Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Tell your men to lay down their weapons and the dragon won’t harm you,” commanded Lynol, keeping her eyes steadily on Par and his guards.

  The unearthly chimera of the fearsome dragon floated threateningly in the air. The amulet between Lynol’s breasts pulsed with a bright blue radiance. The guards hesitated, not sure what to do.

  Lynol had hoped to resolve this peacefully without resorting to physical violence and that the dragon apparition she’d created would frighten these ruffians into submission. From the frightened look upon their leader’s face, Lynol thought it just might work.

  “It’s a trick!” Addison yelled desperately, staggering to his feet from where he had been hiding underneath a table and grabbing Par painfully by the arm. “The dragon’s not real, it’s an illusion! Don’t let this young girl make a fool out of you!”

  In Lynol, Addison saw his greatest fear. She represented the true power of the Sylvars of old. This was why the entire village held the Sylvar family in such high esteem. His years of campaigning against the Sylvars were in danger of being washed away in mere moments. His worst nightmare was coming true. He had to stop this before it was too late!

  Shoving Addison roughly aside, Par yelled once more with desperation in his voice. “Seize her!” Stepping forward toward Lynol, keeping his eyes warily and fearfully on the floating dragon, he reached for the long, wicked hunting knife belted to his waist.

  Grasping her crystal, Lynol concentrated briefly, causing the dragon to swoop toward Par, causing him to lose his balance and crash clumsily to the hard floor as he tried to throw himself out of the dragon’s reach. The knife slid from his grasp, sliding under a table.

  The dragon apparition flew toward Par’s advancing men, causing them to halt and hesitantly back away. They’d seen what a dragon could do at Gilmreth’s sacrifices. They were notably afraid of even this small one. Dragon fire could easily incinerate them all! Several dropped their weapons and raised their hands in submission. They hadn’t bargained for this kind of fight. They couldn’t defeat a dragon!

  “No, you must stop her!” Addison wailed in despair at seeing the guards throw down their weapons.

  Par climbed back to his feet, looking frighteningly around. His gaze finally came to a stop on the small dragon that was now hovering close to the girl.

  “You can’t be a sorceress, there are no others but the Lady Jalene!” he reiterated, his eyes full of uncertainty.

  Concentrating upon another spell, Lynol pointed the fingers on her outstretched hand toward Par. From her amulet, a brilliant blue light flicked out, striking the man. Par fell instantly to the floor, unconscious. Lynol whirled around, and once more the blue light flicked out, striking a temple guard in his chest. The man dropped his long knife and collapsed. Instantly the rest of the guards panicked and rushed toward the door, becoming easy targets for Lynol’s sorcery. They collapsed one by one as the blue light from Lynol’s crystal struck them.

  After the blue light had played over all the guards, Lynol nodded to herself, satisfied that not a single guard was left standing. She felt exuberance sweep over her as she realized what she’d done. Lynol relaxed, and as she did so the small dragon vanished. The effort she had just used to subdue these men didn’t seem to have fazed her. She knew part of it was adrenaline pumping through her veins. The after effects would come later.

  The room was deathly quiet. Everyone held their collective breath, gazing in wonder and amazement at Lynol. Going to her father, she quickly untied him as well as Aldin.

  Addison stood fearfully in a corner of the room, his face a mask of horror as he realized the enormity of the mistake he’d just committed. His days as a businessman in Galvin were done! The citizens of the community would never forgive him for his treachery.

  “Where is Dresdia?” Lynol asked, concerned about her missing friend. “Are you two all right? Did they harm you in any way?”

  Aldin and Damon exchanged worried glances. For a moment neither spoke.

  “What is it?” Lynol asked with growing apprehension, seeing their troubled glances and continued silence. “Is something wrong? Where’s Dresdia?” Her friend had better not have been harmed in any way whatsoever by these men!

  “They took her!” Aldin replied finally, aggravation creeping into his voice, massaging his wrists where the rope had been. “Some of the guards took her and a few other young women back to Draydon. We think they’re to be sacrificed to Gilmreth during the next dragon sacrifice. Dresdia told them she was you. She wanted to buy you some time.”

