Soltra the Stone Charmer

by Adam Blade

  BEAST QUEST

  BOOK NINE

  SOLTRA

  THE STONE CHARMER

  ADAM BLADE

  ILLUSTRATED BY EZRA TUCKER

  With special thanks to Allan Frewin

  For Karen

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dear Reader

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE: Homeward Bound

  CHAPTER TWO: Turned to Stone

  CHAPTER THREE: A Sword to the Heart

  CHAPTER FOUR: Into the Woods

  CHAPTER FIVE: Reunion

  CHAPTER SIX: The Gift

  CHAPTER SEVEN: Destiny and Danger

  CHAPTER EIGHT: The Marsh

  CHAPTER NINE: The Green Eye

  CHAPTER TEN: The Touch of Death

  Copyright

  Did you think it was over?

  Did you think I would accept defeat and disappear?

  No! That can never be. I am Malvel, the Dark Wizard who strikes fear into the hearts of the people of Avantia. I still have much more to show this wretched kingdom, and one boy in particular — Tom.

  The young hero liberated the six Beasts of Avantia from my curse. But his fight is far from over. Let us see how he fares with a new Quest, one that will surely crush him and his companion, Elenna.

  Avantia’s Beasts had good hearts that I corrupted for my own wicked purpose. Now, thanks to Tom, they are free to protect the kingdom once more. But I have created new supreme Beasts whose hearts are evil and so cannot be set free. Each one guards a piece of the most precious relic of Avantia, a relic I have stolen: the suit of golden armor that gives magical strength to its rightful owner. I will stop at nothing to prevent Tom from collecting the complete suit and defeating me again. This time he will not win!

  Malvel

  PROLOGUE

  IT HAD BEEN A LONG DAY FOR FARMER GRETLIN. He plodded along the earth furrows behind his two oxen. Sweat dripped down his neck as he guided the heavy plow through the soil.

  The sun was setting over the marsh that lay to the west of the farm. The farmer looked up, then frowned, lifting an arm to mop his brow. Dense fog was beginning to creep from the marsh across the field. It was unusual for it to be so thick at this time of year.

  Shivering a little, he unharnessed the oxen and began to lead them toward the stable. The animals were usually eager for their meal at day’s end, but now the farmer could hardly get them to move. He snapped the leather harness, then frowned again. The harness had become icy cold in his fingers. He turned. The two oxen had come to a dead halt.

  “What’s wrong, lads?” he asked, walking back to them. Tendrils of fog encircled them all, cutting them off from the farmhouse. He patted the neck of one ox, then let out a shocked gasp. Instead of warm flesh, his hand had touched a hard, cold surface.

  The two animals had turned to stone!

  As he looked into the oxen’s great brown eyes — which were still moving, wide and rolling with fear — he saw a shadowy, milky outline reflected in them.

  Something or someone was standing right behind him.

  He turned, crying out in fear as he stared at the female figure that had stepped from the heart of the fog. The setting sun shone behind her, ringing her with a golden glow.

  The woman was two heads taller than he, her body swathed in a shining, rippling garment — like a cloak made of black water. He gazed up into the woman’s face — but found that she had no face, just a featureless surface, marble smooth and milky white.

  Then the final terror came.

  The creature’s face folded up on itself like a huge eyelid — and from beneath that eyelid stared a single great eye, as green and clear as an emerald.

  Gretlin stared into the unblinking eye and suddenly his fear slipped away.

  He took a step toward the woman, close enough now for him to see his own reflection in the great green eye. Crystals of ice filled his veins, deadening his limbs and freezing his heart.

  Moments later, like his oxen, only his eyes could move. His body was encased in stone.

  The woman turned, her cloak undulating as she drifted back into the fog.

  A few moments later, Farmer Gretlin saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. A small boy was crouching in terror behind the low drystone wall that marked the boundary of the field. He tried to call to the boy, to ask him to fetch help, but the only sound that escaped him was a groan.

  Terrified, the boy ran toward the village.

