front lines!”
Mark chuckled. “You have such an imagination. You’ll go and you’ll grow up—I swear by my sword. And don’t be afraid of the Romans. They’re very professional. The Persians on the other hand are a commendable foe. If they can’t be crushed by Rome then they deserve the highest respect.”
“Why respect your foe?”
Mark shouted angrily as if it was obvious, “So that we don’t insult the gods of war, so the gods won’t drive us mad from war! Have you learned nothing of the gods of war? Have you learned nothing from The Iliad ?”
The young pharaoh slumped. “When do I leave?”
“Quietly. Orderly. When Cleopatra has had time to install her court again.” He looked around the throne room. “I’ve already sent word to her army in Syria.”
Ptolemy asked, “How could she raise her own army anywhere? They can’t possibly believe she’s really Isis over there.”
Mark stated, “The queen knows her Plato. He said that we are twice armed if we fight with faith. She has them believing in a lot.”
“But… that she’s really actually genuinely Isis?”
Mark chuckled. “I hear they believe that she’s not only Isis but also Baset.”
Ptolemy made a mocking face. “The stupid Egyptian cat goddess? They think she’s a cat?”
Mark did a sexy little dance. “The mysterious black cat who is the great hunter by moonlight, and gives protection, joy, dance, music and love. Love! The men believe they will live with their beautiful queen in the afterlife for all eternity… in one great bed!”
“My sister is like a cat only in that she expects to be pampered. She thinks this is all here for her. She thinks she’s queen no matter where she is.”
“Like a cat, knowing her, when she returns to the palace it will be an entrance worthy of her even if she’s the only one about. She does know how to make entrances no matter what.” Mark smiled.
Ptolemy raised his voice. “She is not a cat! Enough of her. She walks like a crocodile. She has short fat legs and it makes her only able to stumble from this to that! She is atrocious!”
Mark Antony stormed out with all the bluster of storming in. After Mark was gone, Sorceress Thrace stepped up beside her king.
Ptolemy calmed. He said to her, “We’ll make sure my evil sister doesn’t have the ability to restore her court. No matter how she escaped death before, she mustn’t again! Do something now!”
Sorceress Thrace said, “I am one step ahead of Rome, but… you must not risk insulting Rome again. The head of Pompey the Great was blunder enough for one day.”
“He was a Roman. Rome only cares about Romans, especially the nobility. I should have thought.”
His witch asked, “Indeed, what made you blunder so. Who put the idea in your head to kill him and present a head, like that?”
Ptolemy looked at her. “ You did.”
“I did not.”
“Oh that’s right. It came to me in a dream, so the idea was all mine.”
Sorceress Thrace frowned. “Not so fast. What dream? You cannot trust dreams in a world full of ghosts and witches.”
Ptolemy rubbed his nose. “Oh that’s right. It was just stupid fantasy. In a dream a woman with snakes for hair rose out of a clay pot and told me it’d make Caesar very happy. And it was one of those crappy pots made out of ropes of clay coiled up.” He put his nose in the air. “I should have known to ignore it all from that.”
Sorceress Thrace scoffed. “You had a dream of Medusa? You are lost in fantasy. You have to know the difference between reality and bedtime stories, if you are to be a wise pharaoh.”
He raised a fist to her.
She bowed.
He retorted, “Never mind all that now! Cleopatra is still all mine!”
“And mine, too. Whatever tricks she thinks she has, I will find them out.” The bald witch grinned and tapped the side of her nose.
He asked her, “How will you stop my sister now? She has great magic and the favor of all the gods; Egyptian, Roman and
Mark chuckled. “You have such an imagination. You’ll go and you’ll grow up—I swear by my sword. And don’t be afraid of the Romans. They’re very professional. The Persians on the other hand are a commendable foe. If they can’t be crushed by Rome then they deserve the highest respect.”
“Why respect your foe?”
Mark shouted angrily as if it was obvious, “So that we don’t insult the gods of war, so the gods won’t drive us mad from war! Have you learned nothing of the gods of war? Have you learned nothing from The Iliad ?”
The young pharaoh slumped. “When do I leave?”
“Quietly. Orderly. When Cleopatra has had time to install her court again.” He looked around the throne room. “I’ve already sent word to her army in Syria.”
Ptolemy asked, “How could she raise her own army anywhere? They can’t possibly believe she’s really Isis over there.”
Mark stated, “The queen knows her Plato. He said that we are twice armed if we fight with faith. She has them believing in a lot.”
“But… that she’s really actually genuinely Isis?”
Mark chuckled. “I hear they believe that she’s not only Isis but also Baset.”
Ptolemy made a mocking face. “The stupid Egyptian cat goddess? They think she’s a cat?”
Mark did a sexy little dance. “The mysterious black cat who is the great hunter by moonlight, and gives protection, joy, dance, music and love. Love! The men believe they will live with their beautiful queen in the afterlife for all eternity… in one great bed!”
“My sister is like a cat only in that she expects to be pampered. She thinks this is all here for her. She thinks she’s queen no matter where she is.”
“Like a cat, knowing her, when she returns to the palace it will be an entrance worthy of her even if she’s the only one about. She does know how to make entrances no matter what.” Mark smiled.
Ptolemy raised his voice. “She is not a cat! Enough of her. She walks like a crocodile. She has short fat legs and it makes her only able to stumble from this to that! She is atrocious!”
Mark Antony stormed out with all the bluster of storming in. After Mark was gone, Sorceress Thrace stepped up beside her king.
Ptolemy calmed. He said to her, “We’ll make sure my evil sister doesn’t have the ability to restore her court. No matter how she escaped death before, she mustn’t again! Do something now!”
Sorceress Thrace said, “I am one step ahead of Rome, but… you must not risk insulting Rome again. The head of Pompey the Great was blunder enough for one day.”
“He was a Roman. Rome only cares about Romans, especially the nobility. I should have thought.”
His witch asked, “Indeed, what made you blunder so. Who put the idea in your head to kill him and present a head, like that?”
Ptolemy looked at her. “ You did.”
“I did not.”
“Oh that’s right. It came to me in a dream, so the idea was all mine.”
Sorceress Thrace frowned. “Not so fast. What dream? You cannot trust dreams in a world full of ghosts and witches.”
Ptolemy rubbed his nose. “Oh that’s right. It was just stupid fantasy. In a dream a woman with snakes for hair rose out of a clay pot and told me it’d make Caesar very happy. And it was one of those crappy pots made out of ropes of clay coiled up.” He put his nose in the air. “I should have known to ignore it all from that.”
Sorceress Thrace scoffed. “You had a dream of Medusa? You are lost in fantasy. You have to know the difference between reality and bedtime stories, if you are to be a wise pharaoh.”
He raised a fist to her.
She bowed.
He retorted, “Never mind all that now! Cleopatra is still all mine!”
“And mine, too. Whatever tricks she thinks she has, I will find them out.” The bald witch grinned and tapped the side of her nose.
He asked her, “How will you stop my sister now? She has great magic and the favor of all the gods; Egyptian, Roman and
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