“No,” answered Lynol. “I didn’t know you were even here until Kalvin found your stasis chamber. I woke you because three strangers showed up in Galvin several days ago and I believe they’re from this complex.”
Cathy finished her food and stood up. “Are any of the other chambers empty?”
Lynol shook her head. “None that we can find.”
Cathy blinked her eyes. “Three, you said?”
Lynol nodded.
“Joshua Grimes, Karl Lyndon, and Gail Strong. The first two were Adam’s lieutenants and Gail is a very good tech. When the fighting in the complex was over all three as well as Adam were missing. We knew Adam had a hidden stasis chamber and we were pretty certain the other three had fled the mountain. I guess we were wrong.”
Lynol’s head suddenly began to ache. Her amulet flared up brightly.
“Gilmreth!” said Cathy, her eyes looking upward to where she knew the dragon pens were. “He’s sensed my awakening and I’m afraid he’s broken your sleeping spell.”
“How?” asked Lynol, fearing the worst.
“Adam; he tried to get Gilmreth to kill me. He failed. The dragon must have sensed my sorcery powers awakening and it was just enough to jolt him into throwing off your spell.”
“Can we get to him in time to put him back to sleep?” asked Kalvin, feeling desperate. They couldn’t allow the dragon to leave the complex.
Lynol shook her head. “I had to use both amulets last time and it nearly killed me. Gilmreth will be expecting me this time. I don’t know what we can do.”
“I do,” said Cathy as she began walking to the front of the room. “We’re going to awaken everyone else. It’s time we dealt with the last of Adam’s people as well as Gilmreth.”
Chapter Five
A few moments earlier.
In a deep section of Firestorm Mountain Gilmreth stirred in his lair. His demented mind sensed the presence of an individual he had assumed to be long dead. Gilmreth was still capable even in his current state of insanity of putting coherent thoughts together. Forcing his eyes open, Gilmreth freed himself of the spell which had held him captive for several years. He felt weak and lethargic as the spell fought to stay in place. Finally, with a roar of defiance the dragon staggered to stand with his wings spread wide. Dragon fire scorched the ceiling as he let out his frustration at being held captive for so long. A vicious roar echoed through the large cavern.
His yellowish red eyes searched the cavern for any signs of the female human who had put him under her spell. The cavern was dark and there was no sign of any human. Gilmreth could feel his strength returning.
Taking flight, the dragon headed for the large tunnel which led to the surface. In moments he was past the massive steel doors he had smashed through thousands of years in the past. His wings beat steadily as he flew down the tunnel until he could see the light up ahead. Then he burst into the light, beating his wings faster as he rose up high into the chilly air. With a mighty roar, Gilmreth announced his freedom. Flying in a large circle Gilmreth knew it was time to hunt. He would be more careful this time. He would stay away from the large town where the sorceress had found him. The small farms and distant villages would feel his wrath as he fed upon the lifeforce of the humans which gave him sustenance and power. Once he was back to full strength he would kill and feed upon the sorceress who had put him to sleep. With a powerful beat of his wings, Gilmreth turned toward the west and the humans he knew were waiting.
-
Lynol stood stunned as she used her amulet to trace Gilmreth. “He’s heading over the mountain toward Draydon.”
“Do you think he’s going to attack the city?”
“I doubt it,” replied Lynol. “Not after what Jalene and Adam did to him there. He will probably seek out less dangerous feeding grounds for a time.”
Cathy looked at her daughter with pride in her eyes. “Someday you’re going to have to tell me all about Adam and Gilmreth. It sounds as if it was quite an adventure.”
“More than you can possibly know,” answered Kalvin. “We all thought we were going to die when Lynol faced off with the dragon and Adam at the same time on top of the temple.”
Lynol looked over at Kalvin. “We’re going to have to find a way to stop Gilmreth before he goes into a feeding frenzy.” The dragon could easily destroy everything Lynol had accomplished over the last few years.
