Gilmreth the Awakening
Page 26
Chapter Ten
The next day Damon, Aldin, and Kalvin rode toward Galvin in a wagon heavily loaded with fresh vegetables and other items to trade at the Mystols. Lynol hadn’t been able to come. Malcon wanted to see if they could figure out why the storm had been so intense. He felt it might be very important. Lynol told her father she would come in to see Gwen as soon as possible.
The countryside looked unusually vibrant and green due to the drenching rain from the previous evening. The air was crisp and fresh. The sun had already climbed high into the bright blue sky, but the wet ground and foliage from the storm was helping to hold the daytime temperature down. Damon hadn’t seen such a rejuvenating sight in years. The good that Lynol’s powers could do were astonishing if she could only use them openly. At times like this, Damon thought he understood why the ancient sorcerers of the Golden Age had thought they could play God.
“Sure was a strange storm yesterday,” commented Aldin, eyeing Damon and wondering if Lynol had been responsible.
The power she had already demonstrated to help their crops grow was astonishing. The storm had appeared so suddenly Aldin was certain Lynol’s sorcery was the culprit. Their entire farm had been soaked from the heavy rain. The thunder and the drenching rain was something he hadn’t seen in years. If she was that strong a sorceress already, how powerful would she become in a few more years?
“Yes, it was,” Damon replied noncommittally, enjoying the cool summer day. “It’s a shame we don’t have more of those, it would sure help green everything up. It doesn’t seem to rain as often as it used to. It’s been years since a storm like last nights rolled down from the mountains!”
“True enough,” Aldin nodded, recalling his youth. “I don’t recollect many storms of that strength and intensity. I must admit it was refreshing. Kalvin got thoroughly soaked! The storm caught him down in the meadow repairing fences.”
Damon laughed, glancing over at Kalvin. The young man would suspect Lynol was responsible. He would have to remember to tell his daughter. He was sure she would get a good laugh out of it also.
Kalvin listened interestingly to the two older men. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind that Lynol had caused the storm. He knew her sorcery was the culprit! One of the sorcery spells she worked at so diligently every day probably caused the storm. He had been caught outside and most thoroughly soaked before making it to the dry safety of the house. Twice he had fallen down in the mud from the gusting wind and the heavy rain. Dresdia had laughed until she could hardly catch her breath at seeing the wet, muddy spectacle that Kalvin presented when he had finally reached the house.
Wait until he saw Lynol! She had known he was working repairing fences. If he didn’t know better, he would almost believe she had caused the storm on purpose. Kalvin wondered if he could find some way to get even. The problem was getting around Lynol’s growing sorcery and his sister who always sided with her. What chance did he have against both of them? Thinking about Lynol brought a pleasant smile to his face. Yes, he clearly needed to find some way to get even.
As they pulled up in front of Tohm and Gwen’s store Damon noticed, with a sour taste in his mouth, that Addison was standing on his store’s porch. The storeowner was gesturing angrily to several other men. Seeing them pull up with their loaded wagon, Addison stopped talking and just stared openly with rampant hatred.
Damon felt a little uneasy with Addison’s obvious open display of anger. It would be just like Addison to try to start a ruckus. He knew Addison was highly aggravated about all the fresh vegetables they had been bringing in to the Mystols. It allowed Tohm to keep his prices considerably lower than Addison’s, which forced Addison to lower his own prices, cutting into his profits.
“Good morning,” Gwen said brightly, coming out of their store’s open door with a cheerful smile on her face to stand on the large covered porch. “My Kalvin, you surely are turning into a fine looking young man. You will have all the young girls chasing after you very soon!” she teased with a twinkling of her eyes.
Blushing, Kalvin climbed down from the wagon and walked up the two short steps of the porch to Gwen, allowing her to give him a big motherly hug.
“Hello, Gwen,” Kalvin replied pleasantly with a grin. “We brought a lot of stuff from the farms!”
“So I see,” she replied, letting Kalvin go. “Now go help your father and Damon unload the wagon, then we can have a long talk inside. It seems like ages since I last saw you. You have to tell me all about what Dresdia, Lynol, and you have been up to recently!”
Nodding, Kalvin went to the back of the wagon. He began unloading the heavy baskets of vegetables and other goods they’d brought in, setting them down on the ground at the foot of the steps in front of the store.
There was only one girl Kalvin wanted chasing him, and Lynol’s surprising kiss the other day had left his mind and emotions in turmoil. If Lynol wanted to confuse Kalvin, her antics had accomplished just that. She was in his thoughts almost constantly. He wondered how she felt about him. If not for all the pressure she was under, he would have asked her just what the kiss had meant. He wondered if it had meant as much to her as it had to him.
“Tohm is out delivering some orders and should be back shortly,” said Gwen, noticing with a little concern that Addison and his friends were coming toward them from across the street.
She didn’t like the look on Addison’s face. Why couldn’t the man just leave them alone? If only Tohm was here. He wouldn’t dare cause any trouble with Tohm around. Tohm was too popular with the people of the village. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Addison, realizing there was going to be trouble.
