by T S Wieland
Sem:Adventures Across Time
Part One
A Novel
TS Wieland
Chapter 1
The Lone Guardian
Venice, Italy – 1534 CE
Calm. All was calm in the Floating City, now glowing with the evening lamps, transforming the glassy canals into still streams of gold. All was quiet as the city slumbered in serene bliss. Calm.
A gale of thunder and flame broke the silence. Sem poked his head out from around the corner clockmaker's shop and looked down the canal to see the black smoke plume rising up over the woken city. “May have used a little too much powder,” Sem muttered to himself.
He looked out across the stone bridge ahead of him, spotting the night guards from the prison, dressed in red and blue tunics, all fleeing from the prison to the scene. Sem stepped out of the shadows and ran across the bridge with his head low. Luca’s hand waved to him from behind the wooden cart loaded with sacks of wool at the end of the bridge. Sem hurried to join Luca behind the cart.
Luca was still dressed in his evening guard uniform, a full size too big for him as it hung over his slim physique. Sem knelt down beside him, undoing one of the buttons on his waist coat and tightening his rolled sleeves in preparation.
“You deliver the boat?” Sem asked, quietly.
“Yes,” Luca replied. “When you’re inside, turn right from where she’s being held, then a left at the mess hall. It’s moored along the canal at the bottom of the stairs. You’ll need to hurry though. They were set to load her on the barge tomorrow morning, but they talked about moving her tonight instead via the carriage. If you don’t leave soon, you’ll miss the carriage all together. I’m almost certain the fire would have urged them to move her tonight. Though, now I’m starting to have second thoughts about this. If they find out I helped you, I’ll be hanging in the square alongside her.”
“If I don’t get her back and out of here in time, you won’t have to worry about facing an execution, Luca. You just have to trust me when I say, there’s a lot more at stake than you’d believe.”
Luca expressed a concerned look as he rose up to see over the cart. Sem stood up slowly and joined him. The night watch appeared scattered and disorganized, now searching in groups for him, leaving their prison now lightly defended and primed for Sem to sneak in. Sem and Luca both sank back down behind the cart.
“Just get out of here, Luca. I can take over from here,” said Sem.
“Very well,” Luca replied. He placed a hand on Sem’s shoulder, expressing his gratitude. “I wish you all the best of luck getting home.”
Sem shook his hand, knowing he could never have come this far without Luca’s help and knowledge of the city. Luca turned around and hurried away from the cart and across the bridge. Sem watched him flee into the darkness as he left. He felt his wrist communicator begin to chime in his pocket. He pulled it out and clipped it back on around his wrist, knowing he no longer needed to blend in with Luca no longer around.
Sem tapped on the touch screen to play the message Otto had sent to him. “Hey, kid. Mind wrapping this up soon? I prefer not to be waiting on your ass for dinner for all of eternity because you didn’t make it back in time. I’d be stuck eating Vila’s cooking the rest of my life. You’ve still got two hours left, but I prefer not to cut it any closer.”
Sem shook his head at Otto’s message. He hit the record button. “Slow and steady wins the race, Otto. I’ll be back with the traveler in hand well before time runs out. And you know damn well you could always just make yourself pancakes the rest of your life.” Sem snickered as he stopped recording his message and hit the send button.
He heard the sound of wooden wheels and horse hooves pounding against the cobblestone along the street ahead of him. The glow of lanterns began to appear along with the thunder of a carriage. Just as Luca said, the prison carriage meant to transport his missing traveler was on its way to the prison, and in a hurry.
Sem waited patiently for his moment. He crept out further into the street, then rolled out in front of the cart on his side. He laid on his back as the horses trotted over him. The wooden axel narrowly grazed his chest as he reached up and grabbed hold of the supports under the carriage.
Sem hung under the carriage in the darkness, using it as his trojan horse into the prison. The guards at the prison gate rapidly opened the wooden gates for the carriage. Sem waited for the right moment, choosing to let go as he passed along side and iron grate leading down into the heart of the prison.
