The Skull Warrior by Yajat Sharma (popular books to read txt) 📕

Sure enough, an hour later, the Unicorn returned, looking dejected.

He informed them that the White City’s King wouldn’t come. The Scavenger said to the children, “We need to go to the White City and personally meet the King. It’s important.”

He, along with Lynx and the children, went to the Gods and told them about the whole situation. The Gods put their hands on everyone’s shoulders and, a second later, teleported them to the White City.

They emerged in a beautifully decorated chamber, where the King of White City was sitting on a chair, reading a book.

The King recognized the Scavenger. “No,” he said at once.

The Scavenger just looked at the King. “I haven’t spoken to you yet.”

“There’s no need to,” the King said. “I won’t help you. And that’s final. Nothing you can do will change my mind.”

“Just have some patience and respect to listen to me,” the Scavenger said firmly.

The King sighed and then waved a hand for the Scavenger to go on.

“We have the help of the Gods,” the Scavenger said. “The Gods, you hear? We have a fair chance in the war to wi -”

The King interrupted. “We are outnumbered. It’s a lost cause. I choose to withdraw from the war so that my people will remain safe and we will live to see another day.”

“Fear has clouded your mind. Your best bet is to fight alongside us,” the Scavenger said matter-of-factly.

The King shook his head. “Over-confidence has clouded your mind. I will not fight. I can’t put my people’s lives in danger.”

“Don’t you get it?” the Scavenger yelled, losing his calm. “You are sealing your fate and your people’s fate. The Skull Warrior will destroy everything in his path. You too.”

The King shrugged. “I won’t change my mind.”

The Scavenger gritted his teeth. “All right, then. Be a coward. And when the Skull Warrior comes for you, remember that you alone are responsible for your fate.”

The King chose to remain silent.

Without a word, the Scavenger turned and sent a mental signal to the Gods. The Gods teleported them back to the chamber of the Kings almost instantly. The Scavenger narrated his interaction with the King of White City.

The Kings of Necron were saddened.

“We can’t do anything about that, I am afraid,” Othos said. “Our hands are tied. We can only hope that -”

A man burst into the room. “Forgive me, my lords, but I bring news of dire circumstances. The Trolls and the Ogres are leaving!”

The Scavenger rushed outside. He was just in time to see the Trolls and Ogres outside the walls, walking away.

“Wait!” the Scavenger yelled. “Where are you going?”

They turned to face him. A Troll stepped forward. “We are walking away from this war.”

“But why?”

The Troll replied. “We know that the King of the White City is not coming. He is doing the right thing by not putting his people’s lives in danger. We are leaving. We know how to live in secret and survive.”

“No, you won’t,” the Scavenger said. “The Skull Warrior will find you. And you will be slaughtered.”

“Then so be it. At least we will have a little more time to live.”

Without further ado, the Troll turned and joined the other Trolls and Ogres who were walking away from the castle.

The Scavenger’s shoulders slumped in despair. He stepped back from the wall.

“What now?” James asked. “Two of the strongest groups of fighters have left. Are we still fit for this war?”

The Scavenger’s eyes hardened, and he stood up straight. “Of course. No matter what, we will fight. We have to. We are the last line of defence for the Dark World.”

The Scavenger looked at each of them. “Rest for now. Tomorrow, you must start practising again.”

They went back to their rooms and slept.

20

A week passed. The children spent their time practising with determined vigour. The Scavenger and Lynx, the Gods, the children and the Kings of Necron all had worked hard in placing the traps appropriately. The Sorcerers had treated each of the traps with magic spells. There were still three days to go for the Tyhorox, and their preparations were in full swing.

The next two days passed in fine-tuning the war preparations. The Unicorns informed the Scavenger that the Skull Warrior’s army was marching on schedule and would reach the Castle within a day.

The Scavenger called a meeting of all the leaders, and they assembled in the Dome. The children took a seat to the side and were a little disheartened by seeing the empty seats at the far back, where the Trolls and Ogres usually sat.

“Just a day more, my friends,” the Scavenger said. “Though some warriors have left us, we don’t have to worry. Our Castle walls are strong, and we have created the finest of traps. The side gate has been painted white and with a type of magic, we were successful in making it invisible. The defence placed for the main Castle gate is adequate. And the energy serum is ready.” The Scavenger looked around. “I see some faces full of doubt. Doubt cannot be allowed to fester now, not just a day before the war. Be strong.

“I will keep this talk short. Should the enemy breach the wall, we will have to fight at close quarters. I can honestly say that I have faith in our strength. Let’s trust our unity.” He nodded. “That’s all. Sleep at once, because at midnight, you all should be bright and awake. The enemy approaches.”

As he finished, there was a roaring sound. Each warrior present there appeared determined. The children felt goose bumps. The electrifying atmosphere in the Dome was a rare feeling.

At the stroke of midnight, the Scavenger, along with the children and all the others, assembled near the Castle walls. There were towers all around on which soldiers with bows and arrows stood alert.

Cannons and similar artillery were already placed in the small holes in the walls. Bags of food and water were laid alongside the walls.

While the