by Saxon Andrew
Andy suddenly realized that he had not thought about Melody once during the flight back from the battle. He shook his head wondering what that meant. Andy blew out a breath and raised his head to look Harvey in the eyes, “We saved her as well. She’s coming back on one of the ships.”
Harvey stared at Andy and saw something, “What bothers you about that, Andy?”
Andy looked at the ground and shook his head, “Harvey, she is an identical twin. She is identical to Harmony.”
Harvey shook his head, “Surely there is some difference? Most identical twins have something about them that allows you to distinguish between them.”
Andy gave a small snort, “If there is, I was unable to see it.” Andy suddenly realized why he had not thought about Melody; it caused him too much pain. His mind was protecting him. He shook his head and looked at Harvey, “I also put their leaders on one of the ships we captured and sent them back with a message to their leader.”
Harvey tilted his head, “What message did you send?”
“That I was coming to kill him.”
Harvey stared at Andy and said, “Do you think that was a good idea?”
“It seemed so at the moment.”
“You know he won’t wait for you to come to him?”
Andy looked at Harvey and shook his head as he laughed out loud. “Harvey, you are the only one that saw that happening. I’d rather take on their forces in my territory than on theirs. Maxius and Mark didn’t see that.”
“That’s why you’re a better leader. When will the others arrive home?”
“Probably within two weeks. They’re cleaning up after the battle.” Harvey’s eyes narrowed. Andy turned toward his quarters dreading going to a home that Harmony would never be in again. “I’m going to take Dinah out for a ride in the morning. I’ll be taking some provisions for a long trip.”
“How long?”
Andy stopped and looked back at Harvey, “As long as it takes.”
Harvey saw Andy’s expression and said, “I need you to stop by and see me before you leave.”
“Why?”
“You’re not the first one. Perhaps you need to hear what the first one had to say.”
“What?”
“Stop by before you leave.” Harvey turned and walked up the slope toward the cave. Andy stared at him and struggled with whether or not to do as he asked. But, then he decided that Harvey deserved his respect. He sighed and looked at his home outside the main gate; He stood outside for an hour before he could force himself to open the door.
• • •
A priest came in the cave entrance and went to Harvey’s room, “Andy is waiting outside for you.”
“What time is it?”
“The sun is just half way over the horizon.”
“Tell him to wait for a moment; I’ll be right out.”
• • •
Andy sat on Dinah and felt her excitement at being ridden. It had been too long. He wondered what Harvey had meant the other day and he stayed in the saddle calming Dinah as he rubbed her neck. The loud moan could be heard a hundred yards away. Harvey came out carrying a dark pouch. Andy’s eyes narrowed as Harvey walked up and said, “This pouch is waterproof; I want you to take it with you.”
“What’s in it?”
“You’ve been reading what the original Andy has written. You haven’t read this book.”
Andy took the pouch and stared at it, “What book is this?”
“It’s the journal he kept.”
“WHAT?”
“He kept a journal from the first day he arrived. I think you need to read it.”
Andy looked at the pouch and shook his head, “This is too valuable to be allowed out of the cave.”
“Then make sure you bring it back!”
Andy looked at Harvey and hesitated…then he stuck out his hand. Harvey took it and his eyes twinkled as he said, “Be careful, my friend.”
Andy smiled and turned Dinah toward the gate. Harvey watched him until he turned the corner and disappeared. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, “Help him find peace. If anyone deserves it…he does.”
Chapter Fifteen
Melody sat at the front of the ship and watched the waves breaking over the bow. She could see large creatures move away from the boat underwater occasionally and knew that most of them were dangerous. She stared at the wake and after a moment she saw the face of the archer’s leader. She kept it in her mind and tried to sense what it was trying to tell her. She closed her eyes and kept the face in focus. After a moment, she felt herself relax and become very calm. She smiled and knew that she had been feeling what Harmony had felt around him. He brought her peace.
She heard a noise and saw John walking up, “Are you ok, Melody?”
She sighed and shook her head, “Can anyone tell me about how my sister died?”
John stared at her and then looked toward the stern of the ship. He sighed and said, “Give me a moment.” Melody watched him walk to the stern and start talking to the gathered archers. One of them appeared to say something to him and John pointed toward her and the female archer nodded and started walking down the steps toward her. Her left arm was in a sling.
“Hello, my name is Jeela and I didn’t actually see your sister die but I was there a few minutes after it happened.”
“What happened to your arm?”
Jeela looked at her shoulder and shook her head, “I was one of those that was hit by a stray bullet during the land battle. I can’t fly until my shoulder heals.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Jeela sat down next to Melody and tilted her head, “The Destroyer Warriors couldn’t see us but they could see where the red beams were originating. One of them killed one of our warriors standing on the tree trunk above him and picked up his blaster when he fell. He stood and fired it at the trunk above him killing more than fifty of our warriors. Andy was close by and he fired at the Destroyer and killed him. Another Destroyer stood with the blaster and looked around for who had killed the first Destroyer. Andy killed him as well. Another warrior stood up ten feet in front of the first two and Andy killed him before he could fire. Andy is our best shot with the blaster.”
