Steven Saylor - Raiders of the Nile

Shadows hid his face, but it had to be him. The monkey was sitting on his shoulder.

I stepped back into a dark corner and for a while I simply watched him, making sure he was alone. Then I carefully scanned the room, spotting all the possible exits. Now that I had finally found him, I didn’t want him to slip from my grasp. It occurred to me that I had no weapon except a small knife, more suitable for intimidating a monkey than a man. Also, Melmak was probably stronger than I was. He was certainly bigger. But I would have the advantage of surprise, not to mention righteous anger.

At last, drawing a deep breath, I stepped from the shadows, strode across the room, and stood before him, clenching my fists and bracing myself to block his way should he try to bolt.

But when Melmak looked up and saw me, he did nothing of the sort. He flashed a broad grin, then released a loud belch. His breath stank of beer. I waved it away and wrinkled my nose.

“Gordianus!” he said. “My young Roman friend! Sit down and join me. The monkey and I were just talking about you.”

He stared up at me. Receiving no response, and seeing the stern look on my face, he frowned.

“Well, we weren’t actually talking about you, ” he said. “We were talking about Axiothea, and the last time we were all together-the monkey, Axiothea, and me. But you happened to be there, too-it was your birthday, wasn’t it? So in a way, we were talking about you. In a roundabout way, I mean. Very roundabout. If you see what I mean.”

“How much beer have you had to drink?” I said.

“I don’t know. The serving girl keeps bringing it, and I keep drinking it. The monkey insists on a share. Don’t look at me that way! He’s drunker than I am. Aren’t you?” He held up a finger to the monkey, who grabbed it and let out a tiny belch.

“Where is Bethesda?” I said.

“Who?”

“Bethesda. My-”

“Oh, yes, the slave girl who looks like Axiothea. I remember. Of course I do. Well, I don’t know. Where is she?” He looked about blearily, turning his head this way and that. “Is she supposed to be here? Is she meeting us?”

His obliviousness seemed genuine. But I reminded myself that he was an actor. “I think you know exactly where she is, Melmak. I think you took her from me.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Took her? Took her where? Where would I put her if I took her?” At that moment, he looked as guileless as the monkey, and not much smarter.

Could it be possible that Melmak was not lying? If that were the case, the alternatives were even more alarming. Either Bethesda had run off of her own volition, or two unknown men had abducted her, for an unknown purpose.

My legs felt weak. All the pent-up indignation drained out of me, like wine from a cracked amphora. I felt hollow inside. I sank down on the bench next to Melmak and buried my face in my hands.

“There, there!” He patted my shoulder. “Is it as bad as that?”

“She’s gone,” I said. “Missing.”

“The slave girl? What of it? You’ll get another.”

I shook my head.

Melmak sighed. “I know how you feel. Axiothea is gone, too.”

“What?” I looked at him, suddenly alert. If both of them were missing, what might that mean? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? “Axiothea is missing?”

“Well, not missing, exactly. I mean, I know where she must be. Which is not with me. Which is the problem.”

“What do you mean? Where is she?”

“With that wealthy patron of hers, of course. I should have known this would happen, after he saw fit to attend our last performance in that fancy litter of his. The fellow snaps his fingers, and Axiothea goes running to him, giving the rest of us not a word of notice. She’s like a cat, thinking she can disappear for days at a time and then come back and act as if she never left. It’s infuriating.”

“Axiothea is safe, then? You’re not worried about her?”

“Worried? Of course not. When she decides to come back, she’ll be all sleek from the delicacies he feeds her, and sporting a few new pieces of jewelry, I expect. And acting like a princess, all spoiled and thinking she can boss the rest of us around. Which of course she can, because I let her, the wicked girl! Can I buy you a drink, Gordianus?”

I looked at him sidelong. “I’m not sure I should accept a drink from the man who deserted me on the waterfront that day. You and the others left me to fend for myself.”

“Deserted you? You weren’t exactly in dire straits when I last saw you. You were napping quite peacefully, with a full stomach and a bellyful of beer, all of which I generously provided.”

“I was unconscious. Any thief who happened by might have robbed me blind.”

“ If you had anything worth robbing. But to be honest, your well-being was not my primary concern at that moment. The fact is, the rest of us all left in a bit of a hurry.”

“Why?”

“Because you were snoring so loudly!”

He laughed at his own joke, then saw the forlorn look on my face.

“All right, Gordianus, here’s what really happened. I sent one of the young flute players to scout the perimeter, as I do on a regular basis, and just as I was nodding off, the boy came running back, all flushed and alarmed. ‘A troop of royal guards is heading this way!’ he said. ‘And what of it?’ I said, because most of those fellows in royal uniforms are so stupid, they never have a clue who we are as long as we keep the monkey quiet. But the boy recognized the leader of this contingent, a commander who has a grudge against us.”

“A grudge?”

“I’ve been known to do an impersonation of the fellow-uncanny, if I say so myself-and for some reason he finds it insulting. So we gathered up our things and were out of there in the blink of an eye. And yes, we left you just as you were, snoring as loudly as those navigation horns on the lighthouse.”

“What about Axiothea? And Bethesda?”

“Axiothea is perfectly capable of fending for herself. I assumed that sooner or later she and your slave would return from the market and wake you up, probably long after the soldiers passed by.”

“And what would I have told Axiothea, when she asked where you were? I had no idea where you’d gone, or why.”

He shrugged. “Sometimes the troupe has to disperse and disappear on short notice, as well she knows.”

“But Axiothea never came back,” I said. “Or if she did, she didn’t wake me. And I never…” My throat constricted. “I never saw Bethesda again.”

“Oh, I see. That’s when the slave girl went missing?”

I nodded.

Melmak looked thoughtful. “I haven’t seen Axiothea since that day, either. You haven’t seen Axiothea, have you?”

“No. But I spoke to someone who may have seen her leave the market that day.”

“Alone?”

“Not exactly. She may have been following a little boy.”

Melmak smiled. “Ah, well, there you have it. You’ve just confirmed my suspicion, that Axiothea received a summons from her patron. There’s a boy he sends to deliver messages, who knows Axiothea by sight. No doubt that was the boy, and he was taking her to his master.”

I felt a chill. “But that must mean…”

“Yes?”

That the woman abducted by the two ruffians was indeed Bethesda, and not Axiothea , I thought. “So, after you left me at the waterfront, you saw neither Axiothea nor Bethesda again?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then Axiothea was the last of us to see Bethesda. I need to speak to her. Where is she, Melmak?”

“I have no idea.”

“You say she must be with her patron.”

“Yes, but I don’t know where he lives. I don’t even know his name.”