Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Lynol is right, Kalvin,” added Dresdia, raising her canteen to her thirsty lips and taking a small drink. “There may be nothing to find. We could have spent the day swimming at the pond and relaxing!”

  “I don’t know about that,” Lynol murmured quietly, recalling the embarrassing episode from the previous day. It might be awhile before she was ready to go swimming with Kalvin.

  “Perhaps not,” replied Kalvin, frowning but not hearing Lynol’s quiet comment. He hoped inwardly that the girls were wrong, ignoring his sister’s comment about swimming. “But the only way we can know for sure is to go there and look. We’ve come this far, we might as well go and check it out.”

  “At least the mountain isn’t rumbling today,” said Dresdia, gazing pensively at Firestorm Mountain and its snow covered summit.

  There was no way she would have walked to the slopes of the mountain if it had been. The recent rumbling had been making her feel extremely uneasy. Add that to the recent nightmares she had been having about the dragon and it had been all she could do to come on this trip.

  “The mountain has been quiet for several days now,” replied Kalvin, nodding his head slightly. He was also relieved that the mountain had been quiet. If it hadn’t been, he doubted he would have been able to talk the girls into this little adventure. “Perhaps it was only avalanches from the melting snow causing the rumbling. They’re pretty common this time of year.”

  “Not that common,” replied Dresdia, shaking her head slightly. “I have never heard the mountain rumble this much before. It has to be the dragon!”

  Lynol had also wondered about the sudden quietness of the mountain. What was the other sorceress up to? She had an ominous intuitive feeling that something terrible was about to happen. The other sorceress seemed suddenly to have disappeared. “Yes, it was probably only avalanches,” Lynol commented, agreeing with Kalvin and wanting to calm any fears Dresdia had. “It can’t be Gilmreth; he’s still sound asleep under the mountain.”

  “I hope so,” responded Dresdia, hoping Lynol was right. Her gaze shifted to the mountain, wondering just where Gilmreth’s lair was and how close they were to the dragon.

  -

  The three continued to walk steadily toward the cleft, taking occasional short breaks at the insistence of Dresdia. As the morning sun rose steadily higher, the land and small hills began to rise rapidly about them as they walked westward.

  “It’s getting warm, Kalvin; turn your back, I want to change into a lighter shirt,” instructed Dresdia, taking her small pack off and undoing the protective straps.

  “Good idea, Dresdia,” Lynol said, also feeling the heat. “Don’t even think about sneaking a peek, Kalvin; you saw more than enough yesterday!” she added threateningly.

  “I can’t seem to remember a thing,” replied Kalvin, trying not to grin and turning obediently around to face away from the two girls. “At least not too much,” he added, smiling broadly to himself.

  “Well, you shouldn’t have looked,” stammered Lynol, her face flushing. “Perhaps yesterday wasn’t an accident; maybe you were peeking!”

  “It was an accident!” protested Kalvin, realizing he was on dangerous grounds once again and Lynol wasn’t going to ease up on him. “It’s your fault for swimming in the nude, anyway. You and Dresdia should have been wearing your swimming suits!”

  “You were supposed to have been working,” Dresdia reminded him with a slight hint of aggravation in her voice. “We definitely didn’t expect you to come sneaking around!”

  “I wasn’t sneaking!” Kalvin replied quickly, trying to defend his actions. “We just got finished early and I wanted to cool off, that’s all; I swear!”

  Lynol kept a careful watch on Kalvin to make sure he didn’t turn back around. She had packed some lighter clothes just in case the day warmed up as it often did this time of year. Hurriedly slipping out of her sweater, she pulled on a lighter shirt. Then, rearranging her pack, she pulled it back on over her shoulders. With the lighter clothing on she felt much more comfortable.

  “All right, Kalvin, let’s go,” Dresdia said, satisfied. “You had better quit teasing Lynol about yesterday or I will make you pay dearly for it. If I remember correctly, you didn’t bring a swimming suit either!”

