He remembered the words of Lord Arcane. Whatever Lord Arcane had seen in his dreams was proving to be real hundreds of years later.
The Scavenger was livid on seeing the plight of the Dark World. He wanted to do something immediately, but he was feeling helpless, as he was not able to find the prophesied children.
The Scavenger clenched his fist. He had to find the children somehow. If he failed, he would have to watch the destruction of the Dark World in front of his eyes.
This thought made him shudder. He prayed to Lord Arcane to help him.
***
It was a bright sunny morning. Archer was cycling down to school when he heard someone calling his name. He stopped and looked back. It was his friend Daniel.
“Hi, Daniel,” Archer said cheerfully.
“Good morning, Archer,” Daniel replied. “You seem to be in a good mood today. Don’t you remember? We have the weekly math test today.”
“Oh, I completely forgot!” Archer exclaimed. “Now I am feeling the tension!”
Archer was eleven years old while Daniel was ten. Archer had black hair, bushy eyebrows and a long nose. Daniel too had black hair with sharp features. Studying in the same class, they both dreaded the monster that was mathematics.
Lost in conversation, they bumped into a boy with brown hair carrying loads of books that came tumbling down as he fell too. “Hey, James!” exclaimed Archer.
“Always in a hurry. Help me with these books,” an annoyed James grumbled.
They helped him up and gathered all his books.
“Studying for the final exams as expected,” came a deep voice from another boy coming through an alleyway.
“Matt!” they yelled excitedly.
Twelve-year-old Matt was an athletic boy who had more interest in sports than in studies. He had blond hair and a muscular body.
The four children were like family. Their parents were good friends too and they all lived in the same neighbourhood.
“Of course,” James said, nodding in reply to Matt’s question. “The finals are just around the corner.”
“If around the corner means five months away,” Archer mumbled. The others laughed.
Everyone knew how studious James was. And when he wasn’t studying, he was thinking about science.
“Weekly tests are boring!” James complained. “They are so easy that I finish them in fifteen minutes, and then I fall asleep!”
The friends laughed in unison.
The four cycled their way to their schools, chatting on the way, when…
“Luke and Robby!” Daniel said in dismay.
Luke stood at the front gate, looking at them with a devilish smile.
The nastiest bully in the whole school, Luke considered the four children as his enemies. His faithful companion, Robby, followed Luke everywhere and did exactly as he was asked.
Luke advanced towards them with a snarl.
Just then, their English teacher, Mr Robert, appeared. The children immediately followed him inside, flashing a smile at Luke, who stood there helpless with clenched teeth.
The day went by uneventfully. Matt clinched a medal in athletics. As the children were walking back home, admiring Matt’s medal, the bullies popped up from nowhere.
Luke growled, “You know the drill. The morning, you escaped, but this time, there’s nobody to help you. Give me your money, or else…” Robby pushed Archer menacingly. Daniel hurled a stone at Robby, injuring his leg.
“RUN,” Archer yelled. As they sped off, they could hear Robby shouting, “Wait!”
Luke and Robby were chasing them, “You won’t get far! I run very fast,” shouted Luke.
Archer, Matt and Daniel were quick, but James was slow. His knew he was going to get caught in a few moments.
“I am so dead, I wish for some miracle,” he moaned. “Although miracles are just coincidences. They are not logically correct in the realm of science,” he mumbled to himself.
Mrs Williams, Luke’s mother, appeared as though some unknown force in the Universe had listened to his silent prayer. Robby deserted Luke as soon as he spotted her, taking cover behind a tree.
Luke forgot all about James as Mrs Williams caught him and began scolding him. James eased his pace, silently thanking Mrs Williams for showing up on time. He caught up with his friends and narrated his narrow escapade.
“Phew! We thought you were dead,” said Archer. “I was about to ask your parents to prepare for your funeral!”
“Very funny,” James replied as Matt pulled out his spare key to open the door.
“Strange,” Matt muttered.
“What’s strange?” Archer asked.
“Seriously, Archer?” James said. “Strange means something that is -”
“I know the meaning!” Archer said. “I mean, what is it that Matt finds strange?”
“My mother isn’t at home. She is usually back by the time I reach home.”
“She must have gotten late,” Daniel said. “Don’t worry.”
Matt nodded. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, beckoning his friends to join him. He led them to his room, where he had kept a large box on a shelf, and inside were all the medals that Matt had earned. There were about twenty, and Matt placed the latest addition on the top.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Archer answered. “Hello. Who’s there?”
“Hello, this is Daniel’s mother.”
“Oh hello, I am Archer.”
“Oh! Well, all of you come to Daniel’s house right away. There’s a surprise waiting.” She hung up.
The curious four reached Daniel’s place and joined the parents at a large table. Archer had an uneasy feeling about this.
He spoke first. “Why are we all here? Did we do something wrong?”
“Don’t look so scared. It’s good news,” Archer’s father said. “Do you remember last month, when the ladies here, participated in the quiz competition on the National Geographic Channel? The ladies got all the answers right. Can you believe it? We have won the contest! The prize is six free tickets to Western Carpathians of Transylvania in Romania. Wow, Ciur-Izbuc cave is waiting for us!
“So, we discussed and decided that you four will be going to the caves. Matt’s parents have volunteered to accompany you all. You will be leaving next Friday, when your summer break begins. It’s a two-week vacation, and we have made