Seeing the direction Gwen’s eyes were focused, Damon turned as Addison came to a stop next to the wagon, looking up belligerently. Damon had been about to climb off the wagon to give Kalvin a hand. He knew from the look on Addison’s face that trouble was inevitable. Damon sighed and wondered if there was any way this could be avoided. He didn’t want a confrontation here in the middle of the village. Damon climbed down from the wagon and Aldin did the same, walking around the wagon to stand next to Damon.
Addison wore a scowl on his face as he gazed enviously at the large load of vegetables the wagon contained. No one brought anything like this to his store! Not only that, where were they getting all this produce? Just what the hell was going on out there on those two farms?
“You Sylvars and Gors aren’t holding out on us now, are you?” he demanded loudly, folding his arms defiantly across his chest. “With all this extra food, I'll bet you never miss a meal. I just wonder how much more you could grow on those farms if they were worked properly by real men!”
The men behind him nodded in agreement, eyeing the heavy load of vegetables resentfully. They worked for Addison and ran two small farms he owned just on the outskirts of the village. Neither of the farms ever produced a harvest even close to what the Sylvars and Gors had been bringing in recently. Addison’s ire at them had been growing ever since the Sylvars and the Gors had started bringing in all this produce. Addison had been very belligerent, demanding that his farms produce more. But no matter how hard they tried, they hadn’t managed to increase the production.
“It’s none of your concern, Addison,” Damon replied stone-faced, wanting to ignore the man. “You worry about your store and let us worry about our farms. If your prices were more reasonable, maybe fewer people in this village wouldn’t have to miss a meal!”
“I only charge what’s fair!” Addison grated out angrily, his face turning livid, his jaw working.
He looked enviously at the large load of vegetables Kalvin was busily unloading. The large baskets brimming with vegetables that he was placing at the foot of the store’s steps made Addison’s mouth water with envy. The profits he could make with such produce! The Mystols would give most of it away, forcing him to lower his prices even more. What a waste! His farms didn’t produce anything like this. Just what was going on out there toward Firestorm Mountain?
“You should worry more about the dragon yourself, Addison. The dragon is a threat to all of us, not just a few. It’s only a matter of time before we see the dragon on our side of the mountain; just be glad it hasn’t happened yet. Don’t think Galvin is safe just because the dragon hasn’t been seen,” Damon replied stiffly, growing angry at Addison’s persistence. He noticed that a small, curious crowd was gathering watching and listening to the verbal exchange in the street. He didn’t like Addison’s threat, either. “The dragon is too dangerous to be joking about, Addison!”
“Why should we worry? I understand the dragon has a taste for young girls, and you and Aldin both have young daughters the dragon would be very content with,” Addison spoke vehemently, his hate spilling out into the open.
His cronies behind him looked about uneasily, not caring for the way this confrontation was going. Addison was crossing a dangerous line, and they didn’t want any part of it. He shouldn’t have accosted Damon and Aldin out in the open where everyone could see and hear, and he certainly shouldn’t have said anything about Damon and Aldin’s daughters!
Putting down the heavy basket of vegetables he’d been unloading, Kalvin strode heatedly around the wagon with an angry look on his young face. He had heard the comment about his sister and Lynol. Walking up to Addison, Kalvin shoved the surprised older man backward, knocking him into his two supporters who were standing nervously behind him.
“Why don’t you just shut up and go back to your store!” Kalvin barked angrily, his hands clenched into tight fists and his face stormy. “I hear you talking about my sister and Lynol like that again and you’ll be sorry! Next time I won’t just push you, I’ll knock you to the ground!”
Addison stood looking confused and annoyed, not sure how to respond to Kalvin. He outweighed Addison and was much more muscular. He hadn’t expected Kalvin to react this way. It was Damon he had wanted to elicit a response from, not this young man. If he picked a fight with Kalvin, the entire village would turn against him. In a brawl, there was no doubt in Addison’s mind that he would lose, and he didn’t like losing. He knew with a sinking feeling in his gut that he shouldn’t have made the comment about the two girls.
Damon and Aldin hurriedly stepped over to Kalvin’s side, grabbing his arms and pulling him back away from Addison. “I think you need to get back to your store, Addison!” Damon barked in a commanding voice, his eyes locking with Addison’s, not wanting this to go any further. “We don’t want any trouble, but we won’t back away from it, either. We don’t take kindly to our families being threatened!”
“You'd better leave, Addison, or I’ll let Kalvin finish what he started,” Aldin added with an angry look on his face. “Maybe what you need is a good whipping, and I think Kalvin could accomplish just that if need be. Maybe it would knock some sense into your thick head!” Aldin knew Kalvin was extremely upset at Addison’s words and suspected why.
The growing crowd voiced their agreement in no uncertain terms. Addison wasn’t a very popular person in the close-knit community.
“Go back to your store, Addison!” one of the villagers said loudly.
“Good job, Kalvin,” another voice continued. “It’s about time someone put Addison in his place!”
“Leave these people alone!” a female voice joined in. “At least they’re trying to help the people of our village; what have you ever done?”
