by Yajat Sharma
“SORRY! SORRY!” the warrior yelled. “The Death Lord is planning to wage a huge war against the Clans. He has appointed a demon named Blood Reaper to train the army. Meanwhile, he is searching for the first piece of the Arcane Crown.”
“Where is he planning to wage this war?”
“First, at the Palace of Unicorns. He plans to defeat the five Clans guarding it and capture the Unicorns. Then he will attack the Coast of Robbers, and the Cliff of Thieves to loot their treasures. Then he plans to meet and seek help from the Night Riders at the Island of Night in the Dark Sea. That’s all I know.”
“This is absurd!” The Scavenger exclaimed. “The Night Riders will never help him.”
The warrior shrugged. “That’s a risk he is willing to take.”
“Hmm… What about the first piece? Where is the Death Lord now?”
“He is now in the Isle of the Beast.”
“Hey, that’s where we just came from!” James said.
The Scavenger nodded. “He’s catching up on us.”
He turned back to the warrior. “Are there some warriors with him?”
The Elite Warrior shook his head. “No. He is travelling alone.”
“Has he faced any problems in his kingdom?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Eight Clans have already betrayed the Death Lord. Other than that… there is nothing else.”
“You sure? Need I jog your memory a bit?”
“I swear that’s it!”
“What alliances has he made until now?”
“He has gained the trust of the Black Hunters and the Kingdom of the Baboons. The Panthers have also decided to help him, apart from the Red Robbers, Treasure Hunters and the Silencers. That is all.”
“What about the Ninjas and the Samurai?”
The Elite Warrior shook his head remorsefully. “They refused to yield and escaped underground before the Death Lord could capture them.”
The Scavenger heaved a big sigh. The Ninjas and the Samurai were the most arduous warriors.
“And now tell me... Where is the Lightning Sword?”
The warrior was silent.
“I ask again. Where is the Lightning Sword?”
Still the warrior refused to say anything.
“I will give you three seconds to answer!” The Scavenger raised his sword. “Three, two… one!” The Scavenger brought his sword down.
The warrior yelled, and the Scavenger stopped the sword an inch above the warrior’s neck.
“Okay, okay!” the warrior shrieked. “It is in the… in the Grove of Swords.”
“Impossible. The Grove of Swords is just here in this area.”
The Elite Warrior nodded. “That was the reason I came here. To take the Lightning Sword back to…” He blurted but clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing that he had spoken too much.
The Scavenger became hopeful. “You will go to the Grove of Swords and bring the Lightning Sword to us.”
The warrior shook his head. “I will never. It’s impossible.”
“That’s your wish,” the Scavenger smiled. “If you don’t give it to me, I won’t kill you.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Instead, I will take the Sword from the grove. I’ll expose you in front of everyone – that you gave me the location. Then you know what will happen. You’ll be tortured for eternity.”
The warrior’s voice quivered. “You won’t do that.”
“Well, I will.” The Scavenger smiled.
The warrior said, “Okay, I have a deal.”
“What?” the Scavenger asked.
“I’ll give you the sword and you will tell me the location of the first piece of the Crown, and then leave me.”
The Scavenger kicked the warrior hard. He fell to the ground unconscious. He turned to the children to have a discussion.
“We can’t do that!” Archer said. “He is the Death Lord’s man. What’s so special about that sword anyway?”
The Scavenger sighed. “The Lightning Sword is the most powerful sword of the Universe. Most importantly,” the Scavenger became emotional, “it’s part of my soul.”
9
The children at once agreed to respect the Scavenger’s emotions.
“Let’s take the deal. The Lightning Sword would be a great addition to our strength,” James said. “Secondly, before the warrior could contact the Death Lord and share the location of first piece, we would hopefully be in and out the Tomb with the piece.”
They all nodded in agreement.
