Part 66 (1/2)
”It's all gone to hell,” he said, shaking his head, when I found him At his feet were the curled letters fro forlornly
”What is it?” I bent down to pick them up, but waited for him to tell me
”War in Italy,” he said ”My wife” he paused
Yes, the dom had been breached The world was back with us
”My wife, Fulvia, and ainst Octavian”
”What?” I started to read the letter, but it was very long
”It's co advantage of his position to settle his own veterans, giving theave ainst hied in the h his hair ”All nal fro, too”
”Why is that a good thing?” I asked It was never good to be beaten
”Why, because it would violate my compact with Octavian” He looked surprised that I would even ask ”We are partners, remember? The civil wars are over”
”It would see to discredit you”
Antony frowned ”He's not trying to discredit me, he just--he just--”
”Then why have Fulvia and Lucius gone to war against hihts”
It seemed that the anxiety was on Antony's part--to protect Octavian ”Is it not possible that Octavian acted wrongly?”
”Well, he--” Antony paused ”I needto a conclusion” He leaned down and picked up the other letter ”Nothing auous about this” He handed it to me
I skimmed it It was terrible The Parthians had overrun Syria, killed Saxa, Antony's governor there, and even taken Jerusaleions in Syria, along with their eagles, now belonged to Parthia They had got more for their collection, to add to those of Crassus
”Oh, the legions!” cried Antony ”The shas, the ones who had so obsequiously paid court to him last autumn, had not proved very stalwart Perhaps it was time they were replaced
”Only Herod showed any initiative,” said Antony ”He got away, and held out at Masada”
”Good for him,” I said At least so his head ”I am involved in a war on two fronts”
The war in Italy was a nasty little war Octavian even descended to having his slingers fire stones engraved with such sentiments as ”Give it to Fulvia!” into the eneram to the effect that:
Glaphyra s fucked by Antony Fulvia claiaer hi his whiht! she cries But still I've found Dearer than life my prick Let trumpets sound
He must be desperate--to reveal his true colors Antony see
”Octavian has divorced Claudia,” said Antony, out of nowhere ”He ainstabout?” I asked This was several days after the first letter More had come in in the meantime Once the seas opened, ere pelted with them
”He likes to cement treaties with personal ties He asked to ether The best I could cohter, since all we had was sons--young ones at that And so he married her”
Octavian, married How odd that seemed! ”I didn't know,” I said
”But he's divorced her, sent her back to Fulvia He said she was 'intact'-- still a virgin Married three years, and he didn't touch her!”
”He ,” I said His self-control and long-range planning were almost unhuman ”He always thinks ahead”
Antony shook his head ”It is so--coldblooded”
”Yes He is a formidable enemy” My measures of him, no matter how extreme they see I had ever encountered--resolute, ioal I rele to reach Caesar in Spain after his shi+pwreck Always there was Octavian, crawling out of so I shi+vered
”He isn'tthatr”
More news poured in A slave insurrection had started in Campania, but Octavian had stamped it out, and scores of people of all ranks fled to the protection of the rebel pirate-king sextus Pompey, who all but ruled Sardinia and Sicily Even Antony's own mother had joined them
”My race upon s right!”
”But it isn't Octavian who's at fault--it's Fulvia She has even raised legions against hiine the fiery Fulvia doing that ”She is only doing it on your behalf”
”That's what you think!” He turned on ypt She's angry about you”
”So she will raise an army and jeopardize your interests to pry you away froe sort of loyalty”
”You don't know her”
”I think I do” I reeance
”Better that you never learn more, or come closer to her”
”Divorce her,” I said suddenly
He stared atyou,” I said I was thinking out loud now ”She is ahest prize She understands--as you do not seeer in Octavian But she is a liability She cannot really help you to achieve what should be yours I can”
He tried to joke ”Is this a proposal?”
”Join your forces with mine,” I said ”Let ion here or there, hastily raised, but enough to buy fifty legions, a whole fleet of shi+ps, an arrasped his arh as you are meant to”