Ancient World 02 - Raiders of the Nile

by Steven Saylor

  My heart pounded in my chest. “Did no one stop them?”

  “This was some distance from the market. Not a lot of people were around. I did call out, but the fellows told me to shut up and mind my own business. They said the girl was a runaway slave, and they were returning her to her master.”

  “And you believed them?”

  “Why not? Even if things were not quite as they appeared—well, these days, when one sees any sort of scuffle in the street, one never knows what to think. You never know who might be on the royal payroll, never mind how brutish they look, or who might be a common criminal, or who might even be a spy! Everything is so out of control. Not like the good old days, when old Queen Cleopatra was firmly in charge. These days it’s best to mind one’s business and not get involved.”

  “So no one helped the girl?” I tried to keep my voice steady. “The two men just took her off?”

  Kettel shrugged. “I suppose so. I didn’t really think much about it, until I rejoined Berynus at the market and happened to mention what I had seen—and he told me I must be imagining things!”

  “Why did you say that, Berynus?”

  The eunuch folded his long, slender hands. “Because I had just seen the same girl—and with no ruffians about. The girl in green was heading off in the opposite direction, toward the waterfront, and she was in no distress whatsoever. A little boy was leading her by the hand.”

  “A little boy?”

  “A messenger, I presume. Well-dressed, so from a wealthy household, but on his own, so not freeborn but a slave. The dark-haired beauty in green was following along behind the boy and looking rather pleased with herself.”

  “What made you think it was the same girl that Kettel saw?”

  Berynus pursed his thin lips. “The more closely Kettel described the girl he had seen, the more exactly she matched my girl—and really, what are the chances of two ravishing young brunettes in green dresses both being in the market at the same time? I’m sure Kettel saw something, but he probably misunderstood what was going on. This happens all the time. It’s sad, at his age, how his mind has begun to play tricks on him.”

  “Oh, you son of a crocodile!” snapped Kettel. “You’re the one who imagines things! You probably never even saw such a girl. It was only after I described her that you suddenly ‘remembered’ seeing her. It’s your mind that plays tricks!”

  “Or perhaps you both saw just what you thought you saw,” I said, my heart sinking.

  “How could that be?” Berynus raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking about such a girl, Gordianus? Who is she, and what is she to you?”

  I shook my head and made no answer, and quickly took my leave.

  Escaping the clouds of incense that perfumed the eunuchs’ apartment, I was desperate for fresh air, but it gave me no relief. My chest was so tight I could hardly breathe.

  The sun was beginning to sink and cast long shadows. Dinnertime sounds and smells of cooking wafted on the air, but I had no appetite.

  As I finally headed home, I tried to make sense of what the eunuchs had told me. If their stories were to be trusted, one had seen Axiothea and the other had seen Bethesda, at precisely the same time. One of the girls had been abducted, while the other was led off by a slave boy—but which was which?

  I arrived at the tenement more uncertain and anxious than ever. I entered the building, walked past the landlord’s apartment, and trudged up the stairway. In my heart of hearts, I was hoping that when I reached the top floor, and pushed open the door to my room, Bethesda would be there, waiting for me.

  What possible explanation could she have for her disappearance? It didn’t matter. I only wanted her to be there.

  I opened the door. I stepped inside.

  The room was empty.

  I closed the door and barred it with the little block of wood, then fell onto the bed, thinking I would never fall asleep. But the long day had worn me out. I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber.

  VI

  When I woke the next day, the room seemed emptier than ever.

  Where was Bethesda? What had become of her?

  I began my search for Melmak and his troupe all over again. I had exhausted my regular sources, so I started from scratch, brazenly approaching complete strangers. I regretted that I had spent so much money on the new dress for Bethesda. Coins can loosen tongues, but my moneybag was almost empty.

  At the end of that long, miserable day, I knew no more than when I woke.

  Another day passed, and still I learned nothing new. Waves of anger and despair surged through me, alternating with a numb sensation. Each time I returned to my room, a part of me expected Bethesda to be there, waiting for me. But the room was always empty.

  It was quite by chance that I entered a tavern in Rhakotis one afternoon, only a few steps from the building where I lived, thinking I would spend my last few coins on a cup of decent Greek wine—and at the back of the dim room I saw Melmak.

  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.”

  “How can that be? Aren’t you curious?”

  “Indeed I am. But whenever the question comes up, Axiothea makes it quite clear that whatever relationship she has with this man, she intends to keep it private. I bite my tongue and mind my own business. Not an easy thing for me to do, I’ll admit.”

