Sepron the Sea Serpent by Adam Blade Read Free Book Online

P ROLOGUE

    C ALUM LOOSENED THE ROPE AND LET THE SAIL down. The fishing boat rocked gently on the waves. His father, Matt, began to cast the net out, whistling softly through his teeth as he worked.
    “I don’t know why we bother,” he grumbled. “We haven’t caught any fish in weeks.”
    “They say there’s something out here,” Calum replied, scanning the vast sea. “A sea monster that has scared the fish away.”
    Matt dismissed the idea with a snort. “That’s just an old wives’ tale.”
    Calum kept eyeing the horizon. Nothing broke the surface of the steel gray waters except for a steep, rocky islet not far from the beach.
    “I’m not so sure,” he said. “Uncle Hal told me he saw a dark shape in the water last time he took his boat out. ‘Something big,’ he said.”
    “Driftwood or seaweed most likely.” Matt snorted again. “Here, son, give me a hand with this rope.”
    Calum and Matt hauled the net in. It was empty.
    “Useless,” said Matt.
    He cast the net out again. As Calum watched it sink into the depths of the water, he spotted something between the boat and the shore. It looked as if the sea was boiling. It churned and foamed, causing waves to crash against the sides of their boat.
    “Look!” he cried, pointing. “Over there!”
    Matt turned, grabbing the edge of the boat as it started to rock dangerously. Out of the sea rose a monstrous head with a long, slender neck. Its thick scales were covered with barnacles and seawater streamed down its sides. A collar around the serpent’s neck glinted in the sunshine.
    Matt let out a yell. “What is it?”
    Calum scrambled for the rope to raise the sail, but it was too late. The beast’s neck arched, its giant head looming over the boat. Calum stared up into its cold eyes. Choking with terror, he saw the creature’s jaws gape open, a forked tongue emerged through rows of razor-sharp teeth. In a swift motion, the beast brought its head down and clamped its jaws shut. Its teeth snapped the boat’s mast and sent splinters down on Calum and Matt like rain.
    Seawater sloshed over Calum as the boat smashed around him. Cowering, he wrapped his arms around his head. He squeezed his eyes shut tight in fear as the roaring of the sea monster echoed all around him.
    And then, all of a sudden, everything became eerily silent.

C HAPTER O NE

    T HE R OAD TO THE W EST
    T OM BROUGHT S TORM TO A HALT AT THE FOOT of a rocky slope. He and Elenna slid to the ground so that the horse could rest. Silver the wolf flopped down beside them and let his tongue loll out as he panted.
    The hill where they had met Ferno the Fire Dragon had vanished into the distance. Now Tom and Elenna were heading westward on the next stage of their Beast Quest.
    Tom’s heart began thumping as he remembered how they had freed Ferno. It had been a dangerous mission and Tom felt lucky to have survived unscathed.
    “I can’t believe you leaped up on his wing!” Elenna said, guessing what Tom was thinking about.
    “It wouldn’t have helped much if you hadn’t shot that arrow up to me with the key tied to it,” Tom replied. “I’d never have gotten his collar off without that.”
    “What you did was still the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” Elenna insisted.
    “We
both
freed Ferno,” Tom said firmly. “And now Avantia will have water again.” Tom grinned as he remembered the way Ferno, once he was free, had smashed the rocks that were damming the river.
    While Tom was remembering their first adventure, Silver leaped up and let out an impatient yelp.
    Elenna turned to Tom, a determined look in her eyes. “We’d better push on,” she said.
    Tom could still hear the words of the WizardAduro echoing in his ears. The dark magic of Malvel had turned all the Beasts of Avantia evil. Freeing Ferno the Fire Dragon was only the first of his tasks. Excitement and anticipation bubbled up inside Tom as he recalled Aduro’s words — that it was his duty to save his people. But he