Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  The three stopped, staring at the massive white stone temple in amazement. It was lit by hundreds of burning torches and braziers. An ominous flickering yellow and red glow seemed to play nebulously over its white stone surface. The temple dominated everything around it. High above them on the edge of the temple platform, four massive stone dragons with glowing red eyes stared threateningly out over the growing crowd. It seemed as if they were keeping a cold, vigilant watch on the shuffling crowd below.

  “My God, the woman must be mad to have built this!” said Damon, staring with incredulity at everything about them. His eyes coming to a rest on the massive temple that dominated the landscape, realizing the enormity of what had been done just to construct such a structure.

  “She has worked these people like slaves. That’s the only way she could have done all of this,” commented Aldin, gazing at the temple, wondering where inside the massive structure Dresdia was being held.

  He knew that Dresdia had to be scared to death. They had to get to her as quickly as possible. She had always been frightened of Gilmreth. He could well imagine how scared she must be at this very moment.

  “We need to be careful,” Damon warned in a quiet, cautious voice, his eyes looking about examining the people around them. “There are a lot of Jalene’s priests and guards mixed in with this crowd.”

  “We need to get to Dresdia,” urged Aldin, gazing up at the temple. He didn’t know how much more time they had, but he knew from the growing crowd it couldn’t be a lot.

  Lynol stared at the temple knowing what was soon to transpire. That she was going to have to face both Jalene and Gilmreth at the same time there was little doubt. Also possibly Adam Grayson, if he was indeed Storn Daes. She just hoped she was ready and that all of her training had prepared her for what must be done tonight.

  “We need to get inside the temple,” Lynol said in a low voice, glancing at her father and Aldin. Looking at the crowd, she knew it was going to be difficult to push through the mass of people between them and the temple. “We can’t attract anyone’s attention.” Lynol’s hand went instinctively to where her amulet rested under her blouse. She hoped her mother’s amulet would serve her well; that she could fulfill her mother’s wishes.

  Looking carefully about, she could see numerous temple guards and priests roaming through the crowd making sure order was kept. “I’ll weave a minor spell that will make us inconspicuous; perhaps Jalene won’t notice. Stay close to me. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  Lynol hated the necessity of weaving the spell, but she knew she had no choice. It was such a weak spell it might remain undetected. At least she hoped it would. It wouldn’t make them invisible, but no one that looked at them would take notice. Lynol wasn’t concerned about Jalene detecting her use of sorcery. She was worried about Grayson. The sorcerer from the Golden Age would be able to detect her use of sorcery much better than Jalene. Lynol just hoped he wasn’t paying that much attention to the crowd and that it had never occurred to him that someone else might have sorcery powers and try to rescue the captives from Galvin.

  Lynol’s fingers flickered through a rapid series of movements, and to the crowd as they made their way through it they ceased to exist. It took them longer than Lynol wanted to reach the temple. Everyone was standing so close together it was difficult for the three of them to make their way through the crowd. As they grew closer, it was necessary to push through people, almost having to force a path toward the temple. It was all Lynol could do to keep her spell intact. Irate people would look at them and then seem to forget what had just happened.

  Looking up, she could see priests dressed in red gathering at the top of the temple platform. Very soon, Gilmreth would be arriving. She knew by now Dresdia had to be scared to death, wondering if they were going to make it in time. Lynol desperately wanted to use her abilities to let Dresdia know they were here, but a spell that powerful used this close to the temple would almost surely alert both Jalene and Grayson.

  Lynol wondered how she would ever repay Dresdia for the horror she had put herself through. They didn’t have a lot of time. Don’t worry Dresdia, Lynol thought determinedly, I’m coming, I won’t let them harm you. At last, they reached the temple itself and slipped inside the heavily guarded entrance, Lynol’s spell allowing them to pass by the heavily armed guards unnoticed and unchallenged.

  “Now what?” asked Aldin, breathing a sigh of relief after passing in front of the watching guards, looking around the massive hallway they had entered. Other hallways and rooms branched off to the sides. “We need to get to the top of the temple.” Aldin was beginning to become even more concerned for Dresdia’s safety. This was taking too long. They hadn’t counted on the huge crowd and the time needed to pass through it. “We need to find Dresdia quickly before Gilmreth gets here!”

