"Sky?" Jackabenze whispered, hoping it wasn't what it looked like. "Is that
you?"
The Airax sitting in the seat was unlike any Airax the others had ever seen.
It was 10 times the size of a normal Airax, and its feathers were black, as
well as glowing dark energy, and its eyes glowed red. But Jackabenze recognised
it. There was the tangle of feathers on its wing, where Siquero had gotten over
ambitious with her Zafara Flame, and the Foot with one too many claws. It was
Sky all right.
"I'm glad you figured it out Jackabenze," Sky drawled on. "I was starting
to get bored with framing that stupid Zafara."
"But I thought Siquero was hit by the blast," asked Sunni, confusion in her
voice. "How did you become evil?"
"You idiot, I was hit by the same blast!" squawked Sky. "Siquero only got
the last of it, just enough to change her colour, and to be controlled by a
greater evil. She's been doing my bidding without even realising it. Ha ha ha!"
Jackabenze looked at Siquero. Now it made sense. It had been Sky that was
glowing in the Marketplace, not Siquero. And all of the mysterious things Siquero
had been doing, she had been ordered to do them. The Airax looked disapprovingly
at the Zafara. "Unfortunately all of her evil has been used up, and she tried
to rebel. So I was going to eliminate her, then you showed up."
"Yeah, well, you're going to have to beat us all up," shouted Sunni. "Cause
we're going to put a stop to you!"
"Oh really, and how do you plan to do that?" asked Sky as she started to get
up.
"Minions, grab them and shackle them to the wall!"
As the Pets started to encircle them, Capara turned to Jackabenze and said,
"I hope you're a good fighter in the Battledome because we don't stand a chance
if you're not."
Jackabenze suddenly found the floor fascinating. "Umm, well, I've never fought
in the Battledome before," he admitted.
Capara looked at him ready to explode. "What do you mean?"
"Siquero was the one who wanted to be a Battledome Champion so Dazzlemint
only let her get lessons," Jackabenze explained. "I was never that interested."
"Okay, let me get this straight," said Sunni. "The best fighter of us all
is near the end, and none of us has any experience in the Battledome. Is
that right?"
Suddenly, Jackabenze had an idea. Looking up, he saw a tiny gap in the roof.
It was small, but it had enough room to fit a small faerie. "Hey Sunni, I've
got an idea!" shouted Jackabenze. "Fly up to that crack and get help."
Sunni looked up, and smiled. "You got it," she said.
"Get her!" cried Sky as the Faerie fluttered to the crack. "Don't let her
escape!"
Some of the Flying PetPets tried to catch her, but Sunni had a good head start,
and flew out inches before the PetPets could catch her. Sky stared at Jackabenze
and the rest of the group, who were being attached to the walls by cuffs. "You
won't be so fortunate," it said.
"We're so dead," said Siquero, who was feeling a little better from her battle.
"Sky on its own is weak, but we can't fight a whole army of PetPets, and Capara!"
Yes, shortly after the PetPets had shackled them, Sky had used its power,
and the Wadjet blood inside Capara to control her, too.
"Our only hope is Sunni," said Jackabenze, who was looking at some really
unusual PetPets coming towards them. "She has to bring help."
Peopatra
looked at the two weird PetPets. "Is it just me, or do those PetPets NOT have
red eyes?" she asked.
Siquero and Jackabenze looked at the two PetPets. Peopatra was right. And
that meant they weren't being controlled.
"Hey Jackabenze, think you're in over your head," mumbled a voice from one
of the PetPets, that looked vaguely like a baby Vampire. "Need a hand?"
Suddenly, Siquero and Jackabenze's brains clicked, they knew that voice!
"Leonot? Is that really you?" whispered Siquero. "Where's Kamedaki?"
"Right here," the other PetPet said, lifting up part of its head. "Do I make
a good Kadoatie or what? I've even got a Hornsby over there making wedding arrangements."
"Well I hope you're very happy together," muttered Jackabenze. "Can you get
us out?"
Leonot pulled out a key from underneath his outfit.
"Please, who do you think you're talking to here," said Kamedaki smugly.
"But we've got to get out of here fast, Sky is going to attack the Neopia
tonight," said Leonot. "So let's go."
But as Leonot freed Jackabenze, Sky noticed what they were doing. "Those aren't
PetPets, destroy them!"
"Were doomed," said Siquero, as Leonot freed her and Peopatra. We can't fight
them all!"
To be continued... | 
