“Very well,” she said with a shrug. “I suppose we should do away with the niceties.”
“Look, I don’t want to fight,” I said.
“I really don’t want that either,” she said quickly, and her words caught me by surprise.
“Uhh, you don’t?”
“Nope,” she said with another shrug. “I won’t get anything out of killing you. I need your help to get home.”
“You are pretty arrogant,” I said.
“It is not arrogance,” Gee replied. “I am the most powerful warrior in my entire world. Weapons melt when they touch me, and empires fall when my armada sets sail across the lava seas.” The woman brushed back her long flame hair from her shoulder and then raised her fingers a few inches apart. “I was this close to taking everything, Victor.”
“Yeah, but then what?” I asked.
“Then…” she paused and then laughed. “Well, my enemies in the council were right. Why should I serve anyone else? Why should I listen to the council or the empress when it was my army and navy that ruled? Why should I kneel to them when I am the fire born? When I returned, my intent was to rule it all.” Gee laughed again and then turned to the river. “I was going to have a bath. I was going to soak in water for a full day. I wondered what it would feel like my entire life, but when I became fire born, I wanted it every second.”
“I can’t help get you home,” I said. I realized I was about to apologize to her even though it wasn’t my fault that she was here. It was the fault of these powerful aliens who were kidnapping us, and I wasn’t going to apologize for them.
“You will help, though,” she stated.
“Fuck, you are stubborn,” I sighed.
“Of course,” she laughed and then gestured to the wilderness surrounding us. “There has to be some way they are watching us. They must have an outpost on the planet. They will have these spaceships you speak of, and they will need to land. We need to explore more of the planet.”
“That’s step one-thousand,” I said. “We are on step five or six. We have a fort with walls that can protect us from aggressive dinosaurs, and we are close to a consistent water supply, but we still don’t have a consistent food supply. It might not sound like much progress to you, but we had nothing a few months ago, and now we are somewhat safe. It might be another six months until we are able to travel the expanse of Dinosaurland. I have a lot of work left to do.”
“You need my leadership then,” she stated.
“Here we go again,” I laughed sadly and then shook my head. “Look, Gee, you kind of threatened to kill me and take over my tribe. The only two reasons you’re alive right now is because you said you didn’t want to fight and I have a soft spot for beautiful women.”
“I don’t want to fight,” she said again, “I’m surprised that you think I am beautiful, but I’m much more surprised that you think my life is in your hands. Victor, I am the fire born, and all who have faced me in combat are now dead. I find you attractive also, and I appreciate that you came to my aid when I first arrived. That is why you are not dead yet, but I am beginning to lose patience in these negotiations.”
“There isn’t much to negotiate,” I said. “We can use more people in our tribe. We are going to be warring with other tribes sooner rather than later, so I know your tactical expertise and fighting abilities will help us, but you also have some drawbacks that will make your presence with us difficult.”
“Drawbacks?” she scoffed. “What do you mean?”
“Lady, you are on fire.” I laughed and pointed to her hair. “Our fort is in the middle of a clearing in a redwood forest. I’m going to have to build you a hut out of stone, and you won’t be able to ride our dinosaurs. We are going to have to worry about you accidently burning all of our shit to ashes. You think that you can just come into our tribe and rule us, but it’s totally the opposite. I’m going to have to make you special accommodations. We need help around our camp, but I don’t know if it is worth the risk, especially when you threatened to kill me.
“Alright,” she sighed as she raised her palms to me. “I regret saying those words, Victor. I am used to getting my way. There was a time, before I was fire born, when I had to ask for favors nicely. I have forgotten about being polite since I am so used to taking what I want.”
“Even if I make an exception to you now, and I let you come with me. There is always going to be this nagging doubt in my mind that you might try to kill me when we get there.”
“I would take those words back, if I could.” She frowned, shook her head, and actually looked apologetic. “I was in the water for an hour or so. At first I thought you were taking your time putting the materials away on your beast, then I noticed that the food you had cooked was cold, and you weren’t coming back. I was angry, but then I realized that I had offended you. Now I was here on this strange planet all by myself. I am capable of surviving on my own, but joining you would be preferred, since it will increase the likelihood of me finding a way home.”
“What if there is no way home?” I asked as Bruce’s shadow passed over me. My pal was hovering above us, but Gee didn’t seem to notice or care that he was there.
“Impossible,” she huffed. “There is always a way.”
“I like the way you think,” I chuckled. “There has to be ways to make things happen, but you have no idea how powerful these beings are. One of my tribe members has spaceships and advanced technology, yet these beings took her without raising an alarm. Do you know how fucking huge space is? We might not even be in the same galaxy as your homeworld.”
“If they had a ship that brought me here, the same ship can take me back,” Gee said with a shrug. “I understand ships. I can sail across anything and kill anyone in hand to hand combat. Once we find their base, I can take what I need. Then you and your tribe can return to your homes.”
“I respect your optimism,” I said. “I’m hopeful for the future as well. My first priority is for the short-term welfare of my tribe. We have tasks we need to do for quality of living and safety. If you join us, you have to accept that I am in charge and take my orders.”
