“What about the part about the earth dragon?” Stephen asked. “Does it mean there’s another dragon around?”
“I don’t know,” replied Ashley, thinking. Was there another reason why Snowden was flying outside of the valley on a regular basis? She needed to talk to the dragon. She had a growing suspicion there was something he wasn’t telling her.
“Are there any other prophecies?” Katrina asked her husband. She wanted to know if there was anything else about her daughter in that book.
“Only one more,” confessed Harmon, closing the book of prophecies. “But it has nothing to do with the current situation. We will discuss it at a later date when this issue with the Sorensons has been resolved.”
For the next hour, the four sat in the study as Ashley told her family about Snowden and what life had been like for Cathy Matheson beneath Firestorm Mountain. When she was finished, they all sat quietly for several long minutes, knowing that life in the valley would never be the same for them again.
Chapter Thirteen
Ashley was standing next to her father out in one of the grassy meadows on the farm. It had been several weeks since her return from Beaver Mountain and she was just now beginning to feel back to normal. The fall from Snowden had caused a lot of serious bruises; she had been black and blue for days. Stephen had teased her nonstop every time he saw a new bruise appear.
“All right, Ashley,” her father spoke, making sure he had her attention. “I want to see just how strong your sorcery is and what you have learned from Snowden.” He pointed toward two boulders lying to one side of the meadow. One looked like it weighed several hundred pounds; the other was massive, larger than Ashley. “Do what I do.”
Her father went through the motions of making a spell. Ashley could see the blue energy lines forming as her father completed the matrix. His deep blue amulet flared up brightly. He then cast the spell at the smaller boulder. Ashley looked at it expectantly. The small boulder shook slightly and then rose about six inches above the ground before falling back. Looking over at her father, Ashley noticed that he was sweating slightly. Moving the boulder had taken a lot of effort.
Her father turned to Ashley and smiled. “Now it’s your turn. Try to raise the boulder as I did; it will take a lot of concentration.”
Ashley nodded and, taking her amulet in her left hand, began moving her right hand in the necessary gestures to create the energy matrix to move the boulder. Her amulet began to glow brightly, and the energy lines seemed to shine brightly in her mind. She could feel her amulet grow warm in her hand. When she was ready, she cast the completed spell at the larger boulder instead of the smaller one.
The larger boulder shook and then rose slowly into the air, leaving behind a shower of dirt and small rocks. Continuing to concentrate, Ashley had the boulder hover about ten feet above the ground and then began to move it. Slowly at first, and then more rapidly, the boulder moved through the air. Concentrating deeply, she had the boulder fly in a level circle all the way around where she was standing with her father. When the boulder reached its starting point, she slowly lowered it until it was setting back in its original location.
“Like that,” she said, turning to face her father.
Harmon was standing still and staring in shock at his daughter. What she had just done was astonishing. The level of power and concentration was beyond anything he had thought possible.
“How did you do that?” he asked in a stunned voice.
“It’s all in the concentration; something I learned from Snowden. Or I should say from the memories of Cathy Matheson.”
“How did that work?” her father asked, curious about those mysterious lessons from someone that should have been dead centuries ago. He glanced back at the boulder, finding it hard to believe what his daughter had just done so effortlessly.
“It’s hard to explain,” began Ashley, thinking about the lessons and classes she had attended in Cathy’s mind beneath Firestorm Mountain.
“Try,” her father said.
“It was as if I was in her time and attending the same instruction classes she was. I could see the teachers and the other sorcerers working on their spells. I listened to lectures about how sorcery works and how to control it. It was as if I was a student back under Firestorm Mountain with the original sorcerers.”
Harmon shook his head in disbelief. He understood what his daughter was trying to tell him, it was just so difficult to believe how Snowden could have done it. From what Ashley had told him, in many ways Snowden seemed almost childish. But his memories held the key to so many wonderful things from the past.
“Okay, let’s try this spell,” spoke Harmon, thoughtfully. It had been extremely dry for the past month with no rain. The grass in all the meadows in this end of the valley was beginning to turn brown from a lack of moisture. “I want to create a small shower to help the grass in the meadows. Weather spells are the most difficult and most of the time my spells for rain don’t work.”
Harmon concentrated, and his dark blue amulet glowed brightly. When the spell was completed, he cast it into the air above the meadow. A small cloud quickly formed, but that was it. There was no thunder and not a single drop of rain. Harmon shook his head in disappointment; they really needed the rain. He had noticed a lot of storms forming on the northern section of the valley over the past several months. Harmon suspected it was Edward, creating rain for the parts of the valley the Sorensons controlled.
“Now you try, Ashley,” Harmon said, looking over at his daughter. “You’re much more powerful than I am. I want to see if you can make it rain.”
“I don’t know if you really want me to do this,” warned Ashley, remembering the last storm she had accidentally created. “We both might get wet.”
“It’s just water,” her father replied with a smile. “As dry as it is, I won’t mind getting wet.”
“Okay,” Ashley responded as she began moving her right hand in the gestures for the weather spell. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She quickly created the necessary energy matrix, which glowed brightly in her mind, and then cast it into the air above them. Almost instantly, clouds began to form. In mere moments, thunder echoed through the valley and a bolt of lightning flashed across the darkening skies.
