Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  “No, of course not,” Damon responded quickly, realizing that Gwen suspected the truth about Lynol. He wondered worriedly if anyone else had grown suspicious. They had tried to be so careful.

  Gwen sat back down, and Damon took a seat across from her. Gwen gazed at the two solemnly for a long moment before speaking. “Yes, if there was a sorcerer or sorceress,” she said, emphasizing sorceress and staring at Lynol, “It would probably be best for that person to lie low until they were ready, particularly if they were very young.”

  Gwen was interrupted as the front door swung suddenly open. Two rough looking bearded men stepped inside the store, staring with open contempt at Damon and Lynol. One of the men, the taller one, openly leered at Lynol, his gaze moving over her body and focusing on the swell of her breasts as he ran his tongue suggestively over his lips.

  “So you’re all that’s left of the mighty Sylvars?” the tall one sneered as the two walked slowly over to the table to stand challengingly above the three. “How many gold coins for a night with your daughter old man? It looks like she’s all the great Sylvars have left to offer!”

  Damon stood slowly up, pushing his chair back, anger spreading across his face. He looked at the two men, waiting for their next move and silently cursing Addison the whole time. He was to blame for this situation. He must have seen them enter Gwen’s store and told the traders who they were. Damon didn’t want Lynol to have to use her sorcery. He wondered what he could do to get them out of this.

  The tall man suddenly reached out, contemptuously shoving Damon aside and sending him smashing painfully into the wall. Grasping Lynol’s shirt at the neck, he cruelly pulled her out of her chair, forcing her to her feet. Then, releasing his grasp, he moved his hand to her shoulder, his fingers clamping down hard and painfully. He watched Damon daring him to respond to his actions.

  “Yes, a night with me and she will never be the same,” he said lustfully, eyeing the young beauty that stood before him. “A young one like this needs a real man to show her just what it means to be a woman!”

  “Get out of my store!” Gwen ordered sharply, rising to her feet, panic and concern for Lynol flashing in her eyes.

  How dare they threaten Lynol and her father here! She should have had Tohm ride out and warn Damon and Lynol before he left for Handon’s Ferry. This was their fault! They should have taken the danger more seriously. The past few years of nothing happening had made them too complacent.

  “Let her go and leave my store!” demanded Gwen, glaring with anger at the two men. “We don’t tolerate this kind of behavior in our village!”

  The other man, shorter with unkempt brown hair, only pushed Gwen back down roughly in her chair. She grimaced in shock from the rough unexpected treatment.

  “Stay quiet, Mrs. Mystol, and nothing will happen to you,” he warned, his piercing gaze focusing challengingly on Damon. “This doesn’t concern you!”

  “Take your filthy hands off of my daughter!” growled Damon, realizing that a confrontation was unavoidable.

  Even in his older age, Damon was still a powerful figure of a man. In his younger days, the two men before him wouldn’t have dared to challenge him openly. This was Addison’s fault; Damon was sure of that. It was his way of getting even for all the years Damon had refused to trade at his store. Now Addison had opened his mouth and possibly gotten them all into serious trouble. Something would have to be done about him. Damon just hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Lynol stood momentarily frozen, shocked by the open hostility the two men radiated and the feel of the rough, callous hand upon her shoulder. Jerking her shoulder away, she backed up until she felt the solid store wall securely behind her, trembling uncontrollably. Her heart was racing, and she could feel an icy chill spreading across her back. She tried to calm herself as she tried to decide what to do. Her right hand went to the top of her shirt, between her breasts, where she could feel her mother’s amulet through the material. Should she use her sorcery?

  “What’s wrong, little one?” the tall man laughed, running his hand through his scraggly blond beard, the leer still on his face. “Never had a man before? I have just what you need.” The man reached down, rubbing his crotch suggestively, his gaze going back to the swell of Lynol’s breasts.

  Damon stepped forward suddenly. Grabbing the tall man by the shoulder and shoving him back roughly, he placed himself protectively between Lynol and the two threatening men. “Keep your filthy hands off my daughter!” Damon said warningly, his hands clenching into fists.