Addison could hear several other voices from the older men in the crowd agreeing, making it abundantly apparent that he should go back to his store. Addison wasn’t very popular in Galvin, but the Mystols, Sylvars, and Gors were. He looked around, aggravated, not sure what he should do.
“I think you should leave, Addison,” said Gwen, stepping between the men, frowning and highly upset at what had just happened. “The Sylvars and Gors have done a lot more to help our community than you ever have!”
Many people in the steadily growing crowd nodded their agreement, and several more began yelling at Addison to go back to his store and mind his own business. Gwen nodded, satisfied, knowing the community was on her side. No one was siding with Addison. “Now go back to your store before this gets any worse!”
Seeing that he had no open support from the crowd and not wanting to look more foolish, Addison fixed Damon and Aldin with a final, stormy glare. “Someday you’ll get yours. This isn’t over by a long shot!” Addison and his two cronies turned and strode back toward his store without a single backward glance.
The crowd, seeing that the ruckus was over, began to break up. Several walked over and patted Kalvin on the back before walking off.
“Let’s get all this unloaded,” said Gwen, still feeling upset by what had just occurred while picking up a basket of vegetables. “The sooner we have everything inside, the better off we will be.”
-
Later, Gwen sat across from Kalvin, who was sitting at one of the small tables in the corner of the store with a forlorn look on his face. “You really care for her, don’t you?” Gwen said gently, looking into Kalvin’s troubled eyes, the hint of a smile touching her face.
“What?” Kalvin blurted out surprised, his face blushing.
“Lynol, I mean,” replied Gwen, nodding, her eyes twinkling as if they held some humorous secret. “You’re in love with Lynol and don’t know what to do about it. That’s why you jumped Addison outside; it wasn’t just his comment about your sister, it was because he mentioned Lynol too. Your father is very proud of you,” she continued, her gaze unwavering as she studied him with a gentle smile. “He knows why you shoved Addison.”
“I didn’t think it was that obvious,” Kalvin said dejectedly, looking down at the table, turning up his hands, and keeping his voice low so his father and Damon wouldn’t hear. Then, looking up into Gwen’s kind eyes, he continued. “Lynol has been so busy we don’t get to spend a lot of time together anymore.”
“Just give her time, dear,” Gwen said softly, smiling and reaching out to touch his hand in a motherly fashion. “Lynol is a bright young girl, and I’m sure things will work out. I have a feeling you may be in for a pleasant surprise one of these days.”
Kalvin’s eyes glowed remembering the kiss. He looked up, and part of a smile touched his mouth. Perhaps Gwen was right, maybe a little patience was all he actually needed. After all, hadn’t Lynol already made the first tentative move? Then again, there was Gilmreth and the prophecy. Kalvin was afraid the time he and Lynol needed wasn’t there. His smile slowly faded as the reality of the situation set in.
-
At the store’s counter, Damon, Aldin, and Tohm, who had just returned from his deliveries, were talking about the rumors that were flying around hot and furious. The stories coming in from the traders and occasional traveler were hard to believe. They were of horror and madness across the mountains in Draydon.
“I had a trader in yesterday who stopped briefly in Draydon,” commented Tohm, shaking his head worriedly. “The people are being used almost as slaves, nearly the entire city has been torn down, and new buildings are being constructed. They’re hauling massive stones from Firestorm Mountain itself! There’s an enormous quarry where stones are being chiseled out of the mountain to be used for all the construction. It’s next to impossible to get any trade goods out of Draydon anymore. The merchants that used to run the town are barely more than servants now. They’re afraid to resist this wom
an!”
Pausing, Tohm looked at Damon, his eyes growing wider. “That dragon of yours is actually real! I never would have believed it, but the stories continue to pour in.”
“I always said the dragon was real,” Damon replied with a nod.
“This Jalene Leyne has set herself up as ruler in Draydon,” Tohm continued. “She’s built this great white temple in the center of town where sacrifices are made to the dragon on a regular basis. Human sacrifices; can you believe that!” Tohm exclaimed with a disgusted look on his face.
“There were human sacrifices in the past,” Damon replied sadly, recalling what had happened long ago. “Many years ago the villagers made sacrifices to Gilmreth to appease the dragon.”
“Now it’s started again,” replied Tohm, shaking his head. “The entire town turns out and a huge feast is held after each sacrifice. The dragon sits on top of the temple completely under this vile woman’s control. They say she is a sorceress, an actual sorceress! She has even created a caste of priests and temple guards to ensure her bidding is done without question. Could she actually be a sorceress, Damon?”
“She could be,” replied Damon cautiously, his mind taking in all the information Tohm was supplying. “There have been women sorceresses before.”
“Let’s just hope she stays content to rule the far side of the mountain,” Aldin commented. “I hear she has sent the dragon to force many of the farmers and villagers in many of the far outlying regions to go to Draydon, forcing them to work at her temple and on these new construction projects.”
“Yes,” replied Tohm, nodding his head. “The dragon has reportedly destroyed entire villages because they refused to obey this woman, burning them to the ground with dragon fire. How can anyone be so callous and inhuman?”