Timbers creaked and crashed into the inferno, showering orange sparks. A fire in the building!

Tanner fell back, choking. How could he let it happen?

The sound of laughter made him look up.

A shadow appeared in the midst of the fire. A dark shape, moving. A survivor.

The figure stepped out of the flames. Black armor, cracked and smoking. The warrior wore a dark cloak, and carried a sword dripping with blood. Innocent blood. His face was pale, with a heavy brow, and thin lips twisted into a sneer. One dark eye watched Tanner; the other was hidden behind a leathery piece of a mask.

Derthsin. The warrior who had killed his father.

Tanner couldn’t move as his enemy strode toward him. Every limb felt powerless. Derthsin lifted the sword above his head, and the bronze blade gleamed dimly.

“All of the mask will be mine!” he bellowed.

Tanner knew he was going to die.

The sword descended with a deadly hiss, slicing the air.

Tanner jolted awake. Stars were shining above him. Firepos stirred against his back. Her feathers shimmered gold beneath the moon, and she dipped her huge beak to rest her head against Tanner’s shoulder. The forest below smelled like pine and wet dirt, and a moonlight mist hung in the air. In the trees, the song-birds were roosting, and no wind rustled branches. Even the night noises of owls and crickets were absent.

Derthsin wasn’t here. It had been a bad dream. That was all.

The sweat cooled on Tanner’s skin and he shivered. His grandmother used to say that dreams revealed deep and dark secrets. Esme was dead now, killed by Derthsin’s general, Gor. Tanner had held her body in his arms as blood bubbled from her wounds.

Tanner thought back to his village of Forton, the destroyed home that he had left behind. So much death, all in the name of Derthsin. When Tanner was a boy, Derthsin had killed his father and kidnapped his mother. He had no idea where she was now, but he still thought of her — usually last thing before he fell asleep. Was she out there, somewhere?

In revenge, Firepos had snatched up Derthsin and hurled him into the crater of the Stonewin Volcano. Esme had told him this story over and over. “He fell to his death,” she had said, time and again. “A death he deserved.” But she’d been wrong — Tanner knew that now. Derthsin had survived, clinging to one of Firepos’s feathers, tearing it from her to slow his fall. Now Derthsin had come back to Avantia in fiery visions, instructing General Gor toward more and more devastation. He meant to claim the Mask of Death once more. The mask would allow him to control all the Beasts of Avantia, and beyond that — the kingdom. Tanner didn’t want to find out how far Derthsin could go. He’d seen Derthsin’s lust for power, tasted his evil. He wouldn’t let that man’s dark influence stain his kingdom. Not if I can stop it, Tanner swore to himself. I’d rather die.

A few paces away, Gwen lay with her head nestled deeply in Gulkien’s fur. The wolf’s massive flanks rose and fell gently as the leathery skin of his wings lay folded against his body. Until two days ago, Tanner had believed he was the only Chosen Rider in Avantia, but now he had a friend with her own Beast. His grandmother, as she lay dying in his arms, had sent him to find Jonas the Mapmaker in a neighboring town. Tanner hadn’t found Jonas, but he did stumble across the man’s adopted twins, Gwen and Geffen. He learned that Jonas had been missing for many years. They had already retrieved one piece of the mask, paying dearly for it. And Gwen had the secrets of the map that showed the other pieces, scattered across Avantia. Hidden in a locket that she wore at her throat was a piece of gauze. When she laid it over a map Jonas had left her, the locations of the mask pieces were revealed. If the friends could keep going, if they could find the other three pieces of the mask, Derthsin would never have the power he lusted after.

Tanner watched Gwen sleep as he rested beside Firepos, the warmth from her feathers protecting him from the damp. He couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be torn from Firepos, for his mighty fire bird to answer to Derthsin. Beasts like Firepos and Gulkien were strong — not just with muscle, but with a powerful connection to this land and its people. Tanner had seen how Firepos could sense danger. Imagine if she became a creature of evil? Avantia was already a kingdom of strangers — one village hardly ever saw its neighbors. Most people in the kingdom drew back from the Beasts, on the rare occasions they were spotted. What if the Beasts used this fear to drive people even further apart? Tanner felt himself shudder.

