The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (21 page)

Roupert stopped and turned to face Cassy.
“The castle is not far ahead. I want you to stay
here
while I go see if there are any guards
nearby.”

Cassy nodded her head then sat on a fallen
tree. “Be careful and don’t forget to come back to get me,” she
replied nervously.

Roupert gave her a playful wink as he turned
and disappeared through the thick overgrowth. Cassy looked around
at the trees, wondering what the day would bring. Would they rescue
Frier and
free
Queen Privlana, or
would Alona defeat them?

She closed her eyes, trying to
clear
her thoughts when she heard a small voice
whisper in her ear.

“Do not fear, Cassandra. I have been
watching over you this entire time. I know you will be
victorious this
day, so put your fears
aside,” Keira spoke in a hushed tone.

Cassy opened her eyes and saw the tiny Milif
hovering in front of her. “It’s good to see you again, Keira.”

“How are you feeling today?” Keira asked
with a playful tone in her voice.

Cassy looked at Keira, wondering how she
could ask such a strange question. “You want to know how I’m
feeling? Well, let’s see, I’m trapped in a strange world with a
Dragon’s Breast Plate and a gemstone with the blood of the King of
the Dragon’s trapped inside of it. Then, I have an Evil Queen
wanting to steal the stone and she’s willing to kill me in the
process. Just how do you think I feel?”

Keira’s expression was one of sadness when
she answered Cassy. “That was not the answer I had hoped to
hear.”

“I don’t understand. What do you want me to
say?”

Keira reached out and touched the Blood Key.
“Why do you deny what you feel?”

Cassy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You
know. You know that King Ashlym lives inside of the Blood Key don’t
you?”

Keira nodded, surprised that Cassy would
even question this. “Of course, I do. I have served the King for
thousands of years. I knew the day that Alona forced his blood
inside of the Blood Stone, that she had also trapped his spirit.
She would have certainly controlled his power had Queen Privlana
now cast the spell that transformed the Blood Stone into a
key.”

Cassy listened intently as Keira explained
everything to her.

“I did not feel the King’s spirit when
Abigail came to Walandra. While she was brave, it was not her
destiny to free us from Alona’s curse. Everything changed when you
appeared though. I felt the Blood Key’s
powers
and those of King Ashlym.”

“Do you believe that I can defeat Alona? She
is so powerful, and…”

Keira held up her hand. “Yes, it is true
that her powers are great, but you have the Power of the Dragon.
There is no power
greater
in any
realm. Today will be a great day for the subjects of Walandra, and
you will prove your bravery. I must give you a warning. Alona will
use trickery, so trust your heart, not your eyes. She will use your
love for your brother as well as your friendship with Roupert and
Frier. Surrender to the Power of the Dragon and you will be
victorious. I must go, Roupert returns.” Keira then vanished in a
ball of shimmering light.

The sound of footsteps brought Cassy to
attention. She held her breath as she waited for Roupert. After a
few moments, he appeared through the thick overgrowth.

“It is clear for us to go. Hurry, we need to
get inside of the castle before the next patrol.”

Cassy quickly got to her feet and followed
Roupert toward the castle and her destiny.

Frier sat in the corner of the dark room
with only the light of the sun
peeking
through the small window high above him. He had
tried to
sleep
but was unable to,
as the sound of his mother’s voice kept replaying in his mind.

“How could things have gone so wrong?”

Frier thought back to his time with Roupert
and all the happy memories they shared. He had always thought of
Roupert as a father, so when the Demlins told him that his life was
a lie his heart had died a bit at hearing those painful words.
Shame filled his heart at believing their lie.

“I’m sorry for not having more faith in you,
Roupert. I was a foolish child to have trusted them.” Feeling
despair, he closed his eyes with the image of his mother appearing
in his mind.

“You are so beautiful.” His heart
leaped
with joy as he held on to
the
image
for as long as he
could.

“Who is beautiful?” David chuckled as he
appeared in the room.

“I wonder if he’s thinking of Roupert. While
he is not entirely dreadful looking, I would not go as far to say
that he is beautiful,” Ralph laughed as well when he appeared next
to David.

Frier cringed when he heard their taunts,
for he was in no mood to face them. All he wanted was to enjoy the
memories of his time with his mother.

“Open your eyes and look upon us,” David
demanded in a dark and menacing tone.

Frier refused to do as commanded. He turned
his face away and held his eyes tightly closed without saying a
word.

David and Ralph were surprised how the young
Prince showed no fear with his current situation.

“So, the little Prince is feeling brave this
morning. I wonder what could have happened to bring about this
change in him?” Ralph growled with a look of contempt on his
face.

“I do not know, but that is not a wise thing
to do. Queen Alona will not be pleased with his attitude this
morning,” David chuckled at seeing Frier squeeze his eyes even
tighter.

“Enjoy these last few moments of bravery,
young Prince. The time of your usefulness grows near, and you will
finally get to meet your loving mother.” Ralph laughed when he saw
Frier turn his head and look directly at him.

Frier felt his blood boil in his veins at
the arrogant attitude of these two demonic creatures. He knew they
had the upper hand for now, but something deep inside of him told
him their plans for him and his mother would fail.

“Enjoy this time, for you will know
defeat
by my hands this day,”
Frier said in a calm and firm voice.

David and Ralph found this comment quite
amusing considering the situation in which the young Prince
currently found himself.

