Beast Quest #3: Cypher the Mountain Giant Read Free

as Elenna approached.
    “I was so scared,” said Elenna, hugging Tom tight. “I thought we were going to be killed.”
    “Me, too,” gasped Tom. His legs felt wobbly and he leaned against Storm for support.
    “You’re freezing,” said Elenna.
    Tom saw that Elenna was shivering, too, and her face was pale. This wasn’t the time to show weakness. He had to be strong. “I’m all right,” he said. “I’ll warm up once we get moving.”
    Elenna nodded. “Good idea. Let’s get to safer ground and then make camp.”
    The four of them hiked cautiously toward the outcropping of rock Tom had spotted earlier. The rain had stopped, but the ground was still thick with mud. Each step took great effort as they made their way up.
    By the time they reached the rocks, the sun had set. The air had grown colder and it was too dark to see. Guided only by starlight, Tom and Elenna found a cave in the rock wall.
    “Let’s make camp in here,” Tom suggested. Hecould tell from the look on Elenna’s face that she was scared.
    “What if there’s another mudslide?” she asked. “We could be trapped inside.”
    Tom had considered the same thing himself, but he knew they didn’t have a choice. It was too cold and dangerous to spend the night without some shelter. They would have to take their chances.
    The four of them entered the cave. It smelled damp and echoed with their footsteps. Silver eyed the place suspiciously and sniffed around. Satisfied, he padded over to Elenna and curled up next to her. As Tom laid out his bedroll, he wished they could have a warm fire. He could feel his stomach growling with hunger, but that would have to wait. Before he could suggest they build a fire or cook some dinner, he was overcome with exhaustion and fell asleep.

I N THE S HADOW OF THE M OUNTAINS
     
    T OM AND E LENNA AWOKE LATE AS THE SUN shone brightly into the mouth of the cave. Every muscle in Tom’s body ached. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around at the cave walls. It had been too dark — and he had been too tired — to notice them the night before.
    On the walls were drawings made with ancient charcoal. They seemed to be telling a story. Tom recognized what looked like jagged mountains, and simple pictures of men with spears and clubs. On another wall were the same mountains andwhat looked like an enormous hand. Tom took the key from around his neck and looked back at the drawings on the cave wall. This key had freed Ferno and Sepron — would it free Cypher as well?
    As Tom was studying the cave drawings, Elenna woke up. “What are they?” she asked.
    “I don’t know,” said Tom. “But it looks like someone knew about the giant long ago.”
    “It’s late. We should get moving,” Elenna said, gathering up her bedroll.
    “All right,” Tom agreed, tearing his eyes away from the cave’s walls. He took hold of Storm’s reins and followed Elenna to the mouth of the cave.
    They stood blinking in the sunlight. The mudslide had left a thick scar on the landscape, blocking the main trail. To get around it, they would have to follow the muddy scar down into the next valley. Then it was a long climb back upto the other side of the trail. Tom and Elenna walked beside Storm with Silver bounding at their heels.
    When they reached the top, they found themselves looking upon a range of mountains stretching toward the horizon.
    Elenna gasped. “That’s amazing!” Tom led the way down a path in the shadow of the mountains. The hill was steep, with a cliff on one side. There were lots of loose pebbles and Tom had to pick his way carefully. One wrong step and it would be a very long fall.
    Tom looked at his map. Then he looked around. “This is strange,” he said. “We should have reached Colton by now. But it’s nowhere to be seen.”
    “Maybe we’ll see something from the top of this hill,” said Elenna, pointing at the gentle slope in front of them.
    They climbed carefully, their feet slipping and sliding in the