Snowden the White Dragon

by Raymond L. Weil

  Ashley shot a warning glance at Stephen just to remind him that he couldn’t mention that she was a sorceress. Stephen caught the look and nodded his head slightly. Todd didn’t need to know she had been working with Stephen on his sorcery. Ashley felt guilty about keeping the secret from Todd, but for now it was the wisest choice.

  “I understand my Uncle Kensett was here a few weeks ago,” spoke Todd, hesitantly. “I’m sorry for what my family took from your village; it never should have happened.”

  “It’s not your fault,” replied Ashley, sliding the saddle off one of the horses and putting it over a wooden form her father had built specifically for saddles.

  “There was almost a fight!” Stephen broke in, recalling what Mason had told him. “The villagers weren’t going to let Kensett have any of the crops and trade goods. Mason came out to get my dad before anything bad happened.”

  “I don’t blame them,” Todd replied in understanding. “Why should they have to turn over the crops and trade goods they worked so hard for? That’s one of the things my mother and father argued over.”

  “Dad had to go into the village and calm everyone down,” added Ashley, walking back over to stand next to Todd. “It almost got out of hand.”

  “So I heard,” Todd replied with a serious look of concern on his face. “Kensett was bragging to my Dad about how he had faced down the Andrews, but I knew the truth. Your father just didn’t want anyone to get hurt; he did the right thing. Kensett has a bad temper, almost as bad as Edward. He’s also a pretty powerful sorcerer.”

  “The villagers are still extremely upset,” Ashley responded. She still couldn’t believe that Todd was standing here in front of her. “Some of them are still aggravated at my dad and his brothers for not standing up to Kensett.”

  “People would only have gotten hurt,” responded Todd, shaking his head. “I’ve seen what Uncle Kensett can do.”

  “I guess they just don’t understand that we had no choice,” continued Ashley, wishing the villagers weren’t so upset with her family.

  “You can’t blame them for being upset,” Todd replied in understanding. “I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse in the future.”

  “I’m worried about you and your mother living in the village,” Ashley continued, her deep blue eyes showing concern. “The village people have no love of the Sorensons.”

  “I know,” replied Todd, letting out a deep breath. “That’s why we aren’t telling them we’re Sorensons. We’re using Mom’s maiden name for now. Hopefully no one will remember me from when my father came to get me after the snowstorm.”

  “I hope not,” Ashley spoke. She doubted anyone would remember Todd, but you could never tell.

  “I’m just glad you will be living in Plainview,” Stephen added with a big grin. “You can come out and see us whenever you want.”

  “Stephen, put all three horses in the large stall; that way we won’t have to round them up later,” spoke Ashley, shaking her head at her brother. She knew Stephen was really excited about the news that Todd would be so close. The truth was so was she.

  Stephen looked at his sister and nodded his head. “Okay, I suppose I’d better give them some water and some hay.”

  Ashley turned back to Todd with a serious look on her face. “Do you think your father will come after the two of you?”

  Todd was silent for a moment as he watched Stephen put the horses in the stall. “Probably,” he confessed. “I think once he calms down and realizes we have actually left, there’s a good possibility that he might. I don’t know what my mother will do, but I’m not going back with him again!”

  -

  Later that evening, Ashley sat on the front porch, thinking. Todd and his mother had stayed for supper and then her father escorted them back to Plainview and the house they were going to live in. Looking up at the stars, Ashley hoped that Jacob wouldn’t come for them. Todd and his mother had suffered too much at his hands; they deserved some time to heal. She heard a horse coming up the road, and she figured it was probably her father returning from Plainview.

  The door to the house opened, and her mother stepped out on the porch. “It’s a nice evening, Ashley. We’re you happy to see Todd?”

  Katrina looked up at the stars. It was so peaceful out here on the farm; she loved nights like this one. Very little wind, brightly shining stars, and it was still warm enough to feel pleasant. Todd and his mother showing up had been a huge surprise. She wondered how her daughter was dealing with that. It was one thing to have Todd over in Crayton or Glendon, but now he was just down the road in Plainview. She knew the two kids had very strong feelings for one another.

