Firestorm Mountain

by Raymond L. Weil

  “What is it?” asked Gail as the server set two glasses of water in front of them and a large mug full of a dark liquid in front of Karl.

  Gail took a hesitant sip of the water, finding it cool. It was obviously well water as it wasn’t purified.

  Karl took a long drink from his mug and his face broke into a smile. “Whisky! At least they still make whiskey. I can get by with that.”

  Gail looked over at Joshua. “The look on your face indicates bad news. What is it?”

  Joshua took a sip of his water and frowned pushing it away. “There’s a Sylvar living on a farm west of here. Her name is Lynol and she is supposedly a very strong sorceress. The locals are talking about some type of battle she had with another sorcerer and sorceress three or four years ago in the town of Draydon. Supposedly Gilmreth was involved as well. To make a long story short, she managed to defeat all three of them.”

  Gail’s face turned pale. “Can she be that powerful?”

  The server returned with their food, placing a large bowl of steaming stew in front of Gail and two large steaks with a pile of potatoes on the plates in front of the two men. She also brought a large loaf of freshly baked bread.

  Joshua took a bite of his steak and slowly nodded his head. “At least the food is decent. As to this Sylvar woman, all three of us know what it took to control Gilmreth. I can’t do it and neither can Karl without using an obedience collar.”

  “These two sorcerers this Sylvar woman defeated, could one of them have been Adam?”

  Joshua and Karl looked at each other as each considered the question. “That would explain why there’s no sign of him,” said Karl in between bites of his steak.

  “Maybe,” replied Joshua. “I think it might be best for us to finish our food and then head over to that General Store and get some horses and supplies. We need to go to Draydon and find out for sure what happened. Also, if Adam is still around, that’s where he’ll be.”

  “What about the Sylvar woman?” asked Karl as he took anther big drink from his mug.

  Joshua’s eyes narrowed. “For the time being we stay away from her. It might also be best if we limit the amount of sorcery we use on this side of the mountain. She may be able to sense it.”

  The three finished their meal and then paid for it with one of the gold coins. The server took the coin and then returned with several smaller coins to make up the difference of the weight of the gold.

  Gail also asked the server if they could buy some loafs of bread for their trip to Draydon. The server returned with the wrapped bread and Joshua handed over one of the smaller coins from earlier.

  “Let’s go,” said Joshua, standing up. “I want to leave this side of the mountain as soon as we can.”

  They made their way back to the General Store where they saw the storekeeper waiting for them.

  -

  “I hope you enjoyed your meal,” said Addison. “Are you still interested in the horses?”

  “Yes,” replied Joshua. “We’ll need some other supplies as well.”

  “Let’s go back and look at the horses first,” suggested Addison. He couldn’t wait to get rid of the three old horses he had picked out for these strangers. They were costing him more to feed them every day than they were worth.

  Going to the back of the store there was a large corral with a number of horses in it as well as a barn with hay. Three of the horses were already saddled. “Here they are,” said Addison. “All saddled up and ready to go.”

  -

  Joshua looked over at Gail who slowly shook her head. Joshua had to smile. It seemed even in this age there were people who would take advantage of strangers. Well, that wasn’t going to work today. Reaching under his shirt he pulled out his silver amulet on its chain. He made a few gestures and spoke a few key words and the storekeeper’s face suddenly went blank. The storekeeper would now do whatever he was told.

  “Gail, pick us out three good horses and a pack animal.” Joshua knew Gail knew a lot about horses. “While you’re doing that we’ll go into the store and get the supplies we’ll need.”

  -

  An hour later Addison suddenly found himself standing alone in his store. He looked around for the three strangers but didn’t see them anywhere. Going out the back door to the corral he saw the three nags he had picked out earlier for the strangers were still there with their saddles missing. Checking the corral, he saw three of his best horses and two Drendals were gone. Going back into the store, he checked his inventories taking note of what was missing. Feeling frustrated and angry he put his hand in his pocket and felt several hard objects. Pulling them out he found two of the strangers’ gold coins in his hand.

