BEFORE THE MYSTICONS could escape from the orphanage, a giant, sticky web snagged them all. They were suspended from the tree branches above, tangled up in their own individual cocoons. They looked up at the balcony, finally seeing Mrs. Sparklebottom … all of her. She had eight spiderlike legs, and she was glaring down at them over her tiny black glasses.
“Nobody takes my babies!” she roared. She shot another sticky web from her hand and snatched Zarya from the group so she could hold her in her arms.
“Give her back! She’s not yours!” Piper yelled. She twisted and turned, trying to free herself, but it was no use.
“Just like this birth gem you stole isn’t mine?” Mrs. Sparklebottom asked, grabbing the green gem from Arkayna’s hand. “I never give up information about my babies. Nor do I look kindly on those who steal it.”
She raised one of her long, sharp spider legs, about to strike the final blow on the three Mysticons she’d trapped.
“She’s Princess Arkayna’s twin!” Arkayna blurted out.
Mrs. Sparklebottom cut Arkayna’s cocoon open in one swift motion, letting her drop toward the floor. “What did you say?” She hopped down from her perch on the balcony.
“And she’s in terrible danger,” Arkayna went on. “If we don’t find her—”
“I will!” a familiar voice interrupted. There was an explosion of black smoke at the portal into the nursery. Tazma appeared in the doorway with her shadow henchmen. She shot a blast of magic at Mrs. Sparklebottom, sending her flying. The green gem skidded across the floor.
“You’ll never get the gem!” Arkayna said, about to dive for it.
But Tazma was too fast. She blasted the tree branches across the nursery. Arkayna gasped as she realized that hidden among the branches were sleeping babies, safely cocooned in webs from Mrs. Sparklebottom. But Tazma’s blasts were breaking those branches, sending babies into freefall. Thinking fast, Arkayna broke the Mysticons’ cocoons with magic from her Dragon Staff. “Protect the babies!” she yelled.
The girls leapt across the nursery. Piper caught two babies in her hands, and Em caught another two in her shield. As Arkayna rushed to save the others with telekinesis, Tazma stole the gem. She let out an evil laugh.
“Finish them!” she said, ordering her shadow henchmen forward. They crept toward the Mysticons, their beady red eyes narrowing. Just before they could strike, Mrs. Sparklebottom flew up into the air, landing between the Mysticons and the shadows.
“NO ONE HURTS MY BABIES!” Mrs. Sparklebottom yelled.
She swiped at the shadows with her long, sharp legs, destroying them one by one. She ran toward another baby they’d surrounded, grabbing it before they could move in. Then she tossed a shadow at Tazma, knocking her to the ground. Tazma lost hold of the gem and it bounced across the floor again.
Zarya rushed in and grabbed it, while singing, “Nah na na nah nah!” at Tazma.
Tazma shot dark tendrils at Zarya, tying her up. She raised the baby Mysticon into the air and smiled. “Children should be neither seen nor heard.…” With that, she tossed Zarya over the side of the railing.
The Mysticons stood there, helpless. They all had their arms full with babies. Just when they were certain Zarya was gone, she floated up in a giant pink bubble. The furry pink baby had saved her using its telekinetic powers.
“Good boy, Blinky!” Zarya cheered. “Good boy!”
But it wasn’t long before the shadows returned. The Mysticons were completely surrounded. How could they protect the babies and fight Tazma’s shadow henchmen? It seemed impossible.
Suddenly Blinky’s eyes began to glow. With a sudden, powerful pink blast, he disintegrated all of the shadows around them.
“That baby is terrifying!” Em said, smiling with relief.
“Can we adopt him?” Piper asked.
Arkayna wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t. “Where’s Tazma?” she asked.
They stared at the open portal. Tazma had escaped … and she had the gem.