The Dragons Blood Key: Legend of the Dragon's Blood Key - Book 1 (3 page)

On one of his trips, Abigail’s grandfather
had returned with a special gift for her. It was an old book bound
in leather and a large, red jewel placed
in
the center of the outer cover.

“Oh Grandfather, it’s beautiful.” Abigail
reached for the book, wanting to look more closely at it.

“My dear, this is not a book that you read
like the others in our library. It’s
ancient
and
extremely
valuable
. Do you see the red stone?”

Abigail shook her head with her eyes
transfixed on the jewel.

“I was told that it’s called The Blood Key.
It’s a perfectly cut ruby stone, so you must be careful with it.
I have a man making a glass case to keep
the book in for safe keeping, but that way we will still be able to
see it.” Her grandfather was saddened when he saw the disappointed
look on her face.

“But Grandfather, can’t I read it just once?
I promise not to damage it,” Abigail pleaded.

Her grandfather reached out and gently
touched her cheek. “I’m sorry, my dear, but I need you to promise
me that you will not touch the book. It’s very fragile, so
touching
the pages may cause
damage that cannot be repaired.”

Abigail looked down at the deep red stone
and could not help but wonder why it seemed to draw her to it. She
wanted to protest again, but she knew her grandfather would not
change his mind.

“Yes, Grandfather, I promise,” she said with
sadness in her eyes.

Several weeks passed and Abigail would sneak
into the library to stare at the strange book for hours. She wanted
to open the glass case, but she had promised her grandfather that
she would leave it alone. For some strange reason, just having the
book nearby seemed to ease her loneliness whenever her grandfather
was away on his business trips.

Yet, sometimes life gives us an unforeseen
twist. One afternoon, the tragic news arrived that her
grandfather’s airplane was missing. He was on his way
home
but had flown into a storm and no one had
heard from him since. Abigail had paced the halls of the old house,
waiting for news of her grandfather’s return, but with each passing
day, his chance for a safe return grew evermore slim.

Everyone had tried to convince her that he
was gone, but in her heart, she knew he would return to her as he
had always promised. He was the center of her world, so she was not
prepared to accept his death.

She had tried to be brave, but as the days
progressed, she felt more alone. One afternoon, while wandering
through the large house she ended up in the library, gazing at the
strange book in the glass case. She had looked around the room as
though her grandfather would walk through the door at any instant
and remind her to leave the book alone.

“Grandfather, why did you leave me? I live
in this house full of servants, yet I still feel alone. Please come
back to me,” Abigail cried as she rested her hand on top of the
glass case.

As she cried,
a
strange sensation moved
through
her hand. It was a soft tingling, like the wings
of butterflies fluttering against your skin.

Abigail pulled her hand away and the
tingling stopped. She then looked at her hand and returned it to
the glass box.

“How strange, I don’t remember it doing that
before,” Abigail giggled softly.

“I wonder…” she held her breath and slowly
opened the glass case.

Suddenly, bright-colored lights shot from
the glass box like fireworks filling the night sky. The vibrant
lights filled the room, dancing in the air. Abigail jumped back,
unsure of what was
happening
until
she heard a soft voice come from inside the box.

“Come to me, Abigail.”

“What? Who are you?” Abigail stepped forward
and looked down at the book.

“Come to me, Abigail,” the voice said again,
but Abigail now noticed the ruby stone
attached to
the book began to glow.

“Please Abigail, we need your help,” the
voice pleaded.

Abigail did not know what to do. Was this
actually happening, or was it a strange dream? More of the brightly
colored lights shot from the box, but this time they wrapped around
Abigail; spinning so quickly that she began to feel dizzy.

“Please help us, Abigail. All you need to do
is touch the Blood Key,” the voice cried out with urgency.

Abigail’s mind spun wildly as she reached
out and touched the red stone, and in a flash, she was gone.

Melissa, Cassy, and Aaron stood looking up
at the large mansion with its stone steps leading up to the large
wrap-around porch.

“Wow, great-grandmother has a huge house,”
Melissa said.

“Yeah, it’s nice, but check out the ocean.
It goes on forever,” Cassy smiled as she pointed out over the
water.

“This is going to be so cool,” Aaron said as
he looked around the grounds.

“Come children, your great-grandmother is
waiting for you,” Mr. Saunders said as he walked up the stone
steps.

The children all looked at each other then
turned and followed Mr. Saunders, each wondering what their time
here would bring.

Once inside, the children were amazed how it
looked
like the museum they went
to on their school field trip. There were paintings on the walls,
and other fancy things sitting around the large entryway.

