The Cleopatra Crisis

2

“We’ve received a report of what appears to be a temporalanomaly from one of our L.T.O.’s,” said Forrester.

“That sounds serious,” said Steiger. “L.T.O.’s don’tgenerally jump to conclusions.”

“No, they don’t.” said Forrester. “The man’s name isTravers. Capt. Jonathan Travers. I’ve had his file pulled. He’s one of our bestpeople. He’s assigned to Julius Caesar. “

Lucas exhaled heavily and shook his head. “A temporal anomalyinvolving Caesar could pose all sorts of problems. He didn’t exactly lead anuneventful life. When did Travers make his report?”

“This morning. He clocked in with it personally. leaving Caesar’scamp on the night before he crossed the Rubicon and started the civil war in Rome.”Forrester said. “He clocked back out so he’d arrive just after he left, so hewas only gone from Minus Time for a matter of minutes. Therefore, the risk wasminimal and he felt justified in taking it. Under the circumstances. I’minclined to agree. At first, he wasn’t sure that what he had on his hands wasan anomaly. Caesar, like other people of his time, was in the habit ofconsulting soothsayers and it seems that word had reached him of an oracle ofsome sort, a man named Lucan, who could see into the future. He had sent forthis oracle to give him a reading on the night before he crossed the Rubicon.There’s no historical record of any such event, but as we all know, that doesn’tnecessarily mean it didn’t happen. Still, Travers found it curious, since bothCaesar and his classical biographers had mentioned most of the occasions whenhe had received significant prophecies or omens. To receive a prophecy on thenight of one of the most important events in his life would certainly seemsignificant. yet it was possible that history might have overlooked it.

“In any event,” Forrester continued, “Travers didn’t thinkmuch of it at first He thought it might make for an interesting incident in hisbook. He plans to write a biography of Caesar when he returns to Plus Time. Hemanaged to be present during the reading. which turned out to be ratherunusual, to say the least. The oracle told Caesar that he would be successfulin his civil war, that his fame would live for generations. and that he wouldfall in love with a beautiful young queen. an apparent reference to Cleopatra.”

“Well, with all due respect. sir.” said Delaney. “thatsounds more like a generalized bit of fortune-telling than an anomaly. None ofthose so-called predictions would seem particularly farfetched for a Romangeneral with Caesar’s reputation. Roman military governors often becameinvolved with royalty. There were more kings and queens back then than youcould shake a stick at. And flattering a general by promising him victory andfame would only be good business sense for an enterprising soothsayer.”

“This soothsayer also told Caesar the exact date when hewould be assassinated and to beware of men named Cassius. Brutus, Cimber, andCasca.”

“oh.” said Delaney.

“Yeah, oh. What’s more, he told Caesar there was a chancethat he could change his fate if he paid attention to the omens, and one inparticular, which he cited rather cryptically. ‘That which was concealed shallstand revealed.’ After the oracle went out the gates of Caesar’s camp, Traverstried to follow him, only he had mysteriously disappeared.”

“This was at night, wasn’t it?” said Steiger. “Travers mighthave simply lost him in the darkness.”

“The moon was out,” said Forrester. “And the terrain aroundthe camp was an unbroken slope that stretched down to a meadow, affording anunobstructed view for several miles.

“He might have gone around the camp. hugging the wall.”

“Or he might have clocked out.” said Andre. “I think Traverswas right. It definitely sounds like a potential disruption. We can’t afford tooverlook it.

“That which was concealed shall stand revealed.’” saidLucas, frowning. “What does that mean?”

“I have no idea.” said Forester.-Travers is going to checkback in as soon as something breaks. In the meantime. I want you all to reportfor mission programming and stand by to clock out on a moment’s notice.”

“That could pose a small problem. sir,” asked Priest. “Officially,I’m still dead. If I report for mission programming, I’m liable give them onehell of a shock in Archives.”

“Steiger can take care of that.” said Forester. “The T.I.A.’salways maintained its own programming facility for covert field agents. He cangive you the coordinates and you can clock right in from here. I’ll have thefacility cleared. then Steiger can access the data from Archives and run thedownload himself.”

“What about what Darkness said?” Steiger asked.