Melody nodded, “Go on.”
Leela sighed, “Andy had fired too many times and three Destroyers crawling through the grass saw the red beam. Harmony realized he had fired too many times without moving and she saw the three Destroyers stand up and raise their rifles. She rushed over between them and Andy and swept them with her blaster. They all died but not before they fired. She took two of their bullets intended for Andy.”
Leela was silent and Melody said, “What happened then?”
“All of us could see Harmony and Andy fall to the ground and we thought both of them had been killed. I guess we all went berserk at that moment and stormed the clearing. In less than twenty minutes we had killed them all. As soon as it was over, I rushed over and saw Andy holding Harmony in his arms weeping.”
“I was told by a young woman that she flew my sister’s body back to where you live.”
Leela nodded, “That was Dottie. Andy refused to leave Harmony’s body behind.” Leela shook her head, “You have no idea how frustrated all of us were at Andy’s refusal to leave her. Mark tried for hours to convince him and he refused to listen. Mark discussed it with us and it was clear the only way we were going to get out of there was to find a way to take Harmony with us.”
“Why?”
Leela looked at Melody, “None of us would go and leave Andy behind. If it came to it, we would die there with him.” Melody stared into Leela’s eyes and saw she meant it. Leela smiled, “Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. Gerrod came up with a way for him and Dottie to launch their gliders from a tall tree.”
“Why did this Gerrod have to do it?”
“There was a Destroyer Warrior that he captured trying to escape and Andy determined that he was not like the others. He told Mark that he was like Ha
rmony and had been forced to join them. Gerrod decided that Harmony would want the warrior saved if it was possible. He managed to get high enough to fly the warrior to the ship.”
“That was brave.”
Leela nodded, “That warrior told Andy about you coming to be tortured. I learned that the last things Harmony told Andy before she died was that she was sorry for causing him pain, that she loved him and to try and save Melody. All of us saw that Andy was going to do everything in his power to do exactly that.” Melody started shaking her head and Leela started nodding, “It’s true. Our entire battle plan was developed so Andy could go in and rescue you off that frame you were tied up on. It was an extraordinary plan. The only ones who were in real danger were Andy and Mitchell. He was in the middle of thousands of their warriors and managed to get you away.” Leela paused and then said, “Andy is a rare leader. He really is the best of us.”
Melody blew out a breath, “He was really foolish to make the effort.”
“Everyone told him that but he refused to listen. He told the others on the Leadership council that if he had to go alone, he would. However, he discussed his plan with them and they agreed it was worth doing.”
Melody looked at Leela and smiled, “Thank you. You’ve helped a lot.”
“No problem. It’s the least I could do for Harmony’s sister.” She turned to go and stopped, “Has anyone told you that you…”
“Look just like her.”
Leela nodded, “I’ve seen twins in my life but none of them were so much alike as you and your sister. Have a good day.”
Melody nodded and looked back out at the sea. Harmony had found the best of them and he had fallen in love with her. What in her made him do it? She wondered if she was like her sister as everyone was saying. If so…her presence would cause…Andy…incredible pain. She was going to have to avoid him. She owed it to Harmony to not cause him more heart break. They were still three weeks from arrival. She wondered what she was sailing in to. She stood up and saw giant reptiles flying high overhead. They moved effortlessly through the air and she wished she could fly like them. Maybe that archer was right and she could be taught how to fly the thing they called a glider. She smiled. If they could teach her how to fly, it didn’t matter what everything else looked like. She longed to be in the sky.
• • •
Andy turned south as he cleared the last gate and allowed Dinah to run to her heart’s content. After an hour she slowed down and began to stick her nose in the air. Andy smiled. They were moving close to the Community’s southern boundary and Dinah could smell the difference. Most of the predators were removed from lands the community occupied but one could never count on one not having slipped in at night. They were moving into an area that Dinah sensed should be approached with caution. She stayed close to the cliff wall so there would be ample warning if anything came charging out of the trees. They rode all day and Andy allowed her to eat her fill at the river. He kept his whistle in his mouth and blew it occasionally just to be safe. Most predators had learned to avoid that sound. Finally, they arrived at the cave they had slept in when Andy had started his exile. They arrived an hour before sunset; they had left earlier this time.
• • •
He pulled the lever at the entrance and the stone rolled back. He pointed and Dinah lowered her head and scrambled into the cave. Andy saw the lights were still operating in the ceiling and wondered if they stayed on or went off when no one was inside. The technology of the beings that had brought his ancestors back in time was incredible. He removed Dinah’s saddle and the glider pack. She went to the stream at the back wall and drank some water. He went and filled his water pouches and also drank his fill. He went back to the fire pit and started a fire. He found it amazing that the wood had not rotted and decayed; it caught fire the moment he touched it with his cutter and he sat down close by and took out the book that Harvey had given him. He turned to the first page and read;
• • •
“I awoke in a cave with hundreds of other humans all dressed in clothing from different times in Earth’s history. My last memory is of the giant Great White Shark bearing down on me with its eyes rolling back and a mouth full of four inch long teeth. I thought I might be in Heaven waiting to be sent wherever was deemed appropriate…but my watch was still working. How could a watch work in a place where time didn’t exist?”
