“Gilmreth,” Jalene spoke quietly to herself, tempted to take the passage and lay her eyes upon the legendary dragon, pleased that she now knew for certain where the dragon resided. For a moment, she stood gazing down the large tunnel, visualizing the dragon sleeping at its end. She fought down the urge to set her eyes upon Gilmreth, reminding herself of the task she had come to the mountain to achieve.
A much smaller tunnel led off to the left. This tunnel was less than ten feet high and only twenty feet wide. For now, Gilmreth could wait. Turning, Jalene walked briskly down the smaller tunnel, the glowing globe held high in her hand, its light penetrating the black gloom before her. Her breathing grew quicker as she realized she was nearing her goal. She could feel her heart beating faster.
The tunnel began to branch off into other smaller tunnels. In the distance, open and shut doorways beckoned in the glow from Jalene’s light, but Jalene walked determinedly on. She didn’t have the time for serious exploration now; what she was seeking lay farther in. A half hour later, she came to a stop before a massive metal door that blocked the tunnel. She had walked down several tunnels and taken numerous flights of stairs to reach this level. Other tunnels split off to the left and to the right, but what she wanted was behind this massive door. It evidently was designed not so much as to keep whatever lay behind it in, but to keep everyone else out!
Jalene set her glow bulb down upon the hard floor. Closing her eyes, she grasped her amulet, invoking her sorcery and directing her power at the huge door, commanding it to open. Her hands wove intricate ghostly patterns in the air, joining lines of energy. Glowing filaments of red seemed to leap from her fingertips, latching themselves onto the door.
The door creaked, shuddered, and seemed to move ever so slightly as its rusty parts resisted Jalene’s desire. Concentrating harder, Jalene pictured the door opening. A red glow built up around the stubborn door, her amulet turning fiery hot in her hand. With a loud groan, the massive door slowly swung open in protest, its weakened locking mechanism snapping under the powerful mental force. Jalene’s triumph was a shrill scream, almost soundless, and inarticulate. The object of her desire was almost within reach.
Jalene stepped inside, taking a quick look around. She held the glow bulb up high, seeking the object of her search, the object which had brought her to Firestorm Mountain itself. Her eyes, darkened slits glowing with unbridled excitement, swept across the contents of the room. She was in a large vault, which the ancients had used to store many of their incredible secrets. A thin layer of dust covered everything, screaming out that this vault and its secrets had been undisturbed for ages. Perhaps since the Golden Age itself!
If she had time in the future, its contents might have to be examined in more detail. The power the secrets in this vault and perhaps other parts of the complex contained could be extremely useful. She would have to return here someday and take her time searching through everything, including this vault. She knew from the map that it would literally take her weeks to explore the mammoth complex hidden beneath the mountain.
Grasping her amulet tightly, Jalene focused her mind on what she sought. Her amulet warmed to her touch and seemed to pull her toward one side of the large room. Glass cases and boxes were stacked everywhere with only narrow pathways between the long, orderly rows which reached nearly to the ceiling.
Walking twenty paces to her left, she came to another massive, sealed vault door. Jalene frowned, staring with growing aggravation at the solid obstacle before her. Whoever had sealed up the treasure Jalene desired had wanted to keep it safe. The degree to which it was protected only served to hint at its power and importance.
Focusing once again, she used her sorcery on the door. It glowed with a dull red radiance, but refused to budge. In anger, she grasped her amulet tighter, lashing out at the metal door with her mind, focusing her sorcery on the object that barred her path to what she so desperately desired.
The metal door moaned and groaned, trembling under the force she was exerting upon it. Jalene’s amulet became burning hot in her hand and was painful to hold, but she stubbornly refused to stop. She hadn’t come this far to turn back, not when she was so close! The door continued to tremble and then a loud snapping noise resounded through the room as its locking mechanism collapsed, freeing the door and allowing it to swing open. Behind it was another equally massive metal door. This door too eventually swung open under Jalene’s growing wrath at the numerous obstacles placed before her.
