Stealth the Ghost Panther

by Adam Blade

  With special thanks to Cherith Baldry

  For Adam Dawkins

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Character Guide

  Letter from Taladon

  Prologue

  Chapter One: Evil in the City

  Chapter Two: Help from the Village

  Chapter Three: Malvel’s Plot

  Chapter Four: Escape!

  Chapter Five: Through the Tunnels

  Chapter Six: Locked Out

  Chapter Seven: The Claws of Stealth

  Chapter Eight: Elenna to the Rescue

  Chapter Nine: Fight Against the Wizard

  Chapter Ten: Home to Errinel?

  Also Available

  Copyright

  TOM

  PREFERRED WEAPONS: Sword and magic shield

  ALSO CARRIES: Destiny compass, jewel belt, and ghost map

  SPECIAL SKILLS: Over the course of his Quest, Tom has gained many special items for his shield, giving him protection from fire, water, cold, and falling from heights, extra speed in battle, and magic healing ability. He also has the powers he gained from the golden armor, giving him incredible sight, courage, strength, endurance, sword skills, and energy.

  ELENNA

  PREFERRED WEAPON: Bow & arrow

  ALSO CARRIES: Nothing. Between her bow and her wolf, Silver, Elenna doesn’t need anything else!

  SPECIAL SKILLS: Not only is Elenna an expert hunter, she is also knowledgeable about boats and water. But most important, she can think quickly in tight spots, which has helped Tom more than once!

  STORM

  Tom’s horse, a gift from King Hugo. Storm’s good instincts and speed have helped Tom and Elenna from the very beginning.

  SILVER

  Elenna’s tame wolf and constant companion. Not only is Silver good to have on their side in a fight, but the wolf can also help Tom and Elenna find food when they’re hungry.

  ADURO

  The good wizard of Avantia and one of Tom’s closest allies. Aduro has helped Tom many times, but when Aduro was captured by Malvel, Tom was able to repay the wizard by rescuing him.

  MALVEL

  Tom’s enemy, determined to enslave the Beasts of Avantia and defeat Tom. This evil wizard rules over Gorgonia, the Dark Realm. If he is near, danger is sure to follow.

  * * *

  All hail, fellow followers of the Quest.

  We have not met before but, like you, I have been watching Tom’s adventures with a close eye. Do you know who I am? Have you heard of Taladon, the Master of the Beasts? I have returned — just in time for my son, Tom, to save me from a fate worse than death. The evil wizard, Malvel, has stolen something precious from me, and until Tom is able to complete another Quest, I cannot be returned to full life. I must wait between worlds, neither human nor ghost. I am half the man I once was, and only Tom can return me to my former glory.

  Will Tom have the strength of heart to help his father? Another Quest can test even the most determined hero. And there may be a heavy price for my son to pay if he defeats six more Beasts….

  All I can do is hope — that Tom is successful. Will you put your power behind Tom and wish him well? I know I can count on my son — can I count on you, too? Not a moment can be wasted. As this latest Quest unfolds, much rides on it. We must all be brave.

  Taladon

  * * *

  LUKE PEERED CAUTIOUSLY AROUND THE STREET corner. Nothing moved, except for a cat that shot across the cobbles and vanished between two buildings on the opposite side. All the dwellers in Avantia’s capital city had gone to their beds long ago.

  The moon shed a pale light over the street, though dark shadows lurked in corners. Beyond the rooftops of the shops and houses, Luke could see the purple spires of King Hugo’s palace. He shivered as he wondered if Wizard Aduro was looking out, keeping watch on everything that went on in the city.

  A hand shoved Luke roughly in the back. He glanced over his shoulder to see his master, Bill.

  “What are you waiting for?” Bill demanded. “Get a move on!”

  “Just checking,” Luke mumbled resentfully.

  Luke looked up at the inn’s creaking sign above his head: It showed a scarlet dragon with fire spurting from its jaws. Bill pointed to a pile of barrels stacked against the inn wall. “Go on. Climb,” he ordered.

