Part 126 (2/2)
”Oh no, I could not--” He started to demur, but Antony stopped him
”And I say you shall,” he insisted Then, after Celsus had taken his leave, Antony whispered to ate as me”
I did not care Riches meant little at the moment; they had becoed
The noise in the roo relief It was alone by--but the tension was still there Thedeeply, but not to lose theth Antony rose from his couch and held up his hands for silence It fell quickly--too quickly, showing it had been lurking all the while
”My friends,” he said, ”for your bravery today, I co tomorrow, I exhort you to slack not! For tomorrowtomorroe shall uard, but the whole army All our fortunes ride on this battle”
The men all stood attentively, but their faces were blank I could not guess their feelings
”I challenged Octavian to single combat,” he suddenly said ”Yes! I invited him to ht it was possible for them to become stiller and more blank-faced, but they did The roo their eyes
”And he refused But rather than refuse outright, he said flippantly, 'If he wishes to die, there areBut you see, he was right I have thought much on it” He held out his cup for it to be refilled A servant ca before he resumed his words ”And I have concluded that tomorrow I shall seek either to live or to die in honor To defeat the enemy would be honor, and to die in battle would be equal honor Either way, I conquer” Now he took a long, deliberate sip of the wine ”So drink with me, and pour the wine freely in my cups, for tomorrow you may serve a new master, and I lie dead”
Now at last they stirred, and words poured forth like the wine
”No, sir, you cannot--”
”Never, I will die with you--”
”Why go into battle, then?”
The page pouring the wine had clasped his ar
”Nay, stop,” Antony said ”I did not mean to make you weep Nor do I mean to lead you into a battle where I do not expect victory I only meant that, should the Gods see otherwise, they cannot bereave h I fall”
His words were disheartening them For a commander to speak soSoer ones were shi+ny-eyed, and theon their feet
”Just fight as you fought today, and toather in this sa overhead shakes as with an earthquake!” I cried ”The wind sits fair for victory!” I stepped forward ”I have spoken to the Gods Isis will not desert, no, she will protect us! And Hercules, your ancestor”--I took Antony's hand and held it aloft--”ield the club for us” I looked around at the raved with the likeness of Hercules?” I knew Antony gave such rings to his then your arms!”
Antony's staunch followers noded around him to assure hiain The wine flowed Outside, the streets were still deserted
Waiting in the chaown, folding it and storing it as she has a hundred--a thousand-- tiarments slide over my head, as if I truly plan to sleep I hold ht I see only wide eyes, devoid now of the kohl lining them, the powdered malachite on the lids Just ordinary eyes, not even weary or lined Nothing shows in theht curiosity
Yes, I am curious It has been reduced to that, now The unanswered questions will surely be answered tomorrow
Antony is hereI ht with hi it to light the others, including thein the corner While he did so, I left the writing desk and stole over to the bed, then climbed on and covered myself
I watched him as he th
”Ah Ti to strip himself of his armor and tunic He did it hi to call Eros ”In only a few hours I will put you on again,” he said to the garer on top of the pile
”Leave those things,” I told hi out my arms to him
He came to me as he had, also, a hundred, a thousand ti was only a repeat of a thousand prior actions-undressing, holding each other, lying down Nothing singular in anything The very ordinariness of it was lulling
”You have spoken to the children?” Only in that did I betray the difference between tonight and any other
”Yes Just now It was hrd”
Too into the special rooms prepared for them ”For the of a ga”
I held hiht all those lamps e et up and extinguish them He pulled back a little ”Because I wanted to look at you” He did not say one last time one last time
I was touched ”Then look,” I said quietly
He studieda text ”For years this has filled my vision,” he said ”It has been all I have seen”
I could not help ss are true,” I said ”The Triu but the Queen, his world had shrunk to her bedroo it I only meant that you have filled , you have enhanced it, clarified s he had done forwas at hand He stopped looking, closed his eyes, bent forward, and kissedclasp Beyond passion Finally, lying quietly side by side, I had to say it
”Too to the mausoleum Charmian, Iras, and Mardian will be with me But ait to shut ourselves in until we have word of what has happened Should it be Octavian who rides up to the palace, he will never take us alive Nor lay his hand on the treasure But there can be no nal for what has happened If I do not hear the trumpet sound two notes, and you cry, 'Anubis!' I will flee to the monument and there proceed to the rest”
”Why 'Anubis'?”
”Because anything else--my name, or your name, or 'Isis!' or 'Victory!'-- could be shouted by anyone But no one will think to shout 'Anubis' That way there can be no mistake”
”Then we are resolved that unless Octavian is beaten, ill die?”
I hated that word, die die ”If he is not beaten, ill die anyway, only the ti” ”If he is not beaten, ill die anyway, only the ti”
Antony bent his head ”Yes”
”Let us talk no e how ements,” he said ”In Parthia, at Paraetoniumthen e it”
It struck me to the quick that he would seethan Eros or Lucilius ”It was not the tiers the Gods, but to delay at the proper time thwarts their will for us” I kissed the side of his face, the very borders of his hair, where it curled over his forehead, his ears ”I would keep you forever,” I whispered ”And I will, but not here We will have to continue in Elysium”
Did I really believe in it? Were there Elysian fields,for us? I wanted to believe it I want to, no
”Can we not die together?” he said plaintively ”To die apart is the cruelest blow”
”There is no way,” I said stoutly ”For I would stop you, and you stop o first, and stand by While we delayed, Octavian would cohter, as if that would prevent it
I could not go into battle with him; I had to stand to the last inhis army At daould part, and each meet the death fashi+oned for him It would be foolish for me to be slain on horseback, pitiful for him to hide in the mausoleum and take my method of death, since it was uniquely royal and Pharaonic He yptian