  Gwen sat petrified, too afraid and shocked to move. She couldn’t believe this was happening, not here in her store! If only Tohm was here! There had to be something she could do to protect Lynol, but what!

  “Foolish old man!” the tall one spat angrily, his eyes darkening. “When we’re through with your daughter maybe the rest of the men will want a sample. Young, fresh meat will be a change from what they’re use to!”

  Damon, with a look of uncontrolled fury on his face, threw a quick, unexpected punch to the stomach of the taller man, bending him over in pain and driving the air from his lungs. If he were to win, he couldn’t afford to wait for them to talk themselves into a fight. A swift kick to the knee brought the man down to the floor where he lay gasping in pain. The second man stepped quickly back, surprised, eyeing Damon cautiously. The first groaned loudly, standing painfully back up, clutching his stomach and glaring at Damon.

  “That was a serious mistake, old man,” the tall one grunted between clenched teeth, drawing in a deep, painful breath. “You’re going to pay severely for that!”

  Both men suddenly rushed forward, tackling Damon, knocking him painfully to the hard wood floor with a resounding crash. Gwen let out a scream, and Lynol watched with horror as the men pinned her father, slugging him savagely with their fists.

  Quickly, almost instinctively, Lynol pulled her dormant blue crystal out from beneath her shirt. “Stop!” she commanded loudly, her fear evaporating, glaring in anger and growing rage at the two men who were hurting her father.

  The two men ignored her, neither even pausing to glance up. Allowing her training from Malcon to take over, Lynol concentrated, weaving an energy pattern in the air. A lattice of clearly defined blue-white energy lines appeared magically at her fingertips. Her crystal began to pulse and twin blasts of blue light reached out from it, striking both men in the head and knocking them instantly unconscious. They collapsed onto the floor next to her father. It all seemed to happen in an instant. Lynol let out her breath, and then turned slowly to face a shocked and still frightened Gwen.

  “You really are a sorceress,” Gwen breathed quietly, staring at Lynol with surprised incredulity on her face, still stunned at what had just occurred. “Only a sorceress could have knocked these two men out like you just did. I saw the blue light from your necklace!”

  Lynol nodded, stepping quickly over to her father who was trying to get back to his feet, a dazed look on his face. She wanted to make sure he was all right. “Lock the front door, Gwen, and pull the shades so no one can see inside. We need to help father and then decide what to do about these two ruffians. We can’t let my secret get out, at least not yet!”

  Lynol helped her father stagger weakly to a chair as Gwen hurriedly shut the front door. She locked it and pulled the shades securely down over the windows and door, preventing anyone from seeing inside. Then she disappeared into a back room, returning shortly with a pitcher of water and a wet towel.

  “What are we going to do with these men?” Gwen asked as she administered to Damon’s bruises. One eye had almost swelled completely shut. She ran the wet cloth gently across Damon’s forehead. He looked pale and was still dazed. “They may know that you used sorcery on them, particularly since they’re from Draydon. You said you don’t want that knowledge out yet?”

  “No, Gwen,” replied Lynol, looking thoughtfully and distastefully at the two men who lay in an unconscious heap on the floor. “I’m not quite ready t
o face Jalene; we don’t want her aware of my powers just yet. I can weave a spell that will make these men forget what just occurred. They will remember coming into the store, not finding what they wanted, and then leaving. The only danger will be if Jalene checks the minds of these men. She will be able to find traces of where their memory has been altered. She will know that another sorcerer or sorceress was involved.”

  “You can actually do that?” asked Gwen, glancing at Lynol in surprise.

  “Yes, I can,” replied Lynol, recalling the spell she would need. “I just have to be careful about what I make them forget and what I chose to allow them to remember.”

  “We need to hurry,” responded Damon weakly, his mind clearing, feeling sore and bruised from the brief fight. He wished Lynol hadn’t been forced to reveal herself in such a definitive way in front of Gwen. He didn’t want to place her in any unnecessary danger. “The others may grow suspicious if these two remain inside for very long.”

