The Behemoth Master stammered, “I… I didn’t know.”
She quickly kissed him again which the Behemoth Master finally understood was her method of telling him to stop talking. The young warrior pulled away from the kiss and made a point to show the Harpy that his lips were closed.
The Harpy smiled. “I am glad you are learning how we can communicate without words.” The warrior woman took a deep breath to emphasize what she was about to say. “We shall mate when I inform you that I am ready. If you think I have any desire to ride through an unknown valley and into the heart of Italy itself with a child inside of me, you are even more foolish than I took you to be. I have no desire to put myself in a position where my skills will be compromised, nor do I have a desire to be responsible for the death of an unborn child. We shall procreate only when we have returned from this war alive. If you can live that long, you shall have proven at least worthy of being granted access to my body. We shall sleep in the same tent so the warriors remain convinced that the transition from one Behemoth Master to the next is seamless. However, should you touch me without my permission or reduce my role in the eyes of Casrubol or the general again, do not worry about fathering any children, for I shall castrate you when you fall asleep.” She placed her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. “Kiss me one more time if you understand.”
The Behemoth Master quickly kissed the Harpy. She pulled away from him and whispered, “The warriors are still watching. Next time, make it look compassionate and convincing instead of kissing me like a scared little boy.”
As the Harpy walked away, the Behemoth Master stood staring at her, wondering how he had so badly misread the situation.
Chapter 4
The Behemoth Master spent the night in the same tent as the Harpy, but he didn’t sleep very much. When he first arrived in the tent, he saw the Harpy standing unclothed inside of it. As the young warrior beheld her toned body, he briefly let himself believe that his night might go more in the direction he had originally hoped it would. Those hopes were quickly dashed when the raven-haired beauty began to viciously question him about his suggestion to enter the valley.
The Behemoth Master had just entered the tent when the Harpy started in on him. “You are supposed to be trained in the art of war! Why would you agree to enter a new terrain against the suggestion of the advance scouts without surveying the area yourself?”
The Behemoth Master shrugged. “The general seemed to think going through the valley was a good idea.”
The Harpy moved closer to him. “Yes, he thought it was a good idea to send in two groups of warriors, who, while highly trained, he has a steady supply of replacements for! Hannibal figures that if we are sent into the valley and wiped out that the creatures in there are a potential weapon he can use against the Romans. Even the loss of the elephants and the horses would pale in comparison to finding a new weapon like the creatures the scouts described! Imagine if Hannibal has to retreat from Italy back through the mountains; wouldn’t leading the Romans into a valley full of creatures that could destroy us be a useful weapon?”
The Harpy sighed. “Then there is Casrubol’s role in this expedition as well! Why do you think he quickly volunteered to be a part of our group as an advisor?”
When the Behemoth Master stood there with a blank stare on his face, the Harpy threw her hands into the air. “How incompetent are you? War is an arms race! When Carthage harnessed the power of the elephants for battle, it was a huge advantage for us! How much of an advantage do you think creatures with the size and power the scouts told us of will be if we were able to harness their power as well?”
She glared into the Behemoth Master’s eyes. “Do you think Casrubol will try to engage these beasts himself or do you suppose he will send us and the warriors we command to do it?”
The young man shrugged. “Casrubol is one of the oldest and most respected warriors in Carthage. He would not sit back like a coward and allow others to fight for him.”
The Harpy stepped forward and slapped the Behemoth Master across the face. “How do you think he has survived long enough to reach his old age? People like us, people like your predecessor.” The Harpy’s voice dropped at the mention of her former lover. “We don’t live long because we are fighting on the frontlines. Sooner or later, we die in battle. Men who seek to further their careers in the military like Casrubol live long lives by standing back and sending others to die for them.”
The Behemoth Master shook his head. “This can’t be true. Casrubol is one of the bravest warriors in the land. His legend is known throughout all of Carthage.”
The Harpy shook her head in frustration. “Must I give you a leading question to attain every realization?” She looked into the Behemoth Master’s eyes. “Who was it that told the legends of Casrubol?”
The Behemoth Master shrugged. “Casrubol himself told us of his exploits on the battlefield.”
The Harpy groaned. “Exactly.” She turned away from the Behemoth Master as she crawled under the skins that served as her bed. She took one last look at her betrothed. “Please gather some insight as to how the world works before your lack of knowledge kills us all for the glory of others.” She shook her head. “The general and Casrubol will not take me as seriously as they will you because I am a woman. Either let me help you learn to lead warriors and deal with those in command or simply do what I tell you so that the two of us and those who look to us for guidance have a chance at surviving a few more years.”
Before the Behemoth Master could reply, the Harpy closed her eyes and fell asleep. The warrior laid down on the skins next to her but he was unable to sleep. He was unable to comprehend how he found himself in his current position. Earlier today, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in life. He had attained a name and rank. He was gifted with the largest elephant in the history of Carthage as his mount. He had been given a beautiful and fierce woman as his mate.
Now as the Behemoth Master lay staring at the side of his tent, he wondered if his previous life of training and spending time with willing maidens was preferable to lying next to a warrior woman who thought him an incompetent fool as he prepared to enter into a situation of unknown danger.
