Epos the Winged Flame (3 page)

“Take cover!” roared Raymond. Tom and Elenna lifted Owen and carried him to the shelter of a large oak. Storm stood protectively over him,
as pumice stone and soot showered down from above. Silver raced around the clearing, helping Raymond shepherd the exhausted villagers to shelter.

They all waited tensely as the vibrations in the ground slowly subsided.

Raymond wiped soot and sweat from his face. “We can’t stop the fires the lava flow has started,” he panted. “And if the volcano erupts again we won’t stand a chance out in the open. We’ll have to shelter in the caves and hope for a miracle.”

Elenna looked at Tom. “I wonder if we’ll find the rest of that armor?”

Tom’s heart thudded in his chest. All his life he had been desperate to know more about his father. Now he had found a clue — at the worst possible time. He shook his head. “The Quest comes first.”

Raymond pulled a horn from his pocket. “I’ll
sound the emergency signal. Everyone in the village knows to gather at the caves when they hear it.”

Elenna frowned. “But if the volcano does erupt, the caves might fill with lava!”

“There’s nowhere else we can go,” said a woman.

“Wait a moment,” said Tom, reaching into Storm’s saddlebag for the magical map. He unrolled it and looked closely at the caves. A faint red line threaded through them — a path! He rolled up the map again quickly before anyone could see. “I think there’s a way through the caves to safety,” he announced. “It comes out not far from the royal city.”

“It’s possible.” Raymond nodded slowly. Then he blew into the horn, a low, booming note that Tom guessed would carry for miles.

Tom and Elenna followed Raymond as he led the way through the village. Storm carried Owen
and a wounded woman on his back. Sharp volcanic glass and thick soot coated the roads and buildings. A foul stink of rotten eggs hung in the smoky air. Tom guessed the smell came from the sulfur that had spewed up from the volcano’s heart. People trudged along in silence. Silver looked all around as he walked, eyes bright and alert, ready to warn them of the tiniest tremble in the ground.

The rest of the villagers had already reached the caves by the time Raymond and Tom’s party arrived. There were several men and women, and they were pale, dirty, and exhausted. Three grimy dogs lay panting at their feet, and Silver trotted over to greet them. An older woman was snapping candles into three, ready to light their way. She gave one piece of candle each to Tom and Elenna with a smile.

Tom stared up into the dark mouth of the cave. Once, long ago, his father must have explored
these caves. But had Taladon also encountered Epos?

“I’ll lead the way,” he said, turning to Raymond. “I’ve got a map, and I’m more rested than you. I can scout out the tunnels to check that we can all get through with the animals.”

Raymond smiled. “You have spirit, Tom. Lead on.”

As Tom stepped into the cave, the cold soothed his smarting skin. It was a relief to breathe cooler air. But the deeper they went, the staler the air became.

The clatter of everyone’s footsteps filled Tom’s ears. Elenna walked behind him, leading Owen by the hand, calling out words of encouragement to all those following. When Tom looked around he could see the villagers clutching their candles, each in their own pool of weak light. They looked like ghosts in the inky blackness. Rumbles from the volcano made dirt fall from the dark ceiling.
The dogs began to whine, but Silver gave a stern bark and they fell silent. The wounded woman stirred on Storm’s back, half-asleep with exhaustion, as the stallion stepped cautiously through the winding passages.

Tom led the way down slopes and picked his way up treacherous pathways. His eyes ached from peering at the map. Finally, the group reached a fork in the rocky tunnel — and the red line on the parchment faded.

“We must be close to the royal city,” said Tom. “But how do we get out?”

Elenna checked the map and frowned. “Looks as though we’ll have to find our own way from here.”

Tom looked at the passage to his left. “I think there’s been a rockfall,” he whispered. “Perhaps there was an exit there once — but now it’s completely sealed.”

Another rumble sounded through the ancient stone. Tom tried to stop the panic rising up inside him. But he had to tell Elenna what he was thinking.

“There’s no way out,” he said, turning to his friend. “We’re trapped!”

“
T
OM,” WHISPERED ELENNA, HER EYES DARK
with fear. “If these caves fill with lava, we won’t stand a chance. We’ll all die!”

Tom swallowed hard. “I know.”

“What’s wrong?” a woman called nervously.

“Nothing,” he said, not wanting the villagers to panic. “I’ll just scout ahead. Wait here.”

But he had barely walked more than a few steps when he froze. A chill of fear ran through him.

He could hear a scraping noise coming from the pile of rocks in front of them. Something was trying to break through!

“Epos?” Elenna hissed.

Tom gripped his sword, ready for action. “We’ll soon find out!”

Then, to Tom’s surprise, Silver leaped forward and jumped up at the rocks. He was yelping and whining eagerly. Tom placed his ear against the rock — and felt relief flood his whole body.

“We’re here!” he shouted, beating the hilt of his sword on the rocks. “Can you hear me?”

“What are you doing?” Elenna cried, as a hubbub started up among the villagers.

“I heard voices,” he explained. “There are people outside. A rescue party!”

