Katie and the Snow Babies

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  The Mermaid S.O.S. series

  For the lovely Simone

  —G. S.

  For the St. Mary’s girls—

  Katherine, Liz, Angela, and Helen

  —Love H. T.

  Prologue

  When the evil mermaid Mantora tried to destroy Coral Kingdom, she was outwitted by Misty and her young mermaid friends. Now she is hatching another terrible plot! This time it is against Ice Kingdom, the frozen realm of Princess Arctica.

  Mantora has stolen six precious snow diamonds from the underwater Ice Cavern. Not only that, she has trapped Princess Arctica and her good Merfolk in a huge cage of enchanted icicles, so they cannot follow her.

  Unless the snow diamonds are quickly returned to the Ice Cavern, the whole of Ice Kingdom will be destroyed and the distant southern lands will be flooded with melted ice.

  Only Princess Arctica’s courageous young mermaids—Amber, Katie, Megan, Jess, Becky, and Poppy—are small enough to slip through the jagged bars of Mantora’s frosty cage. They are Sisters of the Sea, who are loyal to the Mermaid Pledge:

  We promise that we’ll take good care

  Of all sea creatures everywhere.

  We’ll never hurt and never break,

  We’ll always give and never take.

  And as we fight Mantora’s threat,

  This saying we must not forget:

  “I’ll help you and you’ll help me,

  For we are Sisters of the Sea!”

  Katie and her friends vow to find the snow diamonds, before their frosty home melts forever. They set off on their quest, taking with them only Princess Arctica’s blessing and their stardust lockets.

  Mantora has left behind a trail of cryptic clues about where she has hidden the diamonds. Can Katie and her friends solve Mantora’s riddling rhymes and rescue the snow diamonds in time to save Ice Kingdom?

  If you cannot find the diamonds,

  The ice will start to melt.

  On all sides of the ocean,

  The danger will be felt.

  No more will seals and polar bears

  Enjoy their snowy home,

  The seas will rise, the lands will flood—

  Storm Kingdom will have come!

  So try to solve the riddling clues

  Of Mantora’s cruel game,

  But if you fail to work them out,

  The world won’t be the same …

  Katie

  Chapter One

  “What does it say, Amber?” asked Katie. The Sisters of the Sea were gathered on the ice, next to the cold, deep waves. Amber was holding a sinister purple parchment, covered with spidery black writing. It was a message from their enemy, Mantora, who had stolen and hidden the precious snow diamonds.

  Katie and her brave young friends—Amber, Megan, Jess, Becky, and Poppy—had vowed that they would find all the diamonds in time to save Ice Kingdom. They already found the first one when they rescued Benjy, a baby beluga whale, from an underwater trap. Now Benjy and his family were swimming freely in the sparkling water that lapped against the ice edge.

  Amber looked up anxiously. “It’s the clue to find the second snow diamond,” she said. “I’m too nervous to read it. Could you do it please, Katie?”

  Katie pushed her long dark braid over her shoulder, smoothed out the parchment, and began to read aloud:

  “Where the kings of the ice

  Meet the lords of the sea,

  A diamond falls from the sky—

  Very strange, you’ll agree!

  So search high and low,

  If you want to save your snow!”

  “Mantora has written something else underneath,” she added.

  “You may have found the first

  diamond, you little busybodies, but

  it is useless without the other five.

  I’m giving you a chance to find the

  second one, though. All you

  have to do is solve my riddle—fast!”

  “Oh, this clue is so hard,” groaned Megan. “What does it mean—‘kings of the ice’ and ‘lords of the sea’?”

  All the mermaids looked puzzled. Then Becky said shyly, “My father says that the polar bear is the king of the ice. Does that help?”

  “Polar bears!” said the others. “Of course, they are stronger than any of the other creatures who roam the icy lands.”

  “But what about the ‘lords of the sea’?” asked Jess, running her fingers through her dark curls. “Who could they be?”

