The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (5 page)

“What are you doing up?” Cassy
whispered.

“What are you doing?” Aaron whispered as he
tried to see if she was alone.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down here to
read some more of my book,” Cassy said defensively.

“Well, I couldn’t sleep until I found out
what happened to the pirate captain,” Aaron groaned.

“Fine; I won’t tell if you don’t tell,
okay?” Cassy looked at Aaron, hoping he would agree.

“It’s a deal,” he held out his hand.

“Good,” Cassy took his hand in hers and they
sealed the promise with a handshake. She then walked over to the
chair where she had sat earlier and picked up her book.

She looked at Aaron and grinned, “Mom and
Dad would never believe that we snuck out of bed to read a
book.”

Aaron looked at Cassy and nodded then
returned his attention to his exciting tale of pirates.

Silence filled the room while Cassy read her
tale of fire-breathing dragons when she suddenly heard a strange
sound.

She looked over at Aaron and saw that he was
lost in his world of pirates, so she returned to her reading.

“Please, help us,” the soft voice seemed to
float on the air.

“Did you hear that?” Cassy asked Aaron.

“Hear what? I didn’t hear anything. Leave me
alone, it’s getting exciting now,” Aaron groaned as he pulled the
book up closer to his face.

“Please, we need your help,” the voice
repeated, but slightly louder this time.

“Come on, didn’t you hear it?” Cassy set the
book on the table and stood, looking around the room.

“You must be hearing things,” Aaron rolled
his eyes at how silly she was acting.

“Please, help us,” the voice cried out with
urgency.

Cassy glanced over at Aaron and saw the
surprised look on his face.

“You heard it, didn’t you?”

“Yeah; what do you think it is?” Aaron
looked around the room nervously.

“I don’t know, but it’s coming from over
there,” Cassy pointed toward the center of the room where the table
with the book in the glass case sat.

Cassy and Aaron exchanged glances then
slowly began to walk toward the table.

“Please, help us. Save us from the Evil
Queen,”
the voice cried out.

Cassy’s eyes met Aaron’s, each wondering if
this was a dream.

“Yeah, I heard it too,” Aaron felt dread
churning deep inside of him.

They both stepped up to the table and looked
down at the book.

“How is this possible?” Cassy said with her
eyes transfixed on the book.

“I don’t know, but that book is talking to
us.” Aaron shook his head, hoping this was all a strange dream.

Cassy held her breath then reached out her
hand and gently placed it on the top of the glass box. No sooner
had her hand touched the glass than the lock on the box opened and
fell to the floor.

“You broke it,” Aaron cried out.

“
No,
I
didn’t, it did that itself.” Cassy quickly pulled her hand
away.

Aaron read Cassy's mind, and he knew what
she was thinking. “Don’t do it. You heard what great-grandmother
said. We’re supposed to leave this book alone.”

“I won’t hurt it. I only want to see it
better.” Cassy reached for the handle on the lid and lifted it.

Suddenly, the lid flew out of Cassy’s hand
and bright-colored lights of red, green, and blue shot out of the
box
and filled the room.

Cassy found herself trapped in the lights as
they wrapped around her in a swirling whirlwind of glowing fog. She
tried to step
away
but was unable
to move her feet.

Aaron stood transfixed, watching the lights
danced around the room. Then when they moved toward Cassy, he was
amazed to
watch
them as they
surrounded her in a whirlwind of flashing colors and fog. He tried
to step
back
but found himself
caught up in the same whirlwind of lights.

“Cassy, what’s happening?” Aaron cried
out.

“I don’t know.” She looked down at the book
and noticed the
Ruby
glowed even
more of the bright colors shooting out of its center.

Aaron was frightened as he watched the
lights wrap around
Cassy
and lift
her up into the air.

When as their eyes met, Aaron suddenly found
himself trapped by the same lights as they lifted him into the air.
Each wanted to shout for
help
but
found themselves unable to speak. Panic filled their hearts as the
room spun around them, causing them to grow dizzy and disoriented.
They were about to give up all hope of escape when a bright flash
of light filled the room, and once it was gone it had taken Cassy
and Aaron with it.

Cassy felt horrible. She was
dizzy
and had a throbbing pain in her head.

“Dang, I don’t feel so good,” she
moaned.

“Cassy, where are we?” Aaron asked in a near
whisper.

“Huh? What are you talking about, we’re in
the library,” Cassy groaned as she opened her eyes. Nevertheless,
what she saw made it
entirely
clear they were no longer in the library.

“Abigail, you have returned to us,” a voice
exclaimed from behind a fallen tree.

Cassy struggled to her feet then reached
down to help Aaron stand.

“Cassy, who said that?” Aaron asked as he
stood next to Cassy.

“I don’t know,” Cassy said, brushing a few
strands of hair from her face.

“Who are you? Come
out
so we can see you,” Cassy pushed Aaron behind her in
a protective stance.

“You are not Abigail? I do not understand.
You look like Abigail from the stories I grew up hearing,” the
voice was full of disappointment at hearing this news.

Cassy squared her shoulders, trying to
summon courage to face this unknown person. “Show yourself,” she
demanded.

Aaron gasped as he watched a creature step
from behind the log. It stood nearly
five-foot-tall
with dark scaly skin, and bright emerald
green eyes that seemed to look deep into his soul. He blinked his
eyes several times, not convinced he was truly seeing what was
there before him.

“You’re a dragon,” the words escaped his
mouth before he realized what he had said.

The creature stepped
closer
but stopped when Cassy held out her hand. “Stop,
dragons aren’t real. They are only make-believe; something out of
Fairy Tales.”

The expression on the creature’s
face
changed from one of hope to one of
sadness.

