by Saxon Andrew
The Admiral watched Melody walk up the deck and looked at the Warrior’s Commander, “The scout ship hasn’t turned up. That’s not normal.”
“Could they still be ahead of us looking for targets? I know the invasion last year was very successful.”
“They know we’re coming. They should have come to meet us by now.”
The Commander shrugged, “What would you do to the Commander if he came back with no targets?”
The Admiral stared at the Commander and tilted his head, “You make a good point. Once this issue with the slave is handled, I’m going to dispatch a ship to go find them. Are your troops ready?”
“They are, Sire.”
“Good.” The Admiral turned back to watching Melody and the Commander left the deck.
• • •
Melody took a deep breath and it smelled wonderful. She had been kept tied up in the cabin for more than six weeks and her arms and legs were aching. She bent down and touched her toes and raised her arms over her head and stretched. She only had an hour each day and she tried to make the best of it. She reached the bow and she leaned on the rail. One of the warriors assigned to her moved next to her to prevent her from jumping overboard…but he didn’t have to worry about that. She was not going to just throw her life away. She loved living too much.
She thought about her twin sister and wondered what possessed her to run. She hadn’t seen or talked to Harmony for years and wondered how much she had changed. She knew Harmony was forced to fight for the Destroyers and killing was not something she would have wanted to do; her heart was too good. Melody stared out at the sea and wondered if she would have been able to go out and kill innocent men and children. She decided that she wasn’t able to answer that question. She guessed she would have to be there to know.
She knew she was probably going to die; there was little chance Harmony and her owner would have survived in the jungles with all the predators on this planet. She also knew that if she had somehow managed to live, she would be foolish to turn herself in to the Destroyers; then both of them would be dead. She had little doubt that the Admiral would kill her whether or not she turned herself in. He would pretend she had died before she showed up. She was right. The Admiral was not going to carry this slave back on his ship. It was too much trouble and she was too beautiful for him to continue to keep his hands off her. The Commandant would be satisfied with his brother. The death of the two slaves would be justified with a lie.
She guessed she had lived a decent life. She could have ended up a slave on the ships and been regularly assaulted by the warriors. She would have died years ago. She thought about Harmony and something inside her told her she was dead. She didn’t know how she knew…but she did. Now all of her family would be gone. She remembered her parents and her younger brother. She had watched as the Destroyers shot them as they chased them down. She wished she had a family of her own but slaves weren’t allowed to have children. If they did, their babies were killed in front of their mothers. It was a brutal existence but it was all she knew. Her only regret was that she wouldn’t be able to pay them back for what they had done to her family when she was originally captured.
Even the Commandant’s wife was cold hearted. She could remember the many times she had beaten her for little mistakes. The only reason she was still alive was that she did an extraordinary job fixing her hair. The Admiral yelled and she flinched, turned and walked slowly back toward his cabin. She saw him leering at her and sighed. Maybe it would be better for this to be over. She dreaded the coming torture; the Destroyers were good at it. She pushed the fear out of her mind and focused on the clouds high overhead and the sun shining through them. That is what she would try to keep in her mind as the torturer performed his magic.
She went into the Admiral’s cabin and he tied her to the bed. He ran his hands all over her and she forced herself to remain calm. She closed her eyes and saw a man’s face again. She had started seeing that face a year ago; it came to her in dreams and sometimes when she was awake. She couldn’t remember where she had seen him. Maybe he was someone she knew as a child. He had stopped appearing in her dreams six weeks ago but she remembered it during stressful moments. She heard the Admiral leave and she opened her eyes. It wasn’t going to be much longer before she would be tied to the frame. She shuddered and closed her eyes again.
• • •
Jonathan kept the glider over land and used the rising hot air to climb. The thunderheads were growing a mile inland and he turned toward the closest one and rode a thermal a mile into the atmosphere. He completed a circle and turned back toward the beach. He squinted and saw something on the horizon. He turned back to the developing thunder storm and rode the thermals another eight hundred feet higher. He turned back to the beach and saw the Destroyer fleet in the distance. He turned and flew with the prevailing easterly wind as fast as he could fly. They would be at the ambush site in another day. The fleet looked huge. The tall sails of the giant ships made them appear larger than they were. They would probably arrive at the site by night fall and move on shore the next day. He had to get the fliers ready to attack that fleet. He prayed Andy was right about all the warriors being on deck. It was going to be trouble if they weren’t.
He knew he was going to have to go back up when they arrived and see how they anchored the fleet. The fifty six, ten man teams would be assigned to a ship once the fleet’s formation was determined. He worried about Dottie but knew worry wouldn’t change what they were going to have to do. He moved to another thunderhead and climbed again.
Chapter Thirteen
Mark and Maxius looked at Andy and he saw their concern. Andy smiled, “I see you’ve heard the Destroyer fleet will be arriving tonight.”
Maxius nodded, “I wasn’t here for the first fight; I’m concerned about knowing what to expect.”
Mark slapped him on the back and Maxius stumbled forward, “It will be loud and crazy, my friend; however, we outnumber them this time. Just stick to the plan.”
Maxius looked at Mark, “You outnumbered them last time.”
