Yeah! We could, but once again we need to go inside the maelstrom, are you ready for that, said Ameer bitterly.
Meanwhile, they neared the river, Ameer was going up front, and Peter was following him taking slow steps on the big wet pebbles.
Ameer came to the end of the pebble strand and was looking at all sides to find some local people, he turned towards the right, he was awestruck at what he saw, the sight made him jump down from the pebbles. He removed his sunglasses and watched that with surprise. He looked higher, and higher, and higher. Ameer's jaw dropped, his head fell all the way back, and he looked even higher. Ameer stared, transfixed at a herd of grazing dinosaurs!!! The Apatosaurus and Triceratops were quenching their thirst in the river and nourishing the young ones. Ameer let out a long, sharp, OMG - a combination of surprise and a shout filled with fear
What ji!! Suddenly your face is filled with happiness and surprise, were you able to spot someone over there. These stones are quite slippery, I am unable to walk fast, wait, let me join you, said Peter.
That’s when Ameer saw the pebble stones and peered more closely at them, those weren’t stones but the eggs of these creatures. There were thousands of eggs near the riverside. To their right after some mountains and plateaus, there were groups of gigantic dinosaurs with long necks, and the triceratopses were combating each other with their horn heads.
Eh! Peter! Stay where you are, don’t take a step further. Move back slowly, said Ameer and jumped on those eggs to get away from that place.
Why ji! Are there any weird people like headhunters, asked Peter.
No! Just shut your mouth and move back, without making any noise, ordered Ameer.
Ji! But these pebbles are very slippery, I can’t move fast. Oh! Oh! Earthquake! Earthquake! It stopped! But I felt it, these stones underneath shook, did you feel it? asked Peter.
Those aren’t pebbles Peter! Where have you seen pebbles of this size, these are the eggs of the dinosaurs, said Ameer and pointed towards the dinosaurs standing on the right side of the river. Quick! Move back and be careful not to break the eggs otherwise we are in big trouble and will not live to see another day, said Ameer.
Meanwhile, they heard a gunshot coming from the west side of the island which was actually shot by Sammy to kill the Velox.
Others are alive, we need to reach them, move fast! Faster, ordered Ameer.
The sound obviously was not just heard by them, but also by the other creatures around them. The Dinosaurs which were on the river looked towards the eggs, No Matter what!! If anyone is a threat to their kids, the parents will react and attack to protect. The dinosaurs weren’t an exception to that rule. Once they saw Ameer and Peter crushing their kids home, they took their run towards them to attack.
They saw us! Run! Run! Faster! Faster! Ordered Ameer and both started to run but unfortunately, they were running on the eggs. The outer shell began to break as a result of that impact and every step they took, their feet went inside the egg and was drenched in the yolk.
No!! This is worse than the north sentential island, better if I would have sunk in the maelstrom, hollered Peter.
The ground shook with a sudden force of impact! Ameer and Peter looked nervous as the ground started to tremble beneath their feet! Seconds later a herd of Triceratops and Apatosaurus stampeded down the hill after them!
The stampede caused the boulders on the mountains to roll down. The two of them panicked and ran for their life. They ran into a narrow valley, deep in the heart of Dinolaya. The valley was less than 75 feet wide flanked by sheer cliffs.
Run!! Run!! Don’t turn back just run, said Ameer.
Ameer and Peter ran as fast as they could. But the dinosaurs approached them real fast. Peter glanced over his shoulder - the wall of the thundering Apatosaurus legs was about to engulf them!
Ji!!! I fear I will die under these huge feet, should we climb up the mountain, said Peter.
Just shut your mouth and run, hollered Ameer.
From the mountain, uninvited guests joined the party, those were the tiny 3feet Compsognathus, that jumped on the triceratops and usually grabbed their chunks of flesh.
Peter!! Look! behind you, Run! Run! Run! Hollered Ameer.
Compsognathuses attacked in groups, they were nearly double the count of Triceratops and Apatosaurus, and their tiny appearance, in fact, helped them a lot. With a sudden flash of movement, the Compsognathuses circled the herd. The Apatosaurus and triceratops herd looked edgy and restless.
On the other side, the area was so fragile. The land was completely soaked in the recent rain. Peter and Ameer continued to run for their lives. A Compsognathus leaped onto the back of a fleeing Apatosaurus, causing it to falter and slide against the cliff. Two more Compsognathus leaped onto the ailing Apatosaurus as the rest of the pack streamed past.
Ameer and Peter suddenly found themselves in a sea of huge legs that were like wildly pounding Redwood tree trunks! The Compsognathus were snapping and snarling at the legs.
A Compsognathus zeroed in on Ameer, it skillfully weaved in between and under the Apatosaurus and emerged right behind Ameer, and its snapping jaws were just a few inches away from his leg! But Ameer's luck favored, and the Compsognathus was squashed in the Apatosaurus foot.
Awwww!!!!!! Turn!! Turn!! There is a slope up ahead, Turn!! Turn, Ameer alerted Peter.
