Tartok the Ice Beast (2 page)

Now he knew that the Beasts were real. And a dark wizard named Malvel had enslaved them. He was using them to spread terror and destruction across the land for his own evil ends. King Hugo of Avantia and his wizard, Aduro, had chosen Tom to go on a special quest to set the Beasts free and save the kingdom.

Tom had set off with only Storm, his sword, and his shield for protection. But soon he had met Elenna and Silver, who had joined him on his Quest. Without them, Tom knew he would never have made it this far.

“We’d better get going,” said Elenna, studying
the map. Tall and thin, she had messy black hair, large brown eyes, and a smile full of warmth — even in the freezing cold of the northern plains. “Looks like there’s a small shelter for travelers an hour’s trek from here. We can stay the night there before continuing on. I’m so tired I could sleep standing up!”

“Me, too,” said Tom. Leading Storm along by his halter, Tom began trudging across the ice once more. He noticed a large bundle of green leaves sprouting up from the icy ground. “Hey, look at that plant. It must be hardy to survive out here.”

“A lot of plants used in medicine are found in the mountains and gullies around here,” Elenna told him. “The nomads collect them and supply the kingdom.”

Tom fingered the key he kept around his neck, the key that could set the Beasts free.
There are so many dangers here
, he thought.
The nomads won’t survive long without Tartok’s protection.
A sharp gust of wind blew up suddenly, making him shiver. He quickened his step. “Come on, the sooner we’re somewhere dry and warm the better.”

Silver yapped suddenly. “He agrees with us,” Elenna joked uneasily. Then she crouched beside him. “Silver? What’s wrong?”

Tom saw the wolf’s eyes narrow. A growl was building in the back of Silver’s throat. “Perhaps he can smell something,” he said.

“Or sense something,” said Elenna, concern in her voice. She looked around, trying to see what was bothering the wolf. The sky had now grown dark and the air was much colder. It felt like a storm was moving in.

A strong gust of wind whipped at their clothes. Instead of dying down though, it only grew stronger. Tiny shards of snow and ice stung Tom’s skin. Elenna’s shawl was almost ripped away by the sudden gale.

“I can’t believe how quickly the weather has
changed,” Elenna said. “A moment ago the skies were clear.”

“Not anymore,” Tom shouted over the wind. Now the sky overhead was dark gray and wild with snow. Storm plunged forward, and Tom stroked his head. “We must keep going and reach that shelter.”

“How can we?” Elenna clung to her shawl. “The map’s useless if we can’t see any landmarks!”

Tom knew she was right. Worse still, with the sun blotted out by the snow and clouds, they had no way of getting their bearings. “I think east was this way,” said Tom, turning into the gray haze, trying not to panic. The stinging snow was blowing so hard he could barely keep his eyes open. “Or was it the other way?”

“I’m not sure,” said Elenna as the storm grew fiercer around them. “We have to find shelter quickly or we won’t stand a chance!”

“
W
E MUST KEEP MOVING,” SAID
T
OM
. “I
F WE
stand still we will freeze to death.” Tom had faced so many dangers on his Quest — he wasn’t about to be defeated by a snowstorm. He took hold of Storm’s bridle and led him through the driving snow. Elenna walked at Storm’s side, one arm thrown over his back, hugging him for warmth and support. Silver ran around between them, barking.

“I can’t see a thing!” Elenna shouted.

“Just keep holding on to Storm!” Tom yelled back, but the wind seemed to whip the words from his mouth before they could be heard. Already his
body was turning numb. Desperately, he broke into a stumbling run — then gasped as he hit something solid.

“What is it?” Elenna screamed over the wind.

“I’ve led us into a snowdrift!” he exclaimed.
Now what?
But then Silver pushed past him and started burrowing at the huge mound of snow. Tom felt a surge of hope go through him. “Of course! We could dig —”

“— a snow cave!” cried Elenna. She started to claw at the packed snow.

“Wait,” said Tom, swinging his shield from his back. It was a charmed shield — every time he released a Beast, he gained a new magical power. It could protect him from fire, save him from drowning or falling from great heights, and it could even give him extra speed. But now, he could use it as a shovel!

He began to dig into the snowdrift with the edge of the shield. As the snow tumbled away, Silver
helped by working at the drift with his heavy paws. Elenna pulled Tom’s sword from his belt and started chopping at the parts that were too solid to dig into. “It’ll need to be a big cave for all four of us!” she shouted.

“The work will help us keep warm,” Tom yelled back. “Make sure to pile the snow behind us. It will act as a windbreak.”