With the realization that sleep would allude him tonight, the warrior exited his tent and walked out to where the elephants were grazing. Even in the distance as he walked toward the gathered giants, he could see the Emperor standing a full head over the other beasts. The sight of the majestic creature brought a smile to the young man’s face. As terribly as everything else had gone today, and as much as he doubted himself, one thing he was sure of was his ability to work with elephants. When he paired this thought with the notion that the most powerful elephant in the world now belonged to him, the Behemoth Master felt both pride and awe.
As he approached the Emperor, the mighty elephant lowered its head and leg so that he could climb up onto its great back. The Behemoth Master stepped onto the elephant’s bent leg and then he scaled its back. When he was sitting on top of the mighty pachyderm, the Behemoth Master could see for miles. The young warrior spoke to himself. “To hell with the Romans.” He patted the Emperor on top of his head. “Whoever sits atop your back is truly the ruler of the world.”
Feeling slightly more at peace with himself, the Behemoth Mastered decided to ride atop the Emperor and further clear his thoughts. Not wanting to move too far from his regiment, the Behemoth Master directed the Emperor to walk in a circle roughly a mile in radius around the campsite. With the great beast following his every command, the young warrior realized that despite all of the difficult relationships, his new life had given him the bond between himself and the Emperor was both immediate and strong. With the slightest nudge from the Behemoth Master, the Emperor turned in the desired direction. Despite this being the first time he had ridden the Emperor, the Behemoth Master felt as if he and the elephant had been together for years.
The Behemoth Master had just directed the elephant to
begin his third lap around the camp when he heard screaming from the southern end of the campsite. Confident in his ability to guide the surprisingly nimble Emperor through the campsite, the Behemoth Master had the elephant move right through the center of the camp. From atop the elephant, the warrior could see tents, objects, and even people being tossed into the air. When the Behemoth Master saw a young man with a huge, round hole in his abdomen being hurtled into the night sky, he knew what was attacking the camp. When the man’s body struck the ground, his intestines slid out of the wound in his gut.
When he was within a hundred feet of the center of the attack, the Behemoth Master signaled for the Emperor to stop. When the elephant stopped, a larger rhinoceros tore through the side of a nearby tent. The animal’s large horn and face were covered with blood. When the beast shook his head back and forth, part of the intestines from the man he had slain swayed across the tip of its horn.
The Behemoth Master knew the armored beasts to be both unintelligent and sore tempered. On numerous occasions when hunting, he had seen a surly rhino attack a nearby elephant. The Behemoth Master quickly surmised the best way to lure this animal out of the campsite was to use its own aggressiveness against it. The young warrior tapped the Emperor on the side of the head, urging the beast to slowly circle to its left. With each step the Emperor took, the enraged rhinoceros turned with it. When the Emperor had circled around so that it was toward the outskirts of the campsite, the Behemoth Master ordered the elephant to rear up on its hind legs and trumpet.
When the rhinoceros saw the elephant challenge him, the armored animal charged. As the Emperor’s front legs crashed back to the ground, the Behemoth Master had the mighty elephant take a step to its right. The movement to the elephant’s right caused the rhinoceros to miss the Emperor and charge out of the camp. With the rhinoceros out of the camp, the Behemoth Master had the Emperor turn around and face the rampaging creature.
The young warrior hoped that the rhinoceros would simply wander off, but if the beast was still looking for a fight, the Behemoth Master and the Emperor were more than ready to oblige the brute.
The rhinoceros scraped its foot against the ground then lowered its head and charged once more. The Behemoth Master tapped hard on the back of the Emperor’s head, commanding the mighty elephant to meet the charge head-on. The Emperor trumpeted once more and then charged the oncoming rhino. When the two beasts were less than three steps apart, the Behemoth Master brushed his hand across the side of the Emperor’s head. In response to the action, the Emperor tilted his head to the side and then he swung it back, striking the rhinoceros on its side. The blow was powerful enough to knock the charging rhino to the ground. Before the rhino was able to work its way back to its feet, the Behemoth Master directed the Emperor over to the fallen creature. The young warrior jammed his fingers into the back of his elephant’s head, commanding the elephant to gore the downed rhino.
In response to his master’s directions, the Emperor plowed his long tusks into the exposed underbelly of the rhinoceros. The downed pachyderm squealed in pain as the Emperor’s tusks dug into his body. At the Behemoth Master’s command, the Emperor pulled his blood-covered tusks out from within the wounded rhino.
The Behemoth Master looked down at the dying beast lying at the Emperor’s feet. The rhino was clearly in terrible pain. While the Behemoth Master could not tolerate the animal attacking his warriors, he had no desire to see the creature suffer a long and painful death. He commanded the Emperor to rear up his hind legs above the dying creature. When the elephant’s legs came back down, they landed directly on the rhino’s ribcage, crushing the beast’s torso, heart, and lungs, killing it instantly.
