Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 2

            Cody slowly hung up his clothing and took off his shoes by the door for once, and went through the hallway to his room. Immediately he felt fear surge through him and he tackled Aval, who was stomping on his bed directly above the stone.

            The two crashed to the floor, and Aval bumped his head on the wall, and while he was clutching it in pain he asked, “What was that for?”

            Cody suddenly started biting his lip in embarrassment as he sensed Autumn staring at them through confused eyes. He stood up, helped his friend up, and brushed the dust off his pants.

            “I am really uncomfortable with people being near my bed, always have.”

            “You dirty little liar,” Autumn began, and Aval finished her sentence, “You and I always jumped on each other’s beds, it’s almost a tradition.”

            Cody sighed, it was basically their tradition, just a stupid little thing they did in a sort of remembrance of their childhood. He also figured that he would have to make up a good, quick excuse, or show them the stone. But he felt protective over it, he felt like a dragon guarding a horde of treasure, and he couldn’t let a single piece of treasure go.

            He thought nervously for a bit and said plainly, knowing them well, “There is something under my bed that is very fragile, and I don’t want anyone to know about it.”

            Unfortunately, their curiosity forced their usual reaction aside, and they insisted on seeing whatever it was he was hiding. They argued that they already knew about it, so why would it matter if they saw it. And when that didn’t work, Aval threatened to steal it, until finally Cody gave in.

            “You must promise me that you will not lay a finger on it, nor will you tell a soul about it,” Cody said, feeling incredibly weak, no longer a dragon guarding his plunder, but a mouse trying to hide a piece of cheese from two cats…that had a hunger for cheese.

            His friends nodded, and he reluctantly went to his bed side and gripped the edges of the stone, and hauled it up onto the bed, but it seemed heavier this time. He ignored that feeling, and slowly unveiled what he decided was his most prized possession. Aval and Autumn gasped as they saw the beautiful rock before them, and Autumn even reached forward to touch it, but Cody smacked her hand, though she wasn’t surprised in the least; such a treasure seemed as though it should be guarded to the death.

            “Where did you get it?” Aval asked after a very long silence.

            Cody decided to tell them everything, excluding the giant footprint and birdsong. They were very excited to learn everything about it, but he was all too careful about what he gave away. After a short time, Autumn tried to suppress a yawn, but it was obvious that they were all too tired to carry on staring at it. So, reluctantly, they settled down, Aval and Autumn on beds of clothing and sheets, while Cody curled up, with the bare stone in his arms, uncovered and unprotected.

            Cody woke up later than usual, despite the fact that he had another strange dragon dream. This time, the black dragon was already carrying him in its claws, and was soaring high above the ground, through snow-white clouds. Occasionally Cody could see mountaintops poking out of the clouds, like the world was trying to stab at them with huge, thick swords. He could sense the creature trying to communicate with him again, but the dream faded away rather quickly.

            Cody sat up on his bed and reached upward with his arms, stretching them as much as he could. He looked around the room and saw that Aval and Autumn were gone, and probably left as soon as daylight could be seen.