Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  “If we can’t seal him in, then you will have to face him someday,” Kalvin spoke, his eyes peering into the dark depths of the tunnel leading toward Gilmreth.

  “It won’t be for awhile yet,” replied Lynol, thinking about her mother’s diary and hoping it contained the secret to defeating Gilmreth. “I still have a lot to learn. We need to go, Kalvin. It will be getting dark soon, and we don’t want to be in this tunnel if Gilmreth wakes up.”

  Turning, Lynol strode back toward the entrance with Kalvin hurrying to catch up, their globes lighting the tunnel before them. Lynol had found what she’d been searching for, even though what she had found was beyond her wildest expectations. She was quiet on the way out, lost in thought, her emotions barely held in check thinking about her mother, the amazing letter, and the precious diary she carried in her backpack. She couldn’t wait to get back home and begin reading.

  They emerged from the entrance into late afternoon shadow. If the three switches were ever thrown, Lynol knew it wouldn’t be by her. If she failed in her attempt to stop Gilmreth and this mysterious other sorcerer, then someone else would have to wake the sleepers in the complex.

  Looking at Kalvin, Lynol knew who that person would have to be. She realized even more that her feelings toward Kalvin were growing, and a truly special bond was beginning to form between the two of them. When Lynol had closed the doors behind them as they left the complex, she had set it up so they would open automatically for anyone that possessed her amulet. If Kalvin had her amulet he would be able to awaken the sleepers if need be.

  The late afternoon sun was already on the far side of Firestorm Mountain, causing the mountain to cast a long shadow. It would be nearly dark before they got off the mountain and could reach their campsite from the previous night. It would be tomorrow afternoon before they arrived back home.

  “We need to be going,” said Kalvin, looking worriedly down the dark tunnel behind them. “We need to be off the mountain in case Gilmreth awakes!”

  “I know, Kalvin,” Lynol said softly. She wondered just how many distant relatives were asleep in the mountain. Lynol felt a deep sadness knowing she would never get to know any of them. Two hundred years was a long time!

  Kalvin drew back and gazed down into Lynol’s light blue eyes. “Lynol, I don’t know what you found in that room. If there is anything I can do, just tell me.” She had spoken very little for the last few minutes.

  Lynol felt a strange weakness assail her. “Just hold me for a moment,” she whispered, stepping forward and putting her arms around Kalvin, suddenly feeling vulnerable and realizing the enormity of what she had discovered.

  “That diary is my mother’s. She came from the mountain; she was one of the ancient sorcerers who helped create the dragons. I don’t fully understand how all this is possible. I need time to read the diary and think about all of this. The secret to defeating Gilmreth may be in her diary.”

  “Your mother’s diary? Then your mother is where your powers came from.” Kalvin held Lynol tightly in a long embrace, feeling her shiver in his arms. “There’s a lot of this I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either,” replied Lynol, looking up into Kalvin’s eyes. “I need to read the entire diary, maybe then I will understand all of this. Right now it’s almost too much to comprehend.”

  “Lynol,” said Kalvin softly, taking her face in his hands. Then, without thinking, gently kissed her.

  He stepped back; Lynol was staring at him, her mouth open in surprise. Kalvin felt embarrassed, afraid he had angered her. What was wrong with him? Lynol had too much to worry about without him adding anything else, no matter how he felt, especially after what she had just discovered in the complex.

  “I’m sorry,” Kalvin stuttered, his face red, feeling he had done something wrong. “I couldn’t help it.”

  “I accept that as a compliment,” said Lynol, smiling. There was so much between them that had remained unsaid, and it would have to stay that way until Gilmreth and the other sorceress were dealt with.

  Taking Kalvin’s hand in her own, she squeezed it gently. “Let’s go home.”

  Her mother’s letter had made her realize just how important Kalvin really was to her. How important it was to have someone special in your life. Keeping her thoughts to herself, they walked holding hands down Firestorm Mountain as the sun slowly sank behind them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jalene stood atop her temple dressed in a flowing black skirt and a white silk blouse trimmed in brilliant red. There were two long lines of red robed priests standing silently and obediently behind her, waiting for her commands. Storn Daes stood confidently a step behind, with Baelen Dal fidgeting nervously beside him. Around Jalene, in the flickering yellow glow of the torches, the recently completed center of the city rose majestically around her.

