The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (6 page)

Roupert gazed into Cassy’s eyes. “That is
precisely what I mean. The Blood Key would not have chosen you
otherwise.”

“Wow, how cool is
that,”
Aaron said with amazement. “I always knew that you
were tough, but I never thought you would do battle with an Evil
Queen. Do I get to help?”

Cassy shot Aaron an angry look. “No, you
don’t get to help because I’m not going to battle anyone.”

“But you have to…”

Cassy interrupted before he could continue.
“I don’t have to do anything, other than try and get us back
home.”

Frier and Roupert looked at each other and
shook their heads.

“What, what’s wrong? Is there going to be a
problem with us going home?” Cassy suddenly felt a sickening
feeling growing in her stomach.

Roupert stepped forward and held out his
hand. “It is getting late. I invite you join me for the night in my
cabin. The forest gets cold at night, and I’m sure you must be
tired and hungry.”

Cassy looked at Roupert, unsure if she
should trust him. She then looked at Aaron and realized that she
had no choice.

“Okay, but only for one night. We need to
figure out how to get back before they realize we’re gone,” Cassy
reached out and took Aaron by the hand. “Lead the way.”

The glow of the fire filling the room made
Cassy and Aaron feel safe and comfortable. They had enjoyed a good
meal of stew and bread, and now were sitting on straw-filled mats
spread out on the floor.

Cassy and Aaron were surprised how
comfortable Roupert had made the small one room hut. In the center
of the room, there was a firepit, which he used for cooking and
heating. Along the walls in the back of the hut were shelves filled
with jars and pouches, as well as two large books. On the opposite
side of the
hut
from where they
were was a small wooden table and chairs, along with shelves for
his dishes.

“Thank you for the meal and a place to
sleep,” Cassy said, as she pulled the blanket around her. “I have
to admit that I’ve never slept on a straw bed before.”

Roupert put the last of the bowls on the
shelf then he joined them by the fire. “Really, what sort of bed do
you sleep on?”

Cassy thought for a moment, “I’m not sure
what it’s made of, but I know it’s not straw.” She laughed when she
saw the confused looked on
Roupert’s
face.

Aaron sat up and looked toward the window by
the door with a sad look on his face. “Why is Frier sleeping
outside? Won’t he get cold out there?”

Roupert shook his head and laughed. “Frier
will be just fine outside. I invited him to sleep inside once
during
a severe
storm, but he
sneezed and almost burned my hut to the ground.”

“Oh my, how horrible,” Cassy gasped.

“After that, we both agreed that it was best
that he stay outside. Though, I did build him a shelter so that he
could stay out of the weather. It’s made of sturdy wood and stone.
He tells me that he is quite comfortable.”

Aaron yawned and rubbed his eyes. “I’m
sleepy.” He rolled over on his side, facing the wall with the fire
to his back and in a few moments was sound asleep.

After a few quiet minutes, Cassy wondered
the best way to approach Roupert on the subject. He looked at her
and could see she was struggling with her thoughts.

“You look distressed, Cassy. You seem to
have a question tormenting your mind.”

“Yes, I do. I just don’t understand
something. Why isn’t Frier with other dragons? What kind of curse
did the Evil Queen cast on the kingdom?”

Roupert leaned back against a wood
bucket
and then ran his hand
through his dark wavy hair. Many years had passed since he had
spoken aloud of the curse, and honestly, he had hoped he would
never have to speak of it again. He cleared his throat and
began.

“For thousands of years the Kingdom of
Walandra was ruled by the mighty
Ashlym
, the King of the Dragons and his lovely Queen,
Privlana
. King
Ashlym
had
ruled
the subjects of Walandra with both kindness and
respect, and the kingdom had flourished under his rule. Over the
years, each
subject
of the kingdom
enjoyed a life of happiness and freedom from fear. Everything was
perfect until she came. Alona, had pretended to be a slave running
from a cruel master, and she convinced Queen Privlana to allow her
to take refuge in the castle. Alona had played her part well in her
game of deception. She had treated everyone with respect and
kindness, even the lowest of castle servants, which pleased King
Ashlym, as he believed that everyone deserved respect regardless of
their station in life.”

