Hallowe'en Party IV: Bad Moon Rising
VickiSilverwolf > September 22nd, 2005, 05:13 AM
Huddled together near the opening of the cave, the reluctant explorers heard the brachiosaurus stomping around outside. A tree crashed with a muffled boom, no doubt knocked down by the lumbering beast. Suddenly one massive leg appeared, nearly blocking the cave entrance. At the base of it was a thick, fleshy foot, with a sharp claw on one of its five toes. A sound like a giant chomping on a huge bowl of salad came from above.
"That brachio-whatsis must be having a snack on that big palm tree just outside the cave," Victoria said. "Now it won't move out of the way for a while."
"Better that tree than me," Athena said. "I don't want to end up as Dino Chow!"
"Don't worry," Tancred explained. "A brachiosaurus is a vegetarian. The only danger is getting stepped on."
"That's assuming that this is the same creature as the brachiosaur known to our world's science," Rhadamanthus said. "The rules are different here. Tancred, my good fellow, you're something of an expert on prehistoric life, aren't you?"
Tancred shrugged. "It's a hobby of mine, but I'm not a professional."
"Surely you've noticed something strange about the life around here?"
Tancred nodded slowly. "Human beings didn't exist for millions of years after all the dinosaurs died out. This place shouldn't even exist!"
"Obviously we're in some sort of parallel reality similar to popular, if inaccurate, fiction about the ancient world," Rhadamanthus continued. "We shouldn't take anything for granted."
All heads turned as a massive crash shook the cave, raising a cloud of dust. At the same time the light in the cave faded to nearly total darkness. A sound like a hundred buzzsaws filled the room.
When their eyes had grown used to the dimness, the explorers saw that the entrance to the cave was now blocked by part of the dinosaur's body. Only thin rays of light shone through, where the rough surface of the cave did not exactly match the surface of the beast's body.
"What's that horrible noise?" Liriodendron shouted above the din.
"I think it's snoring," Tancred said. "A nap after a meal."
"How long is that going to last?" Victoria asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe a day or so?"
"A day or so?" Athena said. "I can't wait that long!" She looked around the cave anxiously. "There has to be another way out." Without waiting for the others, she rushed toward the back of the cave, and was soon lost to sight.
The others followed quickly, calling her name. After squeezing through a long, narrow tunnel, that turned and twisted like a stone serpent, they found her in a vast underground chamber. A bright beam of light shone from above, revealing a pool of water. Curious fish approached the shore as they watched. Stalactites covered the ceiling, dripping into the pool with a sound like a light rain. The walls of the chamber glittered in a dazzling rainbow of colors, as if they had been hewn from diamonds.
"It's beautiful," Victoria said softly.
Athena seemed calmer now. The snoring of the dinosaur was quieter here, and the beam of light hinted at a possible escape route. Unfortunately, it was far above the surface of the water, and there was no obvious way to reach it. For that matter, there was no way to tell how deep the pool might be.
There was enough dry land around the pool for the explorers to walk single file. For lack of a better plan, they decided to circle the pool and see what they could learn. They soon found a corridor leading off in a direction nearly opposite to the one from which they had come. To their amazement, this one was brightly lit by a wooden torch. It was a primitive thing, just a stick wrapped with fat-soaked animal skins and shoved into a hole in the rock; but it was proof that someone had been here very recently.
The corridor opened into a room about half the size of the pool chamber, with more torches on the wall. The flickering light revealed shadows of people inside. Liriodendron, who was in the lead, peeked around the corner to get a better look.
Without warning, two shaggy cavemen grabbed her arms and pulled her forward into the room. They snarled at the rest of the party and gestured for them to follow. Deciding that it was best to avoid making their hosts angry, the others entered the room as quietly as possible.
In the center of the room, on a sort of throne roughly carved from rock, sat a very tall, muscular woman with flaming red hair that reached nearly to her feet. She wore animal skins which resembled nothing so much as a furry bikini. Around her wrists and ankles were bracelets of small bones, and a necklace made from the fangs of some sort of big cat dangled across her chest. The woman stood, with great dignity.
"I am Akka, Queen of the Tiger Clan." It was only slightly surprising to discover that she spoke perfect English. "Who are you, who dare to enter my realm?"
Liriodendron thought quickly. She noticed that the women in the room all wore some sort of primitive jewelry, and that the men seemed to stand behind them in humble postures. This was apparently a strict matriarchy.
"I am Lirio, Queen of the Palm Clan," she said. The two cavemen let go of her arms quickly and lowered themselves to the ground. Obviously they were used to treating royal women with great respect. "I have come to greet the great Queen of the noble Tiger Clan, and to offer our friendship." She pointed to Victoria. "This is my witch doctor, the Wolf Woman. She comes bearing a great gift."
Victoria caught on quickly. She walked toward Akka, kneeled, and pulled the pearl necklace off her neck. The Queen pulled it out of her hands with obvious greed.
"I am most pleased," Akka said. "Who are the others with you?"
"This is my sister," Liriodendron said, pointing to Athena. "Behind me are two slaves who serve as my bodyguards."
With sighs and rolling of eyes, Tancred and Rhadamanthus were smart enough to bow low to the Queen. She eyed them with interest.
"The men of the Palm Clan are comely," she said. "Perhaps our peoples will trade slaves." She turned to a group of men behind the throne and clapped her hands. "Prepare a feast for our guests."
As the men quickly brought together flat stones piled high with half-roasted meats and raw roots, Liriodendron and Akka discussed matters of state. The women of the Tiger Clan oohed and aahed over Athena's clothing, and said that it must have been a gift from the sun goddess herself. Meanwhile, Victoria, with her long, sharp, dark red fingernails and pale skin, was treated with superstitious awe. Rhadamanthus and Tancred were sent to eat with the males. As a sort of consulation, they discovered that the men had invented a sort of beer from various plants. After the meal, Liriodendron joined the others to let them know how things had been going with the Queen.
"I've worked out a deal," she said. "Akka will give us an escort back to our ship; I think it will be about four or five of her warrior-slaves with spears and clubs. There's just one catch."
"I don't think I want to hear this," Rhadamanthus said.
Liriodendron ignored him. "The Queen wants some more of Vicki's pearls. I found out from her scouts that there are some freshwater oysters in the river that runs through the ravine outside. All we have to do is gather a few of them and let the slaves carry them back here."
Athena shrugged. "Sounds easy enough. Maybe even fun."
"What about the dinosaurs?" Tancred asked.
"That's one problem. The Tiger Clan is afraid to go outside, because of the 'big lizards.' I've convinced Akka that Vicki has spells against them."
"Gee, thanks a lot," Vicki said. "That's one problem? What else?"
"The people who live in the ravine -- the River Clan, Akka calls them -- have been at war with the Tiger Clan for longer than anybody can remember. They won't be too happy to see us messing around with their oysters."
"Why don't we just get the heck out of here when that brachiosaurus wakes up?" Tancred asked.
Liriodendron shook her head. "The party of warriors wasn't my idea. Akka said she wanted to honor me with them, but I'm sure she just wanted to keep an eye on us. She's no fool. If we try to sneak out of the deal we're likely to wind up with spears in our backs."
"What I wouldn't give for a good shortsword," Tancred said. "When are we supposed to leave?"
"In the morning. I suggest that we all try to get a good night's sleep."
"That's easy for you to say," Athena said. "I'm not fond of sleeping on rocks."
It seemed to Victoria that this was going to be the least of their problems.