by Saxon Andrew
Trapped in Time
Book Two
Taming a Planet
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Excerpt from Extinction
Books by Saxon Andrew
Chapter One
Andy sat on the wall overlooking the original site of the community and sighed. The Leader was ill and the Judges had started telling the citizens that he wouldn’t last much longer. Andrew had been a great Leader and the community had grown tremendously under his guidance. The outer Roman Wall had been completed and the generators that powered the lights that defeated the darkness of this dangerous world had also been built. Andy didn’t know if he was ready to accept the role of being the community’s new leader. He had recently turned twenty one and knew he was of age to assume the position. He was genetically the best choice. He could trace his ancestry back to the original leader and that was needed to be chosen. There were other leaders in the past that didn’t have the necessary genes but whenever someone was available that did…He slowly shook his head. There was so much to be done and he wanted to be a part of the next expansion. Going out to remove the dangerous carnivores was something he didn’t want to miss.
He looked over his shoulder at the Roman Wall that towered over the first wall built around the community. The cliff was still partially there between the community and the vast ocean but it was less than half as tall as it once stood. Most of it had been used to build the new wall and Andy wondered what it had looked like when his ancestors appeared here. He looked to the north and saw the cliff in the distance that still stood at its original height and found it hard to believe that so much rock had been removed. The citizens had discussed cutting a gap in the cliff so that anyone could walk down to the beach next to the ocean but the Leader had insisted that the cliff was still needed to protect against the occasional storms that blew in off the ocean. Andy had sided with those that wanted to cut it down until the last storm had almost flooded the community. He now sided with the Leader on that issue. The waves that slammed into the cliff were thirty feet tall. The community would have been washed away without the cliff’s protecting it. Besides, the original caves were still there and no one wanted to do anything to damage them.
Andy heard Dinah roar and looked behind him. She was next to the wall looking up at him and she was impatient for him to come and take her out for a ride. Andy gave her a hand sign and she showed her disappointment. She sat down on the sand and then lowered her head. Today was not a good day to take her out; the Leader was ill.
He turned around and saw four Master Archers approaching the holding pen with their packs. He looked closely and saw that they had full quivers of arrows and knew that an Apex Predator had moved in close to the edge of the community. They were going out to either remove it or chase it away. He had read that, for the first fifty years after the original humans had arrived, any large predator that came close to the community was killed. Now the Archers tried to avoid killing them; the herbivores were becoming too numerous. They weren’t dangerous but they could cause major devastation to crops if they managed to get into the fields. The completion of the Roman Wall protected most of the farms but the community had grown to the point where more land was going to have to be cleared for additional farming. Dinah saw him watching the Archers and raised her head. Her body was shaking and he gave her a closed fist again. She whined and put her head back down. Andy smiled; he loved her so much.
He thought back to when he was twelve years old and had won the competition to have the first choice of the new eggs. Jelah was the largest of the Runners and everyone was amazed at the size of the eggs in her nest. He had decided that he was going to win the first choice. It wasn’t easy but he worked day and night perfecting his skills and it paid off in the final competition. He split the first two arrows he fired into the bull’s eye from a hundred yards. Several had come close but he was the only one that split two arrows.
He smiled as he remembered walking to Jalah’s nest and selecting an egg that was three times bigger than the others. All of Jelah’s eggs were larger than all the others that were laid that spring but the one Andy chose was an aberration. Some of the Elders insisted that it had to be an egg from a different species. Andy knew it was a Runner’s egg; it matched the others in shape and color. He made his choice and all the other children envied him. Jelah’s eggs were all chosen first.
Andy looked down at Dinah and remembered his fear when his egg didn’t hatch with the others. Every egg in all the nests hatched but the large one was still intact. Andy waited a week praying that the young runner inside the egg had not died stillborn inside the shell. After three days he began sleeping beside the egg at night praying his chosen runner would survive. He would watch the other children assisting their Runners down to the river to eat the soft grasses growing next to the shore.
On the seventh night, Andy was asleep and heard a snap. His eyes flew open and he saw a crack in the huge egg. He jumped to his knees and stared at the egg, hoping that the egg was still viable. He also prayed it was a female. The males made good runners but it was the females that were the great ones. He turned on a small cutter beam and stared at the egg for another hour before the crack grew larger. Then the shell burst open and he saw a large head emerge and lay on the nest. The head was huge. In another thirty minutes, the tired Runner pushed out of the shell and Andy saw it was a female. She lay on the bottom of the nest and Andy tenderly lifted her and held her in his arms. She had to weigh fifteen pounds. The small dinosaur looked up at Andy and he rubbed her on her lower jaw. The dinosaur closed her eyes and began issuing a soft mew. Andy reached over and took some soft river grass from a bowl and put it up against her mouth. She tried to move her head out of the way and she opened her mouth to protest; Andy pushed some of the soft, moist grass in her mouth and she bit down on it. Her eyes opened and she started chewing. She started struggling and Andy put more grass in front of her face. She ate until she emptied the bowl and then promptly closed her eyes and put her head on Andy’s chest. Andy stared at the Runner and said, “Your name will be Dinah.”
