Using this room for disciplinary purposes had a certain fiendish ingenuity, for the length of the neck-chain kept the wine forever out of reach, inflicting the punishment of Tantalus. Luckily, wine was the last thing on my mind. But the smell of the river water increased my already raging thirst.
After a while the door opened again and several men came down the steps. Some of them were armed. Creticus was with them. At his gesture the Whipper and the Binder unlocked my bonds and hauled me to my feet.
"Decius," Creticus said, "I've arranged for a hearing before King Ptolemy, before this situation gets completely out of hand. He's given us safe-conduct to the throne room and back."
"Water," I said. A slave dipped a bowl in the river water and brought it to me. Hoping it wouldn't make me deathly ill, I drank until I thought I could speak without choking.
"Wouldn't it be safer to have him come here?" I asked. "This is Roman territory."
"A king does not go out of his way to do favors for a degenerate murderer, even one from Rome. Count yourself lucky."
"Achillas is behind this," I said.
Creticus turned to the others. "Wash him up and get him dressed. Be quick about it and don't let him out of your sight."
He went back up the stairs and I was dragged up behind him. In the bathhouse I washed and was barbered and I drank a great deal more water. Cleaned up and in fresh clothes, I felt infinitely better. Even a guilty man looks good in a toga. The Roman party was assembled in the atrium. I didn't see Rufus there.
"Let's go," Creticus snapped. "And act like Romans!" We descended the steps of the embassy. At the bottom of the steps, the extent of Roman territory, a double file of Macedonian soldiers extended from embassy to Palace. All the usual gawkers gawked as we made our stately way.
In the throne room, we found Ptolemy decked out in full monarchial fig. It was a typically Alexandrian mixture. He wore a Macedonian royal robe of Tyrian purple heavily embroidered with gold, much like a Roman triumphal robe. On his head was the double crown of Egypt, the white crown towering from within the red crown. On its forepeak were the heads of the cobra and the vulture. Everything in Egypt is doubled, for Upper and Lower Egypt. In his hands were the crook and the flail, and attached to his chin was the silly little false beard that signified the power of the Pharaohs. For a wonder, he appeared to be sober.
Achillas was there as well, along with a number of men in Parthian clothing. Berenice was there but had, thankfully, left her cheetahs behind, along with the baboons and dwarfs. There was a great gaggle of court hangers-on, and I saw Julia among them, chatting up the ladies. Fausta stood by Berenice, looking as sardonic as usual.
"Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus," Ptolemy began, "grave charges have been brought against your kinsman Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger. A free woman, a resident foreigner residing in Alexandria, was found murdered in his bed this morning. All evidence points to his guilt. What have you to say?"
"Your Majesty, my kinsman Decius is a rash and foolish young man, but I hardly think him capable of coldblooded murder. Be that as it may, the embassy is by ancient custom Roman territory, and by rights it is a Roman court which should try him."
"Your Majesty," cried Achillas, "this cannot be set aside so easily. Another embassy is involved. The woman Hypatia, murdered by the younger Metellus, was the bound concubine of my good friend, his Excellency Orodes, Ambassador of King Phraates III of Parthia."
Ptolemy looked at the head of the Parthian delegation, "Is this true?"
The man came forward. "It is, your Majesty." He unrolled a scroll and held it before the king's eyes. "This is her contract of concubinage. You will note that it had more than a year to run, and that man"-he pointed a long finger at me-"owes me for the balance of her contract!"
"I see," Ptolemy said. "In this case, Ambassador Metellus, since it involves another foreign embassy, I must have a further inquiry. Does Decius insist upon protesting his innocence?"
"I do, sir," I said, not waiting for Creticus to step in.
"Your Majesty," Achillas said, "not only was the woman's body in his bed, but nearby were a mask and garlands of the sort peddled at the Daphne. If you wish, I will produce witnesses to testify that the murderer and the woman were seen cavorting there last night."
Creticus turned scarlet and began to swell like a bull-frog. Now his anger was directed at Achillas rather than at me.
"May I ask your business in all this, sir? And how is it that you know what was in Decius's room? That is Roman territory!"
"As for my business, I am a loyal servant of King Ptolemy and I want no violent foreigners anywhere near him. As for my knowing what was found this morning, everybody in the Palace knows by now. Your staff is a talkative lot."
"Paid spies is more like it!" Creticus said.
At that moment a door opened and Rufus came in, closely followed by Amphytrion and Asklepiodes. I could have fainted with relief. Asklepiodes gave me a smile as he passed. Save me, old friend, I thought. Rufus joined the Roman party and leaned toward me.
"I no longer owe you five hundred denarii," he whispered.
"With all my heart," I said fervently. I knew I would get it back. The man was a miserable judge of horses and charioteers.
"And what might you gentlemen be doing here?" Ptolemy asked.
"Your Majesty," Amphytrion said with a bow, "this is the physician Asklepiodes, a visiting lecturer attached to the School of Medicine of the Museum."
"I remember him," Ptolemy said.
"Sir, Asklepiodes is acknowledged to be the world's foremost expert on the subject of wounds violently inflicted by weapons. We have just come from examining the murdered woman, and he has information of interest to these proceedings."