  On each side of the temple’s immense square, large stone white buildings, resplendent in their magnificence, rose nearly as high as the temple itself. They dwarfed the small shops and stores that had been torn down to make room for these newer, more massive structures. Arching white bridges of stone stretched from one building to another far above the ground, interconnecting the buildings. High rising latticed observation towers rose from the roofs of the buildings to a height slightly above that of the great temple itself, providing a grand view of the temple platform.

  It was a masterpiece of architecture. Nothing like it had existed for untold eons, not since the Golden Age itself. The master architects whot had designed her city had been pushed to the limits by Jalene’s sorcery. This amazing city now standing around the temple was the result. Only Jalene and Daes knew that hundreds of people had died to make her masterpiece a reality. Untold multitudes more had died in the countryside when Gilmreth had been sent to enforce her commands to come serve in her city.

  “Impressive, Milady,” Storn commented impassively, his dark black hair visible beneath the hood of his red robe. His deep blue eyes seemed to glint and almost dance in the reflected torchlight. “The center of your city is complete. Already the population of Draydon has swelled to nearly one hundred thousand souls.”

  “More people are arriving daily,” added Baelen anxiously, wanting to please Jalene. “They come from the distant countryside to live in your wondrous city and worship you and the great dragon. More young applicants are coming forth weekly, submitting themselves as candidates for the dragon sacrifice. Very soon all the people that still live on this side of the mountains will either live in your city or around it in the new farming communities we have established.”

  “Excellent,” Jalene said with approval in her sharp voice, pushing her long black hair back behind her shoulders. “Just the threat of Gilmreth being sent to their villages now brings them in. They are like frightened sheep, afraid of the dragon and the power he represents. See how they flock to our city, how they come to our great temple to worship!”

  “They come to worship the dragon and you,” Daes spoke in a cold, calm voice, watching the still growing crowd.

  “They fear the dragon,” Baelen stuttered nervously. The sacrifices always made him nervous.

  “As they should!” voiced Jalene, turning to look sharply at Baelen. “The dragon is the enforcer of my will. I hope the dragon will be satisfied with the sacrifices you have chosen for tonight, Baelen!”

  “Gilmreth will be, Milady,” Baelen replied in a submissive voice, lowering his eyes. “The dragon will find tonight’s candidates quite suitable.”

  “You’d better hope so!” Jalene breathed with a hint of warning in her voice.

  Turning back around, Jalene looked down at the people assembling in the great square below. They were spineless and cowardly for the most part. That mattered little to her. She would surround herself with only those she found worthy; the rest would have their uses. Her power was complete. The people would obey her and finish the entire city just as she and her architects had designed it, as she had envisioned it.

  Down below in t
he vast square thousands of people milled around, waiting expectantly for the ritual sacrifice that was soon to take place. Already, the city was shrouded in ebony darkness except for the eerie yellow glow put forth by the flickering torches upon the great temple and other nearby towering buildings. Over the months since Gilmreth had been awoken, Jalene, Storn, and Baelen had designed a ritual that was followed rigidly for all sacrifices to the dragon.

  At the base of the temple hundreds of temple guards, dressed smartly in black with a red dragon insignia on their breasts stood guard, separating the milling crowd from the temple. In another area close to the temple, young boys tended the fires and the cooking. The savory smell of roasted meat and baked breads permeated the air. Hundreds more dedicated temple guards surrounded this area. They were responsible for keeping the hungry populace away from the grandiose feast until after the sacrifice.

  Halfway up the temple upon a small balcony two red robed priests stood, slowly beating large base drums, calling the people of Draydon to the temple. The drums’ slow and steady rhythmic beat echoed through the city.

  “The people now come to the temple as soon as they are called,” Storm stated with a brief satisfied smirk splitting his normally expressionless face. “More applicants flock daily to the temple to serve as priests and guards. I have set up a rigorous testing system to ensure that only those we find acceptable pass.”