Derthsin had armies, and he had Varlot — a true Beast of evil. Tanner would never forget his first sight of the Beast: half horse, half man. Coated in armor, with terrifying bronze hooves that morphed into human hands, fingers viciously clawing the air.

Tanner smelled a whiff of smoke and looked back into the cave. He saw the profile of a body beneath a blanket beside the campfire — Gwen’s brother, Geffen. Geffen had been snatched by General Gor, but Gwen and Tanner had managed to rescue him from the suffocating embrace of the man’s evil. Gor had been swept away on an avalanche of water and rocks, created by Firepos. If they hadn’t grabbed Geffen, he’d be dead now, too.

Embers smoldered and cast deep shadows across the other boy’s profile. The smoke thickened in low clouds and filled the air with the pungent smell of burning. Too much burning …

Tanner sprang up and ran into the cave. “Geffen!” he called. His blanket had caught fire from a glowing ember sitting on a corner of the felted wool.

But the boy didn’t move.

“What is it?” asked Gwen, sitting up sleepily.

Tanner flung the blanket aside. A pile of firewood, arranged in the rough shape of a body. Tanner swiveled around, his eyes scanning the cave. Where was the piece of the mask that had lain beside the fire? Geffen had been looking at it last night, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he inspected the thick, leathery skin of the mask, which was hewn from an ancient Beast’s face. Tanner still shuddered whenever he saw the pieces of the mask — wizened skin as dark as coal, the shrunken crease of an eyelid and puckered lips peeled back in a wolfish grin. The Beast, Anoret, had once looked out from this face. Growing up, Tanner had heard stories about the first Beast of Avantia, born of fire. Legend had it that all other Beasts were descended from Anoret.

“Geffen?” said Gwen. Now fully alert, she leaped to her feet and had her rapier drawn. The braids in her white-blond hair hung loosely.

“He’s gone!” said Tanner, kicking the wood angrily across the cave. “And he’s taken the piece of the mask with him!”

Gwen rushed back to the cave entrance. She called out her brother’s name over the trees beyond.

“Geffen! Geffen! Where are you? Come back!”

Gulkien, lifting his head, howled at her side. His lips curled back as he sent a call out across the air, his leathery wings stretching wide as he clambered to his feet. The wolf waited, his ears pricked. Nothing. He settled back down on the ground and looked at Gwen, licking his lips. His eyes spoke his understanding. Gulkien realized that Geffen had betrayed them. How long would it take Gwen to accept the same?

“We have to find him!” said Gwen. “He might be in danger.”

Tanner shook his head. “Don’t you see? He’s abandoned us. He’s taken the piece of the mask.”

Gwen frowned at him. “No,” she muttered. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“You must have seen how he was looking at the mask last night,” said Tanner. “He waited until we were all asleep, then scurried off like a rat. I knew we couldn’t trust him.”

“Then why did you help to rescue him! Don’t talk nonsense. That’s my brother — he wouldn’t do this to me. To us.” Gwen’s face was pale as she looked out across the landscape, her eyes scouring the horizon. She can’t bear to look at me, Tanner thought. In her heart, she knows I’m right. Gulkien growled beside her, lifting his black lips to reveal fangs as long as Tanner’s hand. Warning him not to make Gwen even more upset.

Tanner looked out hopelessly over the forest and fields. Pink dawn was pushing back the black curtain of night, and pale clouds streaked the sky. Geffen could be anywhere.

“Well, whatever has happened,” said Tanner, “we need to find him. And fast.”

“Why?” Gwen spat. “Because you’re concerned for his welfare, or because you want your precious piece of mask back?”

“It’s not my precious mask,” Tanner argued. “I’m doing all this for the sake of Avantia. Or had you forgotten?”

Gwen shook her head in disgust. “And why does Avantia need you, in particular? Geffen and I were happy before you arrived in our town. Now he’s disappeared.”

“Happy? Your town was being attacked!” He couldn’t believe that Gwen was being so stubborn. Why wouldn’t she accept that her brother had betrayed them? I didn’t ask for any of this, either, Tanner thought. He’d seen death, been torn from his home and forced into a fight against evil. He’d done exactly what had been asked of him — and more.

