Steven Saylor - The judgement of Caesar

"Then it was you who took the vial from Gordianus's trunk?" said Caesar.

"Yes."

"But how did you even know about the vial's existence, and what it contained?"

"On the day I brought Meto to his room, Gordianus asked me to leave-but I lingered in the hallway outside. I listened to their conversation. I heard what Gordianus said about the vial and the poison inside-and I also heard what Meto told him, to get rid of it! Later, when I had a chance, I took the vial from the trunk-but only because I feared that Gordianus might be tempted to use it against himself, and I could not bear the thought." Her eyes met mine at last. "That's the truth, I swear to you by Isis! I stole the vial only because I wanted to protect you from yourself, Gordianus! Please, believe me!"

I drew a breath to speak, but Caesar raised a hand to silence me. "Go on, Merianis," he said.

"The queen sent me to fetch Apollodorus, but first I ran to my room and found the vial. I emptied it-"

"You hadn't emptied it before?" Caesar asked sharply. "Why did you not empty it when you stole it, if your purpose was to keep the poison from being used?"

Merianis became flustered. "You're right. It was empty already-I forgot. I'm becoming confused again…"

"Go on!" Caesar's tone made even Cleopatra wince. Merianis began to weep.

"When I found Apollodorus, I quickly explained what had happened… and I told him of my desire: that he should place the empty vial upon the person of Meto, so that Meto would be blamed for the poisoning."

"But why, Merianis? What was your grudge against Meto?"

"Not a grudge; a broken heart! From the moment I saw him, I desired him. He should have desired me in return. I made my feelings plain to him, and he spurned me. I wanted him to suffer!" She shuddered and hid her face in her hands.

"And you, Apollodorus?" Caesar cast a burning gaze at the tall Sicilian. "You went along with this deception?"

Before, in every circumstance, Apollodorus's attitude had been utterly self-assured, even brazenly defiant; but now he lowered his eyes and spoke in a hoarse whisper. "I did what Merianis asked me to do."

"But why, Apollodorus?"

"Because…" He spoke through gritted teeth. "Because I love her."

"I see." Caesar nodded gravely. "You must love her very much indeed."

"I do!"

I could no longer remain quiet. "Caesar!" I said-but again he silenced me with his hand and an angry glare. He turned to Cleopatra.

"What does Your Majesty have to say about this?"

Her demeanor was more haughty than ever. Cleopatra seemed as cool and unassailable as a pillar of marble. "Such a deception impugns the dignity of the consul, to be sure…"

"No less than it impugns the majesty of the queen, if she, too, was deceived by her servants!"

"Yes; but their crime is less heinous than that of poisoning…"

"Hardly less heinous, if the result had been the execution of one of my closest lieutenants, an innocent man!" Caesar took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, there must be a reckoning."

A ripple of dismay marred the bland perfection of the queen's composure, like a wind-flaw on flat water. There was a very slight catch in her voice when she spoke. "The consul speaks justly. There must be a reckoning for this deceit, and so there shall be." She turned her gaze first to Merianis, and then to Apollodorus. Something profound was communicated in the look the queen exchanged with these two, the closest of all her subjects. The queen gave them a silent order; in silence they accepted it. The three of them seemed transported to a plane of existence where neither Caesar nor I could follow. Thus I excuse my inaction during the events that immediately followed. They became like actors on the stage, and Caesar and I became mute spectators, able only to watch in horror and awe.

Apollodorus produced a dagger. Later I would wonder why Caesar's guards had not disarmed him. But as we knew already, he was skilled at sleight of hand, and somehow he had slipped the weapon past them.

Apollodorus turned to Merianis, who stood trembling with her eyes shut, as if she knew what would happen next. Her lips moved sound-lessly, reciting a prayer. Apollodorus plunged the knife into her heart. I think she died very quickly, for she made only a small, sibilant utterance-"Sweet Isis!" — as she collapsed to the floor. Her body convulsed for a moment, and then became utterly still.

Without hesitation, Apollodorus knelt, planted the long, bloody dagger upright before him, and fell upon it with his full weight. His death was more unseemly than that of Merianis. He grunted, coughed blood on the floor, and expelled a rattling breath. "My queen!" he cried, struggling to lift his eyes to gain a final glimpse of Cleopatra. His eyes rolled back in his head. His jaw gaped. Blood ran from his mouth. He fell onto his side, drawing his knees to his chest. His feet twitched and kicked, and then he lay as still as Merianis.

The guard at the door gave a shout and came running, quickly followed by others. Caesar raised his arm. "Stay back!"

"But, Consul-!" protested the guard.

"Leave us. Now!"

Looking askance at the queen and mumbling among themselves, Caesar's men withdrew.

Cleopatra gazed down at the lifeless bodies at her feet. She drew a sharp breath and let out a cry. Tears ran down her cheeks. For a moment

I thought she might lose her composure entirely and fall to the floor weeping. But she stiffened her neck, fought back tears, and turned her glittering eyes to Caesar.

"Is Caesar satisfied?" she asked.

Once more I felt compelled to speak, but Caesar cocked his head, thrust out his jaw, and silenced me with a look. "Caesar… is satisfied."

She lowered her eyes. "And this matter is closed?"

"The matter is closed. The queen's subjects have been punished. Meto is absolved and shall be released. We shall never speak again of what happened on Antirrhodus."

"Very well," said the queen. She removed a long linen mantle that was gathered and pinned at one shoulder, shook the garment loose, and laid it over the bodies of Merianis and Apollodorus. "If you will, see that no one touches these remains. Embalmers from the temple of Isis will come very soon to collect them, so that the proper rituals may be observed at each stage of the journey upon which they have embarked."

I could not help myself. My voice trembled. "How terrible, if anything should go amiss and disappoint the queen! Even in the life hereafter, her loyal servants must be ready and waiting for her when the day comes that the queen herself crosses over!"

She gave me a chilly look. "You understand completely, Gordianus. Apollodorus and Merianis worship Isis, and I embody Isis. Their loyalty knows no bounds, and neither does their reward. So it is in this world; so it shall be in the next, and through all eternity. The impious will fall aside and turn to dust, but the righteous shall have life everlasting."

"With you as their queen?"

"Don't worry, Gordianus. I doubt very much that you will be among my subjects in the life hereafter."

With that she collected herself and strode from the room, her head held high.

The embalmers came quickly; so quickly, in fact, that it seemed they must have gathered somewhere nearby beforehand, to await the queen's call. The bodies of Merianis and Apollodorus were laid upon biers and carried off.

" 'Caesar is satisfied'!" I said, unable to contain my sarcasm. "Are you, Consul? How can you be?"

He looked at me for a long moment before speaking. "I am satisfied that I responded as I should have responded to what just took place in this room."

"But you cannot be satisfied that the queen and her subjects told you the truth!"

"That, Gordianus, is another matter."