  “All right you two; let’s get going before it gets too late. We still have a ways to go,” interjected Lynol, wanting to change the subject of the conversation.

  Nodding, Kalvin started walking toward the mountain, his sister’s threat hanging at the back of his mind. Dresdia had a way of getting him into trouble at home with unbelievable ease. He knew he had better watch himself. He had no desire to be on the receiving end of his sister’s wrath.

  After walking through some more small hills, they found the shadowy cleft growing steadily closer. The countryside became rockier, and the ground began to slope gradually upward. They stopped for another break, looking at the rough countryside around them.

  Dresdia groaned and sat down on a small boulder. She was already feeling tired from the long walk. She took another long drink from her canteen. “We could turn around now and go back home. I’m really getting tired, Kalvin.”

  “We’re almost there,” replied Kalvin, knowing how his younger sister was feeling. The walk had been more strenuous than he had expected, but he wasn’t going to admit that to the two girls. “It won’t take us much longer.”

  “Well if it does, you may have to carry me back home,” moaned Dresdia threateningly as she eased her small pack off her back.

  “Let’s just rest for a few minutes,” Lynol suggested, also feeling the effects of the long morning walk. “We’re all a little exhausted; we just need to rest and then we can go on.”

  Lynol sat down on a small flat rock and took her pack off. Reaching inside, she took out her canteen of water and took a long, refreshing drink. She was surprised at how tired she felt. They had set a fairly fast pace so they could reach the mountain and have plenty of time to get back before dark. “I can’t believe how desolate everything is,” Lynol commented as she looked around. There were few plants and very little grass; everything seemed to be blighted and dead.

  “It’s getting worse the closer we get to the mountain,” answered Kalvin, looking at Lynol. He knew he had probably pushed the girls too hard trying to get here.

  After a few more minutes of rest, they began walking once again toward the mountain, this time at a much slower pace. Soon they found themselves standing at the entrance to what looked like a small, narrow canyon, which slashed back deep into the mountain. Rocky walls towered up, seeming to close in upon them. The floor of the canyon was sandy with small rocks and boulders scattered loosely about. It looked to be about two man-heights wide and wound back deep into the mountain, curving away out of sight.

  “Well, here we are,” Lynol spoke in a quiet voice, gazing speculatively about. “The sacrificial altar is supposed to be somewhere in this canyon?” She was a little surprised that they had actually found the canyon. She wondered what other surprises might await them inside.

  “That’s what father says,” replied Kalvin, looking about a little uncertainly. Now that they were here, he felt a little edgy. He hoped the girls didn’t notice his hesitation.

  “It doesn’t look too frightening,” Dresdia spoke in a whisper, staring into the shadowy narrow passage before them, which led deeper into the mountain.

  “Follow me,” said Kalvin, taking the first cautious step into the shadowy canyon.

  Walking slowly, they followed the winding path as the canyon twisted and turned, leading the three ever farther into Firestorm Mountain. The canyon exuded a haunting silence as they walked. With wary eyes, they followed the canyon, the towering walls closing in eerily about them. The ragged slash split deep into the mountain, the gap the lone entrance to the legendary sacrificial altar.

  Lynol concentrated, using her sorcery lightly, trying to sense if any dangerous animals were about, but other than an inexplicable uneasy fee
ling, she could sense no animals at all. Trying to relax, she followed Kalvin with Dresdia at her side. Their footsteps echoed hollowly down the narrow passage that hemmed them in. Was it possible they might actually find something? Lynol wasn’t sure what to expect.

  The rough rock walls seemed to press in, cutting off most of the sunlight and forcing them to walk in an ominous, dark shadow. At times, the passageway became so narrow it was difficult to walk two abreast. Kalvin kept one hand near his hunting knife, feeling slightly tense as he continued to lead.

  A sudden, unexpected gust of wind swirled within the upper levels of the canyon, moaning plaintively to the trio below. Kalvin shivered; he wasn’t quite as confident as he pretended to be. If something dangerous lurked in this canyon and either of the girls was to be harmed, he would never forgive himself. After all, this little escapade was his idea. “It’s nothing,” he said, trying to sound reassuring. “It’s only the wind blowing through the top of the canyon.”

