“We need to move rapidly,” said Jacob, reaching a decision. “I suggest we send a team to Draydon to search for Grimes and the others.” Jacob looked over at Lynol. “Can you lead the team? You’re familiar with the local area and the people.”
Lynol nodded. “Yes, the people of Draydon know me. I go there at least twice a year to make sure none of Jalene or Adam’s former temple guards are causing problems.”
“I want to see your father before we go,” said Cathy.
“I was thinking you would stay here and help get the complex operating again,” said Jacob. “We could really use your skills and abilities.”
Cathy shook her head. “No, I don’t want Lynol squaring off against Gilmreth without me. Between the two of us I think we can handle the dragon.”
Jacob could see the wisdom in what Cathy was saying. He also knew how strong in sorcery she was. She had been personally trained by Jason. “Very well. While you’re gone we’ll awaken the necessary personnel to get the complex back in order. When will you be leaving?”
Cathy looked at Lynol. “In the morning. I need another day to fully recover my strength.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Kristi.
“As will I,” added Braedon. “We need to end Adam’s groups’ threat to us once and for all.”
“Then it’s decided,” said Jacob. “We’ll decide today who we need to wake and begin the process in the morning. By then we’ll have a better idea of the repairs we need to make to the complex and what’s going to be involved.”
Cathy stood up, looking at the others. “If you don’t mind I want to spend some time with my daughter. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Jacob smiled. “That’s not a problem. If we need you I’ll let you know.”
“Lynol, Kalvin come with me. We have a lot to talk about.”
The three left the room, leaving the others to start their planning session.
“We have a lot to do,” said Jacob as he activated the computer screen on the main wall. “Let’s go over our list of available personnel and see who we need to wake up first.”
-
Beneath Firestorm Mountain, the great complex of the ancients began to come back to life. It was time for the survivors from the Golden Age to make their mark upon the world. However, there was still one threat which could crash all of their plans: Gilmreth.
Chapter Six
Gilmreth had found a small cave on the west side of the mountains he could barely fit into. He dared not return to his lair as the sorceress might find him there. Once he had fed sufficiently and regained all of his strength then he might return and reclaim his longtime home. For now, Gilmreth was waiting for darkness to arrive. That was the best time to hunt and to take the humans. Already Gilmreth was imaging what tonight’s feedings would be like.
He had been careful when flying over the mountains to avoid all the villages and particularly the large town where so much pain had been inflicted by the sorcerer and the dark clothed woman. Gilmreth had relished feeding on Jalene and draining her of her lifeforce. It had been one of his most enjoyable feedings of his long life. Then he had been attacked by the new sorceress from over the mountains. He had fled to his lair to escape but she had followed him and placed him under a spell with her sorcery.
Gilmreth waited expectantly as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the western horizon. His heart was beating faster in expectation of tonight’s feedings. With a guttural roar, Gilmreth left his new lair and leaped into the air, taking flight with the beat of his powerful wings. It was time to go hunting.
For nearly an hour Gilmreth flew to where he knew few humans lived. For the time being he would do his hunting in sparse regions so word of his return wouldn’t spread. At last he spotted a farmhouse and the dim flickering of lights coming from its windows. With a deep roar of satisfaction, Gilmreth descended and began tearing the small farmhouse apart with his deadly talons. He knew shortly the frightened humans inside would come running out.
-
A farmer and his wife ran out of the crumbling structure and came to a sudden stop when they saw the dragon. They both knew what it was from the short time they had been forced to stay in Draydon. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
“Run to the barn!” yelled the man to his wife. “Hide in one of the stalls.”
“What about you?” the woman yelled back as she started to run.
“I’ll be right behind you,” the man replied as he looked up at the dragon and saw that the dragon’s yellowish red eyes were focused on him. He knew with certainty there was no point in running. He only hoped his wife made it to the barn and the dragon would not seek her out.
-
Gilmreth leaped into the air and dove down on the helpless farmer. His wife screamed and came to a stop as Gilmreth’s wings folded around his prey. The farmer shrieked one short scream which was suddenly cut off. A soft red radiance built up around the dragon as he fed. For several minutes Gilmreth enjoyed the flow of lifeforce from the dying human.
The woman stood paralyzed, knowing her husband was dead. She knew there was no escaping the dragon. With a feeling of dread, she saw the dragons yellowish red eyes turn toward her. Feeling her heart beating wildly the woman fainted, falling to the ground.
This suited Gilmreth just fine. Lifeforce was lifeforce whether the human was conscious or not. Folding his wings around the woman he began to feed again. He could feel the increase of his own power as he drained the lifeforce from his victim. When he was finished Gilmreth turned his head upward and roared with all his might. Dragon fire flashed through the air. With a swift beat of his wings, Gilmreth rose up into the air. It was time to find his next victims and the night was still young.