Roupert reached behind him and pulled a
piece of wood from the bucket, and tossed it
into
the fire. Once it began to burn, he
continued.

“It was a dark day for the kingdom when
Alona made her move. None in the
kingdom
knew that she
was, in
fact,
an Evil Sorceress from a far off land, as she had
fooled everyone with her magic. Prior to coming to Walandra, she
had cast a spell on herself to conceal her
true
self. No one saw the evil beating within her dark
heart, not even King Ashlym,” Roupert shook his head, feeling
despair at how Alona had fooled everyone in the castle.

“Alona had come to Walandra to steal the
powerful magic of the Dragon and make it her own. She knew the
Queen was
trusting
and was always
willing to help those in need. For that reason, she knew if she
acted the victim of a cruel master, the Queen would grant her
sanctuary and would protect her.” Roupert felt rage at how Alona
betrayed the trust the Queen had in her.

“At first, the King was unsure if they
should allow Alona to stay in the castle, but the Queen had begged
him to grant her mercy, so he finally relented and
granted
her sanctuary. Several weeks had passed
without occurrence, when one day the unthinkable happened. King
Ashlym had taken his human form and was resting in the Royal
Chamber when…”

“Wait a minute, what do you mean by human
form?” Cassy interrupted.

Roupert looked at the surprised look on
Cassy’s face and smiled. “You did not know that Dragons will change
into a human form?”

Cassy looked at Roupert with a dumbfounded
look on her face, “No, I’ve never heard anything like that
before.”

“Well, they do. You see, Dragons are magical
creatures and can do miraculous things. From the dawn of time, all
Royal Families were from the lineage of the Dragon. Is it not like
that in your realm?”

Cassy looked at Roupert and
merely
shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, in the Kingdom of Walandra, it has
always been so,” Roupert grinned when he saw the look of
understanding appear on Cassy’s face.

“So, does that mean that Frier is a member
of the Royal Family?”

“That is a subject for a later time,”
Roupert said flatly.

“So, what happened next? What happened to
King Ashlym in the Royal Chamber?” Cassy asked.

Roupert hung his head as sadness filled his
heart. “The King had no idea of the depth of Alona’s deceit. As he
lay in the Royal Bedchamber, Alona came to him cloaked by magic in
the human form of Queen Privlana. The King
at not
knowing of Alona’s treachery allowed her to lie in
the bed next to him. You see, Alona had prepared well for her
mission to kill the King. She had managed to cast a spell over the
Guardian of the Dagger of Destiny, which was the only instrument
created that could kill a Dragon. All that one had to do was to
strike the Dragon in the heart while it was in its human form. Yet,
Alona had more plans for the dead King. She had found one of the
lost Blood Stones that if struck with the blood of a powerful
Dragon would bestow the bearer the magical powers of the Dragon.
This was Alona’s goal from the beginning. She wanted to rule
Walandra by enslaving the Dragons and using their power to ensure
her rein.”

Cassy found herself transfixed, as Roupert
told the tale of how the Evil Queen Alona took control of the
Kingdom and she wondered what her part would be in freeing them
from
her rule.

“So, what happened next?” Cassy said with
her eyes wide with fear.

Roupert cleared his throat then continued
with his story.

“As King Ashlym lay on his back asleep,
Alona lifted the knife and plunged it deep into his heart. Then as
she pulled it from his heart, she heard a scream come from the
doorway. It was Queen Privlana, with a look of horror on her face.
Realizing she must act quickly, Alona jumped up from the bed while
holding the bloodied knife in her hand.

“What have you done?” Queen Privlana cried
out.

“I have killed the King and taken his
blood.” Alona then reached into her pocket and pulled out the Blood
Stone. “With his blood I cast a spell over the house of Dragons.
You, Queen Privlana will forever be my slave and the remainder of
your family will die. With your magical power and that of the
King’s blood, I will rule over the Kingdom of Walandra for all
time,” Alona laughed as she raised the dagger above her head.”

