We continued wordlessly down the staircase, intent on waiting for Hasani and Antony in the courtyard. When we arrived, however, they were already there, chatting by a granite sculpture of Anubis. The heady scent of jasmine hung heavily in the air and I remembered now why it had always been my favorite smell in the world. It must have, on a subconscious level, reminded me of Alexandria.
Hasani’s face lit up as we approached and I smiled in response. I would never get accustomed to the beauty of it. It was as radiant as the sun.
“My love,” he murmured as I stepped to his side. I could tell that he desperately wanted to kiss me, but decorum prevented him from acting on it.
“This is a pleasant lunch time surprise,” he said instead, his eyes locked with mine.
“Yes, it is,” I readily agreed as we followed Antony and Cleopatra down the stairs to the beach. “I wish I could lunch with you every day, general.”
He responded by touching the small of my back lightly and allowing his hand to trail down softly over my hips. My skin practically caught fire where he touched it and I exhaled a long sigh.
When we reached the beach, we saw that a table had been brought from the palace, elaborately set with golden dishes inside a royal purple tent. The doorways of the tent were fastened back to allow the breeze to flow through.
As we approached, I saw that the inside of the tent had been furnished as though it was a lavish room. A side table loaded with jugs of wine and plates of bread lined the side, while on the other side, mountains of silk cushions adorned the rugs placed on the sand.
Of course, I should have expected no less. Cleopatra did nothing shabbily, including a picnic on the sand. Knowing this, Antony had outdone himself. Roasted fish sat on the table, with side dishes of steamed currants, roasted carrots in garlic sauce and sautéed onions surrounded it. The smells emitting from the tent were making my stomach growl and we quickly seated ourselves around the table.
In front of us, the majestic Mediterranean lapped calmly against the shore, as if even the sea knew to behave in Cleopatra’s presence. The salty air breezed in gently, just enough to stir my hair and rotate the air in the tent.
As I looked around the table, at Cleopatra gazing lovingly at Antony, at Antony laughingly teasing his wife as he fed her a currant with his fingers and at Hasani… whose beautiful dark face was adoringly watching me… I knew that I would never forget this afternoon, not in two thousand years. It would be the memory that would break my heart as I missed these people for all of eternity.
Cleopatra’s tinkling laugh brought me back to the present and I quickly began paying attention again as we ate lunch together. But suddenly, with the magnitude of what I was about to lose staring at me in the face once again, it was suddenly difficult to swallow the decadent meal.
I lifted my chalice and took a big gulp of wine, only to find Hasani gazing at me as I lowered the glass. His smile took my breath away and I wished with every fiber in my being that it didn’t.
I struggled trying to uphold the charade that everything was normal as I listened to Antony prattle on about the upcoming battle against Rome. I could hear the undercurrent of worry in his voice and I knew that within a few days, he and Cleopatra would be acknowledging to each other that it would be futile.
What he didn’t know however, was that she was not going to allow her army’s defeat. She would defect first. As I watched him laugh, my knowledge was suddenly too heavy to bear. I stood quickly to my feet.
“Your highness, do you mind if I take a walk on the beach?” I asked desperately. She glanced at my face quickly, hearing the notes of panic.
“Of course not, Charmian,” she agreed. “Please- take Hasani and go for a walk. The weather is perfect today.”
I nodded my thank you and left the tent as quickly as humanly possible. Thankfully, Hasani didn’t notice anything amiss, as he looped his arm around my waist.
“Thank you, my love,” he murmured into my ear as we walked. “I desperately needed some time alone with you. I’ll be spending the rest of the day with my officers, so I will enjoy your presence now. You smell a lot better than they do!” His eyes twinkled as he laughed.
“Hasani, you are so beautiful,” I answered softly, stopping as I reached out to trace his jaw with my fingers. He stared at me quizzically, a small smile tilting his lips.
“Warriors are not beautiful, my lady,” he corrected.
“No?” I asked, sliding my fingers down his chest over the smooth fabric of his shift. “Then what are they?”