The Scavenger slapped the warrior awake and said, “It’s a deal. You bring me the Lightning Sword first and I give you the information about the first piece. You will not contact the Death Lord before that. Let’s take the Blood Oath.”
The warrior grinned. “That’s not a problem. All right.”
The Scavenger cut the ropes, and let the warrior stand free.
The Scavenger promised, “I take a Blood Oath that I will provide you the location of the first piece of the Crown after you hand me the Lightning Sword.” He pulled out a knife and made a small cut on his palm. A drop of blood fell on the ground.
The warrior too pulled out a knife and cut his palm, and his blood too fell, landing on the previous drop.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
The Elite Warrior nodded and ran off.
Once he was gone, Matt said to the Scavenger, “Can’t you just fool him by giving a wrong location?”
The Scavenger shook his head. “The Blood Oath is not just a promise. If anyone breaks a Blood Oath, he is condemned, and hellish forces will torture him for all eternity. No warrior will ever dare to break a Blood Oath.”
Matt nodded in understanding.
While they all waited, Daniel shared what he was thinking about the demon – Blaze of Glory – who had appeared in James’ dream. He said that it was possible that the Blaze of Glory was not with the Death Lord but rather he could be the guardian of the first piece. Daniel further shared that as the guardian of the first piece, the Blaze of Glory would treat all of them as suspects.
Everyone immediately agreed with Daniel’s logic.
After about half an hour, the Elite Warrior tumbled out of the bushes, carrying a lightning-shaped sword.
The Scavenger took the sword from him, and the skies crackled dangerously.
“My precious sword…” the Scavenger gasped as he ran his eyes all over it.
“I have kept my words. It’s your turn,” the warrior said.
The Scavenger nodded, and told him, “The first piece is in the Tomb of Death.”
The Elite Warrior nodded at once. “Ah… of course. Where else?”
“Best of luck!” he said, backing away. He turned and ran away.
The Scavenger kissed his sword. “What a fruitful day! I got my sword back!”
“Come on, let’s leave before it’s too late,” James said.
The Scavenger snapped to action, sheathing his sword. He summoned the horses, and they all left towards the Lake of Blood.
The children expected the Lake of Blood to be gruesome, but it wasn’t as expected.
Its water was a shade of light green. The water seemed opaque, with a lot of houses, beautiful gardens and parks over it. The four children found themselves drawn towards it.
“NO!” The Scavenger warned as he pulled them back. “It’s just an illusion.”
“What? No…” Archer said.
“It is!” the Scavenger hissed. “The Loch Ness Monster uses this trickery to lure people and then it gobbles them up. Don’t fall into the trap! Concentrate and you will be able to see through the deception.”
Archer focused hard on the lake, and sure enough, it changed. Everything was replaced by just crimson red water.
“Is the water made of…?” Archer asked.
“Yes,” the Scavenger confirmed, “it’s blood.”
“Of whom?” Archer asked.
The Scavenger replied, “Of those warriors who were killed by the
Loch Ness Monster.”
“Can’t we call it Nessie?” James asked.
The Scavenger frowned. “Of course not. The people in the Dark World call it just the Loch. And, anyway, what kind of a name is Nessie?”
“Never mind,” James said, looking at the water. “I don’t see any monster, though.”
“It must be hiding in its cave,” the Scavenger replied.
“So what do we do?” Daniel asked.
“Cross the lake, of course,” the Scavenger said.
“I am going first,” Archer said.
The Scavenger nodded. “We will cover your back. If the Loch attacks, we will attack it while you continue swimming.”Archer nodded and stepped into the lake.
The Lake of Blood felt warm and had a coppery smell. Archer swam through, bracing himself for any attack. His friends waiting back at the shore were ready to protect him.
Surprisingly, he reached the shore safe and sound. Daniel sent next. No harm came to James and Matt either. Then the Scavenger jumped in and started swimming towards them.
Maybe they had been tempting fate for too long.
