“Are the straps okay?” she asked the dragon. She didn’t want them to hurt.
“They are fine,” Snowden replied. “Let’s try them out!”
“Go ahead,” her father said, gesturing toward the dragon. “Let’s see how it works.”
With an excited smile, Ashley climbed atop Snowden and fastened the straps across her legs. She tried moving a little and found the straps across her legs held her firmly in place. Her father had thought of everything. There were also two straps for her hands. She gripped these firmly and told Snowden she was ready.
Snowden sprang into the air with a powerful beat of his wings. The two quickly rose up high and began flying along the slopes of the mountain.
Harmon watched his daughter as the dragon flew. He could only imagine what it must be like to fly with a dragon. Going back into the cave entrance, Harmon sat down. He suspected it would be awhile before the two were back.
Snowden and Ashley flew along the slopes of Beaver Mountain then, banking gently, Snowden started up over the top of the mountain. He flew Ashley higher than ever before, but was careful not to get too high where the air was much thinner. Dragons could handle the thinner air, but Snowden knew humans needed thicker air to be able to breathe.
Looking down at the ground passing beneath them, Ashley breathed in the invigorating fresh air. She could feel the breeze on her face. Very soon they were flying across the arid plain to the west of the valley.
With a start, Ashley realized that if she could make it rain in the valley, why couldn’t she make it rain here? The people in the valley could spread out across the plains and reclaim the land once more. The size of the valley had for years restricted the human population. The only problem was the Sorensons and their desire for power. If that could be dealt with, then the people of the valley and even New Haven could begin to expand.
-
Hours later, Ashley and her father rode their horses into the barn back home. On the way back, Ashley had talked to her father about making it rain outside of the valley. She was still excited by the idea and what all it could mean.
As they unsaddled their horses, her father turned to her and spoke. “This rain idea of yours may be worthwhile. If you could make it rain more between our valley and New Haven, we could easily triple the crop growing area.”
“If we could get the streams and rivers to flowing again it would help change everything,” Ashley responded, her eyes glowing since her father seemed to like the idea.
“There are a lot of old dry lake beds and ponds scattered between the mountains and the coast,” her father continued, thoughtfully. “That would take a lot of water.”
“I could build the storms over the ocean and then bring them ashore,” Ashley replied. She had thought a lot about this as she flew back to the cave on Snowden. “There’s plenty of water in the ocean.”
They were just finishing rubbing down their horses when they heard another horse outside the barn. Harmon stepped outside and was surprised to see Mason ride up. He reined in his horse next to Harmon’s and climbed down.
“Kensett Sorenson is in town with ten freight wagons,” began Mason, excitedly. “They want their share of our crops and trade goods.”
Harmon let out a deep sigh. He had hoped they had another week. “How are the farmers and villagers taking it?”
“Not well,” Mason replied as Ashley walked out of the barn door and stopped to listen. “Everything Kensett wants is stored in the buildings behind the general store, and Mr. Dotson is complaining about having to hand it over. Several of the other villagers are with him. Dad’s afraid things may get out of hand. He wants you to come to the general store and help calm things down.”
“Very well, I’ll come to the general store. Go tell your dad and your Uncle Robert that I’m on my way. Tell them to keep the peace until I get there.”
“Yes, sir,” Mason said quickly as he mounted his horse and rode back out toward the main road.
“You want me to come?” Ashley asked her father. If there was trouble, they might need her sorcery.
“No, not this time,” replied Harmon, shaking his head. He wanted to keep Ashley’s abilities a secret from the Sorensons, at least until spring.
Ashley watched as her father went back into the barn to saddle his horse back up. Then, turning, she started walking toward the house. She saw her mother come out to stand on the porch. Ashley would have to explain to her what was going on. Someday the Sorensons would learn to leave this part of the valley alone. Ashley couldn’t wait to teach them what it meant to mess with the Andrews.