“That stays in this room.” said Forrester. “I don’t knowwhat the hell he’s up to, but there’s little point in trying to second-guesshim. You can’t effect a temporal adjustment while you’re worrying aboutwhatever he might do. Or whether you’re doing the right thing from thestandpoint of the future. You can’t try to second-guess yourselves. either. It’llonly interfere with your mission. Just go in and do what you have to do. Forgetabout Darkness. There’s not really anything that we can do about him. anyway.-

“I’ll need a warp disc,” Lucas said. “With my transponder decaying.I don’t want to take a chance on not being able to clock out if I have to.”

“Good point,” said Forrester. I’ll see that you get one.”

“I wish we’d asked Darkness one more question.” saidSteiger.

“What’s that?”

“What happens if that decaying transponder starts malfunctioningand causes Priest to translocate without being able to control it?”

Priest glanced at him. “Oh. thanks a lot. Now youbring that up!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go out on this one.” Steiger said.

“Forget it,” Lucas said firmly. “I need a mission. I’ve beengoing stir crazy cooped up in here. Besides. Darkness didn’t say anything aboutthe transponder’s chronocircuitry running out of control. he just said it wasdecaying.”

“As I recall, he also thought he had all the bugs ironed outof it in the first place,” Steiger said.

“Look, if it’s going to happen, it’ll happen whether I’mhere or on the mission,” Lucas replied. “Staying behind won’t change a thing.”

“Maybe not, but it would keep you from jeopardizing the missionby clocking out suddenly at the wrong moment.”

“I’m afraid he’s got a point, Lucas.” Forrester said.

Priest made a tight-lipped grimace. “All right, I’ll concedethat, but we still don’t know it’s going to happen. I think Darkness would’vesaid something if there was a chance of that.”

“But the point is that we still don’t know for sure.” saidSteiger. “It means taking a risk.”

“Like you’ve never taken risks?” Lucas countered.

“Give me a break. Creed. Everything we do entails risk. Andyou’ve certainly taken more than your share.” He turned to Forester. “Sir. ifyou order me to stay behind on this one. I’ll understand, but I’m asking younot to do that. I need this assignment. I’ll start climbing the walls if I haveto stay cooped up in here much longer.”

Forrester glanced at the others. “You’re the ones that’ll beout there,” he said. “It’s your call.”

“Lucas and I have taken our share of risks before.” Delaneysaid. “I’d rather go out with him than without him. I vote yes.”

Andre looked at Lucas and smiled. “So do I.”

Steiger shrugged. “Well, it looks like I’m outvoted.”

“If it’s a problem for you. Creed, you can request to be relieved,without prejudice.” said Forrester. “I don’t want you going out on this missionif you haven’t got complete confidence in every member of the team.”

Steiger glanced at Lucas. “Priest, you understand, it’snothing personal.”

“I understand.” said Lucas. suppose if our positions were reversed,I might feel exactly the same way.”

“But you’re still not going to withdraw?” said Steiger.

“No.”

“Well, in that case, I’d like to be relieved.”

For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence.

“Very well,” said Forrester, breaking the tension. “Youthree report for mission programming in half an hour. Steiger, you want to setup that download for Priest?”

Steiger nodded. “I’ll get right on it.” He started to walkout with Forrester and paused at the door, looking back. “Priest?”

“Yeah?”

“Look.. this isn’t personal. No offense, huh?”

“None taken.”

Steiger nodded and turned to follow Forrester out the door.The old man was waiting for him at the lift tube

“This isn’t like you, Creed.” he said. “You’ve taken biggerrisks before and you’ve never yet turned down a mission.”

“That’s right, sir. And I’m not about to start now. Withyour permission. I’d like to go along on this one, only undercover.”

Forrester sighed and nodded. “Somehow I had a feeling that’swhat was on your mind.”

“It’s what I do best. sir.” Steiger said. “Those three havebeen working together for a long time. I’ve seen how they function in thefield. They trust each other. Each of them has an instinct for how the othersthink. I’m the odd man out. I just don’t fit in. I’ve always worked best on myown. It’s what 1 was trained for.”

“You’re saying you want to go back on covert status?”

