I discovered why Antipater had gone to the expense of paying for the private room when a stranger appeared in the doorway.
The man wore a dark blue tunic cinched by a broad leather belt. From the belt hung a scabbard with a dagger, the hilt of which was inlaid with ivory circled with a band of tiny rubies. The tunic was long enough to cover the man’s knees but left bare his muscular, darkly tanned arms, both of which sported elaborately chased-silver armbands and bracelets. Around his neck gleamed a tangle of silver necklaces hung with pendants of carnelian and lapis, and from his ears hung thick rings of silver so heavy they had stretched his earlobes. His hair was long and unkempt, mostly black but with a few strands of silver, and his jaw was covered with several days’ growth of beard. His creased, darkly weathered features made it hard to determine his age; I could only be sure that he was quite a bit older than I and quite a bit younger than Antipater.
Antipater, who had just finished his stew, looked up and raised his eyebrows. “Are you … ?”
“My name is Kerynis. I believe we have an appointment.”
Antipater kept his eyes on the man and pushed the bowl aside, clearing the table before him. “Indeed we do. Have you brought … ?”
Slung over his shoulder, the man carried a satchel that bulged with leather cylinders. He removed one of the cylinders, from which he extracted a scroll of raggedy brown papyrus.
“It looks very old,” said Antipater.
“So it is,” said Kerynis. “With a document such as this, older is better. The later the copy, the more likely that errors have crept in, and that can be … dangerous … as I’m sure you can imagine. Get the smallest detail wrong, and—poof!—you’ve turned yourself into a cabbage.”
Antipater laughed, sounding a bit nervous. “Indeed, yes, I can imagine. So old … and so delicate.”
“Handle it with care.”
“I may touch it?” said Antipater.
“You may. But until you’ve purchased it, treat it as the rare and valuable object it is.”
“Of course!” Eagerly but carefully, Antipater took the scroll from Kerynis and unrolled it on the table. It was so worn that it lay flat without being weighted.
I rose from my chair and looked over his shoulder. The Greek letters were in some archaic style I did not recognize and so badly faded that the text was almost impossible for me to read, but Antipater seemed able to make sense of it. I watched him run his finger from line to line, muttering to himself as he read.
“Fantastic! ‘Transformation of male to female’ … ‘How to kill with a gaze’ … ‘Temporary ability to understand the speech of birds’ … ‘How to control the dreams of a sleeper’ … ‘Revivification of the dead’ … Marvelous!”
“What is this, Teacher?” I said, glancing up at Kerynis. The man stood with his arms folded, watching Antipater’s reaction with a look of wry amusement.
“This document is a précis, or list of contents, of the Books of Secret Wisdom,” said Antipater. “Extraordinary! If even half of these formulas work …”
“Such a collection would be of incalculable value,” said Kerynis, finishing Antipater’s thought. He laughed. “And so you may wonder: why am I willing to sell it?” He patted the satchel. “Here’s the fact: a lot of these books are rubbish, plain and simple. You make up the witch’s brew exactly as it’s written, following the recipe to the tiniest degree, but instead of growing two heads, you just get indigestion. But I ask you: who wants two heads anyway?” Again he laughed. “And some of the volumes are pure nonsense. All the stuff about Chaldean stargazing—even if you could tell the future by reading the stars, who’d want to? Life is too dull as it is. I prefer to be surprised. As for the book of Hebrew proverbs, those I can take or leave.” He shrugged.
“It sounds like you’ve done quite a bit of reading in these books,” said Antipater.
“Indeed I have. Don’t let my appearance fool you. I know what you think when you look at me: pirate. What other sort of man walks around wearing all that jewelry, ready to hock it all at a moment’s notice in case he has to get out of town fast? But in fact, my father was a scholar at the Library of Alexandria, and I grew up among books. I could recite Hesiod before I was toilet-trained—‘Some days are like a stepmother, but others like a mother.’ ” He laughed. “My life’s taken a few twists and turns since then, but I know the value of the written word.”
