Fallen Empire

chapter 6

VI.

“Are you sure you do not wish to ‘swipe’ fancier attire?” Seren asks,“ After all, you are having dinner with the Brutus.”

Alice glares at him, “It is your fault I have to do this in the first place. I don’t want to interest him further.”

They are walking slowly towards the Senator’s home it is already the evening. The darkened streets are deserted, except for a few soldiers and night watchmen and an occasional scribe with arms full of scrolls. Carts have left the road muddy and rutted. Alice has to walk carefully to avoid getting her sandals stuck.

“So…how should I get around the whole knowing about the diplomatic campaign before anyone else fiasco?” Alice asks, watching the street, “He is going to have questions that I can’t answer.”

Seren thinks for a moment, “I would suggest you use your feminine wiles to distract him. That should not be a problem for you, since you appear to be quite attracted to him.” He states.

Alice looks up to rebut Seren to his covered face and steps in a mud puddle. She lets out a mild grumble at the wet-foot and disregards it to continue her thought. 

“First of all that could mess up the Time circle irreparably. Second and this is a big one, he’s married!”

“Not happily. His wife does not even live with him.”

“I am not looking for an excuse. I’ll have a quick dinner and leave before he can get too friendly.”

The house looms before them. it is not as ostentatious as most Senators have built. Brutus is known for his simple tastes and habits. The two-level home is plain stone, not gaudily carved marble. It possesses wooden doors and window shutters and a stonewall to protect the home against the street r****e.

“Are you sure you do not need me to go in with you?” Seren asks, “I can stand in the entry hall if you wish.”

“The last thing we need is more questions, but thank you for the offer, Seren.” Alice shakes out her tunic and smooths it nervously. She hopes she can deflect Brutus’ inquiries without making him suspicious.

Seren pats her shoulder and departs her company to stand across the street.  Alice takes a deep breath and walks the short path to the door.  On close inspection, the wooden door-frame is elaborately decorated with carvings of gods and goddesses. She lifts the heavy iron knocker and lets it drop. Almost immediately, a slave opens the door and lets her into the entry hall.

The hall is tiled with hand-painted ceramic squares in a red and blue design.  Another slave is waiting with a basin of rosewater and a heated towel. She slips out of her shoes and lets him wash the mud off her feet and dry them. A third slave bows and conducts her to the dining room.

A long, low table is centered in the room, which is lit only by tall candelabras on the table. Two couches are pulled up on either side and piled with silk cushions. A slave moves quietly back and forth from the kitchen with platters of beautifully arranged appetizers.

Alice stands in the doorway for a moment to admire the scene. In her Rome, dining is more of a necessity than an art form. Her mother has a cook who prepares simple meals twice a day, but Alice and her father were rarely home to eat. As she compares and reminisces, Brutus walks in.

“Good evening,” Brutus says softly as he enters the dinning area. He has discarded the senatorial robe and is wearing a simple tunic and belt. His handsome, tanned face is flattered by the candlelight. Looking at him, Alice thinks about the campaigns he has survived and wonders why he doesn’t have scars on his face. He smiles at her and escorts her to a couch. He waits until she arranges herself before following suit on the opposite couch. Once seated he rings a small silver bell to communicate to the slaves the meal has begun.

A slave brings a platter to Alice and she delicately takes a pickled oyster. Two more appetizers follow – a dish of liver pate with squares of toasted flat bread and boiled spears of asparagus in a light sauce.

Dinner consists of sparrows and young hares stuffed with nuts and dried herbs accompanied by roasted eggs and onions. Alice eats sparingly, the lack of tableware makes eating awkward, Brutus however does not struggle; he eats gracefully with one hand, raising his wineglass with the other. Two Greek wines are served and Brutus drinks heavily of both. Unused to drinking such potent vintages, Alice only sips hers.

Throughout the meal, Brutus keeps up a stream of steady small talk, speculating on the latest rumors and asking Alice if she knows the people named. She says she has only recently arrived in Rome and does not know anyone. He offers to introduce her to his circle of friends and Alice quickly steers the conversation to safer topics.

The slaves leave platters of cheese, dates, figs, pears, and nuts on the table with bottles of sweet wine and quietly withdraw.

