“Spring will be here soon enough,” spoke Harmon, wishing things were different.
Ashley nodded her head in agreement. She wondered what Todd would do when he found out she was a sorceress. Breathing deeply, she knew she would have to deal with that revelation when it happened. For now, she needed to concentrate on her sorcery.
Harmon gazed at his daughter. She was so young to have the responsibility that would soon be hers. He didn’t know what would happen when the Sorensons returned to make their new demands. He just hoped Ashley was ready for what was in her future. She was their only hope to keep peace in the valley, the only one that might be able to stop Edward and allow the valley to return to what it once was.
Chapter Fifteen
Harmon and his daughter were on their way to Snowden’s lair. He shivered in the cold wind and wondered if this had been a good decision. Looking over at Ashley, he could see she was feeling the cold also. The cold weather had moved in much sooner than Harmon had imagined possible. It seemed as if it was only a week or two ago when the first freeze had rolled unexpectedly across the valley. The farmers had scrambled, trying to get the last of their crops in before the freeze damaged them beyond harvesting. He knew if this kept up, it would only be a few more days before heavy snow started falling in the mountains. At his urging, Ashley had agreed to make one more trip to Snowden’s lair on Beaver Mountain before the snow made the journey impossible.
“Do you think Edward is responsible for this?” Ashley asked her father as they carefully walked up the last rocky slope to Snowden’s cave. She wore a heavy jacket and gloves to keep out the cold; even so, she felt chilled. She could see her breath in front of her each time she exhaled.
“I don’t think that Edward is responsible for the cold,” replied Harmon, seeing the entrance to the cave and Snowden’s lair just ahead of them. “It would affect them as much as it does us. It’s just a change in the weather pattern this year, that’s all.”
Ashley nodded as they finally arrived at the cave entrance. Her father walked over to the large crystal and stared at it for a long moment. “I don’t guess I really need to reinforce this anymore.”
“Not right now,” replied Ashley, gazing at the large, nearly clear crystal. “Perhaps sometime in the future it might be necessary.”
Her father nodded and then proceeded to build a small fire close to the cave entrance. He had piled firewood up near the entrance just in case it was ever cold on the mountain during one of their visits to Snowden’s lair. He wanted to be able to stay warm while Ashley visited the dragon. The air temperature had dropped considerably as they climbed the mountain. A warming fire would certainly feel good.
He knew the temperature outside of the cave must be close to freezing. He just hoped it didn’t start snowing while they were up here. It was cloudy outside and looked as if it could start raining or snowing at anytime.
“Go check on Snowden,” suggested Harmon, nodding to his daughter. “I will be fine here by the fire. It’s too cold to fly today.”
“Yes, it is,” responded Ashley. She was going to miss not getting to fly with Snowden over the winter months.
Taking out a glow bulb, Ashley easily created a simple spell with only the power of her mind, causing the globe to light up brilliantly. She then turned and walked quickly down the cave tunnel toward Snowden’s lair.
Snowden had sensed Ashley and her father when they started their ascent of the mountain. For days now, the dragon had been thinking about telling Ashley about Braxam. The only reason Snowden had not said anything was because all signs of Braxam had vanished. Only that one time had Snowden picked up a strong scent of his fellow dragon. Since that time, there had been nothing, and Snowden had checked the valley and the surrounding area around the mountains very thoroughly.
Ashley stepped into Snowden’s lair, and the dragon raised his head up and gazed at her. His yellow eyes glowed with an inner fire as he beheld his friend. “Hello, Ashley,” Snowden spoke into her mind.
Setting down the glow bulb, Ashley nodded at Snowden. “Hello. I wanted to visit you one last time before the heavy snows start. Once the snow starts I won’t be able to get back up the mountain.”
“I’m glad you came,” Snowden answered. “There is something I have been wanting to tell you.”
“I knew there was something,” responded Ashley, walking over and touching the dragon on his neck. Snowden felt so warm to the touch. “I could tell the last time I was here there was something you wanted to tell me.”
