Part 115 (1/2)

”Oh no!” said Mardian

”What is it?”

”The legions deserted to Octavian Right out from under their co at Paraetonium

We had heard that Octavian had appointed Cornelius Gallus to take over the legions, and he was on his way”

”The poe soldier?” I asked Now he could sit on the sandy coast and colorious master and the fall of Antony

”The saether”

Just what Antony needed Two deserted generals together, sharing wine and misery in aJuba and Petreius, in their lurid double suicide--and in the sa, too

”He will be in Alexandria shortly,” I said, with conviction My anguish about him must be kept for s we ions stationed here are still loyal?”

”Yes,” said Mardian

”Then”

My commands were carried out The ”Octavians” had been conveniently vocal in their cheers for hiainst us; it made it easy to identify and arrest them We discovered quite a storehouse of weapons and piles of incri correspondence The leaders were executed, their properties seized There had been a sizable number of Octavians, and it disturbed me more than I liked to admit In my very own cityI knew everyone had enerates!

I ordered the re warshi+ps to sail to the spot where the neck of land separating the Mediterranean from the Red Sea is at its narrowest, so them from the water, they were to be hauled across the sands on fra-rollers, to be relaunched in the Red Sea There my fleet would be safe froes I was thinking uaranteed in the east, somewhere beyond Rome's reach

At the same time I ordered more shi+ps to be built to replace the ones lost at Actiuain, and this time my fleet would not have been held captive in a hellhole first

It was one thing to be busy all day, attending to these vital ht, alone in my cha out all hope and co a o there, lie down on his bed, as if by so doing I could will him back How forlorn are rooht to them anymore Instead he paced out his tile for hih each day? When the sun came up, did he steel himself to make it his last sunrise? And at sunset, the same? What is it about one particular day that whispers persuasively, Today is the day you seek? Today is the day you seek? EveryI awoke in dread that it was his last, and that a black-sailed shi+p would soon land in Alexandria, carrying aI awoke in dread that it was his last, and that a black-sailed shi+p would soon land in Alexandria, carrying a o

And then ould I do? It would be like Caesars funeral, only worse, because there would be no Antony to speak this time That voice would be stilled

Should I send a shi+p and soldiers to bring hinities he had suffered, this would be one of the worst: to be fetched houard, protected froht inadvertently come to harm It would mean I felt he did not know himself, did not knoas best for hiht mind How could I inflict that on him?

I must see to it that another tomb vault was constructed next to e that when I was very young I had first set about fashi+oning ht I had no need of it Then it had been alht no more about it as I acquired a family: my four children and my husband

Antony would lie in Alexandria after all The request in the will that had caused him such problems in Rome would now be fulfilled, partly because of the very animosity it had aroused Well, then It must be worthy of the sacrifice he had hts keptthe day I was exhausted, ht I I will sleep soundly will sleep soundly, only to be cheated again

The days belonged to hts to my loss as a woman The hardest truth for me was that Antony's and my destinies now had split He had come to the end of his, whereas I still had h place--to be Caesar's successor, to rule Rome--had pursued it to the best of his ability, and had failed He was right It was over I had been called to preserve and protect Egypt That, too, I had done my utmost to achieve But it was not finished yet There was still a chance to fulfillchance, but a chance nonetheless And that was all I asked: just the tiniest chance

So much depended on Octavian now What would he do? Would he pursuethat gives up chasing a cart? He had ypt if he took it? A wise Roypt would be ”a loss if destroyed, a probleiven Roain

And if Octavian arrived, would the Roions stationed here obey htway? I could count on yptian soldiers, but perhaps on no one else

There was a garrison at Pelusiuuarded the west But enemies would approach on three sides, froe on me here at Alexandria I would have to meet thehty with their Ro on the battlefield by o Then it had been Pothinus and the Regency Council I faced Noas the entire Roions? With Antony's added to Octavian's, soine thirty-five legions bearing down on me, a hundred fifty thousand men with javelins and swords, come out to take one womanIt was a compliment I hoped they would not be disappointed when they finally confronted their quarry in person Even standing as tall as possible, I was not very big

And then ould they do? Take me back to Rome, to march in Octavian's Triumph, as Caesar had taken Arsinoe? To wear silver chains and trudge behind the chariot, to be spat on, then taken to the underground prison, strangled, and thrown into the sewer? No, I kneould never allow that And that lay in my hands to prevent It must be prevented, not only for my own pride as a queen, but out of respect for Caesar Never should his chosen love, and theend for the mate of a God There would be those in the croould relories

No, Roain, I vowed

For several weeks there was no news at all Mardian dutifully kept ossip, every whisper on the wind My head aching, I would sit with hi reports about our crops, our tax-collecting, the progress of the shi+psuntil at last one day there was so the letter ”All of Greece has pledged allegiance to hihed ”He has been inducted into the Eleusinian ine Octavian believing in it; it was far too emotional and otherworldly for his like But I supposed he did it to seee numbers of the soldiers and sent theht be only seventy-five thousand men after me What a comfort!

”Hoill pay themnow there's the probleypt,” I said And suddenly I knew that was true It was essential that he get his hands onor annexing Egypt were nothing He had financed his entire career on promises; noould have to render payment And it must come from me

I must pay for my own defeat!

No, I would never let him have it! I would destroy it first!

How quickly all the issues were resolving thereer and fewer

Ten days later Mardian was reading another dispatch Now Octavian had re winter quarters there

”That ,” I said ”Unless he makes it sooner” So little time! So little tieting with the brooch fastening his cloak ”Hmmm--”

”If it's too painful for you to read, let me have it!” I said

”Very well” He handed it to s and reordering the appointenuine were allowed to stay on Thus Amyntas of Galatia was confirmed, as were the newly loyal Polemo of Pontus and Archelaus of Cappadocia I could not blame them; Antony had disappeared What else could they do?

It had not been the sea battle of Actium that was decisive, but the surrender of the land army It had stripped Antony of his position as leader of a Roman party, as he had realized

And then I read about Arh I had taken care of Artavasdes--he was executed--his son Artaxes had seized the throne the leefully massacred all the Roer Roift to Rome, the trophy of his wars, had been snatched back

”Is he to have no lasting monument at all?” I cried

Only the monument in ing kingdoes furniture? Was nothing of his to endure? That see far beyond a lifetime

”It is the fate of the vanquished,” said Mardian slowly ”The victors appropriate what they like, and rescind what they don't” He sighed ”You know in our own country one Pharaoh erased the nah Some names have vanished completely, so that we don't even know they ever existed”

Yes, but for it to happen to us!

The Nile had swelled to his greatest extent, flooding the fields, and now began to recede Mardian proudly presented me with the projections of the harvest to come