11 The Rat King

CHAPTER 11 THE RAT KING Tag, Skyla, and Blaze huddled together in the dark tunnel. The orange-eyed creatures stared at them. There were all kinds of underground animals: moles, badgers, even a few fluffy bunnies. They seemed to be under a spell, just like Thorn's spies had been.

"We can help you!" Skyla cried as the spies moved closer. She looked at Tag. "Blaze, use your magic," Tag whispered. Skyla nodded. "Try your firehawk cry!" Blaze opened her beak, but no sound came out. She frowned. "My magic isn't working!" she said.

Two large badgers stepped forward. They grabbed the friends and pushed them down the path. "Where are you taking us?" Skyla demanded. She tried to wriggle away from the badger, but he was impossibly strong. Tag saw a dull glow at the end of the tunnel. They found themselves standing inside a wide open cavern. Fire torches stuck out of the walls. Their light shone dimly. In the center of the cavern was the biggest rat Tag had ever seen. Tag gulped. The rat was white with red eyes and a long, thick tail that trailed down to the ground. He sat on a throne made from the same twisted roots they had seen outside. Long, sharp thorns stuck out from the roots. And on his head, the rat wore a crown made from bones!

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Beside the rat sat a twisted wooden cage. There was a shadowy figure inside. Is that The Shadow? Tag thought. But then the figure moved into the light. "Mom!" Blaze cried. A dark cloud swirled around Talia. She saw Blaze and her eyes went wide. Then she pointed her beak toward three empty cages next to her.

Is she telling us to run? Tag wondered. "What have you done to her?" Blaze shouted at the huge rat. The rat smiled. "Let's welcome our guests!" he snarled. There was a loud rumble and the room filled with rats. They ran along the ground like a river of brown and white and gray. They lifted the friends and threw Tag and Skyla into two of the empty cages.