“There is another dragon in the valley,” said Snowden, projecting a picture in Ashley’s mind of Braxam.
Ashley stepped back, stunned. This was the last thing she had expected. “Another dragon?” she stammered, her eyes growing wide. “How can there be another dragon?”
“Gilmreth and Braxam are the other two surviving dragons,” responded Snowden, projecting images into Ashley’s mind, which turned into words.
Ashley was silent as she weighed in her mind what Snowden had just told her. He had told her about Braxam months ago but after so much time she had forgotten. She gazed at Snowden in confusion. “Are you sure it’s Braxam?”
“Yes, Braxam has found the valley. I found where he made a kill to feed. I have not been able to find him.”
“Could Braxam have left?” asked Ashley, perplexed. No one had seen a dragon, and Snowden had stayed hidden. If there was a dragon in the valley, surely someone would have seen it.
“No,” Snowden replied, his yellow eyes gazing into Ashley’s deep blue ones. “The feeding in this valley would have been too good. He would not have left.”
Ashley was silent for a long moment. This wasn’t good news. They had Edward and the rest of the Sorensons to worry about in the spring, now they might also have a rogue dragon loose in the valley.
“Is Braxam dangerous to humans?” Ashley asked worriedly. A rogue dragon could do immeasurable harm.
“As long as there are animals to feed upon, I don’t believe Braxam will hunt humans. He has fed on humans in the remote past, but that was during the days of madness.”
“What should we do if we find Braxam?” asked Ashley, gazing at Snowden. She could tell the dragon was extremely worried about the other dragon.
“Call me and I will come,” Snowden replied clearly in Ashley’s mind. “Do not use your sorcery against Braxam. It would be too dangerous.”
For nearly an hour, Ashley spoke to Snowden about Braxam and the threat from the Sorensons. When she finally left Snowden’s lair, she knew that everything had just gotten a lot more complicated.
Reaching the entrance to the cave, Ashley found her father sitting with his back against the wall and a warming fire in front of him. He stood up when he saw Ashley.
“I have some bad news,” she spoke, hesitantly.
Ashley knew her father wouldn’t like what she was about to tell him. Ashley walked over to the fire and held her hands out, enjoying the warmth. She then proceeded to tell her father about Braxam.
“Another dragon,” her father said, shaking his head in disbelief. He frowned deep in thought. “The earth dragon is mentioned in the prophecy. That has to be Braxam. I haven’t heard of anyone complaining about losing more animals than usual. We know that Snowden takes an occasional older cow or two during the warm months, but I have heard of nothing else.”
“Perhaps Braxam is on the Sorensons’ side of the valley,” Ashley suggested. This made her nervous. The Sorensons must not learn that dragons still exist. Snowden must remain an Andrews’ family secret.
“I will tell Mark and Robert to keep alert for any news about another dragon,” her father responded. “They both know about Snowden, so the news that there might be another dragon about won’t come as a total shock.”
“How will you explain knowing about this other dragon?” Ashley asked. She knew her father didn’t want her uncles to know about her yet.
“I will just tell them it came from a dream. As a sorcerer, we
occasionally have dreams which come true in the near future.”
Ashley nodded her head. She let out a deep breath and looked outside the cave. A few snowflakes were already falling. This would definitely be the last trip to Snowden’s lair this year. She hoped she could make it back in the spring before the Sorensons showed up to make their new demands.
-
In far off Crayton, Edward was staring at his father in anger. “We should go get Todd and mother. I can’t believe you let them leave like that!” His red amulet was glowing brightly, and his eyes flashing with irritation. This was the second time he had gotten into an argument with his father over this.
“Don’t tell me what I should have done,” snapped Jacob, standing up and glaring at his son.
“You never should have let them leave Glendon; at least there we could keep an eye on them.”
“Kensett and I talked it over; it’s best this way.”
“How’s that?” asked Edward, shaking his head in doubt.
Next time he saw Todd, he planned to stomp his younger brother into the ground. What aggravated Edward the most was not knowing what all Todd and his mother might be telling the Andrews. That irked him immensely.
“It gives us another excuse to increase our demands for next year,” replied Jacob, sitting back down. He looked over at Edward seeing the still angry look upon his face. “They know that Sorensons aren’t supposed to be staying on their side of the valley. By allowing your mother and Todd to stay in Plainview it violates the agreement.”
“What does it matter?” asked Edward still feeling annoyed over the whole matter. “Our powers are much stronger than the Andrews; they can’t stand up to us. They will have to give in to our demands.”
“I would prefer that this not come down to an actual fight,” Jacob replied evenly. “Just keep practicing your sorcery and keep your new pet fed.”
“The dragon,” Edward said with a smirk on his face, recalling how he had found the creature feeding on one of their cows.
A little demonstration of his power and the dragon had agreed to Edward’s demands. Edward still didn’t know if the dragon actually understood him, but it was safely hidden in a cave a short distance from one of the family farms. Edward made sure the dragon was fed on a regular basis, which seemed to satisfy it.
“If necessary, we can use your pet to frighten everyone in the valley into doing exactly what we want,” Jacob continued, his eyes turning dark. “With the dragon, we can even take over New Haven.”
“Kensett doesn’t like the dragon,” Edward commented with a smirk. “I think he’s afraid of it.”
Jacob was silent for a moment. He didn’t blame Kensett for being nervous about the dragon. “We know very little about the dragons, Edward. Just a few old stories handed down through the generations and a few short sentences in a couple of old books.”
“I don’t believe that garbage,” blurted Edward, shaking his head disgustedly. “I don’t believe sorcery created the dragons, and there is no way sorcery or the dragons caused the Worldfire. That’s a bunch of lies.”
“Perhaps,” Jacob replied. It sounded too fantastic to him also. “It will be winter soon and as early in the spring as possible we will be paying a visit to Plainview and the Andrews. Beginning in the spring, they will be working for us; the entire valley will be.”
“What if they refuse?” asked Edward, cocking his eyes at his father.
Edward hoped they did. He would really like to use his sorcery against another sorcerer. He had harassed Todd with sorcery, but Todd didn’t have the power to put up much of a fight. Several of the Andrews, particularly Harmon Andrews, would be more entertaining.
“Then we eliminate the Andrews and take over their section of the valley anyway,” Jacob replied stone faced, his eyes looking sharply at Edward. “We should have done that years ago.”
Edward leaned back in his chair and gazed at his glowing red amulet. In the spring, he would take care of his weakling brother and face off against the Andrews. He wouldn’t need the dragon, he felt confident that he could take on all the Andrews and win without anyone else’s help.
-
Ashley stood before the large kitchen window gazing out toward Beaver Mountain. In the last few days, the snow had begun to fall in the upper elevations. There must be several feet of snow around the cave that held Snowden’s lair. She sighed deeply, knowing that by now the dragon was sound asleep. She could wake Snowden if she concentrated hard enough, and Snowden had told her to do so if she heard anything about Braxam.
“The mountains are beautiful this time of the year,” Todd said softly with a smile on his face. He looked out the window at the snow-covered peaks.
“Yes, they are,” agreed Ashley, turning to face the young Sorenson sorcerer. “I could do without the cold though.”
“I agree with you there,” Todd said, nodding.
“Let’s go practice some sorcery,” Stephen broke in walking up behind the two. He had just finished his afternoon chores and wanted to spend some time with Todd.
Todd turned around, grinning. “Think you have mastered that new spell I showed you last time?”
“Almost,” Stephen responded. What Todd didn’t know was that his sister had helped him with it. He was excited to show Todd what he had learned.
“Let’s go outside on the porch, and you can show me,” replied Todd, taking his jacket down from the hook next to the door and sliding it on.
“I’ll watch from the window,” added Ashley, looking at the two of them. “It’s warmer in here.”
It was chilly outside, but not as cold as it had been in recent days. Todd had taken advantage of the slightly warmer weather to come visit Ashley.
Ashley watched as Todd and Stephen went out and sat down on the top step of the porch. In a few moments, Stephen was showing Todd what he could do with his new spell.
“It’s nice having Todd out here,” spoke her mother, coming to stand next to Ashley and gazing out the window at the two boys.
“Yes, it is,” replied Ashley. It didn’t bother her to talk about Todd to her mother; she knew how Ashley felt about him.
“I invited Todd and his mother out to eat with us the day after tomorrow,” Katrina added. “It’s Carolyn’s day off, and I thought it would do her some good to get out for awhile.”
Carolyn and she were becoming good friends. Katrina also knew that Carolyn needed someone to talk to who could relate to her situation. It had been difficult for Carolyn to live in a family of sorcerers, especially considering how her husband and Edward had treated her toward the end.
Ashley nodded and turned her eyes back to her brother and Todd. Stephen had lit several large candles and had caused the small candle flames to rise up above the wicks and just hover there. His yellow amulet was glowing brightly in his left hand. She could see Todd making some gestures and giving Stephen added encouragement. The two candle flames joined together and formed a small fireball, which was something she knew Todd could already do. This spell was aimed more at controlling the movement of the fireball.
Stephen concentrated harder under Todd’s guidance, and the small fireball began slowly to move upward. It made a small circle around their heads and then slowly lowered itself back above the two candles before breaking back apart into individual flames and settling back down onto the candlewicks.
Letting out a long held breath, Stephen looked over at Todd triumphantly. “I did it!”
“Yes, you did,” commended Todd, noticing the tired and exhausted look in Stephen’s eyes. Sorcery took a lot of energy out of a person. “Let’s go inside. You need to eat a snack after that.”
Todd knew if a sorcerer ate fruit or any rich tasting food it helped to replenish the energy reserves in your body. If not, you would eventually feel a headache coming on and become nauseous if the spell had been a powerful one.
The two came back inside, and Stephen walked over to a kitchen cabinet and took down some dried peach slices. He walk
ed back over to the kitchen table and began eating with a happy, contented smile on his face. He had worked the spell properly, and now he had some peaches to snack on.
“Stephen’s certainly learning how to control his sorcery,” Todd commented to Katrina and Ashley. “I was really impressed with what he just did.”
“He has a good teacher,” responded Katrina, smiling at Todd. Katrina turned and walked over to sit across from Stephen at the kitchen table.
Ashley turned to Todd. “Stephen really enjoys your company.”
“Oh? And what about you?” Todd said, mischievously. “Do you enjoy my company?”
Ashley turned to Todd and gently kissed him on his cheek. “You know I do.”
Todd took Ashley’s hand, and they both turned to gaze out the window. From looking at the mountains, it was evident the snow was falling farther down the slopes. It wouldn’t be too much longer before it started snowing in the valley.
Ashley stood holding Todd’s hand while watching her father come out of the barn. Seeing her father reminded Ashley of what lay ahead in the spring. She sighed deeply. What would Todd’s reaction be when he discovered she was a sorceress? She hoped it wouldn’t change their relationship.
Looking up the slope of Beaver Mountain, Ashley noticed the falling snow now concealed Snowden’s cave and lair. She shivered slightly, and Todd must have noticed as he let go of her hand and put his arm around her waist. It made her feel safe and secure, and she enjoyed the feeling of closeness she shared with Todd.
Katrina was watching the two with a pleased look on her face. Someday Todd would make a fine son-in-law. Then a shadow of worry appeared in her eyes. She just hoped everything worked out for the two. This thing with the Sorensons in the spring could seriously derail Ashley and Todd’s budding relationship. Katrina knew her daughter had a lot of responsibility resting on her shoulders. How Ashley handled the situation in the spring would determine the future of their entire valley.
She was also worried about one other thing. Harmon had hinted that there was another prophecy in that ancient book that dealt with Ashley. So far, she hadn’t been able to get him to tell her what it was, which worried Katrina deeply. She felt there was something extremely serious her husband was keeping from her. Katrina wanted to know just what that mysterious prophecy said about her daughter. She feared that an ancient prophecy from the past was in control of her daughter’s future.
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