15 The Battle

CHAPTER 15 THE BATTLE Suddenly, Grey flew out of the portal! SHRIEK! Behind him flew Maximus and the Owls of Valor and Claw! One by one, they flew out of the portal and soared overhead. Tag and Bod hugged each other in relief. Help had arrived! "Owls of Valor! Attack!" Maximus yelled.

The Owls of Valor swooped down and chased the army from the portal. Claw and Grey flew around The Shadow. They blasted it with their magic. But The Shadow fought back. Every time Claw shot a blast of magic at The Shadow, it sent out a dark cloud in return. Flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder erupted inside the dark cloud.

On the ground, Tag, Skyla, Bod, and Blaze fought any creature who tried to come near the portal. As Grey and Claw continued to blast The Shadow, some of the orange-eyed creatures broke free from its spell. Skyla led the animals to the portal so that they could return to Perodia. Maximus landed behind Tag, breathing heavily. "The Shadow is too strong," he said. "And there are too many enemies. We need to leave!"

Tag, Bod, and Skyla moved closer to the portal and prepared to jump through. "Blaze, can you close the portal?" Tag asked. "I can't leave my mom behind!" Blaze cried. "I'll get her," Bod told Blaze. He flew off. Bod bravely held out his sword. He battled the two badgers who were holding Talia.

Blaze sent a fireball at The Shadow. It exploded and Talia broke free from the spell, her eyes back to normal. She flew over to Blaze. "We need to close the portal before the army gets to it," Blaze told her. Talia nodded and pulled out one of her silvery tail feathers with her beak. "Once we pass through the portal, it will close behind us for good," she said. Maximus nodded. The Owls of Valor, Claw, Grey, Talia, and Blaze flew into the portal. "Wait!" Tag cried. "Bod is trapped!"

Bod had been caught by a group of rats. They held his wings down so that he couldn't fly. Tag went to help, but Skyla pulled him back. "There's no time! The portal is closing!" she cried. She grabbed his wing, and they fell back through the portal just as it sealed shut.