"Your Majesty!" Achillas yelled. "Must we endure the mumbling sophistry of these philosophers?"
"Majesty," Creticus said, "noble Amphytrion speaks truly. Asklepiodes is a recognized authority in this field and has testified before Roman courts many times in the past."
"Speak, then, learned Asklepiodes," said Ptolemy.
Asklepiodes took the center of the room and did a bit of actor's business with his robe, then began.
"Your Majesty, your Excellencies of the embassies, noble gentlemen and ladies of the court, what I am about to say I swear by Apollo Silverbow, by Hermes Thrice Great and by Hippocrates, founder of my art."
"Got great style, doesn't he?" Rufus whispered.
"Shhh!" I said.
"The woman identified as Hypatia, hetaira of Athens, died sometime in the very early hours of this morning. A knife was found thrust between her ribs just below the left mammary, but this blow was delivered postmortem. The death-wound was a small cut to the carotid just beneath the left ear." Everyone leaned forward to hear his words, delivered with a sonorousness of voice and a subtlety of gesture that is difficult to describe.
"The body was nearly devoid of blood, as is frequently the case after such a wound. Yet there was no blood in the room or on the bed, save for some on the gown which lay on the floor, and some soaked into the woman's hair, neither in sufficient quantity to account for the condition of the body."
"This meaning?" Ptolemy said.
"The woman was killed elsewhere, and then brought to the embassy and deposited in the bed of the accused." A prolonged sigh went through the room.
Achillas shrugged. "So he killed her somewhere else and then took her to bed. Romans are necrophiles. I've always said so."
"And this," Asklepiodes said, "is the knife thrust into the body of the unfortunate woman." He held up a bone-handled weapon, its blade about eight inches long, somewhat curved and single-edged. Now there was a gasp from the Roman party.
"Is this significant?" Ptolemy asked.
"Your Majesty," Creticus said, "this changes things! I am now far more inclined to support my troublesome young relative's assertion of his innocence."
Ptolemy examined the knife with bloodshot orbs. "It looks ordinary enough to me."
"You mean," Ptolemy said, "that mere shape of blade makes one weapon honest and the other infamous?"
"Exactly," Creticus affirmed. "I am reluctant to believe that a kinsman of mine would commit cowardly murder. But if he did, he might use a pugio or a gladius, or even his bare hands, but he would never stoop to killing with a sica!"
"Hear, hear!" shouted the Roman contingent, myself included.
"Your Majesty," Achillas said, "are we not only to lend credence to sophists but to consider the impenetrable nonsense of Roman law? This man has brought dishonor on the whole court of Egypt, and has shown likewise the contempt in which Rome holds our nation!"
"Lord Achillas," Ptolemy said, "you are making a great deal of fuss about a dead whore. You are to cease this instant." It was good to see the old sot show a little iron. Churlishly, Achillas nodded. Ptolemy turned toward us.
"Your Excellency, I am now inclined to credit your kinsman's claim of innocence, although this is mystifying. Your legal customs are strange to us, but I have no doubt that they are perfectly sensible to you. Lord Orodes"-he turned to the Parthian-"if it will help to settle things, I will buy up the remainder of the dead woman's contract myself. Since her body is in my house, even though she may not have died there, I will even see to her funeral. Is that satisfactory?"
Orodes glowered. "Perfectly, your Majesty."
Now Ptolemy turned back toward us. "Tell me, young Decius, how did you happen to be in this woman's company, romping about in the Daphne?"
"Actually, sir," I said, feeling that I was all but clear, "we met in the Necropolis." At this the whole court roared with laughter.
"Your Majesty," Creticus said, "what is the meaning of this unseemly mirth?"
Ptolemy wiped tears from his eyes. "Excellency, the Necropolis is the resting place for our honored dead, but it is also the most popular fornicating-place in Alexandria. Why, in my younger days: well, never mind. Go on, young Decius. This was worth getting up early for."
"Sir, I was engaged in that investigation for which you yourself commissioned me."
"I have not forgotten."
"The woman set the assignation to tell me something of great importance. I thought the opportunity was worth the effort and I met her as directed. She wanted to make her home in Rome but needed a patron there to give her legal support. I agreed to this if her evidence proved to be of sufficient importance."
"And the nature of this evidence?" the king asked.
"She was supposed to deliver it to me tonight, but she did not live to do so. I do not know what the evidence was supposed to be." This was not quite a lie. The book itself was not the incriminating item. I hadn't studied law for nothing.
"And how did you end up at the Daphne?" Ptolemy asked.
"She expressed a desire to go there," I said.
"And?"
"The night was yet young. Why not?" At this everyone erupted in laughter again, except for Achillas and Orodes. And Julia.
"Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus."
"Yes, your Majesty?"
"I find sufficient grounds to doubt your kinsman's guilt. I release him to your custody. Keep him out of mischief. I bid this court disperse." A chamberlain clanged his iron-shod staff on the polished marble and everyone bowed to the king, the Romans inclining slightly, the other foreigners deeply, the Egyptians all the way to the floor.