(Peter slips at the slope)
Ameer sees Peter trip and fall! The stampeding dinosaurs storm towards Peter down the narrow valley! Peter and Ameer scramble to their feet and start to run.
An Apatosaurus collapses at top speed! It cartwheels over its immense neck and tail thrashing out. The other Apatosaurus plough into it, tripping and rolling! Like one scabbed sheep mars the whole flock, the following Apatosaurus rushed and fell on one another. Some Compsognathus were squashed when two Apatosaurus slammed together.
Within seconds, the mighty herd of Apatosaurus and triceratops were reduced to a vast pile of dead or wounded animals. The Compsognathus immediately go to work, leaping onto Apatosaurus and triceratops, ripping into their fleshy stomachs.
In the midst of all this, Ameer and Peter escaped from them and gone into the jungle. The escape was only a temporary relief as unseen threats resided inside the jungle.
Ji!! I need to go home, please save me, please take me home. I need to live, cried Peter.
Peter!! Just relax, you are a brave person, I have never seen you cry. We need to fight against our threats and failures. There is no point in crying without getting a solution for our threats, said Ameer.
Meanwhile, they heard a sound from the dried leaves on the ground as though someone had just sprinted near them, but there was no one to be seen except Ameer and Peter.
Peter!! Something is wrong, we need to leave this place immediately, said Ameer.
Ji!! We better go back to the shore, we may find our people there, said Peter.
Sounds good!! Let’s move faster, said Ameer, and they ran towards the empyrean ocean. Peter was scared and desperate.
Ji!! I have killed many people without giving them a chance to express their last wishes, but now while I fear for my own life, I pray to god that I get that opportunity, even more than that I want to live ji, please save me, begged Peter.
Peter!! Peter!! Relax. Relax. Everything is fine. We are going to reach the shore. We will find the yacht and leave this godforsaken place, said Ameer.
But out of the blue there it was again, those eerie rustling sounds,
Here comes trouble again, (Sounds became intense) and it looks like we have been surrounded by someone, said Ameer not blinking from the direction of the sound.
Why aren’t you replying!! Are you still crying, asked Ameer turning towards where Peter was standing but to his shock, he was no longer there…!
Peter’s mouth was firmly held by two weird hands. Peter was kicking his legs in the air and was trying to free himself from those firm but awkward looking hands. Ameer searched all over for Peter without reali
zing the danger that he was about to encounter himself.
Peter!! Peter!! Can you hear me, where are you? shouted Ameer into the jungle.
Peter did hear Ameer but was not in a position to respond. Peter tried escaping from the short weirder by pushing it back, but the short weirder welcomed his push, slammed Peter to the ground giving him a mighty punch to his abdomen. Holding onto his hair, it dragged him on the ground and pushed him against a flat stone, with that impact the blood spurted out of his head and Peter fainted. The weirder held the right leg of Peter and dragged him into a mysterious narrow passage.
Peter!! Peter!! Shouted Ameer and continued his frantic search for him.
Peter!!!! Peter!!!! (Jungle echoed) Say something, shouted Ameer towards the plateaus of Dinolaya. He didn’t give up, trying harder to find Peter everywhere in Dinolaya.
While he was searching on the banks of the river Isis at the west of Dinolaya, he saw a group of reptiles swimming towards him. They looked nearly like giant alligators and were four in number. But, when they neared him, Ameer caught his breath and started to run without delaying a second because those weren’t sea reptiles but the bizarre Dinomen.
Dinomen were the strong muscular hunchback people with the rough dino skin, like some dinosaurs they had sails on their back and some even had the tails like dinosaurs, and their five finger claws were sharper than iron blades. They weighed more than 700kg and 5 to 6 feet in length.
Woah!! What kind of place is this, blabbered Ameer running like a beast. If Ameer was running like a beast, the Dinomen were deadlier beasts, they made eerie sounds and chased after him.
No!! No!! Not again, I am running in the path that leads to the dinosaur’s camp, I need to turn!! Otherwise, I will be stuck with those bloody bloodsuckers, thought Ameer.
(The Dinomen split)
One of the Dinomen took a shortcut and suddenly appeared right in front of Ameer, slashed him with his bizarre sharp axe but Ameer managed to dodge that with a swift duck, but the axe still managed to put a mark on his right eyebrow, and also cut strands of his hair in the front.
Ameer reacted and attacked the Dinomen with a quick martial art punch to his face but he was the one who staggered back in pain. It felt like hitting a boulder.
The Dinomen gave another slash with his axe but Ameer managed to escape that too and kicked the leg of the Dinomen which made him fall to the ground. As a result, the Dinomen lost the axe from his hand. Ameer seized the axe and slashed the head of the Dinomen but that wasn’t the end. Soon the other three Dinomen reached him. Ameer was prepared for them and with a plan in his mind, he went into a nearby cave. The other Dinomen pursued him with a frightening roar.
