“No, no my little ant eater. I know she’s keeping an eye on us. I was just thinking about how much I love you.” He grabbed her and held her as tight as he dare. Such a precious being deserved every ounce of his soul and being.
Paul left his daughter with the baby sitter and went to work. He walked on the cobbled road near the street vendors. The sun was shinning and the birds were chirping. Life was bustling around him, growing. Mouths were being fed and people laughed. The joyful scene made him angry.
He thought about stopping and pretending to be sick. Paul did not want to do his duty today. He day dreamed about staying home and educating his young child. Perhaps they could even get into addition and subtraction today. He shook his head free of fancy thoughts. He had a duty to do, no matter how foul and distasteful. Paul saw plenty of other foul and distasteful jobs he wished were his.
A man cleaned out the wretched poop from a dinosaur stable. The stegosaurus stopped its foot impatiently. Each time the foot fell down, more liquid poop splattered the man and got in his mouth. Paul was jealous and thought of the man as lucky. Paul waved and the man stopped what he was doing and ran over.
“Pale Rider! Pale Rider! How are you doing?” The man held out his filthy hand.
Paul shook the hand, wishing for a moment that it was him cleaning out stables. “I am good.”
A moment went by with the two men looking at each other, waiting for the next to say something.
“Still not a man of many words, huh? I’ve always liked that about you Paul.” The stable cleaner smiled, flecks of poop stuck on his teeth.
“I see you’re still a man of too many words. I’ve always hated that about you.” Paul smiled and grabbed the man’s shoulder affectionately.
“Well, I figure, if I say enough of the words, one day someone’s going to actually listen! Wouldn’t that be a dino’s growl! If people started listening to the gibberish I spout? Might make the world a touch better, you know.”
“Maybe..” Paul barely got out.
“So speaking of making the world a better place, how’s that tiny flower of yours? I hear she’s speaking now.” The stable man continued.
“Why yes, she…” Paul got three words out this time; a new record.
“She’s a cute one. Going to be pretty like her mom I think. Not ugly like you, Paul. Heaven’s sigh for that. You’re as attractive as old grumpy here.” He pointed at the stegosaurus in the stable.
Paul knew he wouldn’t get a word in here, so he kept quiet.
“So where you off to Pale Rider?”
The silence surprised him. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Cause I know what I would do on a day like today, I do! I would be right here. The old girl needs me to clear out her home. That’s a proper job. Not like yours.”
“Don’t rub it in” Paul muttered.
“I suppose you deal with a different kind of poop though! I best get back to it. Looks like I got a right mess on my hands, and from what I hear, so do you.”
He darted away and started cleaning up a fresh pile of dinosaur dung. Lucky guy. Paul shook his head and continued down the path.
Paul stopped at the large building at the top of the hill. While most buildings were made of wood, this one was made of bricks. The mortar around each brick was done in a half-way slopped mess. From far away the building looked amazing. However, the poor workmanship became obvious the closer you came. Paul sighed and opened the doors.
He was greeted with a loud screech. Those would have been the large messenger dinosaurs. They looked like giant bats but with bright orange and yellow feathers. They also had a full beak with plenty of teeth. They were in large, rusty cages with men who darted near their feet, tying off canisters. The men barely looked at the dinosaurs’ feet, instead keeping an eye for sharp teeth. These creatures were used to working with humans, but could still be unpredictable. Paul had heard of one fool thinking their creature was special and trying to ride it. The result was, thankfully enough, two broken legs as the man fell. If his grip had been better, the man would have fallen to his death. These creatures were only good for moving canisters between towns. Much like a messenger bird, but with larger canisters carrying more diverse products.
Paul walked to the cage and stared in. Opening the front door had rattled the creatures, and now their handlers were trying to get them calmed back down. Paul admired the wing span of one as it tested the boundary of its cage. Paul even noticed a small hook at the end of the wing. Had that always been there? Or was that another mutation? The creature tucked its wings back in, and gave two steps towards Paul. It held its head at the side, observing Paul with one giant eye. Paul met the animal’s stare with his own. He could out stare this young upstart dinosaur. The creature then shrieked at him. Paul could feel the hot worm breath press against him. It smelled awful but he wouldn’t succumb to flinching first. The animal moved its head the other way, continuing to study Paul. Paul walked up the cage, and put his face between the bars. Paul then let out a giant yell. The bird moved back and Paul felt vindicated. He then looked at the handlers who shook their heads.
Paul winked at them and said, “Guess I am smarter than a bird.”
“That is still up for debate” came a female voice behind him.
Paul spun around and saw an older woman wearing a grey robe. She hid the lines in her face with expertise. Lines that spoke of hard choices were covered in an easy smile. However, as much as she tried, the lines around her eyes could not be hid. Her smile never went that far any more.
“Council woman Winston. You are looking well today. Are you just visiting or …” Paul trailed off and he left the question open.
