The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (23 page)

This time Roupert stepped in front of the
ball of fire, and then fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

“NO, Roupert, please don’t
die,
” Cassy screamed then knelt down, touching
him on the forehead.

“Oh my, how brave of him to sacrifice
himself for you. It’
s a shame
that
it will all be for not,” Alona voiced with mocked sincerity.

As Cassy leaned over Roupert, she felt rage
begin to grow from deep inside of her. She reached for the Blood
Key and gently brushed her fingers
over
it, feeling the same warm sensation. Her heart ached
and she did not want to accept that Roupert was dead. As the warm
feeling
surged through her body,
she reached down and rested her hand on Roupert’s chest. She closed
her
eyes
and felt
the
power growing inside of her.

What happened next would be told to the
children of Walandra for many years to come. As Cassy’s hand rested
on Roupert’s chest, it began to glow bright and fiery red. She held
her hand
to
his chest until a
bright sparkling light engulfed his entire body, and time seemed to
stand still, as no one in the dungeon moved.

“You will live,” Cassy commanded with
a dark
tone
in
her voice.

She pressed her hand firmly on his chest and
in a flash of light, his lungs filled with breath, and he eyes
fluttered open.

“Cassandra,” Roupert whispered as he fought
to gain his senses.

Cassy looked down at Roupert, and then
tenderly stroked his forehead. “You’re going to be alright. Stay
here, I have to take care of a little problem.”

“What have you done?” Alona shouted. Alona
felt a growing fear consume her. She had never expected this young
girl to have the ability to control the Blood Key with such
skill.

Cassy stood and glared at Alona. “I have
come to restore the throne to the rightful rulers. Your days of
rule
are over, and I will make you
pay for your treachery. I will give you the opportunity to step
aside, or find yourself forever banished to the Land of
Shadows.”

Alona scowled at
Cassy,
who stood unyielding before her. “You foolish
child, I have powers that you can never imagine. Today, it will be
you and your pitiful friends who will find yourselves banished. I
am Queen, and I will rule Walandra forever! Bring the young Prince
here.”

Cassy felt her blood turn to ice when she
watched two guards appear from the shadows leading
Frier
bound in chains. His eyes met Cassy’s and
in an instant, she realized the fear she felt at seeing Roupert
lying on the cold,
stone
floor was
now an
uncontrollable
rage.

“Cassy…” he shouted while trying to free
himself from the chains snuggly secured around his wrists and
ankles.

“Quiet!” Alona ordered with a flick of her
hand, causing his words to catch in his throat.

Watching Frier struggle against the hold
Alona had over him, awakened a power inside of her that consumed
her entire being. “Leave him alone!”

Alona saw the anger burning in her eyes. “He
is mine to do with as I wish. You do not have the power to stop
me.”

Alona lifted her hand again. Frier’s eyes
met Cassy’s and in an instant, he floated into the air.

“If you want to save the young Prince, bring
me the Blood Key,” Alona warned in a low and threatening tone.

Cassy watched as the guards now stepped from
the shadows. “No, you will never possess the Blood Key. I am the
Champion and through its power, I will destroy you.”

Alona’s eyes narrowed, “I said, give me the
Blood Key, or the Prince dies!”

Alona flicked her hand toward Frier
again
and brought forth cries of
pain. “Please, do not surrender, Cassy,” he cried out as pain
consumed his body.

Cassy realized that two guards were closing
in on her from the doorway. She reached up and brushed her
fingertips on the Blood Key, causing it to glow a vibrant red.

What happened next surprised Alona. She
stood in stunned silence as Cassy whirled about to face her
attackers with a
fire
burning in
her eyes. The guards charged toward her with their swords held
high, and before either of them could react, they vanished in a
puff of smoke.

“What have you done?” Alona
screeched
as she began to feel uncertainty
about
her future as Queen.

Before Cassy could answer, two more guards
advanced on her. She turned to face them, and in an instant, they
vanished as the two before them.

Beside herself with anger and fear, Alona
searched her mind as for what to do. She knew that if she did not
act quickly, the Champion would slay all of her guards and leave
her unprotected.

