Valley of the Dinosaurs Read online

  What he was not prepared for was to assume the role of mating with a woman who was clearly still in love with another man. As an heir, the Behemoth Master had mated with numerous women, all of whom were more than willing to accept him into their chambers. Were they to produce a warrior as an heir, their status in the city would rise considerably. While the Behemoth Master had no feelings of attachment toward the maidens he copulated with, he at least considered the act of mating with them to be mutually beneficial. As he turned back toward the Harpy, the woman he was expected to mate with, he wondered if she truly had any desire to be with him, considering how recently her lover had died.

  The Behemoth Master was trying to think of something to say to the warrior woman. He wanted to comfort her while at the same time avoiding hurting her pride. Not only for her sake, but his as well. He was fully aware that the Harpy was easily his equal in combat and given her history on the battlefield, likely his superior.

  The Behemoth Master took an awkward step toward the Harpy when a messenger came sprinting over to Hannibal.

  The messenger stopped and saluted his commander. “General, your scouts have returned. They have found two possible options for the plan you have proposed.”

  Hannibal nodded in reply, and then gestured for the Behemoth Master and the Harpy to follow him. “Come with me. The two of you shall play a pivotal role in what shall be a great blow dealt to the Romans.”

  The Behemoth Master and the Harpy both bowed their heads and followed their general to a nearby tent.

  Chapter 3

  Hannibal led both the Behemoth Master and the Harpy into his command tent. As they entered the tent, The Behemoth Master saw three men standing around a table with various maps placed upon it. The first man was the oldest of the three. Despite his age, the man was still well-built and had a commanding presence about him. This man was Casrubol, Hannibal’s oldest and most trusted lieutenant. Casrubol had trained Hannibal when he was a young man. He taught the general everything he knew about both war and diplomacy. When Hannibal became the leader of Carthage, he immediately placed Casrubol as his second-in-command.

  Part of Casrubol’s duties included monthly inspections and training sessions with the heirs. The Behemoth Master had met Casrubol numerous times during his tenure as an heir. He had always seen Casrubol as a man of great intelligence, honor, and ferocity. Aside from Hannibal himself, no man in Carthage garnered more admiration from the potential heirs than Casrubol.

  The other two men were young. The Behemoth Master estimated that both men were at least five years younger than he was.

  Hannibal gestured toward the three men. “I’m sure that both of you are acquainted with Casrubol. These other two gentlemen are two of my most promising young scouts and commanders.” The general pointed to the thin man with dark black hair on the left-hand side of the table. “This is Ferian.” The young man nodded. Hannibal then gestured to the man on the right side of the table. The man was tall with long blond hair and an athletic build. “This is Birilus. These three men have been working on a plan of mine that will strike a devastating blow against the sniveling Romans.”

  Hannibal then turned toward the Harpy and the Behemoth Master. “Gentlemen, you are already acquainted with the Harpy.” The three men nodded toward the Harpy. It was obvious from the way they looked at the warrior woman that they held her in a high degree of respect. The Harpy nodded in reply but in conjunction with her nod was an icy stare.

  The Behemoth Master made note of the stare which reinforced his suspicion that he would need to prove himself in order to win the respect of the Harpy.

  Hannibal brought the Behemoth Master’s thoughts back to the men at the table when the general placed his hand on his shoulder. “This is the new Behemoth Master.”

  The two younger men nodded as Casrubol stepped forward. “I knew the previous Behemoth Master. He was a fine man. He was a true leader and a fearsome warrior.” He stared into the Behemoth Masters’ eyes. “You have big shoes to fill.”

  The young Behemoth Master held Casrubol’s stare. “I cannot hope to replace the warrior who possessed my name before me. I can only hope to honor his name and to set an example for the Behemoth Masters who will follow me.”

  Casrubol nodded. “Then you have the correct mindset for the position you now hold.”

  Hannibal directed the attention of everyone in the tent toward the maps on the table. “These are the maps that will help us to claim victory over Rome.”

