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
