14 The Final Fight

CHAPTER 14 THE FINAL FIGHT Tag hugged Skyla. "Thorn's spell is broken!" he said. "But what is Blaze doing?" Skyla asked. Tag gazed up at the sky. Blaze swooped in and out of The Shadow, her feathers and the Ember Stone glowing brightly. Lightning crashed all around her.

"I think Blaze is fighting The Shadow," Tag said. "She knows if she can destroy The Shadow, then Thorn will be powerless." "NO!" Thorn shrieked, pulling himself up. His tail feathers were smoking. Thorn flew into the air. But Blaze shot another fireball, throwing him back to the ground. Grey and the Owls of Valor surrounded him. "Spies!" Thorn called out. "Help me!" But Thorn's spies did not move to help him. Their orange eyes don't seem as bright anymore, Tag thought.

Just then, Blaze let out a cry so loud it made the earth shake. Tag's feathers trembled. Blaze continued to attack The Shadow. Her wings burned so brightly that she looked like a ball of fire. Lightning struck her wings but bounced off. "She's focusing her powers!" Tag cried. BOOM! A sudden explosion filled the air. "Look out!" Skyla cried, pulling Tag to the ground.

The dark cloud of The Shadow swirled in the air. It was dragged away from Thorn, growing smaller as it was swallowed up by the Ember Stone. Soon there was nothing left but the glowing stone, which fell to the ground. Blaze swooped through the now bright blue sky. "She did it!" Tag cried. "Blaze used her powers all together." The whole of Valor Wood cheered.

The air sparkled with magic. Fresh grass and colorful flowers appeared on the ground. Trees bloomed with green leaves again. The nearby stream was filled with sparkling blue water.

"Attack!" Thorn screeched at his army. But his spies did not attack. They blinked as if they had just woken up from a dream. Their eyes were no longer orange. "They were all under Thorn's spell!" Skyla said.