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TRANSCRIPT
The WARRIOR’S ROAD
KobAGhoul of the
Shadows
®
With special thanks to Allan Frewin Jones
For Samuel Robin Beeson
www.beastquest.co.uk
ORCHARD BOOKS338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
Orchard Books AustraliaLevel 17/207 Kent St, Sydney, NSW 2000
A Paperback OriginalFirst published in Great Britain in 2013
Beast Quest is a registered trademark of Beast Quest LimitedSeries created by Beast Quest Limited, London
Text © Beast Quest Limited 2013Inside illustrations by Pulsar Estudio (Beehive Illustration)
Cover illustration by Steve Sims © Orchard Books 2013
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 40832 407 3
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Printed in Great Britain
The paper and board used in this paperback are natural recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The
manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
Orchard Books is a division of Hachette Children’s Books, an Hachette UK company
www.hachette.co.uk
KobAGhoul of the
Shadows
®
BY ADAM BLADE
Greetings, whoever reads this.
I am Tanner, Avantia’s first Master of the Beasts. I fear I have little time left. My life slips away, and I write these few words as a testament for whoever may come across my remains. I have reached the end of my final journey. But a new warrior’s journey is just beginning…
With the death of a Master, a new hero must take on the responsibility of guarding the kingdom of Avantia. Avantia needs a true warrior to wear the Golden Armour. He or she must walk the Warrior’s Road – a test of valour and strength. I have succeeded, but it has cost me my life. I only hope those who follow survive.
May fortune be with you,
Tanner
9
Prologue
Sixty years ago...
The gateway of the castle opened like
a gaping mouth, and a wide path of
glowing cobblestones ran from it like a
glimmering red tongue.
The young wizard in the green robe
turned, his eyes following the track
through the rugged landscape of rocks
and ravines.
“Why should I, Jezrin, travel the
long hard path of the Warrior’s Road?”
10
he said, with a sneer. “Magic is so
much quicker!”
A cry of pain sounded from the
other side of the open gate. I’m just in
time, he thought, as he ran through
the gate into a wide courtyard. On the
cobbles, a man in golden armour lay
groaning in agony. Jezrin crouched
beside him, running his fingers over
the gold.
“A suit of magical armour would be
most useful to me,” he said, prising
open the visor on the helmet. He
gazed pitilessly down at the man’s
face. The eyes were dim, but breath
was still rasping between gritted teeth.
“Not quite dead yet, eh?” said
Jezrin. “But very close, I think.” He
smiled. “You won’t need this finery
any more.” He began to tug the
golden gauntlets off the man’s hands.
11
A great roar filled the courtyard,
shaking the ground and echoing
loudly between the walls. Jezrin’s
stomach knotted with fear.
He glanced up in time to see a
mighty fist swinging through the air.
Yelping with terror, Jezrin flung
himself across the dying knight’s
chest. He felt the wind of the
sweeping arm on his neck.
A moment slower and my head would
have been torn from my shoulders!
He scrambled to his feet, staring up
at a terrible form that towered over
him.
It was a great Beast. From beneath
heavy curved brows, two eyes stared
down at him. One eye glowed as
green as poison, the other blazed
orange like fire. Jezrin’s chest
tightened with dread.
12
“Koba, Ghoul of the Shadows!” he
gasped.
The Beast’s mouth twisted into
a grimace, the stench of his breath
almost knocking Jezrin from his feet.
Koba’s massive leathery head was
crowned with spikes and one of his
huge pointed ears was hung with
golden rings. Muscular arms reached
down, the snatching fingers tipped
with double claws like the tails of
scorpions.
Jezrin grabbed the dying knight’s
hand, and tried to drag him away
across the courtyard. I’ve not come
all this way to flee empty-handed, he
thought. I will have the power of the
Master of the Beasts, if it’s the last thing
I do!
Koba’s orange and green eyes
pulsed with evil delight. Jezrin had
only taken a few paces when a mind-
shredding pain flared behind his eyes.