The carriage continued onwards towards the main entrance, leaving Sem behind. He crawled on his hands and knees over to the iron grate and kicked at it with his boot. With each kick, the mortar around the grate began to loosen, allowing one of the bars to sink in. Sem yanked the bar out of the way and wiggled his way through the opening he had made. He fell on his back with a heavy thud, not expecting such a long drop to the prison floor.
“Ugh...” Sem groaned as he rolled over on the damp stone. He stood upright and placed a hand on his lower back. “Of course, I’d find the one rock on the ground.”
Sem stepped lightly through the empty storage room, hearing the footsteps of an approaching guard through the open doorway ahead of him. He yanked the metal bar free from the grate above him and ran over to the wall. He rested his sore back against the wall out of sight and waited in silence. A young, tall, slender looking guard stepped in through the doorway wearing a steel helmet over.
Sem waited until he passed him and let out a pretend sneeze.
“God bless you,” the guard said out of habit. The guard stopped and turned back with a slow movement of disbelief.
Sem playfully smiled at him over his goatee as the guard turned to face him. “Thanks,” Sem replied in a casual tone. He bounced the iron bar into the guard’s head, knocking him unconscious to the floor.
Sem stepped over the unconscious guard and hurried down the crypt-like hallways of the prison; dimly lit by torchlight. He looked in through the window along the door to his right to see a woman with short auburn colored hair sitting on the damp stone floor inside; wearing nothing but a dirty lavender gown. He raised the wood lock over the door and swung the door open. The woman’s attention turned towards him; her cheeks still wet from her tears. It was Penelope.
“Am I right in assuming you’re not supposed to be here either?” Sem said to her.
Penelope stood up from the floor and ran over to him. “Oh, thank God! I thought you left me behind!”
“Wouldn’t be doing my job right if I did,” Sem replied. “Now come on!”
Sem took Penelope by the hand and led her out of the cell. He followed Luca’s directions, turning right followed by a left just before the doorway to the mess hall. He could hear the sound of water flowing up ahead, accompanied by a warm humid breeze of the open night air. He hurried down the stairs leading out of the prison with Penelope at his back to find himself standing before the canal entrance to the prison.
Sem scanned along the dark canal for the boat Luca had supposedly left behind for him to escape with. To his dismay, it had become untied and had drifted out of reach further down the canal. “You had one job, Luca,” Sem muttered to himself. “I don’t suppose you’re a fan of swimming?”
Penelope scowled at him.
Sem grinned at her while trying to think of another way out. He spotted a set of guards clothes, neatly folded and resting along the stone pillar at the base of the stairs with a note on top of them. He hurried over to the clothes and picked the note up and read it.
May wanna put these on. You have one minute.
Sem held the note for a moment, perplexed by the mystery of who it was that had left the clothes for him.
He heard the sound of the creaky door upstairs opening, accompanied by the shouts of guards.
“What now?” asked Penelope.
Sem turned around to see a rope hanging down from the balcony above, leading to the courtyard of the prison, seemingly tied and left for him on purpose. He threw the note in the water and grabbed the clothes. “New plan.”
◆◆◆
Sem pulled himself up over the balcony wall to see the rope tied to the lantern above. He shifted uncomfortably in place in the prison guard uniform; worn over his clothes. Out across the courtyard from him was the prison carriage he had snuck in under, along with group of guards speaking to the warden of the prison. The warden was dressed in a long red and black robe, sewn with a billowing cream-colored collar . The warden scolded the guards, smacking the carriage with a rolled-up piece of parchment in inaudible frustration.
Sem turned back and helped Penelope over the stone wall. “All right, now pretend your hands are bound and keep them behind me where no one can see them.”
Penelope gave a head nod of acknowledgment. Sem straightened out his posture and walked towards the prison carriage with an authoritative scowl. He held on to Penelope's hands behind his back as he led the way across the muddy courtyard over to the prison carriage.
