

“I don’t know,” Tom admitted.

At least, Tom had never been told his father was a knight. Tom could barely contain his excitement. What if his father really was a knight? Then, another thought occurred to him — a terrible thought. What was his father’s armor doing in the cave? What if his father was dead? Tom felt his stomach sink.

This horrible thought was interrupted when, suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake again and plumes of crimson fire streaked across the sky.

“The volcano!” Owen gasped. Elenna clutched at her throat. Tom felt it, too. The air was suddenly much hotter. It stung their skin and each breath burned their lungs.