When the Scavenger was halfway, the water shook and an ugly head rose above the water. The Loch was indeed a hideous beast, its skin covered with green scales, its face like a ferocious lion thirsting for blood, and a snake-like body with two enormous fangs protruding from its mouth.
The Loch roared and sprung at the Scavenger. The Scavenger was quick to disappear underwater and came up a few metres away, barely dodging the attack.
The children braced themselves to jump back into the lake and help, but the Scavenger roared, “NO! The Loch wants me. Leave!”
Archer shook his head. “We are not leaving you.”
“Time to test my sword,” the Scavenger said, pulling out his Lightning Sword.
Fangs and sword clashed and lightning thundered in the sky.
Thunderbolts rained down from the sky and struck the Loch Ness Monster, thrusting it backwards.
The Loch recovered almost immediately and attacked the Scavenger.
James snapped his fingers. “Look, I will turn the water surrounding the Scavenger into ice so that he can get a firm platform to stand. Meanwhile, you use your Elemental Powers to attack the monster,”
James closed his eyes and focused hard for ten seconds. He then opened his eyes and let go of his power.
As the Scavenger saw the layer of red water beneath his feet turn into ice, he mentally thanked James.
The Loch pounced on the Scavenger and splashed its tail brutally, breaking the ice platform. The Scavenger jumped into the water.
James was quick to freeze another portion into ice below the Scavenger’s feet. The Scavenger stood firmly.
The Loch roared in anger and tried to attack the Scavenger. But things happened quickly, one after another – the wind changed direction, the fire blew and a tree hit the Loch on its face.
The Scavenger immediately summoned lightning. Lightning bolts rained down on the Loch, making him howl in pain.
The Scavenger leapt towards the Loch’s head. Matt controlled the wind to glide him over it.
The Scavenger raised his sword and pierced the Loch. The Loch shrieked out in pain and disappeared into the water.
“It will be back,” the Scavenger said, landing next to the children. “Trust me, I know. Once it identifies its prey, it never lets them escape. Never.”
The Scavenger took a deep breath and said, “We must aim at different parts. James, use your power to prevent the Loch from going underwater. Daniel – you attack the lower part, which will be inside the water. Archer, you attack the upper part, which will be outside the water, so that the water does not nullify your fire. And Matt, you help move me wherever I can cause maximum damage.”
The children nodded with determination. Suddenly, the Loch burst out of the water.
The Scavenger engaged the Loch, while the children assumed their positions quickly.
James drifted the water away from the Monster. In a flash, Daniel uprooted a tree and entangled the Loch’s lower tail. Without losing any time, Archer climbed the upper tail and blew fire all over it. Matt summoned a small tornado about the height of the Scavenger. The Scavenger boarded the tornado and shot towards the Loch.
Realizing that it was weakening, the Loch lurched to the lake, but James was ready.
Concentrating hard, James lifted the water of the lake very high into the sky, leaving the land dry. The Loch hit the ground, confused.
The Scavenger raised the Lightning Sword and roared. A lightning bolt fell from the sky, striking the Loch hard.
When the bolt struck, there was a massive explosion. The Scavenger jumped away from the lake area and James let the huge waterbody down. The sheer power of the attack was too much for the Loch Ness Monster to handle. It disintegrated into pieces and disappeared.
The Scavenger grinned. They had won.
***
News
The voice was cold, dark and evil. Archer felt terror.
Archer was in a dimly lit room. He could see a man in dark robes and a hood.
Kneeling in front of him was a man that Archer recognized – Triton.
“My Lord,” Triton said, his voice shaking. “We… we couldn’t d-do anything!”
COULDN’T DO ANYTHING! The man in the robes shouted. You had five prisoners! FIVE! And how many Black Hunters were with you? More than five hundred! And you couldn’t stop them!
Triton winced. “My Lord, he used magic to escape…”
Of course, you fool, the man said. What did you do to prevent that?
Triton hung his head. “I… I am sorry, my Lord.”