“Finally!” shouted the warden seeing Sem approach with Penelope. He continued to rant as Sem approached the back of the carriage. “By the grace of God, had I waited another minute here, I’d hang you all in her place! This carriage was meant to leave here fifteen minutes ago with this witch onboard! How far could she have gone on her own?! I swore to Captain Frescara that she wouldn’t escape unless the devil came to her rescue, and here you all are making me look like a fool!”
Sem ignored the warden and remained quiet. He opened the back door of the carriage and helped Penelope up the step. He closed the wooden door, leaving the lock open. He took the key from the lock and proceeded towards the front of the carriage where the driver sat.
“You had best fly faster than the crows if you have any hope of making it to Milan by morning! Otherwise, I’ll be taking down all your names!”
Sem climbed up onto the carriage and sat down next to the driver. The driver expressed a perplexed look. The ring of the prison bell rang out, catching Sem’s attention. He looked back over the cart towards the prison entrance to see a group of guards run outside. The captain of the guard shouted at the group standing around the carriage in desperation. “Stop! Stop them!”
Sem pulled the reins away from the driver and slammed his shoulder into him. The driver fell down into the mud as Sem cracked the reins and yelled at the horses. The horses reared back and took off towards the exit to the prison with the carriage drifting through the mud.
The two guards at the prison gate began closing the gate on him, only to be knocked back by the horses as they ran past. The carriage bounced wildly as it raced through the lantern lit streets, flying over bridges and knocking over street stalls.
Sem spotted a patrol of soldiers ahead beyond another bridge. The soldiers all hurried towards the bridge, seemingly ready to try and stop his escape. Sem whipped the reins again, spurring the horses to run even faster. The soldiers joined together in a line, sharing the same stance of uncertainty. The soldiers would either have to move or be run over; Sem had no intention of stopping. The carriage bounced up the arch of the bridge with a rumble. The soldiers shouted at him to stop, waiting till the very last minute before leaping from the bridge into the canal waters.
Sem reached the end of the bridge and looked back to see the remaining soldiers who had jumped out of the way helping those who had fallen into the canal. He snickered to himself as he continued to race down the winding road. One by one, people from all across Venice emerged from their homes to witness the carriage which was now waking everyone from their sleep. The bumpy cobblestone gave way to a smoother dirt road leading out into the countryside. The glow of the city fell away, leaving Sem driving the carriage under moonlight.
Two shadows emerged from the roadway behind him. Sem glanced back to see two riders in black and red tunics racing to catch up with him on horseback.
One of the riders approached the back of the carriage and grabbed hold of the back. He jumped from his horse and held on to the rear of the iron bars as he clung to the side. Penelope began kicking at the man’s hands as he reached out to grab hold of her.
Sem tethered the reins to the frame of the carriage at his feet, then climbed towards the back of the carriage. He held on to the top bars and swung down alongside the man, driving his foot into the man's side, forcing him to let go. The man tumbled end over end as he disappeared in a cloud of dust and darkness.
The other rider approached the front of the carriage and made a faithful leap towards the front. He grabbed hold of the driver's seat and began pulling himself up. Sem hoisted himself back up on top of the carriage, trying to reach the man before he could stop the carriage. The road turned sharply as the carriage banked to one side. Sem held on to the carriage tightly as the left wheels rose up off the ground. He moved back, using his weight to keep the carriage balanced.
“Move over to this side!” Sem shouted down to Penelope over the rumble of the carriage.
Penelope crawled over to the left side of the cage and held onto the bars. Sem crawled his way towards the driver's seat. The man grabbed hold of the reins tethered to the carriage frame. Sem laid down on his right side and brought his knee back to his chest. He kicked at the man’s shoulder, forcing him to fall from the driver's seat down over the axle at the front.