  Luke hung back. The climb was easy enough: Above the pile of barrels, a drainpipe led up to an open latticed window. But he was scared at the thought of what would happen if anyone found him once he was inside.

  “I said climb!” Bill gave Luke a harder shove that sent him stumbling to his knees. “You’re a young lad — it’s easy for you to scramble up there. Get inside, and come down to let me in.” He chuckled and rubbed his grimy hands together. “There’ll be rich pickings tonight, and you’ll get your share.”

  Luke hauled himself to his feet and limped toward the pile of barrels. He didn’t dare disobey Bill. His master was a huge man, tall and broad-shouldered, and he could scare Luke just by glaring at him.

  How did I ever end up like this? Luke thought miserably as he started to clamber up the drainpipe. I never wanted to be a thief.

  As Luke climbed, he thought he could hear soft footfalls in the street, and a sound like a whip cracking in the air. Then he heard the scuffle of Bill’s boots on the cobbles, and his master’s voice raised in a shout that died away at once in a choking rattle.

  Luke peered over his shoulder. Bill was lying facedown in the street. A pool of blood spread slowly from his temple, glistening ink-black in the light of the moon.

  Is he dead? Terror froze Luke to the drainpipe.

  A moment later Bill stirred, hauling himself to his knees and then to his feet.

  “What happened?” Luke called down softly. “Are you all right?”

  Bill didn’t reply. Staggering forward, he pointed a trembling finger at Luke. “Thief!” he spat, his eyes narrowed. “I’m going to tell your parents what you’ve been up to!”

  Luke gasped in horror. His mother and father would never live down the shame of knowing that he creeped out of bed at night to go thieving with Bill. And Bill might have been rough with him before, but never cruel. What had happened to him?

  “You can’t —” Luke began.

  His protest was cut off by a bloodcurdling howl that echoed through the streets of the city. It sounded like the yowl of a hunting cat, but a thousand times louder and more menacing. Bill cringed at the sound, then turned and raced away.

  Luke could see nothing in the empty street except a pair of glittering green dots, dancing in the distance.

  “What’s that?” he muttered to himself. “They look like eyes.”

  Cautiously, he began to climb down, only to freeze as the green dots suddenly leaped forward. Out of the night, a coal-black panther appeared, his gleaming fangs bared and his jaws gaping as if he might swallow Luke whole.

  With a choking cry, Luke scrambled back up the drainpipe. Is that what attacked Bill? he asked himself as he tried to grip the slippery surface.

  The panther leaped and snarled beneath him. Swordlike claws slashed at Luke’s feet. His teeth were veined like marble, and three tails whipped through the air behind him. Around his neck was a thick leather collar from which dangled an odd-shaped piece of silver.

  As Luke watched, a rat scurried out from behind the pile of barrels. Luke gasped in amazement as the Beast lashed out with one of his tails: He lassoed the squealing rat around the neck and tossed the vermin into his open mouth.

  Swallowing the creature in one gulp, the Beast turned back to gaze up at Luke. His emerald eyes burned through the darkness. Luke told his body to move, to keep on clambering up the
drainpipe, but he couldn’t make his arms and legs obey. His gaze was locked with the Beast’s as the panther began to circle one of his three tails. The tail moved faster and faster until it snaked out through the air and snatched Luke’s ankle.

  Luke kicked out, but he couldn’t break the grip of the Beast’s tail. His hands scrabbled uselessly at the wall of the inn as he felt himself being dragged down.

  He’s going to eat me, Luke thought frantically, letting out a shriek of terror. He’ll swallow me up, just like he did that rat….

  TOM STOOD BESIDE ELENNA ON THE EDGE of the volcano at Stonewin and looked down at the piece of amulet that he held in the palm of his hand. The silver shone in the sunlight and the piece of enamel glowed and winked like a blue eye.

  “That’s five pieces,” he said. “Only one more to go.”

