The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (29 page)

“Do you remember the
intense
emotions you felt when you held it for the first
time?”

“Yes, I felt Frier. It was as if our hearts
had become one and not in the I love him
way
, but something deeper, something, almost spiritual.
Am I making any sense?”

“Yes, I understand, and I know the reason
why you felt that way. You see, the King has no idea what Frier did
and it must stay that way.”

“I don’t understand. What did Frier do?”
Cassy suddenly felt
overpowering
emotions
well up inside of her.

“You are aware of how when a Dragon falls in
love that they will love that one person for all time,
correct?”

Cassy nodded her head, letting Keira know
that she understood.

“Frier has freely given his heart to you,
Cassandra. When the Blood Key chose you, it opened a doorway
between your hearts. You may never fully understand what that
means, but you have a great future ahead of you. Frier
realized
that fact and wanted to
ensure
that you would be able to fulfill your
destiny. He knows there will be forces who will want to prevent you
from doing what you are to do. He also knew there was only one way
he
could
give you the power you
would need.”

Cassy’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Please
don’t tell me he did it.”

Keira nodded her head, “I’m afraid he did.
It was out of his love for you, Cassandra. The amulet you hold in
your hand contains a drop of Frier’s blood, so as long as you wear
it, your hearts shall be as one. You will share his power to
protect yourself from any who would do you harm. In spite of this,
be warned. Should you lose the amulet, you will curse Frier to the
Land of Shadows forever. Do you understand?”

Cassy looked at Keira through tear-filled
eyes, and
merely
nodded.

“Good. You still have the Blood Stone to
give Abigail, correct?”

“Yes, it’s in my pocket,” Cassy reached
inside the pocket on her robe and pulled out the Blood Stone then
held it up.

“Remember to give that to Abigail as soon as
you return.”

Cassy put the Blood Stone back into her
pocket then looked back at Keira. “Do you think I can really do
this? Can I live up to everything I’m supposed to do?”

“I have faith in you, Cassandra. You just
need to have as much
confidence
in
yourself as Frier does.”

Cassy knew she was right, and she said a
silent prayer that she would not betray his faith in her.

“
Oh yes, once you
return to your realm, the book you were reading will appear as the
book Abigail’s grandfather brought her all those years ago
containing the Blood Key.
Of course, it will only be a false
vision. For no one but Abigail must ever know what happened here. I
have explained everything to Aaron in a dream. I have also cast a
spell over him to prevent him from sharing the tale of the two of
you coming to Walandra. If knowledge of your travels between the
two realms ever
reached
those who
would do you harm, it would be dangerous not only for you, but for
Aaron as well. Do you understand?”

Cassy nodded her understanding.

“Good. We are done here. It has been an
honor, Cassandra and I know that we will see each other again.”

Keira reached out and gently touched Cassy on
the cheek then in a flash of light, she was gone.

“Cassy, are you alright,” Aaron said as he
tugged on her hand. “Man, you spaced out for a moment.”

Frier leaned close to her and whispered in
her ear. “Are you sure you’re alright. You look pale. Do you need
to sit for a moment?”

“No, I’m fine, really. Let’s just get this
over with.”

Cassy grabbed Aaron’s hand and tightly held
it in hers. “I want to thank all of you for your love and support.
I will never forget you.”

She then turned and looked at Frier. “I
leave my heart with you. I love you and I always will.”

Before Frier could respond, Cassy held the
amulet firmly in her hand and in a bright flash of light, both she
and Aaron disappeared.

“What are you two doing in here?” Melissa
said as she walked into their great-grandmother’s library.

Cassy opened her eyes and saw Melissa
glaring down with her hands on her hips. She then lifted her head
and looked over at
Aaron,
who was
stirring awake.

“We couldn’t sleep, so we came down here to
read,” Cassy yawned as she sat up in the large over-stuffed
chair.

Melissa reached down and flipped the book
closed on Cassy’s lap. “I thought great-grandmother forbid us from
touching this book.”

“Huh?” Cassy looked down at the book lying
on her lap and realized that it was
the
book
from the glass case.

“You’re gonna be in so much trouble,”
Melissa laughed in a low and devious tone.

Cassy quickly jumped to her
feet
and returned the book to the glass case.
“There, no harm is
done
. She never
needs to know.”

Melissa walked over to the glass case and
ran her finger along the edge. “True, she doesn’t need to know, but
wouldn’t it be wrong to keep something like this from her?”

Cassy looked at Melissa with fear and shame
in her eyes.

“Come on, Melissa. Stop being so mean to
her. Neither one of us said anything when you took Mom’s car for a
late night drive with your friends last month, did we?”

Melissa looked at Aaron with surprise
showing on her face. “How do you know about that?”

“
Come on, Sis, you
may have Mom and Dad convinced that you’re sweet and innocent, but
Cassy and I know better.” Aaron grinned as he glanced over at
Cassy, who was also surprised by this announcement.

