Free Tagus the Night Horse by Adam Blade

P ROLOGUE

    V ICTOR AWOKE WITH A START. GRABBING HIS sword, he sat up and looked around wildly. It was just before dawn and the sky was beginning to lighten in the east. The coals from last night’s campfire were still glowing red. Victor surveyed the plain — nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
    Must have been a bad dream
, he thought to himself as he settled back onto his bedroll.
    But sleep was the last thing on Victor’s mind. In the last couple of weeks, three separate attacks had struck the cattle drives. None of the cattlemen were getting much sleep at night.
    No one knew who was behind the attacks, but according to the rumors, a horseman was responsible. Victor didn’t know what to think, butone thing was for sure: He was glad the night was almost over.
    Lying on his bedroll, Victor listened to the sounds of the plains. There was a slight breeze rustling the tall prairie grasses and he could hear the last of the crickets chirping softly. Then, a bird called out over the lowing cattle.
    Something wasn’t right. The cattle should be sleeping. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked toward the horizon. The cattle were huddled together more tightly than usual, with their calves grouped in the center — a sign that they felt threatened. But by what?
    Victor thought he could make out the sound of hooves drumming in the distance. Was it just his imagination?
    The cattle began mooing frantically. Victor rose to his feet and stood by the fire’s coals as the sound of hoofbeats drew nearer.
    There, in the red glow of the coals, he saw themysterious horseman. Victor gasped. This was no ordinary horseman! This was something much more horrifying — the torso of a giant man, attached to the body of a powerful stallion. Stumbling backward in fear, Victor stared up at the huge half man–half horse. His dark hair and beard were wildly tangled and the reflection from the campfire had turned his eyes a flaming red.
    The creature reared up on its hind legs, grunting fiercely, its hooves pounding the air. The Beast was ready to charge!
    Victor tried to dive out of the way. But he wasn’t fast enough. One of the Beast’s hooves struck him on the head, knocking him to the ground. The Beast galloped through the fire, scattering the red-hot coals in a flurry of sparks. It flung its head back and roared as the dry grass began to catch fire.
    Dazed, Victor saw the creature charge toward the helpless cattle. Before he could do anything, the pain overcame him and everything went black.

C HAPTER O NE

A T HOUSAND H OOVES
    “I THINK THAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE yet,” said Tom.
    He sat tall in the saddle as he rode down the hills from the north of Avantia on his black horse, Storm. His friend Elenna rode behind him, her arms around his waist. Tom had just released Cypher the giant from the evil spell of the wizard Malvel. They were all tired from the struggle, but Storm kept going. Silver, the wolf, padded quietly after them.
    “I thought I’d be trapped in that cave forever,” Elenna agreed. “Cypher was so angry!”
    “I’d be angry, too, if an evil wizard had enslavedme!” Tom said. He gave a sigh of satisfaction. “But Cypher is free now. There will be no more trouble.”
    “Not from him,” Elenna pointed out. “But we have a new Beast Quest now. How long do you think it will take to reach the plains?”
    “It’s not far,” said Tom. “I hope we’re ready for it, that’s all.” He reached out and touched the saddlebag holding his sword and was reminded of all the challenges he had faced so far.
    “I know you have it in you,” Elenna said, giving him a playful jab. “And don’t forget, you’ve got me to protect you.”
    Tom glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m glad we met in the forest.”
    It was early morning and the sun had just risen. Tom brought Storm to a halt and pulled out his magical map from one of the saddlebags. Elenna peered over his shoulder so she could