“So you’re telling me the Books of Secret Wisdom are worthless?” Antipater looked crestfallen.
“I didn’t say that, my friend.” Kerynis patted the satchel and glanced down at the tightly packed leather cylinders. “Among these books are some works of true genius. The problem is separating the wheat from the chaff. You could do that using trial and error, but that could take a lifetime—or shorten your lifetime, if you make a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
Kerynis nodded. “You’ll find a lot of love spells in these books. That’s what most people are interested in and willing to pay money for. Now me, I’ve never had a problem reeling in just about any pretty fish I took a fancy to, but for some people, I understand this can be a problem. So in these scrolls you’ll find a lot of spells for that, and a lot of potions. But let’s say that some rich toad hires you to make up one of these potions and administer it to the pretty girl or boy he has his eye on, and the potion works well enough—at first—but turns out to be poisonous.” He whistled and blew out his cheeks. “You’ve never seen anybody madder than a paying customer who’s found himself in bed with a corpse, no matter how pretty, and thinks it’s your fault. Believe me, I know. I’ve been there.”
“So you have used these books?” said Antipater. “You’ve tested them?”
“In bits and pieces. But I haven’t devoted my life to it, which is what a man would have to do to make sense of it all. Candidly? It’s just not worth my time. I don’t need sorcery. I prefer direct action if you know what I mean. If I see something I want, I take it. I don’t need to use mind control, or to make myself invisible.”
“Invisible?” Antipater whispered. “Is there really such a formula? The man I spoke to last night indicated …”
“Yes, that was my confederate. He knows a little of what’s in these books, but not much.”
“But he did mention invisibility.”
“Oh, yes. And he conveyed to me your particular interest in that area. So I went to the trouble of looking up that particular passage … “Kerynis rummaged about in the satchel for a while, cursing when he couldn’t seem to find what he was looking for. “Oh wait, here it is!”
From an especially battered leather cylinder, he extracted an especially tattered piece of papyrus.
“May I see it?” said Antipater, with a quaver in his voice.
“Careful! It’s ready to fall to pieces. You can see where a corner fell off yesterday when I was making up the formula.”
“You actually made a potion of invisibility?”
“Oh, yes. And not for the first time. But it’s not easy! Some of the ingredients are almost impossible to find, and you have to mix them just so.” Kerynis reached deeper into his satchel and drew out a small vial made of dark green glass with a cork stopper.
“Is that it?” Antipater asked.
“The real thing,” said Kerynis with a smile. “I brewed it myself, last night.”
“But how … ?”
Kerynis nodded at the scroll. “Read the instructions.”
Antipater pored over the piece of papyrus and began to read aloud. “ ‘Take the left foot of the creature called a chameleon—’ ”
“The left foot, notice,” said Kerynis. “Front or back doesn’t make a difference, but do not use a right foot. I’ve made that mistake, and the result is not pretty. Go on.”
“ ‘Add an equal measure of the herb called chameleon’—what is that?”
Kerynis shrugged. “It grows hereabouts. Down in Egypt, too.”
Antipater nodded “ ‘Roast in a furnace until brown bu
t not blackened, then pulverize and mix with an unguent made of …’ ” He read silently for a while, and nodded. “Yes, this recipe is simple enough. ‘Decant into a glass container.’ ”
“Glass, not metal!” said Kerynis. “Any kind of metal will make it go bad right away.”
“Ah! Good to know.” Antipater turned back to the scroll. “ ‘Kept stoppered, this concoction will retain its efficacy indefinitely. Allows the user to go about in a throng unseen. Ingest only the smallest dose on first use, and larger doses thereafter as needed.’ ”
Kerynis nodded. “You have to take larger and larger doses to make it work. I’ve done it so many times, now I’d have to swallow this whole vial to make myself invisible, and even then you’d probably still be able to see me in bright light. But if you’ve never used it before, a couple of drops on the tongue should do the trick, as least for a few minutes.”
“Fantastic!”said Antipater. “Are you saying I can try it?”