“Yes, sir, I do. I think I’d have much more to contributethat way.” ‘“We’ve been over this before, Creed. My decision to shut down thecovert field section wasn’t arbitrary. you know.”

‘“Yes. sir, I realize that. I know you don’t approve of themethods we used in covert field section. And I know there were abuses, but thatstill-”

“Abuses is putting it mildly,” Forrester interrupted. “Thecovert field section was nothing but a bunch of thrill-seeking cowboys whoplayed fast and loose with regulations and had too much contact with theUnderground. Part of our job is to apprehend those people. Steiger, notemploy them as mission support. Or as functionaries in the Network.”

“I understand that, sir, but it was a matter of priorities.Look, you know I was never involved with the Network. And the Underground isjust as concerned as we are about temporal disruption. A disruption threatensthem. too. They might be criminals from the purely legal standpoint, but they’renot the real danger and they never have been. So when it came to a choicebetween busting some members of the Underground or enlisting them as sub rosaoperatives, or trading information with them, okay, we didn’t worry about theline points of the law. There was a lot more than that at stake. I know you don’tthink there’s a place for the way we used to do things. sir, but with all due respect,I think you’re wrong.”

The lift tube stopped at Forester’s floor, but he made nomove to get out. Steiger wondered if he’d gone too far.

“All right,” said Forrester. “Prove it.”

“Sir’? Does that mean you’re authorizing-”

“I’m authorizing nothing, Colonel. All it means is that you’rebeing placed on inactive status as soon as I can have the orders cut. You canconsider yourself officially relieved of duty as of now. You’ve earned someR amp;R. What you do with it is entirely up to you.”

“Thank you, sir. I promise you, you won’t regret this.”

“I hope not. Creed,” said Forrester. “And I hope you won’t regretit. either. Because if you fuck up. it’s your ass.”

Alexandria, the palace of the Ptolemys, 47 B.C.

“It is not the victory that I had hoped for,” Caesar said asthey rested in their apartments in the palace. And a poor, ignoble death for abrave and noble soldier.”

Travers thought that Caesar was being charitable, but he didnot say it. Pompey the Great might once have been a brave and noble soldier, butin the end, his leadership and courage had both failed him.

When news of Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon reached Rome.the Senate was thrown into a panic. Caesar’s army moved with their usualdevastating efficiency and speed, immediately taking the town of Ariminum andmarching ahead without encountering any opposition whatsoever.

People from the outlying towns began flooding into Rome,fleeing front the advancing legions, not having any idea what to expect. Theircontagious fear began to spread throughout the city like a wildfire. Pompeydeclared Rome to be in a state of anarchy and, desperate to have enough time tomarshal his forces, he left the city and went east. giving orders for theentire Senate to follow him. Many did, but most senators remained behind inRome, concerned about their homes and their possessions. With so many refugeesstreaming into Rome. crime had increased dramatically and there was a lot oflooting.

As Caesar’s army approached the city, many of Pompey’stroops joined with Caesar’s forces and within sixty days of crossing theRubicon, Caesar had effectively seized power without any bloodshed. But therestill remained

Pompey and his loyal legions. and though he was in commandof the city, it was a threat that Caesar could not disregard.

He pursued Pompey to Brundisium, but us soon as he heardthat Caesar was approaching. Pompey escaped to sea. Lacking the vessels topursue him. Caesar then returned to Rome and appeared before the Senate. Withthe rank of praetor. Travis was entitled to attend and he sat in the Temple ofJupiter (the Curia. which would become the permanent home of the Senate, hadnot yet been built) and listened as Caesar addressed the House courteously. requestingthat they send word to Pompey so that negotiations could be started toward areasonable peace. However, the senators could not agree on what to do. Theirposition was precarious. To appear to give support to one general could provedisastrous if the other proved victorious. so the Senate did what politicianshave been doing ever since. They procrastinated to avoid taking any stand.

Caesar left the temple in disgust. He did not have thepatience to wait for their deliberations. His response to the Senate’s stallingwas to seize the public treasury. so that he could supply himself with thenecessary funds to finish what he’d started. Then he left for Spain, where heengaged the forces of Afranius and Varro, Pompey’s loyal generals, and afterdefeating them decisively, he returned once more to Rome, where the Senate,realizing the growing futility of Pompey’s position, voted Caesar the title ofdictator. In the event that Pompey still somehow managed to prevail, they couldalways claim that Caesar forced it on them. And with Caesar holding theposition of dictator, it absolved them of the responsibility of making anychoices.