“Arrgh!”
Releasing the knight’s hand, Jezrin
13
14
dropped to his knees, clutching his
head. A voice burned deep in his
skull:
“You have not walked the Warrior’s
Road. You do not deserve to be here.”
Jezrin felt his body leave the
ground. He opened his eyes and found
that he was hanging upside down
from his ankles, suspended from
Koba’s forked fingertips.
He heard a distant cracking sound
and saw the sky being torn open.
Through the ragged hole, he glimpsed
the palace of King Theo of Avantia.
“No!” he cried. “I’m not ready to go
back!”
With a flick of his powerful wrist,
the Beast flung Jezrin towards the
sky-portal.
The Wizard managed to twist
around in midair.
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“Beware, Koba!” he shouted. “You
have not seen the last of me! I shall
return – and Avantia will be mine!”
17
Chapter One
The Deserted Castle
The Hooded Man’s words rang in
Tom’s mind as he stared across the
ruins of the Last City.
The Road is a trick. It never ends.
Tom turned and saw his own doubt
mirrored in Elenna’s face. Silver lay
with his muzzle between his paws, his
sad eyes turned up towards them.
“Well?” asked the Hooded Man.
18
“What is your decision?”
Biting his lip, Tom looked into the
man’s blue eyes.
They’re just like my eyes...
Tom was still reeling. The Hooded
Man had followed them down the
Road, but he’d only just revealed his
true identity. The Hooded Man was
Tom’s future self, beaten and weighed
down by many years of walking the
Warrior’s Road.
It can‘t be real, Tom thought. Is this
how I’ll look one day?
But despite the ancient scars and the
broken nose, Tom had to admit – this
man looked so much like him.
There was a sudden cracking sound
and Tom turned sharply. A dark hole,
outlined with silver light, had appeared
under the pillars of a collapsed arch.
The next portal, Tom thought. On each
19
stage of this Quest, Tom had had to
step through a magical doorway.
“You’ll press on, despite my
warning?” sneered the Hooded Man.
“Then you truly are the greatest fool
ever to walk this Road!”
“Maybe I am,” Tom said. “But
I never turn away from a Quest.”
And if I don’t prove myself worthy of
being the Master of the Beasts, the Judge
will conquer Avantia.
He caught Elenna by the hand.
“Follow me,” he whispered. Then he
seized the Hooded Man’s wrist.
“What new stupidity is this?” cried
the old warrior.
The dark portal loomed over them.
“You’re coming with us,” said Tom.
“Two Toms are better than one!” Then
he gave a hard yank, pulling the two
of them with him.
20
“No!” The older man tried to drag
himself back, but Tom plunged
through the archway.
He shut his eyes against a sudden
blinding light. When he opened them
again, he found himself squinting up
at a high wall of smooth black marble.
It was a castle, with great towers and
battlements and turrets. Glowing red
cobbles led to a massive gatehouse.
The Warrior’s Road.
Tom released his grip on Elenna, and
on the Hooded Man. He marched in
through the gate, keeping a grip on
the hilt of his sword. Elenna and Silver
were at his side. He glanced over his
shoulder to make sure that his future
self was still following. This is like
nothing I’ve ever encountered before! he
thought.
Inside was a courtyard, with more
black walls rising on every side. At the
far side of the courtyard, a trestle table
was laid with steaming pies and fresh
loaves of bread. There were platters
of fried fish, and overflowing bowls of
fresh vegetables.
“It’s as though everyone just
21
Empty courtyard inside the castle walls – Tom
enters, his hand on the hilt of his sword (but
sword is still in its hilt), Elenna and Silver
follow as does the Hodded Man, his face
exposed: In the courtyard we see:
more black walls rising on every side. At the
far side of the courtyard, a trestle table was
laid with steaming pies and fresh loaves of
bread. There were platters of fried fish, and
overflowing bowls of fresh vegetables.