They continued to dig into the snowdrift, packing down the sides and roof as they went. The snow they piled outside cut down on the wind and kept more snow from blowing in.

At last, Tom and Elenna had carved enough space to form a small shelter that would protect them from the worst of the weather. They crawled inside and sat down, hugging their knees to their chests. It was dark and cold, and they huddled together for warmth with Silver between them.

“Come on, Storm,” Tom said to his horse. The stallion could fit only his front quarters inside, so
Tom covered Storm’s back end with blankets. When the horse lay down, he blocked the entrance and helped keep out the blizzard. Storm rested his muzzle on Tom’s shoulder and snorted softly. Tom and Elenna looked at each other.

“It’s the best we can do,” Tom muttered.

They sat uneasily in silence, listening to the wind howling outside.

Eventually, the roar of the storm dimmed to background noise. Once in a while, a strong gust would blow some snow in, but for the most part, they were warm and safe.

“I wonder how long it will last,” Elenna said, her voice trembling with worry.

“I don’t know.” Tom didn’t want to scare his friend, but he knew that storms in the North could last for days, sometimes weeks. He felt a flash of panic — they would starve to death if the storm lasted that long. Was this how Tom’s father, Taladon, had disappeared? A victim of the elements? Tom shuddered at the thought. He had never met his father, who had vanished not long after Tom was born. Tom hoped the Beast Quest would make his father proud. But what if Taladon wasn’t even around to hear about Tom’s triumphs? Tom pushed the thought from his mind.

As the hours passed, Tom felt himself getting tired. The blowing wind began to lull him to sleep. Seeing that Elenna was already snoring softly and knowing that there was nothing he could do about the storm, Tom closed his eyes.

He awoke with a start. How long had he been asleep? He looked around the snow cave. Everyone was gone!

Tom rushed to the cave’s entrance and popped his head out. He was blinded by a bright sun high in the sky.

“Well, good afternoon, sleepyhead!” Elenna said cheerfully. She was kneeling beside Silver, petting
her companion. “We didn’t want to wake you because we know you need your sleep!”

“I don’t believe it,” said Tom, patting Storm on the neck. “I was worried the storm might never end.”

“We got lucky,” Elenna said with a weary smile. Tom brushed some snow away from Storm’s legs. “Come on. The sooner we reach that shelter —”

“Actually, I think there might be something closer,” said Elenna, pointing toward a tall spike of ice in the distance.

Shielding his eyes from the blinding glare of the snow, Tom saw what she was looking at — a ramshackle collection of tents clustered in the hollow of the icy peak. Some tents were short and squat, others tapering and tall — but all were protected from the strong winds. It was a good place for a miniature city built from sticks and animal skins.

“What’s that?” Tom wondered.

“Nomads,” said Elenna. “The people Tartok is meant to protect, remember? This must be one of their camps.”

“Then let’s get going,” said Tom. “Maybe they’ve seen Tartok. Maybe they know where we can find her —”

“And maybe they will have hot drinks, dry blankets, and a bed for the night!” Elenna turned and strode off toward the camp, Silver bounding after her. But, suddenly, both stopped dead in their tracks.

“What is it?” called Tom, running over. Storm trotted along beside him.

Elenna turned to him. “We may not be the first ones to come visiting that camp. Something’s been here before us.”

She pointed to a giant footprint in the ice, one filled with water! The deep indentations in the snow clearly outlined pads and claws. It was
the footprint of an enormous creature — the first of a trail, leading toward the distant camp.

Elenna kneeled to trace a finger around the edge of the print. She shivered and stood back up. Tom gazed out at the horizon. Empty — or that’s the way it looked.

“The Ice Beast,” Tom whispered, gripping the hilt of his sword.

T
OM, ELENNA, AND THE ANIMALS FOLLOWED
the footprints until the snow became solid ice and they disappeared.

“Which way did Tartok go?” wondered Elenna. “Do you think she reached the camp?”

“Since it’s still standing, probably not,” said Tom.

With no trail left to follow, they pressed on toward the camp, skidding and sliding along the treacherous ice. Shallow pools of melted water flared as bright as flames as they caught the rays of the evening sun. Storm wasn’t happy to be on such
a slippery surface. His hooves seemed unable to find a grip.

“I know it’s bad,” Tom said to Storm, “but just keep going.” Tom looked up to see how much farther they had to go. He shielded his eyes and squinted — not too far. But something — or someone — was headed their way. “Look there!” Tom called to Elenna. It was a horse-drawn sleigh speeding toward them over the ice, drawn by a handsome blond horse.