-
Harmon rode into the village and instantly noticed a crowd of people gathered at the general store. There were ten large freight wagons parked out in front, and it looked as if a fight could break out at any moment. He could hear angry shouts from the crowd, and some were even making threatening gestures. He saw Kensett Sorenson standing in front of the lead wagon with his ten drivers. Kensett had an angry look upon his face and was holding his white amulet threateningly in his hand.
Mark and Robert were standing in front of Kensett, trying to defuse the situation. Neither looked pleased to be in the situation they currently found themselves in.
Everyone turned to look at Harmon as he rode up and quickly dismounted. Alfred Dotson walked up to Harmon, blocking his path with a determined look upon his face.
“We’re not turning anything over to the Sorensons!” he said loudly. “They’re our crops and our trade goods, not the Sorensons. What gives them the right to take it?”
“This gives us the right,” Kensett bellowed, his eyes flashing.
Instantly a large burning fireball shot from his hands up into the air quieting the crowd. “Turn the crops and trade goods over or I will burn your store to the ground!”
Harmon looked at Alfred, shaking his head warningly. “Do you want people to get hurt?” he asked quietly.
“Your family has powers,” replied Alfred, stubbornly. “There are three of you here and only one of them. Surely you can stop Kensett.”
“Yes, we could probably stop Kensett,” replied Harmon, looking over at his brothers. He knew that if he gave the word, his brothers would use their powers against the Sorenson sorcerer.
“Then do it,” Alfred pleaded, his eyes looking desperate. “We all worked hard for those crops and to make our trade goods. We just can’t turn them over to the Sorensons.”
“If we stop Kensett today, what do we do in a few days when the rest of the Sorensons show up?” Harmon asked in a steady voice. “What do we do when Jacob, Edward and the rest of their family come here? My family has powers Alfred, but we’re not as strong as the Sorensons. We can’t win a battle with them. If we resist, they might just take everything. Then what would we do?”
Alfred was silent for a long moment. He looked around at several of the other villagers who had been listening to the conversation. They all knew Harmon was right. They didn’t like it, but what else could they do?
Alfred let out a disgusted sigh. This rankled him more than one could imagine. Turning around, he walked angrily back over to Kensett. “Bring your wagons around to the back. We will get your stuff loaded.”
“That’s better,” replied Kensett, removing his hand from his glowing amulet.
“Everyone go back home,” Harmon spoke in a loud voice. “We made an agreement with the Sorensons, and we will keep it. Go back home before someone gets hurt.”
The crowd didn’t like what Harmon was saying, but it began to break up. Kensett’s drivers climbed back up on their wagons. They were soon moving the wagons to the back of the general store where the storage buildings were located. Kensett walked over to Harmon with a big smirk on his face.
“Good decision, Andrews,” Kensett said, still angry about the crowd interfering. “We made a deal, and I expect you to keep your end of the bargain.”
“We will,” replied Harmon, trying to keep his anger under control, even though in the bac
k of his mind he had already decided that this would be the last deal he ever made with the Sorensons. “You can’t blame them for being irritated at giving you so much of their crops and trade goods. They have a right to be angry.”
“Perhaps so,” replied Kensett, evenly. “But we could have taken more. They should be happy with what we allowed them to keep.”
Kensett turned and walked quickly toward the back of the general store to watch the loading of the crops and trade goods. He left Harmon standing in the street with an agitated look upon his face.
“What now?” Mark asked as he and Robert walked over to stand in front of Harmon. “For a moment there I thought we were going to have to take on Kensett.”
“We can’t afford to get into a fight with them yet,” replied Harmon, folding his arms across his chest. “Now is not the time.”
Mark nodded in agreement even though he knew that, at some point in time; it was probably going to come down to that.
“We need to wait until Mason, Justin, and Stephen are older,” Robert added. “Maybe then we can stand up to the Sorensons.”
