Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  With two quick steps he was on her, grabbing her around the waist again. This time he gave no warning, crushing his lips against hers as he crushed her body closer with a single hand. Despite herself, Kimi felt her body responding once more. Felt her lips parting just slightly. Finally he pulled away, looking down at her with a half smile.

  “So you suggest I am not a man of my word?”

  “I suggest nothing. I only state the truth as I know it. I have backstabbed and vied for power against my own kin. I have heard empty promises and even emptier words. Is it a wonder I would not so easily believe yours?”

  “Truly you are a willful woman. Nothing like the ones at home. It is that very willfulness I must possess.”

  “Back my claim and you may. Otherwise I will forever remain unobtainable.”

  “I do not believe you. Your mouth speaks those words, but your body speaks a different language. You desire me as I desire you. I believe you will break before I do.”

  “Desire does not equal acceptance. A slave desires freedom, that does not mean they will get it. If you believe me so weak as to break after so little, then is that really the kind of willfulness you want?”

  Again Kimi broke away. As she stepped backwards Caesar grabbed her hand. Using one of the moves she had seen on TV hundreds of times, she spun, taking him by surprise as she grabbed his wrist and ducked under the arm. She was behind him, binding his arm upwards as she leaned in close to speak.

  “Do not think you are the only one with a few moves on them. I may not be a military general, but I am no helpless woman either.”

  Caesar ducked, reversing her hold easily before she knew it. She felt her arm pinned behind her back as he sniffed her hair once more. The hand holding hers moved, making her touch his crotch so she could feel his manhood.

  “With every action you make me want you more. How can you tempt a man so, my lovely Cleopatra? With beauty like yours, I could well believe you could tempt a man to fight God himself.”

  Kimberly clenched her hand closed around his crotch, eliciting a gasp from Caesar. He let her go suddenly and she turned, smiling into his face as he kept her grip. It was only a light squeeze, not enough to incapacitate, just enough to let him know she was in control and could clench if she really wanted to.

  “I don’t ask you to fight against God, only support my claim. Do that, and this beauty is yours for the taking.”

  He was quick. His left hand moved in a lightning strike, grabbing hers away from his crotch before she had a chance to do anything. His other grabbed her own left hand, pulling them both in against her chest as he turned and pushed her backwards. After a few steps she fell onto the bed with him on top of her. His lips met her neck, then worked their way down as his sheer weight kept her from escaping. His face came up and his eyes met hers, the lust in them plain to see.

  “Then you have my full support. Truly I have not met a woman like you before. I must possess you. Though from these desires, I must wonder if it is not you who has already possessed me.”

  With that, he pressed his lips once more against hers as he let her arms go. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his began to undress her, which wasn’t hard. He was experienced, and her body was easily responding, even yearning for him. Was this what Bree had meant about it not being so scary while in the moment? Because if so, she was right. This really wasn’t so bad.

  A knock on the wall interrupted them both. Regretfully Caesar pulled away and Kimi sat up, realizing Julius had removed her shirt without her realizing. Isabelle came in with bowed head, carrying a tray of food and wine.

  “A thousand pardons O exulted one. But I come with the snack you did desire for you and your guest. And the aphrodisiac you did request.”

  Caeser looked from the tray of food to Kimi and grinned, chuckling just a little.

  “You are a shrewd woman indeed my lovely Cleopatra. You had fully intended for this outcome it seems. And I played right into it. I concede defeat. A woman like you deserves to lead this country.”

  “Do you wish me to administer the drug O exulted Pharaoh?”

  Not knowing what was going on, but catching the girls eyes, Kimi waved her hand and told her to do so. Isabelle set the tray on a small stand, pouring out two glasses of wine and administering a white powder into both. She mixed them quickly before handing both Caesar and Kimi a glass. With that she bowed, walking out of the room backwards.

  Julius ate a few grapes off the platter, then raised his glass in toast. He emptied it quickly, and Kimberly, by necessity, also drank. It was dry and a bit bitter, leaving a strange aftertaste in her mouth. It was the first time she had ever had alcohol, but she wasn’t too impressed by the experience.