“Hopelessly in love with you,” he answered confidently, bending to scoop me up tightly against him, his arms as strong as steel bands. Bowing his head, he kissed me softly and soundly all at once, making certain that he got his point across as he held me suspended in his arms. There were no worries there. I received his message and smiled.
“What is it that you told me the other night, general?” I asked teasingly. “You’re just going to have to behave and wait until tonight?”
“Don’t throw my words back at me, woman,” he growled lightly, kissing the side of my neck. I could feel my heart slamming in my chest as it did every other time he touched me. His effect on me was immediate and profound. Every time.
“I’m just saying…” I smiled inwardly as he interrupted me mid-sentence, kissing me again, his lips soft against mine. He gently forced mine apart and his tongue lightly circled my own. When the kiss ended, I breathlessly managed to finish my sentence.
“I’m just saying that you’ll have to wait,” I managed to get out, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Are warriors patient?”
“Always,” he confirmed smugly. “It is one of our many talents.”
He smiled broadly and warmth flooded through me. I had never felt safer than I did at that moment, safely ensconced in his arms. Fate was indeed a cruel mistress.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The palm trees in the courtyard swayed softly in the breeze as Cleopatra and I huddled together. Dressed completely in dark brown linen, we were hoping to fade into the backdrop of night as we traveled down the beach to the hidden cave.
“Are you all set?” she whispered anxiously, staring into my eyes. “Do you know what to do?”
I nodded. I was completely terrified, but I knew what to do. Tonight was our best chance at getting the bloodstone back from Pothinus.
He was still unaware that Tehran had defected to Cleopatra, so he was expecting a meeting with his loyal servant tonight. Little did he know that I would be the one walking into that cave. Hopefully, he would be taken enough by surprise so that I could get the upper hand. Not likely, but it was still our hope.
Cleopatra took me by the arm and we made our way down the two hundred steps to the water. The breeze carried the scent of jasmine to us from the palace and I inhaled the familiar, comforting scent as we approached the guards at the bottom of the stairs. They startled, not expecting to see two cloaked figures emerge behind them. Cleopatra lowered her hood just enough that they could see who she was.
“My queen,” they bowed low, lowering their spears to their sides.
As they stood again, surprise at her appearance was evident on their faces, but we were unconcerned. They answered to her, after all. They weren’t exactly going to question her.
I slid my shaking hand down to my thigh, checking for the cool metal of Cleopatra’s jeweled dagger. It was strapped securely around my leg- right at my fingertips if I needed it. I looked at her and she nodded, so I took a step forward. She was going to hang back twenty paces, in case Pothinus was watching the beach.
Twilight glittered on the top of the Mediterranean, the reflection of the moonlight sparkling like shattered broken black glass as I made my way quietly along the abandoned beach. Darkness shrouded everything around me, making me shiver at the things that it might be concealing.
Everything was coming down to me now… I was the one who had to meet Pothinus, I was the one who had to somehow wrench my amulet away from him,
I was the one who held the histories of the world in her arms. I pictured my puny biceps and inwardly groaned. This was going to be a disaster. I wasn’t capable of wrenching anything. Who was I kidding?
The sand was wet beneath my feet as I clung to the foam lip of the sea and contemplated the heavy weight on my shoulders. All along the shoreline, the tide was bringing in driftwood and strings of seaweed which littered the beach in wet clumps. I stepped gingerly over the debris as I made my way silently toward the cave.
Away from the light of the torches that lined the palace’s courtyard, the night was so dark that when I glanced behind me, I almost missed seeing Cleopatra. Only her head was visible, bobbing along in the night. Her face was completely concealed by her cloak. I swallowed hard and continued walking, searching the rocks for the opening of the cave. And I almost missed it.
The opening yawned blacker than the night, signaling the deep abyss that it contained. Apprehension built in my chest and it grew until I could barely breathe. As I walked the few remaining steps to the mouth of the cave, I concentrated on taking small, short breaths. The last thing I needed was to hyperventilate on the shore. It would be a dead giveaway to Pothinus that I wasn’t Tehran.
