The Dragon Stone

Chapter 2

                       Kalin was pacing around the dungeon cell and thinking she could not believe her situation. She had been caught only once before. Three years ago she was in Brill, a small village off the eastern coast of Gramult. She had been living there just a week when she ran out money from her last theft. She had been watching the richest man in Brill, Mayor Taerel.

One stormy night she saw the lights in the Mayor's house go out, she waited an hour to make sure the mayor and his wife were a sleep. She snuck into the house through the kitchen door and found a few grapes sitting on a plate, which are a rare treat for this area in the kingdom. She looked around the living quarters and found a few valuable trinkets. The lightening outside was lighting up the room every few minutes. One time she noticed a glittering in the other room, the bed room. She had told herself she would stay in the living room and collect what she could there and not get greedy.

A couple more flashes and the glittering seemed to get stronger. She could not take her eyes off of the jewel. She found a few items which might get her a week's worth of food and transportation to her next town, but nothing too grand. She decided to go for the jewel, even if it was in the Mayors bed room. It would be a risk but she was sure the Mayor and his wife were sound asleep.

She slowly crept closer to the bed room listening as closely as she could for any noise. The rain outside the windows made it difficult. She stopped just outside the bedroom to listen to the Mayor snoring and she could also hear his wife breathing deeply. Kalin stood there for several moments and waited for any noise. Her instinct was to run but she was not about to leave those jewels behind.

As she took a small step into the bed room, "BOOM" thunder shook the house. She froze waiting to hear a sound from the bed, readying herself to run for the front door. No noises except the rain hitting the window pane. Her mind again told her to run but she could not take her eyes off the jewels. She began again taking quiet steps into the bedroom towards the wife's jewel box.

She finally stood over the jewel box looking at her fortune, when she heard it too late. The Mayor's oldest son ran towards her and knocked her to the ground. He hit her over the head and she was knocked out cold.

She woke up the next morning in a cell at the local jail. She could not believe how she had been caught and she knew from that moment on she would never ever be greedy again and she would always listen to her instincts.

The next day she freed herself by picking the lock of the cell. She had always been able to pick locks with ease, although she had always used the skill to get into rooms or chests never out of a cell. But the technique was the same regardless.

Now, just three years later, she finds herself back in a cell. This was going to be a lot different this time since the cell was actually made of stone and the lock was out of her reach, she would have to give it a try during the night.

Someone banged on the door and it opened. A man with black hair and brown eyes walk in and said "Hello thief."

"Good Afternoon King Ned." Kalin said to the man.

"So what did you what to take about any way old man? Kalin asked.

"Why did it turn color when you held it?" King Ned asked.

"Well I don't know?" Kalin told them.

"Why don't you know?" Ned demand to know.

"Because I don't know." Kalin said in a sassy tone. Which mad the King even angrier as the rest of the group walked in.

"What is your name?" Ned asked.

"Kalin." She said.

"To pay your debt to me. You have to get a book from Lalin." Kind Ned told her.

"What are you kidding? That is a death trap!" Said Kalin. Then Kalin's arm started to glow and the stone but it only lasted for a few seconds.

"Can't be", gasped the Mage. "Your arm is glowing."

Kalin looked at her arm as the others did the same. The entire group gasped at the sight.

At first Kalin thought her arm was on fire but it glowed with no heat. She had no idea what was going on with her arm.

"What is going on? What is wrong with me?" Kalin looked first at the Mage then when he did not answer she looked at the professor and then the rest of the group.

"I am sorry child but I have never seen or heard of this before." The Mage finally spoke up.

Kalin dropped the red stone into her other hand and the glowing stopped as soon as it left her right hand. The group gasped when the glow stopped. They were all shocked. "Hold the stone with your right hand again" the professor and mage say at the same time.

She slowing dropped the stone back into her right hand and the glowing came back as sudden as it had disappeared.

"Is there pain," the King asked. "Dose it burn?"

Kalin lifted her arm and moved it in front of her eyes. "I do not feel a thing."

"Would you mind if I touched your arm?" asked the Prince moving towards her slowly.

Kalin looked at him and then moved her arm toward hi

He moved his hand towards her arm slowly as if he was reaching for a fire expecting to get burned. Waiting to see if there was heat coming from her arm but there was none. He then place his hand onto her forearm. As soon as his hand touched her he dropped to his knees and let go over her skin and screamed at the top of his lungs.