Jalene paused briefly, leaning against the wall. Her use of sorcery had nearly exhausted her. She felt her vision blur, and her legs were trembling. It was all she could do just to stay upon her feet. She took a long drink of water from the canteen she was carrying, trying to clear her head. Jalene knew that if Clyton and Kason were to come upon her now she wouldn’t have the strength to fight them. She had no doubt in her mind they would kill her and take the gold coins she carried.
Jalene took several deep breaths, letting them out slowly. After another long, satisfying drink of water, she began to feel her strength returning. She listened carefully to see if she could hear the two men. There was no noise from the room or tunnel behind her, so Jalene knew she still had a few precious minutes before the two mountain men caught up to her. She assumed they had gotten up the nerve to follow her into the mountain. Their desire for her gold coins would have driven them to enter the tunnel; they couldn’t be far behind.
Gathering her strength, she stepped into the small room, her light globe raised on a tired arm casting its bright radiance exposing what lay within. The room was surprisingly empty except for a single small opaque glass case that rested captivatingly on a raised dais in the center. Jalene felt her heart race with growing excitement as she saw the case. It drew her tantalizingly toward it.
Drawing in a deep breath, she approached the dais slowly, her burning excitement mounting with each step. Her search was nearly at its end. She nearly stumbled from sheer exhaustion as she reached the case. Could this case contain the object of her desire, the object that would allow her to control Gilmreth and rule mankind? She could sense what felt like sheer power radiating from the case. It was almost intoxicating. She looked down at the case trying to see what it contained.
Standing above the case, she felt disappointed. She couldn’t see what rested inside. It was covered in dust and opaque. Probing with her sorcery, Jalene could sense a weak sorcery spell that made the case untouchable to a normal person. It was surprising that, after so many years, the spell was still working. Only someone who commanded sorcery could penetrate the protective spell.
Marshaling her waning strength, she wove a complicated pattern in the air above the case. A red, nebulous glow manifested itself, interacting with the protective spell protecting the case. With a loud, tumultuous crack, which echoed through the room, the protective spell shattered, breaking the glass case at the same time. Broken shards of glass rained noisily down upon the floor. The contents of the case lay finally, irrevocably revealed.
Jalene gasped at what lay inside. For a long moment, she just gazed at the magnificent object before her. Reaching in, Jalene grasped a small, finely crafted scepter. The egg-sized ruby at its crown, encased in gold, began to glow with a feeble spectral red light at her touch. New strength seemed to flow into her. She felt revitalized as she tapped into the tremendous power the scepter contained. Raising the scepter above her head, she marveled at its beauty and the mystical power it represented. In her hand, she held the legendary Stone of Loraine! The great amulet created by the master sorcerers of the Golden Age and it was hers! Jalene gazed at the scepter, feeling its weight in her hand as she slowly turned it, drinking in its magnificence.
The ancient writings in her sorcery book only hinted vaguely at the tremendous latent power it wielded. She hadn’t known for sure that it would be here. Several of the books and scrolls she had found had hinted that it had been destroyed during the Worldfire. However, one ancient scroll had described the amulet'
s final resting place, repudiating its destruction, and now it was hers!
“With this, no one can stand against me!” she cried exuberantly, her voice ringing down the empty tunnels and deserted rooms. “Gilmreth will bow to my will, and with this I will reign. My temple will be built, and the people will be mine to command!”
The invigorating power continued to flow into her. The sudden surge of power was addictive, and Jalene swayed upon her feet, drinking in the intoxicating feeling of omnipotence.
“What’s that?” a greedy male voice spoke from the open vault door, disturbing Jalene.
Clyton stood at the entrance peering in, holding a glowing lantern in his hand, staring enthralled at the jeweled scepter Jalene held. The red ruby and gold scepter holding his greedy eyes captive, here were all the riches he could ever dream of possessing. Just the scepter alone would allow him and Kason to live a life of luxury. They could sell it for a fortune in Draydon.
