The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (7 page)

Cassy awoke to the smell of frying bacon
filling the room. She sat up and stretched then looked over at the
table where Aaron was eating a thick slice of bread.

“Good morning, sleepy-head,” Aaron grinned
as he shoved the remainder of the
bread
in his mouth.

Cassy stood and walked over to the table
then sat on one of the wooden chairs. “Good morning, what smells so
good?”

“I decided to cook up some salted meat for
your brother. He seems to have quite a healthy appetite,” Roupert
smiled as he flipped the meat in the large skillet. “Would you like
a cup of hot root tea?”

“Sure, I’ve always liked tea,” Cassy held up
the empty cup sitting on the table, allowing Roupert to fill it
with the hot beverage.

“It tastes best with a little Valen sap,” he
pointed to the small pot on the table.

“Sap? You put tree sap in your tea?” Cassy
scrunched her nose.

Roupert looked at the expression on Cassy’s
face and chuckled. “We use the sap from Valen tree to sweeten our
drinks and food. It is
magnificent
; try it and you will see.”

“Thanks.” Cassy reached for the small pot
and removed the lid. She stuck the tip of her finger in the amber
substance and placed it on her tongue.

The expression of pleasure on Cassy’s face
let Roupert know that she liked it. “See, I told you it was
good.”

“Where’s Frier this morning?” Aaron asked as
he reached for another piece of bread.

“He’s probably down at the river. He enjoys
catching
fresh
fanish
for his breakfast.”

“
Fanish
,
what’s that?” Aaron asked.

“You do not have creatures that live in the
waters of your realm? Very strange” Roupert shook his head.

“Oh, you mean fish? Yeah, we have fish in
our realm,” Aaron laughed. “I’m glad I don’t have to eat fish for
breakfast.”

Roupert picked up the wooden fork to put the
crisp fried meat on the platter in front of Cassy and Aaron. “Eat
well, for we have a long journey ahead of us.”

Cassy reached out and took a piece of the
meat. She brought it up to her mouth then she took a small bite.
“Hey, this tastes like bacon.”

Roupert looked at Cassy. “Bacon; is that
what you call it where you come from? What a strange name.”

Aaron grabbed a piece and shoved it in his
mouth. “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter what it’s called. It tastes
great,” he grinned as he chewed on the delicious treat.

Once they had finished eating, they cleaned
the dishes and straightened their bedding. Next, they packed food
for their trip, consisting of dried meat, dried berries, and a bag
full of different types of nuts and seeds.

“Is this going to be enough food for all of
us?” Aaron asked.

“Yes, this will only be used should we not
have time to hunt,” Roupert said as he tucked the pouches of food
inside his leather pack.

“Hunt, we get to hunt? Cool, I’ve never
hunted before.” Aaron jumped to his feet with a new sense of
excitement surging through him.

Roupert looked at Aaron, unsure if he had
heard him correctly. “You have never hunted before, but how do you
get your meat?”

“My mom gets it from the store, or she
orders it from the restaurant like when we have pizza.” Aaron
glanced over at Roupert wondering why he would ask such a silly
question.

“So, your father does not hunt for your
meat? How strange, I have never heard of such a thing. We do not
have things called stores
where
we
get our food. We either grow our food or gather it from the
woods.”

Cassy looked at Roupert and shook her head.
“Well, I guess you don’t have fast food restaurants either?”

The expression on his face answered her
question, and she could not help but laugh.

“You come from a strange realm. Once we
complete this quest, you will have to tell me more of it. Come; let
us leave. Do not forget your packs.”

Roupert handed Cassy and Aaron each a
leather
pack
with a blanket, cup,
bowl, and a spoon tucked inside of it. They put their arms through
the leather straps and let the
pack
hang on their backs like the backpacks they had at
home.

Roupert grabbed the sheath holding his sword
and his pack then he slung them over his shoulder. After looking
around the hut one last
time,
then
he walked to the door with Cassy and Aaron following. As he opened
the door, they heard a loud growl coming from outside. Cassy and
Aaron jumped back, but Roupert merely laughed.

“Good morning, Frier, I see you are feeling
well this morning,” Roupert chuckled as he walked up to the dragon
who was now laughing so hard that he could barely stand.

“Yes, I am. I slept well and my stomach is
full. I see our new friends are fed and rested, as well.” Frier
said with enthusiasm as he watched Cassy and Aaron step
outside.

“Yes, they are. Our young man, Aaron has a
healthy appetite for one so small,” Roupert laughed.

“Well, my mom always says that a growing boy
needs to eat, so I’m just doing as told,” Aaron said playfully.

Cassy glared at Aaron then rolled her eyes.
“No, the reason you eat so much is because you’re a pig. I’ve never
seen anyone who can eat as much as he does.”

Frier looked at Aaron with a look of
confusion on his face. “I don’t understand. You say your brother is
a pig, but he does not look like the creatures we eat here. Do you
let him eat a lot so he will fatten for the slaughter?”

Cassy burst out laughing at the terrified
look now on Aaron’s face. “No, I didn’t mean that he was a real
pig. Only that he eats like one.”

“Yeah, I’m not a real pig. I’m a boy.” Aaron
looked at Cassy, “Dang Sis, are trying to get me eaten?” He then
looked nervously at Frier.