Harmon looked at the growing thunderstorm and back at his daughter. He had a feeling they were both about to get thoroughly soaked. At the far end of the meadow was the new barn and hay lean-to Stephen and he had built the previous fall.
“I think we need to get to the hay lean-to,” Harmon spoke as the first splattering drops of cold rain began to fall. Looking up, he could see that the clouds were getting darker.
“I think that would be a good idea,” Ashley responded as she quickly mounted Spirit. She knew they were about to get wet.
The two rode their horses at a gallop to the lean-to as the rain began to fall in earnest. Reaching the safety of the lean-to, they dismounted and led their horses into the small barn. Then they went back to the lean-to, where they could watch the rain.
Thunder roared above them, and lightning was coming down in brilliant bolts. A thunderous roar startled them as a bolt of lightning struck a tree across the meadow. The rain started coming down in sheets and soon it was impossible to see across the meadow to the far side.
Small hail began to fall, pelting the roof of the lean-to. Harmon looked over at his daughter in amazement. He was now beginning to wonder who the most powerful sorcerer in the valley was. The Sorensons might not be quite as formidable as they thought.
Ashley turned to face her father with a serious look upon her face. “I told you we would get wet.”
Her father grinned and laughed aloud, nodding his head. “So you did, but we sure needed the rain.”
The two turned and watched the storm. For nearly thirty minutes, the rain fell and then the storm moved off across the valley. From the looks of it, the entire valley was going to get a thorough soaking.
Harmon looked back at Ashley. He folded his arms across his chest before he spoke. “I want you to practice your sorcery every day. Work with Stephen occasionally so he doesn’t feel left out.”
Ashley nodded her head and then asked her father another question. “I have heard that there can only be one powerful sorcerer in a family in each generation. Is it my fault that Stephen doesn’t have stronger powers?” She looked anxiously at her father, waiting for his answer.
Harmon was silent for a moment. He had heard this before too. In the old books in his study, it mentioned that if there was one truly powerful sorcerer in a generation the others of that generation would be markedly weaker. In his generation, his brothers and he were all about the same. But Ashley was so much more.
“Perhaps,” he admitted slowly. “We can’t know for sure.”
Ashley nodded. She knew her biggest fear about Stephen was true. It was her fault that his sorcery was so weak.
“Remember, Ashley,” her father continued with a gentle smile. “With what you learned from Snowden and Cathy Matheson’s memories you might be able to teach Stephen how to make the most of his abilities. With your newfound knowledge, he might still be able to become quite powerful in his abilities.”
Ashley nodded her head, but she still felt guilty about Stephen. Looking out across the meadow, she saw the rain was finally starting to let up. In just a few more minutes, only a few scattered drops of rain were still falling. In the distance, they could hear the heavy rumble of thunder as the storm moved over the village. The meadow looked fresh, and the grass already seemed to look greener. The scent of recent rain was in the air.
“We’d better get home,” her father said, motioning toward the two horses. He looked around the meadow and smiled. Ashley could certainly make it rain!
Ashley nodded. Her father had fashioned a new riding harness for Snowden; it was almost like a small saddle. She needed to visit the dragon again sometime in the next few weeks. There was a question she needed to ask Snowden. That one prophecy mentioned a dragon of the earth. She wondered if Snowden would know just what that meant.
-
Stephen and Ashley were out behind the barn. For most of the morning, the two had been working on Stephen’s sorcery. Ashley was trying to teach Stephen the concentration lessons she had learned from Cathy Matheson.
“Control your breathing and focus,” she said to her brother.
They were both sitting on a large log just beyond the main back lot to the barn. In front of them was a grove of trees surrounded by ankle high grass. Everything had greened up considerably since the rain.
“Picture in your mind what you want the spell to do. Imagine it from the beginning to the end. Clear your mind of any other thoughts except the spell.”
Stephen had his eyes closed as he listened to his sister. She had been practicing with him at least an hour every day recently. In his mind, he pictured the spell he was trying to cast. He tried to clear his mind of all other thoughts except the spell. When he felt he was ready, he grasped his amulet and felt it grow warm in his left hand. With his right hand, he began making the motions for the fire spell. He said the correct words and opened his eyes. He jumped back and fell off the log. A small fireball about the size of a hen’s egg was hovering just above his right hand.
Ashley burst out laughing and stood up walking around the log. She reached out her hand and helped her brother to stand up.
“It worked!” he said, amazed, with a big grin on his face. “I actually created a fireball!”
Ashley nodded. “Yes, you did; it’s all a matter of concentration and focus.”
“It’s just so hard to clear my mind of everything else,” Stephen complained, but the grin never left his face.
“It becomes easier with more practice,” Ashley responded pleased that her brother had been able to create the fireball. It should help boost his confidence.
Ashley closed her eyes and concentrated. Opening them, she ran her right hand through the motions for the fire spell and a fireball nearly two feet across formed in the air in front of her. With a quick gesture, the fireball flew toward a dense pile of brush in the meadow and with a bright flash, ignited it.
“Wow!” Stephen spoke impressed, watching the pile of brush burn. “That was bigger than the ones Edward threw at me in Glendon.”
Ashley quickly made the gestures for another spell and cast it at the burning brush. The flames instantly died out. Even though everything was still green, she didn’t want to burn the barn down. Her father would be pretty aggravated if that happened.
“When are you going to see Snowden again?” asked Stephen, looking over at Ashley.
“Tomorrow,” she replied, motioning for Stephen to follow her. It was nearly time to eat, and their mother would be upset if they were late.
Stephen looked over at Ashley and asked another question. “When do you think we will see Todd again?” He genuinely missed the young Sorenson sorcerer; they had become quite close during the days that Todd had stayed at the house.
“I don’t know,” Ashley replied. She had been wondering the same thing. “He has a strange way of just showing up at times.”
“I hope it’s soon,” Stephen responded.
Ashley nodded her head in agreement; she didn’t want to admit just how much she missed Todd. She knew she had developed very deep feelings for the young sorcerer. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she had fallen in love with him.
-
It was almost noon and Ashley was standing in the entrance of the cave that held Snowden’s lair. Her father had come with her, carrying the new harness he had made for her to fly with Snowden.
“Why don’t you go inside and talk to the dragon?” her father suggested. “When the two of you are finished, bring Snowden out and we will try the new harness.”
Ashley nodded her head and quickly started down the tunnel. She had already used her mind to let Snowden know that she was there. In just a few minutes, she reached Snowden’s lair and stepped inside. She was carrying a glow bulb, and she found the dragon waiting for her.
“Hello, Ashley,” Snowden spoke into her mind. His sunlight yellow eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire.
“Hello, Snowden,” responded Ashley, walking over to the dragon and running her hand along Snowden’s neck.
“How are you feeling? Do you still hurt from the fall?”
Ashley smiled. “No, I feel fine, but I have a very important question to ask you.”
Snowden gazed at Ashley for a moment and then spoke again. “It’s about the earth dragon. You want to know if I know about it.”
Ashley stared at Snowden. Evidently, he had picked the question up from her thoughts. “Yes, it’s mentioned in one of the prophecies that my father read to me.”
For a long moment, Snowden stared at Ashley. “The earth dragon’s name is Braxam. He is the only other surviving dragon besides Gilmreth and I.”
“Do you know where Braxam is?” Ashley asked. She still suspected that was why Snowden was flying around the outskirts of the valley.
Snowden hesitated a moment before answering. “Several months ago I detected Braxam’s scent north of the valley. But there has been no sign of him, and I have been watching.”
“Is Braxam dangerous?” Ashley asked. She couldn’t imagine another dragon in the valley.
“Perhaps,” Snowden replied in Ashley’s mind. “It depends how hungry he is. Hunger can make a dragon do incomprehensible things.”
“Has Braxam fed on humans in the past?” asked Ashley, hoping that Snowden would say no.
“During the days of insanity almost all dragons fed on humans. I was the only one that did not.”
Ashley was quiet as she thought about that. Snowden seldom spoke about those times. “My father is waiting outside the cave entrance. He made a new riding harness for us to use. He wants us to try it out while he’s here.”
-
Harmon stood outside of the cave entrance, looki
ng out over the valley. Everything seemed so peaceful from up here, but that would change shortly. Sometime in the next week, the Sorensons would be sending wagons to pick up their share of the crop and trade goods as a payment for leaving this part of the valley alone.
Letting out a deep breath, Harmon kicked a loose stone down the slope, watching it roll until it was out of sight. It had been difficult to talk all the farmers and villagers into going along with turning over ten percent of everything to the Sorensons. Some were still extremely upset over the idea.
Many of the villagers and farmers didn’t understand why the Andrews couldn’t protect them. But Harmon needed time for Ashley to finish learning her sorcery. She was the only hope they had against Edward. By turning over ten percent of this year’s crops and trade goods, it would buy them valuable time, possibly until next spring. Harmon had no intention of turning over anything more to the Sorensons after this single exchange. If necessary he would have Ashley and Snowden both appear before the Sorensons. He suspected that would force the Sorensons to relent and stay on their side of the valley.
A noise behind him drew his attention. Turning around, he saw Ashley and Snowden come out of the cave. Harmon was astounded at how close Ashley and the dragon had become. He could still remember the shock he had felt the first time he had seen Ashley flying with Snowden.
“We’re here,” spoke Ashley, feeling excited about getting to fly on Snowden again.
Harmon picked up the new harness and walked over to the dragon. “I will show you how to put this on. It should be much safer than the one you were using.”
Ashley watched as Snowden allowed her father to attach the new harness. It was like a small saddle. There were even two small leather straps that would go across Ashley’s legs to help keep her in the saddle. Two large straps went around Snowden’s neck and upper waist.
Once her father had tightened everything, Ashley walked over and inspected it. She checked the straps making sure they weren’t too tight on the dragon.
“Climb on,” Snowden spoke in Ashley’s mind. Ashley could tell the dragon was excited abut the two of them flying again.
Snowden the White Dragon Page 17
