The Cursed Dragon

Chapter 26: A New Key

This is a very long chapter.  If you read "Left behind" and see a familiar part similar to a wardrobe, please know there are some very BIG differences and I talk a little about this world's lore so don't skip over.

Otherwise I hope you enjoy this chapter. Cheers.

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When Cadimus returned with Edan his mother had wrapped her arms around her niece in a hug with more affection that Cadimus could remember having ever seen.

"What did you do?" his father growled.

"What you were to weak to," he answered and before the words had even finished leaving his mouth the backs of his fathers rings smashed into his cheek cutting him open in multiple places.

"You dare," Dracarious snarled and his hand rose again. Cadimus didn't flinch. It had only been a few days since he had returned and his father had done the same.

"DRACARIOUS!" his mother snapped and his father's arm halted. Her eyes were fire and Cadimus was reminded why his father had never 'disciplined' him in front of his mother. Nurunia believed in strength just like the rest of their kind, but she would not stand by seeing her only son be injured. Sometimes it made Cadimus wonder if he was only alive because of her. He could imagine his father seeing his scarred face at birth and choosing to end his life before it could fully start, just as he could imagine his mother standing like an immovable shield in front of her child.

"Cadimus, what you did was reckless," his mother admonished and Cadimus wanted to argue until she continued. "And I thank you for it."

"You are welcome."

"But you will respect your father. This is still his house."

"Yes mother," Cadimus ground out.

She looked at Dracarious and her eyes were hard and full of disapproval. She said nothing, but her displeasure made Dracarious shift his weight from one foot to the other before turning and stalking off like a dog with his tail between his legs. There was a reason his father had always kept his 'discipline' secret from his mother.

Nurunia gave her son a tight nod before taking Edan back to her room leaving Cadimus standing there in the middle of the hallway with his cheek bleeding. He wiped his shirtsleeve against his cheek not caring if he stained it with the blood.

He felt itchy.

He missed his sanctuary, the perfect little pocket that he had always gone to before the Pheonixes has stripped him of his gems during the battle when he first met Airne. This was the longest that he had gone without going to his own personal pocket and he was starting to feel its absence keenly.

When they had stripped him they had taken the ring that hid his face and also the ring that he wore which acted as key to the tiny pocket dimension. It was fine tuned with the lock and there was nothing he could do to break into the lock without making another key.

A few days ago he had just sort of given up on the idea of getting back in, but now all he could think about was how to make that a reality. He would make a key and find a way. The first key had been tuned to his blood after all, so it shouldn't be so hard to create another.

But Cadimus had not created the first key, just as he had not created the pocket on his own. That kind of power was far beyond his capabilities. He did not even know how pockets were made, let alone how to make one himself.  His great grandfather had gifted Cadimus the key and instructions in his will. It had been his grandfathers pocket. Cadimus had made it into his sanctuary.

Heading back up to his room Cadimus found Airne sitting there, near the window, reading. She was reading one of their books on potions. For a moment he debated taking it away from her, but what did it really matter if she knew the measurements, there wasn't a single book of poitions in existance-at least none that Cadimus was aware of- that mentioned how the potions came to life. Without that secret it was just a book of lists of ingredients. Ingredients that would sit in a bowl together doing absolutely nothing until a Dragon added their blood and invested their power into the mixture.