  The fog curled around the farmer’s shoulders like a shroud.

  How long would it be before death took him?

  CHAPTER ONE

  HOMEWARD BOUND

  AT LAST!” GASPED TOM. He HAD PUSHED past a tangle of dense undergrowth and branches to find himself gazing out over open countryside.

  “No kidding!” said Elenna, close behind him. “I was beginning to think the Dark Jungle went on forever.”

  They stepped out into the cool of the late afternoon, exhausted and glad to be free of the dark, sultry heat.

  Ahead of them, the land sloped downward in grassy terraces to a wide, winding river that rushed through deep, stony banks.

  Tom took one final glance back into the sinister jungle, thinking of his battle with Claw the Giant Ape, and remembering how he had just managed to snatch the golden chain mail from the evil Beast.

  Silver the wolf and Storm, Tom’s noble stallion, emerged from the jungle, too. Silver bounded and barked joyfully, and Storm neighed and pranced.

  “They’re glad to be out in the open,” Elenna said. “Can we camp for the night down by the river? I could catch us some fish for supper.” Tom sighed, looking into the distance. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “I was thinking about Aduro,” he replied. “I’m worried about what Malvel might have done to him.”

  The Dark Wizard Malvel had kidnapped their friend and protector, Wizard Aduro. Malvel had appeared to them in a vision after Tom’s defeat of Claw, showing them torn strips of Aduro’s red cloak. Was the good wizard even still alive?

  Whatever fate had befallen Aduro, Tom knew that he had to fulfill his Quest and unite the six parts of the golden armor that Malvel had stolen and scattered across the kingdom. Aduro had told them it was the only way they could rescue him. Only then would the land of Avantia be safe from the six evil Beasts Malvel had set loose.

  The friends and their two animal companions made their way to the river. They followed it through the valley, down to a rocky beach.

  Tom watched as Elenna waded into the water with an arrow on her bow. After a long wait, she fired the arrow and a moment later was splashing her way up to the shore with a large salmon. She left it on a rock and went back to catch some more.

  Silver sniffed the fish but shook his big, shaggy head and trotted off. Tom guessed that he was on the prowl for something he’d find a bit tastier. Storm was grazing contentedly on some tall grass.

  Tom felt tired and homesick as he looked at the racing river, thinking how different it was from the wide, still lake beside his home village of Errinel. He had not seen it for a long time now.

  He shook himself and started to gather wood for a fire. He made two tripods of sturdy twigs and skewered the salmon on another twig to hang above the flames. By the time Elenna returned with more fish, the fire was ready.

  The twilight deepened as the fish cooked, and as they ate, Tom told Elenna about his home. “The lake is as clear as crystal,” he said. “On hot summer evenings everyone goes to the lakeshore to eat, play music, and watch the sunset.”

  “It sounds lovely,” Elenna said through a mouthful of salmon.

  “People say that the water has healing properties,” Tom continued, gazing at the darkening sky. �
�The water has to be collected as the sun sets.” He laughed. “It’s just a legend,” he said. “I don’t suppose it’s true.”

  “It’s a nice story, all the same,” Elenna said. “And after all that we’ve seen, who knows what’s true and what isn’t? Most people think the Beasts are a myth, but we know they’re not.”

  After they had finished their meal, Tom and Elenna went to check on their companions. Silver was lying with his head between his paws, snoring softly. Storm stood close by, dozing peacefully.

  The two friends found a place to spread their bedrolls for the night. Tom kept the pieces of armor that he had already recovered by his side. The golden helmet, forged into the shape of an eagle’s head, gleamed softly in the growing starlight. He reached out and touched the chain mail vest, wondering about the Master of the Beasts who had worn it before him. He thought of his own father, Taladon the Swift, who had undertaken a Beast Quest of his own many years ago, but had disappeared. I wish I had known him, he thought drowsily. He hoped they might be reunited one day.

  The next day dawned bright and warm, the sun rising in a clear blue sky. Tom unrolled the magical map of Avantia, which Aduro had given him when his adventures first began.