Kalvin’s face turned pale. He had almost lost Lynol the last time she faced the dragon.
“You won’t go alone,” promised Cathy. “I’m feeling much better now. We need to go to the main control panel and I’ll start the process of awakening some of the others. Then we’ll decide how to deal with the dragon.”
Lynol and Kalvin followed Cathy to the front of the room where she stopped at the main computer which controlled this section’s systems. She reached out and picked up her blue amulet. “Loraine created this just so I could face Adam if I had to. I’m glad it helped you.” Cathy took the amulet and placed it around her neck where it began to glow with a soft blue radiance.
For several minutes she stood examining the computer and scanning data appearing on several screens. She pressed multiple icons, causing the screens to change. She spent more time entering some commands so she could override the programming which prevented the sleepers from being awoken early.
Lynol and Kalvin stood watching what she was doing in amazement. This was technology from the Golden Age and there was nothing even remotely like it anywhere else.
Cathy finally stopped and turned toward Lynol and Kalvin. “All primary areas of the complex are still intact thanks to the main stasis fields. Some of the outlying areas have fallen into decay but that was to be expected. I’m going to start the awakening process now and wake up a few of the others. Once they’re awake we can decide on our next move.”
Cathy touched several icons on a computer screen and the room became filled with a low hum. On six nearby stasis chambers counters began counting down. “I can’t believe it’s been over three thousand years. I fear we may have slept too long. We could have done so much to help this world if we would have awoken sooner.”
“Jason had his reasons,” replied Lynol, knowing her mother was feeling guilty at what had happened to the world. “He wanted to put all of you safely beyond the reach of any reprisals from what happened when the Worldfire spread across the planet.”
“Perhaps when the others are awake we can see if there are more survivors in other regions of the world. We have the capability of putting a few satellites into orbit.”
“What’s a satellite?” asked Kalvin. He had no idea what Cathy was talking about.
Cathy smiled. “Both of you still have a lot to learn. A satellite is an artificial object we can launch into space that will let us use a camera to view the rest of the planet. It’s like this viewscreen.” She pressed another icon and a view of the small corridor leading to the stasis chambers appeared.
“I want to learn as much as I can about your technology,” said Kalvin, feeling excited. Machines had always intrigued him. He had always wanted to explore more of the machines in the complex but Lynol had prevented him from doing so, worried he might break something.
Cathy smiled. “There are a number of technicians and others in stasis in a lower level. I’m sure they’ll be glad to explain some of our technology to you.”
“What!” said Lynol, her eyes widening in surprise. She had thought the only stasis chambers were those in this large room. “There are more?”
Cathy nodded. “Nearly five hundred more. When we went into stasis we always planned on bringing this facility back to life. From here we can decide what technology to give to the outside world that won’t send it into a tailspin. You will be amazed at some of the technology we have available.”
Lynol looked at the six cases and their occupants. There were four men and two women. “Who are you waking up?”
“Some people I trust implicitly. They stood with Jason and me in the worst of th
e fighting with Adam’s group. They are also very powerful sorcerers. We’ll probably have to awaken some of our technicians so they can begin repairs on some of our systems. We can use our abilities to repair some of it but there are certain pieces of equipment which will have to be repaired by hand.”
-
Time passed as the counters counted down. During that time Cathy asked Lynol about Damon and how he was doing. She was pleased to learn he was still healthy and physically fit.
“I don’t know how he’s going to feel when I show up not looking any older than the last day he saw me,” said Cathy nervously. “I hope he won’t think I’m too young for him now.”
Lynol laughed. “That’s not going to happen. What man doesn’t want a younger woman?”
Cathy couldn’t help but grin. “Once we decide what to do about Gilmreth and Adam’s people, I’ll go see your father and see what we can work out. If he wants me to stay out of his life I will respect that, though I hope he will want me to stay.”
“Stay, definitely,” said Lynol. “It will be nice to have another sorceress around the house.”
