by Adam Blade
Surprise flooded over Tom. He hadn’t expected to see his father again until his Quest was completed.
“You’re lucky to be alive,” Taladon said. “You shouldn’t get too close to Nixa.”
“But she ran before we could even fight,” Tom replied. “How can I defeat her if I’m not to get close to her?”
“She has a weapon you don’t know about yet. I’m here to warn you: Be careful of her voice,” his father told him.
“You said her voice is beautiful,” Elenna said, frowning. “How can it be dangerous?”
“Beautiful and deadly,” said Taladon. “It feels like a dagger of ice, piercing your ears and your heart. Few who hear it live. Take care, Tom. If you let Nixa get too close to you, she will use her voice. If your sword hadn’t caught on the boulder, all of you could be dead by now. Nixa is a Beast who lives and dies through heart-wrenching sounds….”
Taladon’s voice began to die away, and the shimmering blue light faded.
“Wait!” Tom exclaimed. “I want to ask …”
But Taladon had vanished.
Silver, who had stayed crouching on the ground while Taladon was speaking, got up, gave himself a shake, and trotted over to Elenna. She ruffled his fur and he pressed close to her side.
Tom walked over to where Storm was standing, and patted the stallion’s neck. “Come on, boy. We’ve got to find Nixa now, and get the piece of the amulet before she does any more harm.”
Tom swung himself onto Storm’s saddle and held out a hand to help Elenna up behind him.
“Nixa shouldn’t give us too much trouble; now we know what frightens her,” Elenna said as they set off along the road once more.
“I’m not so sure,” Tom said. An unpleasant thought sent shivers of apprehension down his spine. “She ran away from the noise, but what was she doing here in the first place? The Ghost Beasts are supposed to stay in the Forbidden Land — but Nixa dared to come out and meet us right here, in the middle of Avantia. What else will she dare to do?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
A TOUCH OF MAGIC
“LOOK! OVER THERE!” TOM REINED IN STORM as he and Elenna emerged from a belt of trees. Ahead of them lay a high gray wall, stretching away into the distance and barring their way. “That must be the Forbidden Land.”
“How are we going to get in?” Elenna asked, peering over Tom’s shoulder. “We’ll never be able to climb that.”
“There must be a way,” Tom said, urging Storm forward again.
As they drew closer, Tom could see that he was right. The road led up to an arched opening in the wall. Two heavy wooden gates studded with brass nails blocked the way.
Tom jumped down from his horse and pushed at the gates. To his surprise, they swung open easily, and he, Elenna, and the animals passed through them.
Tom pushed the gates closed again and looked around. Behind him lay the rich fields and woods of Avantia, but all the land on this side of the wall was gray and dead. There was no movement and no sound except for the whistling of wind. A gray haze covered the sky.
“I can’t believe we’re still in Avantia,” Elenna said with a shiver.
“The Ghost Beasts have made this happen.” Tom clenched his fists. Now that he saw the Forbidden Land for himself, he was even more determined to fight the Beasts. No part of Avantia should be like this!
The road wound ahead through stony hills. Tom climbed back onto Storm and urged him forward.
“This should take us to the Dead Valley,” he said, remembering what he had seen on Wizard Aduro’s magic map. “That’s where we’ll find Nixa.”
They traveled under the blank gray sky as the darkness spread by the minute. Storm’s hooves threw up clouds of dust, stinging Tom’s and Elenna’s eyes, and making them cough. Silver padded along with his head down and his tongue lolling.
The road began to climb steeply until it reached a rocky plateau. Huddled shapes were scattered across the flat surface. Silver bounded up to the nearest one and sniffed at it. Then he raised his head and let out a mournful howl.
“Something’s wrong!” Elenna’s voice was full of anxiety.
Tom guided Storm over. Horror crept over him when he realized it was the body of a man, lying facedown with his arms wrapped around his head as if he was trying to protect himself. He didn’t look like a citizen of Avantia — his skin was as gray as the land around them.
These people must live in the Forbidden Land, Tom thought. Aduro hadn’t told him that anyone survived here.
“I think he’s dead,” Elenna whispered.