  As he studied it, the map came to life. Meadow grass moved in the wind and the tiny mountains were cold to the touch. The forests and rivers, villages and castles were all miniature versions of the real landscape of Avantia.

  A glowing red path usually appeared on the map, showing Tom where to find his next challenge, but for the moment there was no sign of it.

  “There!” exclaimed Elenna after they had been staring at the map for a little while. A tiny heart of golden light was glowing on the map. As Tom and Elenna peered, it pulsed and grew larger until they could make out the shape of a golden breastplate.

  “It’s the next piece of armor!” Elenna said. Tom let out a cry of delight. “Yes!” he gasped. “And look where it is.” He pointed to a wide, clear lake set in rich farmlands. Beside the lake nestled a small village. “It’s Errinel, my home. You’ll be able to meet Uncle Henry and Aunt Maria, who brought me up.” Tom felt his eyes fill with tears. “I haven’t seen them since I started the Quest,” he said.

  A large muzzle snuffled close to his ear. It was Silver, his eyes bright with understanding. Tom turned with a grin. Storm was close by, pawing at the shingle with a hoof.

  “You can’t hide your feelings from us,” Elenna said with a laugh. “We know how much you want to go home. Come on — let’s pack up camp and get going.”

  “Yes!” Tom laughed. “And no stopping till we get to Errinel!”

  But his laughter soon faded as he thought of his Quest and of the dangers that lay ahead. He had to get to Errinel quickly — but what kind of Beast would be waiting there for them?

  And what harm had it already done to his home and his family?

  CHAPTER TWO

  TURNED TO STONE

  TOM AND ELENNA SAT ASTRIDE STORM’S BROAD back as he cantered along, with Silver loping at his side. Despite the perils that lay ahead, Tom was glad to be heading home. It had been an easy journey so far, following the weaving line of the river. The day was hot, but a fresh breeze kept them cool. Brightly colored butterflies and jeweled dragonflies danced over the water.

  “We’re nearly there,” Tom said at last. A thrill of excitement shot through him at the thought of seeing his uncle and aunt again. But this would be no ordinary homecoming. The image of a golden breastplate had brought him here, and that could only mean one of Malvel’s evil Beasts was lurking near the village.

  “We should leave the river now and go up over that low hill,” Tom said, pointing. “There’s a small wood on the other side, and then it’s all farmland till we get to Errinel.”

  They rode up the gentle slope of the hill and down into the woods.

  Silver trotted beside them, sniffing the air as if he were trying to pick up a scent.

  “What is it, boy?” Elenna asked. “Can you smell something?”

  The wolf let out a soft whine. Storm whickered and turned his head. Something was unsettling the animals.

  Tom’s hand went to his sword hilt. His shield, which carried six magical tokens from the good Beasts of Avantia, was slung over his shoulder. He had freed all the Beasts from Malvel’s evil curse — Ferno the Fire Dragon, Sepron the Sea Serpent,

  Cypher the Mountain Giant, Tagus the Night Horse, Tartok the Ice Beast, and Epos the Winged Flame — and he knew he could call on them if he was in trouble. The golden chain mail and helmet he had already retrieved from Zepha the Monster Squid and Claw the Giant Ape were close at hand in the saddlebag. The chain mail gave him strength of heart and the helmet sharpened his sight. His powers were growing with every Quest. He was ready for battle.

  “I think there’s danger nearby,” he murmured.

  Elenna nodded, sliding an arrow from her quiver and slotting it into the bowstring.

  Slowly they came out of the woods and made their way along a track between high hedges. Through gaps in the hedgerows, they could see fields all around them and the occasional distant farmhouse or barn.

  “It all seems normal enough,” Tom said warily. “Except …” He frowned. There was something wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. And then it struck him. “It’s too quiet. What has happened to all the birds?”

  “There’s a row of starlings over there,” Elenna said, pointing to a wooden gate ahead of them.

  Tom peered at the birds as they approached. He expected them to take fright and flap away over the fields. But they didn’t move. The hair prickled on the back of his neck.

