I cleared my throat. "If the consul is done with me-"

Caesar looked up, like a sleeper pulled from a dream. "Gordianus! No, stay. I'm about to make a decision too long deferred. Someone should be here to witness the moment. Why not you? Yes, I think Gordianus the Finder is precisely the man to be with me at this moment."

We waited; for what, I wasn't sure. At last, the guard stationed at the door announced that Caesar's visitor had arrived. A moment later, leaving his courtiers in the antechamber outside, the king stepped into the room.

CHAPTER XXVIII

I dropped to one knee. Caesar remained standing.

Giving a vague wave of his hand to signal that I might rise, but otherwise showing no acknowledgment of my presence, Ptolemy strode directly to Caesar and stopped a few paces from him. He wore the uraeus crown with a rearing cobra; his bearing was erect. He seemed somehow different-no longer a boy with the attributes of a man, but a man who had left boyhood behind. The gaze he exchanged with Caesar was that of equals, despite the difference in their ages.

"Your Majesty," said Caesar, inclining his head slightly.

"Consul," said Ptolemy, his eyes flashing and a faint smile softening his lips. The resemblance to his sister was more striking than ever.

Caesar sighed. "We've talked before, at great length, about what's to be done. You remain adamant in your position?"

"I shall never share the throne with my sister. Pothinus, whatever his true motives, eventually convinced me to compromise; but Pothinus is no longer here."

I realized the source of the change I saw in Ptolemy; it was due not to something added, but something subtracted. Except for his exhortations from the balcony of the Tomb of Alexander, I had never before seen the king outside the presence of Pothinus. Perhaps those who believed the lord chamberlain had cast an undue influence over the king were right. With Pothinus gone, Ptolemy seemed to have grown to full manhood overnight.

"Your Majesty realizes the difficulties of the decision I face," said Caesar.

"I do."

"But ultimately, as events have unfolded, and as the character of each of the Piper's children has become clearer to me…"

Ptolemy regarded him quizzically. "The consul has made a choice between us?"

"I have."

"And?"

"You know how fervently I desired to reconcile you with your sister. Even now, were it possible, it seems to me the judicious course. And yet it manifestly is not possible, and so another choice must be made…"

Ptolemy tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes. "Go on, Consul."

"I have decided, Your Majesty, to support your claim to be the sole ruler of Egypt."

I saw the flash of a boyish grin breaking through the constrained smile of the king. "And my sister?"

"Cleopatra may not readily accept my judgment, but she will be made to see she has no choice; her position in Alexandria relies entirely upon my protection, after all."

The king's smile faded. "What if she should slip out of Alexandria to rejoin her rebels, just as she slipped into the city?"

"That won't happen."

"How can the consul be sure?"

"For one thing, some of her closest confederates-those who assisted her entry to the city-are no longer with her." Caesar glanced at me with a tacit command to say nothing about Apollodorus and Merianis. "For the time being, she'll be returned to the palace on Antirrhodus and confined there. My soldiers will keep a close watch upon her."

"As Caesar's soldiers have kept close watch on me in recent days?" said Ptolemy.

"During the uncertain interim that has just ended, I found it necessary to prepare for all eventualities," said Caesar. "Now that my decision is made, Your Majesty shall of course be free to come and go as he pleases. Cleopatra will not."

"She must be handed over to me for judgment."

"No, Your Majesty. That I cannot do. No harm must come to her."

"If my sister is allowed to live, sooner or later she will escape and raise a revolt. Even in custody, she'll find some way to make mischief. As long as she breathes, she'll never stop plotting my death."

Caesar nodded. "Clearly, Cleopatra cannot be allowed to remain in Egypt. I think it may be best for her to take up residence in Rome-under my watchful protection, of course."

"In Rome? Where she can continue to plot against me?"

"A watch will be kept upon her house. Her movements will be restricted, as will the list of those allowed to visit her."

"Will Caesar be among the visitors who call upon her, in Rome?"

"Perhaps, from time to time."

Ptolemy shook his head. "Alexandria is far from Rome. Caesar will forget his ties to the king of Egypt. The viper will pour poison in your ears and turn you against me!" In the suddenly strident tone of his voice, the boy within the man made a fitful reappearance.

Caesar was adamant. "Your Majesty must trust me on this matter. I will not allow Cleopatra to be harmed. Is it not enough that I recognize your sole claim to the throne of Egypt?"

Ptolemy drew a deep breath. He squared his shoulders. The boy was suppressed; the man reasserted his primacy, and his decision was reached. "Caesar judges wisely. The people of Egypt and their king are lucky to have found such a friend in the consul of the Roman people. But now there is much work to be done. If I'm truly free to come and go…"

"You are, Your Majesty."

"Then I shall leave the palace now, to join with Achillas and take charge of my army in the city. I shall inform Achillas of your decision in my favor and order him to call back my troops, so that no more blood will be shed, Roman or Egyptian. Once order is established in the city as well as in the palace, and once my sister and those who wish to stay in her service have departed from Egypt under Caesar's protection, there shall be a ceremony to mark the cessation of hostilities and the affirmation of my rule." His voice softened. "If the consul has time, I should like him to accompany me on a journey up the Nile, so that he may observe the life of the river and witness the many splendors along her shore."

Caesar stepped forward and took the king's hand. "I should like nothing better, Your Majesty. Sooner or later I must leave Egypt; there must be a reckoning with the scattered remnants of Pompey's forces, who are said to be regrouping in Libya under the command of Cato. But I have little to fear from that quarter, and a full and final settlement of affairs in Egypt takes precedence over all other matters of state. To accompany the king on a tour of the Nile-to cement our friendship with such a journey-would please me greatly."

The two exchanged a look of such intimate affection that I felt like an intruder. I cleared my throat.

"In the meantime," said Caesar, resuming a more formal tone, "I shall watch for the cessation of hostilities from Achillas's men, and I shall eagerly await Your Majesty's return."

The king stepped back, pulling his hand from Caesar's grasp. As he turned to go, the look of manly determination on his face wavered; when he turned back, spinning on his heel, it was the boy-king I saw, timorous and uncertain, with tears in his eyes. He rushed back to Caesar and gripped his arm. "Come with me, Caesar! I don't want to leave your side!"

Caesar smiled indulgently at this sudden outburst of emotion. His gently laid his hand over the hand that gripped his arm, and he squeezed it affectionately. "The king has no need of me when it comes to dealing with Achillas. The order to cease hostilities must come from you alone. I would only get in the way."

Ptolemy nodded, but his eyes brimmed with tears. "You're right, of course. What I do now, I must do alone. 'It's a lonely business,' my father used to say, 'being a king.' But never forget one thing, Caesar: The whole of my kingdom is no dearer to me at this moment than the mere sight of you!"