08 Attack!

CHAPTER 8 ATTACK! Tag paced back and forth. "There has to be a way for us to reach the stone without falling asleep," he said. "We need to block out the nixie's music." "What if the eels have our stone by now?" Skyla asked.

"I don't think they can reach it either," Tag said. "You heard what Stanley said— even Thorn's spies cannot resist the nixies' song." "Thorn will be back soon," Skyla said, pointing to the dark cloud of The Shadow in the distance. "I won't let him sneak up on us this time," Tag said. Just then, the friends heard the flap of many wings overhead. Huge, striped creatures circled in the air, snapping their long, sharp beaks.

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! "Tiger bats!" Tag shouted as he pulled out his dagger. The friends ducked behind a willow tree. Suddenly, the lake lit up with hundreds of golden lights. It sparkled brightly as the tiger bats swooped low across the water. "I don't think the tiger bats are looking for us..." Tag whispered.

"Then what are they doing?" Skyla asked, as she watched the bats land on the shore nearby. One of the tiger bats held something small and bright in its long beak. It shone gold in the darkness. The friends crept closer for a better look. A tiny scream came from the glowing thing. Tag gasped. "I think they've captured a nixie!"