Sem- Adventures Across Time

by T S Wieland

  “Whatever! I don’t give a flying fig!”

  “Shh!” replied Ally again, checking for eavesdropping ears around them.

  “I’m sorry! You looked like you were having trouble back there, so I figured I’d help out.”

  Sem leaned in closer to her and glared. “I’ve saved hundreds of people before you, and I’ve never needed anyone else’s help in the past two years.”

  “Sorry, I just figured it might not hurt to try things a different way for once.”

  “That’s not how this works. This is exactly why I said I don’t socialize with people. Meddling with this world's timeline could have dire consequences on its future. For all we know, it could affect how long we have to find the person we’re looking for.”

  “Oh…Great Scott…” Ally mumbled.

  “What?” Sem stared at her with a scowl.

  “Nothing… just quoting a movie. Anyway, why did you bother taking my advice if you already knew what you were doing?”

  Sem fumbled around with his own thoughts, asking himself the same question. “That’s not the point! Look, if we’re going to get out of here and find the person we’re looking for, we need to stop everything right now before we make things worse.”

  “What about Alexander?” asked Ally, lifting a pot off the table and pretending to look at the black lion painted on it.

  “What about your Roman boyfriend?”

  “He’s Greek.”

  “Will you stop it!” Sem replied.

  “Sorry, but we could use his help,” she said, setting the pot back down on the table.

  Sem shook his head with regret for ever agreeing to go along with Otto’s idea.

  “Fine… He can help us find the person we’re looking for, but that’s it. End of discussion. If we’re lucky, we might make it out of here alive.”

  Sem looked down at his watch as he slipped the cover back off and on. “We have less than fifteen hours left.”

  “Alright, so let's find what we need and get out of here.”

  “I don’t think anything here can help me, but we’ll have to buy something to make sure we don’t look suspicious to this guy,” said Sem, checking to make sure Seleucus was still standing at the entrance. “And from now on, no more meddling. Got it?”

  “Got it,” replied Ally with a reassuring nod and grin.

  “Now, let's hurry up and buy something,” said Sem. He began to stroll through the shop looking for something to buy. Ally began browsing in the other direction.

  Ally meandered back towards the entrance, looking through each of the wares for a bandage or cloth, something that might help Sem’s leg. Approaching the table near the window at the front of the shop, she found a small oil lamp and began rubbing it playfully, wishing a genie would appear. Laughing to herself, she caught a glimpse of a bearded man dressed in gray robes with a purple sash approach Seleucus in the busy street out front through the shop window. She could hear their conversation from the opposite side.

  “I’ve been looking for you all morning,” the man said to him.

  “Shh,” replied Seleucus scanning the crowd ahead of him. “I’ve been… preoccupied. Did you receive the letter?”

  “Yes, and I think I have exactly what you need.”

  Ally set the oil lamp down on the table and stood on her tiptoes with her hands firmly placed on the table, peering out the window to get a better look at the mystery man. Above the sway of his robes, she noticed a faint, red burn scar on his neck, just below his chin.

  The man reached into his robe, pulled out a small, green glass vial, and handed it to Seleucus. Seleucus held it for a moment and looked through the dark glass at the clear liquid inside. “What is it?”

  “The better question is what it does.”

  “Very well. Explain,” demanded Seleucus.

  “Pour that into his wine, and a day later, a heat will swell inside of him hotter than the summer sun that it will consume his body and voice, leaving him to rest with his eyes closed forever.”

  “And no one will suspect it?” asked Seleucus.

  “Not a soul. It’ll seem like the gods themselves had cursed him,” replied the man.

  “Most excellent. Can it be cured?”

  “Not even Orpheus himself could drag his soul back from death.”

  “Good. It’ll be good to be free from the once ‘great’ Alexander. The council offers you their deepest thanks, my friend.”

  Ally lowered herself out of view of the window. With growing worry, she ducked down and shifted closer to the window to continue listening.