“I am here for business Paul. I know you hate these things, but we must have them. Law is a precious thing.”
“Yes, yes, I know. But the last few I heard were about pig stealing. Who cares about pig stealing?”
“Do you own a pig Paul?” The old lady asked, pointing at his chest.
“No” Paul replied.
She smiled and nodded her head. Paul knew that she wouldn’t give out any more than that. Council woman Winston was smart enough to let others figure things out. She would have made an excellent teacher, if they could get that started again. Schools were not seen as practical while civilization was rebuilding itself. Food and surviving were the main lessons children learned now. After waiting for a few moments, she took Paul’s arm and started leading him away from the cage.
“Now, Paul, you know that everyone respects what you have to say. No one else can boast such a claim.” She squeezed on his arm.
“They could boast it. I am not sure I can though. I am just a farmer who was looking out for the community.” Paul put his arm on council woman’s Winston hand.
“Your words betray you. Few enough think of community now.” She said, smiling and opening the door. “Now in you go!”
She let go of Paul’s arm and pushed his back gently. Paul reluctantly went into the room. The circular room was well lit. The light streaming in from the windows gave the room a halo effect. Near the back wall of windows was a raised platform with chairs and desks. Paul sighed and walked over to his desk. The rest of the council took there seats. Council woman Winston was already chatting up the person next to her desk.
“Alright everyone. Let’s get this going. Maybe we can get out of here with some light still in the sky.” Paul said loudly to the room. Conversation died down. “Bring in the first argument.”
In came a strong willed woman pulling a man with her. The man looked ashamed and filthy. He had torn clothing that resembled a half way point between rags and nudity. Colors were mismatched and small brown streaks appeared where the man stepped. His clothing, soaked in grime, trailed behind him. The woman pulling him, in contrast, had a blue dress on. She looked fierce and ready for battle. Paul pitied the poor man, but understood the attractive pull of a strong woman.
“Go on! Tell them what you told me.” The woman pointed at the coun
cil.
“Sirs. Madams. I am thankful for you seeing me here. It’s a small thing of justice that I ask for.” The man bit his lower lip and scratched the side of his head.
“Before you begin, my good man. Is the argument against this woman here?” Paul said pointing the strong willed woman in a blue dress.
“My wife? No Pale Rider, not her. I know not even you have the power to make me win that argument.” The man said.
The woman hit his arm and glared. She pointed her finger in the air and then pointed back at the council. Paul smiled slightly at the exchange.
“No, Pale Rider, it’s against the coin baron coming in.” The man pointed behind him to another man coming in the chamber.
The other man wore a sack with a rope belt tied around his waist. He had no shoes and mud caked onto his hairy legs. He walked up toward the council smiling widely. His white teeth offset the dirty, unkempt beard across his face. He walked up to the woman in a blue dress, bowed and winked. The woman’s nostrils flared in anger and her jaw shifted slightly.
“So… Mr. Coin Barron? Do you know why your here today? What’s your real name?” Paul asked the man in the sack.
“Name’s Mr. Sir. Fox the first, Lord of the lands, Love of the Sky, Protector and explorer extraordinary.” The man bowed deeply to Paul and stuck his hand out. “Glad to meet a man of similar prestige as myself.”
Paul rolled his eyes and shook the man’s hand.
The woman saw thing and smacked her husband. “See! He shook his hand. Go shake his hand!” She then pushed the other man towards Paul. The man in rags offered a meek hand, not wanting to meet Paul’s eyes.
Paul smiled and proudly shook the other man’s hand. “Now what seems to be the problem today, my good men.”
“He took our pig!” the woman offered, pointing at the man in a sack. “The coin baron over there took our pig! You see him Pale Rider? That one, right there!”
Paul offered a fake smile and decided that the only light in the sky he would end up seeing today would be stars. It was going to be one of those long days. He would rather just buy them both a pig and be done with the whole mess. However, he knew they would be back in the council session next week, making the same argument. Absently he wondered if blue brain zombies ever had to deal with such nonsense. He would probably never know what really happened to this pig. They probably left the pig tied up in the wilderness and it got eaten by a wild animal.
CHAPTER FOUR:
The Merchant
A dark robbed figure hustled through the crowd, a pig under their arm. The animal squealed and complained. The rope around the creatures neck had be snapped. It was obvious to anyone who looked that the pig was stolen. However, those able to afford and wear dark robes meant that money was involved. No one wanted to mess with someone who had money. Money could buy guards and friends.
The shadowy figure looked both ways, before darting down an alleyway, then another. Soon, the figure appeared near a barn door. Looking to both sides, the figure quickly darted in the barn. The figure walked over to a pen and set the pig gently down. Several other pigs were in the pen, and they snorted and squeaked at the new arrival. The figure pulled back the cowl to expose long red hair and slight freckles.