  “Follow me,” said Lynol, starting down the hallway. Lynol searched for and found a small, vacant room. “Wait here, I want to change into my sorceress clothing.”

  “Do we have time for that?” asked Aldin, wanting to reach Dresdia as quickly as possible. He was getting impatient. Gilmreth could be here at any moment!

  “I want every advantage I can when I face Jalene,” replied Lynol, knowing Aldin wanted to hurry. “It won’t take but a minute.”

  She wanted to look as imposing as possible when she faced Jalene. Anything that might startle the sorceress for an instant might give Lynol the edge she needed. Lynol hurriedly pulled the small backpack off her shoulders that contained her sorceress clothes. Rapidly stripping, Lynol quickly changed.

  Going back into the hallway, Lynol used a very weak spell to examine the temple, and after a moment she found a way that would allow them to reach the temple platform. She just hoped no one had noticed her use of sorcery inside the temple. They were running out of time and it was necessary for her to take some calculated risks. “Follow me,” she said, finding the stairs that led to the temple platform far above them.

  Going down the hallway, Lynol stopped as they reached the stairs. Two heavily armed guards stood threateningly at the entrance. Weaving a quick spell, two blue beams of light flashed out from her amulet, striking the two guards. They collapsed to the floor, knocked unconscious. The time for caution was gone, they needed to hurry!

  “Was that safe to do?” Damon asked, concerned, knowing that Lynol hadn’t wanted to use her sorcery in the temple.

  “I don’t know, but we’re running out of time!” Lynol knew that what she had just done could very well have alerted both Jalene and Adam to her presence. “We need to get to the top quickly; follow me.”

  As they started up the stairs, they heard a roar from the crowd outside followed by an unearthly foreboding silence. She knew with growing apprehension that something must be going on at the top of the temple. Lynol suspected it involved Gilmreth.

  -

  Jalene stood at the edge of the temple platform, taking her customary place above the crowd. Storn Daes joined her, standing slightly behind the sorceress, his face wearing its normal emotionless mask. Glancing at Storn, Jalene felt uneasy. The man seemed so confident, so sure of himself. What did he know that she could possibly be overlooking? She would see how calm Storn was when the dragon slowly drained the life energy from him. Tonight Storn would meet his end!

  A windless hush surrounded the temple as the crowd saw Jalene standing commandingly above them. The moon above the temple shone weakly overhead under a canopy of brilliant stars. Everyone focused his or her attention on the woman in black who had held their lives in the palm of her hand for what seemed like many long years. They were waiting expectantly to hear her words and for the ceremony to begin.

  Jalene looked at the packed crowds in the huge square and people jammed onto the roofs of the massive buildings that faced the temple. There were also people within the tall towers that ringed the square. Even the wide streets leading to the temple were packed as far as her eyes could see.

  “People of Draydon,” her voice
rang out clearly, coldly, and with authority. “Tonight we offer our greatest sacrifice ever to the dragon, a member of an ancient family that was an enemy of the dragon who many long centuries ago inflicted much pain upon the great dragon Gilmreth!”

  An excited buzzing noise began coming from the crowd; an animated stirring as they realized that tonight’s sacrifice was going to be different. Numerous tables piled high with enticing food in front of the temple bore quick testimony to that. Many young boys, clad in simple temple garb, turned whole calves on spits as well as sheep and pigs along a great bank of burning fires.

  This would be a feast such as the city had never seen before. Kegs of ale and fine wines were piled high on wagons setting next to the tables. The celebration for this sacrifice would last far into the night. While most of the people hated the sacrifices, they had come to accept them as a way of life; a way of survival. No one dared oppose Jalene or the dragon.

  The enticing food, the threats of the guards, and the priests had made the people realize that it was easier to sound supportive of Jalene during the sacrifices than to oppose her. To say something a priest or guard might overhear was tantamount to inviting disaster and drawing attention to oneself. A dissenting voice could easily result in that individual being sacrificed to the dragon.

