The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (13 page)

The sun sat low in the sky as the group
exited the thick woods.

“Jeez, I’m glad to be out of there,” Aaron
groaned.

“What’s the matter? Do you not like the
forest?” Frier teased.

“I don’t mind the forest. It’s all the
strange things watching us,” Aaron grinned nervously.

Frier nodded his head in agreement. “Yes,
there were many eyes watching us.”

Roupert glanced at the two young boys and
could not help but smile. “Come, my brave warriors. It grows late.
Let us set up camp and rest. Tomorrow, we will arrive at the
castle, so we need to make our final preparations before we
confront the Evil Queen Alona.”

Frier and Aaron felt a cold chill move over
their bodies at the thought of facing the Evil Queen.

“
Come,
Aaron, let’s gather wood for the fire,” Frier said, trying to shake
the feeling of dread consuming his entire being.

“Okay,” Aaron replied as he followed Frier
to the tree line.

Roupert turned to Cassy. “Come, let us see if we
can find some fresh meat. We will need our strength for tomorrow,
and this will give us time to discuss our plan of attack.”

The fire in the pit roared, as sparks danced
in the night sky. Cassy was tired. She had eaten her fill of the
roasted
meat
and was surprised how
much she enjoyed it. In all of her life, she never had thought that
she would enjoy hunting and preparing a meal over a roaring fire.
This trip to the Kingdom of Walandra had opened her eyes to a new
way of life, and she had to admit that she liked it.

“Oh man, I ate too much,” Aaron groaned as
he lay back on his blanket, rubbing his tight stomach.

“I was surprised that one as small as you
could eat so much of the roasted beast,” Roupert chuckled.

“I couldn’t help myself. It was so good. I
wonder when we get home if Dad
will
take
me hunting,” Aaron smiled, as he licked his lips.

“Well, I hope you have large beasts in your
realm because you have a healthy appetite,” Frier laughed as he
rubbed his own over-filled stomach.

HOME.
The word almost sounded foreign
to Cassy’s ears now. When she had first arrived in Walandra, it was
constantly in the forefront of her thoughts, but now…

“Hey, what are you thinking, Sis?” Aaron
said as he noticed Cassy lost in her thoughts.

“Huh? Ah, nothing really, I’m just enjoying
the beautiful evening after our grand feast.” She hoped this answer
would suffice.

“We owe our feast to Cassy,” Roupert said
with pride shining in his eyes.

Aaron sat up with a look of surprise on his
face. “What? You mean Cassy killed the beast?”

Roupert laughed at the look of surprise on
Aarons’s
face. “Yes, she stalked
the beast and when it turned its back on her to continue eating,
she killed it with one
strike
of
my sword.”

Aaron’s
eyes were wide with excitement. “Oh man, I wish I would have seen
that. Cassy, you’re a great hunter now!”

“Yes, I am impressed too,” Frier’s eyes
beamed with excitement.

“I was only doing as Roupert instructed.”
While she appreciated the praise, it still caused her cheeks to
glow a soft shade of red. Cassy had never imagined herself doing
something like that, but something was changing inside of her. She
did not know what it was, but she had to admit that she liked
it.

“Well, forget about Dad teaching me to hunt.
I want you to
show
me,” Aaron said
excitedly.

Cassy looked over at Aaron, “I don’t think
that would be a good idea. I’m sure our parents won’t allow me to
keep a sword in my room.”

Aaron was about to protest then thought
better of it. “You’re right; it would freak them out to know you
killed a beast with nothing but a sword. But Sis, I think it’s
totally cool.”

Cassy understood the reason that Roupert had
wanted her to make the kill. He knew she would need to know the
feel of the sword in her hand, as well as how it
felt
to take a life when she faced the Evil
Queen Alona and her guards.

Cassy had never thought of herself as a
warrior, but that was exactly what she was now. She would have to
face dangers that she had never dreamt of, and somehow find the
inner strength not only to conquer the Evil Queen, but also to
survive.

“Thank you,
Aaron,
for your faith in me. It means a lot.” Cassy only
hoped she could live up to the
trust
placed in her.

Realizing that Cassy was in no mood for
conversation, Aaron turned to Frier.

“I don’t understand something. I thought
dragons were supposed to be big and scary creatures.”

Frier shook his head, unsure of what Aaron
meant. “I do not understand your words. Why would you believe that
a dragon would be big and scary? I am the only one of my kind, so
what gave you that idea?”

“I’ve read stories of great fire-breathing
dragons, and…” Roupert cut him off before he could continue.

“It is late, and we need to rest. You may
continue this conversation once we defeat the Evil Queen,” Roupert
swallowed hard, hoping that Frier would not challenge his
command.

At seeing the determined look on Roupert’s
face, both Aaron and Frier decided it was best to leave this
conversation for a later time.

“Yes, you are correct. We need our rest,”
Frier said as he lay back on a pile of soft grass. As he closed his
eyes, his mind wandered back to what Aaron had said about stories
of big fire-breathing dragons.

How is that possible? Roupert told me
that I am the only one of my kind,
the
words
swirled around in his mind as he floated off to
sleep.

The sun peeked over the tree line, casting
its warm glow down on the sleeping group. Feeling the remaining
chill in the air, Cassy pulled her blanket up tightly around her
neck. “I don’t want to wake up yet.”

