Cauldron Spells Read Online Free PDF

As they passed into the cooler darkness, Olivia thought she heard a cry. The horse stopped, and twitched its ears. There!
    It was definitely a shout. And the sound of clashing swords. Olivia twisted round to look at Caradoc and was glad to find that he was not looking in the least bit afraid. He was frowning, and pulling a long knife out of his saddlebag. He urged the horse onwards, and she drew Max’s second-best sword and took a deep breath as they cantered under the trees towards the sound.
    ***
    Max and Sir Boris had been plodding on for what seemed like years. Max’s backside felt like it would never be the same again. The only good thing was that Sir Boris had finally run out of tales to tell and was reduced to the odd cheery comment about the weather. Max was just wondering whether to eat his last hunk of bread now, or save it for later, when he realised a band of armed men was blocking the road ahead, led by a young squire on a horse.
    “Halt, knights, and state your business!” came the call from the rider, as he approached them slowly. “The Warden of the Great Grimpen Mire requires all travellers to—” 
    Suddenly the boy stopped, and peered forward and then laughed. Max knew that laugh. He knew the tall arrogant figure on the horse, as well.
    “Snotty Hogsbottom!”
    “Well, if it isn’t the weed Pendragon. Of course. On your way to the Spell School.” He sneered, and then turned round and cantered back to the soldiers. “These two need to be escorted to the castle for questioning,” he shouted. “They are dangerous outlaws. If they resist, arrest them!”
    Sir Boris looked bewildered. “What on earth? What does he mean? Outlaws?”
    Max groaned. “He knows we’re not. But they’ll chuck us in the dungeons for a week and then claim it was all a mistake. Meanwhile I’ll miss the first week of Spell School. Slimy rotten scheming dung beetle!”
    Sir Boris narrowed his eyes and contemplated the band of armed men approaching them, Snotty behind them. Boring he might be, but a coward Sir Boris most certainly was not.
    “Right then, Max. There’s only five of them and a squire. You take the boy; I’ll deal with the soldiers. Swords ready!” He drew his sword and urged his horse on towards the troop. Max gulped, and drew his sword. Ferocious poked his head out of Max’s tunic.
    “What? Fighting? Are you mad?!”
    “I have to,” said Max through gritted teeth. “Snotty is going to stop us getting to Gore otherwise, and apart from missing the Spell School, I won’t be much use to Merlin stuck in a dungeon for a few weeks.”
    “But a sword?” said Ferocious, eyebrows raised. “You’ll never hit Snotty with a sword, not when you’re riding a horse! Use a bit of sense, Max. Chuck a bit of frogspell at him!”
    “Ferocious – you’re a genius!” said Max, relieved, and reached for his saddlebags. There it was – the almost full bottle of blue gunk.
    Snotty was cantering towards them, while Sir Boris wielded his sword manfully, holding off all five of the soldiers. Max raised the potion bottle and grinned. 
    “Ha! Want to be a frog, Hogsbottom? Like your father? He made a very fetching one!”
    Snotty blinked, and pulled up his horse, but it was too late. Max hurled a blob of blue potion straight at his face. It splattered over Snotty’s forehead and trickled down into one eye, but Snotty remained very much a boy. Max gulped.
    “So!” laughed Snotty. “Got it wrong this time, eh? You always were terrible at spells, Max. Must have just got lucky, the first time.”
    He waved his sword in the air and then brought it crashing down, right where Max’s head would have been, if Arnold hadn’t neatly sidestepped. Unfortunately, this meant that Max fell off, with a shout of surprise, and landed, winded, on the stony road. Snotty leapt off his horse and was standing over Max in a moment, holding his sword to Max’s neck.
    “Right, Pendragon. You’re coming with me.”
    But at that