The man flexed his arms. Leave at once, warrior, before I kill you! You’re alive this moment only because I need you to head the Black Hoods! Leave!
Triton hurried away from the room. He opened a door and went outside.
Archer suddenly heard the man talking to himself.
My enemies are close, the man said. Yes… I am coming. The first piece will be mine, and only mine!
The man started to walk towards the door. Yes… For decades, I have been searching for the first piece. Now, I know where it is… I am coming for you, Scavenger…
“What…?” Archer exclaimed, waking up.
The Scavenger was shaking him. “Come on! We have to reach the Tomb of Death quickly before the Death Lord reaches there.”
Archer looked around groggily, taking in the grey and barren landscape, the trees devoid of leaves. The sun beat down hard. For a moment, Archer wondered where he was.
Then he remembered his dream.
“Triton, the man in robe… where… how…?” he mumbled.
“Whoa, whoa,” the Scavenger said. “What are you saying?”
Archer took a deep breath. “Well, I had this dream…”
Daniel, Matt and James woke up groaning too. They listened wide-eyed as Archer narrated his dream.
When he finished, James clicked his fingers.
“The Elite Warrior,” he said. “Of course it would be him. It seems he has told the Death Lord about the Tomb of Death.”
“Wait,” Archer said. “So you are assuming the man in robes was the Death Lord?”
The Scavenger replied, “Yes. Who else could he be?”
“But you said the Death Lord was hunting for the first piece, so how could he be in Triton’s lair?” Matt probed.
“Unless he wasn’t there at all,” the Scavenger finished. “He must be meeting Triton somewhere else.”
“Well, who cares?” Daniel said. “I think we should reach the Tomb of Death fast.”
“You are right,” the Scavenger said, picking up his backpack.
The Scavenger whistled, and five white steeds came running up to them. The children helped the Scavenger saddle them.
With another whistle, the horses took off. The children whooped in delight.
The horses stopped after an hour and trotted about nervously.
&n
bsp; Archer looked ahead to see a waterfall with a snow-clad mountain rising from above it. There was a hole on the top of the mountain and, though it looked serene, the horses whimpered nervously.
“We have to leave the horses,” the Scavenger said. “Something’s disturbing them.”
Everyone dismounted and the horses disappeared.
Daniel’s horse threw him off before he could dismount.
“That horse hates me,” Daniel grumbled, brushing himself.
“We will have to climb those rocks to reach the mountain,” the Scavenger said, leading the children forward. He muttered a spell and a rope with a hook appeared in everyone’s hands.
“Follow me,” the Scavenger said, swinging his rope.
When the rope gained speed, the Scavenger let it go. It got hold of a rock. The Scavenger tugged it to make sure it would not slip. Then he shimmied up the cord and went down to the rock. He freed the hook and threw it away. Then he slowly made his way up to the mountain.
Matt did the same as Archer followed. Then came Daniel, and finally James.
After a strenuous climb, they were on top of the mountain.
James looked down the hole. “What’s inside?”
The Scavenger looked at him. “Only one way to find out.” And he jumped.
Everyone followed.
10
Matt landed on a soft ground, perplexed.
But then he sensed that the soft ground was neither clay nor soil, but covered with tendrils. He jumped ahead.
The tendrils and creepers entwined around his legs, bringing him down. He struggled to free himself, but the vines had him trapped.
“Don’t fight back!” the Scavenger shouted. “It will only get worse!”
Matt raised his head to find the Scavenger and his other friends safe on the other side.
Matt tried to lay still, but it was easier said than done. As soon as he stopped moving, the vines wrapped around his neck, cutting his oxygen supply.
“I can’t take them any longer,” Matt wailed.
“I know these vines,” the Scavenger said, trying hard to remember. “They thrive in the cold and they fear fire.”
He had to say no more. Archer extended his hands and fire flickered across his palms, unleashing a scorching wave of fire on the vines.