“Perhaps,” Harmon responded not wanting to tell his brothers the real reason why he was trying to buy them more time. He knew that both of his brothers thought the extra time was so their sons could become more powerful in their sorcery abilities.
“You need to talk to Snowden,” Mark said in a low voice not wanting to be overheard. “We’re going to need the dragon’s help to win this.”
“I will,” Harmon replied.
They were still standing there talking when Kensett returned. He was riding a horse, and the trade wagons were behind him. They were coming around the general store and back out into the street, piled high with sacks of grain and other produce as well as trade goods made by the villagers.
Kensett reined in his horse and gazed at Harmon with a satisfied grin on his face. “I’ll be back in the spring to let you know what our demands for next year will be.”
“What do you mean next year?” Robert spoke, anger flashing across his face.
“Did you think this was only a one time deal?” Kensett asked, his grin changing to a sneer. “You’re working for us now, so if you want to maintain control of this section of the valley you will do what we say.” With that, Kensett kicked his horse in the side and proceeded down the street followed by the heavily loaded wagons.
Harmon noticed a lot of people watching from the sides of the street. Almost all of them had disgusted and angry looks upon their faces. Those same looks even applied when they looked over at Harmon and his two brothers. Alfred Dotson came back to stand on the front of his store’s porch to look angrily at Harmon, shaking his head. He turned and went back inside not saying a word.
“I don’t think we’re very popular at the moment,” Mark said, watching the villager’s reactions as Kensett and the wagons left the village.
“At least no one got hurt,” replied Harmon, letting out a deep breath.
“What do we do next spring when they return with their new demands?” asked Robert. “I don’t think the villagers and the farmers will agree to this again. We’re going to need the dragon.”
“I don’t think they will either,” Harmon replied. “I suggest we work as hard as we can on our sorcery. This might get deadly serious next spring, depending on how far the Sorensons want to take this. I’ll see if I can speak with the dragon before then. There’s no guarantee Snowden will help.”
“Sorcerer against sorcerer,” Mark mumbled unhappily. “I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
Harmon nodded his head in agreement. He hoped Ashley would be ready for what was coming in the spring. The entire future of their valley would rest on her young shoulders and what Snowden had been teaching her through the memories of Cathy Matheson. If things got bad, he could always have Ashley summon the dragon. He knew Snowden would come if Ashley asked. He didn’t dare let his brothers know any of this. For the time being Ashley and her abilities, as well as her friendship with the dragon, needed to remain a secret.
Chapter Fourteen
A month later, Ashley and Stephen were sitting on the porch talking when they heard horses coming down the road. Ashley was busy explaining to Stephen how certain sorcery spells worked. Under her guidance, he had become much better at enacting his spells. Stephen’s confidence had grown by leaps and bounds since Ashley had started working with him. Even better was the fact that he was no longer jealous of Ashley’s sorcery.
“I wonder who that is?” Stephen said, getting up and walking down the steps so he could see out toward the road. “It sounds like more than one horse.” His eyes widened when he saw his father and two other people turning in to the farm.
“It’s Todd!” Stephen yelled excitedly, taking off at a run.
“Todd?” Ashley repeated, dumbfounded, her deep blue eyes growing wide. How could that be? It had been months since she had last seen the young Sorenson sorcerer. Ashley felt excitement run through her. Could it really be Todd?
Ashley stood up as the horses came into sight, her heart pounding. Sure enough, there was her father, Todd, and another older woman she didn’t recognize. Stephen was already talking excitedly to the young Sorenson sorcerer.
The three stopped in front of the house, and Todd slid off his horse. He ran over to Ashley and, picking her up, gave her a big, passionate hug.
“Todd!” Ashley exclaimed, embarrassed, her face turning red. She felt her breasts smashed up against Todd’s chest, and she was having trouble breathing. “What are you doing here?” she managed to blurt out.