Brutus speaks candidly, “I am very glad I saw you this afternoon. When no one seemed to know who you were, I despaired of meeting you again.”

“I have had a lovely evening,” Alice says with a smile, “My friend did not think I should come...”

“Is that your companion of this afternoon?” Brutus leans forward slightly, “Is that your bodyguard?”

“He tries to look after me, I am afraid I make it difficult sometimes.”

“Why did he think you should not come?”

“I do not think he cares for your politics,” Alice returns.

“Ah… Some do not, but I believe you have taken an interest in them.” Brutus pours himself another cup of wine, his eye watches Alice and notes her discomfort.

“No more so than anyone else,” Alice knows she should make her excuses and leave. The wine is beginning to make her sleepy and Brutus’ charms are not insignificant.

“You will be sorry to know that I lost the diplomatic position to Marc Antony,” Brutus offers softly, “Or did you know that I would lose even before it was announced?”

Alice sits up and stutters, “No! I-I should be going… It is getting very late my friend will wonder…” She stands up to leave.

“Wait!  You need not worry; I will not tell anyone who you are...” Brutus stands and goes to her.

Alice feels her heart stop beating. For a fleeting second, she is glad that Brutus is there to catch her if she faints. She turns and opens her mouth to respond, but Brutus touches her lips with his finger hesitating her reply.

“I know that you are an oracle and f*******n to mingle with commoners. Your secret is safe with me.”

Alice’s heart jumps and resumes its normal function. “Thank you for your discretion.” she smiles up at him.

“So, what can you tell me of my future?” Brutus asks playfully “Will I ask you to stay the night?”

“Yes, you will ask,” Alice says, relieved enough to play along and enjoying her new role, “And 'no’ is the answer you will receive.”

“In that case, it would be better not to ask.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, Alice steps back,  “I have a rather unusual question to ask you.”

Brutus recovers gracefully “Ask anything.”

“Yesterday, after our first meeting, did you happen to see a cloaked figure follow me out of the square?”

“Your bodyguard,” Brutus says curiously, “Was there someone else?”

“No, …I only thought the ‘Temple’ might have sent someone to find me and take me back.” Alice frowns worriedly. She is pleased that she asked the question but her disappointment over the answer could not be hidden.

Brutus misinterprets her emotions and says, “Well, then you should certainly stay the night. It would be easy for your pursuer to take you under cover of darkness. I will take you home personally in the morning.”

“I appreciate your concern, but my bodyguard will see me safely to my lodgings. I really should be going.”

Brutus nods in understanding and escorts Alice to the entry hall. She waits while a slave helps her with her sandals. Alice and Brutus exit the door and walk down the path to the road.

“I had a wonderful evening,” Alice says sincerely.

Brutus lays his hand gently on her shoulder, “Are you sure you will not stay the night?”

Alice looks across the street and observes Seren walking towards them. “No, but thank you anyway.”

Seren has leaned against the wall to watch the house for the past few hours, wondering what trouble Alice was getting herself into. When she finally emerges, Brutus is following her closely, too closely in Seren’s opinion. Seren shakes his head and starts an intercept course. He watches Brutus touch her shoulder and lean even closer to touch his lips to Alice’s.

Seren looks away in embarrassment. Why do humans do such strange things?  As he rolls his eyes away from this scene his gaze falls on motion in the darkness. He notices a shadow detach itself from the wall and moving towards the couple intent on remaining lip-locked.

A sudden glint of light on metal warns Seren of a knife in the shadow’s hand. Seren starts to run, he reaches the shadow just as it raises the knife to strike Brutus. Seren gets there first slamming it into the stonewall. With a slight grunt, the shadow sinks to the ground, out cold.

As Seren rushes past, Brutus leaps out of the way and drags Alice with him. They stand, speechless, as Seren leans over the crumpled figure and pulls a long knife from the folds of cloth.

Brutus runs up the walk and disappears into the house to get help. Seren hides the weapon in the sleeve of his paenula. Alice bends over the would-be assassin and looks for identification. There are no pockets in the ragged cloak or in what appeared to be a knee-length plaid skirt. Based on the attire of the intruder Alice realizes this person couldn’t be Roman but she isn’t sure what nationality he is. She looks at Seren in bewilderment.