  Benjy poked his friendly face above the waves and cried out, “We’re the lords of the sea, aren’t we, Dad?”

  His father looked up as he glided past.

  “That’s what we whales like to think, Benjy,” he said, blowing heavily. “The walruses wouldn’t agree, though. They think they are the finest creatures in the whole of Ice Kingdom!”

  The young friends looked at each other uncertainly. Could the second clue be about the huge, stately walruses? They were surely splendid enough to be called lords.

  “So maybe we need to go where we can see polar bears and walruses together,” said Katie slowly. “‘Where the kings of the ice meet the lords of the sea’… isn’t that what it says?”

  “The best place for that is Walrus Point,” said redheaded Poppy decidedly. “I’ve heard that you often see polar bears near the icy bluff where the walruses gather.”

  “Then we’d better set off at once,” exclaimed Katie.

  “Um, Katie,” murmured Megan nervously, “haven’t you forgotten that polar bears and walruses sometimes fight each other? They can be very fierce, you know.”

  Becky seemed worried, too.

  “Aren’t we prepared to risk anything and face any danger to solve the clues and save Ice Kingdom?” asked Katie, sitting up on her lemon-colored tail and looking around solemnly at her young friends.

  “Yes!” said brave, daring Jess.

  “So am I,” said Amber seriously.

  “Me too!” cried Poppy.

  Becky and Megan held hands and swallowed hard. “Then so are we,” they promised. “Let’s go to Walrus Point!”

  The mermaids hugged each other and got ready to dive into the icy waves, where the beluga whales still circled like sleek white ships.

  “How will you get there, mermaids?” asked Benjy, looking up at his friends. “Walrus Point is far away.”

  “We’ll just have to swim,” shrugged Jess, “even if it takes a long time.” With a ripple of her strong turquoise tail, she slipped into the water next to him. Katie and the others followed her.

  “But you need to find the diamonds soon, or it will be too late,” said Benjy, a frown creasing his smooth little face. “Can’t we help them, Dad?”

  Benjy’s father swam closer to the mermaids.

  “I’m afraid we are weak after being trapped for so long.” He sighed. “We need to rest here and get our strength back. But we have a friend who might be able to help you.”

  The belugas made their eerie cry, and they were soon answered by a deep, echoing call. The clear blue water suddenly heaved, as though a powerful boat was cutting through the waves. In a few moments, a gigantic humpback whale raised his magnificent head above the surface of the sparkling sea.

  “It’s our friend Monty!” cried Benjy in delight. “He’ll take you anywhere you want to go, mermaids!”

  “Oh, ho, ho, it’s mermaid business, is it?” said Monty with a wide smile. “Just hop on my back, little ones, and we’ll be off right away. All abo
ard the Whale Express!”

  Katie and her friends could hardly believe their amazing luck. Monty was a strong, tireless whale who could carry them all the way to Walrus Point much faster than they could ever swim.

  “Thank you so much!” cried the mermaids. They clung on tightly to Monty as the huge whale plunged away from the snowy shore.

  “Good-bye, Benjy!” they called. “We’ll bring the snow diamonds home very soon—we promise.”

  After what seemed like many hours of surging through the icy sea, Monty called out cheerfully, “Here we are, mermaids. We’ve arrived!”

  Katie and the others slid gracefully from Monty’s broad back and rippled their tails in the clear waves. They gazed around and admired the frosty icebergs that towered above them like carved mountains, glinting with dusky purple shadows.

  “This really is a wild and lonely part of Ice Kingdom,” said Katie. She checked that her shining mermaid harp was hanging safely at her side, then added, “Where should we look for the walrus folk?”

  “You need to swim toward the ice edge,” answered Monty. “You will soon see them there. I will wait for you in these deep waters. It’s time for the Whale Express to take a nap!”

