Gilmreth the Awakening

by Raymond L. Weil

  Looking up, she saw Gilmreth’s yellowish red eyes staring down malevolently into hers. The dragon’s mouth was open, his razor sharp teeth ready to tear her body to shreds and drink the life force from her. Gilmreth’s foul acrid breath spread about her. With a sudden understanding, Jalene realized she’d never controlled the dragon. The dragon had only used her for its own ends, just as Storn had! Jalene felt all of her plans and all of her dreams come crashing down around her.

  “Goodbye, Jalene,” Adam said smugly, his eyes laughing mockingly. “Now you will see what it means to become one with the dragon. You should never have stayed a virgin.”

  “Who are you?” she screamed desperately, her eyes narrowing to slits of black fury at her helplessness. “Why are you doing this? How are you doing this?”

  A cruel, calculating smile split the face of Adam. “Haven’t you guessed, little one? I’m your father. I’m the one who raped your mother and set you upon this path so many long years ago. I’m the one you inherited your sorcery from.”

  For a moment, a stab of anger against fate made Jalene clench her teeth. Strength drained from her body as the horror of her childhood came roaring down upon her. Gasps of agony racked her as the dreadful memories flooded uncontrollably back. Childhood memories of beatings, hunger, guilt, and hatred until she was reduced to moaning mindlessly like an animal. She collapsed in shock to the hard stone of the temple platform, her body twitching uncontrollably. Weakly, her eyes glazing over, she stared at Storn. “Father?” she mumbled incoherently, her mind finally going.

  With an emotionless nod, Adam looked up at the dragon. “You may feed now,” he commanded softly, the Stone of Loraine glowing brightly in his hand and its red glow playing over the dragon.

  Gilmreth’s massive head lowered as he folded his wings about his victim. There was no scream, no pleading for mercy, as Gilmreth’s teeth tore into Jalene. For long moments, the dragon fed upon his victim, draining the sweet, enticing energy from Jalene’s body. To Gilmreth the feeding was extremely powerful and alluring. This was his revenge for the pain he had suffered, the pain she had caused!

  Adam looked around the temple platform. Everyone was quiet; stunned! The priests remained motionless.

  Baelen stood with the captives, his mouth open in bewildered, frightened shock. No one understood what just happened. He was the first to realize that Daes was now their new leader. Jalene was gone!

  The people in the square and upon the buildings began to murmur as they realized what Daes had done. The dignitaries in the lofty towers had seen the entire event unfold clearly. Already, word was being passed rapidly in the street. Jalene was gone, sacrificed unexpectedly to Gilmreth by the High Priest. How had he overcome Jalene? Even now, he held her glowing scepter of power in his hands. What could they expect from their new ruler? Everyone waited expectantly, nervously.

  “People of Draydon,” Adam’s voice rang out like iron. “I am your new ruler. I and I alone now command the dragon. The sacrifices shall continue.” Turning, Adam saw satisfyingly that Gilmreth was through with Jalene. All that remained was an insignificant red smear marring the perfect white stone.

  Motioning toward the guards, the Sylvar woman was brought forward. In moments, she was shackled to the temple platform beneath the waiting dragon. Adam would sacrifice the blonde first, followed by the others immediately afterward. He would finally have his long awaited revenge on Jason Sylvar.

  Adam walked slowly over to the dragon to stare up unafraid into its waiting eyes. “Hello, old friend,” he spoke softly, projecting his thoughts and commands clearly into the dragon’s mind. You are now mine to command, as you have always been. The Stone of Loraine has finally become powerful enough that even you can’t resist.”

  In Gilmreth’s mind he remembered earlier times, ones almost lost in antiquity, times in the underground lair when Gilmreth was young, when this man, much younger then, had stood outside his lair looking in.

  “Now, Lynol Sylvar,” spoke Adam, turning his attention to the woman shackled to the stone platform before him. “Your family long ago prevented my ascension to power during the Golden Age. Jason Sylvar himself forced me into hiding. Now my revenge against your family will be complete. With your sacrifice, Gilmreth will be mine to command forever! The great and mighty Sylvars will be no more!” Adam raised the Stone of Loraine high above his head, its ruby red light beginning to glow brightly, the entire temple platform glowing in a bright red radiance, the guards and priests bowing down to their new leader.