There’s even a filled dog bowl on the ground
22
vanished in the middle of a normal
day,” said Elenna. She pointed.
“There’s even a filled dog bowl on the
ground.”
“Hello?” Tom shouted.
His voice echoed around the
courtyard, but no one came in
response to his call. Silence fell, as
though the castle were holding its
breath.
Waiting to pounce...
Silver bounded over to the bowl and
ate hungrily.
“Silver, careful,” called Elenna. “It
might be bad.”
“He would know tainted food by its
smell,” said Tom, sniffing the aromas
that drifted from the table. “I think
this is all good to eat.”
The Hooded Man shoved past Tom
and strode to the table. He picked up a
23
large pie in both hands and took a bite.
“Apple pie!” he mumbled through
a mouthful. “It’s good! Just like Aunt
Maria used to bake!”
Elenna gave Tom a puzzled glance.
He knew exactly what she was
thinking, because he was thinking the
same thing:
Aunt Maria’s speciality is cherry pie.
Frowning, Elenna walked up to the
older Tom, looking him up and down.
“What are you goggling at?” he
sneered, before taking another bite.
“A greedy man,” said Elenna. She
looked towards Tom, nodding at the
Hooded Man’s sword.
Tom understood in a moment.
His sword is on his right hip – I wear
mine on my left.
He began to look more carefully at
the man. Where his collar hung open,
24
Tom saw a long, deep scar that ran from
his throat to his shoulder.
“How did you get that scar?” asked
Tom.
“It was in a battle with a Beast,” the
Hooded Man muttered, not meeting
Tom’s eyes. “A Beast called...erm,
Arctune. A fearsome monster that
dwelled in the land of…of…Gwiltia…to
the far south of Avantia.”
“I’ve never heard of Gwiltia,” said
Tom.
“How could you? It hasn’t happened
to you yet,” said the man impatiently.
“But I’ve seen maps of Avantia and all
the realms that surround it – and there
is no land called Gwiltia.”
“He’s right!” said Elenna, taking her
bow off her shoulder and setting an
arrow to the string. “Besides – how
could you have visited a land to the far
south of Avantia if you never left the
Warrior’s Road?”
The Hooded Man stared at her in
silence.
Tom drew his sword. “Tell us the
truth,” he demanded.
The man’s cloak started to twitch
and writhe. Deep in the shadows of
the hood, his eyes glowed and grew,
changing colour.
Tom gave a gasp as he saw one green
eye and one orange eye glaring at him.
Silver growled and bared his teeth.
“Stay back!” Tom shouted. “He’s
transforming!”
A moment later the dark cloak
exploded into a seething mass of
snakes. Hissing and spitting, the snakes
slithered away while the Hooded
Man’s form began to bulge, ripping
through his clothing to reveal the
25
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leathery skin beneath.
His head swelled too, his ears
growing pointed, and hung with
golden rings. His legs seemed to
vanish, wreathed in swirling smoke.
The mouth stretched into a hideous
expression that was half fury and half
mocking smile. Tom stumbled back
Standing beside the tables of food, in palace courtyard, the
Hooded Man transforms into Koba…
“A moment later the dark cloak exploded into a
seething mass of snakes. Hissing and spitting, the
snakes slithered away while the Hooded Man’s
form began to bulge, ripping through his clothing
to reveal leathery skin beneath.
His head swelled too, his ears growing pointed, and
hung with golden rings. His legs seemed to vanish,
wreathed in swirling smoke.
The mouth stretched into a hideous expression
that was half fury and half mocking smile. Tom
stumbled back from a blast of reeking breath. The
Beast’s arms unfolded and the fingers flexed to
reveal long forked claws.”
27
from a blast of reeking breath. The
Beast’s arms unfolded and the fingers
flexed to reveal long forked claws.
A fearsome voice burst into Tom’s
head.
“My name is Koba, and you have proved
yourself a worthy opponent!”
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