“Yeah, how do you think Mom would feel to
learn that her sweet, little girl stole her car to go on a joyride
with her friends?” Cassy fought to control her joy at seeing
Melissa put in her place for a change. Even though Cassy loved her
twin sister, she was tired of her always getting away with things
because their parents were convinced she was the perfect
daughter.

Melissa realized that she was in no place to
push her luck. “Fine, I won’t say anything, but you better hope she
doesn’t find out,” she huffed then turned on her heel and left the
room.

Once Cassy and Aaron were convinced she was
gone, they looked at each other and exhaled.

“Dang, that was close,” Aaron rolled his
eyes.

“Yeah, it was. Hey, how did you know that
she took Mom’s car?”

Aaron looked at Cassy and smiled. “You’d be
surprised what I know.”

“Dang, remind me never to get on your bad
side,” Cassy punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“Cassy.”

“Yeah,” she turned to look at Aaron and
noticed the sadness on his face.

“Is it wrong to wish that we didn’t have to
leave?”

Cassy was not sure how to answer his
question. While she knew they had to come back, a part of her
wanted to stay in Walandra with Frier forever.

“No, it’s not wrong, but we both know that
we needed to come home.”

Aaron looked at her then shook his head. “I
guess so. I just don’t think it will be as exciting hanging with my
lame friends when I could be soaring through the clouds with a
Dragon. You have to admit that Frier is the coolest friend
ever.”

Cassy felt tears stinging her eyes. “Yes, he
is special, isn’t he?”

“Cassy, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“Hey, don’t worry. I just need to realize that
it will never be. I need to put my feelings for him behind me and
move on,” she reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Come
on my little warrior. Let’s get upstairs before anyone else wakes
up.”

Cassy walked over to the bedside table and
opened the small drawer. She then reached into the pocket
on
her robe and pulled out the
Blood Stone. She held it up and carefully looked at it.

“So, this is great-grandmother’s way back to
Roupert? I know he will be thrilled to have her back with him.” She
gently rubbed her thumb across the face of the Blood Stone feeling
a warm sensation move through her body, reminding her of the link
she shared with the Dragons.

“Stop it,” she said as she put the Blood
Stone in the draw. “I’ll give it to Great-grandmother and that will
be it.”

The sun peeked through the curtains, letting
Cassy know the house would soon be alive with the sounds of the
service staff going about their morning duties.

She decided to just sit in the chair by the
large window overlooking the ocean and think for a while. As she
rested her head back against the soft cloth, her mind
wandered
back to Walandra and Frier.

“How am I going to forget you, Frier?” She
whispered as a vision of his smiling face appeared in her mind. She
reached for the amulet and held it in her hand, gently rubbing her
thumb across its smooth surface.

“I am with you, Cassy. You are never alone,”
his voice whispered in her mind.

She brought the amulet up to her lips and
tenderly kissed it, feeling his love consume her. “Oh Frier, I miss
you already. How am I going to return to my old life after my time
with you in Walandra?”

“You are strong, Cassy, much stronger than
you realize. You have important things to do, and I know you will
fulfill each task without question. I love you and await the day we
are together again,” his voice faded from her mind, leaving her to
her own thoughts.

She knew he was right. Keira had given her
an important task to do. As to anything else expected of her, only
time would tell.

Silence filled her mind when she heard a
soft tapping at the door. “Cassy, are you awake? May I come in?”
Abigail slowly opened the door and looked toward the bed.

“Sure Queen Abigail, I’m already awake and
just enjoying the view of the ocean before breakfast.”

Abigail stepped inside the room and closed
the door behind her. “Thank
you,
my sweet Princess,” Abigail laughed softly as she walked to other
chair sitting by the window.

“What has you awake so early this morning?”
Abigail asked as she took a seat.

Cassy looked at Abigail, and she could see
the love in her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep. I just had a lot on my
mind.”

Abigail nodded her head and smiled. “How
funny, I had a difficult time sleeping as well. I have to admit
that I had the strangest dream.”

Cassy looked at Abigail, curious as to what
type of dream would have kept her awake.

“In my dream I had someone named Keira come
to me. She said that I was to talk to you in private because you
had
an urgent
message for me.
Strange, isn’t it?” Abigail shook her head.

Cassy looked at her great-grandmother and
realized how much she had given up in her life. To have the Blood
Key take you from the
one
you love
deeply
and have the memory
stripped from your mind was too horrible to imagine. Nearly as bad
as having the memory of a lost love consuming your every
thought.

“
No, it’s not
strange at all, In fact, I do have a message for you.” Cassy held
her breath as she saw the look on Abigail’s face transform from one
of confusion to one of understanding.

“All these years I thought it was a dream. I
believed it to be the mindless rambling of a foolish girl.” Abigail
reached up and wiped a tear from her eye.

“Stay here, I have something for you.” Cassy
stood and walked over to the bedside table where she had hidden the
Blood Stone.

Abigail watched as Cassy pulled something
out of the drawer then return to the chair, holding it in her
hand.