"Back to the embassy," Creticus said. We turned and walked from the court with great dignity. Asklepiodes fell in beside me.
"That was an excellent performance, even for me," he said complacently.
"I won't forget it. Was there anything else you didn't tell the king?"
"I told all that reinforced your innocence. Innocence of murder, that is. But there were other things. There were many bruises. The woman was killed with considerable violence."
"Torture?"
"I saw no sign of it. I found this in her mouth." He handed me something that looked like a piece of soggy leather, brownish on one side, pinkish on the other.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Human flesh. Assuming that the lady was not a cannibal, this is a piece of her murderer. One of her murderers, anyway. A man in his late forties or early fifties, of one of the fair-skinned races, but he has spent much of his life exposed to sunlight."
"Asklepiodes, you surpass yourself. Any idea which part it came from?"
"A part habitually exposed to the sun. There isn't enough of it to tell much more than that. It did not come from the face, hands, feet or penis. My guess would be the shoulder or upper arm, but even my art cannot guarantee that."
"It's sufficient," I assured him. "I'll get them all and this will help."
"No, you won't," Creticus said. "You are going nowhere except to your quarters. From there you are going onto the first ship to sail from here for Rome. You may not be a murderer, but you are more trouble than a cohort of Sicilian auxiliaries! I want to hear nothing further of you save the welcome news that you have sailed out past the Pharos. Good day to you!" With that he stormed up the steps of the embassy. I followed, the others patting me on the shoulder.
"I never thought you did it, Decius," was the usual comment.
Asklepiodes went with me to my quarters. Hypatia's body had been taken away, along with the bloody gown.
I knew I would never be able to get into that bed again. I called for some slaves.
"Take that bed out and burn it," I ordered. "Fetch me another." You could do things like that in Egypt. Then, remembering that I hadn't eaten, I called for some food.
"Any progress on the death of Iphicrates?" Asklepiodes asked. While our table was set and while we ate, I told him what had happened, always pausing when a slave was within hearing. Some of them, at least, had reported to Achillas. Asklepiodes heard me out, nodding and making wise sounds.
"Clever about the reflector," he said. "Iphicrates was into more realms of knowledge than he let on. I wonder what Achillas promised him."
"What? I suppose he paid him with money."
"Possibly, but Iphicrates never struck me as a man with a great love of wealth. But many scholars want high prestige and honors among their fellows. If Achillas made himself king of Egypt, he would be in a position to make Iphicrates the head of the Museum. He could use all its facilities and endowments to further his grandiose projects. For the sort of scholar who actually likes to do things, to see his plans transferred from papyrus into reality, that is a heady prospect."
"Asklepiodes," I said, "I've known men to fight and scheme and commit all sorts of treachery for the sake of wealth, or for revenge. I've seen them devote their lives to war and politics and even to commit treason in order to gain power over their fellow men. I confess it never occurred to me that they might do all these things for: for a sort of intellectual preferment."
He smiled benignly. "It has been your good fortune that you have never had to deal with professional philosophers."
Chapter XII
I waited until night, which I considered to be a display of commendable restraint. After Asklepiodes left, I was not without visitors. To my surprise, one of them was Fausta. She came shortly before dusk, cool and imperious as ever. She was a woman I always found intimidating. The Cornelians always considered themselves favored even among patricians, and on top of that, she was the daughter of Sulla, the most feared Dictator in the history of Rome. But these things were not enough. She was a twin, and one of an identical brother-sister pair. This was a combination so portentous that she was not merely respected but genuinely feared. Despite her great wealth, she had remained unmarried until the unex
pected suit of Titus Annius Milo, perhaps the only man of my acquaintance who was utterly without fear.
I knew that he would come to regret this match. For all his great charm and penetrating intellect, poor Milo lacked experience with women. His fixation, like that of so many, was power. In its pursuit he had neglected what were, to him, lesser matters, 'such as the necessary but sometimes bewildering relations between men and women. Milo had no use for bewilderment.
The fact was that Fausta was an acquisition for Milo. He was a nobody from Ostia who had come to Rome to win the city. He had started from nothing to become a prominent gang leader and had now started up the ladder of office. He wanted a wife, and the wife had to be noble, preferably patrician. It would not come amiss if she were presentable as well. Fausta was perfect, as far as he was concerned. He neglected the fact that Fausta was Fausta. It was like buying a horse for nothing but its looks and its bloodlines, forgetting that it might throw you and cheerfully trample and kick you to death for the fun of it. But all that was in the future.
"I begin to see what Julia finds attractive in you, Decius Caecilius," she said by way of preamble.
"That I get locked up in dungeons and put on trial for my life?" I said.
She sat in a spindly Egyptian chair. "What is it like to be chained naked to a wall? Is it exciting?"
"If you wish," I said, "I can call in the Binder and the Whipper. They can take you to the cellar and chain you up nicely. Any special services you'd like to request first?"
"Oh, it's such a bore when it's voluntary."
"Fausta, surely you didn't come here to discuss your singular tastes in entertainment?"
"No, I came to bring you this." She held out a folded papyrus. "It's from Julia. Are you going to do something foolish?"
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