The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (22 page)

Roupert and Cassy headed down the long
hallway that lead deep into the castle. Cassy marveled how the
torch caused strange looking shadows to move on the walls, and she
wondered if they were in fact only shadows.

After several minutes, they came to a turn
in the hallway where they noticed light glowing from that
direction.

“Wait here. I will go make sure it is
clear,” Roupert whispered then he handed her the torch.

Cassy did not like the idea of him leaving
her behind, but she did as told. Roupert glanced back and gave her
a playful wink. “I promise that I won’t be long.”

“Okay, but I want you to know that I’ll be
counting the seconds,” she teased.

Roupert reached out and gently touched her
cheek then he turned and vanished around the corner leaving Cassy
standing there alone.

“Please don’t forget me,” she said silently to
herself.

It had been many years since Roupert had
walked the dark hidden hallways of the castle. As he slowly
approached the light shimmering from ahead of him, he wondered what
lay ahead for him and Cassy. He knew that
danger
awaited them and their chance
of
success
was
limited, but a voice inside of him kept telling him to believe.
With each
step,
the light grew
brighter until he finally reached the opening into a large room. He
was about to enter the room when he heard a voice fill his
mind.

Stop, do not enter the room without
Cassandra. She must be with you.

Who are you? How do I know that I can
trust you?
Roupert answered in his mind, as he felt his heart
pounding in his chest.

Has it been so long that you have
forgotten me, Sir Roupert?
He felt great sorrow suddenly fill
his being, causing tears to come to his eyes.

My Queen, is that you?
His heart
raced with anticipation.

Yes, Sir Roupert, it is I, Queen Privlana. I
have waited so long for this day. My heart is full of joy at
knowing that my time of bondage will soon end.

Roupert’s heart
leaped
with joy at hearing her voice again, but then the
image of Frier appeared in his mind.
My Queen, I have failed
you. I did not protect the Prince from Alona. She has taken
him.

Do not fear for Frier. He is safe and now
knows who he is. I want to thank you for raising him into
an exceptional
young man. Now, go bring Cassandra with you for your path ahead
grows dangerous.

Roupert returned to where he had
left,
Cassy. Once there, he told her of his
conversation with Queen Privlana and of how Frier was unharmed.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Cassy cried out.
“Well, let’s do as the Queen ordered. Let’s go kick some Evil Queen
butt,” she said with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Roupert bowed his head with a broad smile on
his face. “As you command, my Champion.”

Roupert took the torch from Cassy and laid
it on the floor next to the wall. “We’ll leave this here
in case
we need it for a hasty
retreat.”

Cassy flashed a confident and wicked grin.
“We will not be retreating today. We are going to free Frier and
his mother then we are going to restore your kingdom. I plan to go
home with Aaron, but we can’t do it if we don’t take down Alona and
her evil followers. So, get any idea of failure out of your mind.
The only person who needs to worry today is Alona.”

The sound of murmuring alerted Roupert and
Cassy of danger ahead. They exchanged concerned glances then
prepared themselves for their attack. The two guards standing at
the door leading to the main hall had no warning, as Roupert and
Cassy made themselves known to them. Before either could reach for
his sword, Roupert had slain one with his sword, and the other with
his knife.

“Wow, you really are a great knight,” Cassy
proclaimed excitedly.

Roupert shook his head as he replaced his
sword and knife to their sheaths. “I did not enjoy taking their
lives, Cassandra. One does not feel joy when killing a man he once
called a
friend
.”

Cassy saw the sorrow in his eyes and
understood his words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Roupert looked into her eyes, feeling her
pain. “You have no reason to apologize. Alona had cast a spell over
them, so they were no longer the brave and loyal men I once knew.
I’m sure that we will face many more as we continue on our way to
the dungeon to rescue Queen Privlana.”

Cassy knew he was right, but she did not
fully understand what they were facing
until
this moment. She glanced down at the two slain men
and said a silent prayer that she and Roupert would not meet the
same fate.

“Come, we must hurry before it is time to change
the guards.” Roupert took her by the hand and pulled her along
with
him.

They had quickly moved down the long hallway
until they came to a large door covered with strange carvings.
Roupert stopped in front of the
door
and drew in a deep breath.

“What’s wrong? Where does that door lead
to?” All of a sudden, Cassy felt a sensation of dread mixed with
excitement surge through her.

“It is the door to the dungeon,” Roupert
said with no emotion in his voice.

Cassy looked up at him and shook her head.
“But that’s good, right?”

