Lucy and the Magic Crystal (2 page)

“That's a great idea, Holly,” said Sophie. “Maybe some of the scorpion fish will help.”

“And some lion fish, too,” added Scarlett. “They are fierce fighters when they have to be. Come on, Sophie, let's go and look for them on the reefs.”

The two friends plunged swiftly under the waves, calling out, “We'll be back soon!”

“Now we need a plan for dealing with Mantora's sea serpents,” said Holly, looking very serious. “But which creatures are big and brave enough to stand up to those monsters?”

The smart young mermaid held her head in her hands and tried to think. Misty and Ellie frowned with concentration, rippling their gleaming tails gently in the water.

Lucy looked down in despair. She was secretly very frightened at the idea of a real battle, and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to come up with any good ideas. But then she gasped. Several huge, silent shapes were floating beneath her, making their way menacingly along the deep seabed.

“I've just thought of something,” Lucy blurted out, looking up at the others.

“What?” asked Holly.

“Sharks!”

“Sharks?” said Ellie, in a worried voice. “Do we really want to get mixed up with sharks?”

“Not all of them are mean, Ellie,” said Lucy.

“But how can we find any?” asked Holly. “The sun is already up and time is running out. We can't just stay here hoping that some will swim by. We have to do something.”

“Well, why don't we ask those sharks down there to help us?” replied Lucy timidly. “They look big enough to scare anybody.”

The mermaids peered down through the blue waves. They saw the majestic outline of some huge fish, slowly swaying along in the deep water below them. These weren't just ordinary sharks; they were whale sharks, some of the largest and most impressive creatures in the whole ocean.

“They would be perfect to frighten off Mantora's sea serpents, Lucy,” exclaimed Holly. “How smart of you.”

Lucy blushed with pleasure.

“Let's go and talk to them,” said Misty eagerly. She flicked her pink tail and dived under the water. Holly followed, but Ellie hesitated.

“Are you sure they're safe, Lucy?” she murmured. “They look so big.”

“Whale sharks are gentle giants really,” replied Lucy. “Don't worry, they won't bite.”

She dived down, with Ellie following cautiously behind. The sharks looked even more powerful when the mermaids got closer. They had immensely long brown bodies, which were dotted all over with white markings. Their smooth, flat heads ended in gigantic, grinning mouths. But Lucy, who was often nervous about all sorts of things, was not in the least bit frightened. The huge sharks seemed to give her courage as they glided silently through the ocean.

“Don't go any farther!” she called to them. “We desperately need your help.
A dangerous enemy is lurking in wait for us. And she's your enemy too!”

The biggest whale shark slowly turned his great head to look at her.

“An enemy?” he said. “What enemy does Yerik the chief shark need to fear?” His mouth opened wide as he spoke, displaying row after row of pointed teeth.

“One who wants to destroy the power of Queen Neptuna and harm the sea and all its creatures,” said Lucy impressively. Then the sharks gathered in a large circle around her. They listened carefully as she explained about the crystals and Mantora's evil troops, lying in wait ahead.

“So now we need an army too,” Lucy said. “It will be the army of Queen Neptuna, defending all the rightful creatures of the ocean against Mantora.”

“We do not fear Mantora,” boomed Yerik, “or her sea serpents. But we are afraid of what will happen to our seas if her Storm Kingdom wins.”

The sharks spoke to each other in their deep voices, while the mermaids waited anxiously.

“Very well,” said Yerik, at last. “We will join your army. And we will frighten
that miserable Mantora and her awful sea serpents so much that they will never return to these waters again!”

All the sharks laughed, opening up their enormous mouths.

“Ha, ha, ha!” they rumbled. They looked very alarming. But Lucy was so grateful to them that she threw her arms around Yerik's nose and kissed him.

“Thank you so much,” gulped Ellie.

Then Lucy noticed Sophie and Scarlett hovering in the clear water, a short distance from the sharks.

“It's all right,” she cried, waving her arms quickly. “Yerik and the other whale sharks are our friends. They're going to help us beat Mantora.”

“Thank goodness,” said Scarlett, with a sigh of relief.

She and Sophie glided gracefully over to the others. A shoal of strange-looking creatures followed them. Brightly striped lion fish, with billowing orange fronds like a mane, swam behind Sophie. Grim-looking scorpion fish, bright red and bristling with sharp spikes, formed a determined rank of soldiers behind Scarlett.

“We can sting Mantora's jellyfish,” they shouted. “We're not afraid of her.”

Lucy's heart began to thump. She hoped none of these brave creatures would be hurt by Mantora.

“Now we must go and tell Chad, the captain of the cormorants, that our army is ready,” declared Holly. The mermaids looked at each other uncertainly. They had never expected this. Queen Neptuna's army was on the move!

It was past midday and the sky was gray and threatening. In the distance, a menacing crowd of ragged gulls swooped and swirled on the wind. The mermaids had reached the far Western Waves.

“We are almost there,” said the cormorant gravely, hovering over the young friends. “Mantora's storm clouds are gathering ahead. Beyond her, Coral
Kingdom is waiting for you. This will be the battleground.”

Battle! Lucy's heart fluttered and she felt sick. She wasn't sure whether she was brave enough to face it. What if a jellyfish stung her? How would she keep track of her crystal in all the noise and confusion?

As though he had read her thoughts, Chad said, “You must stay back when the fighting starts, Sisters of the Sea.”

“No!” Lucy exclaimed. She swallowed hard and steeled herself to be strong. “No matter how scary it is, we're going to face this with you and Yerik and the others. We're all in this together as a team.”

“Of course we are,” said Misty. The others nodded solemnly in agreement.

“Very well,” replied the bird. “Let us
fight for Queen Neptuna and all the creatures of the sea.”

Then Chad and the cormorants flew like black rain in the direction of Mantora's Storm Gulls. The shadowy, underwater shapes of the sharks and fish raced along beneath the great birds to meet their foes. With a rainbow flash of their jeweled tails, the mermaids leaped through the clear waters, speeding along. Queen Neptuna's army was sweeping bravely into battle, chanting their valiant cry: