Part 128 (1/2)
”How did you get this?” I asked, laying h your armor?”
”I--I myself,” he said ”No enemy but Antony Antony only conquers Antony”
”My brave Imperator,” I said, and only he could hear me I bent to kiss him His lips were already cold
”Eros--” he whispered ”Eros--”
”What of Eros?” I only now noticed his absence
”He failed h, but it was so painful he could not ”He--disobeyed his instructions When he was to have killed me, and I turned away, he killed himself instead”
How horrible! And left Antony to dispatch himself
”Oh, my dear--” I cradled his head in my arms This was not the noble end we had planned, but ant
”Soht to hied, with our help, to raise himself a little to drink ”Octavian comes,” he said I had to strain to hear him ”You must not trust anyone about him, but an officer named Proculeius Deal with hi; I will not linger on in this world”
So he thought IHe had kept it to the end
He grasped my hand in his With rief He tried to take it, too, and stop th ”Please,” he whispered ”Do not pity ood fortune I had, for many years, and that I was the most powerful and illustrious nobly”
”Yes,” I said, throughmy vision of his face, while he still lived and his lips iven an honorable death The Gods granted you that one last gift”
I could feel the grip in his hand slackening, and he gradually, reluctantly, released mine His eyes closed and he see, heaving breaths--each causing more blood to spill out of the chest wound Then they shuddered to a stop, and he ceased breathing
”No! No/” I cried, willing the chest to ain But it did not, and the hand fell away and slid down to lie upturned at his side The fingers, curling in that half-circle, just as they had when he slept
His lids were shut, and the long eyelashes locked together: the beautiful long lashes that I had teased hi the lids down to cover the starkness of death, to veil its indecency
Antony was dead The whole world rolled away
”Mada to separate us I was almost stuck to him by the blood I did not want to leave, be taken away I clung tighter
”Dear friend,” said Mardian ”You o, and they had to pry me away, and Mardian carryAntony on his litter, alone
”No--” I said feebly, reaching back
”He can have a proper funeral,” Mardian said ”But that otten Octavian? He must be nearly here!”
Octavian What did I care for Octavian? I cared for nothing now, just to lie in the sheltering arms of Mardian, my oldest, truest friend, and cease to think The world had shrunk down into a dried black husk, and Antony was lying dead, alone, up there
I clutched his arm, wordlessly Or did I speak? I do not know Only that in the shere I al silently and secretly up the steps and back to Antony, there to join with him and flee from all the blood and foulness of this hour, I was suddenly dureat doors
He pushed me toward them, his hands on my shoulders ”Look out there!” he demanded
No I cannot face all this now Not in such i rille
Swarrab the bars to enable rass Hours have passed, hours when Antony took his slow, painful leave of this world It was a time beyond time; how odd that real time stole past, outside I do not want to reenter it I want to stay in this ti place of stone and sealed doors
”Madam,” said Charmian, by my side She wiped e!”
Now ti everything Now I see people outside Roman soldiers Not ours Others Octavian's
There are hordes of therounds, lounging on the steps of Isis's te fruit, laughing It is a holiday for them: the obscene holiday of victory, now beheld by the vanquished Is any taste so bitter in all the world? palace grounds, lounging on the steps of Isis's te fruit, laughing It is a holiday for them: the obscene holiday of victory, now beheld by the vanquished Is any taste so bitter in all the world?
”Look where they come,” Mardian whispered And I could see a co purposefully toward us Was Octavian anize him anywhere, even across all the years He was not there One of them separated himself and approached our doors He was a tall eneral
He came closer and closer, until the vision of hi, sunburnt nose, saw the beads of sweat on his face A banging He was ha with a sword handle on the door
”Queen Cleopatra!” he yelled, only a hand's breadth from my ear The loudness was painful ”Come out, and yield yourself to us!”
The volu I could not answer, could not find my own voice Must I speak to the outside world?
”We know he is dead! We have his sword, taken frouard, Dercetaeus This, the very one he used to kill hinized it Its blade was coated with blood
Anger swept through ed to Antyllus, or Alexander--not to this gloating enemy
”Give me that sword!” I demanded ”Do not befoul it with your touch!”
He stepped back, startled It was not the response he had expected
”And so I shall, when you open the doors,” he said
”Never! I will die in here, and h what I have proave him the opportunity to forestall it, but he chose not to Now he shall pay the price--the treasure of the Ptole to the Gods,” I yelled through the door I was surprised I had such strength left inmy master,” he said ”You must not impute such cruelty to him Harm yourself? No, he will not have that!”
”Yes, he would pah the streets of Rome in his Triumph His trophy Never!” He would keep
”No, no! He only wishes you well Do not deny him the opportunity to shohat he is made of”
”Who are you?” I demanded
”My name is Gaius Proculeius”