Silver looked up, whining miserably, and Storm shied away, refusing to come any closer.
Tom leaned forward to pat his neck. “Steady, boy. We need to find out what happened, and then we’ll be on our way.”
He slid down from the saddle and Elenna followed. As he bent over the body, Tom could see that Elenna was right: The man was dead.
“Nixa must be close,” he murmured. “This man hasn’t been dead long.”
“Look — blood.” Elenna pointed to dark, sticky pools on either side of the man’s head.
“He bled from the ears!” An icy shiver ran down Tom’s spine.
“Nixa must have used her voice,” Elenna said nervously.
Looking around, Tom could see now that the other shapes were bodies, too, all of them with dusty, gray skin. They seemed to form a trail leading across the plateau.
“At least it should be easy to track Nixa down,” Tom said grimly.
They mounted Storm again and set off, following the trail of bodies. The men and women seemed to have tried to cover their ears. They all had the telltale pools of blood beside their heads. Two of the bodies were dogs, who had died with their legs stretched out as if they had been trying to leap on Nixa.
The sight of the bodies only made Tom more determined to defeat the Beast. Somehow I have to stop her! he thought.
At last, they arrived at a gaping hole in the rocky hillside. A tunnel led into the hill; Tom caught a glimpse of wooden posts holding up the roof.
“This must be an old mine,” he said.
“Nixa might be in there,” Elenna suggested. “It would be a good hiding place.”
“I think you could be right,” Tom said.
Tom tried to suppress the chill that raced through him. “There’ll be echoes in the mine,” he went on. “Nixa’s voice will be even louder. We need something to protect our ears.”
Elenna jumped down from Storm and cautiously approached the entrance to the mine. Tom dismounted, summoning all the magical strength of heart that he could gain from his golden chain mail. But even with its power, he wasn’t sure he could force his feet to carry him into the mine where Nixa was lurking. If he and Elenna heard the Ghost Beast’s evil voice, they would face certain death.
“But I have to try,” he muttered to himself. “My father is depending on me.”
Resolutely, he turned toward the gaping entrance to the mine. But before he could step forward, a shimmering blue light sprang up between him and the dark hole. This time, it was the form of Wizard Aduro that took shape there.
“Well done, Tom.” The wizard’s voice sounded clearly inside Tom’s head. “No one in Avantia will ever doubt your courage. But a little magic never did any harm.”
He raised his hands and blue light streamed from his fingertips. It formed into tendrils that touched Tom and Elenna on both ears. Tom started as he saw Elenna’s lips move, but he couldn’t hear a thing!
“I have enchanted your ears,” Aduro explained, his voice sounding inside Tom’s head. “You will be protected for a little while. But inside the mines my magic is weak. Once you go in there, it will start to fade. You will not be protected for long, so you must hurry!”
Tom and Elenna exchanged a glance and nodded vigorously.
“Good luck!” Aduro said as the blue light began to fade.
When the wizard vanished, Tom turned to Storm and unslung his shield from his saddle. “Wait here,
boy.” It felt strange to speak and not hear the sound of his own voice. “We’ll be back soon.”
Elenna crouched beside Silver, stroking the thick fur on his neck. Tom couldn’t hear what she was saying to the wolf, but a moment later she straightened up and gestured toward the entrance of the mine.
Tom drew his sword and led the way into the darkness.
CHAPTER EIGHT
INTO THE CAVE
THE LIGHT FROM THE ENTRANCE DIED AWAY behind Tom and Elenna as they ventured cautiously through the tunnel. Tom couldn’t see anything. He guided himself by touching the wall with his free hand. He could feel Elenna close behind him, her hand on his shoulder.
Before they had gone very far, Tom began to feel a tingling in his feet, and in the fingers that touched the tunnel wall. The walls and floor were vibrating!
“Nixa must be using her voice against us,” he said before he remembered that Elenna couldn’t hear him. But it’s not going to work, he thought. We’re much smarter than she is!
Gradually, Tom could make out the tunnel stretching out in front of him. A faint light trickled in from somewhere up ahead. As he and Elenna walked forward, the light grew stronger until they came out into a wide-open space. Thin shafts of weak light tumbled down from gaps and crevices.