  Sitting down he took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure what had happened or why he couldn’t remember but at least he had been paid. For the time being he decided not to tell anyone about this incident. It reminded him too much of what had happened in the past and that had not turned out well.

  -

  A few miles outside of Galvin, the three strangers were on their way to Draydon.

  “What do you think we’ll find?” asked Gail as she tried to get comfortable in the saddle.

  “Hopefully, Adam,” replied Joshua.

  “If we do, he has some explaining to do,” grunted out Karl. “He should have awoken us shortly after he woke up.”

  Joshua nodded. Karl was right. Something still wasn’t adding up right. Perhaps when they reached Draydon they would find their answers.

  Chapter Three

  Lynol woke up from a terrible nightmare. She was shivering and felt as if a cold wind was blowing over her. Looking at the bedroom window, she saw it was shut.

  “Another nightmare?”

  Lynol lay back down and snuggled closer to Kalvin. “Yes, the same one. Gilmreth awake and hunting for people to feed upon. They seem to be getting worse each night.”

  Kalvin put his arm around Lynol. He could feel her shaking. “It’s just a dream. You checked on the dragon earlier and it’s still asleep. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Then why am I having these dreams? They could be premonitions of what is going to happen in the future. What if my sleeping spell isn’t as strong as Malcon’s?”

  Kalvin didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure what to say.

  “I’m going to talk to Malcon again tomorrow about this. There has to be something wrong on Firestorm Mountain.”

  “Don’t forget, we’re going to see Gwen tomorrow as soon as Dresdia and Kyle get here.”

  Lynol had forgotten. Maybe being around Dresdia and Kyle would help her forget about her fears. Dresdia and her carefree attitude always seemed to cheer her up. Maybe seeing Dresdia was just what she needed.

  “Go back to sleep. We’re safe in bed and no one or anything is going to harm us.”

  Lynol closed her eyes. She could feel Kalvin’s heart beating. It helped to calm her nerves. Maybe she was overreacting.

  -

  Deep beneath Firestorm Mountain in the ancient complex from the Golden Age Gilmreth slept in his pen. At one time there had been numerous pens containing dragons. However, the dragons had gone mad when the people in the complex had turned on one another. In desperation to get away from the fighting, the dragons had broken out of the complex and scattered across the world. Only Gilmreth had ever returned.

  The ancient dragon stirred lethargically in its cold, dark lair beneath the towering mountain. Upon the high, stony ceiling of the dragon’s lair dripping water had leached lime from the ancient stone of the mountain, forming grotesque distorted stalactites. Upon the tips of these, water condensed into small droplets to plummet away into the blackness below.

  The occasional falling water drops echoed in the vast chamber as they struck the small pool on the cavern’s floor. It was the only sound other than the shallow breathing of the sleeping dragon. Upon the surface of the pool, shallow ripples raced as they formed after each splashing droplet.

  In ancient times, the sleeping dr
agon had been the largest and most fearsome of its kind. It was a specter of deadly power, with flame spouting from its mouth to scorch the helpless earth below. The dragon’s flame turned everything it touched into black, smoldering ashes, leaving behind an unearthly, sterilized wasteland.

  The dragon was all-powerful and no power upon the Earth could threaten or stop it. Anyone who stood in its path met a horrendous and agonizing death from the dragon’s unforgiving fiery breath or its deadly talons. This had continued for centuries until Malcon Sylvar managed to put the dragon into a deep sleep. Then another sorceress had come along and awoken Gilmreth. For a brief time the dragon had preyed upon the surface world, gorging himself on the lifeforce of humans. Then Lynol Sylvar had appeared and once more put the dragon back into a deep sleep. However, this time the deep sleep was not as powerful as the previous one.

  A faint rumbling reverberated through the immense cavern, an indication of an avalanche of loose dirt, rock, and snow upon the steep, frozen slopes above. Sluggishly forcing open one large, yellowish-red eye, its horizontal pupil a dark slit of the deepest black, Gilmreth shifted his ponderous weight before succumbing back into a deep, nearly dreamless, slumber.