  Dresdia looked up terrified at the dragon; she realized that Lynol hadn’t made it. She fought down panic, a hollow feeling of fear as she gazed up into the ghastly eyes of the dragon. Oh God, she thought in panic as she realized she was about to die. Let it be quick! Her greatest nightmare was about to happen. The dreams she’d suffered through night after night, dreams of a deadly dragon and her as a sacrifice to it were about to come true. She closed her eyes and awaited her death.

  A brilliant light suddenly turned the world blue-white for an instant, and thunder roared so close it seemed simultaneous. The noise shook the air. A massive bolt of blue-white lightning struck Gilmreth in the side, knocking the dragon back away from Dresdia. An enormous shockwave slammed into everyone, hammering them, blasting away at the temple. Dresdia and Adam were flung painfully to the hard, unyielding white stone of the temple platform.

  Shaking her head trying to clear her mind of the pain, Dresdia opened her eyes and raised her head to see Lynol, Damon, and her father standing at the entrance to the temple platform, the guards and priests unconscious at their feet. The other captives were hurriedly vanishing down the stone stairs. Dresdia allowed herself to feel hope; Lynol had arrived! She’d come to rescue her! But who was the man who’d conquered Jalene and then sacrificed her to the dragon? She didn’t understand what was going on.

  From Lynol’s outstretched hands, another bolt of blue-white lightning reached out to strike Gilmreth on the chest. Again, the night sky turned into intolerable glare as a second bolt detonated against the dragon’s left wing, blasting the city of Draydon with unbearable light. The second shock wave hit, knocking everyone else on the platform to the hard stone surface. Lynol was drawing the power for the lightning directly from her amulet and not from a storm.

  Screams could be heard from the frightened people in the streets as the noise and light blasted above them. One of the stone dragons broke loose and fell to the ground far below, shattering. The crowd in the square tried to move back away from the temple to get out of harm’s way.

  With a roar of pain and rage, the dragon leaped into the air, trying to escape its deadly tormentor. Gilmreth recognized the woman as his attacker from several nights before. Never had the dragon felt such acute pain! Gilmreth beat his wings savagely trying to rise high enough into the air so he could turn and blast the temple with dragon fire. Before he could turn, another massive blue-white bolt reached out and struck his back between his wings, followed almost instantly by another. With a cry of anger and frustration, the dragon turned and flew off toward Firestorm Mountain and the deep safety of his lair.

  Adam pulled himself painfully back to his feet, feeling stunned and confused. He glanced upward at the fleeing dragon. Someone had used sorcery against the dragon; extraordinarily powerful sorcery. Adam turned angrily, looking at the apparition in front of him, his eyes widening in utter amazement.

  A young woman dressed in a white blouse trimmed in blue with a short blue cape hanging from her shoulders stood before him. The glowing blue amulet nestled between her breasts proved she was a sorceress. All of his guards and priests who had been close to her now lay unconscious on the cold stone of the temple platform. The rest had been knocked down by the powerful blasts from the woman’s lightning. Two other older men stood behind her with grim determined faces staring toward him.

  “Cathy Matheson,” Adam uttered amazed, as Lynol turned to face him and he saw her face clearly. The recognition was immediate. Wit
h dawning comprehension and gathering his composure, he continued. “You too were in stasis. Jason must have put you to sleep just in case I escaped! Amazing that he could have had such foresight. I thought I’d covered my tracks better.”

  Several times earlier tonight, before the sacrifices were to start Adam thought he had felt someone casting weak spells. He’d assumed it was Jalene and hadn’t been concerned. Now he realized he should have been more on guard. He’d made a careless, overconfident mistake!

  “I’m not Cathy Matheson, Adam,” replied Lynol, correcting him, letting his name roll off her tongue so there would be no doubt that she knew who he was. There was no question that the man before her was indeed Adam Grayson. Only Adam could have possessed the power to so easily overcome Jalene and sacrifice her to Gilmreth.