“Yeah, but not by this many.”
Andy smiled, “How has the herding been going?”
Mark laughed, “I had no idea just how many dinosaurs there are in these forests. The archers have been slowly moving them toward the community. Right now they have them penned in the trees next to the beach and have cut off their escape to the north and south.”
“The warriors understand that they are to go to their positions as soon as they push them toward the beach?”
Mark nodded. “We’ll start the stampede as soon as they bring Melody on shore.”
Maxius looked at Andy, “I really wish you would allow someone else to go remove her.”
Andy’s eyes narrowed and he inhaled and exhaled before saying, “I have to do this, Maxius. If she dies in the effort to save her, I don’t want to blame anyone but myself. I have to give it my best effort possible; Harmony deserves it.”
Maxius slowly shook his head and after a moment nodded, “I understand. Just be careful.”
Andy looked at the ground as he said, “Careful is my middle name.” He had told Harmony the same thing before she died.
• • •
Johnathan came flying in at sunset and Andy rushed over to where he landed. John looked at him and tilted his head as he smiled, “It appears you’re right.”
“About what?”
“The fleet came in and ships began scrambling to anchor in positions opposite the beach where their ground forces will be landing. There was a real argument between ships when some pulled in front of the others blocking their view. It appears whoever is commanding the fleet has ordered them to line up in single file, where all of them have a clear view of the beach.”
Andy nodded, “That is going to make it easier to assign your teams.”
“Absolutely.”
Andy looked around and saw Mitchell and ten archers sitting under the shade of a giant
tree next to the forest, “I’m going to leave the details to you and your command team, John. Remember, time your attack with the arrival of the dinosaurs on the beach.” John nodded and Andy jogged over to Maxius and Mark, “It’s your baby until I come back. You know what to do.”
They nodded and Andy jogged over to Mitchell, “It’s time; we should go now.”
The eleven archers stood and followed Andy up the path to the north that had been cut through the trees. They arrived at the end of the corridor and then jogged through the trees that had been notched. Six hundred and five archers watched the twelve jog past them and raised their arms in salute. They settled in next to the tree they were assigned and waited for the whistler to arrive in the morning.
• • •
Maxius looked at Fats and Tamara, “You know what to do?”
Fats nodded and Tamara said, “We’ll follow the dinosaurs through the forest blowing our whistles. Once we arrive within shouting distance, we’ll wait for the noise to subside and yell. We’ll then get out of there like our butts are on fire.”
Maxius nodded, “You’ll be slowed down by the high grass in the clearing but eight hundred of our female warriors will be awaiting your arrival half way across the clearing. They will start screaming as they run toward the trees on the west side of the clearing and go to their positions.”
Fats looked at Maxius, “How will we know when to start?”
“I’ll fire a Whistle arrow toward you from the top of that tall tree. That’s the signal to start.”
Fats and Tamara looked at Maxius and Fats shook his head, “That arrow won’t come close to our location.”
Maxius smiled, “Go across the clearing and I’ll fire one.” The two archers looked at each other and left for the far side of the clearing. Maxius climbed the tall tree at the edge of the clearing and pulled his bow and quiver from the branches where he had lodged them in among the very top branches. The prevailing easterly wind gently rocked the giant tree and he pulled a whistle arrow out of his quiver. He could see Fats and Tamara standing on the far side of the clearing and pulled the arrow back. It was a foot longer than a normal war arrow and he launched it at a forty five degree angle above the tree into the wind.
Fats and Tamara waited and Tamara looked at Fats, who shrugged. Suddenly, they heard the high pitched scream of a whistler falling into the clearing a hundred yards in front of them. Tamara shook her head, “Let’s go see if we can find that arrow. We’ll hear it tomorrow even if the Destroyers are firing their weapons.”
“They won’t start doing that until they get close enough to a target. They are, if nothing else, well disciplined.”
Tamara nodded and they started moving back across the clearing. Tamara looked at Fats, “I’ve been wondering.”
“What?”
“Why were you chosen to do this?” You’re sort of…uhhh…”
“Big?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m the fastest sprinter in the community.”
“Get out of here!”
“Would you like to race back after we find the arrow?”
“You’re on.”
It took five other archers searching but they eventually found the arrow buried halfway up its shaft in the ground. Fats pulled it out of the ground and cleaned the whistle. Tamara looked at Fats and smiled, “Are you ready?”
“Call it.”
Tamara suddenly said, “Go,” and sprinted away. She looked behind her and saw Fats watching her for a few moments and then start running. He beat her by more than a hundred yards. Tamara arrived and found Fats standing there not even breathing hard. She punched him in the stomach and almost hurt her hand. She shook her head, “You are not fat!”
“Like I said, ‘big’ is the operative word.”
Tamara stared laughing and decided that she was going to spend more time with the large man. He had a dry sense of humor and took ribbing well. Andy had chosen well, once again. Tamara had wondered why she had not been selected to participate in the attack on the ships but now it became clear to her. Her talents would probably not be needed below decks if all the warriors were viewing the torture. Like Fats, she was the fastest female sprinter. It galled her a little that he had beaten her so soundly. It briefly crossed her mind that if she and Fats had children, they would be faster than a Cursor. Now where did that thought come from? She smiled and sat down under a tree waiting for the morning.
