Page 42 of Cleopatra

“Rome. Caesar. He was my father’s closest ally. Pothinus’s ploy goes against my father’s will. If I petition Caesar, he may yet lend me his force. Especially as his fleet docks in Alexandria. The problem is getting to Caesar.”

Charmion’s eyes narrowed and I said, “You look like you have an idea.”

She nodded. “I do. But you won’t like it.”

—

The following night, under the light of the stars, I made my way to the bow of the boat. No servants stopped me, no guards stood at my back. It was as if I were invisible, and it was a freedom I savoured.

I wore Charmion’s pale linen tunic. My hair was unbraided and tied simply at the base of my neck with cord. No jewels adorned my wrists or ears. No kohl lined my eyes. The only hint of the pharaoh I once was, I kept hidden beneath the collar of my dress: the concealed ivory dagger.

I looked behind me, but the boat was silent. Soon dawn would break and Queen Cleopatra would arrive at Alexandria’s harbour. But it wouldn’t be the Queen, it would be Charmion, veiled to hide her scar and dressed as my copy.

“I cannot let you do this,” I had said, shaking my head fiercely.

“You must. It is the only way you can enter the city without being caught.”

I held on to her wrist tightly. “What if you are hurt? Killed?”

“They will not murder you before the people. Pothinus is shrewd, but he knows there are many citizens who still support you in the city.”

“So, your death is delayed until you are beneath the palace’s roof.”

Charmion laid a hand on mine, loosening my grip until our fingers were intertwined. “I will reveal to them who I am before a blade is held against my throat.”

“And you think laying bare the ruse will stop the knife from slicing?”

Charmion looked at me plainly. “It is a risk worth taking. Let me do this for you. If I can delay their search for you for half a day, it will be worth it.”

“It is not worth your life.”

She smiled sweetly. “But it is worth yours.”

My heart constricted as I thought of her now. I turned back to the Nile water below.

“Isis, watch over Charmion. She is more to me than the flesh and bones of her body. She is my companion and my friend, in this life and the next.” My prayer concluded, I dived into the depths of the Nile.

Chapter Nine

48 BCE

old water rushed up my nose, thick with the swirling currents of silt. I stayed under for as long as my breath would allow. The river plucked at the length of my dress, tangling the skirt like seaweed around my legs.

I tried to kick free of the weight of the wet material but it dragged me further down.

My lungs began to strain, my arms aching as I tried to make my way to the shallows of the riverbank. Reeds scratched at my legs, letting me know I was close, but the fabric was still pulling me under. What if I didn’t make it?

Just as I was sure I wasn’t going to, I felt my feet strike mud and kicked hard against it, pushing myself to the surface.

I took in a ragged breath, my heart thumping, and looked back. But the barge was quiet, its light glittering like fireflies on the water.

I swam the last few strokes to the shore. My limbs trembling, I crawled out of the mud and collapsed onto the riverbank.

The full moon shone down on me, and I began to laugh. I held my hands to my mouth to hide the sound, but I still shuddered with silent guffaws, shifting the reeds around me.

I am free.

It may only have been temporary, but I savoured the moment as the royal barge drifted past. It wouldn’t be long before it docked in Alexandria.