  Ashley stood and smiled at her mother. She knew that her mother understood how she felt about Todd. “Yes, I was glad to see Todd. I just don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

  “Todd’s mother seems nice. After visiting with her, it’s easy to see why Todd is so polite. His mother has been a very good influence on the boy.”

  “But what’s going to happen now?” spoke Ashley, sounding unsure of the future. “What happens when Jacob comes after them? He will, you know.”

  Katrina stepped over to Ashley and put her arm around her. She smiled and looked her daughter in the eyes. “We don’t know what the future holds, we’ll just have to wait and see. For now, just enjoy the fact that Todd and his mother are in Plainview and safe from Jacob and Edward.”

  -

  Several nights later, the moon was just beginning to rise above the distant mountains. The valley was quiet, with a light wind blowing. Even the animals in the meadows were silent as they slept or grazed quietly.

  Up on Beaver Mountain, Snowden stood at the entrance to the cave that held his lair. His razor sharp eyes looked around the slopes of the mountain, seeing nothing moving. With a leap, he took to the air. He beat his wings rapidly as he flew over the slopes, and then he started rising higher. For some reason, something just didn’t seem right tonight. Over the years, Snowden had come to trust his instincts. There was something wrong in the valley, and he needed to find out what it was.

  High into the night sky, Snowden flew. With the stars overhead and the moon rising, the dragon had an excellent view of the countryside below him. For the first time in years, Snowden flew across the center of the valley, his eyes searching. Normally when he left his lair to feed, he stayed on the outer edges of the valley so he wouldn’t be seen. He was almost all the way across the valley when he detected a strange scent in the air. It was the scent of another dragon!

  The scent became stronger, and Snowden descended toward the ground. The scent became almost overpowering as he was drawn toward a small meadow. Landing, Snowden quickly found where another dragon had fed. A young cow had been killed here in the last few hours and been eaten. Braxam had found the valley and was beginning to feed.

  With a loud roar, Snowden took to the air, determined to find the other dragon. For hours, Snowden searched in ever widening circles, but there was no sign of Braxam. Extending his search, Snowden flew in the direction of New Haven. Braxam had to be somewhere close by. The brown dragon wouldn’t have left the valley after finding such a plentiful source of food.

  For over an hour, Snowden flew until the ocean side village of New Haven came into view. Slowly circling the village, Snowden checked the air for Braxam’s scent. After making several low passes over the area around the village, Snowden realized there was no sign that Braxam had ever been here. Feeling frustrated but determined Snowden turned toward the northwest. This would take him far to the north of the valley.

  For hours, Snowden searched, finally flying down the west side of the mountains that shielded the valley, but even here there was no evidence of Braxam. It was nearly sunrise when Snowden returned to his lair. He knew that Braxam had found the valley and would continue to feed here. At some point in time, Snowden would find him.

  -

  Ashley was in the village visiting Todd and his mother. Stephen had
come with her, wanting to see Todd. The three were currently in the small diner across from the general store, eating generous slices of pie. Looking over at Stephen, Ashley had to smile. Her brother had almost finished off the slice of peach pie that was setting in front of him. Peach pie was his favorite desert. Sometimes, Ashley thought her brother could eat a whole pie by himself.

  “How is your mother enjoying her job over at the general store?” Ashley asked as she took a small bite of the cherry pie in front of her. It was nice to be able to sit here in the diner with Todd and not have to worry about someone spotting them.

  “I think she really enjoys the work,” Todd answered with a smile. He took a bite of his apple pie, savoring the sweet, tart taste. “Back in Glendon, she wasn’t allowed to work, and I think she felt useless. Here, she is meeting new people, and she told me last night she can’t believe how friendly everyone is.”

