08 Fire Power!

CHAPTER 8 FIRE POWER! The friends stared at the purple stone. It looked like it was floating in the ice. "I've never seen it glow before!" Coralie said, shielding her eyes. "The Ember Stone is magical," Tag explained. "It must know that our piece of the stone is nearby."

"Wow!" Coralie breathed. "How are we going to get it out of the ice?" Skyla asked. Tag put a wing on the ice wall. It was as thick as he was tall. We're going to need something really strong to break through this, he thought. Then Tag remembered something: Grey had told them that a firehawk's cry could be used as a weapon. Tag had seen proof of this when Blaze's cry had saved them from a tiger bat attack in Valor Wood. Tag turned to Blaze. "Do you think you could use your cry to crack open the ice wall?" he asked. Blaze nodded.

"Stand back," Tag told Skyla and Coralie. The three friends covered their ears. "Peeeeeeeeeep!" Blaze called. Tag frowned. "Good try, Blaze, but that didn't sound nearly as loud as your cry in Valor Wood." "Try again," Skyla told her. "As loud as you can." Blaze opened her beak wide. "Peeeep!" She shook her head. Her cry would not come.

"That's okay, Blaze," Tag said. "You're still learning how your powers work. We'll think of something else." "Maybe I can dig the stone out?" Skyla said. She scratched at the ice with her sharp claws. They barely made a dent. "Let me try," Tag said. He pulled out his golden dagger. There's nothing sharper than this blade, Tag thought. He attacked the ice until his wing hurt, but he was no closer to the stone. Skyla's tail drooped. "We'll never reach it!"

Tag looked at Blaze again. "Grey told us that only a firehawk could find the Ember Stone..." "Yes," Skyla agreed. "But her cry isn't working." "We have no choice," he said. "Blaze will have to use her fire power."