Gee and I stared at each other for a few moments, and I could almost see the gears spinning in her head. Finally, she nodded and let out a laugh.
“Very well, Victor. I will do as you say.”
“I’m not sure I am convinced,” I said.
“Oh?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’ve gone from ‘I’m going to kill you and take command of your tribe’ to ‘I’ll follow your commands’ pretty quickly.”
“This is the quickest path to my objectives,” Gee said.
“How do you figure?” I asked.
“Killing you doesn’t do anything for me,” she laughed. “I might actually feel bad, since I’m starting to like you.”
“That’s comforting, I guess.”
“If I let you leave, then I’ll be on my own,” Gee said with a shrug. “I will have to find my own food and wander this strange world alone looking for these captors. I’m sure I will eventually find them and their ships, but if I come with you and lend your people my powers and mind, you will soon not have to worry about your survival. Then you will help me look for our captors.”
“You are confident,” I chuckled.
“Of course,” she snickered.
“So, you agree to do as I command?” I asked.
“I don’t want to be alone, so yes,” she answered. “Do I need to swear loyalty to you on my knees?”
“Is that what you do for your council and empress?” I asked.
“Yes,” Gee answered.
“And you planned on betraying them?” I sighed.
“Oh,” the glowing-eyed woman said with a moan. Then she laughed and shook her head. “I suppose I have showed you my hand too early?”
“Just a bit,” I said as my heart started to thump in my chest.
“Here is a philosophical question for you, Victor. Do y
ou like such exercises?”
“Sure,” I said as I mentally prepared for us to fight. For half a moment, I had thought that the conversation was going great, but her tone hand changed when she admitted that she was going to betray her rulers.
“Should a leader be a leader if they are no longer the best leader?” she asked.
“I’m gonna say no, and I have a feeling that is what you want me to say.”
“Exactly,” Gee laughed. “The most powerful and capable should be the leader. Do you think someone should be the leader of a nation or world because they were born into it?”
“No, but again, I’m guessing that my answers are playing right into your narrative.”
“They are,” Gee laughed and then winked at me. “They never knew a day of work. They never took the risks. They existed so that others could serve them. I would make a better leader, so I will take it from them. Isn’t that the way it should be? Shouldn’t the ruler be the most capable?”
“But you are making that decision, and not your people,” I said.
“I do not know about your species, but mine are averse to dramatic change.” Gee shrugged. “They would want to keep the empress and council, even though they were wrong. However, a few months after I took power, and they experienced how much better their lives were under my stewardship, they would gladly accept me then.”
“So, what does that mean for you and me?” I asked as I took a deep breath.
“Are you a good leader, Victor?” she asked.
“I’m working on it,” I said, “but we are surviving, and I have fourteen people that are in my tribe.”
“If you are good, then we won’t have a problem,” Gee said.
“And if you decide that I’m not good enough for you?” I asked.
“Hmmmm,” she said as her eyes glanced down at my chest. “What do you think I should do given your earlier two answers to my questions?”
“How about you privately tell me what you think I could improve on?”
“Like an advisor?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah. I’m not going to tell you I’m perfect, but I’m hesitant to let you join us if your ultimate goal is still to take control. This seems like a good compromise.”
“I will consider it,” she said.
“I need a convincing answer now,” I said. “As I keep saying, you don’t really have any leverage, and the more we talk, the more I’m thinking that having you in our tribe is a bad idea. You’ll need to make a convincing argument, Gee. Being arrogant isn’t really working for me.”
Gee stared at me again, and then a wide smile split her beautiful face. “I’m enjoying this discussion, Victor. You have a strong will, and you aren’t backing down from your convictions.” The burning woman kneeled on the stone slab next to the river and bowed her head slightly. Her vermillion colored flame-hair danced in the breeze, and she cleared her throat. “I will swear on the fire to follow your orders, Victor Shelby. When I find a flaw in your leadership, I will bring it up with you privately. If I feel you are not an adequate leader, I will leave your tribe peacefully. Do my words help ease your fears?”
“Yeah, that’s better,” I said. I still didn’t trust her, but there was one ace up my sleeve which Gee didn’t know I had.
And that trump card was Kacerie.
My lover’s Lance ability was a great equalizer as long as she was charged up. If Gee got out of line, or it became apparent that she was going to go back on her word, I’d ask Kacerie to put an end to the matter.
I just needed to make sure that the hairstylist always had a Lance in the tank.
“Good,” Gee said as she stood again. “You know Victor, I do like you. It’s too bad we can’t be lovers. I’m sure we would both enjoy the experience.”
“I’m not quite sure how to respond to that,” I laughed. “It’s either a compliment or an insult.”
“Why would it be an insult?” she asked as she stepped across the rocks so she moved past MCA and was standing closer to me.
“It seemed like a compliment, but then you said ‘too bad we can’t be lovers,’ which sounds like it is an insult.”
“Oh,” she laughed and then gestured to her body. “I’d kill you. When I became fire born it meant that I would never have another lover for the rest of my life.”
“Ahh,” I laughed. “You weren’t on fire when you were laying in the creek earlier.”
