It was 9 o'clock, dark outside and in, as Sarah  opened the door to the apartment she shared with her baby sister. Shutting the door behind her she walked to the kitchen and dumped her biker gear.

"Hello?!" she called to the seemingly empty flat. There was a thud, then a clatter.

"Nuts! Uh, I'm in here," came Blodwen's voice. Sarah flicked the switch to the kettle and walked to Blodwen's room.

Sidling in she glanced at the monitor. "Whatcha doin' ?" she asked, curious at the images on the screen.

"Research." Blodwen replied in a preoccupied manner. She tapped the keyboard, then turned. "Sare..." she paused, as if unsure of something. Sarah sat on her sister's bed.

"What's up?" she asked. Blodwen bit her lower lip.

"I... Oh it's so weird! I had a peculiar dream last night. I dreamt I was stood on a rocky shore and a ship crashed into a cliff beside me and started to sink." She paused, as if to gauge Sarah's reaction. "Hordes of people swarmed down to the shore, but something compelled me to climb aboard a half submerged part of the ship. I found and salvaged a book, before people dragged me off." Again she paused, and Sarah to advantage to the pause to speak.

"Blodwen, it was just a dream."

"That may be, but how d'you explain this:

"I was in Poole old town to day, headed for the quay, when completely out of the blue some old guy stops me and hands me this." She handed Sarah an ornately carved box. Sarah opened it, and inside saw it was velvet trimmed and contained a small book, and a torc. "The guy doesn't say anything other than 'Find your heart, find the dragon. You will need this True One.'" Sarah's eyebrows shot up.

"Wow! And this is what your researching?" She picked the torc from the box and examined it. The center depicted a wyvern's body, and the arms of the torc, its wings. Inset into the wyvern's chest was a blood-red ruby.

"Yes, and the book. It's exactly the same as the one in my dream." Sarah looked up.

"How can you be sure?"

"The title, dedication, colour, it's all the same. It's in some kind of ancient language, and it says it was checked out of Poole library 50 years ago!"

"Well surely the best way to test it is to put it on." Sarah raised the torc to neck hight, and started to put it on.

"No!" Blodwen grabbed Sarah's arm. "Don't. If I've learnt anything from RPGs, its never drink or put on something until you know what it does."

"It's not gonna 'do' anything. It's not like its magical or whatever."

"Well, I'd say it pretty mysterious, what with the dream, that guy, his message," Blodwen grumbled. "Sare, please don't. It might kill you!"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, it'll be fine." Sarah chastised, and before any more could be said  she placed it about her neck. Blodwen winced, waiting for something terrible to happen.

"See, I told you nothing would happen." Sarah said. Suddenly the torc burst into flames. Sarah leapt to her feet, screaming in shock. An alien vice rang through Blodwen's head.

"Take it off!" she screamed at Sarah. "Take it off!" She stood, as Sarah ripped the ornament from her neck. The instant it was on the floor the flames died. Blodwen bent to pick it up, as Sarah dropped heavily onto the bed. Blodwen sat next to her.

"Sare! Sare, are you ok?" Sarah nodded, a petrified look on her face. Gingerly she touched the place where the torc had rested, now a thin red welt.

"It. It spoke," she said, her voice a mix of horrified amazement.

"I know," Blodwen said, hugging her sister-in-law. "I heard it too." She stood. "C'mon. It's late. We're both tired. Why don't you get ready for bed, and I'll make you some chocolate." Sarah nodded and moved to her own room, in a zombie like trance. "And tomorrow," Blodwen muttered to herself. "I'll find out what this Dragonheart business is all about."

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