by Yajat Sharma
The Scavenger pocketed the key. “Come on, let’s go. We are pretty close.”
They ran back to where the small statue converted to a door with a lock on it was waiting for them.
The Scavenger pulled out the key and held it. He carefully inserted it into the lock and turned. The lock opened immediately. The door suddenly expanded to about six feet height and opened. It appeared dark from outside. The Scavenger was the first to enter. The children followed.
They walked down a passage that was lit up with torches lined on the walls. It led them inside a chamber where they saw the seventh piece of the Crown kept on a platform.
A gruff voice resonated, “Not so fast. I am Shade, the guardian of the seventh piece. It’s plain stupid of you all to think of taking the seventh piece without engaging me.”
The guardian, Shade, was hovering in mid-air. He had two gigantic wings and carried two humongous swords.
The attacks began. The Scavenger and the children jumped at Shade with their swords.
Shade had the advantage of flying over them. He easily dodged their attacks.
He flew down speedily, swaying his sword at Daniel, who dipped, missing the attack by inches.
As Shade flew back up, Daniel caught hold of Shade’s wing.
Shade shook him off hard, but the Scavenger caught Daniel before he hit the ground.
Shade crossed his swords, muttered something, and a ball of fire shot from one of the swords.
Everyone scampered away.
Archer swung his sword into the fireball, breaking it into fragments.
Daniel stood behind him and focused. Thick vegetation slammed against Shade’s wings. He tried to fly, but his wings were hurt, and he flapped and swooped to the ground.
Shade was visibly hurt. He snarled at Daniel and swiped hard at him. Daniel went rolling.
Shade crossed his swords and this time an ice ball hurled at the squad.
“His swords have powerful magic,” the Scavenger said. “We need to disable his swords.”
Shade twirled his swords and lunged at them.
Daniel ducked and, from the corner of his eye, he saw the Scavenger come quietly behind Shade.
Shade crossed his swords; this time, a thunderbolt sprouted at the Scavenger, but the Scavenger’s fast reflexes saved him. Extending the Lightning Sword, he riveted the energy from the ball and shot it back at Shade. But even a shock of nearly a thousand volts could not hurt Shade. His sword just absorbed the electricity.
Matt channelized his power to summon strong tornadoes. It took him every ounce of his energy to channelize the fury of dangerous storms, shooting a blast of wind so powerful that even he was thrown back.
The tornado struck Shade’s sword with full vigour and knocked it out of his hands. James, Archer and Daniel shot waves of their Elemental Powers against Shade and the Scavenger supplemented by throwing huge lightning bolts. The combined attack proved too much for Shade, who was knocked out unconscious.
With Shade out cold, the Scavenger snatched the seventh piece from the platform and rushed outside the cave.
***
In no time, they were back on their ship. As the Sails of Time sailed away, they looked proudly at the seventh piece.
There it was, after all the endless challenging expeditions they had encountered and enemies they had conquered. They had at last found the seventh piece of the Crown of Magic.
But Matt looked sad. “After so much effort, we only have five pieces.”
The Scavenger shook his head. “Don’t worry! Fate will decide everything at the right moment. We have more things to worry about. It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Matt asked.
“Time to face the Death Lord. We need to travel to the Pyramid of Destiny, which is in the Moor of Death. But first, we have to gather all the good forces and make an army powerful enough to face the Death Lord’s army. I am aware of several such good forces, but they are all scattered. We need to organize all of them into one army.” The Scavenger pulled out a map. “These are the places which are not conquered by the Death Lord.”
Pointing to a location, he said, “We are here, in the Pirate Sea. We have to cross the sea and the desert and visit the Land of the Unicorns. They will help us. They can travel fast with unimaginable speed. They will bring all the good Clans in no time. We need to hurry. The Death Lord must be aware that we have the five pieces. He will leave no stone unturned to get these pieces from us. The final war is inevitable.”
“So how much time will it take to reach the Land of the Unicorns?” Daniel asked.
“If we continue without stopping, it will be a day,” the Scavenger replied. “You all take some rest. After all, you have done two great things today.”
The next day, the ship gently neared the shore and docked.
Patting it affectionately, the Scavenger said, “It has done its job. We must leave the Sails of Time here.”
They gathered on the shore, looking at the Sails of Time. The Scavenger muttered a spell. The Sails of Time slowly started sinking into the sea. Within moments, it disappeared.
After the Sails of Time disappeared, they all turned to face a barren land. It was the Desert of Grief, which seemed to stretch to eternity. Beyond it was the Land of the Unicorns.
They began their long journey, spread to the horizons of the desert.
As they walked, the sun beat down hard on their backs. The hot sand burned their feet through their shoes. A few miles later, Daniel got drenched in sweat.
“How much more do we have to walk?” Archer asked.
“Hours more to go. We can’t fly or swim here, can we?” As soon as the Scavenger said that, Matt broke out laughing. How could he have not thought of it before?
“What happened?” James asked.
Matt chuckled. “We can ride the winds across the desert!”
Wasting no time, he summoned the winds, but as soon as the winds touched and lifted them, everyone started complaining.
“Stop them! Stop them!”