  “My pleasure. I assume the payment will be generous?”

  “Yes. You’ll have all of Greece in your debt. A king who forgets his loyalty to his own people does not deserve to be king.”

  Ally’s breath quickened. She moved away from the window and shuffled her way back over to Sem’s side.

  Sem stood browsing through the fabrics, looking for something to wrap up his leg with. He noticed a pot of grey and silver powder on the shelf before him. He opened the top and sniffed the powder as Ally bumped shoulders with him. He turned and looked at her, confused.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Sem . . . we have a problem. A big, really big problem,” she whispered.

  “Yeah? You’re here. Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  He placed the lid down on the table and took a handful of the powder in his hand, getting a closer look. He glanced over at her still standing next to him looking nervous. Ally bit her lip with her upper teeth.

  “What have you done now?” Sem asked growing suspicious.

  Ally looked back over her shoulder to see Seleucus shake hands with his mysterious friend through the window. “Remember what you just said about no more meddling in affairs?”

  Chapter 14

  A Chance to Change History

  Through the crowded streets of Babylon, Sem and Ally followed Seleucus, both staring at his side pouch, knowing he now carried a small bottle that was about to change the course of history forever. Seleucus turned and glanced over his shoulder to see that they were still behind him. Sem and Ally both looked away, pretending to be interested in the shops around them. Seleucus looked back ahead of him as Sem leaned towards Ally.

  “Are you sure?” whispered Sem.

  “Yes. I’m very sure. A creep in a gray robe with a burn scar on his neck came up to him out front and handed him the bottle, saying it would kill Alexander,” whispered Ally.

  Seleucus turned his head and peeked back at them with his left eye again. Sem and Ally once more looked away and pretended nothing was wrong. He looked forward and continued to make his way down the street through the crowd.

  “So, what if he does kill him?” murmured Sem. “Like it’ll really matter, as long as he helps us before he dies.”

  “You seriously don’t know your history, do you?” asked Ally sounding utterly astounded. “For a man who travels in time, I figured you’d have a little knowledge of the world.”

  “Like I said, I used to know someone who knew that all for me.”

  “Alexander is probably the most famous king of ancient history. He conquered and ruled an empire that stretched from Europe to India, all the way to Egypt. He created the most famous library in history—it was even named after him. It stored the greatest knowledge of humankind to date until it was burned down and lost forever. Shoot, even the city in Egypt where it was located was named after him.”

  “So, he’s a big deal, I get it! That gives us even more reason not to do anything.”

  “If we stop Seleucus, Alexander might live, and the library might never be destroyed. We might help prevent the loss of human knowledge that set humanity back by centuries.”

  Sem shook his head with disapproval. “Doesn’t matter. We need to stay out of it. As long as he helps us find who we’re looking for before he dies, we stick to our job. If we don’t find the traveler, there won’t even be a library to burn. So,
stay out of it. Let’s just go to this feast and hope for some good news, then get out of here.”

  Sem’s communicator beeped under his bracelet. His face turned pale with surprise. Ally quirked her eyebrows at him. Seleucus noticed the sound and turned his head back to see what the source of the noise was. Sem pretended not to hear it, trying to look interested in a shop selling carpets. Seleucus looked back ahead of him, scanning around looking for the source of the noise. Sem reached his finger under his bracelet and pressed the decline message button.

  The communicator fell silent. The loud bustle of the city filled Seleucus’s ears. He scowled suspiciously and continued onward.

  Ally shook her head at Sem. She grinned and whispered to him. “Please silence your cell phones while in the presence of people two thousand years old.”

  At the edge of the market, Seleucus, stopped and turned to address both of them. “The night's festivities are to be held at sundown at the gardens. It is best you not be late. I must leave you now and tend to more urgent matters.”

  “Thank you very much,” replied Sem with a bow. Seleucus lowered his head in response, then turned and headed back towards the gardens.

