8 Chapter 8

8 Azmina turned to President Bee with a gulp. "Do you have any tips for flying to the volcano?"

"I have only one tip," buzzed the president. "Don't!" Azmina sighed. This wasn't the advice she had been hoping for. "The volcano has been very active recently. There are huge lava sprays. It's simply not safe," explained the president. Azmina looked over at the volcano. Molten lava belched into the sky. There was no doubt it would be dangerous. But somehow, Azmina was sure she was meant to go there. It was almost as if the volcano was calling her. Also, she reminded herself, I am a Dragon Girl! There was something about her glittering scales that made her feel extra brave.

"The burning-hot lava is not your biggest problem," said one of the bees, as if it could read her mind. "You said that the Shadow Sprites are back. If this is true, they will do anything to stop you." "You should stick with your friends!" added another bee. "It's safer that way."

Azmina winced. She didn't want to do this on her own. But she had no choice! Just then, she felt something soft nuzzle up against her wing. "You're not alone," purred Buttercub. Azmina wrapped a wing around him. Going to the volcano didn't seem nearly so scary now. "Come on, Buttercub. Let's go!" Azmina looked up as she and Buttercub flew above the treetops. The sun looked like it was being wrapped in a strange shadowy material. So that's why it's getting darker and darker! Azmina realized. The sun was almost half covered by the material. To make things worse, Azmina had the feeling that she and Buttercub were being followed. Every now and again she felt something cold brush against her. When she looked, there was never anything there. But the moment she turned away, the feeling would return.

"Hey, Buttercub," she said, trying to sound cheerful and brave, "let's see how fast we can go!" Back in her normal life, when Azmina pretended to be brave, she often ended up actually feeling brave. She just hoped it would work in the Magic Forest, too! The volcano loomed ahead, billowing smoke and fire. Azmina frowned. Collecting a spark from a live volcano wasn't exactly something she'd done before. Things could easily go wrong! "Don't worry," purred Buttercub in her ear. "I know you can do it." "Thanks," said Azmina, and she meant it. She was very glad to have her little forest friend by her side. The roar of the lava bubbling up inside the volcano grew louder and louder as they approached. Gusts of hot air swirled around them, like they were being blasted by an enormous hair dryer. A shower of sparks exploded, twinkling and glittering like falling stars.

Despite the danger, Azmina's heart leapt. She was sure now that she needed to collect a volcano spark. Azmina put her head down and began flying at full speed toward the volcano's summit. There was no way she was going to give up now! But as Azmina and Buttercub reached the summit, Azmina came to a sudden stop. She couldn't move forward or backward! She was trapped in some sort of net. Azmina looked down and saw pale gray shadows wrapped around her paws and tail. The shadows were thin and almost see-through, but strong. No matter how hard she strained, she couldn't move! "I'm caught, too!" growled Buttercub from nearby. "It's the Shadow Sprites. They've caught us in their shadow nets." The more Azmina struggled, the tighter the net closed around her. She felt a flash of panic. "Buttercub, what are we going to do?"