Immediately they were thrown to the ground.
“The winds are too hot!” James screamed. “They are burning and hurting us! Matt, can’t you summon some colder winds?”
“Your Highness!” Matt said sarcastically. “What do you need? Winds from the North Pole? Anyway, the winds aren’t hurting me.”
Matt turned to James. “Can’t you summon cold water instead?”
“Your Highness!” James exclaimed. “Since you are summoning the winds, they are not hurting you. But we are being tortured. I can’t summon cold water either. It’s a desert! There’s no water for miles!”
“What if Matt and I fetch help from the Land of the Unicorns?” Archer suggested. “I don’t feel the hotness of the winds either.”
“Why didn’t we think of that?” the Scavenger exclaimed.
Matt summoned the winds once again. The winds lifted him and Archer, and they shot forward.
After an hour’s tiresome flight, Matt saw the first signs of life… some specks of greenery. A few minutes later, they got out of the desert into a completely different surrounding – a valley full of trees and grass and beautiful animals and birds.
The Land of the Unicorns was exemplary, with greenery abounding and charismatic cottages lined along the roads. Multi-coloured Unicorns roamed here freely; they resembled horses with a single horn on their head. Some of them had wings too. The Unicorns gazed at Matt and Archer as they flew towards a big palace in the distance.
As they neared the gates, two Unicorn guards blocked their way.
“What is your business here?” one of them asked.
“We are friends. We need to meet your King,” Archer replied.
Surprisingly, the guards relented. It seemed the Land of the Unicorns was one of trust.
They went above stairs and passed through chambers, until they reached the court of the King.
The Unicorn King rose from his throne as Matt and Archer appeared before him.
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Archer cleared his throat and started, “Well wishes, O Mighty King of the Unicorns. We are your loyal people, seeking your kind refuge in your beautiful kingdom. We are five travellers, but three of our companions have got stuck in the arid, demonic, evil, vile…”
“Forgive me, Lord,” Matt interjected. “Our companions need to be rescued from the desert. We have come here to request you to send your Unicorns and save them.”
The Unicorn King replied hesitantly, “Why should we trust you?”
“We are the prophesied children,” Matt said. “With the Scavenger, we -”
“Wait!” the Unicorn King interrupted. “Did you say, ‘the Scavenger’? The servant of the great Lord Arcane?”
Matt nodded.
The Unicorn King thought again. “I still cannot trust you. I have to confirm that what you have said is true. I can do this: I will bring the ones you mention. If the Scavenger is there with them, then I will easily recognize him. But if I find out that you have lied, you will face my wrath.”
Saying this, he called a Unicorn to him. “Avalor, I want you to go to the desert and bring the people he mentions.”
Avalor nodded and shot off.
“He’s the fastest Unicorn,” the Unicorn King said. “He’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The Unicorn King was right. Avalor returned within no time with Daniel, James and the Scavenger.
Matt couldn’t believe how fast the Unicorns could travel.
The Unicorn King exclaimed, “You told the truth! Here I meet the servant of Lord Arcane!”
As soon as he said that, all the Unicorns, including the Unicorn King, bowed to the Scavenger and the children.
“Let me tell you a story,” the Unicorn King began. “Long ago, when my ancestors ruled the kingdom, they struck an enmity against the Leprechauns. The Leprechauns looted our kingdom, taking our food, weapons, everything. My ancestors went to Lord Arcane for help. Lord Arcane told us that one day, his servant named the Scavenger would come to us along with the four prophesied children to free us of our troubles. Generations after, we are still suffering at the hands of the Leprechauns, with no solution in sight. We have waited for centuries for you to come. And now, at last, you are here!”
“I see,” the Scavenger said. “First, I would like to thank you for greeting us so warmly in your kingdom. Second, I would be only too happy to help you.”
They all decided that after some rest, at midnight, they would strike the land of the Leprechauns.
After a good rest, they gathered with five Unicorns and started towards the enemy domain. They knocked out a few guards at the gate and made their way inside. The palace of the enemy King appeared sinister in the dark of the night.
“I will find the Leprechaun King. You look for food, ammunition, armour, weapons, anything… and throw everything over the wall. The Unicorns will catch it,” the Scavenger instructed.
The children entered the armoury and immediately came under attack from a group of soldiers. They had to use their Elemental Powers to overcome the enemy army. Once they had neutralized the enemy, Daniel fabricated a few bags to stuff all the weapons and threw it out over the wall.
Suddenly there was a shout. Hundreds of Leprechauns started swarming down to the palace. It seemed that the Scavenger had been caught.
By this time, the children had managed to throw all the bags filled with the loot over the wall. They decided to rush towards the Scavenger.
However, the Scavenger suddenly appeared before them. “Don’t worry. There is no danger. The Leprechaun King immediately identified me. He also came to know of you four. He surrendered without any resistance and has assured me that he will never venture towards the Land of the Unicorns.”
The children clapped in excitement. All of them clambered onto the backs of the Unicorns and shot off. They were eager to meet the Unicorn King and tell him that they had solved a century-old problem without a fight.
The Scavenger narrated what had happened to the Unicorn King. “The Leprechaun King will never trouble you again.”
