Part 114 (2/2)
”Because I had deserted them, you mean?” Antony yelled ”Run off with the treasury?”
”I didn't say that It was just a fact Their paylared at me ”What was that you said, about Canidius and his troops? You'll have to change that” He shrugged ”It's all over It's all over Coe to make to hi like a dead man
It took nine days to sail froive a wide birth to Crete because it now belonged to Octavian, and we could not put in there Canidius ith us, as did several of Antony's die-hard friends {he still had the one who had once served Brutus, offering to die in his stead, and then clinging loyally to Antony after being spared I hoped he did not ht spur Antony on to imitate it
Antony had quelled his outbursts and now entered into a phase that was even : a stony, stoic, disinterested manner He was alert, pleasant, attentive, but all with a deadly detache he had suddenly dee of Egypt, where there was a small military outpost He claimed he needed to ”inspect” it--but as there to inspect? It was nothing but a cluster of , and a lot of sand, heat, and scorpions In nearby Cyrenaica, we still had five legions I kneished to hide there, out of sight of mankind, and lick his wounds Or inflict the wound that would end all wounds
But what could I do7 Forbid hi hiions Had I not been the one reions7 Now he claiuard him Now he claiuard hi for both of us, and it was crucial for me to return to Alexandria before the dreadful news of Actiu for both of us, and it was crucial for me to return to Alexandria before the dreadful news of Actium had reached it I dared not delay
Wewhite rocks and sand see in the sun were the low, brown buildings, with a drooping pal camels dozed around what passed for a well
Antony silently gathered up his belongings and put on his uniforrand ceremony Attired thus, he looked like his old self-- if you did not look into his eyes And the beak on his helmet prevented it
Alone in the cabin, we faced one another
”Antony, inspect your post here, then come back aboard,” I said ”We ait” It would hardly take very long for him to see what there was to see
”No,” he said ”I need to stay I will follow I promise”
”When?”
”That I cannot say”
”Please don't delay! You are needed in Alexandria The children--”
”Give them this” He stripped off his silver military awards carelessly and dropped them into my hand ”Tell theood-bye?” I could not believe we could part like this, stiff strangers
”It is only for a little while,” he said cryptically Then he bent and kissed me, a formal kiss that turned into a real one
As he and his two friends descended onto the shore, I saw that he still had his sword, as well as his dagger He had not given those to ht he still had need of them
We were two days' sail west of Alexandria, and I needed that ti could stop, and I felt an immense, sad relief as we sailed away froh the dazzling light made my eyes ache and finally the site vanished in a blaze of white I kneould be wrestling with his own fate in that lonely outpost, but he would have to do it alone, as ultimately we all do Others become superfluous annoyances when our supreme hour of decision co, I felt I had a sort of power to predict things Often I would get a nudging feeling that this this would happen rather than that, and when it turned out that way, I would tell ranted me the power of prophesy But now I knew that what I possessed instead was an acute ability to weigh factors and uesses-- would happen rather than that, and when it turned out that way, I would tell ranted me the power of prophesy But now I knew that what I possessed instead was an acute ability to weigh factors and uesses-- perhaps a more valuable trait for a ruler At this uess, which way Antony would go All the factors seeh evenly, would tear and pull at hinore the beguiling sword and the Ro his stand with me But not if it would utterly destroy hiave him to the Gods; I mourned him in my heart as if he had already taken the Roman course He must be dead to me now if I was to do what I must
I kneith a certainty (not prophesy, but shrewd guess) that Octavian had sympathizers even in Alexandria There always are people ish for change, who are dissatisfied with the king I had once been told a very hard truth: There is no one whose death is not a relief to someone someone That is triply so for a monarch Well, I must strike at them before they struck at me, which they would feel free to do as soon as the news of Actium reached them I still had a little time
I led shi+ps should lag behind, lest their condition shout the truth And I would sail into the harbor with the shi+p garlanded as if we had been victorious Yes! I would not betray, by so much as a flicker, what had really happened Then I would speed into the palace and have th in my absence--rounded up and dispatched
And Artavasdes, our eneue with Octavian His master would doubtless restore hi him would be thrown back into our faces
Well, I could prevent that He would never live to laugh as he ascended the steps of his throne again, as he had sood Antony was not here to stop me
HERE ENDS THE EIGHTH SCROLL THE EIGHTH SCROLL
Chapter 78
THE NINTH SCROLL
The Antonia, her gilded stern scrubbed to shi+ning once arlanded, sailed triumphantly into the harbor of Alexandria I had stationed my attendants on deck in colorful attire, and threatened the joyfully For myself, I put on my royal robes and headdress, and stood under the ilded stern scrubbed to shi+ning once arlanded, sailed triumphantly into the harbor of Alexandria I had stationed my attendants on deck in colorful attire, and threatened the joyfully For myself, I put on my royal robes and headdress, and stood under the ht of the white, pure Lighthouse beenand perilous journey My limbs ached with the weariness of it, but I hthouse, unave th
The shores were lined with crowds, cheering wildly and throwing flowers that floated out on the water, little dots of red, yellow, purple, blue The palace, on its grassy peninsula, beckoned coolly Behind the shore rose the cubes of the buildings, as white as salt I closed ypt; the Ptolemies could not forfeit it as punishment for Roman failures in the field I must do whatever it took to keep it for my children: humble myself to Octavian, abdicate in favor of my son,us, killAnything No price was too high I could not let nine generations of Ptolemies end with me, let the last of Alexander's heirs be vanquished and vanish froh I could not let nine generations of Ptolemies end with me, let the last of Alexander's heirs be vanquished and vanish fro And I must not flinch And I e; I sent ers out immediately to post proclamations of the victory (which I had hurriedly co the croere whisked into the palace and out of sight
Now the real work could begin
I climbed the wide steps up to the inner hall of the palace, where Mardian, Oly I threw protocol aside just as Antony had stripped off his medals and threwot to be unemotional, and even kissed me; Alexander almost knockedtoa little aloof was Selene, who gave a shy smile And behind her-- one, he had turned into afourteen and now months past sixteen, he had passed into adulthood
Now--and even his movements were different--he came toward me I had to look up at hi hand, which utterly covered ed, too
Now I knew it hts, his throne Literally anything My son, Egypt's new king
”Why, Caesarion!” I said, so stunned by this new self I was at a loss for words ”I--have , My, how you have grown My, how you have grown
”And I, you I am so happy it is over, and you are back Tell us, what happened? The victory--how grand was it? How many shi+ps sunk? Where is Octavian? Is he dead? I hope so!” He grinned
”Don't tire your mother with all these questions,” Olyuessed Well, soon he would know
”That's all right,” I assured Caesarion ”Let us retire into our private quarters, and there I will tell you all All”
Safely inside ourrooms, the doors bolted, all attendants dismissed, I told the Only Caesarion looked disrams to illustrate what had happened, which squadron here, which legion was deployed where
Finally Mardian asked, ”Where is Antony?” Froht Antony was dead But surely he did not think I was so self-controlled I could have concealed it this long!
”He is” How to describe it without adding to his dishonor? ”at Paraetoniuions to the west at Cyrenaica”