Krisis roared angrily, “ENOUGH! NOW YOU WILL FACE ME! YOU WILL FACE MY WRATH!”
As the crowd cheered, Krisis stepped inside the arena and pulled out two strange swords, shaped like mountains.
He lunged at Matt and swiped his sword. Matt blocked the attack, but his katana went flying due to the impact. Krisis jumped and gave a flying kick straight at Matt’s head, which sent Matt soaring in the air. He landed on the ground and groaned.
Krisis ran like a whirlwind and brought his blade down.
Suddenly, another sword blocked his attack. Krisis glanced up at the face of the Scavenger.
“Matt spared all four of your warriors,” the Scavenger said, gritting his teeth. “It’s fair that you spare the four children too. Sparing me or not… that’s your choice!”
Krisis nodded in agreement, though his face was seething with anger. He withdrew his swords.
The Scavenger gave a hand to Matt. “You fought amazingly, Matt. I salute you!”
Matt groaned in reply and fainted. James, Daniel and Archer lifted him away from the arena.
The Scavenger looked at Krisis. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Krisis shouted, “I know you are moving towards the Tomb of Death. I will never allow that. Retreat.”
“That’s not possible. Even fate cannot stop us,” the Scavenger shouted back.
Krisis waved his swords. “In that case, you leave me no option than to kill you.”
Krisis lunged at the Scavenger, who had drawn his Lightning Sword by now.
They both struck at once, and their steels clashed. They fought as men possessed. It was an intense fight. The crowd observed with bated breath.
No one was admitting defeat. When one attacked, the other blocked. When one dodged, the other regained his breath. It seemed like a never-ending duel.
The Scavenger had had enough. He decided to use his Lightning Sword. With a punch, the Scavenger threw Krisis to the ground. Krisis rose almost at once, but those few seconds were enough for the Scavenger. He closed his eyes and raised his Lightning Sword.
The explosion that came next made Krisis fly across the arena. Lightning struck from the sky and hit Krisis. The shock was too much for him to bear.
A growl emanated from Krisis that shook the entire arena. Taking advantage of the fall of Krisis, the children and the Scavenger rushed away from the arena in their chariot.
11
Matt had regained consciousness and realized that they all were moving towards the Tomb of Death. The children praised the Scavenger for defeating Krisis.
The Scavenger shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I just can’t help being awesome.”
Daniel sat up straight and stretched. “I thought you said after we reach the mountain, it would be just about two hours to reach the Tomb of Death.”
The Scavenger nodded. “Yes, but the Crostux that chased us forced us to change the route. The route we are taking is long but safe.”
Daniel rolled his eyes, “Ugh… not another creature!”
“I think it would take an hour more. I remember this place. A long time ago, the assassins chased Mascae here.”
Daniel turned to his friends, who were playing Monopoly. “Can I join too?”
“Of course,” James said.
They only looked up when the Scavenger brought the chariot to a halt in front of the Tomb of Death.
The tomb cast a dark shadow over them. Gruesome pictures – of war, of injured soldiers, of dying men, of bodies that had no arms or legs – filled the outer walls.
They got down from the chariot. The Scavenger murmured a spell and with a puff, the chariot disappeared.
As they walked, Daniel looked ahead and shrieked.
Crawling snakes with venom dripping down their fangs were littering the ground a distance away. Snakes were Daniel’s biggest nightmare.
“Get back!” the Scavenger shouted. “They are poisonous!”
Daniel quivered with horror.
“How do we enter the tomb?” Matt asked.
The Scavenger carefully examined the snakes. “These are rare species. Some are weak on exposure to fire, while some fall prey to water, so…”
James and Archer stepped forward. “Let us do the honours then.”
Archer blasted fire, and most of the snakes disappeared into dust, while James put an end to the remaining by splashing them with freezing water.
Without further surprises, they reached the doors to the Tomb of Death.
“Here goes nothing,” the Scavenger said, pushing the large door open.
The walls of the interior of the tomb had the same designs as the outer walls. At the centre of the tomb sat a golden throne, shining brightly. Diamonds adorned it. There was a gold statue of Mascae on it, tranquil and royal.
The Scavenger and the children walked towards the throne as the door automatically closed behind them.
Daniel moved his hand over the head of Mascae’s statue. Suddenly, scenes from the past started flashing in his mind.
Daniel saw two people running through a dense forest. One of them was old. The young man looked exhausted.
“Come on, Raven!” the old warrior said. “Fast!”
Raven nodded his head and increased his pace. “I am trying my best, Father!”
An arrow whistled past Raven’s head. He stopped in shock, but a rough shove from the old man got him going.
“Don’t stop,” he warned. “Keep running. We have to reach the Kingdom of Bulls anyhow. Just a few more miles to go!”
Comforted by his words, Raven amplified his speed, trying to catch up with his father.
“There they are!” came a shout, and arrows shot out from behind. The old man and Raven ducked but Raven tripped and fell, rolling into quicksand. The old man stopped and tried to pull him out, but the mud held Raven fast.
“Leave me, Father!” Raven shouted. “Save yourself.”
“Never,” the old man said defiantly. More arrows whistled past, but the old man didn’t move.
He managed to pull Raven free as two men ran out of the bushes. Raven knew who they were – the Twin Assassins. No one they wanted dead had ever escaped alive.
The Twin Assassins pulled out half a sword each. They were the halves of the most magnificent sword of all time – the Lightning Sword. The Twin Assassins could not join the two parts as only
