Part 67 (2/2)
”Now this is easy,” I said, at the first stop ”It's cardaht?”
”Indeed you are,” said Epaphroditus ”Here are the wooden boxes holding the ale amounts of money
We shuffled down the aisles of the rest of the warehouse, passing cinnamon--which was easy to identify--and cassia and pepper, which were not There were also sacks of saffron stacked in one corner
”Whole sacks!” said Antony ”I had never iined such quantity”
”Yes, it takes almost two hundred flowers to produce a pinch of it,” I said
”No wonder it's guarded so heavily,” said Antony
There were bags, sacks, and jars of lesser spices--cumin, tur By that ti
”All the baths of Rome would not be able to wash these flavors and smells off my skin,” said Antony ”I feel they have penetrated down to , he flapped his tunic about, like a crane spreading its wings
When we stepped outside, the air seemed weirdly thin, characterless ”What about the papyrus?” I asked Antony
”Yes, that would be interesting,” he said And so ent there, touring the warehouse where natron lay in regular piles to absorb any ht cause mold oron , ready for distribution
”Blank scrolls,” he said ”I wonder what nonsense will fill the one off the shelf This was the very highest grade ”It depends into whose hands they fall what they will grow into This one here--it hest order, or perhaps only household records”
”They wouldn't buy this high-grade papyrus for lowly household records,” said Epaphroditus 'They would take grade three or four” There were seven gradations, with the worst used only for school exercises ”We stack those over here” He led us to them They looked darker, yellower, and thicker
”I think you should deliver one of our tax records to my chambers in the palace,” I told Epaphroditus ”One should do” I turned to Antony ”Unless you want to review them all?”
”No, I've no need I am not the--as the word for the finance minister?”
”Dioiketes,” I said ”Come, then Let us depart” I took one of the blank rolls for Caesarion to practice on--one of the best, of course I said ”Come, then Let us depart” I took one of the blank rolls for Caesarion to practice on--one of the best, of course
As we left, I turned to Epaphroditus ”I alold mines on the border of Nubia Of course all that coold?”
Surprisingly, he shook his head ”No I knohat it looks like”
”But have you ever seen it not in bracelets, or ornae piles?” I persisted
”No,” he said ”But I do not need to”
He was a ht Perhaps this would be harder than I thought
The afternoon shadoere slanting across the palace grounds by the tih with him yet, for I still had to show hi finale to this whole deed concentration was not his strong point He was obviously longing to soak in a bath and indulge himself in a feast of some sort, probably with the Incoht; I wanted Antony entirely to myself, for one of the most important pleas I would ever reen lawn surrounding the various palace buildings ”I want to show you a special building I a hiroaned, pulling back
”Please!” I said ”This one is different!”
”Why?” He did not even look curious
”Because it's my tomb My mausoleu the sea--”
”Howyour toypt, re it upon ypt, when after Caesar's death, I knew too wellover the cool green grass, starting to sprout early wildflowers We reached the h steps and its polished entrance of red porphyry, flanked by sphinxes It was only half finished, though, and had no second story or roof as yet
”It will have special doors that can never be reopened,” I said ”They will slide down a groove in the frame and, once set in place, will be i me this?” he said with distaste
”Because I wanted you to see where I will be sealed for eternity, along with my personal treasure--unless it is spent elsewhere That is for you to decide Either it is used for a good purpose, or it will abide here, locked away, forever”
”I have nothing to do with it”
”Yes, you do,” I assured hiht We had eaten a long, languorous meal with all his favorite foods, in privacy There had been the special grilled fish of Alexandria, with its sauce of stoned daar, which he loved There were plu in rainwater in sealed jars, eggs cooked over eh Chian wine to fill a s pool We were served in the portion of my apartments that I used for private dinners, with inlaid crescents of tortoiseshell on its walls He was stretched out on one of the dining couches, looking supreot up fro beside hi my hand in his I touched his hair with my other hand, more for myself than for hi to show you,” I told hih there was no one else to hear
”Oh, not h for one day”
But I slipped off the couch and brought over an inlaid box, which was fastened with a bronze lock Opening it, I flung off the top and let him see the mound of jewels inside--pearls, e it and plunging it in The sers, and as he withdrew theems bounced onto the floor I did not pick them up
”I have many more like this,” I told him ”And there are storerooo with me intothis out if you have truly decided, once and for all, to hide it away”
”Unless I can put all these resources to a better purpose,” I said
”Like what?” He sounded only vaguely curious
”Let hed ”I told you already, I don't want the world And if I did, you couldn't buy it”
”I can buy armies, and armies can buy a world” I let that statement lie there for hi with Octavian about this legion or that, or who gets such-and-such shi+p It can all be yours”
”And your price? For I ainning to sound like a rasp what I was dangling before him