Gwen sheathed her rapier and went back into the cave. She snatched up the blanket and held it under Gulkien’s snout. “You’ll help me, won’t you?” she said. The wolf sniffed, his pale eyes widening as he took in the scent. Gwen put a hand on his neck, and he lowered himself so she could climb onto his back, nestling in his thick fur.

“You take to the air,” she said coldly to Tanner, still not looking at him. “We’ll find his trail on the ground.”

Tanner nodded and hoisted himself into the space between Firepos’s wings. The flame bird ruffled her tawny feathers. With a nudge from Tanner’s feet, she spread her mighty wings and sprung from the ledge, falling for a heartbeat before climbing into the dawn sky on thrusting wings.

Gulkien, with the thin membranes of his wings pressed tight against his body, leaped into the gorse below, scattering loose rocks. With perfect balance, he half slid, half clambered down the steep slope, and Gwen clung tightly to his fur. At the bottom, he paused at the tree line, nose tight to the ground. Taut muscles shifted along the wolf’s broad back. As Gulkien smelled the trees, he snorted, and Tanner saw the curls of huge fangs in his mouth. His yellow eyes glittered like molten gold. He plunged into the trees, with a spray of leaves and pine needles.

Tanner steered Firepos in pursuit, the wind blasting his face. The forest below was a dense, dark green. They soared higher, cutting through strands of pure, wet cloud. Beyond the forest, fields of yellowing wheat crisscrossed with dirt roads and animal paths. Avantia glowed in the morning sunlight, grass rippling like waves. But nowhere was there a sign of the boy.

Below them, Gulkien streaked across a forest clearing, leaping over a clump of boulders, then into the trees again. Even if Tanner couldn’t see Geffen from up here, the scent down below must have been strong. Tanner’s anger burned. We’ve been through so much to find the mask. And now Gwen’s brother had run off with the prize. Why?

Beneath them, the trees ended. Gulkien paused, panting for breath. From Firepos’s back, Tanner squinted into the sun. There was a shape on the far horizon — the tiny figure of someone running. Tanner felt in his tunic and pulled out his Looking Crystal. The oblong of opaque stone, inherited from his father, allowed him to see far into the distance. Lifting it to his eye, the swirling white faded away and a boy snapped into view. Geffen. Gwen’s brother clutched the leathery fragment of Derthsin’s mask in one hand. As Tanner watched, Geffen disappeared over the crest of a hill.

Tanner swooped down, calling out to Gwen over the rush of wind: “I see him! Just ahead. Follow me!”

Gwen pulled Gulkien’s head around, and the Beast set off once more, racing with strides twenty paces long. They were approaching the low hill. Tanner squeezed Firepos’s flanks and the flame bird beat her wings faster. He could sense the Beast’s excitement. We’ve almost got you!

They broke over the crest of the hill. The sight made Tanner lurch back: hundreds of soldiers, formed into neat ranks, their arrows trained into the sky. They were led by the familiar silhouette of General Gor.

These troops contained new soldiers; Tanner saw this right away. Some of the men had armor that was more highly polished, the tips of their spears glinting with the smooth metallic shine of weapons that had not yet seen warfare. Even from this distance, Tanner could see how fresh some of the men’s faces were. They’re new recruits, Tanner realized. As quickly as he’d defeated Gor’s men in the mountains, the general had found replacements to bolster the missing soldiers from his army.

So Gor’s still alive. Tanner had been certain that the general had died in the torrent during their last fight. Clearly, he’d survived. But how had General Gor known where to meet Geffen? Had he … Tanner thought back to how Gor had failed to push Geffen out of Firepos’s grasp. The flame bird had easily swept the boy up, to return him to his sister. Too easily? Had this been part of Gor’s last, desperate plan — to let Geffen come back to his friends? Had the two of them had a pre-arranged meeting place?

There was no time left to think. General Gor, mounted on his black stallion and wearing his dragon-snouted helmet, lifted his arm and pointed at Tanner.

He shouted: “Fire!”