  They’d watched it all from the stairs, which opened up onto the platform just out of sight as the entire scene unfolded before them. Lynol had hoped she wouldn’t come face to face with Adam. She now knew that Daes was indeed the deadly sorcerer spoken of in her mother’s diary. She wondered worriedly if she had the strength to stand up to a sorcerer from the Golden Age. He had vanquished Jalene seemingly without effort. How powerful was he? Her gaze wandered over to Dresdia, who was struggling to sit up. She couldn’t let Dresdia down; not after everything she’d been through!

  “Cathy was my mother, and yes, Jason suspected that you survived,” Lynol replied warily, keeping a cautious eye on Adam. “I’m here to end what you began so many distant years ago. You caused the Worldfire and I will not allow you to bring it back. Your reign ends tonight!”

  Adam was silent, carefully measuring his opponent. The blue crystal she wore made him feel extremely uneasy. It had all the signs of Lorain’s handiwork. Could it possibly be stronger than the Stone of Loraine, and just how much did Cathy Matheson’s daughter actually know about sorcery? He’d been taught by the best. He knew much of the science from that nearly forgotten time. Surely she couldn’t be more powerful than he; after all, he’d been the most powerful of the original group.

  He remembered Cathy had been several years younger than he was and almost as strong in her skills toward the end. If this was truly her daughter, then where was Cathy? Was she hiding in the shadows, biding her time to strike? Was it both of them he had to face? He had to assume this young woman had been well trained or she wouldn’t be standing here before him. He didn’t like surprises. He needed more information.

  “So you’re Cathy Matheson’s daughter,” he said softly, measuring his words and looking for any sign of weakness. The resemblance was uncanny. There was no doubt this young woman was telling the truth. If she was indeed Cathy’s daughter, then he had to assume that Cathy had trained her, and if she had then this young woman could be extremely powerful indeed. He wondered just how powerful her abilities were. “Where is Cathy?”

  “That’s no concern of yours,” answered Lynol, keeping a watchful eye on Grayson. She knew that he was stalling, trying to find out just how much she knew.

  “We could rule together,” he offered at last, exploring his options and trying to learn more. “With what I know of the science of the Golden Age we could turn this world into a utopia. Just look at the city around us. There is equipment in the underground complex we would have access to, and science and technology this world hasn’t seen in nearly three thousand years. You could sit at my side and rule as my queen. No one could resist us. The world would be ours to shape as we see fit!”

  “I’m afraid not, Grayson,” refused Lynol, shaking her head, her left hand moving to grasp her amulet. “You caused the world to be destroyed once before. Billions of innocent people died because of you, and the dragons were driven insane. You destroyed the dream of your generation, the creation of a beautiful, peaceful world where sorcery could be used to help humanity.”

  “They didn’t understand,” Adam replied, his eyes narrowing as he realized this girl knew what had happened. “If they would have listened, no one would have died.”

  “But they did die, Adam,” replied Lynol, shaking her head. “There can be no future in a world in which you exist. Look at all the harm you have done here in Draydon! Jalene, Gilmreth, this temple, it’s insane! The people who have died or have been sacrificed to Gilmreth! It’s time you were brought to justice for bringing the Worldfire and what you’ve done to these people. Your crimes against humanity must be paid. Your lust for power ended!”

  Adam stood quietly for a moment, eyeing the young woman, thoughtfully weighing his options. Her words meant little to him, other than to show that she was highly knowledgeable about what had happened in his younger days. “I was very young and naïve then,” Adam replied in a calm voice.

  “That’s no excuse for what you did,” Lynol countered.

  “I seriously underestimated the reaction from our government,” Adam replied with a scowl spreading across his face, remembering the past. “I didn’t realize how opposed many in the government had been to the project from the very beginning. Some considered us an abomination, something that needed to be wiped out. I couldn’t allow that!”

  “Jason and my mother would never have allowed that to happen,” Lynol responded in a clear voice. “They would have protected those in the complex; something could have been worked out. But you didn’t give them the chance!”

  Adam briefly pondered this young woman’s words. Cathy had told her daughter much of what had occurred. She could indeed be a formidable opponent. She’d already demonstrated her power against Gilmreth. The massive bolts of blue-white lightning she had cast at the dragon were most impressive. Nearly as powerful as what he could have done; maybe even more so.

