He hit the ground, shaking and gasping for breath, as the terrifying beast rose up into the air and disappeared into the mist, taking Caldor with him.įor a moment, Caldor’s screams filled Robin’s ears. The dragon flicked its tail and sent him flying through the air. Warn King Hugo that I have failed in my quest. ![]() “Get back, Robin!” called Caldor, still desperately clutching the creature’s neck. Robin could only stare in disbelief as the dragon’s wings unfolded overhead, stretching out to beat the air in a deadly rhythm. And as he looked up at Caldor, he knew he could not abandon his knight. He was standing on the dragon’s tail! He wanted to run, but he was frozen with fear. Glancing down, Robin realized that his own situation was nearly as dangerous as Caldor’s. He stumbled to his feet, his mouth open in shock. But a terrifying roar drowned out Robin’s words. The dragon wasn’t near the mountain - it was the mountain! And Caldor was barely holding on to the monster’s neck! “Caldor!” Robin yelled again. “Come down, Caldor!” Robin yelled desperately. Its face was the same color as the slippery stones of the mountain. ![]() The spiked head of a huge beast reared up behind the knight. Rolling out of the way, he glimpsed Caldor high above him, clinging to the dark slope of the mountain. Robin flinched as they swiped through the air like giant ax heads. They stretched out slowly, their razor-sharp edges catching the sunlight. Two huge rocks high above him started to move. The whole mountain shuddered and Robin froze. “Come back!” But there was no way he could be heard above the grinding screeches that filled the air. Blood! What was happening? “Caldor!” Robin yelled, scrambling to his feet as the rocks shifted beneath him. There was a metallic taste in his mouth and he put a hand to his lips. He stumbled to one side and a huge shudder threw him to the ground, knocking his head so badly that his teeth clattered. Robin could feel the vibrations traveling through his feet and up his legs. With his master gone, he noticed how quiet it was. Robin had never seen a mountainside like this before. He was soon lost from sight, swallowed by the eerie mist. They were as slippery as glass, but the knight was determined, and slowly but surely made his way up the mountain. Caldor struggled to keep his footing on the overlapping plates of rock. “Good luck, sir,” Robin said in a shaky voice, as the knight turned to climb up the smooth, dark slope of the mountain. For the sake of our kingdom, it must be stopped!” I just need to get above the mist so that I can see it. “I’ll climb above the mist,” Caldor told the boy. Turning to his squire, Robin, he used his weapon to point up the mountainside. The knight’s bronze armor gleamed in the pale morning sunlight. (Mar.CALDOR THE BRAVE STOOD AT THE FOOT OF the misty mountain. ![]() This debut tale in an episodic chain of one-beast-per-volume battles (Tom successfully completes this inaugural quest, of course), makes for a promising start to a fantasy franchise with a likable young hero and a refreshingly wide-eyed, old-fashioned approach to the genre. When Tom arrives at the palace, he learns that problems extend well outside of his village-others report tidal waves and blizzards, all thought to be the work of "the Beasts." The king reveals that the Dark Wizard Malvel is to blame, and recognizes Tom as the son of Taladon, entrusting the boy with a silver key that can unlock the charmed collar on Ferno the Fire Dragon and release the beast from Malvel's control. The author packs a great deal of action into this brief tale. Tom (for whom "the closest he came to thrilling quests was when he ran errands for his uncle") volunteers to travel to see King Hugo and enlist his help. ![]() When the crops in Tom's village start to burn and the horses turn up dead, villagers begin to suspect a curse. Tom lives in the village of Errinel with his blacksmith uncle his mother died when he was a baby, and his father left not long after for a quest from which he never returned. This boy-vs.-dragon tale, the first in the BeastQuest series, makes for an ideal pre- Hobbit
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