  The Behemoth Master and the Harpy both walked over to the table and looked down at the maps. The use of maps had been part of the Behemoth Master’s training as he was groomed for his current role. He knew what he was looking at on the map and yet his mind could not comprehend what Hannibal’s plan could possibly be.

  The Harpy gasped as the scope of the general’s plan dawned on her. “General, these two routes go through the Alps themselves and into Rome.”

  Hannibal nodded. “The Romans will never expect an army complete with catapults, horses, and elephants to come down from the mountains and into Italy. By going through the mountains, we shall avoid the Roman defensive outposts and their naval forces.”

  The Behemoth Master looked toward the General. “Elephants? How will they cross the mountains? The path will be too steep and rocky for them. Even if they could climb over the rocks, would they not freeze to death in the snow at the tops of the mountains?”

  Hannibal nodded. “If we attempt to cross the Alps in the summer, the mountains will be cold, but we can survive them. Come fall and winter, not only would the mountains become un-passable, but we would all freeze to death. As for the elephants, we can keep them from freezing by draping long skins and blankets over them and then tying the skins tightly to their bodies.” The general looked toward his scouts. “As for the route we can take, these two men have spent the past three years scouring the mountains to find the optimal path into Italy.”

  Birilus pointed to a long and winding line drawn through the northern section of the mountains. “If we follow this projected path, we can make our way through the Alps with minimal obstacles for the elephants and the army to traverse.”

  The Behemoth Master saw a second line which made its way through a valley in the southern part of the mountains. “What of this path through the valley? It looks to be a straight march through the Alps, which ends with only two mountains between it and Italy.”

  Ferian sighed. “In terms of the physical difficulties of crossing the Alps, this would be the path of least resistance. However, there are other potential obstacles to overcome.”

  The Harpy once more fixed her icy stare at the young scout. “What manner of obstacles?”

  Ferian looked toward Hannibal. The general shrugged. “Go on, lad; tell them of your experience in the valley.”

  Ferian looked down at the table. The Behemoth Master noted that the young man seemed either ashamed or scared about what he was going to say.

  Ferian placed his finger on the line at the entrance to the valley. “The valley seems to be an anomaly of sorts. Despite the fact the valley is located in between several tundras, the valley itself is a mix of jungle terrain and savannahs. As we entered the valley, we found several hot springs and a few places where magma was coming up from the ground. We suspect that perhaps active underground volcanoes heat the valley and help it to maintain its jungles and tropical temperature.”

  The Behemoth Master smiled. “If the valley is jungles and savannahs, the elephants will be well suited for it.” He leaned closer to the map. “We would only need to march our forces across a few mountains before we enter the valley.” The young warrior turned toward Hannibal. “We could be at the gates of Rome in a matter of weeks!”

  Ferian finally looked up from the table. “I’m not sure the valley is our best option for reaching Italy. As I mentioned, the area could be unstable due to the volcanoes beneath it. Then there are the creatures located in the valley.”

  Ferian was silent fo
r a moment before the Harpy threw her hands up in frustration. “Well, are you going to tell us about the creatures or are we to waste our time guessing as to what you came across?”

  Ferian once more looked down at the map. “There is a narrow passage between the mountains that leads into the valley. Wide enough for maybe two elephants standing shoulder to shoulder to pass through. We used this passage to enter the valley. When we first entered it, we saw the remains of a massive creature. Whatever the beast was, it had been torn apart. It was nearly impossible to tell what the creature had once been.” Ferian shook his head in disbelief. “What I can tell you is that the beast was many times larger than even our largest elephant.” He turned toward the Behemoth Master. “I tell you based on this creature’s bones; even the Emperor would pale in comparison to this monster.”

  Ferian looked back to the map. “There were two sets of footprints around the remains. One set belonged to whatever the monster was whose bones were scattered near the entrance. These footprints were round and deep, much like those of an elephant, only as I mentioned, many times larger.” Ferian closed his eyes as he continued his tale. “Intermixed with the round footprints were the imprints of another creature. The tracks looked like those of a flightless bird like an ostrich. Yet again, these prints were at least five times larger than an ostrich. It is my opinion, that whatever this second creature was, it slew and devoured the creature with the rounded feet.”

