“Stick close by me,” the Scavenger said to Aronicle. He pointed to the truck nearest to them. “That’s the one. Come on.” He walked up to the truck and bundled Aronicle inside. They were just in time. The air was filled with the rumbling sound of engines. One by one, the trucks passed through the outer gate and outside the Brentinute.
The Scavenger’s truck started to pass through the gate and he sighed, his nerves starting to calm down. But when he was halfway, a voice called from behind the truck. “Hey! Stop right there!”
The Scavenger’s heart sank. He looked out the window and, to his horror, saw a guard shouting at him. The Scavenger called back to him, “You talking to me?”
“Step out of the truck.” The guard had an Oculus aimed at the side of the truck. “And raise your hands.”
The Scavenger stepped out of the truck, his hands raised. “Is this some joke?”
“Stop speaking,” the guard said. “You speak one word, or you move one step, and I fire. I saw something move in your truck. What’s your name?”
The Scavenger remained silent. A few more guards had surrounded the truck by now and they entered it.
“I asked you something,” the guard said.
“You told me not to speak a word,” the Scavenger replied.
“Well, now I’m ordering you to,” the guard said.
“Bones,” the Scavenger answered.
“Bones, step away from the truck and let us search it.”
The Scavenger moved four paces away from the truck. “I am telling you, there’s nothing in that truck.”
“I am not blind,” the guard said. “I saw something.”
The Scavenger gritted his teeth.
After about five minutes, the guard emerged from the truck. “It’s clean.”
The Scavenger glared at him. “See? I told you.”
“All right, all right, no need to get touchy,” the guard said.
The Scavenger got back inside the truck. His searching, trained eyes immediately found Aronicle hanging from the ceiling of the truck, camouflaged in the darkness.
“Good day, Bones!” the guard called out. The Scavenger looked down and saw him waving at him.
“Good day, man!” the Scavenger shouted at him. A moment later, his truck passed through the gate and outside the Brentinute. He wanted to shout out in excitement but somehow controlled himself, and continued to drive the truck into the dense forest.
After about an hour, he stopped. He and Aronicle started to cover the truck in leaves and dense foliage.
“Now what?” Aronicle said.
“Wait.” The Scavenger chanted something and a portal appeared. “Lynx and my friends are waiting for us. Let’s go.”
The Scavenger and Aronicle jumped into the portal.
16
The atmosphere in Lynx’s cave was tense. Everyone was praying for the safe return of the Scavenger along with Aronicle. A few minutes later, there was a swishing sound, and a blue portal materialized in the cave. Amidst clapping from everyone, the Scavenger and Aronicle stepped out from the portal.
Lynx hugged the Scavenger. “Your plan was good.”
“Thanks,” the Scavenger replied in a dignified tone.
They all had a hearty meal, during which the Scavenger shared the entire sequence of Aronicle’s rescue.
Aronicle spoke to express gratitude. “I would like to say thank you,” he said, “for rescuing me and for giving me a second life. I am forever indebted to you. Though I can do nothing to pay this huge favour off, please tell me if I can be of any help.”
Lynx pulled out Urrax from under the table and made him sit him on the desk. “It’s your help which we want the most at this time, Aronicle. Do you recognize him?”
Aronicle’s eyes grew wide. “Of course! This is him! The one who possessed me, the one who controlled my mind and, of course, the one who I transferred your Elemental Powers to.”
“Exactly. Which means...?” Lynx began.
Aronicle looked at Lynx, then at the children, then Urrax and then back at Lynx. “I can transfer the powers back to the children.”
“That’s precisely the help we want,” Lynx said.
“With all pleasure.” Aronicle put a hand on Urrax’s head and started muttering a spell. Urrax started writhing inside the chains, struggling hard, but the chains held. After a few minutes of tense silence, Aronicle jerked back in his chair and opened his eyes. They were full of terror.
“I can’t control these powers,” he said. “I will spontaneously combust! The power is too much. Quickly, take back your powers.”
Aronicle turned to the nearest boy next to him – Archer – and put a hand on his head.
Archer waited, but nothing happened. Then a crunching pain tore through his body. He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn’t speak. Archer’s throat was burning, and he couldn’t breathe. His whole body was paralyzed.
A second later, he blacked out.
When he regained consciousness, Archer realized that he was lying on a table. He tried to move his hands and legs, but in vain. He was finding it very difficult to speak.
“I can’t move.” Archer almost screamed at the pain in his throat.
“It will stay for a while or so,” Aronicle said. “Your body is trying to accept the Elemental Powers you gave up. It will take time.”
Archer saw Daniel among the faces. “Then how’s he able to move?” he asked, ignoring the growing pain in his throat.
“He had some powers left in him, remember,” Aronicle said. “His body accepted the powers easily. James also, surprisingly, recovered very fast and can use his Elemental Powers to the full. But Matt is still like you.”
Archer stayed silent. Everything seemed blurred. It was almost after an hour that Archer was finally able to move both his arms and legs. He stood up and realized that he was the last one to recover fully. Matt had recovered.
“I am not having my powers taken away again. It’s damn painful,” Archer said. Though he could move, his body was still in pain.
“Hey, why don’t you try it?” Daniel said.
“Try what?”
“Your power.”
Archer raised a finger and concentrated on it. A flicker of bright orange scrambled across his fingertips but disappeared as soon as it came. Archer concentrated