  “But I must talk to Axiothea. I’ve got to find her.”

  He shrugged. “You managed to find me.”

  “After days of looking—and then purely by chance!”

  Melmak nodded blearily, then brightened. “And look who else you’ve just found—Lykos!”

  I turned to see the artificer with the distinctive white stripe in his hair.

  “Lykos, you remember our friend Gordianus.”

  The man gave me a blank look, then recognized me and nodded. He turned to Melmak. “What news of Axiothea? I don’t suppose she’s turned up?”

  Melmak pouted his lips. “No. Still missing.”

  Lykos shook his head. “Sooner or later, Melmak, we’re going to have to replace her. She’s left us no choice. After all the work I put into her makeup and costumes! The costumes can be reused, of course … if we find a girl the same size.” He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “You have that lovely slave girl—what’s her name?”

  “Bethesda,” I whispered.

  “Only she’s gone missing, too,” said Melmak.

  “Has she?” Lykos frowned. “Too bad.”

  Hopelessness engulfed me. And yet, chance and sheer persistence had led me this far. Might they lead me to Axiothea, as well?

  I stared into the shadows. “There must be a way,” I whispered, thinking aloud.

  Then I thought of the two eunuchs.

  I turned and left the tavern without another word.

  *

  An hour later I was in their apartment, seated between the two of them. Kettel took up more than half the couch, with Berynus and I wedged into the remaining space. They refused to let me state my business until they had plied me with almond-stuffed dates and flatbread smeared with pomegranate jam, washed down with a very good wine from Cos. (“The last of the vintage to escape the island before that monster Mithridates invaded!” said Berynus.)

  At last they allowed me to describe the litter I had seen at the mime troupe’s performance, with its lotus-column poles and midnight-black bearers.

  “Tafhapy,” said Kettel.

  “Without a doubt,” agreed Berynus.

  “That’s the owner of the litter?” I said. “You’re sure?”

  “Oh, yes,” said Kettel, dabbing a bit of jam from the corner of his mouth. “Tafhapy bought both the litter and the bearers at the same time, a few months ago, from a business rival he drove to bankruptcy. What a ruthless fellow! What is it you want to know about him, Gordianus?”

  “Where he lives, for a start.”

  “On the Street of the Seven Baboons, in a big saffron-colored house with a balcony overlooking the street. You can’t miss it. But please, tell us you have no business with this fellow.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s a scoundrel! Completely unscrupulous. Highly dangerous.”

  “A criminal?”

  Berynus sniffed and drummed his long, bony fingers on his knee. “Taf
hapy has never been arrested, if that’s what you mean, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t cracked a few heads and made a few business rivals disappear in his time. Men like Tafhapy don’t submit to royal judges, they bribe them. No one can call you a criminal if you’re above the law. Now he’s one of the wealthiest men in Alexandria, so rich and powerful, they say he has the ear of the king himself.”

  “Where does his money come from?”

  “He inherited a shipping business from his father. Owns a fleet that traffics all sorts of goods up and down the Nile and across the sea. For all I know, it was one of his ships that delivered this very fine wine from Cos. More, Gordianus?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “What is your interest in Tafhapy?” asked Kettel.

  I saw no reason not to tell them. “You may remember, when I last called on you, I was looking to find the members of a certain mime troupe. Among them there’s a young actress called Axiothea. Tafhapy seems to have taken a liking to her.”

  “Taken a liking, you say?” Kettel looked past me, to Berynus, who returned his skeptical gaze.

  “Why not? Axiothea is very attractive. Beautiful, really. She looks like…” I swallowed hard.

  Berynus nodded. “She should be beautiful, considering her name.”

  “How so?”

  He laughed. “Gordianus, I know your Greek is charmingly rudimentary, but surely even you can work it out. Axiothea: ‘worth looking at.’ Probably a stage name.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” For a beautiful performer who ran through the streets practically naked, attracting as much attention as possible, the name Axiothea certainly fit. “But the two of you exchanged a look a moment ago, when I mentioned Tafhapy’s attraction to her.”

  Berynus cleared his throat. “Well, from what I know of Tafhapy, it seems more likely that he would take a liking to you, Gordianus, than to this young actress, no matter how ‘worth looking at’ she may be. Tafhapy has never taken a wife. Nor has he any children, as far as I know.”

  Kettel pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. I squirmed a bit, feeling trapped between Kettle’s rolls of fat and Berynus’s bony elbows.

  “Nonetheless, the leader of the mime troupe seems quite certain that Axiothea is staying with this Tafhapy right now. And I need to talk to her—urgently.”