“Come with me.” Todd put her back down with a big grin on his face. “I want you to meet someone.” Todd took her hand and led her back to the horses where the older woman was dismounting.
The woman turned toward Todd and Ashley with a pleasant smile upon her face. “This must be Ashley,” the woman said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Ashley, this is my mother,” Todd said, grinning.
“Your mother!” stammered Ashley, surprised. She became even more embarrassed, realizing that Todd’s mother had watched Todd hug her.
“Hello, Ashley. I’m Carolyn,” the woman said with a knowing grin. She had noticed how enthusiastically her son had hugged this startling beautiful young woman.
“Hello,” replied Ashley, trying to smile and not stammer. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“I gathered that,” Todd’s mom replied with a friendly laugh. “I think Todd was very excited to see you.”
Ashley nodded, finding herself speechless. She knew her face had to be burning red. Her heart was still throbbing in her chest, and she was breathing rapidly.
Todd released her hand. “I’ve wanted my mother to meet you for months. I’ve told her all about you.”
“What are you two doing here?” asked Ashley, feeling confused.
“I left Glendon,” Todd’s mother answered, her face taking on a stressful haunted look. “I couldn’t tolerate Jacob’s actions any longer. Jacob and Edward are treating people too horribly, just like they do in Crayton. That’s why I’ve moved from Crayton to Glendon; I wanted to get away from all of that. Now they have control of Glendon, too. They are just taking whatever they want. It isn’t right, and I didn’t want Todd around that.”
“Todd and his mother are going to be staying in Plainview for the time being,” her father replied as he came around and took the reins of all three horses.
“We found a small house on the outside of the village,” Todd said, excitedly. “It will be perfect for us.”
Ashley nodded her head, pleased that Todd was going to be nearby. But everything couldn’t be this easy. “What about Jacob?” asked Ashley, hesitantly “Is he just going to let you live in Plainview?”
“We got into a big argument over Todd,” confessed Carolyn with a sad look on her face. “He wanted Todd to stay fulltime with him and not see me anymore. Jacob said I was a bad influence on Todd and he thought being around Edward more woul
d do Todd some good.”
“Get me killed more than likely!” Todd broke in, shaking his head. “There was no way I was going to stay out there with Edward.”
“I told Jacob that Todd and I were going to Plainview and that he was to stay away,” Carolyn continued with a troubled look in her eyes. “Whether he will or not, I don’t know. I hope this doesn’t cause any problems.”
“My father was pretty upset,” added Todd, letting out a deep sigh. “He’s so mad at Mom that I don’t think he will come after us, at least not for awhile. His last words as we left Glendon were good riddance and that he didn’t want anything to do with us ever again!”
Ashley’s mother opened the door to the house and stepped out on the porch to see what the commotion was in the yard. Her eyes widened at seeing Todd standing next to Ashley.
“Stephen, why don’t you take the horses down to the barn and get them unsaddled and brushed down?” Harmon said. He turned and motioned for Katrina to join them so he could explain to his wife what was going on.
“I’ll help you, Stephen,” volunteered Todd, taking the reins to two of the horses and motioning for Stephen to take the other.
“I’m coming with you,” Ashley said suddenly.
She still had some questions to ask Todd. She couldn’t see Jacob giving in so easily, not after he had come all the way to Plainview to get Todd after the big snowstorm that Edward created.
Harmon proceeded to introduce Carolyn to his wife, and the three went into the house to talk. They had quite a bit to discuss, and Harmon felt some of it was better done without the kids around. He had a suspicion there was more to this than met the eye.
-
Ashley, Todd, and Stephen went down to the barn and all three began unsaddling the horses. Stephen was extremely excited that Todd was here.
“What have you been doing all summer?” Stephen asked, his eyes wide with excitement. “I’ve been working really hard on my sorcery.”
“That’s good, Stephen,” Todd replied with a smile. “Later, you will have to show me what you have learned.”
Snowden the White Dragon Page 18