• • •
Andy arrived at the beach and saw the lights on the ships anchored off shore. He told the ten archers to remain outside the line of anchored ships and looked at Mitchell and said, “Let’s go.” The tide was moving out and they walked on the hard sand just above the slipping tide. They arrived at the first tree growing on the beach and Mitchell moved through the sand and then climbed up into the branches. He moved through the loose sand walking on the sides of his feet and slid them backwards until he arrived at the tree. The night wind should have filled in the tracks but they weren’t taking chances.
There were very few trees on the beach, most couldn’t tolerate salt water when the waves washed up during storms. Over time, some developed a resistance and they grew in isolated places. One of them was opposite the middle of the Destroyer fleet and Andy sidestepped his way to it from the surf. It was about thirty feet high and Andy climbed it easily. He settled in among the thick branches and tied himself off. He watched the tide and knew daybreak was only six hours away. High tide would be happening before midmorning. He closed his eyes and saw Harmony in his dreams. She was worried; he was being chased by thousands of predators and he couldn’t out run them. He bumped his head against the trunk and woke up. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes again and fell asleep.
• • •
Melody lay in the Admiral’s cabin listening to him snore. She had become accustomed to the racket over the last two months and could usually find sleep. Tonight was different. She knew she was going to die a slow and painful death in the morning. She had seen the fleet’s torturer operate and he was a master at extracting the maximum pain from his victims. She knew she was not a weakling, but she anticipated that her screams would be long and loud. The morning found her still staring at the ceiling. She shivered as she heard the warrior’s boats being lowered, even though the cabin was getting hot in the morning sun. It wouldn’t be long.
• • •
Andy opened his eyes and saw the sun rising over the eastern horizon. The tree he was in was swaying in the wind blowing on shore. He looked out at the anchored ships and saw them rising and falling in the swells. He smiled and looked up at the sky, “Harmony’s wind.” He saw the small landing boats being dropped over the side of the ships and the struggle the Destroyers were having getting their warriors on board. He had to admit they were good; in less than an hour, hundreds of the boats were being rowed through the waves and in another hour, thousands more were moving toward the beach. The numbers coming ashore was staggering and Andy was stunned at how quickly they arrived and moved into formations with their rifles pointed at the trees. The boats kept on coming and by midmorning, all of them had arrived. Two of the boats in the second wave brought a large wooden beam on each of them. A large Destroyer warrior without a shirt jumped out of one of the boats carrying the beams and came walking through the waves toward the tree he was in. The man had a scowl and yelled at the warriors in the two boats to bring the wooden beams to the tree. He waited impatiently as the crews carried the heavy beams across the sand. Andy listened to what was being said.
“This damned wind is too strong for the frame to stand on its own. I want the base of the square tied off to the trunk of this tree. Once it’s sturdy, take the top beams and insert them in the legs.”
Andy saw that both of the beams were shaped like an H with the top legs missing. He had not seen the legs as they were rowed ashore because they were below the level of the boat’s rail. The Destroyers brought one of the beams over and Andy saw that the two vertical legs were
hollow. One leg was lashed tightly to the tree and then the other beam was brought over and its two legs inserted into the hollow beams of the first one.
The shirtless man inserted a crank into the side of the hollow leg not lashed to the tree. He turned it and the upper beam began moving upward. He smiled and lowered it. He turned to a warrior standing next to him, “Launch the rocket.” The warrior went over to the sand and pushed a pole with a long cylinder into the sand. He ignited a small flame and attempted to light the rocket. The wind instantly blew it out. It finally took the Torturer pulling a company of warriors over to stand close together to block the wind for the fuse to be lit. The rocket shot into the sky and blew up in a loud explosion. Andy looked out at the fleet and saw a boat being lowered from the center ship. He saw a blonde haired woman being lowered by a rope around her chest to the boat. She was coming.
He watched the boat riding the swells as the crew pulled hard on the oars. When it was two hundred yards out, he saw the woman had a leather mask over her head. The Torturer had learned that victims were more terrified at the sound of him sharpening blades if they couldn’t see him. He took pleasure in touching his victims with the blades of his knives and seeing them try to jerk away. The mask would be removed before he made the first cut. But first, he was going to stretch out with his prey. He laughed at the thought and watched the boat arrive at the beach.
The Admiral climbed out of the boat and nodded to the two warriors carrying Melody. They dropped her into the waves rolling in and she went under. They waited a moment and then pulled her up; she was racked with coughs getting salt water out of her lungs. They dragged her over to the frame and dropped her on the sand face down as the torturer smiled. He took a long bladed knife and cut her clothes from her neck to her feet and pulled them away from her. He nodded to his assistant and he went over and removed the ropes binding her arms and replaced them with a loop. He took the rope below the loop and bound her wrists together. He nodded to the two warriors and they lifted Melody and slipped the loop over a hook on the top beam. She hung with her feet a foot off the ground and the torturer pushed her. She screamed as she swung back and forth from the hook. Andy was worried. She was going to be severely hurt if this continued. He saw what they were going to do.