After entering the dark cave, the three Dinomen started searching for Ameer. But, he was nowhere to be seen inside the cave.
Dikunakejnsu!! Yistuman thjikmbgeuyt, olikstrun sdthbv dioaahm, ordered a tailed Dinomen in their dink language, which means, “This is a one-way cave!! He must be hiding somewhere here, let’s split up and find him”.
The Dinomen split up and started searching for Ameer. Meanwhile, Ameer was hiding inside a hollow gap, which was near to the cave drawings. Ameer was waiting for his chance to face the Dinomen one by one.
As expected a Dinomen came close to where he was hiding, Ameer without a moment’s hesitation bravely sliced the head of the Dinomen and painted the wall red.
Just a few minutes later, Ameer saw another Dinomen moving towards the exit of the cave. He followed him so he could slaughter him from behind. The Dinomen exited the cave and started examining the nearby lush plants. Ameer went out of the cave and went near him, raised the axe to slaughter him from his forehead, but the Dinomen smelled Ameer and tactfully got rid of the axe in Ameer’s hands. Ameer immediately took a few steps back. As he retreated, he found himself inside the cave again.
The Dinomen was furious and just when he was about to attack Ameer a Quetzalcoatlus came flying above the cave and caught the Dinomen's shoulders with its sharp talon claws and took him to a nearby plateau, soon a herd of Quetzalcoatluses started fighting among themselves for having the ripped Dinomen.
OMG!! OMG!! Where did these flying dinosaurs come from?? where am I now?? They must have seen me!! I must hide inside the cave, blabbered Ameer and ran into the cave.
While running into the cave, he fell into a pit. It was a downward slope at least 50metres deep and when Ameer reached the bottom, the cave echoed with a huge thud and this alerted the tailed Dinomen. He came running towards the direction of the sound.
(Ufff!!Ufff!! Coughed Ameer)
(Ameer stared transfixed seeing the inside of the cave) The place looked more like an underground chamber, how was it possible to build a chamber under a cave, Ameer thought to himself mesmerized by what lay ahead.
The chamber was a circular area, surrounded by some solid pillars and in the middle, there was a coffin. Ameer went near the coffin and started examining it. It had been covered with a movable layer.
Above the chamber, the tailed Dinomen found the pit, but he didn’t jump into it, he blew the conch and called the other Dinomen.
Inside the chamber, Ameer didn’t hear that. He was busy trying to move the coffin layer and so eager to check what was inside.
(Dinomen arrive at the cave)
Ameer successfully moved the layer and what welcomed him was the smell of rotten bones, which made him sick. The bones seemed like those of the dinosaurs with the curved neck.
(Dinomen jump into the pit)
Now, Ameer heard the sound of the Dinomen jumping inside the pit. He thought it was the tailed Dinomen alone, so he planned to attack him with the coffin layer. Later when he saw the group of Dinomen coming down, he used the dinosaur’s sharp bones as darts and attacked them, the bone darts worked so well, it hit its target - the throat of the Dinomen but there were just too many of them.
(Dinomen moved all over the circular area and circled him)
Ameer did not lose nerve and did not give a chance to the Dinomen to attack him. He was on a spree picking random bones but wasn’t exactly choosing the sharp ones. In between, he pulled a stunt throwing the skull and the toe bone which didn’t make any impact on the Dinomen.
At one point, he held onto a big bone, he assumed it was the spine bone of the dinosaur, he wasn’t able to dismantle it because the other bones were sticking to it. This was an opportune moment for the Dinomen to attack Ameer, both the tailed and the non-tailed Dinomen surrounded Ameer with a terrifying roar. They ran towards him to slaughter him.
Ameer was very aware of this but was still struggling to take out the spine bone. Two Dinomen came near him. Ameer gave a side kick to one & a punch to the other and continued his struggle to pull the bone out. Ameer was clearly outnumbered and now the Dinomen were craving to devour him. In fact, there were at least more than 50 Dinomen.
Finally, Ameer managed to pull the spine bone out and now he had 10 Dinomen surrounding him and the others ready to pounce on him. Just the force of his pull helped him slash the heads of the Dinomen upfront. Ameer expected the heads of the Dinomen to break and bleed with the strength of the bone, but what he didn’t expect was for the bone to slice their heads. Ameer was stunned and checked the bone in his hand to only see that it was not a bone but the scepter.
Once the remaining Dinomen saw the scepter in Ameer’s hands they knelt down and gave respect. That was "Scepter of power" which belonged to Lord Tyrant Seth previously. And whoever had the scepter will become the Lord of Dinolaya and so Ameer was now the new Lord of Dinolaya.
But, Ameer misunderstood the whole gesture and assumed the Dinomen were scared seeing all their fellow men’s heads rolling and bowed down seeking mercy.
The single Royston was moving towards the waterfalls of Sorgamia. The sun’s heat was at its zenith, he wasn’t able to cope with that heat, he halted and refreshed himself in the waterfalls.
Scepters of Empyrea Page 16