The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 1: The Pendant of Life

Chapter 23: The Tiger Hunts

Chapter 23

     Echo, Sam, Star, Ignatia, Rain Fox, and Dan all came running out to the tower early in the morning again the next day. Echo grabbed the shopping list from Shade and asked Sherman if there was anything they could grab while they were in town.

     “Oh, if you can, do pick up a few pumpkin pasties, please!” he said. “I do love the taste of those things!”

     Echo grabbed a quill quickly and jotted it down on the piece of parchment that Shade gave her.

     “Whatever you do, don’t get into trouble!” Shade told Echo.

     “You mean, don’t get caught,” Echo replied.

     “Just be careful, you three,” Shade told Echo, Sam, and Dan.

     “Hey!” Star asked. “What about me? What am I supposed to do?”

     “You’re too young to be going with us,” Echo told her. “You have to be a Third Year to go off-campus, remember?”

     “I went last time when we got attacked by those werewolves, remember?”

     “Yeah, but only because Jinx signed you out as a witness for the Aurors,” Shade reminded her. “This time, no one can sign you out, dear.”

     “Dude, that’s just stupid!” Star complained. “I’m better than Dan at dueling, and I can take care of myself!”

     “Hey, we don’ make the rules,” Sam said, “I’d take ya myself, honey, but we ain’t got no way to get you out.”

     “That’s just lame!” Star said. She huffed a few times and walked right out the door.

     “Hey, Starkid!” Shade shouted after her. “Come back!”

     “Let her go,” Echo said, “She’ll get over it. Next year, she’ll be fine to go wherever. Besides, I ain’t getting in trouble for her.”

     “Might I go with the group, Shade? Echo?” Ignatia asked. “I feel useless here. Besides, I can always sniff out danger if there’s any to be had.”

     Echo looked at Shade, who looked back at her.

     “She’s got that whole ‘werewolf’ senses thing going for her,” Dan said. “I don’t see why not. We could definitely use someone with super senses!”

     Ignatia smiled.

     “Rain Fox, Sherman, and I are going to be reading and trying to figure out what we can about these pendants from the papers he brought. You four be safe, and come straight here when you get back. Now hurry. The Caterwauler is going to leave soon. Make sure you’re on board!”

     “Don’t you fret, Shaders!” Echo told him. “We got it handled.”

     “I hate it when you call me that,” Shade replied.

     The girls (and Dan) all ran down the steps and left for the Caterwauler. They all seemed excited and could not wait to get back, hopefully, with information.

     Meanwhile, Rain Fox and Shade poured over the papers from the books that Sherman had brought with him. Sherman, though, did little more than sleep and snore as they read and read.

     “Gosh, some of this is ancient runes and scripts,” Rain Fox noticed. “Do you have a book on Runes? Or a Syllablery?”

     “Not with me, no,” Shade said. But I bet the library does. Let’s go down there and get what we need.”