Page 65 of Cleopatra

“This is different. The city is a war zone.”

“I will be careful.”

“No, you cannot go.”

“Who are you to tell a pharaoh what to do?” My tone was cutting, knife-sharp.

“Cleopatra,” he said, softly. Like a plea.

But I had made my mind up.

“I will go with you,” he said, seeing the resolution in my face.

“No,” I said firmly. “You are too recognisable.”

“I will dress as an Egyptian. Bring me clothes, I can hide my features.”

I tried to imagine him in the simple cloth of a farmer and laughed again. Distress had unravelled some of my tightly coiled tension.

“This is not the time for mirth,” he said, his expression distraught. I reached up to smooth the lines of his brow.

“You are to stay here, dear Julius. I will be safe on my own.”

He leaned into my touch. “You will not take Charmion?”

“Of course I will. Even when I am alone, I am with her. I have told you before, she is my companion in all things.”

He looked conflicted. “Is she trained to use a spear?”

“We will be fine. This is my city. I know its very bones.”

“Do you have to go?”

“Yes, I need to see that the library still stands. But I will come back.”

“You must, for there are many more topics I would like to discuss with you.” His gaze grew intense. “And many more things I should like to do.”

I stepped towards him and pressed my hand to his chest. He seemed to welcome the touch, drawing in a ragged breath.

“A worthy reason to return,” I said.

He encased my hand in his. “Come back to me.”

“I will.”

Chapter Thirteen

48 BCE

harmion and I rowed to the mainland just before dawn. The smoke was so thick we had to cover our mouths with cloth dipped in river-water.

The fire still raged as we passed the great harbour. The burned shells of the Alexandrian fleet smouldered in the lightening sky.

I heard Arsinoe screaming in my mind as her skin bubbled and blistered. Theos, too, his blood-curdling cries making me wince and cover my ears.

“What is wrong?” Charmion asked as the little rowing boat nudged onto the beach.

“Arsinoe and Mikro Theos.” Saying their names was enough. She knew I mourned them.