  “You should have listened to Jason,” Lynol continued. “He tried to get you to stop your rebellion.”

  "No, eventually he would have given in to the government,” replied Adam, recalling those days long ago. “I couldn’t live like that. We weren’t destined to have our powers denied!”

  “So you killed the world you knew!” Lynol stated grimly, her left hand touching her amulet, feeling its comforting warmth and hidden power.

  “They could have given in to our demands,” Adam stated with a chill in his voice. “They could have let us live in peace in the area around the mountain.”

  “It ends tonight, Adam,” Lynol responded, her light blue eyes meeting Adam’s dark blue ones. She hoped she had the strength for what was coming. She knew Adam would never surrender.

  “Do you actually think that you can stand up against me?” his voice growled, caressed, and burned hotter than flame. “Not even the greatest sorcerers of the Golden Age itself could defeat me. I am not a naive young boy any longer. The years have brought maturity and knowledge. You can’t defeat me. Join me or you will die on this platform, on this temple where you now stand!”

  “No, Adam, I will never join you. Your evil must be stopped!” replied Lynol, fortifying herself for the conflict she knew was about to come. Mentally she connected with her amulet as her mother’s diary had taught her. She became one with her crystal as she felt its power flow into her.

  With a suddenness that almost surprised Lynol, Adam struck and a fierce bolt of red lightning leaped toward her. It exploded harmlessly in front of her, stopped by a beam of radiant blue light from her own crystal. Lynol launched her own lightning toward Grayson, the blue-white bolt exploding harmlessly as it was met by a fiery red beam from the Stone of Loraine.

  This duel would be fought between her blue crystal amulet and the Stone of Loraine. The two most powerful amulets ever created by man would determine mankind’s future. Three powerful bolts of red lightning struck beside Lynol in rapid succession, each deflected by her crystal. The temple platform shook from the force of the massive bolts. Cracks appeared in the stone. The air itself seemed to burn from the passage of the lightning.

  “Join me!” cried Grayson, concentrating, his face turning dark. “It makes no sense for us to fight one another. We are the only ones that know th
e real truth, the only ones that can bring back the Golden Age! The only ones that know about the complex beneath Firestorm Mountain and what it contains!”

  You don’t know everything about the complex, Lynol thought. If Adam knew about the sleepers, they would be in deadly danger. Most of them had opposed Adam in the war, and he would doubtlessly deal harshly with them. No, he could never know about what actually lay hidden from him beneath Firestorm Mountain.

  “No, Adam,” answered Lynol, shaking her head slightly. “Surrender and I will return you to stasis.”

  “Never!” Adam roared in anger and defiance. “This is my world now, I created it and I will rule it!”

  Lightning roared across the temple platform, brilliant red and blue-white bolts blasting across the night sky, illuminating the city, each powerful bolt met by its equal and opposite number. Upon the platform the two stood, their powers equally balanced. For long minutes, the amulets dueled their owners merely spectators to the awesome power being used.

  The buildings in the city trembled beneath the mighty onslaught. Splinters of white stone began to break free and rain down upon the panicking crowd below. The young boys tending the fires broke and ran, leaving their charges to burn upon the spits unattended. A massive stone broke loose and fell into one of the fires, sending a shower of sparks and ashes high up into the night air.

  Adam realized that his lightning wasn’t going to defeat this young sorceress of Cathy Matheson. She was much stronger than he’d dreamed possible. It had to be that damn blue amulet she was wearing, Lorain’s revenge reaching down through the ages to seek retribution for his use of the Stone of Loraine so long ago.

  Reaching down into his memory, he called up an incantation that harnessed a truly powerful spell, one that he knew there was no defense against and hadn’t dared to use in ages past inside the great complex beneath Firestorm Mountain lest he bring down the entire mountain.

  A dark ruby red beam flashed out from the Stone of Loraine to be met surprisingly by a brilliant blue one from Lynol’s crystal. The two powerful forces tugged and pushed against one another. A crackling, sparking noise crashed on top of the temple platform. The top of the temple took on a glow brighter than the afternoon sun. Cascades of blue and red energy flowed down from the platform.