-
Throughout the night, Gilmreth fed. He left behind death and destruction. He focused his feeding on isolated farmhouses, staying away from the villages. Those could wait until later when he had regained his full strength. When Gilmreth finished his last feeding the sun was just beginning to rise above the distant mountain peaks. It was time for him to return to his new lair and rest during the day. Tonight he would rise and feed again.
-
Gail Strong was walking along one of the many busy streets in the city of Draydon. The streets were paved with smooth stones and during the day there were numerous horses and wagons going to various stores. Some were carrying trade goods and others were being used to load supplies. She was amazed at how busy the town was. At least today she was dressed more like the locals and had stopped at several stores and other business establishments to browse. She made a few minor purchases just so she could talk to the store clerks.
Gail was also getting a good idea of the technology level of the locals. The streets and the stores were well kept and very clean. The technology level was probably similar to what it had been in the late 1800s except there was no electricity or telegraph lines. What also surprised her was these people had lived this way for several thousand years. She strongly suspected it was due to a lack of resources and a small population. For the most part this was a civilization based on agriculture and the basic necessities. It allowed most of the humans here to live relatively comfortable lives.
Walking down the street she came to a large three story building. These were the archives she had been directed to where supposedly many of the town’s books and records were stored. Gail went inside, coming to a stop before two graying old women curators seated behind a heavy oak desk just inside the entrance.
“How can we help you?” one of them asked. The curator’s gray hair was brushed finely back and wrinkles from a long life ran in thin lines across her face.
“I was just curious.” replied Gail, trying to sound as polite as possible. “Can I just look around? I’ve never been anyplace where there are this many books and scrolls.”
“Go ahead. If you have any questions or if you’re interested in a particular subject let one of us know and we’ll guide you to the proper l
ocation.”
“Thank you,” replied Gail with a slight smile. She turned and started walking down the dimly lit aisles lined with old books and scrolls. She quickly noticed most were in decent shape and she suspected part of the librarians’ responsibility was copying the older books so the knowledge wouldn’t be lost. Gail was surprised over the amount of knowledge stored in the archives. There were books detailing how to make more advanced machines and even some mention of electricity. However, she suspected due to the lack of resources none of these advances could be constructed. She had learned just enough of the current written language to be able to understand what she was reading.
Walking through the archives she stopped occasionally, taking a book or scroll down skimming through it. There were numerous aisles just full of books and scrolls in the large structure. A person could spend weeks in here and not make a dent in the knowledge available. As she walked through the aisles she saw very few people. She finally returned to the front where the old women were sitting.
“How many visitors do you have each day?” asked Gail. “I’m just wondering.”
“It varies,” replied the woman she had spoken to earlier. “Most days there are a few dozen. We have occasional visitors from distant villages who journey to Draydon to look up information. Most of the time they’re interested in healing information or content about maintaining their farms.”
“What about the more technical information like electricity?”
The old woman shook her head. “Back in the Golden Age there were many machines and advances which are no longer possible. We don’t need those things in our society. We are a simple people. We keep records of some of the miracles from that ancient time but we no longer have any use for them.”
Gail nodded. She was not surprised from what she had seen on their journey to Draydon and of the town. “Thank you, I’ll be going now. This was very interesting.”
“Come back anytime,” replied the woman. “We are here to serve.”
Leaving the archives Gail decided to just walk around the town and visit more stores. She wanted a better understanding of what they were selling and items available.
-
Karl was visiting the various taverns and drinking establishments in the town. He was both surprised and pleased at the number he had found so far. He also knew the taverns were the best place to hear gossip and to find out information about what was going on in the city.
“So this Sylvar woman killed Storn Daes?”
“Yeah, I was there,” replied the older man Karl was sitting with. “One moment he was standing there throwing lighting bolts and the next he was turned to ash.”
Karl took a long drink from his mug. The amber liquid burned as it went down his throat. This was just the kind of whiskey Karl liked. He sat his mug down and looked over at the man. “What happened next?” Karl had already bought the man several drinks.
“She began fighting the dragon. After a few minutes the dragon flew up into the air and we haven’t seen it since. The Sylvar woman then banished most of Jalene’s temple guards and priests from the city, ordering them never to return to Draydon. A few were put on trial and sentenced to hard labor in construction jobs. The woman spent several weeks here making sure her instructions were followed. She still comes back several times a year to make sure the temple guards and priests have stayed away. Many people say she’s a powerful sorceress like the ones from ancient times. She supposedly cast spells which cleared much of the ground of the old Worldfire poison and it can now grow crops. I do know everything is greener and there seems to be more food available.”
