by Saxon Andrew
“Then we would be between them and their route home. They’ll come from the south and will not encounter any problems from that direction. They’ll sail south.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I’m not sure.”
“About what?”
“I’m trying to decide if I should take their ships, which means I will have to allow them to land their warriors, or just destroy them.”
“There are a large number of slaves on those ships.”
“I know.”
Harvey thought for a moment and said, “Have you considered that having that many ships here might entice whoever is coming from off the planet to come here?”
Andy’s head jerked up, “No, I haven’t; that is something I missed. You’re right, we need to take the ships.”
“Will that put more of us in jeopardy?”
“Of course it will; we’ll have to come within range of their rifles, but I think we can avoid major problems.”
“What if they climb the cliff and come over the top toward us?”
“It all boils down to their training. Coming over the cliff is something they’ll shy away from.”
“Why?”
“They’ve been trained to operate in formations that advance and cover each other. All they could do on top of the cliff is march toward us in ranks fifteen across. They’ll want to come overland and use what they know.” Andy paused, “Besides, if they come over the top, two archers could fly by and kill them all. There’s nowhere for them to hide on the top of the cliff.”
Harvey thought about it and after a few moments, nodded, “When are you going to start moving the cannons?”
“I need to talk to Maxius and see what he needs to hoist them up. Once he’s ready, we’ll bring the ships to start the process.”
“Let me know if I can do anything to assist you.”
Andy stood up and extended his hand, “You’ve already done more than you know.”
“Oh? How’s that?”
“That book saved me. Thanks.”
Harvey shook Andy’s hand and they felt the close bond of brothers that aren’t related. Andy left the cave and Harvey called a young assistant and gave him instructions. The assistant ran out of the cave and picked up a glider pack outside the entrance. There might be a few items that Andy could use in the coming conflict. He’d know shortly.
Chapter Seventeen
Melody woke and picked up the book but saw Melody was shaking. She sighed and stood up. She dressed and quickly ate some dried meat and berries. She stared toward the entrance and Melody jumped to her feet. She stopped and had a thought. She turned around and put her hand and said, “Stop!” Melody stopped and sat down on her back legs. Melody looked the giant Cursor expectantly waiting to go outside. She knew that it was her destiny to be here at this time and place. She put her arms at her side and said, “Destiny, come.” The Cursor tilted her head and stared at her. Melody said, “Destiny, come.” The Cursor didn’t move. For the next thirty minutes Melody repeated the command with no response and she almost gave up. Then she closed her eyes and felt how much she loved the huge dinosaur and said softly, “Destiny, come.”
She kept her eyes closed and suddenly felt her huge head rubbing against her. She opened her eyes and hugged the Cursor and rubbed her jaw. “That is so good, Destiny.” She pointed to the back of the cave and Melody reluctantly moved to the back and sat down all the while wagging her huge tail. Melody said “Destiny, come.” The huge Cursor just sat and stared at her. Melody blew out a breath and softly said, “Destiny.” Melody raised her head and she said, “Come.” The Cursor trotted over.
Melody squealed and rubbed her jaw again. For the next week she refused to use Melody to command the Cursor but only called her Destiny. By the end of two weeks, the Cursor would no longer respond to her former name.
Melody opened the cave and Destiny crawled out behind Melody who had her camouflage uniform on as she scanned the clearing in front of the cave for predators. She allowed Destiny to come out and commanded her to look for predators. Destiny went up on her back legs and sniffed the air. She snorted and looked at the tree line south of them. Melody raised the whistle Maxius had given her and blew it. She saw the bushes at the edge of the tree line jerk and heard the roar of Raptors as they issued a warning as they fled from the sound. Melody pulled the red blaster out of its holster and walked with Destiny to the river where she fed on the moist vegetation. She rubbed her on the neck as she scanned the area for carnivores. Finally, Destiny finished and they walked back to the cave. Melody took the saddle from just inside the entrance and put in on the Cursor. She then turned the Cursor north and let her run for ten miles. She spun Destiny around and they ran back to the cave with Melody using her legs to direct Destiny to change direction. Destiny loved it and the sudden stops and reversal was the most fun of all. She loved sliding to a stop in the sand and whipping around to run the opposite way. They spent the morning running and both of them returned to the cave tired but fulfilled. Melody closed the entrance and ate another small meal as she opened the book and continued reading.
After four weeks, she finally arrived at the blank pages. This was not fair, the story was not over. She rapidly began turning pages in frustration screaming her disappointment…and then she saw the next entry. She started reading and felt her tears start. She wept as she read and continued crying after she finished. She remembered feeling a sudden pain in her chest several months earlier and now she realized that it was when her sister had been shot. The pain disappeared quickly, but she knew at some level that something had changed. She lowered her head and cried at never having the opportunity to hug her before she was gone. Then a thought wormed it way into her consciousness, “I’m not gone.” Her mind froze and her eyes glazed over as she fainted. Destiny crawled over and nudged Melody with her head but she didn’t respond. The huge Cursor whined and continued for hours but Melody didn’t move.
