03 Into the Shadowlands

CHAPTER 3 INTO THE SHADOWLANDS The three friends landed in the Shadowlands with a bump. Tag managed to miss a prickly thornbush, but Blaze and Skyla crash-landed right in the middle of one. "Skyla! Blaze!" Tag called. "Are you okay?"

Blaze hopped out of the bush, licking her wings. Skyla tried to follow, but— "My tail is stuck!" she cried. In the sky, the locusts were circling like a big, buzzing cloud. The friends had to move fast. Tag and Blaze tugged at Skyla's thick, bushy tail. Finally, it came free, and she tumbled to the ground.

The buzzing sound above grew louder. Blaze looked up at the sky. "The locusts are going to attack!" she said. The locusts began to dive. They were aiming right at them. Skyla pulled out her slingshot and Tag gripped his golden dagger, but Blaze stepped in front of them both. SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Tag and Skyla covered their ears as Blaze let out her firehawk cry. The cloud of locusts exploded as the creatures scattered in different directions. "You did it, Blaze!" Tag cried. "Your powerful cry scared them off!" The friends hugged. Then Skyla jumped onto Blaze's back. "We need to get out of here," she said. "Those locusts will tell Thorn where we are. More spies will be here soon!"

Tag nodded. He quickly checked his sack to make sure that their piece of the Ember Stone was safe. Then he spread his wings. "Let's go!" he said. But Skyla and Blaze did not move. They stared at the sky. Their fur and feathers were shaking.

Tag looked up. Darker than any storm cloud and scarier than any of Thorn's spies was... The Shadow.