Part 133 (1/2)

I draw it slowly out of its basket It is longer than I had guessed; as long as the span of both my arms And as it flops out, I see more hted of hi at the serpent Its dark eyes look intoI hold it up

Mardian, Iras, and Charmian flinch They cannot help it

”Madam--” says Charmian, but her protest dies on her lips

The creature seeish He lies upon my hand as if he were a pet, as tame as my dear monkey But we have not all the tiet the note soon He will know

I s Then the hood--familiar from a thousand representations, reflected on my own crown--spreads itself

So quickly that I cannot folloith s in They feel like needles, tiny little pins

Noait With great joy I know I am delivered I can only write a little s to do before I sleep My ar toupward, but there is no real pain At the sapossession of htheadednesswhy be concerned? Why take pains to finish the task?

Because I aer than the poison I will do what I must, until the last moment

So I close you, and entrust you to Olympos May my story be preserved, and the truth survive The world is a hard place to leave I have done

Isis, your daughter comes Please spread your robe, and welco to reach you

I feel a tugging, pulling me doard Now I must close you, scroll Farewell Vale, Vale, as the Romans say We part now Remember me May you live a thousand--ten thousand--years, so that I may live also as the Romans say We part now Remember me May you live a thousand--ten thousand--years, so that I may live also

Peace, my heart Obey me and stand still For I have done

HERE ENDS THE TENTH SCROLL

Chapter 1

THE SCROLL OF OLYMPOS

Fool! Fool that I a, all these months--I cannot believe I was so taken in But was not your way better than mine? What could my way offer you? I am ashaht Puffed up with ht I could control events--or rather (see, even here I flatter myself) I was afraid to helpI ise and strong, when all I truly as a hindrance and a wedge between us

The sun was setting and I was just finishi+ngthis as if you do not know it all, as if you did not, so wildly) There were three of them, enormous fellows, h helrabbed ht my teeth would fly out

”Filthy Greek!” he shouted ”Filthy, lying, treacherous Greek!” Then he threw ainst the wall I hit it so hard I actually bounced off and fell onto ain, and there was , and bouncing ht onto the soldier's sandals, which avering dangerously before my eyes

”You did it, you can undo it!”

”Let hiood to have him dead, too”

”If he can't fix it, he ill be dead,” my tormentor said be dead,” my tormentor said

As soon as I heard ”dead,” I knew And, oddly, what I felt was relief

(Then why had I tried to prevent it? Why had I driven you to resort to the bizarre?) ”The Queen is--you have to save her!” bellowed Appius, the leader

”Where is she? What has happened?” I asked A fair question, would you not agree?

”You knoell enough,” he snapped ”Since you arranged it!”

He jerked ood er at

When we reached the athered outside, but the door was strictly guarded People were trying to peep inside, but the soldiers shoved theerated respect as I was escorted in

In the diathered inside But I had no eyes for theratulate you You had arranged it so well, as well as anything you had ever undertaken Perhaps everything else had been just a preparation for this, your coup andthere on the wide lid of your sarcophagus, as still as stone, wearing your royal robes and crown, your arms crossed, with the crook and flail folded over your breast That you were completely dead was certain There would be no rescue, no reversal

Nonetheless I approached, while erly--as if I had some secret of life and death, when all I as a poorat the doors of the underworld occasionally, when the Gods permitted me

I should tell you (if this is still important to you) that you were utterly beautiful Whatever means you had chosen had left no mark on you, indeed seemed to have enhanced your appearance Or perhaps it was just the joy of departure You were so very happy to escape

It was not until I took my eyes off your face that I saw the cruus I bent down and touched them They were dead, too

Only then did I take your hand, just to be sure, before I spoke Soered

”They are all beyond saving,” I said

”The Psylli can work miracles,” said one of the soldiers ”The Imperator has already sent for them”

Noas astounded ”It was snakes?” I asked

”We think so,” said one man ”We found a trail outside, and this basket--” He held up a wide-s in it

I looked at you carefully There seemed to be two tiny marks on one of your ar Not only are they sacred to Egypt, but associated with the power of the underworld and with fertility Perhaps I did you a favor by refusing more conventional poisons