Travers had remained at Caesar’s side throughout it all andhad observed firsthand that Caesar was not only a brilliant general. capable ofinspiring fanatical devotion in his men. but also a skillful diplomat. Hisfirst act was to call back all those Romans who had gone into exile. He gavethem back their rights as citizens and incurred the favor of many influentialaristocrats by relieving them of their debts. He then made himself look betterstill by resigning the dictatorship that the fearful members of the Senate hadconferred on him, having held the post for only eleven days, and declaringhimself consul. That done, he immediately left Rome once more, on the trail ofPompey. The two armies met at Pharsalia in the largest and bloodiest battleever fought between Romans. Caesar proved himself the better general and theman once hailed as Pompey the Great fled the scene of haute and retired to histent, totally demoralized. When Caesar’s troops had routed his army and startedstorming his camp. Pompey recovered his senses long enough to escape and fleeto Egypt. where his fate awaited him. he had hoped to find an ally in the youngKing Ptolemy, who had backed him in the civil war, but the Egyptians haddecided that they’d rather back a winner. As soon as he arrived, Pompey was putto death.

The war was over. More than six thousand of Pompey’s troopshad died. Gracious in victory, Caesar pardoned the prisoners and took them intohis own legions. Then he pursued Pompey to Egypt. only to discover that the Egyptianshad finished the job for him.

“At least now our men can rest awhile and recover,” Traverssaid, “even if the best Egypt can do for them is that unwholesome corn thatPothinus has seen fit to distribute.”

Caesar tightened his jaw muscles in anger. “He adds insultto injury by telling them to be content with it. Since they are fed at another’scost. They deserve far better. Septimus, and by the gods. I shall see that theyreceive it! No general could hope for a more brave and loyal army.”

“No army could hope for a better general than Caesar saidTravers, not intending it as mere flattery, but meaning every word of it.

“Thank you, my friend.” said Caesar. “Nor shall I forgetyou. either. You have served me well through all these many years. But our workis not yet done. Egypt is a ripe fruit ready for the plucking. Tell me. what doyou think of this oily eunuch, Pothinus? He seems to hold more influence withthe king than do any of his ministers.”

“Pothinus does seem to be the power behind the throne,” saidTravers. “The young king plainly defers to him. I have observed that theministers take pains to ingratiate themselves with him. Or at least to avoidhis displeasure.”

“Yes, that is my opinion, too,” said Caesar, frowning. “Itis Pothinus who rules here and not Ptolemy. who is little more than a child.And the ministers all fear him. I have been told that it was Pothinus himselfwho assassinated Pompey.”

“You have been told?” asked Travers, instantly on guard. Bywhom?”

Caesar smiled. “There are those here who are well disposedtoward Rome, if only because they are ill disposed toward Pothinus. That craftyeunuch sees us as a threat to the power he has managed to accumulate throughhis manipulation of the king. We must have a care. Septimus. not to sleep toosoundly so long as we remain here.”

“You think that Pothinus would try to have us murdered? Withour legions here?”

“He might well serve us as he did Pompey and then protesthis innocence,” Caesar said. “It would win him no small favor among our enemiesin Rome. Although perhaps I worry needlessly. It is not yet the Ides of March.”He smiled and Travers felt suddenly uneasy.

“Still,” Caesar continued, “our influence in Egypt is notwhat it once was. Pompey has mismanaged things. I must take steps to remedythat situation. We must make the power of Rome felt here once again. Tomorrow.I will begin by demanding the tribute that is due to Rome. so that we mightreward our army. And we must see to it that a more benign influence is setbehind the throne. What do you know of the king’s sister, the one who wasexiled when Pompey was in power?”

Travers replied evasively. “Cleopatra? I fear that I knowvery little of her. Caesar. It is said that she is young and very beautiful.Also ambitious, which is why Pompey had banished her.”