Behind him, Kason looked worried and uncertain upon seeing the insane power hungry look growing upon Jalene’s face. One quick look told Kason that Jalene was totally out of control, and their usefulness to her was over. He knew their very lives could be in jeopardy. He realized, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, that it had been a mistake to follow her into the tunnel. They should have fled when they had the chance.
He grabbed Clyton by the shoulder and whispered urgently. “We need to leave, now!”
Kason knew they must get out and get out quickly. He felt they were in extreme and imminent danger. He didn’t know what Jalene had found, but they must escape her while they still had the chance.
Clyton stood frozen, unable to move, held captive by the icy gaze of her eyes alone, a prey held helpless in the gaze of a deadly viper without mercy.
Kason took a cautious step backward, becoming more apprehensive and frightened at what he saw. Was it his imagination, or was the scepter she held glowing? Still grasping Clyton’s shoulder, he tried to pull him back out of danger.
“Clyton, we need to get out of here, it isn’t safe!” Kason spoke urgently, his eyes focused warily on Jalene.
“Give us that red jewel you’re holding!” Clyton demanded, finding he could still speak, his greed overriding his common sense. “If you do, we might let you live,” he threatened as he eyed the glowing scepter, greedily unable to look away from it. Here was the treasure he had always dreamed of.
“No,” Jalene replied in a voice without emotion or a trace of mercy, as she swayed on her feet from all the energy she had taken into her body from the Stone of Loraine. She could feel the surge of nearly unlimited power in every cell of her being.
“That jewel is ours, our payment for bringing you to this place, you owe it to us! declared Clyton, staring fixedly at the red ruby in the scepter. “Find something else for yourself, but we want that scepter!”
“Clyton, come on!” pleaded Kason, his fear growing. He tried to pull Clyton backward out of the doorway, but Clyton refused to budge, staring in greed at the red ruby in the scepter Jalene was holding.
“Out!” Jalene screamed, her face white, her pupils dilated so much her eyes were black holes of rage rimmed by a thin line of fiery red light, as she finally realized what Clyton wanted.
Unconsciously, she tapped the power of her sorcery, commanding the Stone of Loraine to direct its rampant energy toward the two men. A beam of ruby red light, powered by her anger, flicked out from the stone, touching Clyton and Kason.
Two loud screams of terror and pain echoed through the empty tunnels and the vault, ending in sudden, eerie silence. Where Clyton and Kason had stood moments before only a cloud of minuscule white ashes remained floating gently to the floor. The two men were gone; they had been killed by the energy released by the Stone of Loraine.
“I don’t need you two anymore,” spoke Jalene, smiling sinisterly, holding the powerful scepter before her and gazing at it with the depths of her dark eyes.
The power of the scepter was everything she had imagined. A mere thought had literally turned Clyton and Kason into nothing more than burned ashes. She paused, savoring the moment. She could feel the awesome power that flooded through her and seemed to radiate from the very core of her body. For several long moments, Jalene stood, relishing the feeling. Jalene knew she had found what she had been seeking; now it was time to go.
Placing the Stone of Loraine securely in her backpack, Jalene left the small vault, walking through the small piles of ashes that just moments before had been two living men. She rapidly retraced her steps, carefully shutting the large metal doors behind her. She couldn’t repair the locking mechanisms, but the doors’ sheer size and weight would prevent anyone from entering.
With the stone, she could begin implementing her plans for domination. Her first order of business would be the taking over of Draydon and then later, when the time was right, complete the awakening of Gilmreth. The great dragon was destined to be her personal slave, her enforcer! To be used like a sword, to be wielded at her discretion against any who might be foolish enough to oppose her. While her scepter would be the power, Gilmreth would be the terrifying enforcer of her will.
Standing outside the entrance, she drank in the afternoon air, relishing the promising future which was now hers. The bright afternoon sun was shining down upon her.
