The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (10 page)

“Okay, but what is that task. What am I
supposed to do?”

“You need to return the Breast Plate to
Queen Privlana with the Blood Key. Once the Breast Plate is
returned
, the curse will be broken
and Alona will be destroyed.”

Cassy suddenly felt a knot tighten in her
stomach. “Okay, so let me see if I understand this completely. I
need to go to the castle and somehow make my way to the dungeon.
Then once I’m there, I must return the Breast Plate with the Blood
Key to Queen Privlana without the Evil Queen stopping me. Sure,
that doesn’t sound like a problem at all.”

“Do not question your abilities, Cassandra.
I have faith that you will fulfill your destiny.”

“I don’t understand something. When Aaron
and I first appeared to Frier, he mentioned that he believed that I
was Abigail, returning to complete her quest. What happened? Why
didn’t she beat Alona when she was here?”

Arianna closed her eyes, remembering that
dreadful day.

“Abigail was
actually
brave and she fought well against the Evil Queen
Alona, only she made the mistake of trusting someone who was not
pure of heart.”

“I don’t understand. Who did she put her
trust in?”

“I blame myself for not warning her, but he
was cunning and convinced her that she must battle the Queen
alone.
” The look of sadness in
Arianna’s eyes told Cassy it was a painful memory and one she
wanted to prevent happening again.

“What happened?”

“He led her into a trap. Abigail had no way
of knowing that several of Alona guards lay in wait to attack when
she entered the dungeon holding our Queen. She fought bravely, but
she was no match for the guards.”

“Oh no,” Cassy cried out.

Arianna saw the fear in Cassy’s eyes as she
continued. “They had her trapped against a wall and were about to
strike her down when the Blood Key began to glow a fiery red. Queen
Privlana had fought against her chains trying to help Abigail, but
she was helpless to save her. Then just as one of the guards moved
in to strike Abigail down, she vanished.”

Cassy sat up straight, her eyes wild with
fear. “Oh my, what
happened
to
her? Is that when she was returned home?”

“Yes, the Blood Key returned her to her
realm. You see, the spell that Queen Privlana had originally cast
protected Abigail from death, as the Blood Key and sacred Breast
Plate will do for you. This is why you must return it to our Queen.
If Abigail were to have died at the hands of Alona’s guards, Alona
would have gotten the power of the Blood Key as her own.”

Cassy ran her finger across the Blood Key,
feeling its warmth.

“Is it the drop of the King’s blood that
gives it its power?” Cassy asked.

“Yes, King Ashlym was very powerful. There
was no stronger magic in all of our realm. That is why Alona wanted
to possess its power by forcing it inside of the Blood Stone.”

“I still don’t know if I can beat the Evil
Queen, but I will do my best,” Cassy said, trying to muster the
courage she knew she would need to face this quest.

Arianna whispered softly. “That is all we
can ask of you. Come, you need your rest for tomorrow will be a
strenuous day.”

Arianna spread her wings then flew up and
gently touched Cassy on the forehead. “This will help you
rest.”

“Thank you. Goodnight,” Cassy stood,
wondering if she would be able to do everything expected of
her.

“Summon me should you need to talk or have
any more questions, and I will come. I have enjoyed our time
together, Cassandra.”

In a flash of light, Arianna and the wooden
bench disappeared.

Cassy returned to the fire where the others
were still sleeping soundly. She walked back over to her blanket
and lay down. As she pulled the blanket up around her shoulders,
she noticed that she was suddenly
exhausted
. “That was a neat trick, Arianna,” she yawned
as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Aaron laughed as
he watched Cassy stand and rub the sleep from her eyes.

“Good morning,” Cassy groaned. “I sure hope
some of that root tea ready.”

“As a matter of fact, it is. I even brought
some Valen sap to go in it,” Roupert said as he reached for the
kettle hanging over the fire.

Cassy reached into her pack and pulled out
her cup as he filled it with the warm liquid then poured some
of the sap
into it.

“Thank you, I need this,” Cassy grinned then
she took a sip of the tea. “I could get used to this stuff.”

“Not me, I’d rather have a glass of
chocolate milk,” Aaron made a sour face.

Frier shot Aaron a confused look. “What is
chocolate milk? Is it a liquid from a beast? What do the
beasts
look like?”

Aaron and Cassy exchanged glances and began
to laugh.

“I do not understand what is so funny,”
Frier said.

“Chocolate is a sweet substance. It’s a
candy that is melted and added to milk from cows,” Cassy snickered,
trying to control her laughter.

“I do not understand why you must add
something sweet to your milk. Do your cows, as you call them not
make good tasting milk?” Frier still did not understand why someone
would add anything to milk.

“It just makes the milk taste better,” Aaron
said playfully.

“Well, if you do not like the root tea,
there is plenty of water to drink,” Roupert pointed toward the
waterfalls. “We do need to remember to fill our water pouches
before we leave.”

“Cassy, there’s some fruit here for
breakfast. Roupert and I went out and picked it while you were
sleeping. It’s pretty good. Those purple ones taste like peaches,
and the pink ones taste like pears,” Aaron grinned as he took
another bite of one of the purple fruits.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll just sit here and
enjoy my root tea while I wake up,” Cassy groaned.