“You are a foolish child,” David fought to
contain his laughter.

“Yes, he is,” Ralph chimed in.

The Demlins eyes met,
and at
that moment, they could no longer contain
their enjoyment of the current events.

Frier watched the two Demlins
laugh
and wished that he had the ability to turn
them to ash with one burst of fire.

Frier fought to control his anger then he
said in a calm voice, “Go ahead and laugh. I am the son of the
mighty
King Ashlym, King of the
Dragons and sole heir to the throne of Walandra. I will not allow
Alona to rule over this kingdom for another day. It all ends today.
I will see her cast into the Land of Shadows, along with all those
who serve her. So, go ahead and laugh for you will be returning to
the Land of Shadows along with your Queen. Let her rule the
subjects there.”

Frier’s face transformed, it was now
something dark and foreboding, which made the Demlins question
their own power. How could the young Prince speak such words? He
was the prisoner of Queen Alona, not the other way around. Yet,
they had to admit they saw something in his eyes to make them take
pause.

Frier could see the doubt in their eyes,
which only empowered him more. “I see fear in your eyes. What is
wrong, do you question your Queen’s power?”

“We do not question our Queen’s power over
one as pitiful as you, young Prince. You are the one shackled in
this dark room, away from everyone you hold dear,” David countered
defiantly.

Frier’s eyelids lowered in a menacing glare.
“Go ahead and enjoy these last moments, for you and your Queen will
soon
rue
her attack on the Royal
family. She may have killed my father and enslaved my mother in the
dungeon below, but today she will discover the
real
Power of the Dragon.”

Fear now replaced victory in the eyes of the
Demlins.

“How can it be that he knows Queen Alona
killed King Ashlym?” David tried to control his fear.

“There is no way he could know
,”
Ralph
stepped
back from Frier with dread consuming him.

“Is that fear I see glowing in your eyes?
Frier teased.

The Demlins exchanged glanced, with a
mixture of both fear and disbelief showing on their faces.

Frier released a loud laugh that filled the
small room. “You and your Queen have made the fatal mistake of
underestimating the Power of the Dragon. I must tell you it will
lead to your demise and that of your Queen.”

David and Ralph were at a loss how to
respond. They knew the Power of the Dragon was the most powerful
magic in all the realms, but the curse cast by Queen Alona had
prevented any Dragon from using their powers.
Queen Privlana sat in the dungeon trapped in her human
form, as the rest of the Dragon clan sat atop the castle as stone
Centurions. They sat in silence, overlooking the Kingdom from the
spell cast by Privlana to save them from death.

Frier watched as doubt continued to grow in
their eyes. “Ah, not so sure of victory now, are you?”

“We have nothing more to say to you. Prepare
to do as commanded by Queen Alona, and maybe she will allow you to
live,” Ralph snarled dismissively.

Without saying another word, the two Demlins
vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Once they were gone, Frier said a silent
prayer that his words were
true
and that today would be the end of Alona’s rule over Walandra.

Roupert and Cassy reached the clearing along
the back of the castle. She nervously looked around then followed
Roupert to some tall bushes growing beside the castle wall.

“The door is behind these bushes,” Roupert
said as he moved some of the branches aside, exposing a wooden
door. “Hurry, we do not want to be seen by any guards who may be on
patrol.”

Roupert grasped the handle on the door and
tugged. “It’s stuck. Quick, come help me pull on it.”

Cassy rushed to his side and grabbed the
handle, and together they gave it another tug. The door opened
some, but not enough to fit through.

“Pull hard again,” Roupert groaned.

Cassy braced herself and when Roupert gave
the order, she pulled with all of her might.

With a loud groan, the door swung wide.
Roupert glanced over at Cassy, who was smiling.

“Good job, now let us hope it closes much
easier,” Roupert winked.

They both stepped through the door, and
Roupert quickly pulled it shut behind them.

“See, I told you that we are a good team,”
he chuckled.

“True, but I was worried the door was stuck
shut,” Cassy teased.

“As was I. I guess the years had rusted the
hinges in place, but together we were able to solve the problem.
Let me see if I can find one of the torches they used to have along
the wall.”

Roupert began to rub his hand along the wall
until he felt where they had left
a
torch
. He removed
it
and
then laid it on the stone floor. Next, he pulled the bronze handled
Firesteel and his knife hanging
from
his belt. Cassy watched intently as he leaned down
and rested the Firesteel against the torch, struck his knife on the
edge of the Firesteel, causing it to spark. It amazed her how the
torch
had caught fire after only
three strikes and was now lighting up the small room.

“Wow. That was cool. I’ve never seen anyone
start a fire like that before,” Cassy said while shaking her head
from side-to-side with disbelief.

Roupert looked up at Cassy, confused by her
response. “I do not understand. How do you start fires in your
realm?”

“We have matches and lighters.”

“What are matches and lighters?” Roupert
asked.

Cassy thought for a moment before answering.
“Well, matches are small sticks with a ball on the end of it that
when you strike it on something rough it causes a flame. I guess it
sort of works on the same idea of your instrument by using friction
to cause the fire.”

Roupert nodded his head, understanding her
explanation.

“Now a lighter is a device that uses fuel
and a small flint. You push a button, which causes the striker to
hit the
flint
, igniting the fuel
inside of the lighter. That one is my favorite. I wish I had one so
I could show you.”

“That sounds very interesting, but I will
stay with what I know. Come, we must go.”