  Pulling on the leather thong around his neck, he fished the rest of the amulet out from under his tunic and fitted the new piece into place. Silver light flared briefly. When it died away, the new piece had joined with the rest as if it had never been broken off. A jagged gap showed where the final piece was still missing.

  “It won’t be long now,” Elenna said. “Then your father will be fully returned to his old self.”

  Tom nodded slowly. “But I’ve lost another of my special powers,” he reminded his friend. “I haven’t got the strength of heart from the golden chain mail anymore. And that helped me through so many of our Quests.”

  “You don’t need it!” Elenna assured him. “You’ve got enough courage of your own.”

  Storm, Tom’s black stallion, blew out a noisy breath as if he was agreeing, and Elenna’s gray wolf, Silver, gave a long howl.

  “See?” Elenna added. “They know you’re brave enough for anything! And so does your father.”

  Tom smiled at her, feeling a wave of determination fill his chest. His father, Taladon, had been captured by the evil wizard, Malvel. Although he had escaped when Tom had completed his third Beast Quest, he was trapped as a ghost between the real world and the spirit world. Taladon could return to life only when the six pieces of the Amulet of Avantia had been joined together again. But Malvel had given the pieces to six Ghost Beasts. Tom had already defeated five of the powerful monsters, but he still had to face the sixth. And he knew that this last Beast would be the deadliest of all.

  “So where do we go next?” Elenna asked.

  Tom stretched out one hand. “Map!” he commanded.

  The ghostly map given to them by Wizard Aduro took shape in front of him, bobbing gently in the air. A shimmering path appeared, leading from the volcano to Avantia’s capital city.

  “That’s where King Hugo’s palace is!” Elenna exclaimed. “Surely the Ghost Beast wouldn’t dare go there?”

  “I don’t know.” A cold sense of approaching evil creeped through Tom. “Maybe that’s what my father meant when he said the next Beast would be ‘closer to home.’”

  “And more evil than we can possibly know,” Elenna added. “He must be really cunning, to hide himself in the very heart of Avantia.”

  Tom felt his hands ball into fists. “I don’t care how cunning he is. We’ll defeat him!”

  Beside the picture of the city, a small black shape came into view: a panther with a coat the color of night. He snarled and slid out gleaming claws.

  At the same moment, a chilly wind blew past Tom, bringing the foul stench of something rotten. The voice of the evil Wizard Malvel whispered in Tom’s ear. “Stealth …”

  “Stealth!” Elenna exclaimed. Clearly she had heard the whisper, too. She exchanged a startled glance with Tom. “Is that the name of the Ghost Beast?”

  “It must be,” Tom declared. “And we were right. The Beast is in the city.”

  “And that means it’s not just our own safety we have to worry about,” Elenna said. “The King and everyone else are in danger, too.”

  Tom’s stomach churned with a mixture of fear and excitement. “We’d better get moving,” he said. “This Beast could destroy all of Avantia.”

  Digging into his pocket, Tom drew out the silver compass that his father had given to him. There were two points on it: Destiny and Danger. He held it out toward the city and watched as the needle swung around to Destiny.

  “That proves it. There’s no time to waste,” he said, closing up the compass and stowing it away again. “What’s the quickest way of getting to the city?”

  “The piece of Tagus’s horseshoe will give us extra speed,” Elenna said, pointing to the Night Horse’s gift, which was fixed onto Tom’s shield.

  “Yes, but we need to choose the quickest route.”

  Tom studied the map again, but it showed only the main road that wound through the hills and fields of Avantia, taking in many towns and villages on its way. He banished the map with a flick of his fingers, and looked around thoughtfully. Then his gaze fell on the mouth of one of the tunnels at the base of the volcano.

  “Look!” he cried excitedly, gesturing toward it. “Remember how we rescued the people of Stonewin from the fires of Epos, back on our first Quest?”

  “We led them through the tunnels,” Elenna replied, her eyes shining as she understood Tom’s plan. “They go all the way to the city.”

  “Yes.” A wide grin split Tom’s face. “And we can use those tunnels again!”