“Me either,” Aaron groaned.

Roupert sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I know,
but we must discuss our plans before leaving. Frier, will you
please start the fire?”

Once he heard no response, Roupert turned to
where Frier had made his bed the night before. “Frier, where are
you!”

Panic gripped the group as they frantically
searched for Frier.

“I don’t understand, he was there when I
feel
asleep last night,” Aaron
cried.

Roupert felt a tightening in his chest.
“Alona!”

Cassy felt her heart stop beating with the
fear that Alona had somehow taken Frier. “Do you think she has
him?”

“That is my fear. She must have learned of
his existence. If she learns of his true identity…” Roupert felt
his heart consumed with fear.

Aaron watched helplessly as Cassy and
Roupert spoke. “I don’t understand what you mean about his true
identity, and why would the Evil Queen want Frier?”

Cassy and Roupert looked at each other
unsure of what to say.

“Come on, Frier is our friend. If the Evil
Queen took
him,
I want to know
why,” Aaron cried.

Roupert reached out and rested his hand on
Aaron’s shoulder. “I have not been entirely honest with Frier about
his past.”

Aaron narrowed his eyes, wondering what
could be so terrible about Frier’s past.

Roupert drew in a deep breath, trying to
gather his thoughts before he spoke. “Frier is a member of the
Royal Family. He is Prince Frier, the beloved son of King Ashlym
and Queen Privlana.”

Aaron stood dumbfounded, not moving or
blinking.

“
On the day Queen
Alona took over the Kingdom, I was entrusted by the Lillients to
take the egg of the unborn Prince’s far away from the Kingdom and
to keep him safe. I was to watch over it until the day the Champion
came to free the kingdom from Queen Alona.” Aaron was surprised to
learn the truth of Frier. His heart beat wildly in his chest as
Roupert continued.

“On that day, the Lillients commanded that I
do
not reveal
to Frier his
heritage, or that his mother still lives enslaved in the great
dungeon deep under the castle. They feared that he would seek
revenge against the Evil Queen and fall victim to her power.”

Aaron stared at Roupert, his eyes wide with
fear. “But if the Evil Queen has Frier, it’s up to us to save him.
We promised to do this together.”

Cassy could see the fear in Aaron’s eyes,
and she had to agree with his desire to save Frier from Alona.
Unfortunately, she knew they could not charge the castle for the
queen
surely
had a trap ready for
them. “What can we do, Roupert? We can’t leave Frier in her
clutches.”

“We have a plan,” a small voice came from
behind of them.

Roupert, Cassy, and Aaron turned to see
Arianna, Syrea, and Brianna
hovering in
front of them
with their little wings quickly beating in the
air.

Cassy stepped forward. “What is your
plan?”

Syrea spoke first. “First, you must know
that the Queen sent two
Demlins
to
lure Frier to the castle under false pretenses. Their names are
David and Ralph, and they are two of the
evilest
Demlins
from the
Land of Shadows. They appeared to Frier cloaked in the image of
another dragon, thus making Frier believe that he was of their clan
from a far off realm. They told him that he was one of the chosen
to serve the great Queen Alona, as dragons have done from the dawn
of time.”

Cassy looked at the three Lillients and
could see the fear in their eyes.

Now Brianna flew forward to speak. “They
came to him in his dreams last night and told him that Roupert had
been lying to him about who he was. They told him that Roupert
stole him from Queen Alona before his birth because he wanted to
control the
vast
power Frier would
get once he grew to maturity.”

Roupert watched the Lillients as they
explained what had happened to Frier, and he felt his blood burn
with rage. He closed his eyes and envisioned striking Alona down
with his sword, this image bringing a smile to his lips.

“I understand your desire for revenge,
Roupert, but the Champion must be the one to
conquer
the Queen. She is the only one who can
lift the curse and restore the Kingdom to its once great glory,”
Brianna said with a serious look on her face.

“That’s not fair to see my thoughts.
Besides, they are only thoughts. I know what must happen to remove
the curse and restore the Kingdom.” Roupert did not appreciate
Brianna invading his mind and seeing his innermost feelings.

Cassy watched the exchange between Roupert
and the
Lillient
and wondered why
she had warned him. Then again, knowing her own feelings, she was
sure she knew.

Aaron walked up and tugged on Cassy’s
sleeve. “Who are they?”

Cassy laughed then turned to face the
Lillients. “This is Syrea, Arianna, and Brianna. They call
themselves Lillients and they are the ones who were guarding Frier
when the Evil Queen attacked and took control of the Kingdom. They
are the ones who Queen Privlana sent to Roupert with Frier when he
was still in his egg.”

Aaron looked up at the three Lillients and
smiled. “Hello, it’s an honor to meet you,” he said then he bowed
in reverence.

“We are honored to meet you, Aaron, brother
of Cassandra,” Syrea smiled, as the three of them
bowed
.

“So, what are we supposed to do to save
Frier? If he believes that Roupert has betrayed him, he won’t trust
us,” Cassy questioned.

“Yes, we all know the burning desire he has
fought all these years.” Roupert felt his heart ache for lying to
Frier about whom he was, and that he was the lone dragon.