Cassy sat up. “No way, no way can she win.
It’s wrong,” she whispered, so as not to awaken Aaron.

Roupert looked at Cassy, feeling amused by
her excitement. “Sit, my young friend, and I will continue with the
tale.”

Cassy knew there was no
sense
in pushing him, so she lay back down on
her mat without saying another word.

“Okay, let me see where I was,” Roupert
rubbed his chin then continued with his tale.

Alona held the dagger above her head and was
about to strike the Blood
Stone
when Queen Privlana transformed into her Dragon form.

Standing nearly twenty feet tall with smoke
puffing from her nostrils, she looked down at Alona and spoke in a
firm voice, “I cast a spell that you are
forever
denied power over the Blood Stone. It and its
great power will be gone from this realm until brought back by a
Champion. I also cast a spell over my Dragon family, transforming
them into stone, thus protecting them from death by your hand,”
Privlana’s tone was dark and menacing.

“You may rule this kingdom, but one day a
brave soul will come and through great sacrifice will return my
husband’s blood to me. For you see, the Blood Stone is now a key,
which will reverse your curse upon this kingdom. You may possess
dark powers, but they will not extend beyond the borders of this
realm.”

Alona looked at the Queen and laughed, “Your
spell has no power over me. With the King’s blood, I will be the
greatest power in our realm.”
With a
smile of pure evil on her face, Alona swung the dagger downward. It
pierced the Blood Stone with the tip of the dagger forcing a
droplet of King Ashlym’s blood inside of the stone, trapping its
power.
Alona looked at the
Queen
and laughed a wicked laugh until the Blood Stone
began to vibrate in her hand.

“What is happening?” Alona cried out, as the
Blood Stone grew hot and began to burn her skin.

“I told you that you would never possess the
power of the King’s blood
,
” Queen Privlana betrayed her
amusement at seeing the look of horror on Alona’s face.

The stone began to glow brighter than the
sun as a loud ear-piercing hum filled the room.

“Make it stop. I command you!” Alona
demanded.

Queen Privlana laughed, “There is no power
in this realm that can stop this. The power of the King’s blood is
out of your reach forever.”

Alona could no longer hold the stone as the
heat grew in intensity.

Queen Privlana stood
proudly
and said, “Goodbye, my love; until we meet
again.”

With those words, the Blood Stone
transformed into a ball of white flames and disappeared.

Cassy sat quietly and watched the flames
flickering in the fire. While she enjoyed the tale of how the Blood
Key came to be, she wondered why it had chosen her. She reached up
and touched the stone attached to the breastplate and felt the soft
vibration again.

“Roupert, why can’t I take this off?” She
tugged on one of the straps going over her shoulders.

“I’m not sure, but I assume that it has to
do with the spell cast by Queen Privlana. The stone has chosen you,
and from what I understand, it will not only break the spell cast
by the Evil Queen Alona, but it will also protect the one chosen to
fight against her.”

Cassy looked over at Aaron and was glad that
he was still asleep. “He’s had a long day.”

“As have we all. Let us rest, for tomorrow
you will begin your quest,” Roupert saw the worried look appear on
Cassy’s face and prayed that she would come to no harm once she
battled Queen Alona.

“Do not worry; you are safe as long as you
wear the sacred Breast Plate with the Blood Key.”

“I hope you’re right. I sure don’t like the
idea of fighting an evil
Queen,
who has magical powers,” Cassy groaned.

“You have nothing to fear, as you learn that
you have powers of your own,” Roupert said then he lay down on his
mat
and pulled his blanket up
around his neck.

Cassy relaxed and closed her eyes. She was not
sure if she could win a battle against the Evil Queen. As she lay
there, Roupert’s words played out again in her mind.
You will
learn that you have powers of your own
. “What did he mean by
that?” she whispered.