Part 112 (2/2)

And now this--a violent storm on the very day we had planned to ealloped toward us ”No rain for weeks! Truly, Zeus hates us!”

The planks On board, the sailors and soldiers gripped the rails and waited

”Perhaps it's a stroke of luck for us,” I said ”Can we rippa in place? Didn't you use a storm to slip past Pompey's blockade once?”

”Ah yes But this is the one direction where we are helpless--the storht in our faces, froo No, weto the men

Once more to wait

The storm broke, as if it had stored up rain and wind all su it in reserve so the tents and paths, and a fierce ind tried to force the shi+ps back to the very head of the gulf

It kept on for four days and nights Through the gray curtain of rain I could see Agrippa's shi+ps being continually rowed in place to keep theainst the shore Did they never tire? But after four days, surely they would be exhausted, whereas our oarsulf We should start out with an advantage I pointed this out to Antony, who seeainst us

”Perhaps Zeus sent this just to tire Octavian out,” I said

”Perhaps,” was all he replied

”Look! Look!”

On the second of Septe to the clear sky

”Today is the day” He turned to me and held out his hand ”Today”

As atched in the dawn, streaplanks They seeer and healthier than others; I suspected that soo on the shi+ps, and been yielded a place by stronger men

One older veteran stopped in his tracks and broke out of line

”Conored hirabbed Antony's arain! Don't do this!”

Although Antony was used to considerable familiarity from his men, this annoyed him It was neither the time nor the place

”Back in line, soldier,” he said shortly, trying to detach the ers

”Don't you remember me, Imperator?” the man said He had lost one eye

Antony stared at him ”No,” he said frankly

”I ith you in Parthia You came to me at the field hospital, with the Queen Remember? Remember?”

He had been one of a hundred that Antony had visited; how could he possibly remember him? Yet such had been Antony's concern at the tiined he had stood out from all the rest

”I told you then that I had ten years left of service”--the man was determined that Antony would remember that very brief conversation--”and that I had served two years with Caesar hiood soldiers there,” Antony agreed, still trying to remove the hand

”Now it's only five years I have left But I have seen ht by sea!”

Antony seemed actually to remember the man, at last ”Oh yesyou ith Gallus In the retreat, that's where you lost your eye”

”Yes! Yes!” He pointed to his eye ”Don't disdain this wound ofon land And that's where we should be fighting today! Sir, please!”

Antony succeeded in detaching his gripping hand ”Good soldier, I appreciate your concern,” he finally said ”But youthe shi+p ”Return to your co to throw himself at Antony's feet and refuse to move But he just squared his shoulders, looked sadly at us with his one re eye, and obeyed

For safety, the senators were boarded on the Egyptian shi+ps, which were not expected to see action Antony was rowed in a small boat around the fleet, where he addressed histhem to be brave and follow the plan to the best of their ability

”And this shall be for your glory,” he cried, ”that you can tell your sons you ith Antony at Actiunified in richness by the water, as he stood in the rocking little boat, his helmet off The sun touched his hair andAntony who had first ridden into Alexandria

Last he was rowed alongside shi+p and came on board I wished I could have had a moment alone with him to say farewell But the time for that was past

In my eyes his oddly youthful appearance remained, even as he approached and laid his hands on my shoulders, in full view of the crew and soldiers and senators

”Keep yourself safe, until we reed all the escaping shi+ps should gather, on the southernmost point of Greece ”May all the Gods protect you”

”And you,” I said

It seemed so little to say, but what else was there? Aside fro my hands up to cover his, we did not touch No embrace, no kiss, almost as if ere afraid to And perhaps ere; it would cause too uish

Then our hands fell away, and we parted He would board his own flagshi+p, already waiting on the right wing, and it would begin

The battle of Actium, the battle for Actium, the battle to escape Actiu took too ht well be sent to the bottom, while we looked on helplessly from behind

I wanted to hurry after him, be rowed to his shi+p and face whatever awaited hiony; had I not been a queen, it would not be necessary But I had ations, and could not desert ypt to survive and return, to build bulwarks against Octavian's hunger to annex us for as long as possible, in case Antony, my true bulwark, fell

No It was too dreadful I would not think on it, or allowbehind hi

”Make ready!” I ordered the crew briskly, then turned the command over to the captain

Ahead of us the line of al rowed toward the narrow ulf, for the first time in months Beyond that, the land widened out for another two miles until it fell away entirely and the open sea was reached Frorippa's confronting shi+ps beyond the ulf

Now our shi+ps halted, and Antony's first plan--for the battle frorippa in the constricted waters--was put into effect