I paused outside of the cave for a brief moment, trying to get a hold of myself and to slow my racing heart. My birthmark was silent, not a single throb of pain came from it…a good sign.
The sea beat relentlessly against the coast and I tried to concentrate on the rhythmic crashing to calm myself. I knew that Cleopatra was waiting in the darkness and was probably wondering what the heck I was doing. I took one last deep breath and stepped inside.
Without the light from the moon, the cave was even blacker than the beach. I waited for a moment so that my eyes could adjust, but after a few minutes longer, I still couldn’t see a thing.
A deep voice echoed from within, from somewhere hidden in the shadows.
“You are late. You know I hate it when you are late!” Pothinus rasped.
Panic began to overwhelm me. How could I do anything at all if I couldn’t even see him? I scanned the darkness, trying to make sense out of any of the shadowy shapes, but it was simply too dark. It was impossible. There was no way I would have a chance at getting the upper hand. I was surrounded with utter blackness.
And then a miracle.
Pothinus lit a torch and stepped into the light. I could scarcely believe my good fortune. But my good fortune slipped away with every step that
Pothinus took, because each step was bringing him closer to the moment that he realized who I was.
Another heavy step. Then another and another. And then one more.
He stood three steps away and from inside my hood, I could hear his heavy breathing, as though the simple act of walking was laborious for him. And it probably was. The man was morbidly obese. Sweat glistened on his forehead, the orange glow of the torch reflecting off of his pasty skin. I silently made a face. Once again, he smelled like a hamster. Clearly, he had an aversion to bathing.
“Well?” he thundered. “Do you have anything to report or have I ventured out in the night for nothing?”
The moment of truth.
I only had one chance to make this work. The second I spoke, he would know who I was. My heart thudded heavily into my cloak. I scanned his body in search of the bloodstone, but didn’t see it.
I would have to assume that it was hidden safely under the folds of his own cloak. Tehran had told Cleopatra this evening that Pothinus never took it off- that he wore it on a chain around his neck constantly. It felt strange to trust Tehran, but his word was all we had.
I reached up a shaking hand and pulled off my hood. The light from Pothinus’ torch bathed the side of my face in its golden glow. I tentatively shifted my gaze to his face, where his complete shock hung like an unfinished sentence.
Taking advantage of his surprise, I hurled myself into him with all of my strength. Hitting his weight was like running into a brick wall, but I somehow managed to knock him off-balance. As he stumbled backward, I groped at his chest, trying to feel my pendant through his heavy shift. My fingers had just grazed the hard edge of the gold when he wrenched me away.
“You little bitch!” he gasped as he yanked my head back by my hair.
White hot pain shot into me, spreading down into my neck and shoulders. The pain was so intense that it took my breath away. I fought to breathe as I wildly struggled against him, but my hands couldn’t grasp him. He was a mountain of fat.
Holding both of my wrists in one of his, he leaned his putrid face close to mine as I panted with exertion.
“What did you think you were going to do, Charmian?” He glanced behind me. “You thought you could come here alone and be a hero for your queen, for the Order?” He laughed in derision, the sound a vicious echo in the blackness of the cave.
“You’re a fool,” he snarled, throwing me easily to the floor. I hit hard, my hands scraping the stone. “All you’ve done is make things easier for me… by delivering yourself to me on a platter!”
I felt my hands begin to bleed and I shook my head to clear it. I scrambled awkwardly up and glared at the eunuch, wiping my hands on my cloak. He stared back with beady, hostile eyes.
“Pothinus, this needs to end. Long ago, events unfolded the way they were meant to unfold. And you will be unable to use my bloodstone to change anything. It won’t work for you. I would have thought that Annen would have told you that.”
He laughed again, a maniacal, unbalanced sound. “And where is Annen now? Oh, that’s right. He’s dead. I killed him. His opinion is no longer important.”
It was clear that Pothinus had lost it. He was a crazy person. His beady black eyes were cold and flat, as though I was looking into the eyes of a shark. It gave me shivers.