• • •
Andy watched the cannon crews aiming their guns at the distant boats that were anchored off shore from the cliff. The first attempts to hit the boats were a disaster. Now after three weeks of continuous effort, the crews could hit the boats fifty percent of the time. Some of the crews were far ahead of the others. Annelise and Paul were incredible. It was at that point that Annelise had one of the sailing ships pull a boat attached to a long rope behind it. The crew on the sailing ship were incredibly nervous but the cannon balls hit very close to the boat being pulled.
In another two weeks, the crews were able to hit the small boats on a regular basis and Andy called a halt to the training. He didn’t want to waste any more of the powder used to fire the cannons. From that day forward, each crew got one shot at a pulled boat. The ones that hit it were allowed to go and enjoy the rest of the day. The ones that missed had to clean the cannons. It wasn’t long before only a handful of crews were cleaning the guns at the end of each day.
Harvey watched the crews fire their cannons and was amazed at their accuracy. The ships that were coming were in real jeopardy. The crews had been told that only twenty ships could be hit and they would have to fire to miss the others with close by shots. Each cannon crew was determined that they would be one of those that hit one of the Destroyer ships. Andy did tell them that they could take additional shots at the ones hit and they really looked forward to the opportunity.
• • •
It had been five weeks since Melody had ridden to the south. Andy sat on the southern wall at sunset wondering if he should go and see if she was ok. One of the fliers he sent to check on her said that he saw her riding her Cursor up and down the beach. But that had been more than ten days ago. None of the fliers he sent after that had seen her. He saw the sun touch the horizon and he blew a breath out. He stood up and glanced out at the clearing to the south; something was moving. He grabbed the rope hanging from the wall and repelled to the ground. He started walking and saw the object getting larger. It was Melody.
There wasn’t another Cursor anywhere near as large as the one approaching. He stopped and waited for them to arrive. They arrived in front of him just as the sun disappeared and twilight began. He saw Melody looking down at him from the saddle and she said, “Why did you give me that book?”
Andy stared up at her and said, “If you had to guess, what would you say?”
Melody stared at Andy and after a moment slid down off the saddle to the ground. She looked at Andy and said, “You’ve decided to love again.” Andy lowered his head and nodded. She sighed and said, “Tell me what you want.”
Andy raised his head and looked at Melody, “My ancestor chose to marry Carrie because Linnae had chosen her to join their family.” Melody nodded. “I’ve chosen to try my hardest to get you to marry me.”
“Because Harmony chose me?”
“No, because I choose you.”
Melody stared into Andy’s eyes and then rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him as she put her head on his chest. He pulled her close and heard her say, “I’ve loved you from the moment you took off your head covering on the beach. I didn’t know the feeling because I’ve never loved in my life. Destiny taught me what love feels like and I see that is what I feel for you. I’ve never loved anyone. I’ve chosen to love you.”
“Destiny?”
Melody smiled and said, “Destiny, down.” The giant cursor immediately fell to the ground. Andy’s eyes went wide and Melody leaned back and said, “You can teach an old dinosaur new tricks.” She then went to her tip toes and kissed Andy. Andy felt her lips on his and he felt it all the way to his toes. He returned her kiss and for the first time, in such a long time, he felt at home in Melody’s arms.
• • •
Harvey watched them from the top of the southern wall and smiled. The assistant he had assigned to the watch had come running to the cave and he had run to the wall. He saw Andy and Melody holding each other and he felt tears in his eyes. Sometimes…sometimes…the universe rewarded the hearts that deserved it most. He left the wall and felt alive. He picked up the pace and literally danced into the Holy Cave. Everyone wondered what could have possibly caused such aberrant behavior by the Eldest Judge. Whatever it was, his smile brightened the room.
• • •
The Commandant looked at the Warrior Commander in front of him and sneered, “They can do what!?!”
“Sire, they wear clothing that makes them invisible. One of them was less than three feet from me and I could not see him.”
The Commandant looked at the warriors standing at attention to the side of his throne and they all nodded. He looked back to the Commander and he said, “Sire, they took control of our ships in less time than you can imagine. I have no idea how they did it but one moment after the dinosaur charge started and the cannons were firing to support us, they stopped. It was like someone blew out a lantern.”
The Commandant looked at the warriors again and they were all nodding. “Do any of you have something to add to this lunacy?”
A warrior stepped out of the front ranks and lowered his head, “Sire, I heard them say that they killed all of our ground forces and that they only lost one warrior doing it.”
The warrior stepped back into ranks and the Commandant screamed, “AND YOU BELIEVED HIM!?!”
The warrior stepped forward again and said, “Sire, I do.”
The Commandants anger was real and he said in a low threatening voice, “Just why did he allow you to escape and where is that incompetent Admiral of mine?”
The Commander knew he was probably going to die but he braced himself and said, “The leader of the forces that attacked us sent me back to deliver a message to you. I threw the Admiral overboard because he went insane and kept yelling at the top of his voice that we’re all doomed and going to die.”