Andy sat on the wall and shook his head as the memories came back. Some of the runners were still being assisted to walk down to the river. The next morning, Andy put Dinah on the ground and went to collect more grass for her. He arrived at the river and felt a nudge on his leg. Dinah had followed him. He stood up and smiled at her as she saw the grass growing next to the river. She rushed forward and started eating and she had been eating ever since.
In less than two years, Dinah had grown to more than three times as large as any of the new hatchlings and was rapidly approaching the size of a full grown adult. Andy started riding her long before the others were large enough to carry their Archer.
Andy looked at Dinah still lying on the sand in the holding pen and shook his head. She wasn’t as big as an Allosaurus but an Allosaurus didn’t make her look small. She was the fastest Runner in the community and was also one of the best trained. Andy knew he had passed the skill tests required to become a Master Archer due to her in large part
. He was the youngest to ever pass the tests. Firing accurately from a Runner was the hardest requirement to master. She was a solid steady base whether she was running or standing still. Passing the bow challenge was easier than mastering the flying of the gliders. He passed the last test when he was sixteen years old.
The Elder Archers were reluctant to admit him into their ranks but an incident happened that changed their minds. Two of the Elders took the apprentices out to examine the dinosaurs that inhabited the vast plain outside the city. The Elders should have known better than to go near the forest to the east when there was a westerly wind. The group was gathered in a group looking out at the plain and Andy saw that Dinah was acting nervously. She kept looking at the tree line behind them and Andy knew she was sensing something. He turned her around just as a Spinosaurus came charging out of the tree line at the class.
The class was a hundred yards from the edge of the forest and the gigantic predator came out at full speed. This giant was fifty percent larger than an Allosaurus and it had its head lowered and jaws open. Andy slapped his knees on each side of Dinah’s back and she went rigid. All the other Runners panicked and ran; even the Elders’ Runners bolted away. Someone was going to die. The Spinosaurus was at full speed and closed the gap on the group in an instant.
Andy pulled an arrow, notched it, and fired in one smooth motion. He hit Dinah with his left knee and she bolted to the left. The giant predator turned toward her and its long neck twisted toward to snap them up. The massive jaws with twelve in sharp teeth came at them and snapped a moment too late as Dinah accelerated just out of reach. The Spinosaurus turned toward them and then crashed to the ground as the giant’s body finally got the message that its brain had been pulverized by the hunting arrow that passed through it. The predator rolled over three times and came to a stop. Andy turned Dinah around and notched another arrow. The Spinosaurus lay still and didn’t move. The Elders had finally managed to gain control of their Runners and came rushing back and saw that the giant was dead. Andy’s arrow was sticking out of the back of its skull. Within a week, Andy was allowed to wear the patch with a Gold Arrow superimposed over a pair of wings; he was now a Master Archer. That kill was still talked about five years later and it grew with each telling. Andy knew that if Dinah had bolted like the others, someone would have died. The shot was easy due to her remaining still.
Andy decided that she deserved to have her fun. He climbed down the wall and whistled. Dinah popped up off the ground and began wagging her long tail. Andy saddled her up and led her slowly out of the compound. They exited the Roman Wall and Andy gave her the release gesture. Dinah ran out into the clearing at a speed that was amazing. Andy put his head back and felt the wind blowing his hair. This is where he found joy. The two disappeared from view as the giant Runner did what she did best…run.
• • •
Andy arrived back at the community and released Dinah to feed at the river while he put his saddle, packs, and weapons away. He glanced at the cliff and saw a large black flag flying. His heart went into his throat. The Leader had died. A Judge was waiting for him at his dwelling, “You’ve been requested to go to the Holy Cave.” Andy nodded and put his gear in the storage room. He changed into a clean shirt and exited his home. The Judge started walking up the slope toward the cliff and Andy wondered if he was going to be chosen to lead the community. He was the obvious choice. His father had been unfaithful during his first bonding because his mate had not given him a male child. The woman he had been unfaithful with was his mother. He had promptly divorced his first mate and bonded with the new woman. It was clear his priorities had been to produce a male child ahead of everything else. Andy sighed. His lineage could be traced all the way back to the original leader and he was given his name in recognition of that fact. He loved his half-sisters but he knew they resented his father leaving their mother. He couldn’t really blame them. Divorce was not something that was easily accepted in the community. However, it did appear that many understood his father wanting to continue the unbroken lineage. It was going to take someone with the original Leader’s genes to open the Holy Door. He followed the Judge and entered the original cave where the first humans had arrived more than two hundred and fifty years ago. He entered and saw the Supreme Judge standing next to the wall where the Holy Documents were stored. He saw Maxius standing beside the Judge looking very uncomfortable. What could be bothering his best friend? The Judge that led him to the cave moved behind the six Elder Judges and Harvey said, “Andrew has died and it is now time to choose his replacement.” The Supreme Judge looked at Andy and said, “We have chosen Maxius to be the next Leader of the Community and since he does not possess the genetics to open the Holy Door, we need you to open it.”