  “The people in Plainview have always been like that,” Ashley responded glad that Todd’s Mom was enjoying her job.

  “Until my father and uncle showed up,” Todd spoke quietly, the smile leaving his face.

  “It’s been almost two weeks since you and your mother arrived in Plainview,” Ashley spoke, her blue eyes gazing at Todd. “There has been no sign of your father; perhaps he has decided to leave the two of you alone.”

  “I doubt it,” Todd replied with a heavy sigh. “He’s probably just waiting until spring.”

  “When he comes to make his new demands,” Stephen spoke in between bites of pie.

  “Yeah, his new demands,” muttered Todd, unhappily. “I don’t know what will happen then.”

  “The villagers won’t agree to anymore demands,” said Stephen, putting his fork down, having finished the pie on his plate. He wondered if he could talk Ashley into getting him another slice.

  “That’s what I’ve heard also,” responded Todd, worriedly. His eyes took on a haunted look. “My family has been very hard on those in Glendon that resisted. A lot of people were hurt before they agreed to my family’s demands. I would hate to see that happen here.”

  “We will resist,” Stephen said, thinking about his sorcery lessons. “Mason, Justin, and I have been studying our sorcery really hard all summer. We will be able to help in the spring.”

  “I will help also,” replied Todd, determinedly, his eyes turning dark. “But even with all of us, I still don’t think we can stop Edward. He’s just too powerful.”

  “How many members of your family can use sorcery?” asked Ashley, curiously. This was a question she had never asked or really thought about before. She was sure her father had already asked Todd about this.

  Todd paused for a moment as he thought. “My father and brother in my immediate family and my Uncle Kensett and his son are the most powerful. My father has two older uncles that both have sorcery on their side of the family. If you add them and their children, that’s another eight that I know of.”

  Ashley was quiet as she digested this information. “That’s twelve sorcerers we might be up against.”

  “If we could stop Edward, the rest wouldn’t be a problem,” Todd said, but he knew that was the dilemma. There was no way to stop Edward!

  -

  Later, Todd and Ashley were walking back to Todd’s house. Ashley had given Stephen some money to buy some candy over at the general store. The two were walking holding hands and just enjoying each other’s company. Ashley wished days like this could go on forever.

  They stopped in front of the house where the horses were tied up and Todd looked at Ashley. She was so beautiful; he could look at her all day. Her deep blue eyes and her blonde hair made her so attractive. Without thinking, he bent down and kissed her gently on the lips.

  Ashley stepped back and smiled. “That was nice.” Before she could say anything else, Stephen came running up, clutching a small bag in his right hand.

  “Chocolate, I’ve got chocolate!” he spoke excitedly.

  “That’s good,” replied Ashley, feeling a little flushed. She didn’t think Stephen would notice he was too excited about the chocolate.

  The two mounted their horses and Todd looked up at Ashley. “I’ll be out in a few days, I promised Stephen I would help him some more with his sorcery.”

  Ashley looked down at Todd. “I will look forward to seeing you.” Then, with a playful smile, she added, “Maybe we can spend a little time by ourselves when you come out.”

  Gesturing to Stephen, they turned their horses and started down the street. Behind them, Todd grinned broadly. It had been a good day. Whistling to himself, he walked up the steps to the small house he and his mother were staying in and went inside.

  -

  It was dark again, and Snowden was flying over the valley. He circled Ashley’s house several times, sensing her asleep inside. He knew that he would have to tell her about Braxam. For the last several nights, he had spent a large part of the nighttime hours searching the valley and the surrounding countryside for Braxam. Nowhere had he found the other dragon’s scent again as he had the first night.

  Snowden suspected Braxam had found a lair and was staying inside for the time being making him extremely difficult to find. Snowden’s other worry was that if Braxam had found the valley, what about Gilmreth?

  For hours, Snowden flew low over the dark mountain slopes, searching for other caves that might serve as a lair for Braxam. Snowden found several large caves, but there was no evidence of Braxam at either of them. Feeling frustrated, Snowden turned back toward his own lair. He knew that Braxam would return to the valley to feed; Snowden just needed to catch him doing it.