Gee’s green eyes opened wide, but not as wide as her mouth did. “You… are… correct,” she finally choked out the words as she glanced to the river. “I’m not used to so much water. The possibilities are amazing.”
“Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “I know you are eager to get home, but it kind of sounds like a shithole to be honest. Seas of lava? Empires that fight over a tiny bit of water? A shitty ruler that has been there only because of her birth? I didn’t pick to come to Dinosaurland, but if wealth on your world is measured in water then you are now the richest member of your entire species. This place is kind of a paradise. Well, it’s a deadly paradise, but I’m starting to get the hang of it. Have you ever seen a salt water ocean?”
“An ocean made of salt water?” Gee gasped.
“Yeah,” I said as I pointed westward. “It’s water as far as you can see. You can’t really drink too much of it since it won’t hydrate you, but it is really pretty.”
“We are heading in that direction?” she asked.
“Yep,” I said. “My camp is about a half-mile away from another river, and we have a well we just dug inside the walls where there is water.”
“How did you dig deep enough?” she asked. “You said you only had stone tools.”
“We didn’t even use stone tools,” I laughed and then pointed down to Mike D. “I have other dinos that are good at digging, but then we cleared the hole with wooden sticks. It was only twelve feet down.”
“Amazing,” Gee sighed. “I am eager to see it. Our water supplies are deep under the rock’s surface, and we had to drill almost a hundred feet for the shallowest one.”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “Your world doesn’t sound that pleasant. It actually seems like hell.”
“Hell?” she asked
“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s a place in our mythologies where bad people end up when they die. Filled with fire, brimstone, lava, and ash in the air.”
“That’s surprising,” Gee snickered. “It sounds just like my world. Yes, it is very hot there.”
We stared at each other for a few more moments, and then she turned toward the river, kneeled, and ran her hand into the water at the edge. It made a hissing sound, and then steam danced into the air.
“All this water,” she sighed.
“We need to keep moving,” I said. “It’s almost the middle of the day, and I don’t know how many more days we have until we reach the ocean.”
“Very well,” Gee said as she stood. “I can run beside your animals--”
“Dinosaurs,” I corrected.
“Dinosaurs, yes,” she laughed and then pointed downstream. “I hear a roar. Is it a waterfall? We have lavafalls on my world.”
“Yeah,” I said as I gestured to the forest. “We are going to have to go in that direction through the forest and try to find a less steep angle down. Then we’ll have to get back to the river, since I am using it to navigate to the ocean.”
“Alright,” she said with a nod. “I await your orders, Victor.”
“Just uhhh, can you try not to burn down any of the trees? That would be kinda bad if the whole forest burned. I’d probably die, as would thousands of other creatures.”
“I will try to control my flame,” she said. “But it will be easier if we stay on the shores of the river.”
“That’s the idea,” I said, and then ordered the stegos to walk into the maple forest.
Before I could command Grumpy to follow us, I felt his presence approach the lip of the waterfall. I twisted my head around with a gasp, and I caught the giant c
roc slide up and over the edge. I sensed him fall down into the lake way below us, but I couldn’t sense if the dive had hurt him or not.
I kind of figured that it would take a hell of a lot more than a fall into a lake to hurt the giant purussaurus.
“What’s wrong?” Gee asked as she turned her green eyes to where I was looking.
“Ahh, it's nothing,” I said. I wondered if Grumpy had sensed my trepidation at showing his presence to the fire born woman and decided to just swim off the edge, or if he was just too lazy and irritable to walk around on the land on the same paths the stegos and I would take. Either way, it was good for me, since I could now use him to surprise Gee.
If I even needed to fight her.
We continued our path cutting south-west into the maple forest, and I picked the widest path through the trees to reduce the risk of my stegos getting caught up in the branches or Gee burning anything. The woman walked on the ground on the right side of Mike D near me, and she left a trail of burnt footprints in the ground with every step she took.
Neither one of us spoke as we walked, and we soon came to a limestone set of ledges that stair-stepped up some twenty feet. Each of the steps was wide enough for a stego to use, but I was going to have to coordinate each of their steps laterally across the face of the small cliff, so I turned down to Gee and pointed at the top of the crest.
“Can you please jump up there and see if there is a way down for the stegos?”
“Sure,” she said, and then I watched the fire-woman bound up the steps with easy looking jumps which looked like something that a Japanese anime ninja character would do. The woman definitely had incredible strength and speed, and her hair formed a long trail of fire in the air when she pounced.
When she reached the top, Gee leaned over the edge, turned her head left and right and then gestured over to her left away from the river. “I see a set of switchbacks carved into the slope over here. Your dinosaurs should be able to get down easily.”
“Great,” I said as I dismounted from Mike D’s back and climbed up onto the first ledge. Since Ad-Rock was carrying the load, I commanded him to step up first, and I carefully guided his footsteps across the ledges so that he could ascend. Most of the steps were easy for him to do, but there was one ledge with a six-foot gap that I doubted any of the stegos would be willing to make without me controlling them. Ad-Rock did it just fine though, and by the time I finished Mike D and MCA, the stegos were moving up with the coordination of mountain goats.
Tamer- King of Dinosaurs 5 Page 8