  Sem grabbed Ally by the robe and tugged her into a small corridor between two buildings decorated with small stone benches. He scanned the corridor as he entered to be sure no one was around.

  “Stand between me and the street for a second.” Sem stood close to the wall with Ally blocking anyone’s view of him.

  Ally looked over her shoulder as Sem pulled the cover off his wrist communicator. He pushed the message button in the corner of the communicator screen and lifted it to his ear to hear the message.

  “Hey, kid. How’s it going? You two getting along?” asked Otto’s voice through the communicator.

  “Yeah… Like two peas in a pod…,” replied Sem sarcastically.

  “We’re still searching, but we may have found some powerful help. We’ve been invited to a feast tonight, so we’ll see if our new friend pays off. We’ll let you know as soon as we find them.”

  “How much time do we have?” asked Ally.

  Sem checked the time at the top of the screen. “Almost fourteen hours.”

  “What do we do till the feast, then?”

  “Well, you seem to like talking to strangers, so let's try it your way again and start asking around on the streets and see if anyone knows anything. Perhaps if you're lucky enough to run into the king of ancient Greece, you’ll be lucky enough to find our missing traveler before the feast.”

  “You want me to ask everyone in the city? It’s huge!”

  “Welcome to my world. You’re looking at the reigning champion of the biggest game of hide and seek.”

  ◆◆◆

  The hours passed rapidly. Sem and Ally wandered the vast, hot streets of Babylon, questioning patrons and merchants alike. They stopped in every shop they could find, asking if anyone had seen a naked, foreign, and confused stranger come to town. Despite the gossip that such a person's arrival would surely cause, no one knew anything.

  The winter sun soon began to set. Discouraged, and with only six hours left, Sem and Ally walked back to the majestic hanging gardens, now occupied by a flock of people waiting for the evening's celebration to begin.

  Ally stopped out front along the water way surrounding the garden palace, forcing Sem to take in the sight’s wondrous beauty. His mind, however, was elsewhere, eager to finish the job he had started. Ally saw him take in a moment to observe the sunshine fade away, watching the city glow in torchlight. Sitting next to Ally on the stone wall surrounding the gardens, he gazed out at the mountains far off in the distance, deep in his own thoughts.

  As the guests began to enter the building, Sem and Ally looked around for Alexander. But as fate would have it, Ptolemy found them first.

  “Ah, Cypress! Artemis! My lord will be pleased to see the city did not swallow you whole.”

  “We wouldn’t miss such an honor,” replied Ally with a smile.

  “Alexander has requested a place for you two at his table. If you would kindly follow me, I will escort you.”

  “Thank you very much,” said Ally, standing up from the seat along the stone bridge.

  Ptolemy nodded and moved towards the crowd. Sem took one last glance at the city and then followed him with Ally ahead of him.

  Crossing the bridge, Ally looked over the side to see the waterfalls from within the temple flowing out through large holes into the deep moat around the edge. They passed the soldiers standing outside the entryway, hearing the cold, sandstone halls ahead echo with voices.

  Ptolemy led them into a large chamber filled with colorful decorations and music. An entourage of servant girls dressed in elegant gowns made their rounds throughout the room, filling cups with wine and serving food to the festive soldiers and royalty. Alexander sat with his generals against the back wall of the hall. The guests ate food, and ogled the waitresses as they made their rounds, and talked amongst themselves.

  Expecting to see Alexander participate in the festivities, Ally was surprised when she noticed him sitting slouched in his chair and staring off into space with a melancholy face. His dark blonde bangs hung in his face as his hand clenched a gold cup on the table in front of him.

  “My lord, your guests have arrived,” said Ptolemy, striding towards Alexander.

  Alexander looked up. His troubled gaze softened.

  “Artemis! Cypress! Welcome!” he shouted, standing up to greet them. “How fared your time in the city?”

  “Very well, my lord. It was a beautiful sight that I felt blessed to witness,” said Ally.

