"Ah, but you have it exactly wrong. For those who attain immortality, this life is but a shadow of the next. The point of this life is to prepare for the life to come. I brought up this subject for a reason, Gordianus. Knowing of Meto's importance to Caesar, knowing of your importance to Meto-and because Merianis has become so fond of you-I have made it my business to know a little about you."
"I find it hard to imagine that anything about myself might interest the queen of Egypt."
"Even so, I know of your reason for coming to Egypt, Gordianus, and I know of your bereavement. Was your wife very ill?"
I sighed. "Is this subject truly of interest to Your Majesty? It causes me pain to speak of it."
"Even so, indulge me."
"Very well. My wife's illness was mysterious to me. Sometimes it seemed to me almost that she must be imagining it. At other times, I feared it would take her from me so suddenly I would have no chance to say farewell."
"She wished to bathe in the Nile, thinking that would cure her?"
"So she said. But…"
"You think she might have had another reason for coming to Egypt?"
"I think perhaps she sensed that her death was near, and it was her desire to die in Egypt. She often expressed to me her disdain for Roman funerary rites; she did not care for cremation. Where else but in Egypt could she be properly mummified and given the ancient rites of passage to the afterlife? While that may have been her intention, it was not what happened in the end."
"Your wife was lost in the Nile."
"It happened near a little temple between the road and the river, north of Naucratis."
Cleopatra nodded. "The ancient temple of Osiris, hidden among the vines; I know it well. The place is very ancient, very holy."
"I was told afterward that the temple is abandoned, and that the woman who stays there, pretending to be a priestess, is mad."
The queen raised an eyebrow. "I've met the woman of whom you speak. I found her very wise."
"It was the old crone who told Bethesda to enter the water," I said bitterly.
"But, Gordianus! Do you not understand the significance of a death in the Nile? The river is sacred to Osiris; whom the river claims, the god claims. To drown in the Nile is to be blessed in Osiris. Do you know the story of his death and resurrection? Let me tell it to you.
"It was Osiris who brought the gift of civilization to the world, at the dawn of history. Before Osiris, men were cannibals; Osiris taught them to grow crops and to harvest the fish of the sea, and he gave them much more-the first temples in which to worship the gods, the first cities and laws, even the first instruments with which to make music. The type of flute that my father loved so much to play was invented by Osiris himself.
"Osiris ruled the earth, and all men loved him. But by his very goodness Osiris incurred the jealousy of his wicked brother Set, who devised a plot to destroy him. Set made a wonderful box, and at a banquet of the gods, he promised it to the one whose body best fit the box. When Osiris lay in the box, Set covered it and sealed it with molten lead, then cast the box into the Nile.
"Isis, the sister and wife of Osiris, followed the box and retrieved it. When she opened it, Osiris was dead. But by her magic, Isis made his flesh incorruptible and restored him to life. Osiris might have retaken his throne, but instead he chose to retire beyond this world to the Kingdom of the Dead, where he welcomes the souls of the just."
I bowed my head. "What has this to do with Bethesda?" I whispered.
"We are all composed of four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. To perish in the Nile is to be absolved of the elements of earth and water, which join with the mud of the river. Your wife is all fire and air now. It doesn't matter that she wasn't mummified. If she drowned in the Nile, in emulation of Osiris, she passed from this world directly into the god's embrace. She received the gift of immortality. You should rejoice for her!"
I averted my gaze. "You speak of things about which I know very little. As I said, Roman religion is not as… conversant… with the afterworld as is the religion of Egypt."
"You may be ignorant of these matters, Gordianus, but clearly, your wife was not. She chose the time and the place and the manner of her going. How many mortals can hope for as much?"
"Unless they have access to Nemesis-in-a-bottle," I muttered under my breath, thinking of the vial Cornelia had given me.
The queen frowned. "What did you say?"
"Nothing, Your Majesty. A passing thought of no importance."
Cratipus came running. "Your Majesty! Other visitors are arriving."
"The guests I invited for the midday meal?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Tell Apollodorus to escort them to the little terrace that faces the city. Caesar likes to dine outside."
"Caesar?" I said. "I should leave now. If Merianis, or someone else, can escort me-"
"Leave? Nonsense! You'll stay, Gordianus, and take the meal with us. My cooks have prepared a poached octopus, and Caesar has promised to bring an amphora of Falernian wine-a rare treat! In recent years, good Italian wines have become as scarce as snowfalls in Egypt. I'm told that this amphora came from Pompey's private store, which Caesar seized when he overran the Great One's camp at Pharsalus."
"Your Majesty, I've no desire to drink a dead man's wine."
"Then I'll have an Egyptian beer decanted for you. Come, Merianis! Show Gordianus the way to the dining terrace."
CHAPTER XX
We ascended a flight of marble steps to a flagstone terrace. A railing supported by squat columns overlooked a sheer drop to the water below. On either side, the terrace was flanked by tall palm trees and leafy plants. Behind us rose a windowless wall with a door that gave access to the interior. Dining couches had been set out in a semicircle facing the city, so that each had a view of the sunlit waterfront of Alexandria and its reflection in the harbor.
The queen sat back on the most opulent of the couches, which was strewn with purple cushions. She rested on one elbow and reclined so that one of her feet touched the ground. The pose showed off the lines of her figure; the linen gown clung to her heavy breasts and the sensuous curves of her hips, thighs, and calves. The jewels that adorned her sandals glinted in the dappled sunlight.
Merianis took up a position behind the couch to the queen's left and indicated that I should stand beside her.
A few moments later, Apollodorus appeared. He wore no more clothing than before, but he had ornamented himself with a silver pectoral for the occasion. The hammered metal accentuated the muscles of his bare chest. He made obeisance to the queen. "Your guest has arrived, Your Majesty."
Cleopatra nodded. "You may go, Apollodorus. I'll summon you if I need you."
As Apollodorus turned and disappeared down the steps, the bald pate of Caesar came into view, followed by Caesar's beaming face. He was wearing his consular toga. He mounted the final step and strode onto the terrace. His smile faded, but only a little, at the sight of me.
"The queen of Egypt welcomes the consul of Rome," said Cleopatra. "But where are the consul's lictors?"
"I left them down at the harbor." Caesar approached the queen, making no pretense of bowing. Clearly, in such a setting, there was no need for formality between them. They exchanged a lovers' gaze: relaxed, intimate, confident of reciprocity. She offered her hand; Caesar took it and gave her a lingering kiss, not upon the back of her hand but upon the palm.