“Do not take too long to wake up, we have a
long way yet to go,” Roupert winked. “Maybe you should have gone to
sleep sooner.”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that tonight.”
Cassy wondered if Roupert knew of her talk with Arianna, but she
did not want to bring it up in case he did not know. “Maybe I’ll
have one of those purple ones. I’d hate to have to eat that dried
stuff again.”

Once everyone had finished their breakfast,
they doused the fire, and then put their blankets and cups back in
their packs.

“Okay, let us continue on our journey,”
Roupert announced.

Everyone gathered their gear and followed
Roupert along the water’s edge.

Cassy found the
breathtaking beauty
of Walandra amazing. From the crystal
blue waters of the Falls of
Clamore
to the tall green trees of the dense forest. This
Kingdom truly was a wondrous place. Occasionally, as they walked
along the trail, she would see a curious woodland creature, peering
from behind a tree or from under a toadstool. She wondered if they
knew who she was and if they expected her to defeat the Evil Queen
Alona, as well.

“Roupert, I’m tired, can we take a short
break?” Cassy said as she sat on a rock next to a tall tree and
pulled her water pouch from her pack.

“Are you tired already?” Frier teased.

“Yeah, we haven’t been walking that long,”
Aaron added.

Cassy shot Frier and Aaron an annoyed look
then stuck her tongue out at them.

“I guess you have your answer,” Roupert
laughed. “Let us take some time to relax. I’m thirsty as well.”

After taking a drink of water, Cassy leaned
back against the tree and closed her eyes. It felt good to relax
and have time to
clear
her mind
when suddenly…

“What the heck?” she cried out.

The rock beneath her began to move, rolling
from side to
side
until it finally
tossed her to the ground.

“My goodness, didn’t anyone teach you that
it’s not polite to sit on someone?”

Cassy rolled over and looked into the eyes
of an upset creature.

“Yes, no, I mean…” her words caught in her
throat.

The creature stood on his four short legs
and shook. “Well, which is it?”

Cassy crawled toward Roupert. “I thought you
were a rock. I didn’t know…”

“
Pomram
,
stop picking on her,” Roupert laughed as he helped Cassy to her
feet.

“Cool, he looks likes an armadillo, just
like the ones we have back home,” Aaron pointed toward
Pomram
.

“Armadillo, what is this armadillo?”
Pomram
asked.

“An armadillo is an animal that has armor on
its back for protection. They are
really
neat
.” Aaron stepped closer to Pomram for a better look.

“These armadillo’s sound interesting. Do you
go around sitting on them also?” Pomram asked with a hint of
sarcasm in his voice.

Cassy had heard enough. “
No,
we don’t, but they don’t look like a rock
either. I’m sorry that I sat on you, I never meant any disrespect.
I was just tired and wanted to rest for a few moments.”

Pomram looked up at Cassy. “Okay, no harm
was done
.” He then glanced at
Roupert and they both began to laugh.

“What? What’s so funny,” Cassy groaned.

“You should have seen your face once you
realized that I was not a rock. I have to admit that I thought your
eyes were going to pop out of your face,” Pomram laughed so hard he
could barely stand.

“I know, it took everything I had not to
laugh,” Roupert chuckled.

“Her face was rather amusing,” Frier
teased.

“Fine, go ahead and laugh at my expense, but
I’ll get even.”

“Oh man, you guys are in big trouble. The
last thing you want is Cassy upset with you,” Aaron grinned.

The three of them looked at Cassy with
nervous expressions on their faces.

“I think we need to get going,” Roupert said
when he saw Aaron and Frier nod their agreement.

“It was nice to meet you, Cassy and Aaron. I
hope that we will get to visit again.” Pomram hoped she was not
still upset with him.

“It was nice to meet you,” Aaron waved his
hand as he walked toward Roupert.

Cassy walked toward Pomram then leaned down
and gently stroked the top of his head. “I’m glad we met too, and I
promise not to sit on you the next time we meet.”

Pomram peered up at Cassy, with his cheeks
flushed a bright red. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, now that we are
friends.”

Cassy laughed softly, and then bent down and
kissed Pomram on the forehead. “Goodbye.”

“Come on, Cassy; we’re burning daylight,” Aaron
shouted as he disappeared into the trees with Roupert and
Frier.

The group had walked for nearly an hour when
they came
to
an old wooden bridge
suspended over a deep ravine.

“Stop, who goes there?” a croaky voice came
from the bushes next to the bridge.

“It is I, Roupert. I wish access to cross
your bridge.”

“What is your purpose? Why do you need to
cross my bridge?”

“I travel with the one who has come to do
battle with Queen Alona,” Roupert announced in a firm voice.

“You are with the one who is to remove the
curse and restore the Kingdom of Walandra to its once glory?” The
voice now spoke with enthusiasm.

Roupert glanced at Cassy then smiled. “Yes,
she wears the sacred Breast Plate with the Blood Key.”

“Step forward, so that I may see you,” the
voice now grew soft and welcoming.

Cassy hesitated, giving Roupert a concerned
look then she took two steps forward.

“It is you, praise be. We have waited for
many years.” The bushes began to rustle then a small man appeared,
holding his cap in his hands. “What is your name?”