Tagus the Night Horse

B
OOK
F
OUR

A
DAM
B
LADE

ILLUSTRATED BY
E
ZRA
T
UCKER

With special thanks to Cherith Baldry

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Dear Reader

P
ROLOGUE

C
HAPTER
O
NE:
A T
HOUSAND
H
OOVES

C
HAPTER
T
WO:
T
RAPPED!

C
HAPTER
T
HREE:
B
EHIND
B
ARS

C
HAPTER
F
OUR:
H
OOFBEATS IN THE
N
IGHT

C
HAPTER
F
IVE:
V
ICTOR

C
HAPTER
S
IX:
THE
C
ATTLE
D
RIVE

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN:
T
AGUS
B
OUND

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT:
C
HASE TO THE
H
ILLS

C
HAPTER
N
INE:
F
REE
!

C
HAPTER
T
EN:
N
ORTH

Copyright

V
ICTOR AWOKE WITH A START. GRABBING HIS
sword, he sat up and looked around wildly. It was just before dawn and the sky was beginning to lighten in the east. The coals from last night’s campfire were still glowing red. Victor surveyed the plain — nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Must have been a bad dream
, he thought to himself as he settled back onto his bedroll.

But sleep was the last thing on Victor’s mind. In the last couple of weeks, three separate attacks had struck the cattle drives. None of the cattlemen were getting much sleep at night.

No one knew who was behind the attacks, but according to the rumors, a horseman was responsible. Victor didn’t know what to think, but
one thing was for sure: He was glad the night was almost over.

Lying on his bedroll, Victor listened to the sounds of the plains. There was a slight breeze rustling the tall prairie grasses and he could hear the last of the crickets chirping softly. Then, a bird called out over the lowing cattle.

Something wasn’t right. The cattle should be sleeping. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked toward the horizon. The cattle were huddled together more tightly than usual, with their calves grouped in the center — a sign that they felt threatened. But by what?

Victor thought he could make out the sound of hooves drumming in the distance. Was it just his imagination?

The cattle began mooing frantically. Victor rose to his feet and stood by the fire’s coals as the sound of hoofbeats drew nearer.

There, in the red glow of the coals, he saw the
mysterious horseman. Victor gasped. This was no ordinary horseman! This was something much more horrifying — the torso of a giant man, attached to the body of a powerful stallion. Stumbling backward in fear, Victor stared up at the huge half man–half horse. His dark hair and beard were wildly tangled and the reflection from the campfire had turned his eyes a flaming red.

The creature reared up on its hind legs, grunting fiercely, its hooves pounding the air. The Beast was ready to charge!

Victor tried to dive out of the way. But he wasn’t fast enough. One of the Beast’s hooves struck him on the head, knocking him to the ground. The Beast galloped through the fire, scattering the red-hot coals in a flurry of sparks. It flung its head back and roared as the dry grass began to catch fire.

Dazed, Victor saw the creature charge toward the helpless cattle. Before he could do anything, the pain overcame him and everything went black.

“I
THINK THAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
yet,” said Tom.

He sat tall in the saddle as he rode down the hills from the north of Avantia on his black horse, Storm. His friend Elenna rode behind him, her arms around his waist. Tom had just released Cypher the giant from the evil spell of the wizard Malvel. They were all tired from the struggle, but Storm kept going. Silver, the wolf, padded quietly after them.

“I thought I’d be trapped in that cave forever,” Elenna agreed. “Cypher was so angry!”

“I’d be angry, too, if an evil wizard had enslaved
me!” Tom said. He gave a sigh of satisfaction. “But Cypher is free now. There will be no more trouble.”

“Not from him,” Elenna pointed out. “But we have a new Beast Quest now. How long do you think it will take to reach the plains?”

“It’s not far,” said Tom. “I hope we’re ready for it, that’s all.” He reached out and touched the saddlebag holding his sword and was reminded of all the challenges he had faced so far.

“I know you have it in you,” Elenna said, giving him a playful jab. “And don’t forget, you’ve got me to protect you.”

Tom glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m glad we met in the forest.”

It was early morning and the sun had just risen. Tom brought Storm to a halt and pulled out his magical map from one of the saddlebags. Elenna peered over his shoulder so she could see it, too. A glowing red line showed the road from the mountain town of Colton to the plain of Dareton
in the middle of the kingdom. Tiny cattle moved about on the plain, eating the rich grass.

“I think we’re about here.” Tom pointed to the edge of the hills on the map. “It can’t be too far now.”

“Can you see Dareton?” Elenna asked, moving to get a better view of the map. “That’s the main town, isn’t it?”

“There,” Tom pointed, “that’s where we’re headed.” He put the map away and looked at the plains below them. He could see the long grasses swaying in the breeze. With a nudge of his heels, he urged Storm onward. “Since we’re getting close, we should keep an eye out for the next Beast.”

“Wizard Aduro said he’s half man, half horse,” Elenna said, shivering.

Tom nodded. “Tagus. He’s attacking the cattle on the plain. The people of Dareton could starve.”

Tom tightened his grip on the reins. He knew
how important it was to free Tagus from the evil enchantment. Storm nickered, as if he knew what they were up against. Tom patted his horse’s neck. With each Quest, their bond grew stronger.

They came to the crest of a low hill. Tom looked out across the wide plain that stretched as far as he could see. A river wound through clumps of trees and gently sloping hills. In the distance, a lake glinted in the sunlight. Silver’s ears pricked up and he sniffed the air eagerly.

“It’s beautiful!” Elenna exclaimed. “Maybe Aduro sent us here before Tagus had the chance to do terrible damage.”

“Could be.” Tom’s heartbeat quickened with hope. In the south, the crops had been burned by dragon fire. In the west, Sepron the sea serpent had flooded the coast. Cypher the giant had destroyed the northern hills with rock slides. Tom had almost forgotten what ordinary, peaceful
countryside looked like. “Look over there,” he said, pointing into the distance. He could just make out square gray towers and rooftops covered with red tiles. “That must be Dareton.”

“Then let’s go!” said Elenna.

Storm cantered down the hill toward the plain. Tom enjoyed the steady beat of his hooves, sensing his horse’s rising excitement. Silver let out a joyful yelp and bounded ahead of them. He disappeared into the long grass until all Tom and Elenna could see of him was the tip of his tail.

On the breeze Tom could smell a hint of smoke, as if there was a campfire burning nearby. He scanned the horizon to see if he could catch sight of it. Looking south across the plain, Tom spotted a herd of cattle. Moving in a thick mass, the herd appeared to be heading toward them.