“I think perhaps we should recall her,” Caesar said. “Let usarrange. through certain of these ministers who have no love for Pothinus, tosend word to her to come and see me. I would like to speak with her myself andjudge what manner of woman she is. Perhaps we can help her see that she wouldbest serve her own interests by also serving Rome’s. But I think it would notbe wise to alert others of our plans before we have decided on a course of action.I will send word to her to come to me in secret.”

Caesar smiled. In the meantime. Septimus, my friend, weshall take full advantage of this grudging hospitality and send for wine. Itshall probably be sour, but no matter. We shall only pour it out. Let thembelieve that we dissolute Romans are drinking through the night. So long aslights burn in our chambers, stealthy assassins might hesitate to enter.* Heclapped his hand to his sword hilt. “And if they do, we shall be sober andprepared for them.”

Throughout the night, the palace servants brought them wine,which neither of them even tasted. ‘the hours stretched toward dawn. Caesar hadno need of Travers, to help him stay awake. His hyper personality kept himgoing. dictating letters and portions of his memoirs until Travers wasexhausted, and then Caesar. seeing he was tired, apologized for working him sohard and told him amusing anecdotes and stories of his childhood. which Traverswanted desperately to write down, but couldn’t both because his wrist was sorefrom taking dictation and it was all that he could do to keep his eyes open. Atsome point, he dropped off, and when he awoke, it was morning and Caesar wasstill up, showing no signs of being tired. He chided Travers gently for fallingasleep and when Travers apologized, assured him that it was perfectly allright, that he deserved his rest. If I don’t die on the battlefield. Traversthought. just trying to keep up with him will kill me.

The morning was spent with Caesar visiting his troops and seeingto their comfort. Then he presented his demands to Ptolemy for payment of thetribute. The boy king simply sat there, looking at them sullenly. whilePothinus stood at his side and spoke for him, he was. thought Travers, a decidedlyunpleasant man. He was large and fat and jowly. with a shaved head and amannered, effeminate voice. His pudgy hands had rings on every finger but thethumbs and they gestured languidly when he spoke. making Travers think of paleand bloated slugs.

“Your petition has been noted.” the eunuch repliedpompously. “It would seem now. Caesar. that your business here has been concluded.The man you came here seeking has been dealt with, your soldiers have been fedand rested We have done our best to be hospitable hosts. But the time has comewhen you should leave Egypt and go back to Rome. There are, no doubt, affairsof greater consequence you should attend to. You should not concern yourselfwith minor matters such as collecting tribute. It can be sent to you in Rome.”

Caesar stiffened and his cheeks flushed red. “I do notrequire Egyptians to be my counselors!” he snapped. “And Rome does not wait onEgypt’s pleasure. The tribute will be paid in due course, and speedily, else Ishall instruct my army to seize it for themselves in whatever manner they sochoose! It is I who have been patient, Pothinus. But my patience hasbeen sorely tried. I would advise you not to try it further.”

He turned on his heel and stalked out of the chamber. withTravers hurrying to catch up with him.

“I will rid Egypt of this insolent eunuch if it is the lastthing I ever do,” stormed Caesar as they headed back to their rooms.

Afterward, several of Ptolemy’s ministers came to speak withhim discreetly and Travers wondered which of them would send word to Cleopatra.He was excited at the thought of actually meeting her face-to-face, a woman whowas one of the most legendary beauties and seductresses in all of history.

Despite all the years he’d spent at Caesar’s side, therewere still times when he found himself looking at that handsome, scholarlyprofile and thinking, “My God, I’m actually sitting here with Julius Caesar!”At such times, it seemed almost like a dream. And at other times, the world hecame from seemed unreal.

He had been born in Dallas, Texas and had acquired aninterest in ancient history at a very early age, a result of a typical boyhoodfascination with the glamour of the Time Wars. Childhood play had led him tothe library, to look up certain historical details so that he could settlearguments among his playmates about what sort of armor was worn by medievalknights and how ancient Romans fought. He was able to point out historicalflaws in the design of the toy weapons that their parents purchased for themand was soon making his own from wood in his father’s workshop. He sold them tohis friends, who found that they held up to rough use far better than theflimsy plastic swords they bought in stores and made a far more satisfyingsound when they were stuck together.

He became the local “Armorer,” constructing wooden swordsand shields and daggers for his friends, and with practice, he became moreskillful at it.

