Summer's Cauldron Read Online Free Page B

that,” Rafael said with a worried glance behind.
    They ran and ran for what seemed like forever, but it was not the edge of the forest or the length of the pursuit that finally convinced the Colossus Tree to give up its chase. It was something else large and fierce bursting from behind a stand of dead, dry bushes near Alex and the Guild.
    “Gaia’s gallbladder!” Daphne yelled as they all scattered and jumped from the path of the giant spotted beast charging past them, growling and baring its teeth at the Colossus Tree. The Colossus Tree stopped. The creature facing it growled again. The Colossus Tree shook itself, turned, and began a long lumbering walk back toward the dead pond.
    “Beowulf!” Nina said, breathless from the run as much as the excitement of the now-massive beagle’s entrance.
    “Good boy,” Alex said, walking over to Beowulf, who was no longer a tiny beagle, but a dog the size of a large grizzly bear.
    Beowulf trotted back to Alex then stopped, shook himself, first slowly, then faster, and then in a whirl of motion, shrank back to his normal size.
    “Impressive,” Ben said. “A shape-changing, giant beagle.”
    “I take back every bad thing I said about you, dog,” Daphne said. As if in response to her, Beowulf jumped up and licked her hand.
    “How does he do that?” Rafael asked. “I can only turn into things the same size as me.”
    “That giant dog is his real size,” Alex said, bending down to scratch Beowulf behind the ears. “He’s small now, but has the mass of that big dog. I doubt even Clark could lift him.”
    “Ahh, that’s why he eats so much,” Clark said, stooping to try to lift Beowulf in his arms before grunting and giving up.
    “I guess you both have that in common,” Rafael said with a friendly pat on Clark’s arm.
    “Mmm, that and nobody can lift us,” Clark said with a chuckle.
    “There,” Ben said, pointing. “What’s through those trees?”
    “Whatever it is, I hope it can’t run,” Rafael said as they all turned to see where Ben was pointing.
    “Looks like a hut,” Alex said, squinting to see through the trees.
    “Like a hut something wicked might live in?” Nina asked in weary voice.
    “Possibly,” Alex said as he started walking toward the ramshackle structure. “Let’s go check it out.”
    “You knew he was going to say that, didn’t you?” Rafael said with a smile to Nina.
    “Never gorping learns,” Daphne said with a slight laugh.
    “Clever is as clever does,” Victoria said with a wink to Alex.
    “Hmm, he’s not the one who pointed it out,” Clark said frowning down at Ben.
    “A hut,” Ben said, his voice defensively dropping an octave. “What are the chances a hut can run?”
    “Ever heard of Baba Yaga?” Daphne said, and frowned when Ben gave her a quizzical look in response.
    “What can go wrong?” Alex said, optimism back in his voice. “We have Beowulf, after all.”
    “Wuff,” Beowulf said and trotted off toward the hut.
    “You heard him,” Alex said as he set off to follow the beagle. “Wuff.”
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 3: Cauldron Conundrum
     
    In the end, nothing went wrong because there was no one in the hut. It looked deserted or at least very poorly maintained. The only credible sign of habitation was the rusted black cauldron hanging on a tripod of tree branches over the remnants of a fire pit that hadn’t seen a flame in years. The cauldron was about two feet in diameter with a thick iron handle attached to a chain running up to where the three legs of the wooden tripod intersected.
    Alex stuck his head through the doorway of the dilapidated hut and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust. The hut was bare, except for a simple wooden stool with three legs and a small wooden bed with a flat board where a mattress should have been. Although there was a thick layer of dust covering everything, there were no spider webs to collect it in the corners of the roof beams, as would normally have been the