Stalactites hung from the roof of the cave, while stalagmites grew up from the floor. Tom thought they looked like rows of huge misshapen teeth.
Elenna prodded Tom sharply in the back and pointed to the other side of the cave. Tom braced himself as he caught a glimpse of a monstrous creature weaving her way in and out of the stalagmites. He recognized the coiling tentacles and skin dripping with slime.
Nixa!
Tom could see the Ghost Beast’s lips moving, and knew that she was using her deadly voice. But he couldn’t hear a thing. With Elenna just behind him, he darted from one stalagmite to the next, trying to stay hidden as he made his way toward the Beast.
But Nixa spotted them. Her clumps of eyes bulged with rage.
She knows we can’t hear her, Tom thought.
Nixa’s huge mouth gaped wide as if she was letting out a shriek. A fierce wind whipped through the cave; Tom and Elenna grabbed the nearest stalagmite so the blast wouldn’t sweep them away.
The wind ripped chunks of rock from the stalactites and stalagmites, and sent them hurtling toward Tom and Elenna. Tom grabbed Elenna and dove for cover behind the stalagmite.
“Coward!” he yelled. He couldn’t hear himself, but he knew Nixa would hear him. “Come closer and fight me!”
Tom managed to unsling his shield in time to ward off the first of the rocks. This is so strange, he thought. He could feel the thump of the rocks as they hit his shield and bounced off, and see them crashing to the cave floor, but he couldn’t hear a sound. It’s like a dream, as if it isn’t really happening.
As he crouched, Tom could feel the vibrations in the floor and the stalagmite growing stronger. Nixa’s getting louder — or Aduro’s magic is starting to fail.
Tom knew he had no time to waste. Springing up, he charged straight at Nixa, whirling his sword above his head.
But before he reached the monster, Nixa swiftly changed her shape. She became the beautiful woman in the scarlet robes.
“For Avantia!” Tom yelled out his battle cry, even though he couldn’t hear himself. He struck Nixa with all his strength, but passed right through her, just as he had passed through Taladon back at the palace. She’d changed into her ghost form.
Tom gritted his teeth with fury. We’ll have to outwit her, not outfight her.
He spun around. Nixa stood in front of him, her head thrown back as she laughed. In one hand she held up a broken piece of silver decorated with a sliver of blue enamel.
Tom tensed as he recognized part of the Amulet of Avantia. If he could get it, he would be one step closer to saving his father.
While there’s blood in my veins, I will not fail!
CHAPTER NINE
STRENGTH OF THE SWORD
TOM REMEMBERED HOW NIXA HAD RUN AWAY when he scraped his sword against the rock by the side of the road. That’s it! We have to use sound to defeat her!
Darting to the nearby wall of the cave, Tom scraped his sword across it. Though he couldn’t hear the noise, he saw sparks flying out and chips of rock scattering everywhere.
Nixa’s beautiful face took on a look of horror. Her mouth gaped wide, and Tom felt the vibrations of her scream drilling at his ears. We haven’t got long!
He stepped forward to face Nixa again. The Ghost Beast, her eyes wild with fear, swept forward and straight through him. She was heading for the mouth of the cave, where Tom and Elenna had entered.
We can’t let her escape! Tom thought as he took off after her.
Elenna was standing in Nixa’s way. She gripped one of her arrows and drew it down the side of one of the stalagmites.
“Well done, Elenna!” Tom yelled.
His friend started, alarmed, as if she’d heard something. But Tom couldn’t worry now about the enchantment fading. Turned back by the sound from Elenna’s arrow, Nixa was rushing straight for him.
Tom drew his sword across the stone floor of the cave, and Nixa halted once again. Trapped between Tom and Elenna, she was starting to panic. Her mouth gaped as she kept on screaming.
This isn’t working, Tom thought as he scraped his sword again. She can’t get away, but I can’t defeat her.
The vibrations in the cave floor were growing stronger, and it was hard for Tom to keep his balance. His ears were starting to hum with a dull pain; across the cave he saw Elenna shaking her head uncomfortably, as if she could feel it, too. Wizard Aduro’s enchantment was fading. Soon they would be forced to listen to Nixa’s deadly voice.
