Summer of the Sea Serpent: A Merlin Mission

“It should be used for good only!”
    The serpent stopped swaying. It flicked its tongue.
    “The sword should not make people afraid!” said Jack. “It should help take away their fear! If they’re not afraid, they’ll stop fighting!”
    The serpent was very still.
    “The purpose of the sword is not fighting!” Jack shouted. “The purpose of the sword is
peace
!”

T he sea serpent moved its head very close to Jack and Annie and hissed a long, whispery
sssssssss
.
    The serpent’s flicking tongue touched the sword for a moment. Jack’s heart nearly stopped. But then the serpent slowly pulled back its head and began to uncoil itself from around the rocky island.
    The monster kept uncoiling its great body, until once again one wide ring surrounded the cove like a circle of green hills. Then the serpent’shead sank beneath the water with barely a ripple. It was impossible to tell where its body started and where it ended.
    Jack and Annie lowered the Sword of Light and laid it back on the rock. Then they let out a huge sigh of relief and sat down next to the sword.
    Kathleen and Teddy poked their seal heads up from the calm waters.
Barrh! Barrh!
they barked.
    Jack and Annie laughed. “It’s safe to come out now!” Annie called.
    The seals hauled themselves onto the rocky island. Then they plopped on their sides.
    “The sword helped us answer the ancient question,” said Jack.
    They all looked at the Sword of Light. It glowed brightly, even though the sun had slipped below the horizon and the purple sky was fading into twilight.
    “We still have to get it out of here before it’s completely dark,” said Annie.
    “I know,” said Jack. “But how?”
    “Look at Merlin’s rhyme,” said Annie.
    Jack took the shell from his pocket. He read the last line of Merlin’s rhyme:
    With rhyme and sword, your home is near.
    Jack looked up. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said.
    “Perhaps it does,” said Teddy.
    Jack and Annie turned around. Teddy and Kathleen were standing behind them. Their seal skins had silently slipped off. They were human again.
    “Perhaps it calls for a magical rhyme,” said Teddy. “And I
am
a magician, remember?”
    Annie laughed. “How could we forget?” she said.
    Teddy grinned. “I have gotten much better at my rhymes,” he said. “Just watch.” Herubbed his hands together. Then he carefully picked up the Sword of Light. He gripped its handle with both hands. He pointed the silver blade toward the tree house on the distant sea cliff.
    Teddy took a deep breath. Then he shouted:
    O Sword of Light, now light the night!
    Teddy paused. Jack grew worried. Teddy always had trouble finishing his rhymes. And even the ones he did finish never worked the way they were supposed to.
    Kathleen stepped close to the young sorcerer. “Say it again,” she said softly.
    Teddy called out again:
    O Sword of Light, now light the night!
    Kathleen finished the rhyme in selkie language:
    Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite!
    The sword began to vibrate in Teddy’s hands. There was a roar and a blast of white light. Shimmering beams shot through the dark. Thebeams wiggled and waved, then streamed together to make a glittering bridge.
    The bridge spanned the purple darkness of dusk. It stretched from the rocky island in the middle of the cove to the sea cliff above the coast. When Teddy lowered the sword, the bridge remained in the sky.
    “Wow!” whispered Annie. She turned to Kathleen. “What did you say to finish the rhyme?”
    “
Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite,”
Kathleen told her. “
Make a bridge, strong and bright.”
    “Yes, that is exactly what I was going to say,” said Teddy.
    “Indeed,” said Kathleen, smiling. She took Teddy’s hand, then turned to Jack and Annie. “ ’Tis a bright bridge to take you from my world back to yours.”
    “You mean—we can walk on it?” said Annie.
    “Try it,” said Teddy.
    “Oh, man,” said Jack. He laughed nervously. Then he raised his foot and put it down on thelight. It felt solid. He put his other foot on the light and took a step forward. The light felt as firm as a brick pathway.

    Annie stepped onto the light bridge beside Jack. It was wide enough for them to stand side by side. “This is so cool,” she whispered.
    “Wait, do not forget
this,
” said Teddy. He carefully handed Jack and Annie the Sword of Light.
    Together they gripped the handle of the sword. “What about you guys?” asked Jack.
    “I must return to my cave now,”