• • •
Andy sat back against the wall and read what had happened to the first humans to arrive millions of years in the past. The trials they faced were incredible. He finally put the book down after several hours. He smiled at how Linnae had told Andy that she was the perfect choice for him. He knew he needed to get some sleep, so he saved the coming encounter of facing the Allosaurus outside the cave for the next day. He wondered how it was going to turn out. He fell to sleep quickly. The original Andy’s story had captured his imagination and he was able to put his grief aside for the moment. Dinah crawled over and put her head at his back and moaned quietly. Andy moved slightly but remained asleep.
• • •
The next morning he put the book back in the pouch and saddled Dinah. He finished attaching the glider pack to her back and went to the stone blocking the entrance. He pulled the lever and the stone rolled back. He held up his hand stopping Dinah from rushing out and he preceded her out of the cave. He looked out at the clearing and listened. There were no predators in view and he blew his whistle. He heard numerous roars to the north and knew that the carnivores knew the sound.
There were no roars to the south which meant there were no predators or, if some were present, they were unfamiliar with the sound. Andy waved Dinah out and closed the opening. He jumped into the saddle and nudged Dinah with his left knee. She turned and started jogging. Andy remembered the first journey and he stopped at the identical place he had allowed Dinah to eat before. He stood close by but no predators appeared. Dinah finished her meal, drank out of the river and came running up to Andy. He jumped on the saddle and Dinah started running south. Andy slowed her down to a walk and she didn’t appear to be happy at being slowed. However, Andy knew danger was ahead and he was not going to allow her to waste her energy. He raised his arm and Dinah put her nose in the air. Andy saw she didn’t smell anything dangerous and pulled the book out of the pouch and read as Dinah moved south. He read about the confrontation with the Allosaurus and the Utah Raptors. He was amazed at Linnae’s bravery and understood how the community had become archers after her example to them.
Linnae had played a pivotal role in the survival of the Community. He had always thought that it was Andy that single handedly brought the community to the place where it could exist in this dangerous place. He learned that the original Maxius played a role that was absolutely necessary. Harvey also brought a wisdom to the Community and he, along with the other Indians, were what built a foundation of the fighting force the Community’s warriors would become. He thought it fitting that Harvey was named after that ancestor. He was also the wisest one among the current leaders. He continued to read over the next four weeks and knew that so many had participated in saving his ancestors…but one thing was clear. It was Andy that brought them all together and made then better together than they were alone. He was amazing.
• • •
The ships finally arrived at the cut in the cliffs and saw that a long dock had been built from the beach to the deep drop off two hundred yards out from shore. Annelise met the ships and had them go to the dock and remove all the rifles and other items before they anchored off shore. The crews of the ships that went first took their small boats to shore and climbed the steps leading up to the top of the cliff.
They climbed down off the cliffs and were warmly greeted by the members of the community. It took seven days to complete the unloading and all the former slaves came ashore and were given a banquet and celebration welcoming them to their new home. Two days later, Annelise led them to the small harbor four miles north. The cliff move
d inland slightly and the waves had cut out the land due to the angle they were moving on shore. The harbor was about two miles long but had deep water all the way up to the cliff wall. The fifty six ships anchored and the crews took boats to the land south of the harbor and walked down the beach to the steps. Melody came ashore with the first crew and was met by Harvey and Maxius. Mark was attending to the storing of thousands of the rifles and ammunition that were stored on the ships. Harvey looked at Melody and saw Andy was right; she was the exact image of Harmony. Even her voice sounded the same. Melody saw him staring at her and lowered her eyebrows. Harvey smiled, “I guess you’re tired of everyone doing a double take whenever they see you.”
Melody relaxed and nodded, “You have no idea.”
“Please endure it for a little while longer. Your sister was one of the Community’s favorites and their reaction is in honor of her. You will be welcomed among us and we will honor you as well.”
“Why do I deserve honor?”
“Does a parent’s children receive honor when they have done remarkable things in their life?”
Melody tilted her head and said, “I guess so.”
“They receive honor because they are related to ones that have made a difference in their lives. You are related to one that has brought our people happiness and have brightened their lives. To do less would be a dishonor to your sister.”
Melody stared at Harvey and after a moment lowered her head, “To reject it would also dishonor Harmony.” Harvey nodded. Melody looked at the members of the community who were looking at her and saw them immediately look away when she turned toward them.
Harvey said, “They really don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Melody nodded and smiled, “Then I should help them.”
Harvey smiled, “You should!”
Melody walked out into the crowd and began introducing herself. The smiles of those she spoke with were immediate and she felt happiness for the first time in her life. Harvey watched her and shook his head. She was so much like…he stopped and knew why Andy had rode away. He couldn’t bear seeing her. What to do; what to do?