  Setting his glass down he stalked over once more, bearing down on her as he continued running his fingers over naked flesh. His movements didn’t last long though, his fingers suddenly stopped and he slumped forward. For a moment Kimberly thought he was dead as he lay on top of her, only to realize he was just sleeping when a light snore broke the sudden silence. She wondered what had happened as she rolled him off and sat up, slowly putting her shirt back on. Just then Isabelle, Bree, and Jasmine came in, looks of glee on their faces. It was Isabelle that spoke after glancing at Caesar sleeping next to her.

  “It worked! I wasn’t sure if it would but it did.”

  “What worked?”

  “Well I got to thinking about how I could help you, since we knew you didn’t want to sleep with him. And then we found out they have opium poppy here. My teacher showed me how to manipulate the chemicals that make up a bunch of different powders to either increase or decrease the effectiveness. You know, since molecular restructuring is under the alignment of water. I’ve never actually been very good at it, but I had to try. So I turned the opium into a sleeping powder, then tried increasing its effectiveness. Don’t worry though, I nullified the effects in your powder--- I hope.”

  Jasmine pulled out her tangle of threads, a smile creeping onto her face as she read her Map. “It worked. The condition for success was achieved and the words to set everything right are appearing. We can leave!”

  “Oh, that’s great.”

  Bree looked at Kimi with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t sound too enthusiastic. I thought you wanted to get out of here as fast as possible too.”

  “I do. It’s just---”

  “Bree looked at Julius Caesar laying on the bed behind her as she stood up, a smile creeping onto her face.”

  “You were in the moment weren’t you? You didn’t want us to put him to sleep.”

  Kimi blushed but said nothing, her act of looking away said it all. The three girls chuckled, but thankfully refrained from poking any fun at her change of heart. The three sobered up quickly, and Jasmine’s voice rang out in a low tone. Much of what she read was what Kimi already knew, the only real difference she could note was the fact Caesar’s daughter was named Julia, not Juliette.

  “After Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C., known as the Ides of March, Cleopatra returned to Egypt with her family. Once her co-ruler, husband, and younger brother Ptolemy XIV died, Cleopatra made hers and Caesar’s son, Caesarion, co-regent. At this time She also embroiled herself in the Roman civil war, siding with the Caesarian forces along with Mark Antony and Octavius, Caesar’s grandnephew, because of her past with Julius. After the war Cleopatra charmed Mark Antony and the two formed a liason. In 40 B.C., she fathered twins to Antony and four years later, the two married in the Egyptian custom.”

  She stopped there. Though Kimberly knew there was more to Cleopatra’s life, there just wasn’t any more within the Map. Kimi had the odd sensation of her stomach doing a flip and the world tilting sideways. That hadn’t happened before. Perhaps it was because they had come from the first timeline of the world and not her own. As her stomach stopped doing flips something small zipped back and forth in front of her face with an annoying buzzing sound. As her senses came back to her, the buzzing became words and Nimli
alighted on her left shoulder.

  “You're back! The rift rippled and was about to close, so I thought you failed. But then it stabilized, so I knew you were still fighting somehow. I was worried about you. I couldn’t do much, but I gathered some nuts, berries and edible plants while I waited.”

  She leaned in close so only Kimi could hear her tiny voice as it tickled her ear. “I was also really scared you might die. I wanted to go in and help, but I didn’t know if I could even find you, let alone live very long. I’m sorry I’m so useless.”

  Kimi shook her head slightly, not commenting out loud, since it seemed the small spirit didn’t want the others to overhear. But she made a mental note to talk with the diminutive woman properly when they were alone.

  “Your food is welcome Nimli, but knowing you were on the other side of this rift waiting for us means more than you know.”

  Nimli fluttered off Kimberly’s shoulder, doing a few loops in the air as the four women began picking at the mound of edibles on a giant leaf. Kimberly didn’t know about the others, but she wasn’t particularly hungry. Still, she made sure to sample some to show the little spirit her appreciation.

