12 No Way Out

CHAPTER 12 NO WAY OUT CRASH! Large icicles smashed to pieces on the ground, right in front of the ice leopards. The creatures' eyes glowed orange as they hissed and snarled. "That made them mad!" Skyla said. WHAM! WHAM!

Fire bolts shot out from Blaze's feathers and hit the ceiling again. The ice leopards backed away. Blaze flapped her wings. The flames grew higher. "Peep! Peep!" A small fire bolt shot past Skyla's ear. She dove to the floor. "Oh no!" Coralie cried. She stuck her head into a mound of snow. Another huge fire bolt exploded from Blaze's wings.

There was a loud CRACK! Part of the ceiling fell onto the path. Ice and snow blocked the leopards from view. "Good work, Blaze!" Tag said. "Peep!" Blaze dropped to the ground. Her wings smoked, but they were no longer on fire. "Blaze, you did it!" Skyla cheered. "You controlled your power. And Thorn's spies can't reach us!" But now the four friends were really trapped. They were stuck between a huge snow pile and an icy dead end.

Coralie's head popped out from the snow mound. "Now how are we going to escape?" "Maybe we can dig our way out through this wall?" Tag said. Skyla shook her head. "The ice is too thick," she said. "Blaze could melt a hole in it," Coralie suggested. Blaze lifted her tired wings. "Blaze has worn herself out," Tag said. Suddenly, Skyla's ears pricked up. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

Tag listened carefully. GRRRRRRR! SCRITCH! There was a low growl and a digging sound. Tag turned to the huge snow pile. It was the only thing stopping the ice leopards from getting to his friends—and to the Ember Stone. "The ice leopards are coming for us!" Tag cried.