  Lynol walked back over to stand above the two unconscious men. Holding her crystal in her left hand, she concentrated, briefly weaving another potent spell, her crystal flickering with a shimmering blue light. Satisfied with the incantation, Lynol cast the spell upon both men who gradually began to wake.

  “Open the door, Gwen,” Lynol said as she carefully watched the two traders, her right hand touching her amulet.

  Gwen hurriedly opened the front door and raised the shades as the men slowly regained consciousness. She returned to stand next to Lynol watching the two men nervously. She had so many questions running through her mind. Lynol was a sorceress, a real live honest to God sorceress! That explained why she had seen so little of her the last few years; she must have been learning how to control her powers.

  The two men staggered to their feet and walked woodenly to the door as though in a trance. As soon as they stepped outside they hesitated, looking at each other with confusion on their faces. Lynol’s spell was working. Neither remembered why they had come to the store, other than they hadn’t found what they had been looking for. Shrugging their shoulders, the two returned to their freight wagons to help finish loading the heavy sacks of grain.

  “Gwen, you can’t say anything about what you saw today,” Lynol whispered quietly, taking Gwen’s hand as the two of them sat back down. “No one can know about my sorcery, at least not yet. You could be in terrible danger if anyone finds out what you know!”

  “Don’t worry, child,” Gwen responded with a caring smile. She still felt overwhelmed by everything. “Your secret is safe with me; I won’t even mention it to Tohm. I’m just so excited that you’re a sorceress; a real live sorceress!”

  “Thank you, Gwen,” replied Lynol, knowing she could trust Gwen completely. In a way, she felt relieved that Gwen knew. It had always bothered her to keep her sorcery a secret from her. After all, Gwen had helped raise her; she was almost like a mother.

  “Do Kalvin and Dresdia know?” Gwen asked, curiously.

  “Yes, we’re together too much. There was no way I could have hidden this from them. Besides, it has made it easier having them to talk to,” admitted Lynol, feeling some relief at not having to lie to Gwen anymore. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to put you in any danger. I’m sorry, Gwen.”

  “I know, child,” replied Gwen, nodding her head in understanding, reaching out and putting her hand upon Lynol’s hand. “I will keep your secret and someday, when all this is over, you can tell me everything.”

  -

  Later that evening, Lynol sat at the large wooden table in Malcon’s crypt, staring thoughtfully at the glowing simulacrum. Malcon stood with folded arms inside the flickering blue light with a contemplative look upon his face. They’d just finished discussing the chaotic events, which had transpired in Galvin earlier that day.

  “It’s almost time, Malcon,” Lynol said quietly, feeling her destiny rushing toward her. “Soon I will have to challenge Jalene and Gilmreth. The time is growing very near for the fulfillment of the prophecy at the altar wall. I’m still worried that we haven’t heard anything concerning Adam Grayson.”

  “This high priest of Jalene’s, this Storn Daes, must be watched very carefully,” warned Malcon, his blue eyes focusing on Lynol. “He has risen to a position of great power second only to Jalene and could actually be Adam Grayson. He could be the one we are seeking.”

  “But nowhere is there any sign of Daes using sorcery. Could Grayson hide his use of sorcery so well that no one, not even Jalene, is aware of it?” Lynol could sense Jalene’s use of sorcery if she concentrated, but never had she detected the use of sorcery from anyone else around her.

  “Perhaps,” Malcon replied with a slight nod of his head. “Jalene may be under Daes’s control, perhaps since she was a child. He is our most likely suspect, but Adam Grayson could be very well hidden. Daes may be too visible, too obvious a choice. It could be someone else. Perhaps Baelen Dal or even this Dalden Sikes who was just in Galvin.”

  “I just wish we knew for sure,” Lynol responded with worry in her voice. “I don’t know if we dare move against Gilmreth and Jalene until we know for sure where Grayson is.”

  “We may not have a choice, Lynol,” Malcon replied, his eyes narrowing. “Events may be about to unfold that we can’t control. We must be ready for whatever the future holds. You did well today in Galvin. We will have to monitor the situation in the village if these traders stick around. It may be necessary for your father or Aldin to visit the village regularly to check on things. We may even want the Mystols to keep watch.”