  “Oh! Also, while you were gone the last two days, I spoke to the animals of the forest, seeking out any useful information.”

  “Wait, two days? Are you sure? We only spent one inside.”

  “Of course I’m sure. You went rushing in early in the morning yesterday, the sun set and rose, and it is almost noon today. So if you want to be technical, I suppose you could call it a day and a half.”

  “Interesting.”

  That was one more thing Kimi now knew about these anomalies, time was also slightly distorted. One minute there was not one minute here. If that was the case, then could there still be hope of getting back to her own time frame? She came through an anomaly, a time rift that she had to assume was not much different than these rifts into the past. So if time moved slightly quicker here, was there some window of opportunity to return through her own time rift before it closed? Her own personal Due Date so to speak? It was something to think about.

  “So, Nimli, did your forest friends have anything interesting to say?”

  “Two things. Well, lots of things actually, but only two that you might be interested in. Unless you wish to hear about the wood rot going around in the aspens and the termite infestations, and the many small other things that I will take care of if I can.”

  “No, as much as I am sure such things might be interesting to listen to if I wanted to go to sleep, I’d rather hear the two things you think important for us to hear.”

  Nimli let off a slight blue glow as she chuckled, the air pulsing at the humor. “I shall remember that if you ever have insomnia. The first bit of news is this: there is a hill giant pack migrating to the north. They pose no immediate danger, and they aren’t in the path of any rifts, but it is always wise to be aware when giants migrate. Even if hill giants are the most docile of the giant races, and even deal with other races on occasion, best not to take chances. As the saying goes, if you poke the hornets nest, you will probably get stung.”

  “Noted. And the second thing?”

  “There is an unknown predator in the woods maybe a half day away from here. By the descriptions, I think it might be that mediator we saw at the start of the grand quest. What did you call it? A raptor? It seems it has been camped out there for the last three days.”

  “And if it is the dinosaur, her mage isn’t far away. What was her name again? Manny? No, Milly. And her mage’s name was Frank. They say anything about anyone else with them?”

  “Sorry, they haven’t seen any humans near her. They have been trying to hide and keep their distance until she moves on.”

  “Well, at least we have our next destination. You said it is about half a day from here right? Think you could lead us?”

  “Of course. I was expecting you to say something like that, so I got a few Elk to agree to carry the four of you there when you are ready. Not all the way though, they aren’t willing to enter the beasts hunting grounds, even for me. But that will still bring us within a mile or so of them.”

  “Nimli, I could kiss you. I won’t, because I’m afraid I might suffocate you on accident, but I could. Make sure you tell them how much I appreciate their help.”

  “That’s why I like you Kimi, well one of the many reasons anyway. You care about the feelings of my forest friends. Not many would think to have them thanked.”

  “Why not? If you can talk to them, then that means they are sentient in some way. Its just common courtesy to thank someone or something if they help you. I’m sure these three would do the same.”

  Kimberly looked at the other three girls, who blushed and looked away from her in shame. They hunched their shoulders and lowered their faces to the ground. Nimli did a few more loops before planting herself in front of Kimberly’s face.

  “As you can see, the thought had never crossed their minds until now. They would have said nothing, just expected it and taken it for granted. That is the kind of people they are. That is the way most people are. They have little to no respect for us magical creatures, or the things we can do. More interested in how they can use us.”

  “But they aren’t bad people!”

  “I did not say they were bad. Indeed, I agree most humans could be considered good, or neutral at best. If good and bad could be given an easy definition. But good or not, they are still largely inconsiderate. Focused on how this or that thing can help them. How it can improve their lives, or make them money. You are different. I’m not saying you are a saint, as you have your own shortcomings and tendencies for self-gratification. You are still human, after all. But I consider you better than most.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “Anytime.”

