09 Nova

CHAPTER 9 NOVA "We have to rescue the nixie!" Tag said. He gripped his dagger and rushed toward the tiger bats. Skyla followed, shooting acorns. BONK! She hit the tiger bat holding the nixie, and the tiny fairy fell to the ground. Blaze let out a loud cry: SKRAAA!

Thorn's spies covered their ears. Blaze threw small flames at the tiger bats. They squawked and took to the sky. "That will teach them not to mess with us!" Skyla laughed. Tag flapped over to the nixie. Her eyes were closed and her crumpled wings were wet. "Oh no!" Blaze cried. "Is she okay?" Skyla asked.

Tag bent over the little nixie. She wasn't much bigger than a butterfly. Her face was pale, and her bright light blinked on and off. Blaze gave a sad peep as Tag picked up the nixie. Skyla put her paw on Tag's shoulder. "Thorn must have wanted to try to use a nixie to get to the stone," she said. Suddenly, one of the nixie's eyes opened, then the other. She sat up. "Are they gone?" the nixie asked. Tag nodded.

"Phew!" the nixie said with a grin. She stood up and flapped her wings. Her body glowed golden and bright again. "Thanks for saving me!" "You're welcome," Tag said, smiling. "Any enemy of the tiger bats is a friend of ours." The nixie looked up at the three friends towering over her. Her eyes grew wide when she spotted Blaze. "That's Blaze," Tag told her. "She is a firehawk. I'm Tag, and this is Skyla." He held out a wing to shake the nixie's tiny hand.

"I'm Nova," the nixie said. She frowned at Blaze. "A firehawk? I thought you were all in hiding." Blaze opened her beak to ask the nixie what she meant, but— Wings flapped overhead. "The tiger bats are back!" Skyla yelled. "Run!" Tag said, heading for the trees.