Hoodwinked: The Summoning Book One

Chapter 20

The moment Zyvon poured the vial of the queen's blood along the frame of the sealed door, the metal door collapsed, allowing the nine men entrance into the old dungeon.

King Nathar transferred the torch of wizard flame to the other hand as he took the lead of their expedition. The king was followed by the three soldiers, Trins, Esdel, and Wilsby. Behind them marched: Lord Briggon, Zyvon, Prince Greggor, Prince Matteais, and Captain Greypol.

"There are several steps down to the first floor of the old prison cells. A chamber lies just beyond the second prison door," Yugeer informed the king as they descended the stairs.

The way was pitch black. However, the four wizard torches gave sufficient light to guide their steps. When they came to a landing, they stood before the second locked door.

Fortunately, the door's hinges were faced towards them. Using their swords and knives, the men pried the bolts out of the hinges and the metal door was removed.

Greggor, with a torch in his hand, was the first to enter the dark passage way. Winding stairs descended to two more floors. The room they had entered was a tomb of large and small animal carcases.

In the center was a large formation of bones that could only have been one type of animal. A dragon. This one was smaller than a full adult. Greggor calculated the age to be two years old before its death. From the small horns on the head, it appeared to be the bull-horned dragon. They were a golden dragon and extremely rare. Draconia once had two bull-horned dragons. The female had died of old age, leaving no offspring. The last male bull-horn was a trained dragon guard of Draconia.

Surrounding the outer walls of the room were cages of various shapes and sizes. Most were empty, but upon closer inspection, some could have held an animal that had been burned to ash by the dragon.

"They must have used the dragon in their witchcraft," Lord Briggon said solemnly. "The dragon has many natural oils, blood and organs that aid in some very powerful spells."

"I've used dragon oil for enchantments, but none of it was for black magic," Zyvon admitted. "The oil can be for healing ailments such as chronic head pains or pneumonia."

The men continued to explore the room and found an old ledger on a small desk. It was mostly faded, but it seemed to be a list of animals and a body part, or a measurement of liquid required for some purpose.

"Your majesty," Wilsby, one of three guards called. "I have found another door. It is just behind these cages." The men stepped over to investigate. "There is an encryption on the door frame, right at the top, but there is no handle or crevice to open it," the guard explained, aiming the torch to examine the wording.

Lord Briggon stepped up to the door and slowly began to read the wording. He then paused. "It's in the old language. It says this is the center door, the first to be opened by the keepers. There are four other doors that open to the dark realm. That is all it reads," Lord Briggon said.

"What does it mean by the 'dark realm'?" Yugeer asked.

"To the realm of the demons," Zyvon said. "I have seen two sealed doors similar to this one. I buried them both so they would be difficult to open. They were both in different kingdoms."

"I have seen this very door before," Captain Greypol admitted.

"Where?" Prince Matteais questioned. They were all now looking at the captain.

"I asked Princess Otswana to enchant a wizard's vision for me. This door was in my vision, but it was open and demonic beings were escaping it."

"How can this be?" King Nathar asked. "Does this mean the door is to be opened by us?"