  “Indeed. Babylon truly is a beautiful place,” Alexander replied.

  Ally walked over to the table and bowed to him. Sem watched and chose to do the same, feeling foolish for allowing her to take the lead.

  “Come now! Sit! We drink! To home and our long journey!” Alexander shouted raising his cup.

  “I’ll pass. I’ve done enough celebratory drinking for a lifetime,” mumbled Sem to himself.

  “Thank you, my lord,” said Ally, moving to his side of the table.

  Ally stared at Seleucus as she walked around the table. He sat at Alexander's left side, a woman on his lap. He smiled at the woman grotesquely, reminding Ally of the swine she called her ex. The thought gave her even more reason to hate Seleucus, as if knowing he planned to kill Alexander wasn’t enough.

  His leather side bag hung on the back of his chair. Ally stared at it with a burning desire to act. Within that small bag lay the future of a king's life and an alternative future, and the thought was driving her mad.

  Ally and Sem sat down at Alexander's right side, with Ptolemy seated between them and Alexander. As Sem sat down at the table, he looked over and saw Perdiccas staring intently at both of them. He still clearly didn’t trust them. Sem looked away, trying not to make eye contact. He turned his attention to the decorated metal plate in front of him.

  “How fares the men’s search for the raiders, Perdiccas?” asked Alexander.

  “They have not found the raiders yet, my lord, nor is there any word from other passing travelers of any. It is my best guess they fled, or perhaps they never existed at all,” said Perdiccas, staring at Sem and Ally.

  “Let us be sure they have either left or retired from a life of crime before making such assumptions.”

  “Have you heard any word on our companion?” asked Sem, hoping for news.

  Ptolemy raised his index finger as if he had something to say, but he had a full mouth of meat and was unable to speak. He finished chewing as Sem waited impatiently.

  “We have word of a slave trader who found a man wandering outside the city just this morning, naked as the day he was born, rambling as though the sun had cooked his brain,” he said, chewing his food.

  “That’s wonderful news!” replied Ally with enthusiasm. She turned to Sem and gave him a look that said, ‘I told you so.’

  “Can you take
us to him now?” asked Sem, leaning forward over the table.

  “Dear Cypress, you’ve just arrived,” replied Alexander.

  “Feast with us, and once we are finished, I shall send Ptolemy with you to acquire his release.”

  “Thank you very much, my king,” replied Ally, digging into her food.

  Sem leaned back in his chair and slipped the cover off his communicator under the table, checking the time they had remaining. Five and a half hours, and they still needed to get back to the outskirts of the city to the gateway. Sem sighed.

  “Tell me, Cypress,” Perdiccas asked, “What was your occupation before you became a wandering traveler?”

  Sem slipped the cover back on and looked at Perdiccas across the table. Ally glanced over to him hoping he knew a worthy answer.

  “I was once an apprentice to a scholar who did the same thing,” said Sem, unenthusiastically.

  “Strange. An apprentice to a fool doesn’t sound like a wealthy form of living.”

  “Can’t say it is. So far it has only offered me a lifetime of ungratefulness.”

  “Ungratefulness?”

  “Yes. As skilled as I might be, my job is only partially completed. The journey home is always more difficult than the journey to foreign lands.”

  “You must not be very good explorer, in that case. Before you know it, someone may come searching for you.”

  Perdiccas sipped his wine. Ally could sense Perdiccas was attempting to make a mockery of Sem in front of the other guests. But Sem continued to hold his own, keeping his guard raised and caring little about what everyone else in room thought of him.

  “I do my best not to let that happen,” Sem replied as he drank the wine from his glass and stared back at Perdiccas with an unintimidated look.

  “I can’t imagine there being much need for someone who finds lost souls,” said Alexander, looking over at Sem curiously. Ally smirked awaiting another honest yet clever response from Sem.

  “On the contrary, my lord. I often find myself very busy. Many people go missing, in fact.”