Roupert closed his eyes, searching for the
right words to say. “Yes, it is a good thing, but we must also
realize that Alona has
undoubtedly
set a trap for us once we enter this door. We must release all fear
and doubt from our hearts and minds. We must stand united against
her, as that will be the only way that we will be victorious. You
must rely on the power of the Blood Key to guide you.”

Cassy saw the concern in his eyes, and she
had to admit that she was feeling the same way. She reached up and
gently brushed her fingertips against the Blood Key, and suddenly
felt a great power enter her body.

“Do not fear, Roupert. Today we will end the
rule of Alona. She shall be cast away to the Land of Shadows, where
she will suffer for all eternity,” Cassy spoke in a
profound
and powerful voice.

Roupert stepped back, surprised by her
change in mood as well as the tone
of
her voice. “Cassandra...”

When their eyes met, Roupert saw the same
emerald green with ribbons of fire dancing in them that he saw the
day before.

“King Ashlym, is that you?” Roupert felt his
heart leap with joy at knowing the King was with them.

“Yes, Sir Roupert, I am with Cassandra. I am
pleased that the Blood Key chose her for she has much courage
within her.”

Roupert watched as Cassy’s eyes returned to
their normal color, and the look on her face softened.

“Are you alright?” He asked when she shook
her head and blinked her eyes several times.

“Am I alright? I’ve never felt better. That
is so cool. I can feel him with me. I felt him some last night when
I chased off those three Elim, but nothing like I do today. I’m no
longer afraid. I’m ready to face Alona and send her to that Land of
Shadows.” Cassy squared her shoulders,
confident
that they would be victorious.

Roupert was both surprised and pleased with
this development. He knew they were facing great danger, so to know
that King Ashlym was with them eased his worry. He reached for the
door handle then glanced over his shoulder at Cassy. “There is no
going back now. Prepare yourself to face your worst nightmare.”

With that, he swung the door wide and stepped
inside with Cassy following closely behind.

Neither was prepared for what awaited them
inside the dungeon. Across the large room was Queen Privlana, bound
in chains and hanging in mid-air. Cassy struggled to see what they
had secured the chain to, but it just seemed to disappear into
nothingness.

“Sir Roupert, please stop, it’s a trap,”
Privlana cried out.

All of a sudden, from a dark corner of the
room, an ominous laughter broke out. “Yes, Sir Roupert, it is a
trap. I must say that I am pleased to see that you have brought the
Champion with you as well.”

“Alona!” Just the sound of her voice made
him burn with rage.

“How disrespectful of you to refer to me in
such a manner; I am your Queen and you should refer to me as such,”
Alona demanded with an angry tone in her voice.

Roupert stepped forward, holding his head
high. “You are NOT my Queen. You have unjustly enslaved the
true
Queen of Walandra, and for
that you shall pay.”

Alona laughed at his stubbornness and silly
loyalty. “Roupert, you never cease to amaze me. After all these
years, you are still loyal to a dead King and his pitiful wife. The
time of the Dragon is over. They are nothing but a faded memory of
a time long ago.” Alona flicked her hand toward Privlana, this
causing her to cry out in pain as the chains tightened around her
body.

Consumed with rage, Roupert charged forward
with his sword held firmly in his hand. “Stop. Stop hurting her or
I will kill you.”

“My how brave you are,” Alona laughed
wickedly.

Roupert began to move toward Alona when
Cassy stepped forward, showing herself.

“Awe, there you are. I have long awaited our
meeting, Cassandra, the Champion come to end my reign. It is true;
you do look like your great-grandmother. Yet, I do sense something
different
about
you. Yes,
something different in the eyes.”

Cassy stood in place with her eyes firmly
locked on Alona. “As I have waited to meet you. Don’t you think for
one second that you’re going to win our little
battle.
I plan to knock you right off your Royal
Throne
and then send you to the
Land of Shadows where you belong. Who knows, maybe you can rule
there as their Queen. Walandra already has a Queen and it sure
isn’t you,” Cassy grinned when she saw the smug look on Alona’s
face
transform
into one of
anger.

“Oh look, I think I’ve upset her,” Cassy hit
Roupert in the arm with her elbow.

Alona lifted her arm in a fit of rage,
causing a ball of red fire to appear in her hand. “You will die for
your insolence,” she hissed as she released the flaming ball.

The ball of flames soared through the air,
spiraling and shooting flames in all directions. Roupert watched
helplessly, as it flew past him and went directly at Cassy.

Cassy never blinked or moved as the flames
moved toward her then as it was about to consume her, she held out
her hand and caused the flames to disappear.

“NO, that is impossible,” Alona shouted in
disbelief. Alona held up her hand again, this time creating an even
larger ball of fire. She released the ball and waited.