HOME | DD

Description
5~*~5

I was thrown right into the turmoil of Egypt after Cleopatra's failed rule, in the bedchamber of the queen herself.

She called me Iras, which meant that I was in a stranger's body and that Lapis had been wrong when she told me that I would have to make up a disguise for myself on my journeys. I assume that Lapis' magic blocks this effect of her travels.

I knew nothing about Iras as she was a servant, not worthy of mention in a fat history book. During my time there, I was terrified that I would make a mistake and someone would ask me why I was not acting like myself, but no one paid me any mind. Again, I assumed that Lapis' spell was covering this for me.

As I said, I had no explanation about what was going on. I have noticed that many books from the other end of history tend to have someone handy to explain everything important to the main character. Of course, I am not that lucky, but I won't let you off without a little historical context. So here's a quick summary: (for full details see Egypt: Everything Ancient, which can be found in the Sun model. But beware! The title is literal.) Cleopatra was by this point married (or as good as) to Mark Antony and Octavian had rallied an army to invade the city of Alexandria. When Egypt's navy met Greece's to fight, they backed down and turned against Egypt. Though Mark Antony fought as hard as he could with his few remaining troops, it was too late. Cleopatra and Antony went into hiding, but Antony killed himself before anyone could capture him. Cleopatra did not manage escape and Octavian prevented her from killing herself for a while, but she was determined to end her life so that Octavian could not drag her through the streets of Rome in chains.

That is where I landed. Fun, fun, fun.

The queen was not old, no more than forty years, and she was not beautiful, as my book had said. Her face was quite common, her hair was graying, and her face was worn with worry.

"Iras, listen to me," she said once she had my attention. "I trust you more than most of my servants, and there is something I need you to do for me." She shoved a large bag of coins and a small pouch, containing what felt like a small animal, into my hands. "I want you to go to the market to the place where the animals are kept and I want you to buy a snake, a poisonous one. Feed it the meat. I killed the mouse with a poison that will make the snake sleep, and when it's calm, go to the market, buy some sort of food and cover the snake with it. Then I want you to go into the kitchens and tell someone to put it aside for now. That is all."

I took the coins, but I did not rush off. I could not believe that this was happening to me. The queen wanted me to buy the snake that would end her life! I stared at her. She looked so noble, with her back straight and her eyes dry after days of weeping.

"Go now! There isn't much time."

I bowed and backed out of the room. The guards outside nodded as I passed but did not stop me.

Though I had never been in the palace, my legs knew the back way out to the street and the alleys that led to the market. This was fortunate, for I was distracted by what I was about to do. What if someone caught me? What would happen to me, to all of history?

I should have been even more concerned than I was, but once I reached the market, my troubles left me for a while. After all, I was in Egypt!

The streets were crowded with people, from nobles in spotless white robes, to farmers with dirty cloths wrapped around their waists, to little street children who ran through the crowds wearing nothing at all. Everyone was milling around the merchants' stalls. It seemed as though you could buy anything that you wanted there, provided you had the money.

There were stalls selling rugs, gold, silver, wood in all colors imaginable (well not blue, but you get the point), cloth, feathers, papyrus, jewels, beads, baskets, pottery, tools for every profession. The merchants were all busy, haggling over money with their customers or calling out their prices, which were always a bargain no matter how much it cost. And all that seemed like peace and quiet compared to the food market!

The merchants were the loudest as they sold their wares, fought with customers, and scolded the little children who tried to sneak tid bits. In addition to that were the sounds of all the animals. Birds squawked, chickens clucked, pigs grunted. Feathers from freshly killed poultry floated through the air, and grain and bits of animals that no one wanted covered the ground. The whole place smelled awful, of rotting animals and sewage. I loved it.

I wound my way through the crowds, just taking everything in. Several people tried to sell me fish or beheaded geese or beer, but I turned them all down. Cleopatra's task spoiled the atmosphere, so I ended up brooding over the queen's death when I could have been enjoying myself. It was going to be my fault that the queen was dead. I could not put a finger on the exact emotion that this made me feel, but it certainly was not good.

I did not expect to find a poisonous snake for sale, but it turned out I was right about being able to buy anything if you had the money.