“Of course.”
“Here and now?”
“Why not? But I should warn you, it may make you feel a bit strange.”
“Strange?”
“Woozy. A little odd. Light-headed. Not drunk, exactly. It can be slightly unpleasant, but that’s the price you pay.”
Antipater frowned. “But otherwise it’s safe?”
Kerynis spread his arms. “Look at me. Still alive, and with all my senses.”
Antipater picked up the vial and pulled out the stopper. He held it to his nose and then thrust it away, replacing the stopper. “That smell! It’s vile.”
Kerynis smirked. “I never said it tasted good.”
I could stay silent no longer. “Teacher, are you sure you want to do this?”
“As a matter of fact, Gordianus, I’ve wanted to do this since I was a boy. I never dreamed I would have the chance.”Antipater stared at the vial for a long moment. “I’m going to do it! Then we’ll sit here until it takes effect, and you, my boy, will tell me how well it works.”
Kerynis shook his head. “That’s probably not going to work. As a test, I mean.”
“Why not?” said Antipater.
“Am I right that the two of you are traveling together?”
“Yes.”
“And you have been for quite some time?”
“For over a year.”
“Seeing each other pretty much every day?”
“Yes.”
“Then your young friend here will be able to see you despite the effect of the potion.”
“What are you saying?”
“It has to do with something called ‘rays of visibility.’ There’s an explanation of how it works, in one of the other volumes. I can’t claim to understand the details, but it’s sort of like seeing the afterimage of a thing you’ve been staring at, even when you close your eyes. A person who sees you every day, whose eyes have been attuned to your rays of visibility, will still see you even though others can’t.”
Antipater frowned. “That rather puts a limit on the potion’s practical use.”
Kerynis shrugged. “It means a man can’t make himself invisible and sneak past his wife, that’s true. But the same man can go out in a crowd of strangers and not be seen.”
Antipater nodded thoughtfully. “So if I use the potion and venture out into the common room, no one there will be able to see me?”
“Correct.”
“What about Galatea, the serving girl?” I said. “She’s seen Antipater lots of times over the last couple of days.”
“That’s not long enough to absorb his rays of visibility. That can take months.”
“I’m ready!” Antipater moved to unstop the bottle again, but Kerynis gripped his hand.
“Not quite yet. Let’s make sure we’re in agreement first. Did you bring the sum that was talked about?”
Antipater patted the pouch inside his tunic, producing a muffled clinking sound, then pulled out a small but bulging moneybag. “All here. You can count it if you want.”
“I intend to. And all in Tyrian shekels? I don’t want foreign coins.”
“It’s just as your man requested.”
Kerynis nodded. “Put the money on the table. And next to that, I’ll put the Books of Secret Wisdom.” He lugged the satchel onto the table. “The books for the money. That’s the deal.”
“Understood,” said Antipater. “Now let’s get on with it.”
I had never seen Antipater so eager. I watched as he unstoppered the vial, carefully poured a couple of drops of the oily brown unguent onto the back of his hand, then touched his tongue to the drops. “Like that?” he said, peering at Kerynis.
“That should do it. It may be a few minutes before you feel the effects. Have a look at the books while you’re waiting. And I’ll count the money.”
Antipater rummaged through the satchel. Attached to each of the leather cylinders was a tag that identified the title or author of the scroll inside. Meanwhile, Kerynis opened the moneybag and poured the coins onto the table, then began arranging them in little piles. I gasped at the amount of silver Antipater was ready to hand over. How had he come up with so much money?
Kerynis saw my reaction. He held up one of the coins so that it caught the light of the lamps. “The silver shekel of Tyre! Is there anything prettier? Handsome Melkart in profile on one side, and on the other, a proud eagle clutching a palm branch. Who’d want a bunch of smelly old books when he could have these instead? But to each his own, I say. So if my little collection of books is worth it to you, I’m happy to make the trade.”