“Stand down, your time of rule is over,”
Cassy said in
a dark
and
threatening tone. She glanced down at Roupert, letting him know
that she had things under control.

“You silly child, I will never surrender the
throne. Do you not see that I have the Prince and Queen under my
control? If you do not want to see their deaths today then give me
the Blood Key!” Alona raised her hand then released a strange
glowing ball that enveloped Privlana, causing her to cry out in
pain.

“Stop it. Stop hurting her.” Cassy shook
with anger. She knew that she had to act quickly or Alona would
kill the Queen.

Cassy looked around the large room and
noticed several guards advancing on her.

“Cassandra, you can’t take all of them by
yourself. Let me help,” Roupert groaned as he struggled to his
feet.

“How do you best my guards and save the
Queen and Prince at the same time?” Alona taunted as she flicked
her hand toward Frier, causing him to cry out in pain.

Cassy’s mind was spinning. She looked at
Queen Privlana, and then to Frier. She saw the pain in their eyes,
and she worried that Alona would kill them regardless if she gave
her the Blood Key.

“Cassy, we must act,” Roupert shouted as he
withdrew his sword and held it out toward the approaching
guards

Suddenly, Cassy felt the power of the Blood
Key surge through her body. She then turned and faced Roupert. “Sir
Roupert, wield your mighty sword and protect the Champion,” Cassy
said in a deep voice with sparks of flames dancing in her eyes.

“King Ashlym?” Roupert whispered.

Not prepared for what happened next, Alona
gasped with disbelief. Cassy placed her hand over the Blood Key
then rested her hand on Roupert’s shoulder, causing him to glow
with a fiery flame consuming his entire body. He then turned and
faced the approaching guards, holding his sword at the ready.

Alona
watched
in horror as Roupert stuck down her guards. His
body shimmered with the red glow, and one by one, the guards fell
to the floor.

“How is that possible,” Alona growled.

Cassy slowly walked toward Alona as the
battle raged around her. Her eyes glowed with intensity, as she
seemed possessed by a powerful force.

Alona turned to face Cassy with fear and
anger burning in her eyes. “You will die!”

Alona lifted her arm and a ball of fire
appeared in the palm of her hand. She released an evil laugh then
threw the fireball at Cassy, gleefully awaiting the demise of this
Champion. As the fireball flew across the room, a strange
shimmering light surrounded Cassy in a protective bubble.

Shock and anger consumed Alona as she
watched the
shimmering
light
around Cassy absorb the fireball, removing all of its destructive
power.

“How can that be?” Alona screamed with
disbelief and rage.

Alona gazed at the site before her and
realized she was losing the battle. Roupert had slain most of her
guards, and Cassy was advancing on her. She glanced over at
Privlana,
who still hung in the
air, bound in chains.

“Please, stop this,” Privlana pleaded.

“Stop? I will not stop until I have the
Blood Key,” Alona hissed in a threatening tone.

Alona turned and faced Frier. “Maybe I will
just kill the young Prince and end the rein of the Dragons.”

Alona raised her arm when Cassy shouted,
“Stop, Alona! You will not harm him.”

“You dare speak to me in such a manner? I am
a Queen, and I will not have a lowly creature as you
talk
to me in such a manner. I will do as I
please, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

“That is where you are wrong, Alona. For I
have something that you desire,” Cassy looked at Alona with her
eyes shimmering a bright emerald green and flames swirling
around
in them. Cassy reached up
and tapped the Breast Plate twice by the Blood Key, opening the
small door that was hiding the vial containing the nectar from the
blossom of the Samen plant.

“I have the power to end your rule in my
hand. It was a special gift from my friend, Othan,” Cassy said as
she removed the vial and held it up for Alona to see.

“Why should I fear anything a foolish old
man gave you?” Alona prodded dismissively.

Cassy was pleased to see the doubt in
Alona’s eyes betray her words. She then opened the vial and
swallowed its contents, feeling the power of the flower fill her
body.