  As he flew back, Snowden looked down at the villages and farms of the humans in the valley. He had protected and watched over them for centuries making sure they stayed safe. Now a new threat had arrived that could endanger all of that. Snowden was determined that he would keep the humans safe; he had to find Braxam!

  -

  Ashley was up early the next morning and went behind the barn to practice her sorcery. There was a heavy dew on the grass in the meadow. She knew Stephen was still sound asleep in his room, and her father had already started his morning chores. Very soon her mother would be cooking breakfast.

  Concentrating deeply, Ashley focused her mind on the large water tank next to the barn. Water was pumped up by a large windmill from a deep well to keep the tank constantly full.

  The water seemed to vibrate slightly and then the entire mass of water floated up into the air. She concentrated, keeping the spell intact, her eyes focused on the water. Ashley’s amulet was glowing brightly in her left hand as it helped to feed energy to the blue matrix that was the spell.

  Higher in the air the water rose until it was fifteen feet above the tank. Slowly the water began to change its shape until it became a ball of crystal clear water. Continuing to concentrate, Ashley made the water separate down the middle and then again and again. After a minute, she had a dozen smaller globes of water floating in the air. She moved her right hand through several more gestures and spoke a few simple words of power. The balls of water began moving through the air, forming different shapes.

  For nearly ten minutes, she worked with the water. When she was satisfied she had done everything she could with it, she moved the balls back over the tank and allowed them to drop down one by one. Each one making a splash as they fell.

  “That was interesting,” a voice behind her spoke.

  Ashley spun around and was relieved to see her father standing there watching her.

  “Your control over water and fire is amazing,” her father said, walking over to her and gazing into the water tank. “I can’t do anything like that.”

  Ashley put her amulet back beneath her blouse where it was safely out of sight. “It’s more stuff I learned from Cathy Matheson’s memories of her time beneath Firestorm Mountain.”

  “This Cathy Matheson must have been an amazing sorceress,” Harmon said. Over the last few months, he had watched his daughter do
things with sorcery that he would have thought to be impossible.

  “She was,” replied Ashley, recalling her experiences with Cathy’s memories. “She was also a very good person.”

  “Those ancient sorcerers must have been remarkable,” her father spoke.

  “They were,” Ashley replied somberly. “But they had the same problems under Firestorm Mountain as we have with the Sorensons, someone always wants more.”

  “Their dispute caused the Worldfire,” Harmon spoke pointedly, knowing the dangers of using sorcery foolishly.

  Their war had nearly wiped out the world. Sorcery running wild and uncontrolled was extremely dangerous. The past had already demonstrated that very vividly. Harmon hoped nothing like that was in their future.

  “They had dreams of doing good,” responded Ashley, recalling several of the conversations between Cathy and Jason Sylvar. “They just never got the opportunity.”

  “And we may be repeating their mistake in the spring,” stated Harmon, wishing he could think of some peaceful way to bring the Sorensons around. He looked over at his daughter and shook his head. “I don’t think the Sorensons are going to give us much choice.”

  “We don’t have the deadly weapons they had in the past,” Ashley reminded her father, her eyes taking on a distant look. “They also had hundreds of powerful sorcerers and sorceresses beneath Firestorm Mountain. In our time, there is only Edward and me.”

  “It will be turning cold in a few more weeks, and then the snow will begin up in the mountains,” her father said, looking toward Beaver Mountain. “We should probably go see Snowden one more time before then.” Harmon had started going with Ashley on her trips to the mountain. He didn’t like his daughter climbing those hazardous slopes alone. Even if she was a powerful sorceress, bad things could still happen.

  “Yes, we should,” responded Ashley, agreeing with her father.

  She would like to fly with Snowden one more time before it became too cold. Once the snow started falling, Snowden would go into a deep sleep for the winter.