Free Luna the Moon Wolf by Adam Blade Page B

Storm sensed the excitement and whinnied. Silver gave a short, sharp bark.
    Tom gazed out over the landscape, shading his eyes with his hand. In the distance he could just make out a dark mass of trees. He pointed.
    â€œThat looks like the Dark Wood!” he said. “Let’s check.”
    From his pocket he pulled out the magic compass his uncle had given him. It showed two possible destinations — Destiny or Danger . He held the compass in front of them. At once the needle swung around and pointed.
    Destiny.
    â€œNo doubt about it,” said Tom. “That’s where we must go.”
    â€œIt’s a long way,” said Elenna. “We won’t get there before tomorrow. It’ll take us the rest of the day to get down this mountain.”
    Tom put the compass back in his pocket.
    â€œWe don’t have that long,” he said. “My father’s life depends on us. We’ve got to find a faster way to get down the mountain!”
    â€œAnd break our necks?” Elenna asked. She was right. Tom would be safe if he fell, protected by the tear in his shield given to him by Cypher the Mountain Giant, many Quests ago. But the others would be in grave danger.
    Tom peered down the sheer slope of the mountain, thinking hard. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as an idea flashed into his mind.
    â€œI know just what we need to do,” he said, turning to his friend.

“W HAT’S THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN two points?” asked Tom.
    â€œA straight line,” said Elenna.
    â€œRight,” said Tom. “So the quickest way off this mountain is …”
    â€œStraight down!” said Elenna, a smile brightening her face. “But how?”
    â€œYou’ve got a rope, haven’t you?” Tom asked.
    Elenna delved into her quiver and brought out a coil of rope, thin but strong. Tom glanced at a boulder lying on the path. “Perfect! We can tie one end of the rope around that rock.”
    Elenna passed the rope around the boulder and double-knotted it. She tugged to make sure the rope held firm, then nodded at Tom. He went to the edge of the path and looked down. The cliff face was a sheer drop. Far below, he could see where the path, a tiny wiggly line, emerged onto the lower slopes.
    â€œWhat about the animals?” said Elenna, glancing over at Storm and Silver, who were waiting patiently.
    â€œWithout us they can go much faster,” said Tom. “They can follow the path and meet us at the bottom.”
    â€œAre you sure the rope’s long enough?” asked Elenna.
    â€œThere’s only one way to find out,” Tom told her. He flung the rope over the edge of the cliff. They heard the whoosh of it snaking through the air. Tom and Elenna peered down and saw the end swinging far below.
    â€œIf we get to the end of the rope and it’s too far to jump down to the ground,” said Elenna, “we’ll be stuck. We won’t have the strength to climb all the way back up again.”
    Tom knew Elenna was right, but he wasn’t about to give up now. “I’ll go first,” he told his friend.
    He grasped the rope, turned around, and lowered himself over the side. Silver peered down at him inquisitively, as if he were trying to figure out what Tom was doing.
    â€œThe moment of truth,” said Tom, grinning up at Elenna. He hoped he looked braver than he felt.
    He swung out from the cliff face, dangling in empty air. The effort of clinging to the rope turned his hands white, but he managed to get the rope gripped between his knees. That felt more secure! Slowly, he made his way down, hand over hand.
    Tom looked up and saw Elenna, Storm, and Silver all peering over the top of the cliff, watching him.
    â€œDon’t get too close to the edge!” he called up. Then he stared straight ahead at the cliff face.
    His arms ached and his muscles trembled. Come on, I can do this , he told himself. An icy wind blew and the