Free Chasing Evil by Adam Blade Page A

We have to think of a plan.”
    Castor was shaking his head, but he was beginning to calm down. “What, then?”
    Tanner thought for a moment. “I don’t just want to save the boys and find the mask. I want to destroy the armory, so those weapons are never used to bring more harm to Avantia. To do that, we need to get close to their leader — Captain Brutus — and his men. Overpower them. So we need to get in without being noticed.”
    â€œGreat,” Castor said. “But how ?”
    â€œThere must be a way. I don’t know….”
    â€œDisguises,” Gwen said. Tanner turned to her. “We’ll disguise ourselves as captured boys from Castor’s town. We’ll blend in and slip past the soldiers. Then we can get close enough to free the boys and find a way to destroy the armory.”
    Castor sighed. “You make it sound so easy.”
    â€œIt’s a good plan,” Tanner said, clapping Gwen on the shoulder. “We will make them pay for what they’ve done.”
    Castor nodded and put his sword away.
    Tanner looked from him to Gwen. “It’s up to us.”

T anner tugged on a sleeve of his tunic until it ripped and unraveled. He grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it in brown streaks across his clothes. Castor and Gwen did the same. All three of them tore at their tunics, making them ragged and loose. They crushed sandy rock into their hair and patted it across their faces and skin. When they were finished, their faces were so filthy that their eyes seemed startlingly white.
    â€œHow’s that?” Tanner said.
    Castor studied him, then raised a fistful of dirt. “You need more on your chin.” He slapped a black streak across Tanner’s face.
    Tanner laughed and coughed. “I’m pretty sure you could use some more, too,” he said. When Castor jumped back, grinning, Tanner threw a dirt clod at him.
    â€œWhat about me?” Gwen said. “How do I look?”
    Tanner examined her. Gwen’s tunic was crumpled and jagged at the ends, and her trousers were so dirty that she trailed dust when she moved.
    â€œLooks good to me,” Castor said.
    â€œExcept for one thing,” Tanner said. “Your hair.”
    Gwen raised a hand to her blond, tangled braids. They were caked in debris and dirt, but they were still too long. If the guards saw her hair, they’d realize right away that she didn’t belong.
    â€œWhat do we do?” Gwen asked.
    â€œSimple,” Castor said, and he stepped close to grab a lock of her hair. He started to draw his sword.
    â€œNo!” Gwen backed away. “You are not cutting it off.”
    â€œIt’s too long,” Castor said. “You don’t look anything like a boy.”
    â€œHe’s right,” Tanner agreed.
    Gwen yanked up the collar of her tunic and tucked her long hair down the back. “There — it’s dark in the cave, isn’t it? No one will notice.”
    Castor shook his head. “This is crazy. If they see we’ve got a girl with us —”
    â€œI’m coming with you.” Gwen’s voice was steady and fierce. She stared him down. “They attacked my village. They have my brother. This is my battle, too.”
    Before Castor could argue, Tanner said, “Gwen will fight alongside us. She battles harder than any boy I’ve met.”
    Castor shrugged.
    The Beasts watched as Tanner, Castor, and Gwen approached the cave entrance, and when she saw Castor step toward the passageway, Nera bounded to block the entry. Towering between Castor and the cave, Nera clawed the ground, her golden fur standing up on end as her claws sent out a spray of sparks.
    â€œWe’ll be careful,” Castor told her.
    But Nera didn’t move, and when he tried to step past her, she reared back and roared. The sudden, deafening noise jolted Tanner backward.
    He dodged a shower of mountain rocks cascading down