Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 2

            Cody walked through the door of his house, to see that his mother had left, but his father was still at the table, glaring at the map in deep focus. He never even acknowledged Cody’s presence as he passed by.

            He clutched his pocket nervously as he walked to the very back of the house to his room, and he shut the door lightly before sighing with relief. For some reason, he didn’t want anyone to discover what he had found in the dirt pile in the forest.  He took the thing out of his pocket that was wrapped thoroughly in a dirty piece of old cloth, and rested it on his bed. Then he went back to the kitchen to grab a piece of clean cloth and some water from a river nearby outside, and he returned with excitement.

            He pushed his thin sheet that he used for a blanket off his bed, moved his pillow near the center, and placed the object carefully upon it. Then, with the softest touch he could manage, he tentatively unwrapped the nasty piece of cloth and suddenly saw the black stone that seemed to radiate a dark, almost menacing light.

            The stone was covered in dirt and dust from being buried, but still seemed to gleam almost golden in the brilliant sunlight. Cody grabbed the clean cloth, discarding the other, and dipped it in his bucket of water, before rubbing the stone clean. Afterwards, it seemed to gleam even more stunningly beautiful than before, and almost sent him into a trance with its malevolent radiance.

            He struck it as hard as he could, and clutched his hand in pain, deciding it was perfectly solid. He stroked it, feeling its smooth surface and studying the rock that was surprisingly large. It was about a foot and a half long, ten inches thick, and perfectly round, as if carved by the great dwarf miners of legend, and lost for hundreds of years until now. It felt very strange though, not physically, but mentally. Cody felt as though it were calling to him still, bringing him nearer, but the voice, if you could even call it a voice, was very faint and was more like a song, a rhythm.

            He pressed his ear to the rock, but it didn’t improve the sound, or whatever you’d call it. Finally he gave up, wrapped his stone in the clean rag, and then a cloak that he kept by his bedside, before stowing it under his bed. By the time it was all wrapped up, it looked plain and unimportant, but it was far from it, that much was obvious to him.

            He shivered, though he had no idea why, and left his house again, and was surprised to see Aval and Autumn riding Myrtle and Mindy, their horses, straight towards him.

            “What are you doing here?” He asked them, very surprised to see them make such a trip.

            “We just thought we’d visit you. Your mum was a little concerned that you didn’t bring anything back to your house before she left,” Autumn said.

            “I wasn’t gone that long though,” Cody said, but he suddenly realized that the sun was almost setting, so he was somehow gone for at least eight hours, plus the time he spent with the stone, he added maybe an hour more.

            “At any rate, we’re here now, and it’s getting too dark for us to get home alone, mind if we stay the night?” Aval asked.

            Cody was more than happy to have them stay over, but said, “But I did it the night before, why can’t you now?”

            “Because we don’t know the path as well as you do, and you’re a crazy man that would attack a bear for a piece of meat if you needed to,” Autumn said, making Cody and her brother laugh.

            “I guess you two could stay the night, but then you will be leaving as soon as dawn comes!” Cody said.

            They smiled, dismounted their horses, and left towards the house to get settled in Cody’s room, while Cody led their horses away to the stables on his property, and entered the house himself, just as the sun disappeared completely. His father was now eating some kind of meat; though Cody didn’t bother to figure out exactly what kind, and the map was folded neatly in his inside pocket, only noticeable by a little corner peeking out.