MAIA ran up to Alex and crouched over him.

"Took him," Alex croaked again. "Charlie. Gone."

There was an anguished scream. It came straight from Maia's mouth. "No!" she screamed. "Charlie!" She stood up. "Medics, take Alex to the infirmary! Will, Joe and Katie, search the air. Fire, guard the camp for attacks, Lucy, you're in charge. Leo, Kyle, Bella and I will search the ground. Evie, Thomas and Milly, search the rivers!" She broke down in tears. "We have to find Charlie!"

Will and the councillors for the Wind Cabin launched into the air. Will shifted into a kestrel and the two other kids flew behind him. The girl, Katie called out to Maia. "We'll find him, Maia. Don't worry." Will the kestrel let out a screech and disappeared from view with the others.

Maia approached Leo and Evie. "Evie, go with your councillors. Help them search the rivers. Leo, I want you with me in case something else happens."

Leo and Maia were joined by the two other councillors of the Earth Cabin. Maia handed Leo something in the shape of a sword. "Scabbard," she told him. "Strap it to your belt."

Leo did so, and sheathed his sword. It was a perfect fit. The four of them broke into a run and sprinted towards the west of the wood, where Alex had come from.

After five minutes of running, they came across an obvious scene of battle. Several trees were still on fire and there were scorch marks everywhere.

The first councillor, Kyle knelt down on the ground. He felt the Earth. "About 20 shadow demons," he said grimly. "They could have easily killed Charlie, but they obviously wanted him alive. Alex was lucky to survive."

"Shadow demons?" Leo asked. Maia turned round, worry lines etched on her face. "Fifth Element demons," she explained. "Rare, dark and very powerful."

"Fifth Element?" Leo echoed. "Fifth Element is the shadow," Maia added. "Last time we battled we didn't defeat him properly. He's been out there for ages, biding his time. He's extremely dangerous. If his demons are about, it means trouble."

Leo was aware of a dark presence all over the wood. "Can you guys feel that?" he whispered. "Yeah," Kyle replied. "It's the trail they left. Joe, Katie and Will will be somewhere up above tracking it from up there."

The screech of a kestrel sounded from above. Leo grinned. "That's Will." Maia smiled minutely. "Hopefully they'll have found Charlie. Time to go bust some Shadow Demon butt."

A minute later, the two flying wind kids and Will the kestrel landed across the clearing from Leo, Maia, Kyle and the other Earth councillor, Bella.

The four Earth children immediately saw something was wrong. Joe, the boy with the buzz cut, was limping badly. A cut in his leg dripped blood. Will was supporting Katie, the blonde with the sideways smile, who seemed to have some problem with her knee. Will himself was mostly unharmed but covered in nicks and scratches.

"What happened?" Maia asked, her anxiety creating cracks in the ground. "Thirty shadow demons," Joe gasped. "They spotted us and nearly shot us two out of the air. They couldn't see Will as a bird. When Katie shot back they disappeared."

"Thirty?" Kyle demanded. "Did you see Charlie?" Bella added. Katie tried to take a step on her bad knee and nearly fell over. "Saw Charlie," she said. "I think he was unconscious. The shadows have travelled away. I don't think we'll find them now."

Maia cried out in anguish. "We need Charlie back," she said worriedly, turning to Leo and Will. "I know you two have only been here a matter of hours, but we need to tell you and Evie about the prophecies."

--------

Back at camp, Maia, Evie, Leo and Will assembled in the council house around the hearth. A gold-bound scroll lay in the fireplace. Maia picked it up and unrolled it, then handed it to the other three. "Occasionally, scrolls like this appear in the fireplace," she said. "They either initiate quests or help you with them on the way. The Lady of the Earth, my patron, told us this was the most important ever. It's been around for about forty years, and it's the oldest we have."

Will seemed to have cottoned on. "Is this the scroll that the sea dude told you was in use?" Maia nodded. "Our people have studied it and figured that it means a battle between Shadow, the fifth Element, and the most powerful of the four elements that we have here." Evie and Will nodded. Leo guessed their councillors had already told them about it.

"Can we read it?" Evie asked. Maia nodded again. "Go ahead." Evie read it aloud.

Four of the greatest will line up to fight

To finish the war in the depths of the night

The enemy grows even stronger each day

But only the strongest can keep him at bay

"Cheerful," Will said glumly.

"We know that Charlie is by far the strongest fire user," Maia explained. "That's why it's so worrying he's been kidnapped. Shadow must have found knowledge of the scroll and taken matters into his own hands."

Suddenly, the fireplace blazed. "Another scroll," Maia said. She reached into the fire and pulled out another golden-bound scroll the same size as the other. "My god," Maia gasped. "This is the only other golden scroll we've ever had."

She unwound it, and took a sharp breath, and then pushed it into Evie's hands. "Read it." The child of the sea read it aloud once more.

The son of the flames will weaken each day

Trapped by the foe as his life fades away

He cannot be saved if the greatest three run

But without him the battle could never be won

Leo snorted. "Even more cheerful. Any idea what it means?"

"The 'son of the flames' is obviously Charlie," Evie offered. Maia nodded. "Now we know one of the five is definitely him, because it says 'without him the battle could never be won'."

"So we need to get Charlie back," Will put in.

"And fast," Leo added.