Free The Curse of the Ice Serpent by Jon Mayhew

creature,’ Borys said, squinting through the porthole. ‘I never would have thought such a beast could exist.’
    ‘My uncle used to tell me stories of the aspidochelone,’ Georgia said, her head shaking in disbelief. ‘A huge sea creature that drags unfortunate sailors and their ships down to the deepest depths after tricking them to land on its back.’
    They powered through the water at an incredible rate, faster than even the Nautilus would normally go. Something heavy cracked against the hull of the sub, making Dakkar flinch.
    ‘Well, we can’t just sit here being dragged along by it,’ he said. ‘We have to cut ourselves free somehow.’
    ‘We could blast the beast with a Sea Arrow,’ Borys suggested. ‘From the size of it, I doubt it would feel a thing but it may break us free.’
    ‘We’d blow ourselves up,’ Dakkar said, frowning. ‘We’re tied too close to the creature’s shell, remember.’
    ‘Could you swim out there?’ Borys said. ‘And cut the rope?’
    Dakkar shuddered. ‘We’re moving too fast – I’d be ripped away from the sub and left far behind.’
    ‘If we can’t come up for air eventually, we’ll suffocate down here,’ Georgia said in a quiet voice.
    Long minutes of silence ran on as each of them struggled to think of a way to cut free from the giant that was dragging them to their doom.
    ‘What if we put the Nautilus into reverse?’ Georgia suggested suddenly, making Dakkar jump.
    ‘We’d be no match for a monster like this!’ Borys snorted. ‘How could we fight its massive strength?’
    ‘We don’t have to!’ Dakkar grinned. ‘Georgia, you’re a wonder!’
    ‘I don’t understand,’ Borys said with a frown.
    ‘Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.’ Georgia grinned. ‘We can just snap the rope. Hold on tight!’ She slammed the drive lever to Backwater and the engines began to whine.
    The whole sub shook as she tried to battle the relentless pull of the massive turtle but something seemed to be aiding them too.
    ‘The drag as we’re pulled along will be in our favour,’ Dakkar said, peering through the darkness of the water. He could just see the vague outline of the rope, taut and quivering as the Nautilus tried to resist the journey of the monster.
    Seaweed and dead fish smacked into the portholes and against the sub as she shuddered. Her engines screamed down below as Georgia pushed the sub to her limit.
    The Nautilus began to veer more violently from side to side as she struggled to free herself of the mooring line that linked her to the turtle’s shell. With a twang , the rope snapped. The sub spun sideways, sending everyone inside hurtling around the cabin. Dakkar found himself flat on his stomach, staring down the hatch into the Nautilus , gasping for breath.
    Georgia sat in the captain’s seat, gritting her teeth and heaving at the wheel, trying to regain control as they whirled through the water like a boomerang. Planks groaned and Dakkar heard supplies clattering from their storage cupboards down below.
    Gradually the Nautilus stopped turning and Georgia, panting, brushed the hair from her face and gave a grin.
    ‘Did it,’ she said.
    Before Dakkar could answer, the chilling shriek of the turtle cut through the water, filling the sub.
    ‘It’s turning round,’ Dakkar said, staring out of the window.
    The turtle’s momentum had carried it into the far distance but it still looked colossal. Dakkar could make out its spiny shell and four massive flippers that pounded the water.
    ‘Do we stand and fight?’ Dakkar wondered aloud.
    ‘With what?’ Georgia murmured. ‘Our Sea Arrows would barely scratch that thing’s armour. No, we gotta hide!’
    ‘Take the Nautilus as deep as you can,’ Borys said. ‘Try to find a reef or rocks to conceal us.’
    ‘But too deep and the sheer weight of the water will crush us,’ Dakkar whispered.
    ‘I can’t see we have much choice,’ Georgia said, pursing her lips and steering the