Gold of the Ancients

by Graham Warren

  Each guest in the already busy room was standing as one, in absolute silence, and looked, actually stared in disbelief at the three youngsters: eyes wide open, jaws dropped. All must have known who they were looking at, from their many pictures in the ADD. Kate made a noise which unwittingly told Alex and Cairo that she was trying her absolute hardest to control a fit of laughter.

  “What is it?” Alex whispered. Cairo asked likewise.

  Kate took a grip of herself. “Royal banquet, huh, this looks more like flipping Cairo airport, where the noticeboard above our heads has just changed to show that all flights are now cancelled.”

  The boys now had the same image in their minds. The three of them emanated strange noises as they struggled to contain their laughter, much to the consternation of those gathered. Any thought of laughter left them the moment a tall, sternly officious looking, and excruciatingly thin man, who wore a chiton, stepped towards them. This was no lady’s chiton. This was a full length Ionic style chiton with sleeves, it was so long that it swept the ground as he walked.

  Alex turned to Kate and whispered, “He’s a priest.” Though she had immediately passed that information on to Cairo, Alex received a, “So what?” from Kate, by return.

  The priest beckoned for them to follow him before turning and walking on. His was confident enough to know that he did not have to ask twice. As if by magic a large swathe was cut through the crowd. There, before them, though at some distance, was Cleopatra, seated upon a golden throne. Any hesitation Kate, Alex or Cairo had about following the priest, any protest that they may have wished to make, was immediately removed by reading the faces of the royal soldiers: ‘Move or die’. The three youngsters moved without any words needed to be spoken.

  Kate surreptitiously moved an arm out to take hold of Alex’s wrist, before saying through clenched teeth, and whilst continuing to look straight ahead, “Stick to my plan or you will not have to worry about flipping Cleopatra killing you.” They each took very deliberate short, slow, steps. “Don’t you dare let me down!” she said to the both of them.

  “I not let you down,” Cairo replied nervously.

  “I know you won’t … it’s him I’m worried about.”

  Alex felt a wash of confidence come over him. Kate was taking ownership of his plan. She was back to having to be in control. The plan most certainly was not without risk, and quite a few changes had been made since Emmy had left Cairo and him in the corridor, though none which would affect her role in this.

  “Stick to my plan,” Kate said under her breath, though with menace. There really had been no need for Kate to repeat herself. The boys had received her message loud and clear the first time. Right now they feared the wrath of Kate just as much as that of Cleopatra … possibly more so!

  With their eyes darting everywhere it was Kate who spoke first. “Well, can you see her?” No, was the reply from both sides of her. “Look harder then!”

  Neither of the boys pointed out that she was looking at the same people as they were, and if she could not see Bast then how were they expected to see her? In a moment of madness Cairo opened his mouth to protest that he was much shorter than either of them, so how would he be able to see Bast if they could not. However; thankfully, he came to his senses and closed his mouth before uttering a word.

  The priest halted and looked back. He gestured with his hand in a downward calming motion. Aware that he was not gesturing to them, they turned around only to be met with a solid line of royal soldiers. Their eagerness to do harm still evident.

  Taking a couple of quick steps in order to put at least a sword’s thrust distance between themselves and the soldiers, Cleopatra suddenly appeared very close.

  “She,” the ‘she’ being Bast, “has to be here,” Kate repeated several times in ever rising panic.

  “Don’t worry. If she isn’t your plan is still solid.” He purposely used ‘your’ rather than ‘my’.

  “It’s okay for you to talk, you will not be the one standing right in front of her and within striking distance.”

  “She doesn’t kill people, her–”

  “One nod, one gesture from her and people die … we will all die!” Kate did a great impression of an owl as she frantically looked around the room. The boys were now not much calmer. There was absolutely no sign of Bast.