Determined to be authentic at all costs, he did his researchcarefully and the more he read about ancient times, the more fascinated he becameand the more he wanted to know. His interest in research helped him to acquirebetter study habits and his grades in school improved dramatically. His father,pleased with this development, as well as with his growing skill incraftsmanship, encouraged him and bought him better tools and books. Whilestill in his early teens, Travers had graduated to working in metal. He startedsmall, with handmade knives, but soon moved on to larger blades. By the time hewas ready to enter college, he had made quite a bit of money selling replicasof Spanish swords, medieval maces. Viking blades and battle axes.Sinclair-hilted sabers, French rapiers and Scottish basket-billed claymores tocollectors and would-be Time Commandos who were happy to pay hundreds ofdollars for authentic, exquisitely crafted “souvenirs of campaigns in Minustime.”

Travers entered Harvard on a scholarship and it was therethat his area of interest narrowed to a specialization in classical times. Hestudied Greek and Latin and took graduate degrees in history, now certain ofhow he planned to spend his life. He intended to apply to the Observer Corpsand be commissioned as an L.T.O., with hopes of a long-term posting in ancientRome. His timing could not have been more perfect. He completed his Observertraining at the head of his class, just as the Temporal Crisis struck and thefocus of the Time Wars shifted from the settling of international disputes todealing with the new and greater threat from the parallel universe. Themajority of the world’s temporal forces were being converted to TemporalObserver status, to function under the senior officers of the Observer Corps,and there was a drastic need for personnel with the sort of qualificationsTravers had, especially as L.T.O.’s. They were as anxious to get Travers asTravers was to join them and he was able to write his own ticket. Without hesitation,he requested to be assigned to Gaius Julius Caesar. ‘Now, the future that hecame from seemed less real to him than the time in which he lived. He hadbecome a Roman in almost all respects. except for that certain distance that healways had to keep, to remind himself of who and what he really was and whathis task entailed. For over a decade, he had lived the dream. Caesar had becomehis friend and it was difficult for him to think that in a couple of years, hewould be murdered in the Senate, beneath the statue of the very man whom he haddriven out of Rome and to his death in Egypt.

He thought of Casca. striking the first blow, and Brutus,delivering the last. Travers felt the blade of the parazonium he wore athis side. Of Macedonian origin, it was the knife worn by almost every maleRoman and the secondary weapon of the soldier, a lethal, bottle-shaped bladewith a strong central rib, three inches wide at the hilt, narrowing slightly atthe midsection and then flaring out once more and tapering to a sharp point. Hehad seen the horrifying wounds the foot-long blade could make and he shudderedat the thought of having something like that plunged into his body. Caesarwould be stabbed a total of twenty-three times by the conspirators, from theneck down to the groin, and he would fall at the foot of Pompey’s statue, whichhe himself had ordered put back up after the mob had torn it down. His bloodwould splatter on the pedestal. causing all of Rome to talk for yearsthereafter about the supernatural influence at work in the assassination, as ifthe spirit of Pompey himself had presided over it in revenge. And part ofTravers’ job was to see that it happened exactly that way.

He had come to have a great deal of respect and affectionfor Caesar. not only as a scholar studying his subject. but as a man and as afriend. It was hard to think that he would have to stand by and watch him die,and in such an awful manner, without being able to do anything to prevent it.But that was precisely what he had to do. If necessary, he would even have toget involved himself to make sure that history wasn’t changed. As much as thatthought disturbed hint, the thought that forces from the parallel universecould be at work to change that disturbed him even more.

Over the next few days, Caesar grew more tense andirritable. He avoided Pothinus and the king as much as possible, which seemedto suit the two of them just fine. He took long walks in the gardens, alwaysarmed and always with Travers at his side and several soldiers close by. It wasin the gardens that several of Ptolemy’s ministers contrived to meet with him,or to send informers, to keep him advised of what Pothinus was doing. Thelonger they remained in Egypt, in the midst of palace intrigues, the more dangerthey were in. If Pothinus found out about Caesar’s plan to reinstate Cleopatra.he would waste no time in having them removed. Travers would have felt muchbetter staying with the army, but Caesar insisted upon staying in the palace,both to claim the treatment due Rome’s emissary and to keep an eye on things.