I turned down a dark back alley, which I now realize was a very stupid thing to do. There were people selling items back here, but they were not merchants. They were all crowded together so that there was almost no room for the customers to walk. These people were selling bottles of strange-colored liquids, pouches of herbs that could sedate or kill depending on how much you used, rusty knives, and live animals much less appealing than the ones in the main market had been. There were baskets of toads and crickets, a blanket on which lay a display of small dead mice, and various other animals in conditions too horrible to describe.

"What is it the lady wants?" a voice rasped in my ear.

I just about jumped out of my skin as I turned to address the filthy man.

"My...my master requires an animal to..." I tried to think of some plausible reason that someone might need a snake. "To kill-" Rats, birds, something, some excuse, but no further explanation was needed.

The man nodded. "Follow me." He led me farther down the alley, turned left and down another, then another. The number of merchants thinned and I became afraid. Where was he leading me?

At last he stepped through a dark doorway into a room smaller than Victoria's closet that was crowded with baskets of all shapes and sizes.

"What type of animal does the lady want? Toads? You can get a powerful poison if you boil them. Dogs? If you want this person to suffer, I have some good-"

"My master...does not want this person to suffer," I interrupted, "they want death to come easily and quick... They were thinking perhaps of a snake..."

The man regarded me with something like suspicion. "Snakes do not always deliver death quickly and kindly. Their poison is too hard to predict."

"A snake is what my master wants," I said, hoping to dissuade him from continuing to press other animals on me.

"And how much can your master pay?" he asked with a sneer. I knew why. Any master would have sent a man for such a task, but since I was a woman, he did not think my master was rich enough to waste a prize snake.

I touched the heavy bag of coins at my side. "That will depend on how good the snake is."

The man's eyes grew wide at the site of my pouch. He turned and crouched to the very bottom of the stack and pulled out a basket. All the baskets above it fell to fill the place, and the sounds of disgruntled animals issued from the pile. The man turned and handed me the basket, then held out his hand.

"Sir, I will not give you anything until you lead me out of this place and back to the market. Then I will pay you more than what this animal is worth."

The man's face contorted with rage, and I was afraid that he would rob me and set his animals on me, but instead he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the room, down the twisting alleys and back to the marketplace. A few feet from the sunlight at the end of the alley, he let go.

"And now, if the lady would be good enough to pay me, I shall return to my business."

I set down the basket and put my foot on top of it to make sure that no one took it and also so that the creature inside could not pop out and surprise me. I could feel the snake thrashing around as I reached for the bag of coins. I pulled out three gold coins for the next part of the plan and handed the rest to the snake man. He balanced the bag in one hand, his greedy eyes glowing, and bowed to me.

"May the gods protect you." And then he was gone.

His words, although they were what anyone would have said, made me shudder and remember my situation. Egypt was fine but how long would I be stuck there?

I crouched with my back to the wall in the alley. Now I had to poison the snake so that it would not kill me when I hid it in the basket of food.

After inspecting the clasp to make sure that it would hold, I set the basket on the ground in front of me, trying to decide what would be the best way to get the meat to the snake. I pulled out the bag of meat and held it in my hand, trying to figure this out. I definitely did not want to stick my fingers in there.

After a few minutes, I had only one idea. Hesitating a little, I picked up the basket and set it on its side so that it would open on the top. The snake did not like this and it thrashed about even more, hissing every other second.

I pulled open the bag of meat and held it near the basket, my hands trembling as I waited for the snake to settle down. When it was quiet, I took a deep breath, undid the clasp, and placed my fingers on one side of the basket, terrified that I was about to become the snake's victim instead of the queen. In one quick motion, I opened the basket, the snake hissed, I dumped the meat into the darkness, and slammed the basket shut.

From inside came more hissing as the snake struggled to bite its already dead enemy. I breathed a sigh of relief and laid my head back against the wall. The worst was over now.

After a few minutes, I stood, tucked the basket under my arm, and strolled out into the food market. It was a relief to be back among people, and I could not help but take a little time to enjoy myself. It was only when I came to a stall selling figs (among other things), that I remembered my book of Egyptian history, and I knew that this was what I was looking for.