  For a brief moment, the dragon’s massive, evil heart beat a little faster, its cold blood pumped through its veins a little quicker. A partial thought formed in the dragon’s ravaged, demented mind before everything returned to never ending, unconquerable darkness. Inside the creature, the deep burning fire had briefly flared, then lessened. Gilmreth’s dark, grayish wrinkled skin had the look of coarse, dry leather. The dragon’s massive wings lay folded about the great sleeping beast. Its tail, with poisonous twin red barbs, was laid out behind, ready to strike at any danger.

  It would not be long before the sleeping spell faded away, allowing Gilmreth to wake. When he did, he would take revenge upon those who had put him in this state. There were still plentiful amounts of humans to feed upon. There was also a sorceress who haunted his dreams. She had trapped him in Firestorm Mountain and used a sleeping spell to put him to sleep. When he awoke she would be the first to die!

  -

  The next day Lynol and Kalvin were on the front porch when Dresdia and Kyle came walking up through the pasture. It was only a couple of miles between their houses and the two families did it quite often. Dresdia had a wonderful horse called WhiteStorm which Lynol rode every chance she got.

  “It’s such a nice day for a walk,” said Dresdia as she stepped up on the porch. Dresdia had blond hair and green eyes. Her hair was currently tied back with a green ribbon. “We stopped by the pond and I showed Kyle how to skip rocks.”

  Kyle darted through the door heading toward the cold box. It was a relic from days gone by and could keep food cold indefinitely. As soon as he reached it, he opened it and poured himself a cup of cold milk.

  “Sorry,” said Dresdia, frowning at Kyle. She wished sometimes he would mind his manners.

  Lynol laughed. “He’s only a child. Plus, the milk’s good for him.” They had several milk cows on the farm so there was always fresh milk in the cold box.

  “I’ll go hitch up the horses to the wagon,” said Kalvin as he stepped off the porch and headed toward the barn.

  Lynol and Dresdia went inside where Dresdia got a glass of cold water and sat down at the kitchen table sipping it. “I wish we had a cold box in our house.”

  A sudden thought came to Lynol. “Let me talk to Malcon. Maybe there’s a spell he knows that can keep food and drinks cold for long periods like the cold box does.”

  “You think so?” said Dresdia with a dreamy look on her face. “Mom would love that.”

  “I’ll see,” promised Lynol. “How’s WhiteStorm?”

  Dresdia grinned. “As frisky as ever. You need to come by sometime this week and ride him. Between Kyle and my chores I haven’t ridden him as much as I should.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” Lynol loved riding the spirited horse.

  The two sat and talked for a while until they heard Kalvin outside with the horses and wagon.

  “Let’s go, Kyle,” said Dresdia. “Finish your milk. Maybe when we get to Gwen’s I’ll get you some candy.”

  Kyle’s eyes lit up and he quickly downed the last few gulps of milk. “I’m done. Let’s go see Gwen.”

  Lynol had to laugh. She wondered if she was like that when she was Kyle’s age. “Kalvin’s waiting. Let’s go to Galvin.”

  -

  As the three rode to Galvin on the wagon Lynol and Dresdia engaged in small talk. They talked about the weather and the crops. Dresdia commented about how much they were getting out of their garden.

  “Mom’s been canning like crazy. We have jars and jars of food she’s putting in the root cellar. Dad and Tarn had to build more shelves to hold everything. She says you never know when we might have bad weather and need the food.”

  “We’ve been canning a lot of vegetables too,” said Lynol. She spent a day each week in the spring, summer, and fall canning. Their own root cellar was still partially full from last year’s crops.

  Dresdia looked around the countryside as they bounced along on the wagon. “I can’t believe how green everything is. I know it’s because of your sorcery but look at how much everything’s improved. Dad’s even talking about adding more cattle to the farm and maybe another horse or two. He says one of these days Kyle will need a good pony to ride.”