  The Harpy smirked. “Ostrich do not eat flesh. If your story is true, then it was not a bird which killed the beast with the rounded feet.”

  Ferian finally looked up from the map and into the Harpy’s eyes. He spoke slowly in a voice with mixed emotions of fear and anger. “I don’t know what either of the creatures are. I can barely believe the area I spoke of is real. The underground volcano is only my best guess at why the valley is immune to the cold of the mountains. Perhaps the valley is mystical in nature. Perhaps the slain creature is the Leviathan the Hebrews speak of and the tracks of the bird are the fabled Roc the Arabs tell of in their myths. I don’t know! All I can tell you is what we saw.” He then looked toward his fellow scout. “Birilus will confirm what we saw.” Ferian then looked away from the others in the tent. “So would the handful of scouts who also made it out of the valley alive.”

  Ferian walked away from the table and exited the tent. The Behemoth Master instinctively went to pull the scout back into the tent until the general released him, but Hannibal called him back. “Let Ferian go. He is clearly still struggling with what he saw in the valley. Yet, I know him to be brave. He will travel with us and perform his duties when the time comes.” Hannibal looked back toward Birilus. “Continue the tale. Tell us what you saw in the valley.”

  The Behemoth Master saw sweat form on the brow of Birilus as the responsibility of completing the tale now fell to him. Birilus swallowed whatever saliva was in his mouth as he finished the story of the first venture into the valley. “We were on foot as we pressed deeper into the jungle which filled most of the valley floor.” Birilus began to shake as he continued his story. “That night as we set up camp, we heard roars echoing throughout the jungle. The roars were much louder and more powerful than even that of the lion. The sounds we heard shook the very ground upon which we stood.”

  The scout closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That’s when the attack came. All I saw was a flash of feathers and blood before we were forced to scatter away from the fire.” Birilus shook his head. “We ran toward the mountains that served as a wall around the valley. It seemed that with each step we took, another one of us was tackled to the ground and devoured alive. As our friends were being eaten, the rest of us continued to run. The jungle ends almost at the base of the mountain walls themselves. We quickly climbed up the mountain and worked our way around to the freezing cold on the far side of the mountain which faced away from the valley.” The scout looked directly into Hannibal’s eyes. “Thirty of us, including Ferian and myself, entered the valley. After the first night, only eight of us were able to climb out of it.”

  The scout took a brief moment of silence in remembrance of those who had fallen before he finished his story. “We spent the next few weeks making our way along the frozen side of the mountain range. As we reached each new mountain, we would climb halfway around the other side to view the valley and complete our map.”

  Birilus looked toward Hannibal once again. “General, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t offer my opinion that reentering the valley is akin to assuring the death of everyone you send in there. I can assure you that even our most skilled warriors, our strongest elephants, and our swiftest horses will meet nothing but death in that horrific valley. I strongly recommend that we avoid this valley and take our chances with the cold rather than with the creatures in those jungles. I am also confident that Ferian would second my recommendation.”

  Hannibal nodded and then turned toward his other advisors. “Casrubol, Behemoth Master, Harpy…the three of you along with Ferian and Birilus shall constitute my war council for this endeavor. What say you? Do we take the path through the valley or do we take our chances with the cold?”

  The new Behemoth Master’s mind was racing. Only a few minutes ago, he had assumed his new name and role. Now he was being asked to be part of a decision that had the lives of thousands of soldiers and potentially the outcome of the war with Rome resting upon it. With the general, his mentor, and his new mate all in the tent with him, the Behemoth Master felt pressed to make a decision. He quickly leaned over the map and placed his fingers on both paths. “We enact both plans, general. We split our forces in two. Let the Harpy and I take the mounted division and half of our elephants through the valley, while you and Casrubol lead the other half of our forces through the mountain path.”