  “A member of this very family was responsible for placing the great dragon into a deep sleep for over a thousand years.” Taking a deep breath, Jalene looked out over the hushed crowd she held spellbound listening to her every word. “Tonight we sacrifice the last daughter of the Sylvar family! We offer as a sacrifice Lynol Sylvar, last of the great Sylvar line, direct descendent of Malcon Sylvar, the sorcerer who placed Gilmreth into his long captive sleep!”

  A loud roar erupted from the crowd of excitement, anticipation, and dread. Even in Draydon and some of the surrounding villages, the name Malcon Sylvar was legendary, as was the name of Gilmreth, both passed down through the generations in fables. The power that Jalene projected held the massive crowd enthralled, her own excitement spilling over into the waiting expectant multitude.

  Taking up the Stone of Loraine, Jalene raised the scepter up high into the night air, concentrating. A red nebulous glow built up around the temple. The stone dragons on the edge of the temple platform seemed to take on a life of their own, their eyes glowing with an inner, lambent fire.

  Silence erupted from the crowd as they saw the pulsing red radiance. They knew the significance of what it implied and the foul creature that was being summoned.

  Off to the side, Adam Grayson watched with a satisfied smile on his face as the final part of his plan fell into place. The great base drums on the temple began to beat; sounding out their soulful cadence like a mighty heartbeat.

  -

  In far off Firestorm Mountain, Gilmreth stirred as he sensed the urgent summons. The promise of sacrifice and a special feeding roused the dragon to sluggish wakefulness. He was still satiated from his previous feeding of a few nights back, but the promise of a waiting sacrifice enticed the dragon. His yellowish red eyes peering through the gloom, Gilmreth took to wing and flew down the long, silent tunnel. In moments, he launched himself into the dark night sky with powerful beats of his wings, flying unerringly toward the distant temple and his waiting victims.

  -

  Jalene was satisfied Gilmreth was coming. The steady drumbeat now thrust its deathly cadence over the waiting crowd as the nervous excitement rapidly began to build. The square throbbed with a cacophony of excited and expectant voices.

  Baelen appeared at the top of the steps, leading the temple priests and guards bringing the sacrifices to the top of the temple platform; four young, innocent women and Lynol Sylvar! Jalene smiled inwardly as she saw the Sylvar woman appear last, a look of unbridled defiance still upon her face. None of the women had been drugged for tonight’s ritual sacrifice. She wanted the Sylvar woman to realize the full horror that faced her as the others were sacrificed first. Jalene wanted to hear her scream in terror before Gilmreth consumed her.

  Jalene’s eyes glazed over with anticipation as her excitement of what was about to transpire rose. Just the thought of how intense the mind link with Gilmreth would be tonight made her shiver in wanton anticipation. For once Jalene would indulge. She would enjoy the link throughout all the sacrifices, including Storn’s. He would be the final sacrifice. Tonight she would become one with the dragon in mind and soul!

  The drum continued to beat steadily as the crowd looked up expectantly into the dark night sky. For long minutes they waited, looking for a sign from the approaching dragon. A bright red flame and angry monstrous roar suddenly split the night air far above them. Gilmreth had arrived! The crowd erupted with cries of anticipation and trepidation with the arrival of the dragon.

  Upon the temple platform, Adam Grayson watched the coming of the dragon, looking with a secretive, satisfied smile of completion at Jalene. Soon my dear, he thought, you will indeed know what it means to become one with the dragon. Your life will come full circle. Watching the dragon approach, Adam began mentally to prepare. Unseen by Jalene, Adam’s fingers began weaving a complicated pattern in the air at his side. Red spectral fire seemed to dance ominously at his fingertips. He waited with growing expectancy.

  With a loud roar, the dragon spread his wings wide, landing in a rush of cold wind upon the center of the temple platform. A sudden silence filled the air as the drums stopped, and the anxious crowd held its collective breath.