I did not have to persuade the merchant to take a gold coin in exchanged for a single basket of figs and I was soon carrying my goods back toward the palace, stopping in a quiet corner of the marketplace to sit down and finish my task. I opened the basket of figs first. The snake had been quiet for a long time, but I was still nervous. I opened the snake's basket a crack, facing away from me, and when nothing happened, I opened it further and dropped the contents into the basket of figs. I had planned to slam the cover shut, but on seeing the snake, I stopped, reached out, and poked it. Nothing happened.

I was afraid that Cleopatra had poisoned the snake too well, that it was dead, but there was no time to do anything now. The sun was setting over the tops of the houses, and the queen was expecting me back at the palace. I put the snake back in its own basket and dumped the figs on top of it, did up the clasp, and ran as fast as I could.

Once again, my feet found their way through the streets and into the palace while my mind wandered. I found my way to the kitchens with little trouble, alert for an opportunity to escape.

The kitchen was bustling with activity, and it took me some time to find someone who would pay attention to me. A soot-covered boy sitting a little way back from the fire to avoid the direct heat caught my eye. I wove through the crowd of cooks. No one acknowledged my presence even thought I was sure that I should not have been there.

"You, boy!" He looked up. "Will you please set these figs aside for my lady?" I held out the basket.

The boy glanced up at the head cook. "I was told not to leave the fires."

"Come on, those fires are huge! They won't blow out if you leave them for just a moment!" Still the boy hesitated, so I fished once of the last golden coins out of my pocket and held it up to the light.

Now I had his services. The boy threw extra wood in the fire, grabbed the coin and the basket, and was off like a shot. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. I had completed my mission.

Though I am not Egyptian, I must admit that I felt a considerable amount of pride at having been such a help to the queen. Oh yes, I was told off for dawdling so long, but it was a gentle scolding like a mother to a child (not my mother perhaps, but you get the idea). Cleopatra seemed so sad, and she had an air of heaviness, if that is possible. Looking at her would give you the feeling that she bore all of Earth's sorrows in her heart.

~~~

I did not sleep well that night. Her majesty did not so why should her slave? Cleopatra ordered me to keep the light burning all night while she sat in bed, staring at the blank wall in front of her. I had no chance to escape.

Night came and went and Cleopatra did not move once. The other slave, Charmion, and I said nothing, just watched her, fighting off our drowsiness, sometimes tossing frightened glances toward each other. Neither of us knew what would happen to us after the queen was dead (Actually, that is not true. I had an idea, but I was not about to let on that I knew about the future).

Long after the sun had risen, the queen stirred from her trance-like state. Charmion and I shook ourselves awake and helped her out of bed, silently dressing her in white and more gold and jewels than I have ever seen in the valley.

No one said a word. The queen followed two guards through the palace down to the throne room while we trailed a few feet behind. I would not have thought her strong enough to walk so far, but she made it the whole way, stumbling only a few times.

In the throne room, Octavian was neck-deep in scrolls and his advisors milled around as he tried to sort out the mess that Egypt had become. Cleopatra strode right up to the group and the crowd parted in her path until she stood before the new pharaoh.

"I am ready my lord," she said in Greek.

He looked up. "Ready for what?"

"To be alone one last time before you take me back to Rome. We had agreed-"

"Yes I remember," he said. He sounded annoyed, as though she were wasting his time. "I've arranged for a few of my guards to escort you. You're to be done by nightfall, is that clear?"

Cleopatra nodded.

"You may go."

She turned and strode toward the nearest door, her servants trailing along behind her.

~~~

I was shaking in my-- well, my bare feet. I was terrified of what was about to happen. The guards that had accompanied us stood outside the doors, cutting off our only escape route. Charmion and I drew water and helped the queen bathe. I kept her goblet of wine full as she drained it again and again. Charmion and I kept glancing from her to each other, both of us wondering what our fates would be when Cleopatra was through with us. When we had finished and helped her dress, she sighed.

"Iras, get me ink and parchment."

I did so, and the queen settled down to write. I tried to read the upside-down words, but as they will say sometime in the future, it was all Greek to me. She had just finished when there was a knock on the door.

"Charmion, go see who it is," she said. I followed to her the door with my eyes. It was one of the servants from the kitchens.