The Unicorn King thanked them and showered them with gifts. “It’s unbelievable. I was expecting a war, but your aura itself was enough for the Leprechaun King to surrender. You are lifesavers! Thank you! How can I ever repay you?”
“You have the fastest messengers. You could help us to gather the good armies around the Dark World in the war against the Death Lord,” the Scavenger said.
“Please consider it done! I shall send my messengers right away. I am sure the good forces will pitch in once they know that the prophesied children are here.” The Unicorn King took a breath. “The Dark World has been waiting for this moment since a long time.”
***
The next day, the Scavenger and the children stood atop the roof of the palace as they watched vast armies approaching from the horizon, covering the land from one extreme to the other.
They could see the Trolls, Giants and Ogres, who had dominated the north side of the Dark World for ages. The Trolls and Ogres, who had utmost hatred for each other, had now joined arms to fight the Death Lord.
They also saw hundreds of honourable and brave Clans, such as the Wolves, the Lions and the Daggers, with thousands of soldiers in each Clan.
Then followed the Hunters from all the corners of the Dark World. They had gone into hiding, awaiting their turn to avenge their brethren, who were assassinated by the Black Hunters on the behest of the Death Lord.
The Wizards came flying from their Land of Magic. They were the most powerful of sorcerers and magicians.
The Ninjas and the Samurai looked all set to take part in the war. The Ninjas were agile and skilled in martial arts, while the Samurais were skilled in fighting with samurai swords.
Then there were also the menacing Panthers, the ferocious warriors from the east. It was rumoured that each Panther had the capacity to demolish hundreds of enemy soldiers.
The army had thousands of beasts – the mystic and legendary creatures seeking riddance from the Death Lord.
The last to join were the Silent Pirates and the Solitaire Pirates, the only pirates who did not support the Death Lord.
The Scavenger addressed the vast expanse of the newly raised army, “Warriors! It is time to fight for our freedom from the evil Death Lord!”
There was a massive roar of approval.
“It’s going to be a month-long march to the Moor of Death where we take on the Death Lord,” he spoke and then paused to look at the warriors who stood before him, eager to fight.
“We start tomorrow.”
The Scavenger again paused. Then he shouted, “For a long time, we have been fugitives in our own homeland! For a long time, we have been mistreated, our family, our brothers massacred! For a long time, we have been in hiding! For a long time, we have faced this torture!”
The huge army roared back, riled up by the Scavenger’s words.
“That has now come to an end! Tomorrow… tomorrow, we start a journey to meet our destiny! Tomorrow, we journey to the final war!”
Everyone raised their swords, yelling in fury. They were ready. Ready for the battle.
The Scavenger raised his Lightening Sword, and the skies crackled. “For our family! For our friends! For the Dark World! And… for those who have sacrificed their lives for peace!”
The Scavenger lowered his sword as the army roared in front of him. “For everyone who is ready to make the supreme sacrifice… WE BEGIN THIS WAR!”
21
Next morning, the massive army led by the Scavenger started for the Moor of Death. The Scavenger and the children moved in a chariot at the front.
The army travelled the whole day, taking two breaks of one hour each for food, and a short break of half an hour for every three hours of walking. They stopped only when the sun set. After resting for the night, they again started their march. This monotonous routine continued for days together.
After about three weeks of travelling, the Scavenger stood,
addressing the army. “I admire your commitment and determination. We have crossed the desert.” Pointing to a green peak ahead, a distance away, he announced, “Very soon we will reach the Moor of Death. I need a volunteer to go to the Death Lord’s place with an offer of a meeting to decide on the rules of war.”
Avalor, the Unicorn, stepped forward. “Allow me, Lord.”
The Scavenger nodded, and Avalor left.
Avalor returned after half an hour. “The meeting has been fixed after three days at the Death Lord’s Palace.”
The Scavenger nodded. “Good work, Avalor.”
Avalor nodded back and said, “I would also like to add further that I was shocked to see the congregation of the Death Lord’s Army. We must prepare well. We are up against a formidable enemy, who is much more in numbers than us.”
The Scavenger thanked Avalor who retreated back into the group of Unicorns. The Scavenger turned to address his army. Many of the warriors were starting to look unsure after hearing Avalor’s words.
“Comrades, the Death Lord’s army is here. Don’t let the numbers demoralize you. No matter how huge the Death Lord’s army might be, we have the power of goodness on our side. Nothing can defeat us. The truth has to win eventually. Are you ready?”
The army roared in affirmation, their hearts rising with the Scavenger’s words.
Next morning, as the army started marching towards the Moor of Death, Daniel asked the Scavenger, “How are we so sure that we will meet the Death Lord at the Moor of Death?”
“The Death Lord knows that the pieces of the Arcane Crown can be assembled only in the Pyramid of Destiny, which is situated in the Moor of Death. He has got just two pieces out of the seven, and we have the remaining five. The Death Lord knows that we will try everything we can to get the two pieces from him and, therefore, he will come to this place. He has, thus, located himself at the Moor, waiting for us.”
They crossed the greenery, and another stretch of barren land appeared. They kept travelling and halted only in the evening.
