Icespell by C.J. Busby Read Free Book Online Page B

anywhere, even if he has turned himself into a bird. Besides, only Pendragon could have turned himself into a pink kestrel.”
    Max ground his teeth at his inability to communicate just what he thought of Snotty, but before he could even screech, Snotty looked up and shook his head.
    “You know, I never thought you’d actually do it. Lady Morgana has been keeping a close eye on your progress with Merlin, and she said you would – you’d take the bait and you’d do the spell. Turns out she was right, as usual. And she’s only two days away frombeing queen now, so you’d better watch out. If you show any signs of finding out how to reverse the spell before she gets here, I’ve been given the job of sorting you out… And it will be my pleasure.” He smiled, and his eyes gleamed with malice. “In fact, maybe I’ll just do it anyway, before you get a chance. What do you think, Jerome? Roast kestrel for supper?”
    He reached behind for his bow, and had an arrow on the string before Max could blink. Max took off just as he loosed it, and the arrow whistled past his tail feathers as he soared rapidly into the sky, seething with rage.
    Snotty Hogsbottom! One of these days he was going to find a way to get even with that slimy no-good poisonous slug’s backside. But in the meantime, he was not going to let Snotty find out where they were going. Drawing on every bit of magic he could mentally lay his hands on while also trying to control his wings, Max flung a misdirection spell out behind him. With any luck, it would at least slow Snotty down while they got a chance to consult Great-Aunt Wilhelmina.

The Dragon’s Cave
    I t turned out that Vortigern had been a little over-optimistic about the time it would take to get to Great-Aunt Wilhelmina’s cave. Even if they’d flown non-stop it would have been afternoon by the time they got there. As it was, with fairly frequent stops for a rest and a paddle and a lot of catching fish, the sun was low over the horizon when they finally crested the last hill and saw the land give way to endless blue sea.
    Max blinked, dazzled for a moment by the brightness of the sun reflecting off the water, and glided down to a stunted old tree by the shore. The sea was startlingly blue, with constantly shifting, peeling waves smashing down in spumes of spray, one after the other, as they rolled into the shore. The water swirled round jagged rocks and ran up the pebbly beach before being sucked back with a rattling roar into the oncoming waves.
    Max had seen the sea once or twice before, but not for a few years. He rested, gripping the branch he was perched on tightly, as gusts of wind buffeted him and blew his feathers all the wrong way, tasting the salt in the air and watching the gulls wheeling overhead. They were dancing in and out of each other’s way, occasionally getting caught by the spray from a particularly huge wave and calling out in their harsh voices.
    â€œIsn’t it brilliant?” gasped Olivia, as she landed beside him. “I’d forgotten how big the sea is. And how wild!”
    â€œQuack!” said Vortigern, landing just by the tree in a not very elegant flurry of wings. “Bit windy!”
    Next moment, Adolphus too had dropped out of the sky next to them, and a very ruffled-looking Ferocious had crawled thankfully off his back, trying to smooth his fur back to its normal sleekness.
    â€œTail and whiskers! We’re here at last. I almost think I might let you turn me into a bird for the trip back, Max. I’d forgotten that Adolphus flies like a maniac crossed with a bouncing ball. Nearly fell off a hundred miles back and haven’t dared move ever since…”
    â€œUmm, Max,” said Olivia, with one eye on the seagulls wheeling close by. “I think we’d better be human again, if you can manage it. Those birds aren’t looking very friendly.”
    Max looked up. She was right. The gulls were not best pleased to be