With the battle over, the Behemoth Master directed his elephant to turn around. When the animal was once more facing the campsite, the Behemoth Master saw the entire regiment standing there looking at him. At the front of the crowd was the still nude Harpy. Given that not a single soldier male or female was looking at the grandeur of the Harpy’s naked body, but rather at him, he knew had done something very right or very wrong. Given how the rest of his day had gone, the Behemoth Master was unsure of how his actions would be viewed.
The young warrior’s fears were laid to rest when the Harpy stepped forward and shouted. “Glory to the Behemoth Master and the Emperor for slaying the rogue beast!”
At the Harpy’s command, the rest of the warriors cheered and clapped. The Behemoth Master bowed his head in recognition of their praise and then directed the Emperor back toward the other elephants. When they reached the rest of his herd, the Behemoth Master directed the animal to let him down. Once his feet were firmly on the ground, the young warrior patted the elephant on the leg. “You were magnificent tonight. You followed every command that I gave you and protected our camp and your herd.”
The Behemoth Master then walked over to the food shed and returned with a basket full of apples which he placed in front of the colossal elephant. The Emperor accepted the reward and with his elephant rightfully rewarded, the Behemoth Master made his way back to his tent.
When he returned to the center of the camp, he found that all of the warriors had returned to their tents. Not wanting to wake the Harpy, the Behemoth Master quietly slipped into the tent.
He was taking off his sandals when the Harpy spoke up behind him. “For the first time since I met you, I think there may be some hope for you. You commanded the elephant well and dealt with the rhinoceros before it could inflict more damage.”
At hearing some praise from the Harpy, the Behemoth Master’s confidence immediately increased. His initial reaction was to go over the details of the battle with the rhinoceros. He was about to start telling her how he timed the Emperor’s charge perfectly to knock down the rhino when he thought better of it.
He took a deep breath and replied, “It was my first time riding the Emperor. I am fortunate that both he and I were taught so well by our trainers and that he is adept at battle.”
The Harpy nodded. “Now that makes twice you have made a wise decision in one night. I suggest you go to sleep now before you start acting like a fool once more.”
The Behemoth Master nodded and smiled. He then laid down and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 5
For the next 10 days, the caravan of troops traveled to the looming mountains at the southern tip of the Alps. The days consisted of traveling for up to 10 hours—sleeping six hours, training for three hours—and then the occasional hunting or fishing trip to restock supplies and for recreation.
It was during these training sessions that the Behemoth Master was able to strengthen his relationship with his soldiers. The battle with the rogue rhinoceros had helped to elevate his status in the eyes of his men, and the Harpy consciously leading the praise for his victory was well-timed on her part to add to his reputation.
It was the act of actually training the warriors where the Behemoth Master was truly able to distinguish himself. While all of Carthage’s warriors were in tremendous physical shape and well versed in the art of war, the heirs were on an entirely different level. Aside from genetics making them superior warriors to the majority of their peers, the heirs were put through incomprehensibly rigorous physical training. As the greatest of the heirs, the Behemoth Master was a physical specimen beyond compare. The workouts he put the men through were the same ones that he engaged in every day of his life. When he had first started the workouts with the soldiers, they were nearly exhausted. After they had made it through the first week, however, the Behemoth Master could see that the men’s bodies were becoming more accustomed to the exercise regimen.
In addition to conditioning, the Behemoth Master also worked with the men in extended sparring sessions. Here, he would teach the men sword, spear, and axe techniques they had never seen before. While the warriors were exhausted by the training the Behemoth Master put them through, they were also excited to learn new battle techniques and they were awed by their leader’s mastery over so many dif
ferent weapons and forms of combat.
After the training, the Behemoth Master would allow the warriors to rest. As they rested, he would regale them with tales of the greatness of Carthage that he had been told during his time as an heir. The glory of war, battle, the crushing of one’s enemies—all the ideals that were installed into the Behemoth Master were imparted to his warriors. He spoke of the day when Carthage would finally topple Rome and claim the known world for itself.
These tales were often followed by many of the men calling for Casrubol to entertain them with a story of his own exploits in the military. As the calls came, the old warrior would smile. The Behemoth Master could see the gleam in the old man’s eyes and he was more than happy to let the ancient warrior share his expertise with the men. While the Harpy had her reservations about Casrubol, the men shared the same reverence and admiration for the grizzled veteran that the Behemoth Master did. As much as the men listened to every word the Behemoth Master said, they were enthralled by the words of Casrubol. The old warrior was a legend amongst the gathered men and they treated him as such.
The Harpy would engage in similar training with her warriors with the notable exception of the tales of battle and glory. While the men rested, the woman and their fleet horses would go on hunting expeditions. The Behemoth Master was always impressed by how much game the Harpy and her warriors were able to catch on each outing. When it came time for the last hunt before entering the Alps, the Behemoth Master asked if he could accompany the women on their hunt. He was desperate to see the Harpy’s hunting techniques and he knew they needed as much food as possible prior to entering the Alps, as game would be scarce in the frozen mountains. Then there was also the uncertainty of what manner of food, if any, they would find in the mysterious valley they were to traverse.
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