11 Time for Battle

CHAPTER 11 TIME FOR BATTLE GRRRRRRR! The ice leopards growled as they moved closer to the four friends. Tag could feel their hot breath on his feathers. "Blaze! Coralie! Get behind us!" Tag shouted. He pulled out his dagger. Skyla stood beside Tag, ready to fight. "Time for battle!" she cried.

Skyla loaded an acorn into her slingshot. Quick as a flash, she shot it into the left eye of one of the leopards. The leopard fell back and roared. Skyla reloaded her slingshot and aimed it at the other ice leopard. The leopard swiped its claws at Tag, but he ducked just in time. "Stay back!" Tag yelled, waving his dagger at the ice leopard. Skyla shot another acorn. The ice leopard snarled and slunk back.

GRRRRRRR! The leopards growled. They paced up and down at the end of the path, keeping the four friends penned in on all sides. "Why aren't they attacking?" Coralie asked. "They must be waiting for Thorn," Skyla said with a shudder. We need to find a way out, Tag thought. I won't let Thorn have the Ember Stone—or Blaze. Tag spotted large icicles hanging from the ceiling—right above the ice leopards' heads.

"Blaze," Tag whispered, "can you hit those with your fire power?" He looked up at the icicles. Blaze eyed the ceiling and nodded. "You can do this, Blaze," Tag told her. "Just bring down those icicles—don't melt the whole cavern!" Blaze flapped her wings. Her feathers grew hotter and hotter until small flames appeared. The ice leopards' jaws dropped. They backed away from Blaze's flaming wings. Blaze aimed at the ceiling.

"Not again!" Skyla yelled, taking cover. Coralie covered her eyes with her flippers. WHAM! Fire bolts flew out from Blaze's wings. They hit the icicles. Tag held his breath. At first, nothing happened. Finally, there was a loud creak, then a crack. The ice leopards looked up. They yelped as the huge icicles came crashing down!