Brutus rounds the corner, followed by two burly slaves. They pick up the assassin and carry him off.

“Are you all right?” Brutus asks Alice in genuine concern.

“Fine – and you?”

“He did not get anywhere near me, thanks to the quick thinking of your faithful bodyguard.” Brutus frowns down at her, “I am concerned for your safety, will you please stay the night?”

Alice laughs, “The man was captured. There is no danger now, I am grateful for your dedication to my safety.”

“In that case, be careful.” Brutus gives her shoulder a quick squeeze.

“Goodnight.” Alice smiles at him and departs with Seren just behind her.

Brutus watches them walk away thoughtfully, then calls another slave, “Follow the lady quietly and be sure she reaches her lodgings without incident. Make note of where she is staying.”

The slave bows respectfully and slips off.

Unaware of their new shadow, Alice and Seren are deep in conversation as they make their way to the Inn.

“We should probably find a more permanent place to stay, now that our mission is accomplished.” Seren says in a chipper tone.

“I don’t feel right about this,” Alice says furrowing her brow, “Let me see the knife.”

Seren withdraws it from his sleeve and hands it to her. He points a finger at the knife and a small flashlight from his left index finger illuminates the intricately engraved hand-grip, Alice studies it closely.

The blade is roughly fourteen inches long and tapered from two finger widths to a deadly point. A shallow groove runs from just below the hilt nearly to the tip. The hilt is much wider than the Roman style and the hand-grip is just long enough to comfortably accommodate a large hand. A round piece of metal tops the grip, with a shield and an attacking lion cut into it.

“Have you seen anything like this before?” Alice asks.

“No,” Seren answers, leaning down for a closer look, “Do you think the owner of this weapon was your ‘ghost’?”

“I don’t know, but we need to find out.  Maybe I can talk Brutus into letting us visit the owner of this weapon.”

“Are you sure that is wise?  We do not know for sure that he was after Brutus; he could just as easily have been there to kill you.” Seren warns.

“We are going to have to take that chance. There are too many questions that only he can answer.”

          They continue in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts, Alice knows they have changed history by preventing a death, but the rift doesn’t happen for another month. Did Seren’s action cause or prevent another hole in Time? {Which one was right cause or effect?}She knows these impossible questions will lead to answers not easily found.

Before she realizes it, they arrive at the Pilgrim’s Inn.

The slave watches them until the door closes behind his quarry he then leaves to reports back to Brutus.

•

The Committee of Scientific Advancement meets in an emergency session following the news of Dr. Faith’s defection.

The Chairman rises to address the Committee, “Yesterday evening Dr. Faith Alice Vesuvia disappeared. We are assuming she used her illegal Chronogynics technology to travel back over 2000 years. We suspect she is trying to fix her imagined ‘hole in Time’. We have entered her laboratory and found the machine and research she used to travel, we did not find her robot and assume he traveled with her.” The Chairman pauses and looks at the anxious faces surrounding the table, “What we need to decide, gentlemen, is how to deal with this situation.”

The Senator from the Pacific Provinces stands and is recognized. “It is my opinion that we should destroy the laboratory and all records of the Chronogynics project. Let Dr. Faith fend for herself in Ancient Rome…”

The Senator from the Canadian Provinces stands, “I believe Dr. Faith would not have traveled through Time without a definite purpose. If she means to destroy our world by changing history, she should be stopped immediately!”

Senator Vesuvius Albinus Drusis stands and says, “I agree with the Canadian Senator. We should send Cerberions to capture her and bring her back. We can then deal with her and the project in due time.”

A majority of the Committee nod in agreement. The Chairman looks around and says, “I also agree, with one slight change. We will send a small group of Cerberions to quietly do away with her and bring the D.P.T. unit back. It may be useful to the next scientist. All in favor?”

A comfortable majority approves the plan and the order is relayed to the Cerberions. They receive the order in the Faith laboratory where they have violently entered. Five soldiers volunteer for the mission, they override Alice’s computer to find where she has gone and open a similar Infinity-gate.  All five Cerberions each equipped with rocket packs and plasma riffles invade the Infinity-Tunnels in search of Alice.