  “I'd hate to get Gwen or Tohm involved,” Lynol replied, worriedly. She didn’t want anything to happen to them.

  “I wish my use of sorcery today hadn’t been necessary. I think Gwen was scared to death,” continued Lynol, thinking back over what had happened. It had scared her as well. The way the ruffian’s rough hand had felt on her shoulder and the brutal attack on her father had really frightened her.

  “It was a good test of your sorcery under pressure,” Malcon responded, pleased at the way Lynol had handled herself. “Trial by fire and you passed with flying colors. Now, let us continue your lessons. We will worry about Adam Grayson later and also figure out a better method to monitor what is occurring in Galvin.”

  Putting that worrisome mystery out of her mind, Lynol opened the spell book in front of her. The ancient book was one of the older books in the crypt, one that Malcon hadn’t allowed her to use until he felt she was ready to begin learning the potent spells it contained.

  The book was from the early generations, probably soon after Jason Sylvar left the confines of the Firestorm Mountain complex. It was very advanced in the spells it contained, the type of spells that even Malcon had difficulty mastering when he was alive. With the blue amulet, Lynol had already worked her way through half of the thick book, much to the growing amazement of the simulacrum.

  She had also mastered most of the spells in her mother’s diary as well as the book Malcon had left Lys. Around her, the flickering candles and fiery braziers on the walls cast their eerie, magical glow throughout the ancient crypt. Their magical flames were burning ever bright, casting their cool radiance upon Lynol as she studied.

  -

  Early the next afternoon, Lynol met Dresdia and Kalvin at the swimming pond. She wore form fitting black denims and a white blouse that fit snugly across her breasts. It was too cool for swimming, but a nice picnic lunch under the overhanging trees would do perfectly. The trees were still green, just beginning to turn for the fall season. Soon they would be resplendent in their alluring fall colors of orange, brown, and gold.

  Kalvin sat next to Lynol. Over the past several years, their relationship had grown until both felt more comfortable in each other’s presence. No longer was Kalvin so easy to embarrass, nor was Lynol quite as hesitant about revealing her true feelings. Holding hands and an occasional kiss had become very common between the two. Lynol had been careful not to let it go any further than that.
Kalvin understood that Gilmreth and the other sorceress had to be dealt with first before their relationship could move to the next level.

  His hand reached out, and their fingers met. Kalvin marveled at the warm softness of her slender hand, knowing the awesome power that it hid. “So you knocked both traders unconscious,” Kalvin said, pleased. “I wish I could have been there. I bet Gwen was shocked!”

  “I can’t believe the audacity of those men!” Dresdia added, distressed at Lynol and Gwen being put in such danger. “Why are such evil men even being allowed in Galvin? The villagers should put a stop to it! What if either Gwen or Tohm get hurt?”

  “It’s the gold they pay with,” replied Lynol, releasing Kalvin’s hand and laying back on the large blanket, staring up at the blue sky between the thick canopy of green leaves above them.

  “Greed,” muttered Kalvin, shaking his head. “Addison’s always been too greedy. It’s his biggest failing.”

  Closing her eyes briefly, Lynol moved her fingers in a simple spell until a gentle, relaxing breeze could be felt. “Addison and several others want the products they can buy from Draydon. It’s been years since they have had any real trade with them. It’s very tempting for most people. Tohm and Gwen will need to be careful. They have the support of most of the people in the village, so I doubt if the traders will try to do anything to threaten them.”

  “Addison has always been a problem,” Kalvin muttered with a tinge of anger in his voice, wishing he could have seen Lynol using her sorcery on the two traders. “The only person he’s concerned about is himself. Someday that man is going to get his. I just hope that I’m there to see it when he does!”

  “Addison is Addison,” responded Lynol, nodding her head slightly in agreement. “We all knew something like this would happen eventually and that they wouldn’t leave us alone forever.”

  “I still don’t like all these traders from Draydon being in Galvin,” Kalvin went on, not liking the way things seemed to be going in the village.