  TOM SET OFF AT A RUN, SPEEDING ALONG THE path that wound down the side of the volcano. I don’t need the golden leg armor anymore, he thought. Running downhill, I can go as fast as I dare!

  Storm cantered ahead, his hooves throwing up spurts of black volcanic dust, while Elenna and Silver raced alongside each other, hard on Tom’s heels. Tom loved the feeling of the wind as it whipped his hair back from his face. This would be fun, he said to himself, if we weren’t on such a serious Quest.

  Tom slowed his pace to a jog as they reached the foot of the volcano and headed through the woods. Now he took the lead, weaving his way through the trees toward the tunnels.

  At last Tom and his friends halted, panting, by the mouth of the biggest tunnel. Inside, Tom could see a passageway leading into blackness.

  “It’s dark,” Tom began. “How are we going to —”

  He was interrupted by a shout coming from the direction of the village. “Greetings!”

  Tom turned to see a group of villagers hurrying toward them. In the lead was Raymond, who had helped guide his people to safety when the volcano was about to erupt. Just behind him was the young boy, Owen, and his mother, Nesta. Owen was still fair-haired and skinny, but much taller than when Tom and Elenna saw him last.

  “It’s Tom and Elenna!” Raymond exclaimed, throwing his arms around Tom. “What are you doing in these parts?”

  “I hope there’s no more trouble with Epos,” Nesta said as she embraced Elenna.

  “No, Epos protects the kingdom now,” Tom replied quietly, remembering how the magnificent flame bird had helped him and Elenna in their Quest against Blaze the Ice Dragon. He clapped Owen on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you again!”

  But even as he spoke, Tom thought that the villagers didn’t seem quite as friendly as he remembered them. He had felt a shiver pass through his body as Raymond hugged him. Somehow Owen’s mischievous face seemed to have turned cold, and there was a dark glint in Nesta’s eyes as she released Elenna. Her sleeves were rolled up, as if she had been working in the kitchen, and there was a long red scratch down one of her arms.

  Nesta laughed as she spotted Tom looking at the scratch. “That’s nothing!” she assured him, hurriedly rolling her sleeves down. “I got it picking gooseberries. Those thorns!”

  “You’re welcome to stay with us,” Raymond invited them. “We’ll never forget what you did for Stonewin.”

  “Thank you, but we can’t stay,” Tom replied. He didn’t want to share all the details of their Quest, in case word of the Ghost Beasts sent the villagers into a panic. “We have to get back to the city as quickly as we can, so we thought we would go through th
e tunnels.”

  “Do you have any candles we could use?” Elenna asked.

  “We can do better than that,” Raymond told her. “If you come back to the village with us, we’ll give you some lamps.”

  Tom and Elenna exchanged a glance.

  “Time’s slipping away,” Tom muttered into his friend’s ear. “We ought to set out as soon as we can.”

  “We don’t seem to have much of a choice,” Elenna replied. She pointed to where Owen and the other village children were already clustered around Silver, patting him and running their hands through his thick fur, while one of the adult villagers had taken Storm by the bridle and was leading him away. “Besides, if we don’t go to the village, we’ll have to make torches somehow.”

  Tom nodded. “And that might take longer than fetching the lamps.” He turned to Raymond. “Thanks. We’ll come with you, but only to pick up the lamps. It’s already late afternoon, and we really need to be on our way.”

  “Of course!” Raymond smiled as he glanced around at the other villagers. “We’ll do everything we can to help.”

  Another shiver passed through Tom as he saw the jubilant looks some of the villagers were sharing. Could they be that happy we’re coming to visit?

  Raymond led the way along a path that wound through the woods and joined the main street of the village. At the far end was a sturdy hut built of logs. Through the window, Tom could see shelves full of supplies. There were boxes of candles and a row of lamps hanging from the roof.

  Raymond flung open the door. “Go in,” he said, gesturing to Tom and Elenna. “Take whatever you want.”

  Tom stepped inside the store, followed by Elenna. He still felt uneasy. He wanted to find what they needed and get out of the village as quickly as they could.