"The food is on the way my lady, and here are some figs for her highness to enjoy while she waits."

"Thank-you," said Charmion, and she started to shut the door.

"Just a minute!" cried the queen, making me jump half out of my skin. I had not heard her speak so loudly during all of my stay. She waved the parchment around like a banner of surrender until Charmion came and took it from her.

"Tell him to deliver this to Octavian himself. Iras, more wine!" I filled her cup. Charmion shut the door.

Cleopatra took a long drink, then handed me her almost-empty cup to put aside until later.

"Bring me those figs." Her voice was hollow, as if she was already dead.

Charmion set the basket in front of the Queen and she and I sat at the foot of the bed, waiting for whatever Cleopatra had in store.

Her hands were shaking as she struggled to undo the clasp. Suddenly, the basket flew open. Figs scattered all over the room and the basket landed upside down on the floor. The sounds of an angry snake issued from underneath.

Charmion reached for the basket to turn it over for her queen.

"Do not touch it!" Cleopatra cried, and Charmion snatched her hand back. Not bothering to call me, the queen grabbed her cup and drained it to the last few drops, then flung it aside and leaned forward.

With one quick flick of her wrist, (I still wonder how she managed this with shaking hands) she overturned the basket. The snake writhed and stretched, then stood up and flared its hood. It hissed and spit, daring the queen to come any closer...but she did.

She slipped to the floor and held out her arm to the angry creature. It struck in a flash and Charmion struggled to suppress a scream. My eyes grew wide with fear, but I could not move, speak, or do anything to protect myself.

The snake heard Charmion's strangled cry and whirled around. Again, it flared its hood. Charmion stood and stepped away right as it struck...and then it turned toward me.

I tried to stand, but I stepped on the edge of my skirt and fell backwards, so I tried to crawl away, but the snake was too quick and it had already slithered into position. Without thinking, I grabbed my necklace and clamped my eyes shut, concentrating on when I wanted to arrive, a little bit after eight o'clock.

The snake hissed, the door flew open, and the snake struck. I was on my way, leaving Iras and all of Egypt behind.

Description
5~*~5

I was thrown right into the turmoil of Egypt after Cleopatra's failed rule, in the bedchamber of the queen herself.

She called me Iras, which meant that I was in a stranger's body and that Lapis had been wrong when she told me that I would have to make up a disguise for myself on my journeys. I assume that Lapis' magic blocks this effect of her travels.

I knew nothing about Iras as she was a servant, not worthy of mention in a fat history book. During my time there, I was terrified that I would make a mistake and someone would ask me why I was not acting like myself, but no one paid me any mind. Again, I assumed that Lapis' spell was covering this for me.

As I said, I had no explanation about what was going on. I have noticed that many books from the other end of history tend to have someone handy to explain everything important to the main character. Of course, I am not that lucky, but I won't let you off without a little historical context. So here's a quick summary: (for full details see Egypt: Everything Ancient, which can be found in the Sun model. But beware! The title is literal.) Cleopatra was by this point married (or as good as) to Mark Antony and Octavian had rallied an army to invade the city of Alexandria. When Egypt's navy met Greece's to fight, they backed down and turned against Egypt. Though Mark Antony fought as hard as he could with his few remaining troops, it was too late. Cleopatra and Antony went into hiding, but Antony killed himself before anyone could capture him. Cleopatra did not manage escape and Octavian prevented her from killing herself for a while, but she was determined to end her life so that Octavian could not drag her through the streets of Rome in chains.

That is where I landed. Fun, fun, fun.

The queen was not old, no more than forty years, and she was not beautiful, as my book had said. Her face was quite common, her hair was graying, and her face was worn with worry.

"Iras, listen to me," she said once she had my attention. "I trust you more than most of my servants, and there is something I need you to do for me." She shoved a large bag of coins and a small pouch, containing what felt like a small animal, into my hands. "I want you to go to the market to the place where the animals are kept and I want you to buy a snake, a poisonous one. Feed it the meat. I killed the mouse with a poison that will make the snake sleep, and when it's calm, go to the market, buy some sort of food and cover the snake with it. Then I want you to go into the kitchens and tell someone to put it aside for now. That is all."