Taking another drink Karl thought over what he had heard in the various taverns. All of the stories were similar. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that Storn Dais had indeed been Adam. Who the Jalene woman had been still mystified him. There was no one among Adam’s group who met the description of the dark headed woman.
One of the serving girls came over and placed another mug in front of both Karl and the man he was talking to. Karl noticed this one was very pretty and had been flirting with him ever since she saw his gold coins. With a grin, he considered returning and visiting her after her shift was over. There was no reason not to enjoy himself while they were here in Draydon. Leaning back, Karl took another deep drink. He was in no hurry to leave. He might just stay here in this tavern until the girl’s shift ended.
-
Joshua was walking around the massive white temple in the center of the city. 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. 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.
From what Joshua had been told it was on the temple platform Gilmreth had stood and fed on his chosen victims. After the dragon fed there was normally a giant feast to celebrate. It all sounded incredibly macabre but it was also something he could see Adam doing to cement his control over the people of this town.
Walking up to the entrance of the temple he saw the massive door was closed. Looking around to ensure no one was watching he used his abilities to unlock the door. Opening it he stepped inside and then shut it, locking it behind him. There was only dim light inside from windows located high up on the walls.
As Joshua walked through the massive structure, he found lanterns placed in strategic places to furnish more light. He used his abilities to light these as he made his way through the various rooms and corridors. He finally reached a long, well lit corridor covered in massive murals of the dragon, Jalene, and Storn Dais. Standing in front of one showing Storn on top of the temple he recognized Adam. “So it was you posing as Storn,” muttered Joshua unsurprised. He examined one of the murals of Jalene not recognizing her. However, in her hand she held the scepter which contained the Stone of Loraine. Joshua shook his head. There was so much here he didn’t understand. He also wondered what had happened to the scepter.
Continuing his search of the temple he finally made it to the roof and stepping outside looked around at the place where Adam and Jalene had died. On the edge of the platform where the dragon had stood there were still dark stains on the white stone where Gilmreth had fed on his victims. For several moments Joshua stood on the edge of the platform looking out over the town. He had the inkling of a plan but he would need to talk to Gail and Karl first. Grinning, Joshua turned and left the top of the temple, making his way back to the entrance. He extinguished the lanterns as he walked past them and soon found himself standing outside. It was time to go see what Karl and Gail had found out.
-
Joshua, Karl, and Gail were in a different eating establishment than the one they had tried before. They had placed their orders and were discussing what they had learned from the many people they had talked to and from what they had seen around town.
“This would be a great place to rule,” proclaimed Karl as he took a sip from the mug in front of him. “Adam has already done much of the work.”
“You drink too much,” said Gail, frowning disapprovingly.
“It’s a vice I enjoy,” replied Karl with a smirk, taking another drink. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I spent some time in that big temple this afternoon,” said Joshua. “With a few modifications we could make it the center of our power. Karl’s right. Adam has remade this town into something we can easily rule.”
“What do you have in mind?” asked Gail, raising her eyebrow.
“Jalene and Adam had a bunch of temple guards they used to control the general populace. Some of them are still around while others were banished from the city. I propose we bring them all back under our control and take over Draydon. With our abilities and the temple guards under our control it wouldn’t tak
e us long to establish our rule over this entire side of the mountains.”
“So it was Adam who was here?” asked Gail.
“Yes, there are several large murals painted on the walls inside the temple that depict him.”
“What about the Sylvar woman. She could be a problem.”
“We’ll make a deal with her. We’ll stay away from her side of the mountains and she will stay away from ours. Adam and Jalene made the mistake of sending their temple guards and Gilmreth to the far side of the mountains to attack the villages. I’m certain that’s what caused her to come here and confront them. We won’t make that same mistake and we’ll allow Gilmreth to continue to sleep for the time being.”
Gail nodded. “Sounds like a plan. How soon do we begin?”
“We need to find some of the former temple guards first. As soon as we do we can set our plan into motion.”
Karl smacked his lips as he downed the last of his drink. “I always wanted to be a ruler. The people of this town will be ours to do with as we please.” Karl noticed another cute server with a slight leer on his face.
Joshua looked over at Gail. “We will still need to build the device that inhibits our powers as a safeguard against the Sylvar woman.”
“We’ll have to go back to the complex. I can build it there.”
“I want to pick up a few more items as well,” said Joshua. “We’ll stay here for a few more days and see about contacting some of the former temple guards. Once we’ve achieved that we’ll head back to the mountain.”
Their food arrived and the three began to eat. They had made their plans and soon would carry them out. The people of Draydon had no idea what was soon to happen to them.
Chapter Seven
Inside Firestorm Mountain Lynol, Kalvin, Kristi, Braedon, and Cathy were preparing to leave. They were going to go see Lynol’s father and then set out for Draydon to see if they could locate the three suspected members of Adam’s rebellious group.
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