The Commandant stared at the Commander and something in him told him that he was being honest. He would know that his life was over for saying less. The Commandant hesitated but then said, “And, just what was the message?”
The Commander looked straight ahead and said, “The leader said that he was coming and that he was going to kill you personally.”
The Commandant looked at the warriors and they were deathly still. That more than anything else told him the Commander was telling the truth. “How many of them did you see?”
The Commander looked at the Commandant and took a deep breath, “I estimate there were more than seven thousand that revealed themselves. I don’t know how many remained hidden.”
The Commandant was shocked at the revelation and he looked at the warriors, “Do you agree with this estimate?”
A different warrior stepped forward and said, “I agree with the estimate of those that revealed themselves but I was closer to the tree line and I heard many voices talking to each other in the trees. I have no idea how many were there, Sire.”
“And you say they killed all of our ground forces?” The Commander nodded. “How?”
The Commander looked at the Commandant and said, “I was ordered by the Admiral to stay with him along with my personal bodyguard on the beach. I could hear thousands of rounds being fired in the distance but I have no idea how they did it. No one survived to tell us.”
The Commandant’s anger was instant but he heard a warrior say, “The number of shots being fired was in the hundreds of thousands and they were all being fired at the same time. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and I’ve been unable to sleep since. My friends and fellow warriors fired and didn’t kill any of them. But they all lost their lives.”
The Commandant looked at the warrior and saw the absolute fear on his face. The other warriors were little different. He knew without doubt that they had been through a level of terror never seen before. He looked at the Commander and saw him shudder at the memory. This caused him to feel something new: fear. He looked at the Commander and said, “You say this man said he was going to kill me with his own hands?”
The Commander gathered his wits and said, “He did, Sire.”
“Did you believe him?”
“I know he was being honest about it. I don’t know that he can do it.”
“How do you know he was being honest?”
“He spent the better part of an hour trying to decide whether or not to kill all of us or send you a message. The total lack of emotion on his part was…disconcerting. It was like he was trying to decide to step on a bug or not. He had no fear of us.”
The Commandant didn’t like what he was hearing. He looked at his Fleet Admiral and said, “They now have more than fifty of our ships.”
“Yes, Sire.”
“And the slave crews know where we live?”
The Admiral hesitated but said, “Yes, Sire, they do.”
The Commandant knew that this new enemy had a means of coming and when the wind changed… He looked at the Admiral and said, “I want you to get with this Commander and determine on a map where they were attacked. I want you to take two fleets and go and destroy or capture the ships they took from us.”
“Sire it will take some time to make the preparations.”
“You will leave in a week or you’ll look up from the bottom of the ocean at someone who can do what I order.”
The Admiral turned white and nodded. He looked at the Commander and said, “Come with me.” The Commander followed the Admiral out of the room and saw the anxiety on the Commandant’s face. He nodded to his warriors to follow him and the Commandant didn’t watch them go. Thank the Gods that he was distracted and didn’t order their execution. He felt disgust at the Commandant sending two thirds of their remaining forces into the enemy’s domain instead of fighting them on their own turf. He realized that the Commandant was a coward and he hated what he was a part of. The question asked by that strange leader still haunted him. “Why didn’t they just take the humans back to their lands without killing them?” He had fought trying to justify why and he couldn’t do it. Now he felt sick knowing his leader wa
s little more than a bully or a slug.
• • •
The Commander met with the officer that was going to command the ground forces leaving with the two fleets. The new officer looked at the Commander and shook his head, “You’re making this enemy seem like supernatural beings.”
“Ringer, there’s no way I can effectively communicate the disdain they feel toward us. They are not intimidated by us at all and they know, not guess, but know they can defeat us.”
Ringer stared at the Commander who had once been his leader. “Slayer…”
“Ringer, how did they take our ships without any of our warriors getting off a shot?”
Ringer stared at Slayer and said, “If they have invisibility suits, they must have taken boats from shore and boarded.”
Slayer ran his hand through his hair, “I’ve come to the same conclusion but the timing to arrive at every ship simultaneously and board without making any noise…”
“You did say the roars from the beach were incredibly loud.” Slayer looked at his former subordinate for a moment and then nodded. “Once we arrive in their territory, I will have look outs watching for wakes in the water. They’ll not be able to sneak up on us.”
“Ringer, just be careful. These people are dangerous.”
“I’ll show them what a cannon can do. We’ll be fine. Why aren’t you going with us?”
“My men and I have been restricted to the city. I don’t think the Commandant wants us around to put fear into our warriors.”
Ringer tilted his head and nodded, “You’ve certainly made me more concerned. The Commandant is probably right not to send you.”
Slayer shrugged and nodded, “Just be careful.”
• • •
Andy sat with Melody next to the river while Dinah and Destiny fed next to the water. “Why won’t you marry me now?”
Melody took Andy’s hands in hers, “Harmony deserves some time before we do that.”
Andy shook his head, “We never know how much time we’re given, Melody and we should make the most of what we’re given.” Melody smiled shaking her head and heard Mark yell as he ran down the slope toward them, “The scouts on the cliff see John and Dottie flying in from the south!”