The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (27 page)

“Hello, Cassandra. It is
good
to see you again,” Keira flew up to the bed
then sat on the pillow next to Cassy.

Cassy looked down at Keira and marveled how
lovely she was with the shimmering light surrounding her. “It’s
good to see you too, Keira. What brings you here tonight?”

“I have been here the entire evening,
watching over the festivities. I see that you and Frier had an
enjoyable time,” she winked playfully.

Cassy felt her cheeks warm at the idea that
Keira had watched her with Frier. “Yes, he was quite a
surprise.”

“I’m sure he was. It was a joy to see the
Prince as he was meant to be. He will be a great King someday.”

“I’m sure he will,” Cassy said with a hint
of sadness in her voice.

Keira saw the sorrow in Cassy’s eyes and she
understood her torn feelings as she faced the decision to return to
her own realm. Moreover, Keira knew it would only be temporary, as
life had a different future planned for Cassandra, the Champion of
Walandra.

“I know that you will be returning to your
realm tomorrow, and I have something important for you to do once
you are there,” Keira saw the surprised look on Cassy’s face and
smiled.

“Hold out your hand, sweet
child.”

Cassy did as instructed, and in a swirling
flash of red light, she saw the Blood Stone lying in the palm of
her hand. “I don’t understand. I thought the Blood Stone was
returned to its protected place.”

“That is what the King and Queen believe,
but it has another important task to perform.”

Cassy tipped her head to the side, unsure if
she understood why Keira would give her the Blood Stone.

“You will take the Blood Stone with you to
your realm tomorrow, and once there you will give it to
Abigail.”

“You want me to give it to my
great-grandmother. Why? Won’t the book already be there in her
library?”

Keira began to laugh. “No, you silly child.
The book is no longer in Abigail’s library. It came with you to
Walandra. You wore it during your quest.”

Cassy shook her head, trying to understand.
“Are you saying the sacred Breast Plate was actually the book? I
know that’s what was said, but I never actually believed it to be
true.”

“Yes, it was true.
You see, when Abigail came to Walandra, she was unable to break
the curse. Therefore, when Alona was about to take her life, the
Blood Key returned itself, the sacred Breast Plate, and Abigail to
your realm.”

“I don’t understand. If she loved Roupert
and he loved her, why didn’t she return?”

Keira
exhaled
a breath before speaking again. “She could not
return because she forgot about Walandra and everyone she met here.
Once she had returned to your realm she learned of her
Grandfather’s death, so in her grief, she forgot all about her time
here.”

“How sad, and that explains the look of
sadness in her eyes.” Cassy could not imagine what it would be like
to lose one of her parents.

“It was as it was meant to be. Had Abigail
not returned to your realm, you never would have been born. I never
understood that until you came to us, but that was the plan from
the beginning.”

“But I still don’t
understand. W
hy do you want me to give her the Blood
Stone?” Cassy looked down at the
stone
, now glowing in her hand.

“It is not necessary that you understand at
this time. Abigail will know what to do with it when the times
comes. I leave it with you, so please guard it well. There are
still forces in this realm that would like to have its powers. I
will cast a protection spell to surround you until you return to
your
realm
, but please tell no one
that you possess the stone. Do you understand?”

Cassy nodded her head as she held Blood
Stone in her hand.

“I see
they have
provided you with a nightgown
,” Keira grinned.

“Yes and it’s quite comfortable,” Cassy
rubbed her hand on the soft fabric.

“Well, I will take my leave of you,
Cassandra. I am thankful for everything you have done for the
Kingdom of Walandra. Your courage and determination
are
a tribute to the brave soul you are, as well
as the woman you will be in your life.”

“Thank you, Keira. It has been an honor,
knowing you.”

Keira took flight, and then bowed. “Goodbye,
our brave Champion; until we meet again.”

Before Cassy could respond, Keira
disappeared in a bright flash of light.

After Keira had vanished, Cassy dropped her
head down on her pillow, mulling over their conversation. She held
out the Blood Stone and looked at it again.

“So, I’m to give this to my
great-grandmother, and she will know what to do when the time it
right. If she doesn’t remember Walandra and everything she did
here, that doesn’t make any sense.”

Realizing there was no
sense
in worrying, she held
th
e Blood Stone firmly against her chest. She then closed
her eyes, and after a few restless minutes, Cassy finally slipped
off into a dream-filled slumber of the happy memories of her
evening with Frier.

The sun rose above the mountains and awoke
the subjects of Walandra for their first full day of freedom from
the Evil Queen Alona. Everyone scurried about doing their chores
with a renewed sense of joy in their hearts. The birds’ songs
seemed to carry a cheerful melody, the flowers seemed to smell
sweeter, and the rest of the Kingdom seemed caught up in a new
feeling of tranquility.

Cassy stirred from her slumber at the sound
of the handmaiden entering the room.

“Good morning, I hope you slept well?” The
handmaiden entered the room carrying a basket with Cassy’s freshly
washed clothes.

Cassy sat up in the bed then yawned and
stretched. “Yes, at a matter of fact, I slept quite well.”

