Amber's First Clue
Read Amber's First Clue Online
Authors: Gillian Shields
gillian shields
illustrated by Helen turner
Arctic Mermaid Sisters of the Sea
For Lily Rose
âG. S.
For my best friend, Laura
âLove H. T.
Follow the Arctic Mermaids' Adventures
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 mermaidsâAmber, Katie, Megan, Jess, Becky, and Poppyâare 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!”
Amber 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 Amber 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 floodâ
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 â¦
“So this is the Ice Cavern,” said Amber in an awed whisper. “I've never been here before.”
She cautiously swished her sparkling lilac tail and swam into the middle of the underwater treasure store. Her young mermaid friendsâKatie, Megan, Jess, Becky, and Poppyâfollowed her eagerly. They gazed up at the shining walls of ice
that arched above them in a cluster of glistening icicles.
“It's so beautiful.” Becky sighed, glancing around with wide eyes at the carved walls. They gleamed with frosty flickers of white and blue and turquoise.
It was the first time the young mermaids had seen the secret Ice Cavern, where the snow diamonds were kept. The diamonds were full of magical power, which helped Mother Nature keep Ice Kingdom frozen.
“Wow,” said Poppy as she swam slowly around the magical chamber. “Look at those!”
Amber and her friends stared in wonder at the six fabulous frozen statues that stood around the cavern. There was a darting fish, a flying bird, a glowing heart, a diving dolphin, a flowerlike anemone, and a shimmering star. The mermaids wove in and out of the statues, through the clear, cold water.
“Have you noticed that the statues are the same shapes as our new stardust lockets?” asked Amber, stretching out her arm gracefully. A silver bracelet shined on
her wrist, and from the bracelet dangled a sparkling locket, carved in the shape of a leaping fish.
“You're right,” agreed Jess. “Look, I've got the dolphin on my bracelet.”
One by one, the mermaids raised their arms to admire their shining stardust lockets.
“My locket is in the shape of the seabird,” said Katie. She examined her bracelet happily, then looked up at the matching ice carving.
“And mine is the anemone, which is like a flower in the sea,” murmured Becky dreamily. “What is yours, Megan?”
“Oh, mine is the heart,” said Megan, blushing.
“That must be because you're so kind.”
Amber smiled. Megan was very caring to all the sea creatures, especially the tiny ones. She even had a pet shrimp called Sammy.
“Well, I've got the star,” interrupted Poppy, with a bold grin. “So that must mean it's the best!”
“Don't be a show-off, Poppy,” said Amber. “All the stardust lockets are beautiful, and they're all equally important. Remember, this isn't a game. Everyone in Ice Kingdom is relying on us.”
The stardust lockets had been given to the young friends by Princess Arctica herself that very dayâwhen disaster had struck Ice Kingdom!
The evil mermaid Mantora had sneaked into the kingdom and stolen the precious snow diamonds from the underwater Ice Cavern, which was hidden away below the Ice Palace. Clutching the diamonds in her greedy hands, Mantora had swooped into the palace itself. Then she had trapped Princess Arctica and her loyal Merfolk in an enchanted cage of gleaming black icicles.
Amber would never forget hearing Mantora's taunting words, echoing through the clear water.
“Now the snow diamonds are mine!” Mantora had laughed scornfully. “If you want them back in time to stop Ice Kingdom from melting away, you will have to be very clever. I have left you a message, my dear Arctica, in your precious Ice Cavern. But first you must get out of this prison of icicles. That is the first puzzle that you must solve! Ha, ha, ha!”