“The counters have almost reached zero,” commented Kalvin. He had been listening to Cathy and Lynol with interest. He knew with the awakening of the sleepers, life around the mountain was about to take a huge change. He just hoped it was for the better.
-
The counters reached zero and the cases opened, revealing the men and women inside. Cathy, Lynol, and Kalvin rushed over to help them out of the cases and to chairs they could sit in. They had already gotten out additional robes and food containers.
“Cathy, what’s going on?” asked one of the men as he began to eat his food.
“We’ve got some problems, Bryan,” replied Cathy. “Some of Adam’s people are awake and Gilmreth is on the loose.
“That damn dragon!” muttered Bryan, his eyes widening. “I knew we should have destroyed it when we had the chance” Bryan looked over at Lynol and Kalvin with confusion appearing on his face. “Who are these two? I don’t recognize them.”
Cathy grinned. Gesturing to Lynol she said, “This is my daughter, Lynol Sylvar and the man next to here is her husband Kalvin.”
“Your daughter?”
“It’s a long story,” answered Cathy. “Once everyone is feeling stronger we’ll go to one of the conference rooms and I’ll brief you on what’s been going on. I have quite a lot to tell you.”
“We need some real clothes,” said Kristi Leeson, one of the two women in the group of six. “This robe doesn’t exactly cover much.”
“You’ve been naked for over three thousand years,” commented Glen Olsen, looking at the date on the computer. “How can you still be modest?”
“It’s a woman thing,” replied Eva Jones, the other woman in the group. “There should be some clothing in the storage room next to the small conference room if I remember correctly.”
Cathy nodded. “Let’s all get dressed and then we’ll talk. Lynol, if you and Kalvin will follow me I’ll show you to the conference room. I suspect we’re going to be there for awhile.”
Cathy led them to another door in the back of the room and casting an unlocking spell caused the door to open. “We locked everything with our sorcery. We didn’t want anyone breaking in.”
With the door open they could see a brightly lit corridor several hundred yards long. Numerous doors were on each side.
“We have a lot of our personal items stored here,” explained Cathy. “There are also sleeping quarters as well as a large cafeteria plus the meeting rooms. We could stay in here for months if we needed to.”
They went down the corridor passing several shut doors until Cathy stopped in front of one. Casting another spell caused the heavy wooden door to open. They went inside finding a large table surrounded by some comfortable looking chairs. The room was lit brightly from a number of glowing ceiling panels.
“Wait here and I’ll be back shortly. I need to get dressed.”
Lynol watched as her mother left them in the room, shutting the door behind her.
“So, that’s your mother,” said Kalvin, feeling impressed. “No wonder your dad married her.”
“I have so many questions,” said Lynol, leaning back in the comfortable chair. “I still can’t believe she’s really here. This all feels like a dream.”
Lynol looked around the room. One wall was covered with bookshelves filled with books. On the front wall, there was a large screen which she assumed was probably connected to one of the ancients’ mysterious computers. On the other wall were pictures of scenes from the past that were amazing to look at. Massive cities, forests, oceans, and even the Moon. Lynol felt out of place knowing there was so much here she didn’t understand and probably never would. These were things her mother took for granted.
After a few minutes her mother came back into the room followed by the others. They all sat down and looked expectantly at Cathy.
Cathy stood up and opened a cabinet full of various drinks. “There’s water and just about every other kind of drink you can imagine in here. It’s also cold.”
Lynol and Kalvin both took a bottle of water with Cathy showing them how to unscrew the caps.
“Now, let’s get down to business. We know from what Lynol and Kalvin have told me three of Adam’s group are loose and have left the complex. We have no idea where their stasis chambers are located. They are Joshua, Karl, and Gail.”
“What about Adam?’ asked Bryan. “Where’s he?”
“Lynol killed Adam a few years back when he tried to take over and rule the people around the mountain. He also freed Gilmreth and was using the dragon in a campaign of terror to force the people to obey his every whim. Lynol put a stop to that.”