The man pulled himself back upright just as Sem sat down in the driver's seat. The man threw a punch at him, grazing Sem across the face as he turned out of the way. Sem grabbed hold of the man by the shoulders of his tunic as the man did the same. The two of them pulled and tugged at one another, trying to force the other off the speeding carriage.
The carriage passed under a low hanging tree branch, brushing the man across the face with leaves. Sem used the moment to his advantage, releasing his grip on the man's shoulders to punch him in the stomach. The man coughed and gasped for air. Sem felt his punch weaken the man’s grip. He squared his feet along the base of the carriage floor and pushed with all his might.
The man flew from the carriage and crashed into the passing vineyard. Sem regained his balance and looked around for the reins to the carriage. They were nowhere in sight. He leaned forward and looked down towards the road below at the front. He spotted the reins bouncing around in the darkness below the axel along the road. The carriage rounded another turn, nearly rolling down a steep embankment as the wooden wheels crashed against the road.
Sem laid down on his back along the base of the driver's seat and began desperately reaching out for the reins as they jumped and swayed along the road. He looked up to see a metal loop in the framework of the carriage lantern. He wedged his boot into the loop, using it to support himself so he could reach down even further. In the thundering darkness of the undercarriage, he could feel the leather reins brush against his fingertips. He winced as he tried to reach out further, all the while trying to keep hold with his foot.
The carriage bounced over a rock, high up into the air. It crashed back down along the road, forcing Sem’s foot to fall loose. He felt a quack of fear pass over him as he braced himself to be crushed.
He felt something suddenly grab hold of his ankle, saving him from his death. He looked back over his shoulder towards the driver's seat to see Penelope holding on to his leg as she braced herself with both feet firmly planted on the carriage floorboard. She had climbed her way out of the back to aid him.
Penelope winced as she held onto Sem’s leg tightly with all her strength. Sem reached down and grabbed hold of the reins from off the passing roadway, then climbed back up along the axle to the driver's seat. Penelope sat back down on the seat with a relieved look.
Sem sat down next to her and took control of the carriage.
“Now
will you take me home?” asked Penelope out of breath.
Sem smiled at her halfheartedly, driving towards the glimmering silver starlight hovering low above the sloping hills ahead. Finding and rescuing Penelope from her own execution was easy. Returning her home to her own time period still proved to be an even greater challenge. He simply wished it was another woman with auburn hair sitting beside him.
Chapter 2
Allison “Ally” Claude
(Present Day)
Ring! Rinng! Rinnng! … Ring! Rinng! Rinnng!
“Hello. Stallbrook Publishing, this is Allison Claude.”
Ally sat back in her office chair with her feet up on the desk. She held the phone to her ear as she chipped away at her blue nail polish. The humming of fluorescent lights filled the office space around her, harmonizing with the never-ending drone of phone calls and the chattering of her co-workers typing away in their cubicles.
“Yes, Mrs. Biddle. I spoke with her yesterday about your concerns.”
Ally listened to Mrs. Biddle on the other end mutter in frustration. Ally rolled her eyes and stared at the freckles on back of her pale arms blankly. “I understand, ma’am. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to speed up the process.”
Ally removed her feet from her desk and pulled herself towards her computer, adjusting her tan cardigan over her bright red top. She opened the calendar on her computer.
“So far it looks like we are set to go over everything on the twenty-first of this month… I understand that doesn’t fit with your deadline, but we can’t-”
Mrs. Biddle’s voice shouted over the phone as Ally pulled the speaker away from her ear.
“Yes . . . yes, ma'am. I apologize. I’ll be sure to . . . Alright, you have wonderful day, ma’am, and thanks for checking in with us. Bye bye now.”
Ally reached over and hung up the phone as Mrs. Biddle could still be heard on the other end continuing to shout. Ally stared at her computer screen blankly. After a moment of silence, she threw her head down on the wooden desk, unleashing a loud thud that echoed throughout the office. Her co-workers all leaned back in their chairs and poked their heads out from their cubicles to investigate the noise.