Suddenly Antipater dropped the leather cylinder he was holding and sat bolt upright. Kerynis looked at him and nodded. “There, it’s beginning to take effect. You’re a little hazy around the edges already.”
“Yes, I feel it,” whispered Antipater. “A warm sensation—not unpleasant—but decidedly different …”
I squinted at him. “I’m not seeing a change.”
“Nor will you, young man,” said Kerynis. “Just as I explained. By Melkart, would you look at him fade away! It amazes me, every time.”
“Has it happened?” said Antipater, rising from his chair. “Am I invisible?” He moved toward the door.
Kerynis continued to stare at the spot where Antipater had been sitting. “Go into the common room if you like. See how the people there react. But remember, it’ll last only a few minutes.”
When Antipater pushed open the door to leave the room, Kerynis gave a start and uttered a mild curse. He shook his head and laughed. “I told myself I wouldn’t be startled, but invisible people make you jump.”
“I should go with him.” I began to get up.
Kerynis waved me back. “Let the old man have his fun.”
I looked at the piles of silver coins on the table, and the cylinders full of scrolls, and decided not to leave the room after all. There were three exits from the room, one leading to the common room, one to the kitchen, and another leading somewhere else. If no one stayed to watch him, what was to stop Kerynis from absconding with the money and the books?
He held up one of the coins and whistled. “Would you look at that! A Melkart without a nose.”
“What are you talking about?”
“These are very rare, my young friend. Apparently, something broke on the original mold, and on some coins, Melkart has no nose. Once they saw the problem, they stopped making them, so you don’t see these very often.”
“Are they valuable?”
He snorted. “No more valuable than any other shekel of the same weight. If anything, less valuable. Who wants a Melkart with no nose in his coin purse?”
While he continued to fondle the coins, doting over them like a boy with toy soldiers, I took a closer look at the so-called Books of Secret Wisdom. I chanced to pull out a scroll that gave instructions for changing men into women, and vice versa. This was a subject with which I had some acquaintance, having witnessed such an alleged transformation at the sacred spring of Salmacis in Halicarna
ssus. I was scanning the text to see if it mentioned Salmacis, when I realized that Kerynis had leaned forward, bringing his head close to mine, and was reading the text upside down.
“Interested in becoming a girl?” he said, flashing an ingratiating smile. “Perhaps just for the night?”
I cleared my throat. “Not with the likes of you around.”
He laughed. “Come, come, young Roman—you are Roman, aren’t you? There’s no mistaking the accent. What do you have against me? I’m just an honest fellow trying to make an honest transaction.”
“I see. And how did you come to possess these Books of Secret Wisdom?”
“Ah, now that is none of your business. But I can assure you that they are absolutely authentic. Do you think I’d try to cheat a distinguished fellow like your traveling companion? He’s a lot older and wiser than you, my young friend, and he seems to trust me.”
I glowered at him, trying to think of a response, then gave a start as the door opened and Antipater stepped back inside, grinning from ear to ear.
Kerynis heard the noise and looked toward the doorway. He stared blankly for a moment, then squinted. “Ah, yes, it’s starting to wear off. I can vaguely see your outline. How did it go?”
“Fantastic!” declared Antipater. “I was completely invisible. No one could see me at all. It made me feel quite … naughty. I couldn’t resist playing a few tricks on people.”
“What sort of tricks?” I said, dismayed at the thought of my old tutor behaving like a schoolboy.
“Never mind, Gordianus.” Antipater straightened his shoulders, as if to shrug off his puerile behavior. “The important thing is that the formula works. The implications are astounding. The value of such a tool for military purposes, or for espionage—a man could change the course of history!”
“But, Teacher, do you not recall the lesson of Icarus? If men were meant to fly, the gods would have given us wings. And if we were meant to be invisible—”
“You must try it yourself!” said Antipater, thrusting the vial toward me.
“What?”
“Yes, give it a try,” said Kerynis.
I stared at the vial for a long moment, then took it from Antipater. I pulled out the stopper and took a whiff. As Antipater had said, the smell was vile.
Rogues Page 49