Many thought of Heshbon as a beautiful woman. When men saw her bartering in public, they assumed she was sent by someone else. Few men expected a woman to be able to barter on technical equipment. They assumed she was just a rich man’s arm candy. They tried to take advantage of that by making up jargon. She would embarrass them by calling out their non-sense, as politely as possible of course. She would then ask to be treated as an equal. Some insecure men wouldn’t trade with her, but that was fine. The one’s that did trade with her often gave her a discount for knowing her stuff.
She hung up the dark robe on a hook near one of the stalls and walked toward a large stall. Smells of straw and burnt fibers filled the air. She had used this stall to house her chemicals. Blue beakers of glowing liquid twisted around tubes. She turned on a burner underneath the blue beaker and it began to bubble, forming liquid up the twisting tubes. Before long, the condensation dripped out into another beaker. When the second beaker was full, she took a turkey baster and sucked out the liquid. She walked over to a row of plants in the stall. She put one drop on the first plant, two drops on the second, five drops on the third, and the rest of the liquid on the fourth. She grabbed a clipboard near the plants and marked down the amounts.
“Day 10.” Heshbon said aloud, while writing on the clipboard. “Still no change in growth. Will add more nitrate concentrate to plant three tomorrow. Moving from five dosages to ten. Hopefully this will show a stronger connection.”
A large growl came from a nearby stall. The growl was followed by a thud on metal.
“Settle down. I’ll get to you next” Hesh replied.
She continued to scribble on her clipboard and then put it back. She walked over to the pig pen and picked out the smallest one. She grabbed the animal and walked to the large cage at the other end of the barn. She threw the pig into the cage and then stepped back quickly. Blood soaked the ground where she had been standing just a moment earlier. Yips and clicks began to sound from the cage. This beast was happy, at least for the moment.
It had grown much larger and faster than any of her other experiments. She was glad about that. A fast growth cycle meant that she could sell the beast for more. Experiments were not cheap. Knowledge was not cheap. The requirement of knowledge required that she had to bargain something in return for this space. She had decided to sell the beasts she created to animal breeders. They would then take the set of creatures, breed them, tame the offspring, and sell that offspring to town folk. Each and every one of Hesh’s controlled creatures came with two things.
The first feature was an immunity to Janus’s kiss. No matter how many times they were bit, they never turned into anything more than an injured animal. The second feature was a tracking device. She couldn’t account for any of her sold creations creating new life, but she could track down any failed experiments that breached the perimeter line. The fence around the barn had scanners attached along with tiny bells tied to each scanner. It was far from perfect, but in this broken world, the idea of scanners determining location was close to magic.
Hesh knew that she had the luxury of such technological magics because of her education. Unlike many modern people, her parents had emphasized learning. Time and time again she saw knowledge pay dividends. She had running water, some electricity, and even a primitive water pump. She was able to keep her home dry during rainy months by using this water pump. It required a lot of work, but she decided that knowledge always did come with a price. The question was simply if a person was willing to pay the price to get the goods. Many people didn’t strive long and hard enough to get to that point in this world. Hesh was determined to not only arrive, but thrive using her knowledge.
Hesh often day dreamed about a school of knowledge workers, all learning off each other. There would be an endless turning of ideas and fresh perspectives. What a wonder that would be. Her thoughts lingered and she leaned on her table. The sudden jolt of movement caused the wobbly table to tip to far and the beaker started to roll out. She quickly caught the beaker, but hear a crash. She had forgotten to catch the other beaker she was using. Shaking her head, she went to find the broom to sweep up the mess. She couldn’t let herself get distracted with day dreams. Knowledge came at a price, and she had to be the one to pay for that knowledge.
“There is no way that this stegosaurus is as healthy as your last” said the fat man walking around the beast. He kicked at the animals foot and nearly ten seconds later, the dinosaur responded by moving its leg. “See that? Slow reflexes”
“Stegosauruses are not built for their reflexes” said Hesh. “They are built to move things. This one can move a tree right out of the ground.”
“Perhaps a young tree or a tree stump, but not an actual tree. This dinosaur is w
ay too sick and weak for that.” Said the fat man, hand underneath his chin.
“How can I prove to you that this beast is healthy?”
The stegosaurus took that moment for a loud sneeze.
Not wanting to be interrupted, Hesh continued, “How can I prove to you that this beast is healthy?”
“You could have it pull a tree out of the ground.” Said the man, “though I get to choose which one.”
“No, I don’t like that challenge. Your going to find the biggest tree you can and say that the animal is sick because it couldn’t pull the tree out.”
“See!” said the man, pointing at Hesh, “You made a boast and now your already backing down.”
“Let’s do something more interesting. Let’s have your best stegosaurus play tug-o-war with this beast. You’ll see that it not only has a strong footing, but can also move with some power.” Hesh smiled and lowered her head “Unless your afraid of a girl.” She battered her eyes at him.
Janus (Zombies versus Dinosaurs Book 2) Page 2