High adventure under the low seas, as one extraordinary boy, finds his destiny. Andee the Aquanaut becomes the greatest eco-warrior of all time.
This fast action story will appeal to children ages 8 through 16 as it takes them through Andee's transf...
Andee and Yolanda swam deep into the dark, icy waters, which chilled through to their bones. Up ahead grew a thick forest of kelp.
"There, Yolanda. We can hide under those giant leaves."
Quickly, they dove between the plants, peering behind them in fear.
Zadora and her guards were searching for them with their spears raised, ready for attack. Andee and Yolanda clung to the kelp, swaying rapidly back and forth in the currents. Zadora and the guards drew closer, but they had to be cautious of the deadly creatures lurking in the shadows.
As night fell, the Black Sea became cloaked in darkness.
Like flaming torches, two monster eyes pierced the deep. A roar vibrated the current, and out of the blackness, a prehistoric serpent emerged. It ploughed toward the kelp, chasing a shoal of fish. With a lunge, the serpent struck, snapping a monster fish in its mouth, biting it clean in half with one swift blow of its jaws. The half-eaten fish plummeted into the kelp.
Yolanda screamed. Andee dragged her away just in time. But Zadora spotted them. She jabbed her trident.
"There!" she hissed.
"Quick, Yolanda! She's seen us!" Andee kicked away with all his might, but the serpent circled for another attack, roaring, with its gargantuan jaws wide.
"Swim, Andee!" Yolanda shrieked.
Zadora bared an evil grin. "Perhaps the serpent will do the work for us," she cackled.
Though they both swam as fast as they could, the serpent gained on them "We can't outswim him, Yolanda. He's too fast! We must find somewhere to hide!"
Andee spied a small crevice in a coral rock below. There's only room for one of us, he thought.
"Down, there!" He pointed. "I can see somewhere to hide, Yolanda." They swooped to the crevice, where Andee pushed Yolanda inside. "You'll be safe here," he said.
"Andee!" No! What about you!? Yolanda shrieked. "Look out!"
Andee spun around to face the serpent's jaws. "Use your suit," Andee heard a voice echo in his mind. "Use your suit, Andee. Think and feel and become one with your suit."
Andee shot out of the way just as the serpent bit down hard. Crunch! The serpent got a mouthful of coral. It roared, rocks spilling from his mouth, then gave chase.
Andee was now swimming faster than ever before—so fast Yolanda, Zadora, and the guards couldn't even see him. He zoomed, circling the sea serpent until he was just a blur. The serpent couldn't give chase anymore.
Changing its course, it slowed. Just as it turned its head, it caught a glimpse of Zadora and the guards, and lunged in attack. It grabbed one of her men by the tail, flipped him over, and bit him in half.
Andee gasped as the guard's tail sank to the seabed. The remaining guard shrieked with fear. "We must turn back," hollered the guard, turning to flee. "The boy is too fast for us now, and we cannot fight the serpent."
The Black Sea filled with green goo as the serpent finished off the remains of the guard. Roars came from every direction. The scent was attracting all the creatures from the deep.
Whoosh! Another serpent came soaring into view. It grabbed the remaining guard by the arm and dragged him away as he screamed in a cloud of bubbles.
Only Zadora was left. Hissing with contempt, she propelled her tail, heading back toward the hole in the wall. Soon, she was no longer visible.
Meanwhile, Andee paddled to Yolanda. "Come on," he called. "We have to get out of here! There're too many of them now. We need to go back!"
She did not respond.
"Come on, Yolanda, hurry! There's no time to lose; more will attack!"
"I—I can't move." Yolanda groaned. "My tail ... it's stuck!"
She had dug herself down so tightly that her tail had slipped through the coral rock and out the other side. She couldn't pull it free. Andee gasped as he realized their fate. He glanced over his shoulder at the monster charging them!
Then the voice struck through his mind again. "Control your mind, Andee! Use the power of your suit."
Andee's brows slanted with determination as he clenched his fists. The serpent's shadow grew over him and Yolanda. He faced its mangled teeth. With all his might, he punched out both his arms. As he did so, a tremendous vibration shot out from his body in a massive force. It shone across the Black Sea; everything in its wake was stopped dead-still, suspended in the water. The sea serpent, inches from his body with its jaws drooling and teeth dripping, was now stunned!
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Andee stood there in amazement; he couldn't believe what had just happened. Had all this power really come from his suit? He brought his arms down slowly and studied his hands, then stared back at the sea serpent suspended in front of him.
He turned to Yolanda. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Andee held out his arm, pulling his hand into a fist. "Cover your face; I'm going to try something," he commanded.
Yolanda turned away as a ray of light shot out from his fist, cutting through the coral, freeing her tail. He held out his other arm and said, "Take my hand, now. We need to get out of here. I don't know how long these creatures will stay stunned!"
Yolanda grabbed Andee's hand, and they both shot up from the reef like shooting stars. He raced toward the kingdom at lightning speed. As they approached the wall, they saw Zadora. She had tried to move the rock herself to block their way. Her arm was trapped.
She hissed at Andee as she struggled to free herself, but she was stuck tight.
"She's trapped," cried Yolanda.
Andee's brows furrowed as he swam toward her. "Stay behind me," he ordered. He closed his eyes and pushed out both his arms. Zadora let out a cry as she accepted her fate.
"No!" shouted Yolanda. "Don't do it!"
Two rays of light shot out from his hands and focused with laser precision onto the rock. Slowly, Andee lifted the rock up and out of the way.
Zadora was shocked, realizing she was free, and he hadn't destroyed her. Without a word, she fled toward the kingdom.
"Swim through now, Yolanda," Andee said. "Quickly!"
Yolanda darted through with Andee following. He held the rock suspended in the water, then gently lowered the stone, blocking the entrance. They both kicked up to the surface.
Yolanda flung her arms around him. "You saved her, Andee," she said, "even though she was evil and tried to kill you."
They hugged for a moment in the Moonlit glade revealing their bond for each other. Andee released her and said, "What do we do now?"
"We need to tell my father. We must warn him about Zadora. She was going to kill us and take the gold!"
"You're right; she must be dealt with. The king needs to know all about her."
He glanced down to check if the locket was still safe in his suit and verified no gold showed.
"Come on," he said, "let's go to the king now before it's too late!"