  Tom slid down from the saddle and walked up to the birds, then let out a breath as he realized they were just statues. He reached out to touch one of them. The bird’s body was hard and cold.

  “They aren’t real,” he called back. “They’re made of stone.”

  Elenna jumped down and ran over to his side. She touched one of the small statues, then leaned in closer. “You can see every tiny detail of the feathers,” she said. “They are too perfect to have been carved. Tom, I don’t like this.”

  Then Tom spotted something in the field beyond — a gray-brown shape in the stubble of newly cropped hay.

  He climbed the gate and walked over to the shape, crouching down beside it and reaching out a hand. It was a stone hare, its long limbs stretched as if it had been frozen in mid-flight. Tom picked it up and carried it back to the gate. He laid it at the roadside and stared down at it with a frown.

  Silver moved hesitantly toward the hare and sniffed it. A moment later, he bounded away, snorting and shaking his muzzle.

  Elenna shivered. “What are you thinking?” she asked Tom.

  He looked at her. “I don’t believe they’re statues at all,” he said. “I think something has turned living creatures into stone.”

  “It must be Malvel’s evil Beast,” Elenna murmured.

  A new urgency filled Tom’s heart. “We have to get to the village,” he said. “Let’s hope the Beast hasn’t been there yet.” The thought of his aunt and uncle and the other villagers of Errinel turned to stone was too awful.

  The two friends jumped back into Storm’s saddle.

  Tom pressed his heels into the stallion’s sides and the horse broke into a gallop. Silver ran close by, his body low to the ground.

  The village was a few miles away through the fields. Tom remembered the fragment of a horseshoe given to him by Tagus the Night Horse. It had the power to give him great speed.

  He touched the magical token in his shield and Storm began to gallop faster than Tom had ever known. He clung to Storm’s back as the stallion flew through the fields, and Elenna gripped Tom’s belt as the wind whistled past their ears. Silver bounded alongside the racing horse, his tongue lolling.

  A few moments later, Tom saw something strange ahead of them in a nearby field. “Stop!” he called.

  Storm came to a halt. Tom jumped down and ran toward a low fen
ce.

  “I know this field,” he called to Elenna as she leaped off the stallion’s back. “It belongs to Farmer Gretlin. Look!” He pointed a shaking finger over the fence.

  Three gray figures stood unmoving in the newly plowed field: a team of oxen and a man. All had been turned to stone.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A SWORD TO THE HEART

  TOM STOOD ON THE BOTTOM BAR OF THE FENCE and stared out across the desolate field.

  “The Beast could still be nearby,” he said worriedly. “And it could turn us into stone!” He strode back toward Storm. “I have to be prepared for anything.”

  He slipped on the heavy chain mail and pulled on the golden helmet. Now he would feel no fear and be able to see the Beast if it was still lurking. He climbed back into the saddle, slipping his shield over his left arm and loosening his sword in its scabbard.

  Elenna scrambled up behind him, her bow drawn and her quiver of arrows at hand.

  “Go, boy!” Tom said to Storm, nudging with his heels. The stallion backed away from the fence, then, with a surge of power, leaped forward and took the fence in one long, smooth jump.

  Fearlessly, Storm cantered toward the frozen stone figures, the ever-loyal Silver by his side. Tom expected an attack from the Beast, but they crossed the field without harm. The two animals were uneasy, though, as if they sensed that danger was close at hand.

  Everything was eerily silent as they came to a stop near the stone figures. Tom and Elenna slid down from the saddle. Storm neighed nervously and backed away. Silver circled the man and his oxen, sniffing the air, his ears down and the hair along his back as stiff as wire.

  “It’s Farmer Gretlin!” Tom cried as he and Elenna drew near. Cautiously, he reached out and touched the stone man’s chest. It was cold.

  Elenna frowned. “He looks happy,” she said, as she gazed into the farmer’s face. “I don’t understand. Why would someone who is about to be turned to stone be so happy?”