“Do not worry, my friend. I do not eat pigs.
I much prefer fresh fanish,” Frier laughed.

Cassy and Roupert both laughed at the
relieved look on Aaron’s face.

“Come, we have far to travel today,” Roupert
announced as he walked into the woods.

The group had walked for nearly two hours
when they came to
a broad
river.

“What now? How do we get to the other side?”
Cassy
groaned
as she sat on a
fallen tree to rest her feet.

“Yeah, I don’t see a boat,” Aaron moaned as
he sat on the fallen tree next to Cassy.

Frier looked at Cassy and Aaron with a broad
grin on his face. “Who needs a boat? Cassy can get us to the other
side.”

Cassy jumped up, “What? How am I supposed to
get us to the other side?”

Frier glanced over at Roupert then back to
Cassy. “She does not know, does she?”

“Know what?” Cassy groaned.

“That you have magical powers. You are the
one chosen by the Blood
Key,
which
gives the bearer magical powers. All you need to do is make the
commandment at it is so.”

Cassy’s
eyes met Frier’s and in that instant realized his words were true.
“Okay, here goes nothing. I command that we cross the river,” she
closed her eyes and waited.

Laughter filled her ears as she opened her
eyes and realized that nothing had happened.

“I don’t get it, I did as you said,” she
groaned as she stomped her foot on the ground.

Frier and Aaron were laughing so hard that
neither of them could
respond
.
Roupert walked over next to her. “You need to be a little clearer
than that. Magic has rules and one of them is you must clearly
state
your command. You need to
say
how we are to cross the
river.”

Cassy rolled her eyes. “Fine, let me think a
moment.”

Silence fell over the group as they waited
for Cassy to cast her spell.

She reached up and placed her hand on the
Blood Key, gently caressing the surface with her fingertips. “I
command the fallen tree to transform into a canoe with
paddles.”

Everyone held their breath and waited.

Suddenly the fallen tree beneath her and
Aaron began to shake, causing them to jump to their feet. They
watched in amazement as it slowly lifted into the air and spun
three times. T
hen
in a puff of
smoke, it transformed into a sleek canoe with two
paddles
.

“Wow, she did it!” Aaron shouted.

“Now she needs to tell it to go to the
water,” Roupert said in a hushed tone.

“
I command you to
go set on the river’s edge.” Cassy felt a new sense of power as she
continued to caress the Blood Key unknowingly with her fingertips
as it shimmered a bright red.

They all watched as the canoe slowly floated
over to the water’s edge and came to rest on the sandy shore.

“That was so cool,” Cassy said excitedly.
“So, you’re saying that as long as I’m wearing this plate, I can do
magic?”

Roupert’s face suddenly took on a serious
expression. “Yes, the Blood Key gives you the Gift of Magic, but
only to perform
that which is
good
. Should you try to use it for selfish reasons; the
power of the Blood Key will be taken from you.”

Cassy nodded her understanding. She would
have to be careful not to abuse the Blood Key, or she and Aaron
would find themselves trapped in the Kingdom of Walandra
forever.

“Good, let us continue on our quest. Frier,
I would like you to
fl
y ahead and
scout the trail. We will meet up at the Falls of
Clamore
for the night.”

Frier nodded his understanding then spread
his wings, and flew off across the river toward the mountains in
the east.

“Dang, he really can fly,” Aaron shook his
head as he walked toward the canoe.

Once they arrived at the other side of the
river and stood on the shore, the canoe transformed back into a
fallen tree.

“Why did it do that?” Cassy asked.

“Your spells only last for as long as they
are needed. Once we were safely on the other side of the
river
and had no further use of
the
boat,
it changed back into the
log.” Roupert laughed at the look of disappointment on Cassy’s
face. “Why the sad look?”

“
I guess conjuring
up a Jeep 4x4 is out of the question?” she grinned.

Roupert was confused by her statement. “What
is a Jeep 4x4?”

“It’s the coolest car ever built,” Aaron
interrupted.

“Car; what is a car, and why would you want
one? Is it some sort of wagon?” Roupert asked.

“Yeah, sort of; I guess you can think of it
as a wagon that moves by itself. You get inside of it and it takes
you to where you want to go.” Cassy hoped that he understood her
explanation. “I just thought it would be nice not to have to walk
the entire way.”

“I do not know what this Jeep 4x4 is you
speak
of,
but we do not have them
in Walandra. Therefore, you cannot use your magic to make one. The
magic of the Blood Key only works for things of this realm.”
Roupert pointed to the path leading into the woods. “Come, we have
far to travel before night.”

As the four of them walked through the
woods, Cassy could not help but notice the
beauty
of everything around her. There were unusual
looking flowers with blooms that looked like little faces
surrounded by
petals
lining the
path, and rich, green-colored mossy grass covering the forest
floor.

“What’s that?” Cassy pointed to the small
creature sitting atop a stump.

“That’s a
Lillient
. They are woodland creatures who once served the
King and Queen,” Roupert answered as he waved his hand toward the
creature.

Suddenly, the creature rose into the air
with a burst of light, spread its delicate wings, and flew toward
Roupert, stopping in front of him.