“I’ve got to do something!” Tom exclaimed aloud, trying to shut out Nixa’s screams. “It’s now or never!”
Tom summoned the power of his magical boots and leaped at Nixa. His confidence surged back as he felt the magical golden armor boosting him high into the air. As he came down, he scraped his sword against the wall of the cave, to make an earsplitting noise. The Ghost Beast backed away from the sound, but Tom landed right beside her, passing through the outer folds of her scarlet robes with the force of his landing.
Tom made a grab for the piece of the amulet. Nixa snatched it away from him, and as Tom grabbed for it again she shifted into the form of the many-eyed monster dripping with slime. One set of tentacles lashed around Tom’s waist, and with another tentacle she held the silver fragment high out of Tom’s reach.
Struggling against Nixa’s fierce grip, Tom managed to bend over and drag his sword across the rocky cave floor.
Nixa’s tentacles uncoiled and she threw Tom against the wall of the cave. He slumped to the ground, his vision blurred and the breath driven out of him. When he could get up, he saw Elenna with her bow out, firing arrow after arrow into Nixa’s slimy body.
The Ghost Beast bellowed with rage as she tugged the shafts out and flung them aside. The low hum in Tom’s ears grew louder, and pain stabbed sharply into his head. Nixa was charging across the cave, straight at Elenna.
No! Scrambling to his feet, Tom dropped his shield and leaped upon Nixa. He knew he had to use the noise of his sword to destroy her, before all the enchantment was gone. He grabbed one of her tentacles, digging his fingers into the slippery surface, and wrenched her around to face him. At the same moment he scraped his sword down the nearest stalagmite — close enough to Nixa for the sound to terrify her.
Nixa let out a furious shriek. The pain of her voice made Tom let her go, and, dropping his sword, he clapped his hands over his ears. He felt as if daggers were stabbing deep into his head.
Elenna had fallen to her knees. She was trying to shut the sound out, too, her arms wrapped around her head. She exchanged an agonized glance with Tom.
In a daze of pain, Tom grabbed his sword again and dragged it across the floor one last time. The Ghost Beast’s scream was abruptly cut off. He
r monstrous body seemed to swell, then exploded in a shower of slimy fragments. They spattered over the cave walls and floor, letting out a foul smell.
The piece of the amulet fell to the floor. Tom ran to it and picked it up, holding it over his head in triumph.
Yes! I have the first piece!
Elenna ran over to Tom. “You did it!” she exclaimed. “That was amazing!”
Tom laughed. It was good to hear his friend’s voice again. “We did it together,” he said.
Tom fitted his sword into its sheath and rubbed the scrap of the amulet on his tunic to get rid of Nixa’s slime. It shone with a watery gleam in the fading light from the roof.
Meanwhile, Elenna crossed the cave to retrieve the arrows she had shot at Nixa. “They’re all covered in slime,” she said. “That Beast was disgusting!”
As Tom waited for her, he realized that a shimmering blue light was growing behind him. He spun around to see his father smiling at him.
“Well done, both of you,” said Taladon. “Tom, you make me proud.”
Tom held up the piece of the amulet. “Look, I rescued the first piece.”
Taladon nodded. “So I see. I can feel my strength beginning to return already. I know I won’t be a ghost forever — not with you to help me.” Tom could see that his father’s shape already looked stronger, as if life was flowing back into him.
Tom’s heart swelled with pride, but at the same time a faint uneasiness touched him like icy fingers. I feel weak. What’s wrong with me?
Elenna hurried to join Tom and his father, a bunch of arrows in her hand. “What happens now?” she asked.
“You must find the next piece of the amulet,” Taladon told them. Already his ghostly form was starting to fade. “It’s in the keeping of Equinus the Spirit Horse.”
“We won’t fail you!” Tom called out as his father vanished.
With Elenna beside him, he headed into the tunnel, toward the mouth of the cave. This time they pushed on quickly through the darkness until they could see the gray light of the Forbidden Land shining ahead of them.