“Annen knew what he was speaking of, Pothinus. My bloodstone is tied to me and I will not help you. We cannot change the face of time. We cannot. Even if you tried, I am guessing that you would not like the outcome- because it would surely come with consequences.”
I tried to keep my voice calm and logical, as though I was simply trying to hash out a problem with a friend. It was unbelievably difficult to keep the acid out of my voice.
“Annen simply didn’t want anyone to have the power. That is all, you foolish twit. He cared nothing about protecting history or time. He just wanted the power.”
I stared at him in amazement.
“Are you insane? If he only wanted the power, he would have kept it. But he returned the bloodstone to me… its rightful owner.”
I studied the eunuch’s face. He was not convinced. His expression was still superior, as though I was a foolish child and he was the all-knowing adult.
“I’m not going to waste any more time on you.” He spit at me. “Until you agree to help me, I will kill those close to you, one by one. And I will save you for last, dear Charmian.”
I wanted to smile in his self-important face, but I didn’t want to reveal anything. I was accustomed to death. He didn’t frighten me.
Clearly, he was not worried about any threat that I might pose. He believed that I was here alone- and I was just a helpless woman.
I was suddenly thankful for the kickboxing lessons that I had taken with my mother last year, as a plan hatched quickly in my mind. Without even waiting to cement it, I whirled, swinging my leg around in a full-force roundhouse kick to his abdomen. His mouth dropped open in a comical O when I made contact.
My bare foot disappeared into the folds of his gelatinous stomach, before I quickly yanked it back out. Clearly, kicking his fat wasn’t going to be effective- he didn’t even feel it, although it did serve to catch him by surprise. As a eunuch, he didn’t have any balls for me to kick, although I desperately wished that wasn’t the case. That would be oh-so-satisfying. My options, it seemed, were limited.
Before he could grab my leg with his ham-fists, I bent my knee and kicked him in the side of the head. The impact spun his face around, a mouthf
ul of saliva flying out and splattering the stone wall of the cave. I grinned triumphantly at him. Who knew I could be such a bad-ass?
Taking advantage of the moment, I garnered all of my strength and charged at him. He toppled over onto his hands and knees, his red face wheezing as he tried to inhale. As he fell heavily to the ground with the torch, my bloodstone tumbled out of his cloak. Twisting gently as it dangled from his neck, it glittered in the fire light.
Lunging forward, I yanked it with every ounce of strength that I had left. The thin chain snapped and all at once, it was in my hand. I closed my fingers firmly around the cool gold and immediately felt a rush of comfort. It was back where it belonged.
Eyeing Pothinus as he lumbered to his feet, I tried to decide what to do. He was heavier and slower, so I could definitely out run him, but he was situated between me and the mouth of the cave. Like a wall made from cellulite, he blocked my escape- and from his devious bloody smile, I could tell that he knew it.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his arm, he spit onto the ground, stringy rust colored mucus hanging from his lips.
“Hmm. Maybe you’re not so foolish, servant girl,” he taunted, limping closer. “But you still aren’t as smart as you think. There’s no way out for you. You’re going to have to get past me- and trust me, that’s not going to happen.”
I knew that he was right and I frantically looked around me, trying to remember from my childhood days if there was another exit. I quickly recalled that there was not. I was trapped with this overstuffed whale.
And then, as if from a dream, Hasani’s clear voice came from the darkness.
“I don’t know who you are or what game you are playing, but if you lay another hand on my future wife, I will cut your throat.”
He stepped into the light from the torch, his beautiful face as menacing as I’d ever seen it. His bronzed skin glistened in the light as he stepped even closer. I could see the disbelief flicker across his face as he registered that he was standing with a dead man, before he quickly masked his surprise. He was a warrior through and through, a fact that I sometimes forgot since he was so gentle when he was with me.
He held his sword in both hands, circling around Pothinus as though he was a hunter and Pothinus was his next meal. A movement behind him caught my attention and I glanced up to find Cleopatra’s pale face in the shadows.
“My queen,” I frowned. “You weren’t supposed to come in. It’s too dangerous for you.”
She sniffed disdainfully. “The only danger here is asphyxiation from