  Young girls prostrated themselves in rows each side of the throne, each angled towards Cleopatra. The royal soldiers halted. Kate, Alex and Cairo took just two more paces before the priest gestured for them to stop. He announced their arrival to Cleopatra, and then very loudly to her guests. Cleopatra welcomed them as friends and very special guests. Exactly what the three youngsters had hoped for. They each bowed their head, though Cairo bowed so fully that Kate had no option except to stick out a restraining hand, otherwise he was likely to have ended up face down on the floor. Nerves were obviously getting to him. Alex had told them that a dip of the head was the customary greeting, though what happened next was far from customary. Stage one of the plan: divide and conquer.

  Kate spoke loudly, so loudly it was almost a shout. She sang the praises of Cleopatra with such force and emotion that nobody in the room would have the slightest inkling of how she really felt. How the three of them felt. To the disbelief of the boys she managed to turn the volume up for, “We praise you, Cleopatra.” Nobody, in the silence of the palace, not just within this room, could have missed those words.

  Alex had suggested, ‘We praise you, mighty, royal and benevolent Cleopatra, our queen.’ He thought now that Kate and Cairo had been right, as that would have been just a tad over the top. Short and punchy worked. He turned to his left, stepped between the prostrate girls and started shaking hands and tapping shoulders of the guests, as if he were being reunited with old friends. Within seconds he had disappeared into the standing crowd. Cairo had done the same on the opposite side, though with a little more awkwardness.

  The royal soldiers behind Kate, as well as those beside Cleopatra, had no idea of what they should do. This was very unusual for royal soldiers, as they always knew what they had to do … kill! It was as simple as that. The guarding, peacekeeping role, did not come naturally to them. Kate read the faces of the soldiers either side of Cleopatra and it gave her great satisfaction. They, all too obviously, were shocked as two of the youngsters, whom they were charged with keeping under control, disappeared into the crowd. However, these same youngsters were unarmed and offered no threat. They were shaking hands and patting shoulders. The guests had been happy to receive them. All was calm and all eyes were back on the girl who was singing Cleopatra’s praises, and she was obviously enjoying the adoration. The youngsters were supposed to be the guests of honour in the eyes of those assembled, so soldiers slicing them into bloody threads was not an option.

  The youngsters’ plan had presumed that at this moment there would be confusion amongst the soldiers because they would have been told, very firmly, that there was to be no military action of any kind; that this was an incredibly important banquet – possibly her most important ever; that she would be making an announcement towards the end of the evening that would change the afterlife forever; that anybody disrupting the harmony of the evening would be dealt with most severely. They had obviously presumed correctly, because their plan remained solid.

  The priest kept his calm, and after leaning in and having the shortest of short conversations with Cleopatra, whilst Kate continued to sing her praises, he turned to those assembled. Raising both arms out in front of him, fingers outstretched and palms down, he slowly moved his hands in a downward motion. As he did the crowd moved.

  Kate paused whilst she waited for the noise of several hundred people, either moving to sit or recline, to abate. She was pleased that both Alex and Cairo had had the sense to also sit down. She was even more pleased to see Bast reclining on what appeared to be a heavily cushioned marble plinth off to her right. Just one of many dotted around the room, and each one was in use.

 
Tables overfull with food ran around the far walls. Serving girls stood holding trays piled high, just waiting for the signal to serve. “They will not be able to hold those for much longer,” thought Kate, and feared for what would happen should a tray hit the floor. It was then that she noticed a tablecloth move and a small hand come up. She watched a gap appear on a table as a whole plateful of sandwiches disappeared. It had to be Cairo, and he was not far from Bast. Kate coughed excessively, to draw attention her way. Immediately a golden goblet of wine was held out to her. Without a second thought she downed it in one. She regretted it, but she could not have Cairo being discovered. It was vital for him to get the message to Bast that Rose was free. The room returned to silence, so she heaped more extremely insincere praises upon Cleopatra. She was just as loud as before, though as she spoke, her words were very gradually rounding and merging as the effects of the wine took hold.