  Turning, Jalene looked expectantly at the dragon and then glanced over at Storn. Jalene’s cold smile vanished from her face and the night air seemed to take on a deadly foreboding chill. The man wore a wolfish grin of satisfaction. A merciless laugh came from deep within his throat, which echoed clearly across the platform. To Jalene it was an open challenge to her authority, to her power. This was something she hadn’t expected.

  Flushing with anger, Jalene raised the glowing scepter threateningly. It was the symbol of her power. It was the Stone of Loraine! The greatest amulet from the Golden Age glowed heatedly red in her hand as she stared angrily at Storn. He would be on the receiving end of its awesome power.

  Jalene’s eyes narrowed. The priest stood mockingly before her, unafraid. How dare he challenge her tonight! Tonight of all nights, Jalene thought, her anger turning crimson. It was finally time for Storn to pay the ultimate price, for him to become one with the dragon. She would sacrifice Storn first and then the girls. Yes, Storn would quickly know the full wrath of her anger.

  “You dare to challenge me now!” Jalene cried angrily, her voice rising. “For your blasphemy you shall face Gilmreth!”

  Her fingers began to move rapidly as she formed a spell to compel Storn to go to the dragon. It was time for him to die; to be sacrificed. She cast the spell and stood shocked as Storn just stood there, a cold laugh passing his lips. The red glow surrounded him and then faded, having no effect. Her greatest fear had been realized. Her sorcery was powerless against Storn!

  “You weak brained fool,” Storn said contemptuously, raising his right hand and gesturing toward the Stone of Loraine. “Did you really think your sorcery would work on me?”

  With utter shock, Jalene felt the scepter ripped from her hand, flying unerringly into Daes’s. “No!” she screamed, her eyes red with rage and fear growing deep within her. “You can’t be doing this! Who are you?”

  “You should know,” Storn replied coldly, an evil smirk on his face.

  “I am the only sorcerer, there is no other!” The bitterness and rampant rage in Jalene’s voice echoed across the temple platform.

  “No, you’re not,” replied Storn, shaking his head slightly and gazing scornfully at Jalene.

  A look of bewilderment slowly spread across her face as she gazed at Storn and the Stone of Loraine, which he now held so confidently. Jalene’s hands dropped to her side as she stared at him, her mind in turmoil. She knew that without the Stone of Loraine she couldn’t control Gilmreth. She glanced at the dragon,
noticing his eyes were focused on her!

  Baelen and the other priests stood shocked, surprised, and frightened by the sudden power struggle between Daes and Jalene. Daes now held Jalene’s scepter! The priests stepped back, unsure of what was unfolding before them. They didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire between the two. How was Daes managing to stand up to the sorceress? Why did Jalene seem suddenly impotent, not able to control the High Priest?

  The crowd below them had become utterly quiet. Jalene’s High Priest was challenging the woman that had so cruelly ruled them for the past few years. Word quickly passed through the crowd.

  Adam stood silently, a demonic smile upon his cruel face, pointing the scepter at Jalene. A fiery red glow suddenly surrounded her. Her body began moving in jerking steps as she crossed the temple platform. She moved slowly, almost mechanically, toward the waiting dragon.

  “Now you shall know what you have sent so many other innocents to,” Storn said without a trace of remorse or mercy in his voice.

  With all of her power, she tried to resist the spell she was under. She fought each step, breathing in agony, a roaring fire burning in her mind. She tried different spells; all were useless. How was Storn doing this? How could he command the Stone of Loraine? With horrifying, dawning comprehension, she realized just how he had manipulated everything, how she had been used. He was a sorcerer! A much stronger sorcerer than she could ever have hoped to be. Now, at the end, she realized how she’d been duped, how the man had played her and taken advantage of her.

  With final desperation, Jalene tried to influence Gilmreth with her mind, to link with the dragon, but to no avail. Without the Stone of Loraine to focus her sorcery, she couldn’t interact with him. The dragon’s mind was blocked, sealed off from her commands. She couldn’t establish the necessary mind link. Storn hadn’t missed anything. Her own powers were too weak to break the powerful spell she was under.