I dozed for a while, but only fitfully. I woke from a vague dream of fire and blood and found myself wide awake.
I stood and stretched, feeling stiffer in every limb than I had ever felt before. I followed the sound of croaking frogs to the water’s edge, where I came upon Menkhep. He sat on the trunk of a fallen palm tree, gazing at the moon and stars reflected on the water.
“Do you mind if I join you?” I said.
He gestured to a spot beside him on the log.
“Can’t sleep?” I said.
“Killing a man always has that effect on me.” He looked at me sidelong. In the uncertain moonlight, the two points of light that marked his eyes looked as distant as the stars.
“I can’t sleep, either. I thought I might volunteer for sentry duty,” I said.
He shook his head. “You won’t be asked to do that until you’re truly one of us.”
“When will that be?”
“After Artemon puts it to a vote, and you’ve undergone the initiation.”
This was the second time that day he had spoken of such a thing. I didn’t like the sound of it. “What sort of initiation?”
“You’ll find out, in due time.” He stared at the water. “After what I did today, I think you owe me another favor, Roman.”
“Do I?”
“I saw the squeamish look on your face when Artemon offered you the axe. You, the killer of all those men in Canopus! I asked myself: what sort of killer is this Pecunius, anyway?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps the cowardly kind, who prefers his victims to be asleep.”
“Is that it, Roman? Or did something else make you hesitate? I thought I saw something like pity on your face-pity for that wretch Hairy Shoulders! For a moment there, I thought you were going to refuse to carry out Artemon’s order. I thought you were about to challenge him. I believe he thought so, too. You weren’t the only one who looked relieved when I took hold of the axe.”
“Artemon was relieved?”
“I could see it on his face.”
“Artemon, relieved, because he was afraid to fight me?” I felt flattered for a moment, until Menkhep let out a harsh laugh.
“No, stupid! Because he didn’t want to have to kill you. Not yet, anyway. I think he likes you.”
Menkhep had been tense and moody when I joined him. He now seemed more relaxed. I decided to venture a question.
“When we went to see Metrodora yesterday, I got the idea that there was another woman sharing the hut with her.”
“What makes you think that?”
I shrugged. “Something Metrodora said.”
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, there’s a young woman there. Now some of the men call that hut ‘the women’s quarters’-as if such a thing could exist in the Cuckoo’s Nest! I remember a time before Metrodora came, a time when no woman of any sort would have been allowed to reside among us, not even a witch.”
“Metrodora has made a place for herself among you, but surely the young woman isn’t here of her own free will.”
“She’s a captive, being held for ransom. Artemon says there’s a rich man in Alexandria who’ll pay a fortune to get the girl back, but so far, the rich man hasn’t even bothered to reply to Artemon’s messages.”
“Is this girl the rich man’s daughter?” I asked, making a show of my ignorance.
Menkhep shook his head. “His mistress, they say. An actress with a mime troupe.”
“A rich man’s mistress? She must be quite beautiful.”
“She certainly is.”
“You’ve seen her?”
“Only a couple of times, and then only for a moment. From the first day she arrived in the Cuckoo’s Nest, Artemon has kept her hidden from the rest of us. He says it’s better that the men don’t see her at all, lest they be tempted.”
“Tempted to do what?”
“What do you think? Hairy Shoulders wasn’t the only randy goat among us, though I’d like to think he was stupider than most.” Menkhep shook his head. “A girl that pretty could cause all sorts of trouble, even if no one lays a finger on her.”
“How so?”
“Bat her eyelashes, flirt a bit, act all helpless-imagine the fights that might break out if she decided to play one man against another. Soon enough she’d talk some starry-eyed fool into helping her escape.” He sighed, then lowered his voice. “I only wish that Artemon had followed his own rules, about not seeing the girl. I wish he’d never laid eyes on her!”
“Why do you say that?”
“Do you know the story of Alexander and the King of Persia’s wife?”
“Refresh my memory.”
“When Alexander killed King Darius and conquered Babylon, everyone expected him to call the wife of Darius before him, because her beauty was legendary. But the most important thing to Alexander was that the Persians should love him, and to ravish their queen would get him off to a shaky start. He also wanted to keep a clear head, and feared that her beauty would muddle his senses. So, even though the queen wished to meet him, Alexander refused to allow her into his presence, fearing that what he touched with his eyes he would be compelled to touch with his hands. He behaved like a king, not a conqueror, and he resisted temptation.”
I nodded. “They tell a similar story about Scipio Africanus.” Menkhep gave me a blank look. “You must have heard of him.”
Menkhep shook his head. I sighed. Surely I was a stranger in a strange land, to find myself among men who had never heard of Scipio Africanus. “He was merely the greatest Roman general who ever lived, the man who outfoxed and outfought Hannibal of Carthage.”
“Hannibal-now him I’ve heard of.”
I grunted. “That’s all very well, but the story is about Scipio. When he was fighting in Spain, Scipio conquered the city of New Carthage. The daughter of his enemy was brought before him. Her beauty took his breath away. He could have taken her then and there, but instead he averted his eyes and returned the girl to her father. Poets have sung his praises ever since.”
Menkhep nodded. “So far, Artemon has resisted this girl-but who knows how much longer he can do so? If only he had never fallen under her spell!”
“Are you saying this girl is a witch, like Metrodora?”
“Ha! It wouldn’t surprise me if Metrodora has taught the girl a few spells since she’s been in her care. But Metrodora’s sorcery is child’s play compared to the magic of Hathor.” This was the name by which the Egyptians worshiped Venus.
“If Artemon wants her so badly, and she’s his captive, at his mercy … what would happen, if he were to take this girl by force?”
“That would violate his most important rule, that captive women and boys must not be molested. Every one of us must obey that rule, on pain of banishment or death, and that includes Artemon himself. Otherwise he’d show himself to be a hypocrite, and the men would turn against him.”
“What if it wasn’t rape? What if he was to win the girl over, with sweet words?”
“Some of the men might be happy for him, but many more would be jealous. Why should our leader have a lover or a wife living with him in the Cuckoo’s Nest, when we have none? And if he takes her for his own, that means the gang will have to forfeit the ransom, which the rich Alexandrian may yet be willing to cough up. Artemon knows all this, yet he can’t seem to shake her spell. Yesterday, while you were with Metrodora, he was with that girl.”
“Trying to seduce her?” I clenched my teeth, remembering the kiss.
“Probably. But without success. Just before Artemon left her, I heard a loud slap. And when he came out of her hut, one of his cheeks was as red as a hot coal.”
“The girl struck him? And he let her get away with such a thing? Is her beauty so great?”
Menkhep smiled. “I’m not a rich Alexandrian, or a eunuch from the royal palace. I don’t see beautiful women every day. But by any standard I can imagine, yes, the girl is exceptional. No wonder she’s called Axiothea! But more than that…” He fell silent for a moment, searching for the right words. “There’s a kind of fire in her. She’s special. Anyone could see that at a glance. In fact…”