  Alex was more than happy with Kate’s performance. He did not even see Kate drinking the wine as a worry. He soon would! With no idea where Cairo was, he was at least happy to now have a clear view of Bast. She was a long way from him, and looked somewhat overdressed in her tapestry cat coat. There was no way he would be able to cross from this side of the room to the other without been seen. The royal soldiers purposely maintained a clear path, effectively splitting the room into two. So it was up to Cairo to let Bast know that she could leave, that she had to leave. Ramses must inform Dr Margretti so that Caesarion could be dealt with, and Cleopatra had to know that Bast had left if the final, and most vital, stage of their plan was going to work.

  Cleopatra had a few words with her priest, and just as Alex had suspected, she had him send soldiers to confirm that Rose remained captive. This had only been a presumption on Alex’s part, but Cleopatra had not become the powerful queen she was by leaving things to chance. He was extremely self-congratulatory of this addition to his plan. Emmy had been able to see the need and all were thankful that they had been able to enact it before being ‘caught’.

  Signals were sent and two of the soldiers by the far doors left the room in a hurry. They were the soldiers closest to the cells, though it would still be quite a walk. Only if Rose remained securely locked in her cell would Cleopatra be certain of having total control of events, because she knew with absolute certainty that Bast would never leave Rose. However, she would have little confidence of Bast remaining if she only held the three youngsters. Alex knew for certain that Bast would stay – a possible problem with his plan was to get her to leave - though Cleopatra had no way of knowing this. With so much at stake, Alex banked on the fact that she would not be willing to take a risk. The plus side for him, for their plan to work, was Cleopatra’s confidence. The more secure she felt, the less she would worry where they were, and the more she would focus on becoming supreme ruler of the afterlife.

  Kate stopped speaking. Her legs had become a little wobbly and she had run out of things to say. That is not quite correct. She had run out of platitudes. She had plenty else she could have said, though nothing that would have helped the plan. There was a somewhat rowdy stamping of feet and many strange noises. Apparently applause had not been invented yet! Cleopatra beckoned for Kate to join her. It was not a request! Kate did. “Keep to the plan,” she said over and over in her head.

  Alex’s confidence, and even that of Kate, took a dive as the soldiers returned far too quickly. Kate watched another tray of sandwiches disappear under the table. Cairo had to be totally oblivious to what was going on.

  There was no sign of panic as messages were passed from royal soldier to royal soldier, to the priest, and finally to Cleopatra, which Alex took as a good sign. Then his stomach did a gold-medal-winning summersault as it dawned on him that there would be no panic. Not even if Emmy had been unable to convince them she was Rose. Had they opened the cell door to check, the plan would fail and Emmy would now be captive for real. Cleopatra would have no other option except to make out that Rose remained under her control. As far as she was concerned that would be her only way of keeping Bast here. He felt sick, really sick, as he worried how Emmy would cope with being captured yet again. He vehemently wished that he had not put her in such a position. Looking to Kate he wondered if she had been close enough to hear what the priest had said to Cleopatra. She obviously had, as she made an okay symbol with thumb and forefinger, out of Cleopatra’s sight, in the hope that Alex would see it. He did, and he sighed with relief, though not before his stomach took an encore.

  The next half-an-hour or so the serving girls were working at full stretch. Masses of food circulated, but it was wine which was most in demand. During this time Alex had not noticed any attempt being made to locate either Cairo or himself, and he had been looking. He did, however, have the distinct feeling that the royal soldiers knew exactly where he was, even though he had sat behind two very large ladies. Paranoia perhaps, but it made sense that they would not search for him if they knew where he was. The same went for Cairo, though Alex had absolutely no idea where he was. On the other hand, it could be the fact that Kate was surrounded by royal soldiers, just by virtue of sitting with Cleopatra, which allowed the remaining soldiers to remain unconcerned.

  Cleopatra was relaxed in the certain, though wholly inaccurate, knowledge that she controlled the actions of Bast, so all was calm. How was she to know that this was only the calm before the storm? She could not.

  How were Kate, Alex and Cairo to know that their plan was going to unravel so quickly and so totally … they could not!

  Chapter 41

  -

  What is it with Plans?