  “I don’t like this at all,” Dresdia complained with a frown on her face as she stepped around a small boulder stopping to look at her two companions. “It’s so dark and gloomy. This canyon turns so much we can hardly see what’s ahead of us. What if there’s some dangerous animal waiting around the next corner? What would we do? Maybe we should turn back.”

  “There are no animal tracks in the sand,” Kalvin pointed out, gesturing down at the smooth, untracked sand, which covered this section of the small canyon. He realized uneasily that the wind blowing the sand could easily have erased any tracks. “This area of the mountain has been devoid of life for generations. You saw what the countryside looked like. The Worldfire and Gilmreth poisoned the mountain and the surrounding area around it. There’s nothing to be afraid of, Dresdia; come on, let’s get going.”

  Turning, Kalvin vanished around the next corner, his footsteps echoing off the canyon walls as he left the two girls standing. Lynol and Dresdia looked at each other uncertainly, not wanting to be left behind but hesitating to go forward.

  “What do you think, Lynol?” Dresdia asked nervously, wanting her friend’s opinion. “Should we continue? I feel as if something bad is going to happen. I’ve felt that way ever since we entered this canyon.”

  “We might as well go on,” Lynol said reassuringly, adjusting her pack and turning to follow Kalvin’s fading footsteps. “We’ve come this far, it can’t be much farther.”

  The two girls hurried to catch Kalvin, only to come to a stunned stop around the next corner. They emerged suddenly into brilliant sunlight. Kalvin was standing frozen looking at the scene that spread out before him. The small, narrow canyon opened up, spreading outward on both sides to form a large, sandy bowl hemmed in by lofty cliffs. Lynol estimated they were standing in a hollow area over a thousand feet across.

  However, what held them all in amazement was the massive, flat stone that lay in the center. The immense, dark gray stone was easily two hundred feet across and had been chiseled into a flat, unyielding surface. Lynol stared in mute fascination, standing in the center of the path, stunned disbelief holding her motionless. There was something utterly familiar and vile about this place. It almost felt as if she had been here before. She felt a sudden chill spread across her back and shivered slightly as she looked around. She could see nothing threatening, but she had a strange feeling of impending danger!

  “It’s the altar,” murmured Kalvin, taking a deep breath, surprised that it was actually here in front of them. He hadn’t actually expected to find it. This had just sounded like a good excuse to spend time with Lynol. Walking slowly forward, almost in a daze, he continued. “This is where Gilmreth killed his helpless victims, innocents brought by the villagers to the sacrificial altar to be sacrificed.”

  “I can’t believe the altar is actually here,” Dresdia said apprehensively, drawn almost hypnotically toward the massive stone and captivated by its immense size.

  Walking slowly forward, she stopped, finding a narrow set of weather worn steps cut into the side of the hard stone, which led to the top one-man height above her head. Dresdia gazed at them, wondering how many helpless victims had been led up these very steps to become prey for Gilmreth. She felt an icy chill run down her back at just the thought of the horror committed here.

  Lynol and Kalvin walked up to stand beside Dresdia. All three paused, hesitant to climb the first step. They all knew that they were probably the first people to enter the bowl since the days of the ancient sacrifices.

  Lynol reached out and tentatively touched the massive stone with her hand, running her fingers over the dark surface, almost expecting some type of physical reaction. Its surface felt hard, cold, and unyielding; its secrets and horrendous memories locked away in antiquity. We actually found the altar, she thought, astonished. She looked at her two friends; they were also looking around in surprised amazement.

  “You first!” Dresdia said, pointedly looking at Kalvin. “After all, this was your idea.” She gestured toward the steps. There was no way she was going to be the first to go up them.

  “All right,” replied Kalvin, sounding slightly irritated as he looked at the steps.

  Taking his pack off, he laid it down. One cautious step at a time, he slowly climbed the steps. Reaching the top, he stepped out onto the hard, flat surface. In moments, he disappeared from the girls’ sight.

