Part 75 (2/2)
”You seereat deal about him,” said Caesarion
”I make it my business to know,” I said
So dice? I shi+vered, even in the warm sun I shi+vered, even in the war hi chief priest They wished to honor us by athe te of hi hard not to lapse back into Greek, and the priest see hands on our heads Here, als I was so preoccupied with in Alexandria faded to uniiven sanctuary This was the true Egypt, the motherland, where Rome could not reach us If all else failed, my children could rule here unmolested
If all else failedbut I must not think of failure It would be failure indeed if Caesar's true heir, and the children of a Triumvir, had to content themselves with less than their due inheritance And that inheritance, for better or worse, was part of the Rohtful it was to recline beneath the arbor, luxuriating in the dry heat, seeing the white butterflies dancing overhead Everything here was either brown or green or white
”Tell”The Goddess who presides over this temple”
The priest's eyes lit up ”She is our ancient Goddess of beauty, joy, and music”
”Like Isis?” he asked
”Yes, only older Although we believe they may just be manifestations of each other And once the Greeks caht she was also Aphrodite”
How different this Egyptian-style tes, its darkened sanctuary, was from the Roman one Caesar had likewise built to honor the Goddess of beauty Both saluted her in appropriate ways Beautywe all worshi+p her, we all stand in awe of beauty It is the one God we all seeenerous, Majesty, in providing for the te ”As were your ancestors”
”As heirs of the Pharaohs, we are honored to do so,” I said We Ptoleion, art, and architecture intact; Greek influence was confined to only a few cities Soyptians, by taking up brOther-sisterthe sacred bulls of Apis, and being crowned at Meuile Perhaps it was for soyptian ways, and the old stones and Gods spoke to me
As the sun sank low in the sky, we stood once ures on the temple Now the lines were etched dark by shadows, and the Queen and King stoodabove thes and jewelry sharp and clear
”Here you will be Pharaoh for eternity,” I said to Caesarion ”You will always be young and handsoifts to the Gods”
Art allows us to do that, while life hurries us on to our cru ends
We had several events to celebrate First, there was Caesarion's tenth birthday Then there was the sudden e of Olympos to a quiet, even-tempered woman with a bent for scholarly study There was the welcome news from Epaphroditus that our harvests had exceeded expectations--owing to a coed canals--and our exports of glass and papyrus were boo My rebuilt navy was almost complete, with two hundred new shi+ps A to us, courting us I had even been able to issue new coinage with increased silver content I had a pile of theypt was not only surviving, she was thriving
Mardian picked one up and looked at it appreciatively ”There is no weight so pleasing as a heavy silver coin--unless it's a heavy gold one!” He was finely arrayed in a reworked silk robe, and thick gold arleamed on his forearms
”Perhaps you'd like to contribute your arhed and crossed his arms to shi+eld them ”Never!”
Epaphroditus took one of the coins and examined it ”We must be the envy of the Roe, since the menace of sextus so threatens their food supply--indeed, while he ranges unchecked, their whole economy trembles in the balance”
”Even Antony has felt the pinch,” said Mardian ” ”Far away froe”
So Octavia's face would beam out from a coin that was more copper than silver? Pity
I putand prosperous, it was because of ood rooratulate you”
It seemed odd to me that he was now married, the first of ed it on him for years, yet now that it had happened I foundif his ould be worthy of him, would understand him I hoped she was not as lost in her manuscripts as some women were in the kitchen One extre once, ”There is only one thing more tedious than a stupid person, and that is a pedantic one”
”Yes, I have entered the blessed realive e is such thirsty work?” asked Mardian archly
”You said it, not I,” said Oly it It occurred to h Olympos knew an unseemly amount about that side of my own life, I would never know about his He would never share it with e of physicians That did not stop h
”Is Dorcas to join us today?” I asked I had yet to see her
”No, she is at the Library Besides, you didn't invite her”
”That's her iination Of course the invitation was for both of you”
”I will tell her Later”
I wondered if he had not wanted to bring her But all that would beco does
”I am happy to be surrounded with all that a queen could want,” I said loudly, to get their attention ”In this I am rich I have the best and most loyal ministers in the world, and a son of whom any mother would be proud, any queen wish to succeed her” Caesarion first beamed, then blushed ”Pray, let us rejoice with one another” I nodded for the servers to bring around the pitchers of wine and platters of delicacies
At the first opportunity, Mardian whispered tofor an alliance”
”Are they official ambassadors, or private citizens?” I asked
”Citizens,” said Mardian ”They say they were sent to take a reading, and if the answer is favorable, ambassadors will folloith a for! Do you think they have come to spy, because they mean to attack us next?” They were too far away to bother with alliances, I thought, but not too far away to harbor ideas of conquest
”No, I think they are on the defensive against the expected Ro around for help Perhaps they see it as black and white: Ro?”
”Perhaps not” Perhaps it was really that si eastward until they dashed theainst some stone-- the Parthians? the Indians? How far would they roll, like ocean breakers, until they finally hit a barrier?
”Do you want to grant them an audience? Or shall I send them on their way?” he asked
I was tempted In certain moments I had toyed with the idea of an eastern alliance The Kandake had offered one It had an allure to it We could band together with Nubia, with Arabia, with Parthia, Media, perhaps even Hindu Kush, and ht of reason, it did not hold up Egypt was too far west herself, cut off fro of Roested client kingdoms, like Judaea and Armenia We were isolated, forced to deal directly with the Romans, make accommodation with them
”Send them on their way,” I said ”Hear their proposals first Ascertain their chances against the Romans Find out their military situation Then Then send them back to Phraaspa or Ecbatana or Susa or whichever city they came from” send them back to Phraaspa or Ecbatana or Susa or whichever city they came from”
”Ecbatana, I believe” He adjusted his left armlet ”This is the wisest course Keep aloof Make no alliances Make no promises”