I took the coins, but I did not rush off. I could not believe that this was happening to me. The queen wanted me to buy the snake that would end her life! I stared at her. She looked so noble, with her back straight and her eyes dry after days of weeping.

"Go now! There isn't much time."

I bowed and backed out of the room. The guards outside nodded as I passed but did not stop me.

Though I had never been in the palace, my legs knew the back way out to the street and the alleys that led to the market. This was fortunate, for I was distracted by what I was about to do. What if someone caught me? What would happen to me, to all of history?

I should have been even more concerned than I was, but once I reached the market, my troubles left me for a while. After all, I was in Egypt!

The streets were crowded with people, from nobles in spotless white robes, to farmers with dirty cloths wrapped around their waists, to little street children who ran through the crowds wearing nothing at all. Everyone was milling around the merchants' stalls. It seemed as though you could buy anything that you wanted there, provided you had the money.

There were stalls selling rugs, gold, silver, wood in all colors imaginable (well not blue, but you get the point), cloth, feathers, papyrus, jewels, beads, baskets, pottery, tools for every profession. The merchants were all busy, haggling over money with their customers or calling out their prices, which were always a bargain no matter how much it cost. And all that seemed like peace and quiet compared to the food market!

The merchants were the loudest as they sold their wares, fought with customers, and scolded the little children who tried to sneak tid bits. In addition to that were the sounds of all the animals. Birds squawked, chickens clucked, pigs grunted. Feathers from freshly killed poultry floated through the air, and grain and bits of animals that no one wanted covered the ground. The whole place smelled awful, of rotting animals and sewage. I loved it.

I wound my way through the crowds, just taking everything in. Several people tried to sell me fish or beheaded geese or beer, but I turned them all down. Cleopatra's task spoiled the atmosphere, so I ended up brooding over the queen's death when I could have been enjoying myself. It was going to be my fault that the queen was dead. I could not put a finger on the exact emotion that this made me feel, but it certainly was not good.

I did not expect to find a poisonous snake for sale, but it turned out I was right about being able to buy anything if you had the money.

I turned down a dark back alley, which I now realize was a very stupid thing to do. There were people selling items back here, but they were not merchants. They were all crowded together so that there was almost no room for the customers to walk. These people were selling bottles of strange-colored liquids, pouches of herbs that could sedate or kill depending on how much you used, rusty knives, and live animals much less appealing than the ones in the main market had been. There were baskets of toads and crickets, a blanket on which lay a display of small dead mice, and various other animals in conditions too horrible to describe.

"What is it the lady wants?" a voice rasped in my ear.

I just about jumped out of my skin as I turned to address the filthy man.

"My...my master requires an animal to..." I tried to think of some plausible reason that someone might need a snake. "To kill-" Rats, birds, something, some excuse, but no further explanation was needed.

The man nodded. "Follow me." He led me farther down the alley, turned left and down another, then another. The number of merchants thinned and I became afraid. Where was he leading me?

At last he stepped through a dark doorway into a room smaller than Victoria's closet that was crowded with baskets of all shapes and sizes.

"What type of animal does the lady want? Toads? You can get a powerful poison if you boil them. Dogs? If you want this person to suffer, I have some good-"

"My master...does not want this person to suffer," I interrupted, "they want death to come easily and quick... They were thinking perhaps of a snake..."

The man regarded me with something like suspicion. "Snakes do not always deliver death quickly and kindly. Their poison is too hard to predict."

"A snake is what my master wants," I said, hoping to dissuade him from continuing to press other animals on me.

"And how much can your master pay?" he asked with a sneer. I knew why. Any master would have sent a man for such a task, but since I was a woman, he did not think my master was rich enough to waste a prize snake.

I touched the heavy bag of coins at my side. "That will depend on how good the snake is."

The man's eyes grew wide at the site of my pouch. He turned and crouched to the very bottom of the stack and pulled out a basket. All the baskets above it fell to fill the place, and the sounds of disgruntled animals issued from the pile. The man turned and handed me the basket, then held out his hand.

"Sir, I will not give you anything until you lead me out of this place and back to the market. Then I will pay you more than what this animal is worth."