  Hannibal nodded as the Harpy stared silently at the map and Casrubol smiled. The general shrugged. “Harpy, Casrubol, do you concur with this course of action?”

  Casrubol was the first to speak. “I think it is a fine plan. My only suggestion would be given the new Behemoth Master’s lack of experience in the field and the Harpy’s disposition, that you allow me to accompany them into the valley. In addition to my experience in the field, I will also bring the 70 men who comprise my personal guard on the mission thereby ensuring its success.”

  The Harpy’s head snapped in Casrubol’s direction. The older warrior cleared his throat. “The Behemoth Master and the Harpy shall of course be in charge of making all decisions for the mission. I shall act in a purely advisory role and my guards as support for their forces.”

  Hannibal looked toward the Harpy. “Is this course of action agreeable to you?”

  The warrior woman nodded. “As always, both the mounted division and I are at your service, general.”

  Hannibal nodded. “As always, I know that I can count on you and the female warriors of the mounted division to be as ferocious in battle as you’re passionate in bed.”

  The Harpy bowed her head in reply to Hannibal’s statement.

  The general then turned his attention back to the scout. “Birilus, you shall accompany the regiment into this valley.” The general placed his hand on the scout’s shoulder. “Despite your fears, I feel confident that with the warriors and beasts who will accompany you, you shall not only safely traverse the valley but also conquer whatever foul creatures you may find there.”

  Birilus humbly bowed his head. “As you command, general.”

  Hannibal smiled. “Very good then. Ferian shall guide my group through the mountains. The rest of you know what you have to do. Now go and rest well tonight; tomorrow we set off in opposite directions on a crusade which will strike a crushing blow against the tyranny of Rome!”

  Those gathered in the tent all cheered and lifted their weapons in response to the general’s claim. After Hannibal left the tent, the other warriors followed him out. The Behemoth Master could see that the Harpy was not her usual stoic self. She appeared angry and possibly dis
tressed. The new Behemoth surmised that the Harpy was as anxious and excited about the upcoming journey as he was. Feeling that this would not only be a good time for both of them to relieve some stress, but also to become better acquainted with his new mate, the Behemoth Master ran up beside the Harpy and grabbed her by the arm. Her head snapped in his direction as his whispered to her, “Now I shall fulfill my duties as your new mate prior to heading out on our mission.”

  The Harpy pulled away from the Behemoth Master’s grip. She lifted her hand to strike the young warrior when she noticed that numerous soldiers had gathered around them and were watching their every move. The Harpy casually slid her right arm around the neck of the Behemoth Master and then she kissed him. After pulling her lips away from his, she whispered into his ear, “Do not think me one of the maidens lying in wait for you to mate with me. I shall perform my duties as your mate but keep in mind that I am not at your beck and call whenever you feel the need to copulate. In the eyes of the warriors we command, we are equals. It’s for their sake that I have not thrashed you to the ground for your insolence toward me both out here and inside the tent.”

  The Behemoth Master shook his head. “I don’t understand. What did I—?”

  The Harpy kissed him again before he could say anything else. This time when she pulled away from his mouth, she bit his bottom lip to the point where she drew blood. Once more, she whispered in his ear, “Quiet, lest you make yourself appear even more unprepared and foolish then you already have in front of the soldiers. Take a careful look over my shoulder at the men of the elephant brigade you now command and the women of the mounted division who I command. We are responsible for their lives. They look to us to be strong leaders and to make well-thought-out decisions. When you make a rash decision like entering a valley of unknown dangers, you put not only yourself at risk but also the lives of me and my warriors.” She leaned in a little closer and bit his ear in order to not only maintain his attention but to convince the on-looking warriors of her attraction to their new leader. The Harpy then continued her lesson. “You need to take a moment and reflect on decisions like that before you let your mouth run wild. You also need to consult with me prior to offering a course of action to the general. Lastly, you need to be aware of not allowing Casrubol the chance to marginalize my standing as a warrior because I am a woman.”