“I do not understand. There are whispers of
how Abigail, the chosen Champion fought the Evil Queen Alona, and
how
someday
she will return. It is
said that once she returns, she will defeat the Queen and restore
freedom to the Kingdom of Walandra. You promised that you would
return to help us, and here you are.”

Cassy shook her head, trying to clear her
mind. “Stop calling me Abigail. My name is Cassy. I don’t know you,
and I never promised to return. Heck, I don’t even know where we
are, so how could I have promised anything?”

“But you answered our plea. We called out to
you, and you returned to Walandra,” the creature smiled, trying to
put her at ease. “You must remember.”

Cassy shook her head again then looked back
at Aaron. “Pinch me. I want to wake up from this strange
dream.”

Aaron looked at Cassy and laughed. “Pinch
you, I’ve already been pinching myself, and it’s not working. I
don’t think we’re dreaming. This is real.”

The words hit Cassy with such force that she
nearly collapsed to the ground.

This is real, but how is that
possible?
T
he
words burned
into her mind.

She looked at the creature again when
suddenly her mind filled with thoughts that were not her own.

Yes, this is real. You are in the Kingdom
of Walandra. I am your friend, Frier, please try to remember,”
the voice said in a friendly tone.

“Stop it, and get out of my head,” Cassy
cried out as she cupped her hands over her ears.

Frier looked at Cassy and realized she did
not believe. Sadness filled his heart at knowing that
without her help,
the curse would continue to
enslave the Kingdom.

“I am sorry, I was mistaken. I thought you
were Abigail, returning to free us from the curse of the Evil
Queen.”
Frier’s
shoulders slumped,
as his eyes lost their luster and filled with tears.

“Why would you think I’m this person you
call Abigail?” Cassy looked at Frier with anger burning on her
face.

Frier looked deeply into her eyes, searching
for a hint of Abigail hidden behind the anger. “You’re right; you
are not the Abigail of the stories. It’s just that you wear the
sacred Dragon’s Breast Plate with the Blood Key.”

Cassy was about to protest when Aaron
stepped around in front of her.
“He’s
right, look.” Aaron pointed a shaky finger at the strange looking
plate with what appeared to be the red stone from the book placed
in its center.

“Look, the plate looks just like one of the
scales covering Frier’s body, only much larger,” Aaron cried
out.

Cassy looked down at her chest. “How did
that get there? This isn’t possible. I never put this on.”

“One does not put on the sacred Breast Plate
with the Blood Key. It chooses those that are worthy to wear it.
You may not be Abigail, but you have been
selected
to fight the Evil Queen and release the subjects
of Walandra from her curse.” Frier stepped forward and bowed his
head in reverence.

Cassy’s mind was swirling when it suddenly
came to her. “This Abigail you speak of must be our
great-grandmother. We came to visit her and the book was in her
library. Are you telling us that she is the Abigail who fought the
Evil Queen the last time?”

Frier stood in silence for several moments,
trying to understand her words. “That is why the Blood Key called
out to you. You share the same bloodline as Abigail. How
wonderful,” he
leaped
with joy as
his wings opened to their full length.

“Cool, he has wings,” Aaron grinned as he
pointed toward the outstretched wings. “Can you fly?”

“Yes, but not for long distances; I am still
too young,” Frier pulled his wings back in and tucked them behind
his back.

“Too cool; may I touch you?” Aaron reached
out his hand then stopped when Cassy pulled him back.

“Don’t do that. We still don’t know if we
can trust him,” Cassy
growled
while glaring at Frier.

At hearing her words, Frier stepped back,
putting more distance between them.

“Look, you hurt his feelings,” Aaron groaned
as he pulled away from her. “I’m sorry that my sister is such a
creep.”

Frier looked at the surprised look on
Cassy’s face at her brother’s words and laughed. “Yes, I can see
that she can be a bit moody. You may touch me if you wish.”

Aaron slowly walked toward Frier then gently
touched his scaly shoulder. “Cool, I always wondered what a dragon
felt like. I always thought the scales would be hard and sharp to
the touch, but they feel smooth like the velvet on Mom’s pillows on
the couch. Check this out,” Aaron said as he walked around behind
Frier.

Cassy kept her distance, still unsure if she
should trust the strange creature. Her mind kept telling her to
stay away, but a small voice from deep inside of her heart told her
that he could be trusted. She reached out to touch him when there
was a rustling in the leaves from behind them.

“Who’s there?” Cassy demanded as she spun
around.

“It is I,
Roupert
. Who are you?” he said in a firm voice as he
stepped out of the thick trees.

Once his eyes met
Cassy’s,
he dropped to one knee. “Abigail, you have
returned as promised.”

Cassy glanced at Frier then back to Roupert.
“How many times do I have to say that I am not Abigail? She’s my
great-grandmother. My name is Cassy,” frustration dripped from each
word.

Roupert rose to his feet and looked
closely
at Cassy. He could see the
resemblance, but there was something different in her eyes. “Yes, I
can see that you are not Abigail. I am sorry for the
confusion.”

“She may not be Abigail, but she has her
strong
spirit. Otherwise, the
Blood Key would not have chosen her,” Frier said with a spark of
excitement in his voice. “Look, she wears the sacred Breast Plate
with the Blood Key.”

Roupert quickly looked back at Cassy and saw
that she was in fact wearing the Breast Plate. “So, it is as
foretold. Our champion has come to release us from the rule of the
Evil Queen Alona.”

Cassy looked at Roupert, unsure if she had
heard him correctly. “What do you mean by your champion has come?
Are you talking about me?” She laughed nervously at the idea of her
winning a battle against an Evil Queen.