Kristi shifted her gaze to Lynol’s amulet. “You must be a very powerful sorceress to finish off Adam.”
“I was using mother’s amulet,” explained Lynol. “Adam had the Stone of Loraine.”
Glen leaned back in his chair shaking his head. “Amazing. I was with Loraine when she created the stone. At the time it was the strongest amulet known.”
“Until she created this one,” said Cathy, touching her blue amulet. “My daughter used it very well.”
Eva’s eyes narrowed. “What about Gilmreth. What’s happened with the dragon?”
“Lynol managed to chase Gilmreth away from Draydon, the largest town she knows of. The dragon returned to Firestorm Mountain. Lynol went into his lair and used a powerful sleeping spell to put the dragon to sleep. Unfortunately, when I awoke the dragon sensed my presence and managed to throw off the spell and escape from the complex.”
“So we have Adam’s three cronies plus Gilmreth to deal with,” said Jacob. “Did any of our other dragons survive?”
Cathy shook her head. “We don’t believe so. From what Lynol told me Gilmreth hunted them down and killed them.”
“Including Snowden?” asked Kristi. She knew how attached to Snowden Cathy had been.
A look of great sadness crossed Cathy’s face. “Yes, including Snowden.”
“We need to end Gilmreth,” said Braedon, a grim look on his face. “That dragon is just too dangerous to take chances with.”
“I think it would be a good idea if Lynol will tell us of her experience with Adam and Gilmreth to give us a better idea of what we may be up against. Between her and Kalvin they can give us an idea of what the outside world is like. I’m sure it’s changed since the time I was awake.”
“There’s something else you need to tell us about,” said Kristi, with a grin. “It’s obvious to me you’re a few years older than you were the last time I saw you and you also say Lynol’s your daughter. That should be an interesting story in itself.”
Cathy smiled. “It’s sad, also. Why don’t I tell you my story first and then Lynol and Kalvin can fill you in on the rest?”
-
For the next hour Cathy described her awakening, her search for Adam, finding Gilmreth in his lair, and m
eeting and falling in love with Lynol’s father.
Lynol listened to every word, learning much about her mother. It was exciting hearing how her parents had met and eventually got married. When Cathy was finished with her story, Lynol and Kalvin told theirs.
“This is all amazing,” said Kristi, her eyes wide from hearing of Lynol’s near death in her final confrontation with Gilmreth. “To think you survived and now here you are with your mother at long last. It’s like a fairy tale.”
Cathy started laughing. “You always refer back to fairy tales. This was real life and sometimes there are happy endings.”
“It sounds like Lynol has done well in reestablishing a stable environment around the mountains,” said Jacob, impressed by what Lynol had accomplished on her own. “With our added abilities and the resources of this complex we can greatly expand upon that.”
“We need to launch some satellites to see what else is out there,” suggested Bryan. “Surely people survived in other regions of the world.”
Jacob looked doubtful. “Maybe. There were a lot of nukes used and then the dragons escaped. There is a chance the only survivors are around these mountains. However, I agree once we have the complex functioning again we should launch satellites just to see what condition the planet is in.”
“So, what’s our next move?” asked Eva.
“We have a lot to do,” said Cathy. “We need to awaken some of the technical staff to begin repairs. We should also wake up a few more of our people to aid in what needs to be done. Then we need to figure out what to do about Adam’s people and Gilmreth.”
“We need to put the dragon down permanently,” said Jacob. “We can’t allow it to continue to prey upon people. The surviving population is just too small.”
“How do we find Adam’s people and Gilmreth?” asked Braedon.
Lynol spoke. “Adam’s people are probably in Draydon. That’s where Adam went to set up his little empire. As for Gilmreth, he should be easy to locate. He’ll need to feed and when he does we’ll hear about it. I can also sense him if I concentrate hard enough.”
Firestorm Mountain Page 6