Never Trust a Troll! by Kate McMullan Read Free Book Online

blue scales.
    “Want to see something great?” asked Bubbles, blinking his bright blue eyes. “Watch this.”
    Bubbles flipped over onto his back. He stuck one webbed foot up into the air and pointed his claws. Then his leg sank slowly until the claws disappeared. The moat water bubbled like crazy.
    Suddenly, Bubbles burst up out of the water, spinning like a top. He stopped spinning, and cried, “Tah-dah!”
    “That was super!” called Bilge.
    “Yeah!” called Maggot.
    “Do it again!” called Dudwin, clapping.
    “Class I!” yelled Erica. “Do not be fooled! Bubbles is dangerous!”
    “Oh, come on,” said Aggie. “Look at him. He’s cute!”
    Bubbles smiled and blinked his big blue eyes. “Want to see more?”
    “Yes!” cried the Class I lads and lasses.
    “More!” cried Grock, running out from behind the rock. “More, dragon!” He ran to the edge of the moat.
    Bubbles sniffed and wrinkled his nose, as if he smelled something he didn’t like. Then he dove under the water and came up again some distance away from Grock.
    “Here I go!” called Bubbles. “Watch this!”
    The dragon swam in a circle, fluttering one wing over the water. He did a porpoise dive and disappeared. Then he came up again, feet first, laying himself calmly on top of the water. Next, he began twisting and turning and flipping like a seal.
    Wiglaf had to admit that Bubbles had talent. He began to wonder-was Bubbles really dangerous?
    When the dragon finished his water ballet, he swam to the edge of the moat closest to Erica.
    “You seem to be in charge here, lass,” he said.
    “You got that right, Bubbles!” said Erica.
    “Then will you be so kind as to ask Sir Trom to come out here for a moment?” he asked.
    “Bubbles,” said Erica. “You have two choices. You can go away and never come back. Or we can slay you. You decide.”
    Bubbles smiled. “No. YOU have two choices,” he said. “You can go and get Sir Trom, or—”
    Erica cut him off. “Never!” she cried.
    “Have it your way, lass,” said Bubbles.
    The dragon dipped his mouth into the moat.
    Wiglaf heard a loud sucking sound. The water in the moat began to get shallower and shallower. Eels started jumping all over the place.
    As the level of the water in the moat went down, Bubbles’s body grew bigger and bigger. His head looked small now on top of his great, bloated belly.
    “Yahhhh!” cried Grock as the dragon expanded. He ran back to his hiding place behind the rock.
    Bubbles grew to an enormous size. When he had sucked nearly all the water out of the moat, Professor Pluck stuck his head out of the slit in the castle wall. He shouted, “ P eter P iper p icked a p eck of p ickled p eppers!”
    Bubbles raised his head. Now he was almost as huge as the DSA castle.
    “GET SIR TROM!” Bubbles bellowed. “OR GET YOUR SURFBOARDS—YOU DECIDE!”

Chapter 9
    “H old it! Hold it!” Mordred came running down the drawbridge. “Don’t go flooding my school, Bubbles. Let’s talk!”
    “WHO ARE YOU?” asked Bubbles.
    “Mordred de Marvelous,” said Mordred. “Headmaster of Dragon Sla—errr, this school. This fellow you call Sir Trom is one of my teachers.”
    “SEND SIR TROM OUT NOW!” Bubbles shouted. “OR MEET A WATERY DOOM!”
    “Sir Mort—er, Sir Trom—has had an unfortunate accident,” said Mordred. “Fell into the moat and knocked himself out.”
    “BRING HIM TO ME,” said Bubbles.
    “I could do that,” said Mordred. “If you promise not to send a tidal wave over my castle.”

    “YOU HAVE MY WORD,” said the dragon.
    “All right,” said Mordred. “I’ll have someone carry him outside.”
    “Sir! No!” cried Wiglaf. “You can’t do that!”
    “It wouldn’t be a fair fight!” called Erica.
    “It would be shabby!” called Janice.
    “For shame, Uncle Mordred!” called Angus.
    “Oh, be quiet, you little goodie-goodies,” said Mordred. He chewed on his fingernails for a moment, thinking. “Listen, Bubbles,” he said