  It appeared to Alex as though Kate had succumbed to the wine. She sat slumped in the chair … no it was a throne … no it was more like a chaise longue. Whatever the massive gold, gem encrusted thing beside Cleopatra’s throne was, Kate was slumped in it … on it! From this angle Alex was unable to make out if Kate’s eyes were open or shut. “Perhaps she is acting,” he thought, “perhaps she’s just had enough of talking. Oh, Kate, don’t let the wine ruin everything. It was only one goblet … but it was a very big goblet. Oh, hell, it was probably full and she doesn’t drink!”

  Alex wracked his brain. He had plenty of time to think, even though no alternative plan was immediately springing to mind. The planned time for Kate to act was immediately prior to the big announcement: after Cleopatra had told her priest to bring silence to the room, though before she had been able to stand and speak. This, they had considered, would have the most devastating effect, because it would throw Cleopatra into confusion, just at the time she was feeling supremely confident of achieving her goal. However, this would not happen for a while yet; now was the time for eating and drinking, and soon there would be entertainment.

  “She might wake up. Surely she cannot sleep at a time like this. It’s the wine, it has to be the wine! We cannot fail because of a glass of wine … we cannot!” Alex brought his hands up, his face dropped into them in utter despair. Thoughts flooded his mind, many of which were capture and torture. He feared not for himself, not even for Kate or Cairo, but for Emmy. He really feared for Emmy. She needed protecting. If she had followed the plan, having successfully convinced the soldiers that Rose was still in her cell, she should already be on her way to the surface and safety. Knowing Emmy as he did, he somehow doubted she would leave before they did, though he had impressed on her the importance of getting away. She had to inform Ramses, just in case they were unable to get the message to Bast. Perhaps she had left. Perhaps she was already ashore. Perhaps she had been captured. Perhaps there were too many perhaps’!

  With his head spinning, Alex may have literally screamed, had he not been distracted by the lady sitting beside him asking for her copy of ADD to be signed. He failed to reply, but his attention was caught as she and another lady started a conversation.

  “Is he okay?”

  “Not really.”

  “Should we get a doctor?”

  “A doctor cannot cure what he has.”<
br />
  “Pardon?”

  “He is in love.”

  “I see … Yes of course … Always difficult at any age.”

  “Even more difficult when the one you love is unjustly locked away in a cell.”

  Alex was in serious danger of whiplash as his head rose at lightning speed. Bast put a finger to her lips, though this was far from necessary as Alex was far too shocked to be able to say anything. The banquet was in full swing. Wine freely flowing, so freely that it ran down the sides of momentarily overfull goblets. Conversations became ever more raucous, as goblets were refilled in rapid succession.

  A kindly looking lady rested a hand on Alex’s arm as she spoke. “Don’t think of doing anything rash. You have your whole life before you.” His eyes were now in danger of popping out of his head. Bast was here, yet Bast was also at the far side of the room. “You’re thinking of doing something rash. You really shouldn’t.” He looked at the lady, took in her face, her eyes radiated love; he calmed somewhat. “That’s better.” She leaned in and now spoke in hushed tones, or as hushed as one could be when surrounded by drunken laughter. “I can tell you for a fact that many of us here would like to do her harm. We really would, wouldn’t we?” She turned to Bast who nodded in agreement. “I can also tell you that it will never happen. If you did, by some miracle, get past her soldiers, then just a couple of words, and you would be under her spell. Everybody is.”

  Alex nodded. He totally understood. That was the defining reason why he and Cairo had planned to disappear into the crowd when they did. “I don’t sense it, but is it magic?”

  “Oh no, not magic my dear, she doesn’t need magic. She carries an aura with her which is quite unique. Look at her from here. Does she look like a beauty, a Helen of Troy?”

  “Not at all!”

  “No, she really is not at all attractive, but if she stood and spoke now she would captivate the entire room. We would each feel that we were the most important person in her life. More importantly, we would each feel intimately touched by her. That … that is her magic!” The friendly lady leaned even closer into Alex as she said, “There is only one Cleopatra, but one is one too many!” She leaned back and laughed. Head back, mouth open, she laughed heartily, and nobody took any notice.