  And it was time for the Sisters of the Sea to search for the second snow diamond …

  Chapter Two

  The mermaids thanked Monty and promised to return as quickly as they could. Then Katie swished her glistening tail and swam with her friends past the looming, craggy icebergs. Very soon, they reached the ice edge. It was a long, white, frosty shore, where the flat frozen plains met the sea. At the far end of the shore, jutting out into the water, was a bluff made of tumbled blocks of ice. A few seabirds wheeled above the broken cliffs in the bright, cold sky.

  “That bluff must be Walrus Point, where the walrus folk gather,” said Jess.

  “Wait!” called Katie as Jess and the others began to surge toward it. “Let’s sit on the edge of the ice for a moment and decide what to say to them. The walrus folk can be very quick-tempered sometimes. We don’t want to upset them.”

  With a twist of their tails, the young friends pulled themselves out of the water and sat on the sparkling snow.

  “I’m a bit worried about meeting the walruses,” confessed Megan. “Their long tusks sometimes look a bit scary.” She carefully tucked her pet fairy shrimp, Sammy, deeper into her cozy pocket. Sammy had been given special powers by a stardust sprinkle, which meant that he could breathe out of water and follow the mermaids everywhere. But Megan didn’t want him to be squashed by a rough, tough walrus.

  “Don’t worry,” said Amber. “If we are polite and respectful, I’m sure we won’t have any problems. But tell Sammy to keep out of sight until we’re sure that they are friendly.”

  “I hope we’re right that the ‘lords of the sea’ in the clue really are the walrus folk, now that we have come all this way,” said Becky.

  “And that the ‘kings of the ice’ are the polar bears,” added Jess.

  “I’m sure we are right about that, but ‘diamonds falling from the sky’ is just silly!” interrupted Poppy. “I think Mantora must be completely crazy.”

  “No, she isn’t,” said Amber, gravely shaking her golden curls. “Mantora might enjoy taunting us with her fiendish clues, but she is deadly serious about hiding the snow diamonds away forever, so that Ice Kingdom will melt.”

  “And you must take our quest seriously as well, Poppy,” said Katie with a small sigh.

  “I know, I know,” said Poppy breezily. “You don’t need to give me a lecture. I want to find the diamonds just as much as you do.”

  As the mermaids were talking, they didn’t notice a large blue shadow creeping across the ice behind them …

  “We’re all on the same side in this battle,” urged Megan. “We should put our energy into solving Mantora’s clue, not arguing!”

  The dusky shadow grew nearer …

  “You’re right,” said Katie. “So what could the clue mean? Whoever heard of a snow diamond falling from the sky?”

  For a moment the mermaids were silent, puzzling over the strange riddle.

  The shadow stopped moving.

  “Perhaps … this may be wrong, of course.” Becky hesitated. “But what about a shooting star? They are as bright and beautiful as a diamond, and they seem to fall through the sky.”

  “Well, it’s a start,” replied Katie slowly. “Let’s find the walruses and ask them if there have been any shooting stars here lately.”

  “And remember,” added Amber, “we must ask nicely. Don’t be rude, Poppy!”

  “I’m not frightened of any old walrus,” Poppy boasted. “Or of any ‘kings of the ice’ either. So there!”

  The blue shadow suddenly quivered into life. The mermaids heard a deep growl behind them.

  “Not afraid of the kings of the ice?” thundered a wild, rasping voice. “Oh, but you should be afraid. Very afraid!”

  Katie and her friends whipped around in horror and saw a terrifying sight. A huge, shaggy polar bear was rearing up on its paws behind them. He really was the king of the ice, and he was getting ready to pounce …

  “Stop!” gasped Katie with trembling lips. “Don’t hurt my friends!”

  The enormous polar bear dropped back onto all four paws and stared at the mermaids clutching onto one another. He sniffed and snorted and then … he smiled.

  “Of course I won’t hurt you,” he said apologetically. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Finn.”

  At that moment, a plump ball of white fluff poked his head around Finn’s heavy legs and grinned at the mermaids. It was a baby polar bear.

  “And don’t forget me,” he squeaked.