Soon, Jalene knew, it would be time to awaken the sleeping dragon. With the Stone of Loraine, she now possessed the power to do so easily.
Jalene found her horse that had been scared earlier by the blast on the mountain. A few minutes later, she was riding back down, leading the two pack animals and heading back to Draydon and the destiny that was now hers to fulfill.
Down below, Gilmreth stirred lethargically as the sleeping spell continued to weaken. Fresh air from the cracked open entrance pervaded his lair. The small fish in the dark pool of water dove to the bottom as the fresh air stirred the ageless dust in the huge cavern.
-
Lynol looked worriedly at Firestorm Mountain from where she was sitting at the kitchen table. She had been watching the mountain on and off most of the morning. She’d heard a resounding rumble that sounded much sharper than anything before come from the mountain earlier. After peering closely at the mountain, she thought she could see a cloud of dust or smoke rising midway up its steep slope. What could it be? She had wondered worriedly. After awhile she had gone back to her chores, putting the strange noise out of her mind. She had briefly used her power to check on Gilmreth and felt calmer when she realized he remained asleep, still held captive by Malcon’s sleeping spell.
Then later, as she was studying in the back room, she felt the other sorceress again, this time much stronger then ever before, almost like a burning beacon in the night. The sheer blast of power that seemed to radiate from her was searing, even painful, and for a brief moment, she touched the other’s mind. She found it hard to believe what she sensed. The greed, selfishness, anger, and the cold unforgiving hatred, which was prevalent in the other’s mind was frightening. How anyone could feel like that was beyond Lynol’s imagining. Lynol cut off the brief contact, repelled by the sheer magnitude of depravity she had briefly sensed. Then Lynol realized the other sorceress was on this side of Firestorm Mountain!
What is she doing on the mountain? Lynol wondered, with foreboding and growing concern. Why did she feel so much more powerful than before? Was she trying to reach Gilmreth in his underground lair? The other sorceress had to have been responsible for the loud noise and smoke that Lynol had seen rising on the mountain earlier. Lynol returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table where she could look out the large window at the mountain.
Concentrating, she reached out again and lightly touched the dragon’s mind, making sure that Gilmreth was still safely asleep in his lair. With relief, she found him still sleeping beneath the mountain. The other sorceress had done nothing to the dragon. Almost fainthearted, she was afraid that whatever it was the other sorceress was doing on the mountain did not bo
de well for her and her friends.
For nearly an hour, she continued to check on the other sorceress and the dragon. Gilmreth stayed asleep, held captive by Malcon’s spell. Finally, the other sorceress left the close vicinity of Gilmreth’s lair and headed back toward the other side of the mountain.
Lynol was vastly relieved that the other sorceress was leaving. Lynol tried to put the other sorceress out of her mind, but she still wondered just what the other sorceress had been doing. She had been very close to Gilmreth.
Lynol knew it was imperative that she intensify her studies lest Gilmreth awaken before she was ready. Her first problem would be Gilmreth, and then, if she survived that confrontation, the other sorceress would have to be dealt with. There was so much she needed to learn and she was afraid there was too little time left to do so. Frowning, she leaned back in her chair and turned her thoughts back to the day before trying to get her mind off what had just happened.
-
Kalvin and Dresdia had been full of questions as they returned from the sacrificial altar. The late afternoon sun was shining down on the three as they slowly walked along the desolate trail toward home. The events of the attack were confused in Dresdia and Kalvin’s minds. They weren’t sure exactly what had happened. Just thinking about what Lynol had done made them feel uneasy, especially the implications. Both couldn’t believe that she was actually a real, live Sylvar sorceress! However, they couldn’t doubt what they had witnessed with their own eyes. All those years as children they had played make-believe, now it had become a reality.
“How long have you known?” Dresdia asked, breathlessly, accepting the thrilling knowledge that her best friend was actually a sorceress. She had always felt that Lynol was special; she had seen it in her eyes and her vast inquisitive nature. Now she had been proven right.
Gilmreth the Awakening Page 17