Andy looked at Maxius and was shocked at the Judge’s statement. How could they have not chosen him? He loved Maxius but this was wrong. Maxius had only become a Master Archer six months ago. Maxius was nowhere near his skill level and shouldn’t have been chosen over him. He looked at the Judge and sneered, “You chose him; let him open the door.”
The Judge’s expression immediately changed and Andy saw his immediate sorrow. He shook his head and looked at the ground. The other Judges in the room began moaning. Andy looked at Maxius and saw his extreme sorrow. He looked at the Judge and said, “What is going on?”
The Judge looked at Maxius and said, “You will become our new Leader. This one has failed.”
“FAILED WHAT!?!”
Harvey opened an ancient book and began reading, “These words were written by Andy the First. He wrote; ‘Anyone selected to be the Leader of the People will first be tested to determine whether or not he is devoted to the survival and protection of the Community or is driven by his own selfish need for power. The test must be fair and it must be done with witnesses present before a new Leader may take power. If the one chosen does not pass the test, he will not be allowed to lead the Community.”
Andy listened to Harvey and felt his heart almost stop. He looked at Maxius and said, “What did they ask you?”
Maxius looked at Harvey, “May I be allowed to speak now?” Harvey nodded. “They told me that there was another with more qualifications but that they had chosen me to be the new Leader.”
Andy looked at Maxius and closed his eyes. He shook his head and said, “You turned them down.”
Maxius’ eyes narrowed, “How do you know that?”
Andy opened his eyes and said, “Because you are not driven by ambition like me. You truly do put the Community ahead of everything else.”
Harvey closed the book and looked at Andy, “You are banished from the Community for one year and may not live in the lands occupied by our people.”
Maxius shook his head, “I will not allow that to happen! Not if I’m going to be your chosen Leader!”
Andy shook his head, “It has to happen, Maxius.” Maxius looked at Andy. “If I stay, there will be dissention among the Archers. The Community will be divided and if you truly love our people, you must agree with this punishment. I was so stupid.”
Harvey looked at Andy, “We will announce the decision tomorrow. You will pack your things and leave immediately.”
Andy blew out a breath and stepped forward and hugged Maxius. He then walked past him and put his hand in the small hole in the wall next to the Holy Door and pulled the lever. The door disappeared above the opening. Andy turned and walked out of the cave. Maxius looked at Harvey, “You can’t do this! You know he’s the one you should choose.”
Harvey slowly shook his head, “He is not ready to lead.”
• • •
Andy walked down the slope to his home and saw Lyla waiting on him at his door. She was smiling until she saw his expression. “What’s wrong?”
Andy looked at her and shook his head, “I failed the test. Maxius is the new Leader and I’ve been banished from the community for a year.”
Lyla’s hand went to her throat and she shook her head, “Andy,
don’t joke about things like this!”
Andy looked at her, “I’m not joking.” Andy walked by her just as Andy’s father and mother came running up. They looked at Lyla and saw her distress. They rushed in behind Andy and his father said, “What happened?”
Andy looked at him and blew out a breath, “I failed the test the Judges gave me. Maxius is our new leader and I’ve been banished from the Community for a year.”
His father was stunned. After a moment he said, “The Archers will never accept this decision. We will make them change it!”
Andy stared at his father and after a moment said, “The reason I failed the test was because I put my own ambitions ahead of the good of the Community. I’ve been trying to see where I learned that trait and now I think I see where it comes from. You’re willing to cause a split in the Community to further your ambitions for me to lead. Tell me you’re putting the Community’s welfare ahead of your own desires.” His father could only scowl and shake his head. His mother stepped forward and hugged him. “You can’t go out into the wilds. You won’t survive.”
Andy shook his head, “The decision is just. I understand why it has to be done.” Andy looked at his father, “All my life I’ve been striving to make you proud. My desire to please you came ahead of doing the right thing.”
A young Judge stepped inside their dwelling, “It has been decided that you may take your Rider and weapons with you.”
Andy looked at the Judge and nodded, “Thank you.”
Andy went to the storage room and lifted his saddle and packs. He walked out the door and saw his father was speechless. His mother came rushing out behind him with a leather pouch, “You’re going to need more food than you normally carry. Take these with you.” Andy smiled and hugged her, “I love you, Mom.”
“And I love you so much, too.”
Andy nodded and turned toward the holding pen. He was halfway there when Lyla caught up with him and grabbed his arm, “I’m going with you.”