“Good. I was sent to bring you to eat
breakfast with the Royal family. The Queen thought you should eat
before you return to your realm. Besides, I believe the King has
something he wishes to give you.” The handmaiden removed the
clothes from the basket and laid them on the bed next to Cassy.

“Your clothes are washed for you. I hope you
find them satisfactory.”

“Thank you, they are fine,” Cassy grinned as
she got out of the bed.

“
Very good
,
I will leave you for now.” She turned and walked toward the
door.

“Oh, well, let’s not leave them waiting,”
Cassy smiled as she reached for her clothes. “Please give me a
moment to gather my things and I’ll join you in the hallway.”

Once the handmaiden had left the room, Cassy
quickly removed the
nightgown
and
put on her clothes. She laughed at how the entire time she was on
her quest, she had not noticed that her pajamas had magically
transformed into clothes and her robe had become a jacket. “I
wonder why Aaron and I didn’t
realize
that we were no longer in our pajamas? I guess it
was more of that Power of the Dragon stuff. I am going to miss
those boots though,” Cassy laughed, as she looked down at the
slippers sitting on the floor next to her bed.

Cassy reached under the pillow on the bed
and pulled out the Blood Stone then she picked up her robe and put
it on. “Okay, let’s put you in here for
safe keeping
,” Cassy said as she put the Blood Stone in
one of the pockets
of
the
robe
. Once she was convinced she
had everything, she walked toward the door. Before opening the
door, she turned and looked back at the beautiful room.

“It’s a shame that I’ll never come back here
again.” She then reached for the door handle, opened the door, and
joined the handmaiden in the hall.

When Cassy entered the room, she noticed
Aaron already seated at the table with
Frier
and eating what appeared to be a large platter of
pancakes.

“Good morning, it’s about time you woke up.
Heck, Frier already took me for a morning flight,” Aaron said with
a mouthful of the tasty treat.

Cassy walked over to the table and sat in
the open chair between them. “He did? I bet you had a blast. I see
now that you’re enjoying your breakfast,” she laughed as he took
another huge bite and crammed it into his mouth.

“Oh man, that was the best time ever. I wish
I were a Dragon. I was hoping to go again, but I know we’re leaving
soon.”

Cassy looked at Frier and saw him smile.
“Thank you for doing that.”

“I enjoyed taking him. We had a good time,”
Frier responded.

Aaron took another large bite of his food as
he rolled his eyes, “I don’t know what this stuff is, but it’s
delicious. Mom needs the recipe.”

“Your brother has a healthy appetite,” Frier
said, as he watched Aaron take another bite.

“Yeah, Dad always said that he’d probably
eat us if we ever ran out of food.” Cassy then laughed when she saw
the surprised look appear on Frier’s face.

“You are joking, correct? While I know he
loves to eat, I do not believe that he would try to eat you, or
your family.”

Cassy could not help but laugh at the
concerned look on Frier’s face. “Yes, I’m only joking. It’s just a
figure of speech. Aaron would never eat us, at least I hope
not.”

Aaron looked at Cassy and grinned. “I’d
never eat you because I’d probably get a bad stomach ache, but
Melissa might be tasty. With all those creams to keep her skin
soft, she might be extra tender.”

Frier broke out
into
raucous laughter at Aaron not wanting to eat Cassy.
“So, you say that her twin sister is much more delicate. How
interesting…”

Cassy glared at Aaron then at Frier. She did
not understand why, but she was nervous at the idea of Melissa
meeting Frier.

Aaron saw the look in her
eyes
and sensed her fear. “Hey, you wouldn’t
like Melissa, Frier. While she may look like Cassy, she isn’t as
cool. I promise you that had it been Melissa facing the Evil Queen,
your kingdom would have been screwed. No, Cassy is the brave one in
the family, and I’m proud to be her brother.”

Cassy looked at Aaron with both surprise and
gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, Aaron. I’m proud of you as well.
This sure has been an adventure for us, hasn’t it?”

Aaron nodded his head then returned to
eating his breakfast.

Frier raised his hand, summing one of the
servers to bring his and Cassy’s meals. Once they had their meals,
they ate in silence as they contemplated the events to come.

Cassy leaned back in her chair and rubbed
her overstuffed stomach. “Those were absolutely delicious. What
were they called?”

Frier placed his fork on his plate and
pushed it away from him. “They are called
Templends
. They are a favorite among my people. Roupert
used to make them for me on special occasions. I only wish I would
have stopped eating them two plates ago,” Frier groaned.

“Speaking of Roupert, where is he this
morning?” Cassy looked around the room, hoping to see him.

“He is meeting with my Father and the Castle
Guards. They are discussing security issues for the Castle.”

It surprised Cassy why they would need
special
security
for the Castle.
“Why do they need to worry about security now? Alona’s gone, so any
danger you may face is gone, right?”

Frier reached over and took Cassy’s hand in
his. “Do not worry about such things. My Father is a very powerful
King
so anyone wanting to do us
harm will not find victory here. It is just a routine meeting; that
is all. Come; please join me for a walk in the garden. I would like
to have some time alone before you return home to your realm.”