The man's face contorted with rage, and I was afraid that he would rob me and set his animals on me, but instead he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the room, down the twisting alleys and back to the marketplace. A few feet from the sunlight at the end of the alley, he let go.

"And now, if the lady would be good enough to pay me, I shall return to my business."

I set down the basket and put my foot on top of it to make sure that no one took it and also so that the creature inside could not pop out and surprise me. I could feel the snake thrashing around as I reached for the bag of coins. I pulled out three gold coins for the next part of the plan and handed the rest to the snake man. He balanced the bag in one hand, his greedy eyes glowing, and bowed to me.

"May the gods protect you." And then he was gone.

His words, although they were what anyone would have said, made me shudder and remember my situation. Egypt was fine but how long would I be stuck there?

I crouched with my back to the wall in the alley. Now I had to poison the snake so that it would not kill me when I hid it in the basket of food.

After inspecting the clasp to make sure that it would hold, I set the basket on the ground in front of me, trying to decide what would be the best way to get the meat to the snake. I pulled out the bag of meat and held it in my hand, trying to figure this out. I definitely did not want to stick my fingers in there.

After a few minutes, I had only one idea. Hesitating a little, I picked up the basket and set it on its side so that it would open on the top. The snake did not like this and it thrashed about even more, hissing every other second.

I pulled open the bag of meat and held it near the basket, my hands trembling as I waited for the snake to settle down. When it was quiet, I took a deep breath, undid the clasp, and placed my fingers on one side of the basket, terrified that I was about to become the snake's victim instead of the queen. In one quick motion, I opened the basket, the snake hissed, I dumped the meat into the darkness, and slammed the basket shut.

From inside came more hissing as the snake struggled to bite its already dead enemy. I breathed a sigh of relief and laid my head back against the wall. The worst was over now.

After a few minutes, I stood, tucked the basket under my arm, and strolled out into the food market. It was a relief to be back among people, and I could not help but take a little time to enjoy myself. It was only when I came to a stall selling figs (among other things), that I remembered my book of Egyptian history, and I knew that this was what I was looking for.

I did not have to persuade the merchant to take a gold coin in exchanged for a single basket of figs and I was soon carrying my goods back toward the palace, stopping in a quiet corner of the marketplace to sit down and finish my task. I opened the basket of figs first. The snake had been quiet for a long time, but I was still nervous. I opened the snake's basket a crack, facing away from me, and when nothing happened, I opened it further and dropped the contents into the basket of figs. I had planned to slam the cover shut, but on seeing the snake, I stopped, reached out, and poked it. Nothing happened.

I was afraid that Cleopatra had poisoned the snake too well, that it was dead, but there was no time to do anything now. The sun was setting over the tops of the houses, and the queen was expecting me back at the palace. I put the snake back in its own basket and dumped the figs on top of it, did up the clasp, and ran as fast as I could.

Once again, my feet found their way through the streets and into the palace while my mind wandered. I found my way to the kitchens with little trouble, alert for an opportunity to escape.

The kitchen was bustling with activity, and it took me some time to find someone who would pay attention to me. A soot-covered boy sitting a little way back from the fire to avoid the direct heat caught my eye. I wove through the crowd of cooks. No one acknowledged my presence even thought I was sure that I should not have been there.

"You, boy!" He looked up. "Will you please set these figs aside for my lady?" I held out the basket.

The boy glanced up at the head cook. "I was told not to leave the fires."

"Come on, those fires are huge! They won't blow out if you leave them for just a moment!" Still the boy hesitated, so I fished once of the last golden coins out of my pocket and held it up to the light.

Now I had his services. The boy threw extra wood in the fire, grabbed the coin and the basket, and was off like a shot. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. I had completed my mission.