“Follow me.” Mr. Saunders walked toward a
large wooden door on the right side of the entryway. He reached for
the brass doorknob and then opened the door.

“She’s waiting for you inside,” Mr. Saunders
stepped aside, allowing the children to pass.

The children entered the large room, each
wondering what was about to happen. The beautifully decorated room
took Cassy’s breath away. There was a large grandfather’s clock
sitting in the corner and a painting of a man above the large stone
fireplace. Cassy assumed the man in the
painting
was someone of importance.

Next, the children saw a white sofa with
carved wooden legs, and two matching chairs. Cassy was surprised to
see
an
elegant older woman sitting
in one of the chairs.

“Come closer so I may see you better,” she
said in a gentle tone.

The children slowly walked toward her. Once
they stood in front of her, she smiled, which helped to ease their
nerves.

“Please, sit on the sofa, so we may get to
know each other better. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, and
you’ve all grown so much.”

The children each took their place on the
sofa
and sat quietly, waiting to
see what would happen next.

“Are you thirsty?”

“Yes, and I’m hungry too,” Aaron spoke up
with enthusiasm.

“Oh my, well we need to get you something to
eat then. Are you ladies hungry as well?”

Both girls nodded their heads.

“Great-grandmother?” Cassy began to ask then
she changed her mind.

“
Yes, my dear, but
you don’t need to refer to me as great-grandmother, you may call me
by my name if you wish.” She then smiled when she saw the surprised
looks appear on their faces.
“You may call me Abigail. Here
let me have the kitchen staff make us all a snack.”

Abigail reached down and pushed a button on
the small box on the table next to her chair. She then told the
cook to prepare a snack fit for two lovely princesses and a
handsome prince.

“If we are princesses and a prince then that
makes you our Queen. I think we should call you Queen Abigail.”
Melissa loved the idea of being royalty, and she had to admit that
Abigail had the elegance of a Queen in the way she spoke and her
mannerisms. Yes, the title of Queen Abigail suited her
perfectly.

Cassy and Aaron agreed, and from that moment on,
they all knew this visit was going to be special.

Once they had all finished their snack, the
children asked for a tour of the house. Abigail was thrilled to
have them there, as the house had seemed so empty the last few
years after the death of her husband. They had lived many happy
years on the large estate, but after several months of failing
health, he had died and left Abigail alone.

Their son, who was Donna’s father, had traveled
the world for the family business. Unfortunately, on one of the
trips when he had taken her mother along, they both had died in a
tragic boating accident. This had brought Donna to live on the
island, until the day she went off to college, never to return
except for an occasional visit.

“Why is your house so big, Queen Abigail?
You could fit our
whole house
in
your living room and dining room,” Melissa teased.

“Yeah, this is bigger than the fancy hotel
we stayed in when we went on vacation last time,” Cassy said as she
looked around the large room.

Abigail looked into the faces of her sweet
great-grandchildren and realized they were correct. “You know
something, it is rather large. I’ve lived here so long that I no
longer notice.”

“How long have you lived here?” Aaron
asked.

“Let me think for a moment. I would say that
I have lived here for over seventy years. Oh my, have the years
flown by so quickly.” Abigail laughed to herself at realizing how
long she had lived in this house.

“Wow, seventy years; you must be
really old
,” Aaron shook his head, trying to
understand how old she must be.

“Aaron, that’s not nice to say,” Melissa
scolded him.

“That’s quite alright. As a matter of fact,
my handsome Prince, I am old. I turned eight-four-years-old just
last month,” Abigail saw the shocked look on Aaron’s face and could
not help but feel love in her heart. “On the other hand, I must
admit that having you children here with me makes me feel much
younger.”

“And we’re glad to be here with you, Queen
Abigail,” Melissa said as she stepped forward and gave Abigail a
hug.

“You are such a sweet little Princess,
Melissa,” Abigail said as she returned the hug.

Seeing the joy on their great-grandmother’s
face,
Cassy,
and Aaron both
stepped forward and joined in on the hugs.

“Oh my, I am such a lucky Queen to have my
special
little Prince and
Princesses here with me.”

Once they finished sharing hugs, they had
decided to continue their tour of the house.

“What’s in this room?” Cassy asked as she
ran toward the large oak door with the shiny brass doorknob.

“This is my favorite room in the house,” her
eyes lit up with joy, as she walked to the door and opened it. She
then stepped aside, allowing the children to enter.

“Wow, you have your own library,” Cassy
cried out.

“Look at all these books,” Melissa said as
she walked over to the long shelf, filled with books.