  As Kimberly ate, she thought of how her body had reacted to Caesar. What had that been all about exactly? It was as if she had enjoyed the flirting she had done. As if she had wanted to sleep with him from the beginning. And all her fears had never existed. She wanted to chalk it up to some strange magic from the anomaly, but deep inside she knew that wasn’t the case. She had enjoyed the word play, the tension, the back and forth of cat and mouse. That feeling of power she had felt, knowing she had something Caesar wanted, and the ability to keep it from him. The rush of pushing him ever farther into his lusts and knowing she was in control, she was the one making it happen. It was then she realized what exactly it was that kept her from feeling scared.

  She had felt alive. It had been her, Kimberly Changa who had led Caesar on. Not some character she had created. Caesar had desired her. Even if she had been playing Cleopatra, it had been her own words, her own voice, her own actions. She wasn’t living life vicariously through a book. She wasn’t dreaming she was the heroine in some dime romance novel. She had been the heroine. That sense of being alive had caught her up, made her want to go all the way without fear in her heart once she had gotten into the moment. It was the first time she had ever felt like that, and it was a heady feeling indeed.

  Popping another mushroom into her mouth Kimi made a decision on the spur of the moment. Now that she had a taste of that feeling, she wasn’t content to go back to being the old Kimi Changa, the girl who disliked standing out. She wanted to live, really live, her life. Not coast along in absolute safety, never taking chances if she didn’t have to.

  “Bree.”

  The girl looked up, chewing on a handful of nuts with her head tilted to the side. Swiftly, before she could talk herself out of it, Kimberly pulled out her dagger and slit her forearm, holding the blade out for her to take.

  “Make a contract with me. I’ll be your mediator.”

  Bree blinked, not quite registering what she had just heard as Kimi’s blood dripped to the ground. Kimberly could tell the moment the words penetrated though, because her eyes lit up and a smile grew slowly on her lips. A smile that was fit to reach both ears as she took the dagger and cut her own forearm.
The two clasped hands at the elbow, their wounds coming in contact.

  The electrical jolt that ran through her was like nothing she had ever experienced. The jolt she received from kissing the girl was like a bee sting to a raging fire. Her whole body was filled with power, with energy. The room of character’s in her head felt like it was now a part of her, not a separate entity. She could feel her link to Bree, could almost believe the two of them were one person in two bodies. The look on Bree’s face was one that was a mirror of her own. Of wonder, and life, and knowledge.

  As the two finally pulled their hands away, Kimi reached into the core of her being, flicking her wrists as she did so. In her right hand appeared a sword, in her left a Cobra semi-automatic pistol, yet she was still herself, not some character. Another flick made them both disappear. The feeling of power made her face hurt from the smile on it.

  Bree also seemed to have the same idea, creating a small tornado on the tip of her finger. Spinning the digit lightly, the small gust grew. Flinging her hand out, the tornado rose into the air, turning into a full blown storm with ease. The sky darkened and the clouds swirled as Bree continued to rotate her finger. With a jerk, she snapped her finger downward, closing the hand into a fist. At the same moment, the sky’s cleared and the winds stopped.

  Her eyes traveled from where she was watching the sky down to meet Kimi’s, and all the two of them could do was grin.

  Chapter 15: Campfire Stories

  “Are you sure we are close Bree?”

  “Yeah, the wind says we are.” Bree giggled next to Kimberly, a smile growing on her face. A smile that just hadn’t gone away the last seven hours. “The wind! I can actually hear the wind now! Do you have any idea just how hard that is? “

  Kimi shook her head, saying that she didn’t.

  “That’s at least a third tier wind based ability. Calling a storm is a second tier. And before we contracted I struggled to make the wind do much of anything outside of enhancing what it was already doing. You know, adding a tail wind to a moving arrow, or basic blades of wind. Low level second tier is stuff like riding on a personal tornado, and making your body lighter as to move faster. Changes to the weather would be higher level tier two. Wind talking and using the air to send messages over great distances, even speaking with a voice, is tier three. Stuff like levitation is the highest tier of air magic.”