  Lynol looked over at Kyle who was helping Kalvin with the reins to the horses. He was really concentrating on controlling the horses. She let out a deep sigh. Kalvin and she had discussed having a child but decided to hold off for a few more years. They both knew any children of Lynol’s would probably develop sorcery powers as they grew older. Lynol and Kalvin both wanted to make sure they were prepared for that.

  In the distance, they could see Galvin. The community was so much more prosperous than it had been a few years back. A number of new people had moved to Galvin and even a few new stores had been built. The blacksmith shop had been expanded and there was even talk of building a larger inn for travelers. Lynol knew some people were moving to Galvin to be near her. They felt safer knowing a sorceress was nearby, particularly after what had happened with Gilmreth.

  Kalvin stopped the wagon in front of Gwen’s store. Before they were even out of the wagon a smiling Gwen Mystol came out on the porch.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see any of you so soon after Damon was here with all those vegetables.”

  Kyle ran up and hugged Gwen.

  “My you’re growing,” she said, gazing at the young boy. “Let’s all go inside. I’m sure I can find some candy for everyone.”

  -

  For several hours they visited and laughed. Gwen kept several tables inside the store for customers to sit and visit. Her store was very popular with the people of the village.

  After a while Gwen gestured to Lynol. “If the rest of you will excuse me I need to talk to Lynol about a few things in private.”

  Gwen led Lynol to the back of the store and inside a room where she kept some trading goods.

  “What is it?” asked Lynol, feeling curious about how Gwen was acting.

  “I’m not sure if this is important or not but there were three strangers in town the other day. They were dressed really oddly and spent some time at Addison’s and the tavern.”

  “What’s so strange about that?” asked Lynol. “We have strangers who pass through Galvin quite often anymore.”

  Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t have said anything but when they left they were riding three of Addison’s best horses.”

  Lynol felt her heart skip a beat. She knew Addison well enough that he would never sale his best animals to anyone. He always kept them for breeding purposes. “I’ll go over to the tavern and see if they know anything about these strangers. There’s no point asking Addison. He won’t talk to me.”

  “Speak to the servers,” suggested Gwen. “Maybe one of them overheard something. I just have a feel
ing something isn’t right with those three.”

  Lynol and Gwen went back out front to where the others were sitting.

  “Kalvin, I need you to come with me to the tavern. I need to check on something.”

  Kalvin didn’t ask any questions but stood up, ready to go with Lynol.

  “Is there a problem?” asked Dresdia. She had known Lynol long enough to know when something was wrong.

  “Let’s hope not,” replied Lynol. “We’ll be back shortly.”

  -

  Lynol and Kalvin made their way to the tavern and going inside took a seat at one of the tables. After talking to several of the servers, the one who had served the three strangers came over to the table. Lynol knew the young woman as she had gone to school with her.

  “Janice, did you wait on three strangers the other day?”

  Janice nodded. “Yes, Lynol. It was very unusual. They asked for menus but when I gave them some I don’t think they could read them. They also spoke funny. They were hard to understand. I assumed they were from a village on the other side of the mountain.”

  A cold feeling passed over Lynol. “How did they pay for their food?”

  “Just a minute,” said Janice. She went over to the large bar and spoke to the man in charge. He went to the back and returned handing something to her.

  Coming back over to Lynol Janice placed a large gold coin on the table. “They paid with gold but neither I nor Gerald have ever seen a coin like this one.”

  Lynol picked up the coin and stared in disbelief. On one side was an eagle and on the other side a woman holding a torch. She could read the inscription on the coin for it was in the language of the Golden Age. “Liberty,” spoke Lynol in a low voice.

  “Is that what I think it is?” asked Kalvin a look of worry crossing his face.

  Lynol nodded. “They’re from the mountain. They have to be. That’s the only place they could have obtained this coin. It also explains their difficulty reading and speaking our language. It’s the same as theirs but it’s changed a lot over the years. Their clothing also points to them being from there.”