  “Excellent, Storn,” replied Jalene, looking up expectantly into the night, her breathing quickening as she sensed Gilmreth's rapid approach. She felt more alive, more intense whenever the dragon was near. It was as if they were connected, and perhaps they were through the Stone of Loraine. “I only want the best applicants to fill the ranks of the priests and guards.”

  Only men and women who were totally dedicated to Jalene, with a willingness to obey her unquestionably, and yes, even give up their lives for her, were allowed into the two prestigious orders. “Command your priests to take up their positions, the dragon approaches!” she ordered with a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.

  Nodding, Storn turned and barked quick orders to the two long ranks of priests standing behind them. Instantly, the ranks broke as the priests went quickly to form a lengthy, unbroken line along the edge of the temple platform. The priests looked out over the assembled crowd.

  The priests had long since learned that any command from Daes was to be obeyed immediately and without question. Those who hesitated or questioned his decisions often found themselves part of the next sacrifice, or mysteriously vanished never to be heard from again. He was utterly ruthless when disobeyed!

  Many of the priests feared Daes even more than Jalene. Jalene was around the temple only occasionally. Daes was there every single day! On numerous occasions, they had been forced to watch as weaker priests were subjugated to grueling ordeals and even torture if Daes was displeased with their progress.

  On two different occasions, the guards had tortured priests who failed to complete their assigned tasks until they died. Daes had watched impassively, the expression on his cold, hard face never wavering. The priests knew that to displease Daes sufficiently could cause them to become one with the dragon. To face Daes or Jalene was one thing, but the dragon was something else entirely!

  Gilmreth would feed upon anyone that Jalene commanded was to die, particularly if Daes reported a weakness in a priest or temple guard that he hadn’t been able to correct using his own highly effective measures. It ensured the two orders stayed properly obedient.

  With a sudden whoosh, Gilmreth appeared in the flickering yellow light above the temple. The crowd swooned in fear and excitement as the dragon circled, his mighty wings stirring the night air above the temple. They gazed up at the dragon, their pulse quickening. A nervous fear held the crowd in its sway as they watched the deadly creature above them.

  A sudden monstrous roar sounded, and dragon fire burst forth to rage upward into the night sky, its red glow slowly vanishing as Gilmreth alighted atop the temple. An abrupt, fearsome quiet held the crowd as they stared with fear and rapt fascination at the waiting dragon. The creature was both breathtaking and fearsome to behold. Its cold eyes stared down at the crowd, finally coming to rest on Jalene.

  Jalene looked triumphantly at Gilmreth standing on the temple platform, waiting for his feeding. He was the symbol of her power, of her ability to extract vengeance upon anyone that resisted her. Jalene felt near omnipotent in the presence of the dragon.

  Raising the scepter which held the Stone of Loraine up high, she concentrated briefly, causing a pulsing, ominous red glow to emit from the temple walls. The large stone dragons on the edge of the temple platform seemed to take on a spectral life of their own, their eyes glowing with a fearsome ethereal red light.

  The crowd stepped back, caught up in the fear and the excitement of the moment at what was occurring on top of the temple. The great drums continued their eerie cadence, almost like a giant heart beating slowly and methodically.

  As the red glow built up, Storn nodded commandingly to Baelen. Baelen turned and marched to the stairs, which led down into the heart of the temple. Looking down the stairs, he motioned to the men waiting below.

  Two priests and four guards appeared bringing two shackled men. Baelen talked briefly with the guards, giving them their final instructions. There could be no mistakes with the sacrifice. Baelen, finished with his last minute instructions, looked nervously toward the dragon.

  The guards, using long and wicked looking knives, prodded the two men until they stood at the edge of the temple platform above the crowd. A sudden excited roar of anticipation erupted from the waiting multitude upon seeing the two men, knowing what lay ahead.

