Quest for the Arcane Crown Yajat Sharma (most popular ebook readers .txt) 📖

time and, better yet, we would be able to return much before the school exams, giving us a lot of time to prepare!”

The Scavenger nodded. “Absolutely. So it’s decided.”

James whooped in delight.

“No need to be so happy,” the Scavenger abruptly cut him. “I need to test you. You see, Lord Arcane was a great visionary. He meticulously planned for everything. There is a maze of tunnels underground, right below your school. The tunnels finally lead you to a portal. Lord Arcane made the system as a backup. What if the Death Lord had trapped me in the Dark World? Then I wouldn’t have been able to come here to get you four. Anyone worthy of getting the seven pieces of the Arcane Crown should be intelligent enough to discover the portal through the maze of tunnels and reach the Dark World. So, boys, find the portal through the maze.”

The children groaned.

“How will we find the maze in the first place?” Archer queried.

“All that I can tell you is that the entrance to the maze can be found by a simple mark, which could be anywhere in the school. You have three days to find the portal. Keep in mind that time is running out.”

With that, the Scavenger disappeared.

“Let’s plan,” James suggested. “We should make a step-by-step plan to search the entire school for the mark.”

“When?” Daniel asked.

“Right now, of course!” James said. “We can’t waste any time! Let us list down all the places where the mark can be.”

“All the labs,” Archer said. “Who knows, the mark could be under a microscope or a computer!”

James noted it down.

“The library,” Matt said.

“The staircases,” Daniel piped in.

“The stationery shop!”

“The cafeteria!”

“The audio-visual hall!”

“All the classrooms!”

It took James three pages to jot down all possible places.

“Now,” James continued, “what’s the best time to search?”

“The break,” Daniel said.

“Yes… but we need to feed our hungry stomachs too?” Matt said, “Besides, the break is only for fifteen minutes…”

“We have plenty of time!” Archer broke in. “Our parents still believe we are practising yoga in school, right?”

“Yes,” they chorused.

“Perfect idea!” James approved. “I think you all are becoming smarter in my presence.”

***

The children made their way to school the next morning.

They were careful to avoid everybody, staying focused on their plan of action. Doubts started crossing their minds. What if somebody caught them? What if they couldn’t find the mark?

The day passed quickly. They could hardly conceal their excitement. They were not able to concentrate on lessons in their class and waited for the bell to ring. When it did, they rushed out.

They decided to explore the science lab first and started walking towards the lab. To their dismay, they saw two teachers in conversation outside the lab. They hid behind the staircase and wondered what to do next.

“I have an idea!” James whispered suddenly. “Listen. I’ll go to the headmistress’s office and will cause some commotion there, distracting the teachers. Once they leave, you search the lab. If I see someone, I will warn you by mimicking a crow’s voice. You quickly run on getting the signal.”

James tiptoed to the office and tumbled a few chairs, creating a clatter.

The two teachers frowned and walked towards the office. The other three children entered the lab.

The children combed the lab. They searched the skeletons, the microscopes, the dead animal jars, but found nothing.

Suddenly, the crow’s cry came.

The children were startled. They froze and didn’t move a muscle, which was a big mistake.

The handle of the door twisted outside.

Daniel hid behind the cupboard. Matt chose to hide behind the encyclopaedia shelf while Archer leapt behind a table.

A teacher entered the lab and looked around. He took some keys lying on the table and walked out.

The children came out of their hiding places with a sigh of relief.

“There is nothing here,” Archer whispered. “Let’s go and search the math lab instead.”

They sneaked out and ran towards the math lab. They were surprised to find James already searching there.

“Hey, thought I would give you a head start.” James waved a keychain at his friends and disclosed, “I locked the teachers in.”

The children had a great laugh at this and then continued their search.

Sadly, they were unable to find anything in their search.

“This is time-consuming,” Daniel noted, checking his watch. “Almost an hour and a half have passed, and we have only searched two labs.”

“Let’s separate,” Archer suggested. “That way, we can search more places in the same time.”

They split into two groups: Archer and James in one group and Daniel and Matt in another. Archer and James walked over to the cafeteria, where the keeper was dozing peacefully. Daniel and Matt went to the stationery shop. No one was present there.

After an hour, they all met outside the library…

“Nothing,” James said.

“Same here,” Daniel returned.

“Let’s go to the classrooms,” James said. “Let’s split again and search them one by one.”

“Hey, James,” Matt said suddenly. “I just remembered you had locked the teachers. What about them?”

“Don’t worry,” James said. “When Archer and I were on the way to the cafeteria, I unlocked the door, and we fled from there.”

The children combed out all the classrooms but did not find any mark. They tried not to get discouraged. But in their hearts, they were losing hope.

5

Tension was evident on the children’s faces. The second day ended. There was only one day left to find the mark.

On the third day, after the school bell rang, the children waited for everyone to leave the school.

“I think everyone has left. Let’s search the classrooms,” suggested Daniel. “I am sure we will find…”

There was a knock on the window.

The children looked in the direction of the window. It was the Scavenger!

The children rushed to the window and opened it. The Scavenger slid in.

He got up and brushed himself.

“What are you doing here?” James hissed. “What if somebody catches you?”

“Don’t worry about that,” the Scavenger assured him. “I am here to help you find the mark. I am aware of your