Part 112 (1/2)
”He told me that my fate-spirit, my daimon, was overshadohen Octavian's was near,” Antony remembered Of course Olyht, old friend Ever since Octavian landed in Greece” His voice faded ”But for the six years before that, all ell So, once we remove ourselves from here?”
It had turned into a question
Hunefer was silent so long that Antony finally said, ”We ill escape fro his wish for victory to mere escape escape fro his wish for victory to mere escape
”Part of you, yes,” Hunefer said slowly ”Another part of you, you will leave here”
”Part of the army? Part of the navy?”
”The stars only say 'part of you,' ” said Hunefer ”It is not clear”
”Part of--me?” he asked ”My body? My troops? Surely you can discern that!”
”He means the shi+ps,” I said quickly ”The burnt shi+ps! That's a large part And the oarsmen and soldiers who have died--they will relared at Hunefer Stupid old man! Whatever he saw, he should keep it to hi but harm
”No, madam,” he insisted ”That has already coreat realization settled on me, of the way the Gods tease us with partial revelations and veiled hints, knoill follow theh Such is their a our own ideas, we can take so Even mistakesmiscalculationsmisinformation mistakesmiscalculationsinsupernatural direction Let us win, or let us fail, but let it be all ours! I turned on hi supernatural direction Let us win, or let us fail, but let it be all ours! I turned on hih Antony's ”Come To our tent” I steered hie Flies were everywhere now; they s, they plagued us, forcing us to sleep under nets Even so, they woke us by diving against the cloth, as if they were arrows intent on piercing it
The lurid red of the burning shi+psfliesall seemed a foretaste of Hades
”I remember a temple we came across in Parthia,” Antony mumbled sleepily ”There's a God there, a God who coet his nameHe's evil, causes swarered him, then,” I said ”He must have followed you all the way from Parthia You and your men”
I meant it to be funny, but what if it was true? There were veterans of Parthia here; were the flies particularly bad around the unnaturally hellish in this place
”Did you destroy his tes On our way back, perhapsyes, I think we did, because archers were hiding in it, attacking us”
They had destroyed the fly-God's temple? I wished the answer had been otherwise
”What was his name? Try to remember!” We could placate him, promise to build him a new temple, one in Alexandria
”I don't know,” said Antony ”I never kneould be important” He sat up on his elbows ”I don't think it's i tricks on you There are always flies in suet this God, this” He laughed ”Asmodeus That was his name”
Asmodeus I had heard the name; one of those Gods from farther east, where they seemed to breed vicious ones like the Ma and Kali I would see to it that amends were made--after we escaped
Antony turned over, and fro I could feel the heat fro on the curtain I shuddered
While Antony slept, I felt all the Gods fighting overhead I wished Caesar would appear and scatter then on the eve of this battle, as he had at Philippi But I felt abandoned by him, as if he had lost interest in our affairs Perhaps thatleft of the mortal, not even affections
And Antony, all tooCanidius came to our tent and told us: Dellius had deserted to Octavian
Still groggy froht, Antony shook his head His eyes were dull ”Gone, then,” was all he said He sighed as if an extra sack had just been loaded on his bent back ”And he knows all our plans”
I was charged with anger, sizzling as if I had been hit by a spark of lightning He had meant to leave, but had waited until after the council of war, so he could bring valuable information to Octavian I knew it as certainly as if he had left a confession ”The perfidious traitor!” I cried
”Now Octavian knows everything,” Antony said ”Even my secret councils of war are exposed to him” He paused ”Dellius My helper,you toto break down in front of Canidius ”Don't remember! Don't remember!” I cried ”Blank him out, tear hile word He must cease to exist--no, never have have existed” existed”
”And when he returned, and told me what you had said, that you wouldn't come to Tarsus, why, then I--”
”I said don't think about hi Canidius ”And don't soil yourhim to them!”
”Canidius,” said Antony, with no emotion at all, ”you may announce that I will replace his co smile ”It is of no matter No matter Now he can write an account of the war for his new master I wanted no accounts No, no accounts” He clapped his arm around Canidius's shoulder and walked to the door of the tent with hiht streamed in as they pulled open the flap I could see the sainst the bright blue sky
”My friend,” Antony said, dropping the flap back, and turning around ”My friend is gone” He paused ”I do not think I will send his trunks after hiainst us?” Antony cried as he saw the flash that signaled lightning from the west A black bank of clouds had appeared on the usually clear horizon, and even as atched it grew higher, spreading out like a stain
The re sixty of Egypt's pride--were in the process of being loaded with legionaries, ar We had ordered sails taken aboard, which had caused alar the hting; they hinder ht before, Antony had gathered a few officers together for the last time, and revealed our plan Even Dellius had not been privy to it; had he suspected there would be further discussions, he would doubtless have delayed his departure
The plan was this: We wished to escape with asthe afternoon breeze to push us south It was si coe bulk of Leucas safely, ould have to be far out to sea before the wind could fill our sails froet there, ould have to fight our way out past Agrippa's blockade
The worst thing that could happen was if Agrippa insisted on fighting midway out to sea, where he could attack us before we could make use of the breeze; the best, if we could trick hi us choose the battle site His numerical superiority meant that he would naturally favor plenty of roo way out to sea But as soon as we got far enough out, we could raise our sails and make away Without sails, they could never catch us Oars us choose the battle site His numerical superiority meant that he would naturally favor plenty of roo way out to sea But as soon as we got far enough out, we could raise our sails and make away Without sails, they could never catch us Oars
Unfortunately it was i the sails on board Agrippa would probably suspect, and try to disable us before we could get away
”We'll divide into four squadrons,” said Antony ”A line of three in front, with the Egyptian shi+ps behind the, Sosius the left The center will be commanded by Insteius and Octavius, and I expect it to thin out and open a gap in the yptian shi+ps to sail through into open water Once they are clear, the rest of us should disengage and follow as soon as possible”
”We can assu?” asked Octavius
”We can assuuess Now our left wing, under Sosius, is the one that will have to get farthest out before it can turn south, because it starts off nearest to Leucas Therefore, I must admit here and now, it has the least chance of escape So it ”
”On the other hand, if we could lure Agrippa's shi+ps into the very constricted waters of the gulf, that's where we could prevail His ability to maneuver would be completely lost there,” said Sosius
”Another battle of Sala,” said Antony ”Agrippa knows his naval history all too well No, he'll stand out to sea and wait But we mustn't issue out until almost noon, because if we arrive before the breeze, we are utterly lost”
”If the battle took place in an area closer to shore, where Agrippa could not separate our shi+ps, we er, after all”
”But there are fewer of them,” Antony pointed out ”I esti shi+ps to our two hundred”
”And the soldiers to man the shi+ps?” asked Insteius
”We will take twenty thousand,” said Antony ”Five legions Plus two thousand slingers and archers Thatratio That leaves fifty thousand ood, rational plan, with the best chance of extricating us from the prison of Actiuoodly nu with the re if possible, keeping well behind the rest
It was dark e carried the treasure chests aboard the flagshi+p, so Octavian could not see I had packed the jewels, the gold plate, carefully, wondering why I had brought theht theold, eotiable, but that supposed there was a market for them As it turned out, the flies did not care, the rot-worht off