Dust showered down on Silver as a huge rock was heaved away. Weak sunlight stole into the dark cave, and a man wearing a helmet stuck his head through the hole. Tom recognized the crest on the helmet at once.

“It’s one of King Hugo’s soldiers!” he cried.

“We have some survivors, men,” the soldier shouted over his shoulder, then he turned back
and looked at the soot-covered people. “I’m here to rescue the villagers from the volcano. Everyone out, quickly — there could be another rockfall at any moment.”

Tom stepped aside and watched the villagers as they scrambled out into the daylight. As the soldiers helped them through, he felt a rush of pride. He’d saved them!

“Well done, Tom,” said Elenna, smiling as Silver played with three dogs in the wet grass outside. Storm blew softly against her shoulder. “But now I suppose we should head back to the volcano.”

Owen heard them as he walked toward the cave’s exit. “You’re going to try and find that magic bird, aren’t you?” he whispered.

Tom frowned. “You know about Epos?”

Elenna put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I was lost in the caves,” Owen went on. “I think I found her nest. That’s where I found your father’s armor.”

“Where was this nest?” asked Tom.

“I’m not sure,” Owen admitted. “I left chalk arrows on the walls to mark where I’d been. But I didn’t see any of them on our way here.”

“Well, it seems that Epos has a new nest now — in the volcano,” Elenna pointed out. “And it could erupt at any moment!”

Suddenly, the king’s soldier leaped down into the cave. “What are you two doing?” he asked, peering closely at Tom.

“We have unfinished business in the village,” Tom said.

The soldier stared again at Tom’s face. “Have I met you before?” “No, sir,” said Tom.

“You remind me of someone I once knew.” The soldier nodded. “His name was Taladon.”

Elenna gasped, and Tom’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of Taladon,” he said, not wanting to give too much away. “How do you know him?”

The soldier shrugged. “It was many years ago, when King Hugo was new to the throne. He recruited some young knights — and Taladon was one of them.”

“He was a knight?” Tom asked, his heart beating faster. “What happened to him?”

The soldier’s face fell. “I don’t know,” he said. He shook Tom’s hand, then scrambled back outside.

Tom felt proud and excited. “He knew my father!” His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. “And my father was a knight! This is my destiny, Elenna. While there’s blood in my veins, I will finish the Beast Quest!”

T
OM AND ELENNA CAREFULLY RETRACED THEIR
steps through the caves and winding tunnels. Silver went ahead, his tail wagging as he followed the scent back to the village.

“I’m glad we’ve got him to guide us,” said Elenna, peering around in the candlelight. “I don’t recognize any of this.”

“Me, neither,” Tom admitted, leading Storm by his halter. “Hey, what’s that?”

Elenna held up her candle to the tunnel wall. A chalk cross had been scratched beside an opening in the rock wall.

“Owen must have left this to mark his way when
he got lost,” Tom said. “We could be close to Epos’s nest!”

Storm was too large to fit through the gap in the wall. Leaving him to wait in the tunnel, Tom went to see what was on the other side. Elenna and Silver followed him.

They found themselves in a larger cave. By the flickering light of their candles, Tom saw sticks, stones, and dead leaves bundled together in a large, sprawling mess.

“This is definitely a nest,” he murmured. Then he saw pieces of silver gleaming in the leaves. With shaking hands, he picked out a piece of leg armor and a chain mail gauntlet. The initial
T
was scratched into each of them.

“Could these be your father’s?” Elenna whispered.

Tom nodded. All his life he had longed to know more about his father. Now he felt that his own fate was linked in some strange way to what had
happened to him. He put on the leg armor, and pulled the chain mail gauntlet onto his right hand. They fit perfectly.

“Come on, let’s get back to Storm,” said Elenna.

“There’s no time to waste,” said Tom grimly. “We’ve got to stop Epos before the volcano blows wide open!”

Feeling somehow stronger in his father’s armor, Tom followed Elenna and Silver back out through the gap in the wall to where Storm was waiting patiently in the dark tunnel. Silver led the way out.

As they emerged from the caves, Tom’s heart sank.

The skies were unnaturally dark, as if a terrible storm was about to break. The entire forest seemed ablaze, the treetops lost in a huge cloud of black smoke. A bubbling river of red-hot lava snaked around the base of the volcano, like a moat around a castle.

Tom jumped onto Storm’s back and pulled Elenna up behind him. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get to the volcano. If I can find Epos and make her angry enough, she’ll attack. Then I might just be able to get close enough to break the enchantment.”

He pressed his heels to Storm’s sides and the stallion leaped forward, galloping through a cluster of singed trees and onto the main road, toward the volcano. Silver had to sprint to keep up, with Elenna calling to him, urging him on.

It became hotter and hotter the closer they got to the volcano. The ground shuddered as they climbed the steep slope, Storm’s hooves kicking up ash. The air shimmered with fierce heat. When they neared the base of the volcano, Tom eased Storm to a halt. The stallion hung his head, breathing heavily, his neck and shoulders soaked with sweat.