Though I am not Egyptian, I must admit that I felt a considerable amount of pride at having been such a help to the queen. Oh yes, I was told off for dawdling so long, but it was a gentle scolding like a mother to a child (not my mother perhaps, but you get the idea). Cleopatra seemed so sad, and she had an air of heaviness, if that is possible. Looking at her would give you the feeling that she bore all of Earth's sorrows in her heart.

~~~

I did not sleep well that night. Her majesty did not so why should her slave? Cleopatra ordered me to keep the light burning all night while she sat in bed, staring at the blank wall in front of her. I had no chance to escape.

Night came and went and Cleopatra did not move once. The other slave, Charmion, and I said nothing, just watched her, fighting off our drowsiness, sometimes tossing frightened glances toward each other. Neither of us knew what would happen to us after the queen was dead (Actually, that is not true. I had an idea, but I was not about to let on that I knew about the future).

Long after the sun had risen, the queen stirred from her trance-like state. Charmion and I shook ourselves awake and helped her out of bed, silently dressing her in white and more gold and jewels than I have ever seen in the valley.

No one said a word. The queen followed two guards through the palace down to the throne room while we trailed a few feet behind. I would not have thought her strong enough to walk so far, but she made it the whole way, stumbling only a few times.

In the throne room, Octavian was neck-deep in scrolls and his advisors milled around as he tried to sort out the mess that Egypt had become. Cleopatra strode right up to the group and the crowd parted in her path until she stood before the new pharaoh.

"I am ready my lord," she said in Greek.

He looked up. "Ready for what?"

"To be alone one last time before you take me back to Rome. We had agreed-"

"Yes I remember," he said. He sounded annoyed, as though she were wasting his time. "I've arranged for a few of my guards to escort you. You're to be done by nightfall, is that clear?"

Cleopatra nodded.

"You may go."

She turned and strode toward the nearest door, her servants trailing along behind her.

~~~

I was shaking in my-- well, my bare feet. I was terrified of what was about to happen. The guards that had accompanied us stood outside the doors, cutting off our only escape route. Charmion and I drew water and helped the queen bathe. I kept her goblet of wine full as she drained it again and again. Charmion and I kept glancing from her to each other, both of us wondering what our fates would be when Cleopatra was through with us. When we had finished and helped her dress, she sighed.

"Iras, get me ink and parchment."

I did so, and the queen settled down to write. I tried to read the upside-down words, but as they will say sometime in the future, it was all Greek to me. She had just finished when there was a knock on the door.

"Charmion, go see who it is," she said. I followed to her the door with my eyes. It was one of the servants from the kitchens.

"The food is on the way my lady, and here are some figs for her highness to enjoy while she waits."

"Thank-you," said Charmion, and she started to shut the door.

"Just a minute!" cried the queen, making me jump half out of my skin. I had not heard her speak so loudly during all of my stay. She waved the parchment around like a banner of surrender until Charmion came and took it from her.

"Tell him to deliver this to Octavian himself. Iras, more wine!" I filled her cup. Charmion shut the door.

Cleopatra took a long drink, then handed me her almost-empty cup to put aside until later.

"Bring me those figs." Her voice was hollow, as if she was already dead.

Charmion set the basket in front of the Queen and she and I sat at the foot of the bed, waiting for whatever Cleopatra had in store.

Her hands were shaking as she struggled to undo the clasp. Suddenly, the basket flew open. Figs scattered all over the room and the basket landed upside down on the floor. The sounds of an angry snake issued from underneath.

Charmion reached for the basket to turn it over for her queen.

"Do not touch it!" Cleopatra cried, and Charmion snatched her hand back. Not bothering to call me, the queen grabbed her cup and drained it to the last few drops, then flung it aside and leaned forward.

With one quick flick of her wrist, (I still wonder how she managed this with shaking hands) she overturned the basket. The snake writhed and stretched, then stood up and flared its hood. It hissed and spit, daring the queen to come any closer...but she did.

She slipped to the floor and held out her arm to the angry creature. It struck in a flash and Charmion struggled to suppress a scream. My eyes grew wide with fear, but I could not move, speak, or do anything to protect myself.

The snake heard Charmion's strangled cry and whirled around. Again, it flared its hood. Charmion stood and stepped away right as it struck...and then it turned toward me.

I tried to stand, but I stepped on the edge of my skirt and fell backwards, so I tried to crawl away, but the snake was too quick and it had already slithered into position. Without thinking, I grabbed my necklace and clamped my eyes shut, concentrating on when I wanted to arrive, a little bit after eight o'clock.

The snake hissed, the door flew open, and the snake struck. I was on my way, leaving Iras and all of Egypt behind.