  “Mermaids,” said Finn with a low bow. “Meet my son, Max.”

  “But … but … ,” wondered Katie, “why did you frighten us like that, Finn?”

  “To show you how easy it is for careless talk to be overheard,” replied the father polar bear with a deep rumble in his throat. “I could have been Mantora creeping up on you, and then where would you have been?”

  Katie and the others looked at one another with concerned faces. They hadn’t thought of that. It would be terrible if Mantora sneaked up and overheard their plans, or even worse, captured them with one of her dark storm spells.

  “It’s true,” admitted Jess. “We were being careless, Finn, and you were right to teach us a lesson.”

  “Dad’s always right!” cried Max happily. Then he did a somersault into the circle of mermaids, tumbling over their tails and ending up on Megan’s lap. The young friends couldn’t help laughing delightedly. They took turns cuddling with Max and stroking his soft white fur.

  “But do you know anything about the missing snow diamond, Finn?” asked Katie, tearing herself away from the baby bear’s games. “Have you seen one falling from the sky?”

  Finn shook his powerful head. “I heard what you said about Mantora’s clue. I roam far over the wide ice, and I have also heard rumors that she has been plotting against Princess Arctica. But this clue of hers makes no sense to me at all. You’ll have to ask Ulrick.”

  “Who is Ulrick?” chorused the others, looking up from their little playmate.

  “Ulrick is the Chief Walrus,” said Finn. “He’s the wisest creature in these parts. He’s also the most proud, stubborn, and annoying!”

  Finn sat down heavily on the powdery snow and rested his head on his paws. His dark eyes stared moodily into the distance.

  “So you’re not friends?” Becky asked timidly. “You can’t take us to see him?”

  “Friends!” barked Finn with a throaty growl. “We used to be the best of friends. But we had a silly argument about who was the strongest and wisest, and it turned into a stupid fight. I tried to make up with him afterward, but Ulrick wouldn’t listen. He won’t even let Max here play with his baby grandson, Caspar.”

  Max stopped cuddling Poppy for a moment and looked up sadly.

  “Caspar is my friend
,” he said. “I want to see him.”

  “Not today, Max,” said Finn gloomily. “Maybe another time.” The father bear hung his head over his little son and nuzzled him softly. “But this isn’t helping you, Sisters of the Sea,” he added, suddenly snapping out of his sorrowful mood. “Go and visit Ulrick right away, to ask if he can help you with this clue. You must find the diamond and save our snowy home.”

  The mermaids quickly roused themselves. They gave Max one last kiss, then slipped from the ice into the clear waves with a splash of their sparkling tails.

  “It might cause trouble if I come with you,” said Finn. “Swim along by the ice edge until you reach the bluff at Walrus Point. Ulrick and his folk bathe in the water there every day. Good luck!”

  In a flash of rainbow colors—turquoise, lemon, blue, peach, pink, and lilac—the mermaids darted under the cold sea. They felt sorry that Finn and Ulrick were no longer friends, and they were nervous about meeting the Chief Walrus himself. But the only thing that mattered now was trying to solve the clue …

  Chapter Three

  As Katie and her friends swam closer to Walrus Point, they saw several powerful sea creatures twisting and turning in the water ahead. They had found the walruses!

  “Excuse me,” Poppy asked boldly. “We’re looking for Ulrick.”

  A walrus mother glided near to the mermaids. “You mean Lord Ulrick, my dear. He’s overwater right now, sunning himself on the big blocks of ice that stick out into the sea at the edge. Swim right up if you want to speak to him—but mind your manners!”

  The mermaids followed the direction of the mother walrus’s pointing flipper and surged above the waves. They hovered for a moment near the tip of the ice.

  “There he is!” whispered Becky.

  Above them on the ice, surrounded by his loyal folk, was the magnificent Chief Walrus. His splendid brown chest gleamed in the sun, and his long whiskers and immense tusks added to his stately dignity.