Alona was shocked, as Cassy seemed to
transform before her eyes. Realizing that she must act quickly,
Alona turned to Frier and raised her arm. “You will now die, young
Prince.”

Nothing could have prepared Alona for what
happened next.

“By the power of the nectar of the Samen
plant and that of the Dragon, I release you from the spell of
protection cast by your mother, Queen Privlana.” Cassy raised her
arms toward Frier, and in a
flash
of light, his chains broke and fell to the floor.

“How is this possible?” Alona cried out as
the once small and helpless Dragon transformed into a great and
fearsome Dragon, breathing fire, and smoke from his mouth and
nostrils.

“NO, that is impossible,” Alona shouted,
barely able to contain her fear.

Frier released a mighty roar as he spread
his massive wings. “You have destroyed my family, and caused great
suffering to the subjects of Walandra, Alona. You betrayed the
trust my parents had in you for your evil desire for power, but all
that ends today.”

Alona did not notice that Cassy was now
standing beside Privlana.

Privlana looked down at Cassy and saw her
eyes. “Ashlym, is that you?” She gasped breathlessly, as the pain
of the chains, crushing her body consumed her.

Cassy looked up at Privlana and said with
joy on her face, “Yes, it is I, my dearest. Today we will be
together again.”

At hearing these words, Alona turned and was
caught off guard by what she saw. “No, it is not possible. You are
dead, I killed you! Do you want to be reunited with your precious
wife?
Fine
, here she is,” Alona
pointed a finger at Privlana and began to speak the words of a
death curse.”

Rage and the desire for revenge overtook
Frier. He roared again, causing Alona to break her train of thought
and look at him.

“By the Power of the Dragon, I cast you into
the deepest depths of the Land of Shadows, where you shall be
imprisoned for all time.” Red flames shot forth from
Firer
and enveloped Alona in a fiery ball of
light.

“No, I will not surrender! I will not go!”
Alona shouted, as she fought against the force dragging her down
into the dark, and fear filled depths of the Land of Shadows.

“Be gone, Evil Queen. Go rule the Demlins,
Ralph and David in your new kingdom,” Frier laughed with joy as he
watched her disappear in a bright green flash of light.

Once Alona was gone, the remainder of the
guards fighting Roupert dropped their swords in surrender. “It is
over, the rule of Alona is over!” the guards shouted with glee.

Roupert dropped his sword, as he stepped
forward to greet his old friends. “Dalmen, my old friend, it is
good to see you,” Roupert grabbed Dalmen had hugged him
enthusiastically with tears of joy in his eyes.

Dalmen cried on Roupert’s shoulder as shame
overtook him. “I’m sorry for my betrayal. I just couldn’t stop
myself…”

Roupert released Dalmen and looked him in
the eyes. “Do not feel as though you betrayed me, my old friend.
Alona bewitched you, so nothing you have done, is your fault. I
only wish that I did not have to kill our brothers.” Roupert looked
around at the slain guards, feeling sadness grip his heart.

A fearsome growl drew Roupert’s attention
away from Dalmen and the other guards. “Oh my,” he said in
disbelief.

The vision of Frier
surprised
Roupert. While Frier resembled his father in
stature and looks, Roupert could see the gentle spirit of his
mother in him as well.

“Mother,” Frier cried out as he stepped
closer to where Privlana now lay on the stone floor. Once Frier
cast Alona into the Land of Shadows, the spell holding Privlana
bound
in chains was broken.

Cassy was already at her side, holding her
hand.

“My son, you have done it. You have rid the
Kingdom of Alona. I had always believed that the Champion would be
the one to do it.
On the other hand, I am
pleased it was you. I do fear my time with you grows short.
I feel the cold hands of death pulling on my soul,” Privlana
whispered.

“No, I cannot lose you. I just found you,”
he cried out, with loud wails of pain.

“It is not your time to go, my love,” the
deep voice of Ashlym left Cassy’s lips.

Frier’s eyes met Cassy’s and he was
surprised to see her eyes shimmer a bright emerald green with
swirling flames dancing in them. “Who are you?” the words escaped
his mouth before he realized what he had said.