WITHIN MINUTES, THE Mysticons were tied to the cave wall with magic bonds. Dreadbane and his army threw chains over the worm, who kept twisting and struggling against them. They were determined to get the Codex piece out of the Cave Crawler, no matter what.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Piper said. Dreadbane had confronted her outside the tunnel entrance before she could react. “I was scared … and I let you down.”
“Being scared is nothing to be ashamed of,” Em said.
“The only one who should be scared is Dreadbane,” Arkayna said, glaring at him.
Dreadbane let out an evil laugh. “I’m shaking in my shin guards, Mage.”
“Retrieve the piece!” General Tibion called out. Two skeletons pulled on the chains that held down the Cave Crawler. Another two skeletons yanked open its mouth. The creature struggled and roared.
“Stop! You’re hurting her!” Piper cried.
A single terrified skeleton marched into the worm’s mouth, then came out moments later holding the third Codex piece. But before he could get all the way out, the skeletons holding open the worm’s mouth slipped, and the worm’s jaws snapped shut. All that remained was the blue Codex piece, still in the eaten skeleton’s hands. Dreadbane grabbed it and held it high, an evil smile on his face.
“Now finish them,” he said, gesturing to the three Mysticons.
The skeletons and Tibion drew their giant swords and closed in on the Mysticons. But before they could strike, a flurry of energy arrows flew past their heads. The magic missiles blasted the captured girls free from their bonds.
Zarya jumped out of the shadows, her bow drawn tight. Malvaron was right behind her. They were both ready for battle. “Didja miss me?” she asked, smiling.
Piper looked at Zarya with tears in her eyes. “I’m so happy I could … explode!” she called, spinning into the air. She shot out glitter blasts in all directions, sending skeletons flying.
“Unleash the Dragon!” Arkayna cried. The powerful magic Dragon shot out of her bracer, soaring through a sea of skeletons and blasting them apart. As soon as Dreadbane saw it, he turned to run.
“We have what we came for!” he yelled.
“Move out!” Tibion called.
The skeletons retreated through the tunnel, but not before Dreadbane turned back. He shot out bone shards that sliced through the worm’s chains.
Piper threw up her arm, but she was standing too close to the freed Cave Crawler. She was about to fire up her power when the worm swallowed her whole. It snapped its remaining chains and thundered away down the tunnel.
“We have to save Piper!” Zarya said, panicked.
“We’ll deal with Dreadbane another day,” Malvaron said.
The worm roared through the tunnels, the girls racing behind it.
“Hang on, Piper! We’re coming!” Zarya called out.
Em powered up, putting a protective armor around her. She grabbed on to the worm’s tail and dug her heels into the cave floor. She tried to slow it down, but it just whipped its tail back and forth, sending her flying into the cave walls.
Zarya fired an energy cable at it. It landed in the worm’s back, and she surfed behind it, then flipped herself up onto the creature. She thought maybe she and Em would actually be able to stop it. But then she looked ahead at the glowing light in front of them.
“Lava pit!” she called. “Dead ahead.”
“Did I forget to mention these things live in lava pits?” Em asked.
The Cave Crawler barreled on. Arkayna fired a stream of magic from her staff, but nothing could slow the worm. It dove off a cliff, shaking off Em and Zarya. It did a little jump in the air. Then it splashed into the lava below. The girls stared down at it, their hearts sinking. Piper was inside the Cave Crawler. There was no way she could’ve survived.
“Piper!” Zarya called out, her eyes filled with tears. “Piper!”
Arkayna could barely speak. “I’m sorry” was all she could manage.