Chapter 8

8 Zoe crested the wave and let go of her board. Then, giving her wings a tremendous flap, she rose into the air. The heat barrier sizzled menacingly. As she approached the top of the wave, a sudden cloud of Fire Sparks appeared. They buzzed around Zoe's head, making her dizzy and jumbling her thoughts. How am I supposed to get past the magical barrier again? she wondered. Was she supposed to fly under it somehow? Or push right through it? She couldn't remember!

Zoe shook her head, trying to clear her mind and get rid of the annoying sparks. Water droplets flung up into the air around her. Some hit the barrier and instantly turned to steam. But some of them did not! Instead, they arced up and over the top of the barrier. Then they began falling down through an invisible gap toward the island below. "Follow the water!" Zoe roared with excitement, remembering what the seals had said. Zoe flapped her wings again and surged even higher. Following the path that the droplets had just taken, Zoe flew neatly over the top of the heat barrier.

"Good work!" whooped Splashi, flying alongside Zoe. "Now we need to get onto the sand. That's how the Fire Queen's spell will be broken." "Let's go, then!" Zoe said. Zoe angled her body toward the island down below. She zoomed lower, feeling the air whoosh past. As the ground rushed up to meet them, Zoe stretched out her front paws, ready to steady herself. She slowed down, and a moment later her talons sank into the soft, warm sand.

Splashi did three midair somersaults. "You broke the spell!" Had she? Zoe wanted to be sure. She launched herself back into the air and looked around from the higher vantage point. A wave was heading into shore. And this time, instead of turning to steam, it rolled in and broke on the sand… like a normal wave! But Zoe had no time to enjoy her success. A swarm of Fire Sparks was back, and it was even bigger than before! The sparks were angrier, too. The hot little embers darted at Zoe and Splashi, stinging any part of them they could reach. Zoe lashed at them with her tail and roared as loudly as she could. But the effort of all that surfing and flying had tired her out. She just couldn't roar loudly enough to keep the sparks away. Worse, her head was beginning to swirl again. What am I doing on this island? If only she could just rest for a moment… Suddenly, there came a massive roar. Surfing onto shore were Grace and Sofia. Her friends had

arrived! It was the most wonderful sight. Instantly, all Zoe's tiredness vanished. "You came!" she cried. "Of course we came!" Grace replied. "We couldn't leave you to deal with the Fire Sparks on your own," Sofia added. Grace and Sofia dove off their boards and into the water. Zoe grinned. She knew what her friends were doing. Like the last time they were in the Magic Forest, they were charging up their roars with seawater power! The sight of the other Sea Dragons seemed to drive the Fire Sparks into a frenzy. They whirled around Zoe fiercely. But now that Zoe knew help was on the way, everything felt different. Her friends would help her deal with the sparks. Sure enough, when Grace and Sofia surged back out of the water, they roared out powerful misty clouds. Their sea roars wrapped around the buzzing Fire Sparks, putting them out instantly. "Great work!" Zoe whooped, giving her friends midair wing-hugs.

"We started surfing over the moment we saw you get over the heat barrier," said Sofia. "You made it disappear!" Grace said, her voice full of admiration. "How did you do that?" "It was a magic spell," Zoe explained. "And the moment I touched the sand, the spell was broken." Zoe felt so much better with her friends by her side. "Come on, let's go find that missing turtle." "Where should we look?" Sofia wondered as the three Sea Dragons soared higher into the air. "Good question," Grace said. "This island isn't very big, but it's covered with palm trees. It could take a long time to find a turtle hidden in them." For a moment Zoe felt worried. Grace had a point. But then Zoe felt a tugging on her wrist. Once again, the shell was glowing with aqua light. "I think my bracelet is going to lead us," she said to her friends. "Come on, this way." The bracelet guided Zoe over to the thick grove of trees in the island's center. Zoe flew lower, zigzagging through the palms. Her friends followed close behind. It was a beautiful island,