Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

They’re chasing a myth in the name of science.

Calliope works for her explorer father as an artist, recording what he brings back from his journeys in her sketchbooks. When she’s given a chance to go along on a trip to capture a sea serpent she doesn’t hesitate.

Life at sea isn't what she expected, and she ends up fascinated by the engine room of the steamship HMRV Peregrine. A tragedy makes her assistant engineer, but Pentam, her father’s protégé, is even more determined than her father to make Cal a fine lady. That means protecting her from danger, even if it drives her crazy.
When science and legend collide, Cal is the one who must take up the challenge of survival, even if it means risking her new-found feelings for Pentam.

Calliope

Pentam lay on his bunk and grinned. Cal had left him with a kiss which set his whole body to tingling. His plan to capture the serpent had worked to perfection. It didn't even bother him that Cal got the honour of it being named after her. She deserved it. He'd have plenty of opportunity.


Pentam organized a couple more excursions to capture the sea serpents. They caught two over the course of the week. A small one, under eight feet in length went into one of the immense preserving jars. The larger one, over fifteen feet, was dissected, its bones and skin cleaned, dried and packed away with the first. 


Dan suggested testing to find what the chemical was which made eyes burn during dissection. They discovered it was a very concentrated hydrofluoric acid.


"Perhaps it helps the serpent digest its meals. The dissection showed it doesn't use those teeth to chew."


Chapter 36: The Maw Of The Serpent Part 1