  Lynol was speechless. Dresdia’s bravery by posing as her amazed and frightened her, for she knew her friend had placed herself in grave danger.

  “Why?” asked Lynol, finding her voice. “She would’ve been safe here. She shouldn’t have done this!”

  “Perhaps not,” replied her father, looking at some of the crying and stunned women who stood with their husbands. “These men have harmed a lot of people today. If Dresdia hadn’t told them she was you, they might have seriously harmed her. I don’t believe our village will ever be quite the same.”

  Looking around at the crying village women and seeing the bruises on many, Lynol realized what her father was saying. Her anger towards Jalene and the men who served her grew.

  “We will save her!” Lynol said determinedly. She wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her brave friend. “Gather some men and have them disarm the temple guards and lock them away somewhere. We need to find and remove the weapons from the rest of the guards that are scattered about the village. Once that’s done and they’re all secure, we’ll go to Draydon. It’s time that I meet Jalene. It’s time for her murderous rule to come to an end!”

  Lynol looked around the room at her friends and acquaintances that were in obvious pain. Relief was growing upon their faces as they realized their terrible ordeal was over.

  Damon and Aldin gathered up several dependable men and soon had all the unconscious guards locked up in a secure back room of the tavern, and just for good measure they threw a wailing Addison in also. He had demonstrated very plainly which side he was on. Addison screamed loudly in protest when he realized what was happening, but his protests fell on deaf ears. He didn’t have a single friend left in the village; even his usual cronies failed to make eye contact with him. Addison had finally burned his last bridge. He was an outcast, someone to be despised and pitied. He was finished in Galvin!

  Damon, Aldin, and a dozen other determined men went with Lynol to search for the other guards. Their tactic was simple, when they found any guards, Lynol simply knocked them unconscious with her sorcery. They were then dragged back to the tavern and placed with the others.

  Several men were dispatched to strengthen a large storage building behind Addison’s store that could be used to hold the temple guards. There were nearly forty of them all together; the back room of the tavern wasn’t going to be big enough. The storage building behind Addison’s was made out of heavy, thick stone. He’d built it to keep anyone from stealing from him; now it would be put to good use.

  -

  In Draydon, Jalene stood on her balcony in the chilly night breeze, her black cloak wrapped tightly around her, staring at the ebony darkness shrouding Firestorm Mountain. Jalene peered out toward the mountain, her dark, sunken eyes unblinking as she pictured Gilmreth sleeping beneath. She shook her head slowly. Her mouth drawn into a taut line. Beneath the mountain, she could dimly sense Gilmreth slumbering.

  Deep underground beneath Firestorm Mountain the dragon lay. He was in a deep, satiated sleep. Occasionally the dragon’s hide moved, twitching and flickering over its great length. A demonic nebulous reddish glow seemed to hover about the sleeping dragon. Awash in the energy from his feeding, the glutted dragon lay immune to Jalene’s insistent prodding. The dragon had finally returned to his former strength and glory. He was once again all-powerful!

  “Why did you disobey me, Gilmreth?” Jalene asked aloud, her mind searching for an explanation. “H
ow can you possibly resist the Stone of Loraine?”

  Jalene feverishly hoped that Par succeeded in locating the Sylvars in Galvin if they were still alive. She had a special ceremony planned, one that would put all past dragon sacrifices to shame. It should allow her to maintain control over the dragon. With a worried sigh, she realized that it might be necessary to increase the number of sacrifices at the temple to keep the dragon satiated.

  She would decide that after the Sylvar sacrifice. She would use the sacrifice of the Sylvar girl to epitomize her power and solidify her rule. She would also use the ceremony to reconfirm her control of the temple guards, to ensure they realized who pulled the strings in Draydon. It might also be the proper time to confront Storn, particularly if she had Gilmreth under her control after the sacrifice. Storn could easily be fed to the dragon. She would truly enjoy the mind link with Gilmreth as the dragon fed on Storn. Yes, it would be highly enjoyable indeed.