  “Come on, Dresdia,” said Lynol, starting up the steps and looking back at her friend. “You don’t want to stay down here by yourself, do you?” She wanted to see where Kalvin had gone.

  Reaching the top, Lynol saw Kalvin standing in the center of the massive stone altar. A small stone table, a full man-height long and just as wide, resided in the center. The stone was weathered from the long years it had lain exposed to the ever-changing harsh climate of Firestorm Mountain. Lynol became aware that Dresdia had followed her and was also staring at the stone altar with wide, frightened eyes.

  “That’s the stone table the sacrifices were placed upon,” Dresdia uttered, her mouth suddenly feeling terribly dry, realizing the horror that had been played out numerous times upon this site.

  “It’s really here,” Lynol quietly spoke, her eyes wide, gazing at where Kalvin stood. She couldn’t believe they had actually found it. She wondered if this was what had drawn her to come to the mountain.

  “Look at these holes in the stone,” Kalvin exclaimed, bending down to one knee and running his fingers gingerly along several large indentations that extended deep into the stone table. “I bet these holes used to contain the chains that held the sacrifices for Gilmreth. The iron pins have rusted entirely away, and all that remains are the support holes they were driven into.”

  The two girls walked over to where Kalvin was and stared in mute fascination at the altar.

  “It’s awful,” said Dresdia, brushing back her blond hair from her eyes and frowning. “How could they chain up some innocent human being, knowing that Gilmreth would soon descend to kill them? I don’t see how they could have been so heartless!”

  “They didn’t believe they had any choice,” Kalvin replied, grimly imagining the horror of the scene. Standing up, he peered at the towering walls surrounding them, picturing the dragon swooping down from the high cliffs to fall upon his defenseless, screaming victims. “It was the only way they could protect their families. They were trading one or two lives for many.”

  “It still doesn’t make it right,” Dresdia persisted, shaking her head and folding her arms protectively across her chest. She didn’t understand how a family could allow their daughter to be sacrificed. How could they just stand by and allow Gilmreth to kill their child? She felt another icy shiver run up her back at just the thought of the travesty that had occurred here.

  “It was horrible what they did,” said Lynol, agreeing with Dresdia. “It’s hard to believe they actually sacrificed their children.” Lynol couldn’t imagine the agony of the parents knowing that their child was to be sacrificed to Gilmreth.

  “I
t was the only way they could survive,” reiterated Kalvin, knowing the girls were right. “While it may seem difficult for us to understand, they felt it was their only choice.”

  “Let’s explore this area some,” suggested Lynol, staring around thoughtfully, feeling uneasy with the three of them standing so exposed upon the huge stone.

  She had a strange feeling that they were being watched but by what she couldn’t tell. Her sorcery could pick up nothing that might be a danger. The horror of what had occurred here disgusted Lynol, but it also made her realize just how real and dangerous Gilmreth was.

  She had hoped to find something useful at the altar when they climbed up on top of it, but all that was up here was the stone table Kalvin had found. Now, however, she just wanted to vacate the stone altar and the horror it signified. “Let’s split up and check the entire area. I want to see if anything else survived from those days.”

  “I just hope it’s not alive,” Dresdia said worriedly, as the three walked in unison back down the steps. ‘I still have a very bad feeling about all of this.”

  “Why don’t you girls start over there on that side of the altar, and I will start on this one.” suggested Kalvin, looking around. “Let’s check the outside of the altar itself to begin with, and then we can spread out and check the outside walls of the canyon. The sooner we get done, Dresdia, the sooner we can leave.”

  -

  For several long minutes, Lynol and Dresdia walked slowly along the massive stone altar, both girls scanning the stone and looking for any marks left from long ago. In some sections it was obvious that sometime in the past carvings, which had weathered away from centuries of rain and wind and possibly paintings, had adorned the sides of the tremendous stone. As they continued around, they met a disappointed Kalvin, who had also found nothing of significance.