16 Return of the FireHawk

CHAPTER 16 RETURN OF THE FIREHAWK "I wish Blaze could speak," Tag said as they all sat on the beach with Thaddeus. "I'm sure she'd tell us what to do." "Peep!" Blaze replied. "This firehawk is still young," Thaddeus said. "She will speak soon enough."

"We should head back to Valor Wood," said Skyla. "Grey will know what to do next." Tag shook his head. "I can't let Grey down now. I'll never become an Owl of Valor." "We may not have found the whole Ember Stone, but we did find part of it," Skyla said putting a paw on his wing. "That's got to count for something." "This piece is powerless without all the other pieces," Thaddeus told them. "Peep!" Blaze nudged Tag with her beak. Skyla jumped up. "That's it! We'll search for the other pieces!"

"But we don't know where they are," Tag said as he pulled out Grey's map. Skyla unrolled it on the sand, but the wind kept blowing it away. "Here, use this." Tag placed the piece of Ember Stone onto the map to hold it in place. Suddenly, the map glowed, brighter and brighter. It was so bright Tag had to cover his eyes with his wings. When Tag looked again, a small shining dot appeared on the map. Far away from Fire Island. Blaze tapped the dot with her beak.

Tag took a closer look. He hugged Blaze. "Grey said the map would show us the way." Tag pointed at the dot. "That must be where the next piece of the Ember Stone is!" Skyla peered at the map. "This is going to be a long journey." The three friends all gathered their belongings. "I can take you to Blue Bay at the edge of the Shadowlands," offered Thaddeus. Tag, Skyla, and Blaze climbed onto Thaddeus's back. "Thank you for your help," Skyla said. Thaddeus took them to shore. "Peep!" said Blaze.

"Be careful," Thaddeus warned. "Thorn grows stronger every day. He will stop at nothing to find the pieces of the Ember Stone." He swam away. Tag turned to his friends. "We don't have much time," he said. "Thorn's army will catch up with us soon." "So," Skyla asked. "Where to next?" "North," Tag told her with a smile. "To the Crystal Caverns."