  Jalene heard the door creak open behind her. Turning, she opened her mouth to blast the intruder, only to see Storn Daes standing there. The man’s growing impudence continued to amaze her. Didn’t the man realize what she could do to him? She could blast him down with just a mere thought using her sorcery.

  It was almost as if he wasn’t afraid of her. That would change at the next dragon sacrifice. Storn had grown too powerful and his growing insolence had sealed his fate. Jalene suspected he was trying to manipulate things behind her back. She’d reached a firm decision; Gilmreth would feed upon Storn during the next sacrifice. She would pick a weaker, more controllable priest to succeed him.

  She had several in mind that would be easy to control if Baelen didn’t work out as Storn’s replacement. It would give her immense satisfaction to see Storn die upon the temple platform. It might also be necessary for Par and Sikes to join Storn as sacrifices. Those three controlled the guards. That would create a power vacuum in the temple guards that she could easily fill with men of her own choosing. Yes, by sacrificing those three she could easily reassert her control.

  “What is it, Storn?” snapped Jalene, glaring at the man while stepping away from the balcony and walking back into the large, spacious main room with growing aggravation.

  “Our guards should be in Galvin by now,” replied Storn ignoring Jalene’s angry tone of voice. “Once the Sylvars are captured, my men have orders to immediately send back the most qualified candidates for the next dragon sacrifice. If they found the Sylvar girl, she should arrive with that group.”

  Jalene didn’t like the way Storn used the term “ men”, they were her guards and priests and he only commanded them at her discretion. His entire attitude and total lack of respect recently was making her extremely uneasy. Yes, she decided firmly, feeling better now that the decision had finally been made. Storn Daes’ usefulness was over! His next service to the temple would be to feed Gilmreth.

  “When will the men be back with the sacrifices?” demanded Jalene, turning her back on Storn and gazing at the distant black shape of Firestorm Mountain through the open doors of the balcony.

  She hoped the Sylvars had survived Gilmreth’s feeding frenzy. She wasn’t sure what might be left of Galvin. It had to have been heavily damaged or completely destroyed by the dragon’s attack. Jalene just hoped Gilmreth had left the outlying farms alone. She hoped he hadn’t already fed upon the Sylvars, which would ruin everything. She turned back around and looked at Storn, waiting for an answer.

  “Soon,” Storn replied, his face emotionless.

  He looked at Jalene contemptuously. This young, foolish woman was so easy to manipulate, she didn’t realize how easily he could see through her plans for him. His many faceted plans would soon come together, climaxing in his own rise to power and the domination of Draydon.

  “The men should be back with the sacrifices two days hence. They won’t make quite the same speed with captives, but on horseback it will still be quick enough for our purposes,” he replied.

  “Excellent,” Jalene spoke coldly, turning to stare back out the balcony. Her temple was awash in the yellowish red glow from the numerous torches, which lit the temple at night. “Begin making preparations for the sacrifice four nights from tonight. I want everyone gathered to witness our greatest accomplishment; the death of the last Sylvar!” If they are still alive, Jalene amended to herself. “We will make this a sacrifice that will symbolize my rule. It will guarantee that no one will ever dare challenge my commands. I will give you my final instructions for the sacrifice once we learn if a Sylvar is among the captives. Go and tell Baelen to begin the preparations.”

  Storn nodded; Jalene’s plans would work well for what he had in mind. The populace would see a sacrifice all right, and it would indeed be something they would always remember. But the night wouldn’t go as Jalene planned. When he was through, he would be recognized as the new ruler of Draydon. His dynasty would begin, and Jalene’s would end as it had begun, in a sacrifice to Gilmreth!

  Storn let his eyes fall upon the glass case that contained the Stone of Loraine, which glowed hauntingly with a ruby red light. Yes, it was time for a new more powerful ruler to finish what the weak-minded Jalene had started, time for him to take back what was his. Turning, Adam Grayson walked out through the still open door, not giving Jalene another thought or glance. The ancient sorcerer from the Golden Age knew that he had nothing to fear!