They were dining in their chambers one evening when one ofthe ministers arrived, along with a servant carrying a rolled-up carpet overhis shoulder.

“I have brought the additional bedclothing you requested. Caesar.”said the minister, shutting the door behind him as the servant carried it in.

“Bedclothing?” said Caesar with a frown. “I did not ask forbedclothing.”

“Perhaps Caesar does not recall.” said the minister with asmile. “Lay it down upon the floor, Apollodorus.”

Caesar got up from his chair. “What is this? I am quitecertain that I asked for no-”

Apollodorus unrolled the carpet and stood back. A youngwoman had been rolled up inside it. She was lying on her stomach. She pushedherself up slightly from the floor and bent one lovely leg, tossed her head,getting the hair back out of her eyes, and looked up at Caesar with a smile.

“You did ask that I come to you discreetly,” she said.

Caesar stood back with surprise.

“I am Cleopatra.”

She stood and faced them. Travers stared at her, stunned.She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her hair was jet-black, longand straight. Her striking features were sharp and graceful. There was a proudnobility to her bearing. Her eyes were a deep brown, with a smoldering.penetrating gaze; her complexion dark: her mouth full and sensuous. Her figurewas voluptuous, with large. Firm breasts that were clearly outlined in thesimple, thin, white linen shift she wore, her narrow waist and flaring hipsaccentuated by the gold girdle encircling it. Her legs were long and shapely,her small feet gracefully shod in thin. delicate sandals. She wore no jewelryexcept for an amulet around her neck. She was breathtakingly lovely.. Traversrecalled that at the time of meeting Caesar, this very meeting, she wastwenty-one years old.

“That which was concealed shall stand revealed.” Caesar murmured.Travers glanced at him sharply.

Cleopatra cocked her head, gazing at Caesar with puzzlement.

Caesar shook his head. “I was merely recalling somethingsomeone told me once,” he said. He glanced at the minister and servant. “Leaveus.”

They went out and shut the door behind them. Caesar gesturedtoward his chair. “Please. Be seated.” She chose the couch rather than thechair and reclined upon it gracefully.

Caesar watched her appreciatively. “Allow me to present myfriend, Praetor Lucius Septimus.”

She inclined her head slightly toward Travers. Travers stoodand gave her a slight bow. “I am honored, Queen Cleopatra.”

“I am not a queen now, Praetor Septimus, merely an exiledprincess. My brother is still king, she said.

‘“For the moment,” Caesar said. He smiled. “I must admitthat I had not expected your arrival in so bold a manner. It was very clever ofyou.”

“Our nights are cool,” she said. “A Roman could be expectedto feel the chill. No one would remark upon his asking for another coverlet.”

“Had I known they made such coverlets in Egypt. I would havesent for one much sooner,” Caesar replied with a smile. “I merely regret that Ihad to ask you to resort to stealth in order to arrive in your own palace.”

“I understood the need.” she said. “Pothinus would hardly welcomemy arrival. Since I was sent to live in exile. he has made a breach between myyounger brother and myself.”

“A breach can be repaired.” said Caesar. “It wants only acraftsman who knows what he’s about.”

Cleopatra smiled. “You do not have the look of a craftsman.”she said.

“Neither have I the look of a general,” Caesar replied, orat least so I am told. And yet I lead Rome’s finest legions. Legions that canassure your future as the queen of Egypt.”

“You plan to depose my brother?”

“Only if it should prove necessary.” Caesar replied. “I haveno wish to harm him. I would be satisfied to have him rule with you to guidehim.”

“I see,” she said. “Then it is Pothinus you wish to have removed.”

“Rome needs an ally, not a scheming, unctuous eunuch wholooks only after his own interests.”

“And you think that I will not look after my owninterests?” she asked coyly, arching a graceful eyebrow.

Caesar smiled. “It is in your interest to consider mine.”

“Not Rome’s’?”

“I am Rome.”

“So. And once I am queen, what would Rome have me do?”

“Merely be a friend to Rome,” said Caesar, gazing at her steadily.

She gave him a knowing smile. “Then I am at Rome’s pleasure.”