13 The Last Piece

CHAPTER 13 THE LAST PIECE Tag and Skyla stayed close to Blaze. The Ember Stone's purple light filled the darkness. They walked deeper into the cave. It was quiet and empty. Finally, Blaze stopped. The three friends could see a light a little way ahead. Another stone shone back at them!

Blaze put their piece on the ground. "The last piece," she said as she stepped toward the new stone. Tag and Skyla watched as Blaze lifted the glowing stone from a narrow ledge inside the cave wall. She turned and placed the small stone beside their larger piece. Then she stood back. "We should stand back, too," Tag told Skyla, and they moved away.

The three friends watched as the two glowing stones began to wobble and shake faster and faster. A humming sound filled the cave. The sound was louder than ever before. Then, slowly, the stones moved closer to each other, sliding across the ground until "Cover your eyes!" Blaze shouted. An explosion of bright, golden light filled the cave. Its warm blast almost knocked Tag and Skyla off their feet. Suddenly, Blaze's feathers lit up—one by one—until she looked like she was made of gold! Her feathers sparkled as brightly as the now-golden Ember Stone.

"The stone is complete!" Tag said. "We did it!" "Woo-hoo!" Skyla cheered. The three friends hugged and laughed. The Ember Stone's golden glow grew duller, and Blaze put it into Tag's sack. "We must get this to Grey right away," Blaze said. They were headed out of the cave when Skyla stopped. "Look!" she said, pointing at the cave wall.

Tag took a closer look. There were two wall drawings of firehawks, just like the drawings they had seen on Fire Island. But these pictures were different. The first cave drawing showed the firehawks flying up into the clouds. The second drawing was of one golden egg inside a cave. Skyla looked at Blaze, then at Tag. "Do you think...?" she whispered. Tag knew what Skyla was thinking: The drawing was of Blaze's egg.