  The men were dressed in yellow robes signifying they were criminals in the eyes of the temple for defying Jalene’s rule. The two men were shackled quickly to the temple platform by short chains and left to stand alone and trembling before Gilmreth. The men looked up in horror at the waiting dragon, knowing their lives were just about over. They had only scant moments left to live. The dragon looked expectantly toward Jalene, waiting.

  Jalene stepped up to the edge of the temple platform, looking out over the crowd, which quieted upon seeing the strange, enigmatic woman who controlled their lives.

  “These two men are guilty of stealing food from the temple!” her voice rang out coldly. “The penalty for stealing from the temple is death! Behold the wrath of the dragon! Behold Gilmreth!”

  Turning, Jalene sent a quick mental command to Gilmreth, her eyes glazed over with anticipation. She always enjoyed sacrificing men, perhaps because they were the source of her painful childhood memories. She closed her eyes, linking her mind with Gilmreth’s. It was as if she were the dragon. She could feel his hunger and burning desire to feed upon the helpless victims below. Her heart raced, and her breath came in quick, thready gasps as she gazed down at the two shackled terrified men through Gilmreth’s eyes.

  Gilmreth held the two men frozen with his eyes, like birds helpless in the gaze of a deadly viper. Folding his wings about his two victims, Gilmreth’s head darted down. A hollow dreadful scream echoed atop the temple, followed shortly by a second. A deathly stillness held the crowd for a long moment, the dragon’s head hidden beneath his wings as he fed upon his helpless sacrifices.

  Finally, raising his head, the dragon stared at Jalene with his yellow, fiery red eyes glowing demandingly. This was but a beginning. The dragon wanted more, much more. The burning hunger still gnawed at the dragon’s heart. He looked about the platform for more victims, ones that would satisfy and quell his burning need. This aching, burning hunger was with him almost constantly.

  A loud, excited roar erupted from the crowd as the dragon’s head appeared, confirming the two men had been sacrificed. Jalene could hear the excited crowd, which had turned into a hysterical, blood crazed mob.

  She released her mind link with the dragon, feeling her body sway from the after effects of the intimate link. The link with Gil
mreth was so consuming, so satisfying in the perverted pleasure it gave Jalene.

  Nodding at Baelen, the next sacrifice was brought forth: a beautiful young woman dressed in a flowing white silk robe. A look of joyful eagerness and anticipation covered her youthful face. The woman walked willingly between the two priests. Jalene had used the Stone of Loraine on the woman earlier, along with Baelen’s new drug. It was relatively easy to control her mind and plant the suggestion that caused her to desire almost lustfully to become Gilmreth’s sacrifice.

  Jalene had learned that when the sacrifice went willingly, almost reverently, to the dragon, the crowd became caught up in the rapture of the moment, working themselves up into a heated frenzy, caught up in the blood lust. Already, people wondered why so many young women, over the past few months had so willingly sacrificed themselves. It surrounded the ritual with even more mystique.

  Little did they know that Jalene had used the Stone of Loraine to encourage suitable candidates to step forward, to volunteer for the sacrifice. Even her priests were unaware of this aspect of her power. Only Storn and Baelen knew what was actually being done to the young women to make them act as they did.

  The two priests stopped and the woman continued forward without any evidence of hesitation. She walked over to the edge of the temple platform, stepping through the row of priests, smiling out over the crowd as she gazed down.

  An excited quiet fell upon the watching throngs as they saw the resplendent young woman, dressed in white, standing unafraid above them. Turning, she walked without hesitation toward the waiting dragon. Coming to a stop beneath Gilmreth, she went down to her knees, bowing deeply to the dragon above her. Then, slowly, she raised her arms up in supplication, waiting to become one with the great dragon, desire burning in her heart to join her pure, unblemished soul with the dragon’s tainted dark one.

  Her heart pounding with excitement, Jalene turned to watch the sacrifice. She could hear the growing excitement from the crowd as their frenzy grew. She could feel the desire, the ravenous hunger radiating from Gilmreth. For a brief moment, it was almost as if she were the dragon. Jalene held her breath, savoring the moment. Even without the mind link she could feel Gilmreth’s desire, his burning hunger.