  -

  To the west of Galvin, in the first of the low passes that led through the mountains, Sikes ordered his men to halt and pitch camp for the night. In the distance, there was the rolling, ominous growl of thunder. The night sky was overcast, lower, and menacing. The captives were placed in a large tent with a guard posted outside to ensure they wouldn’t try to escape.

  That was the least of his worries. The young women were so shaken up from their ordeal that, for the most part, they sat huddled together sobbing hysterically. All except one; the Sylvar woman made Sikes feel very uneasy. During the late afternoon and evening ride she had shown no fear as if she knew something that Sikes didn’t, and this bothered him immensely. She should have been afraid of what awaited her in Draydon. The night seemed to close in malignantly around him.

  Reaching forward, Sikes stirred the small, burning campfire with a stick, causing glowing red embers to float lazily up into the night air. It was unusually cold for this time of year and the wind had picked up. When it lulled occasionally, there was no sound save the nervous stomping of the tethered horses. Pulling his heavy cloak up around his shoulders, he stared balefully into the flickering fire wondering what lay ahead. Par had been adamant about the importance of getting these prisoners back to Draydon as quickly as possible. Lady Jalene wanted the Sylvar woman for the next dragon sacrifice.

  It was a shame to waste such beauty and innocence, Sikes thought. He was half tempted to drag the Sylvar woman to his own tent. For a moment, he contemplated the alluring thought, becoming lost in his fantasies. A flash of lightning in the distance distracted him, drawing his attention to the approaching inclement weather. The storm would soon bring a cold rain or even snow, which only worsened Sikes’s mood.

  The campfire jetted yellow flame as it reached a gum pocket buried in one of the small logs. The flame held for a few moments making a popping noise and then died back to brightly burning coals. A cast-iron skillet balanced on hot stones sizzled in the embers where Sikes had been cooking some bacon. A sudden cold gust of wind momentarily sent more sparks upward into the overcast night sky. His gaze returned to the women’s tent.

  Sikes got up and walked determinedly over to the tent, his meal forgotten. Motioning the guard aside, Sikes opened the tent flap. He saw the Sylvar woman huddled with the others trying to stay warm. There were still things he could do to this young woman, or she could do to him. He just had to make sure she stayed a virgin. “You!” he said, pointing a stiff, uncompromising finger at her, “come with me!”

  -

  Dresdia stood obediently and followed the man outside the t
ent, trying to hold her fear in check. It was colder outside, and she shivered violently as she followed Sikes over to the warming fire. She felt nervous and frightened from the day’s tumultuous events. So far, she had managed to conceal her rampant emotions. It was all she could do to keep her fear at bay. She hoped Lynol would be able to rescue them before they arrived at Draydon.

  She held her hands out toward the fire, feeling its warmth. It was cold in the tent, and none of the girls had heavy clothes to protect them from the chill. They’d been huddling together trying to use their body heat to stay warm, wrapped up in the few light blankets they had been given.

  Turning, Sikes suddenly grabbed Dresdia, his mouth brutally seeking hers, his hand pulling her up tightly against him, molding her enticing body to his. He held her closely, feeling her body’s softness against his chest. He felt his desire race, his body filling with cravings and need.

  “No, let go of me!” screamed Dresdia, pulling away from Sikes and slapping him resoundingly across the face. The sound rang hollowly through the camp as she struggled to free herself from the man.

  The other guards looked out from their tents to see what the noise was. Seeing Sikes with the girl they turned back around, choosing to ignore what was going on. They knew better than to come between Sikes and a woman. Another crash of thunder rumbled in the distance and a few splattering cold raindrops fell to the ground. The countryside lit up briefly from the blue-white flash of lightning.

  Dresdia was stunned and revolted by the sudden attack. “You have no right!” began Dresdia, becoming terribly frightened.

  She knew just how defenseless she was. If this man tried to rape her, there would be nothing she could do to stop him! She knew from what the other girls had told her that these brutal men had raped many of the women in the village. Was she to be next?