Every Last Kiss

As I watched him, Hasani glanced up and met my gaze, pausing in his conversation as he smiled at me.His wide, white smile made my toes tingle and I took a step in his direction.

“Cleopatra?”I turned to her because she had not moved from where she was rooted in the doorway.

“Look,”she whispered, gesturing subtly with her hand into a direction to our right.

I followed her line of vision and saw Annen talking in agitation with Tehran.I automatically took a step in Annen’s direction, but stiffened as I watched the priest’s face transform into anger.Tehran grasped his arm firmly and began to pull him toward the door.

What the heck was Annen doing?

“What should we do?”I asked anxiously.“I told Tehran to leave and so did Hasani.I can’t believe he is still here.If Hasani sees him…”

The last thing I wanted was a scene.But still.  We needed a diversion- something to distract the attention from Annen.The priest could not use magic in public and there was no way that the frail old man could defend himself otherwise.And Annen needed to stay safe so that I could kill him myself for stealing my bloodstone.

“Point him out.Hasani should see him,”Cleopatra muttered.“Such blatant disregard for your dictate is a slap in my face.He knows you act on my behalf.”

Cleopatra was annoyed and I desperately tried to catch Hasani’s eye again.A brief moment later, during a lull in their conversation, both Antony and Hasani looked at us, wondering at our tardiness.I frantically gestured toward Tehran.

Antony looked at me curiously, not comprehending, while Hasani sprang from his seat immediately.Antony might not have understood what was going on, but once he saw the murderous look on his general’s face, he quickly got up to cover Hasani’s flank.

The two large men stalked through the room, trailing Tehran as he attempted to drag Annen from the crowded banquet hall.I absently checked to make sure that my scarf was covering the bruise on my arm before Cleopatra and I hurriedly rushed to follow them.

Unfortunately, it took us much longer to maneuver.Each person that we tried to slip past bowed and addressed the queen in some way, out of respect.In times like these, being with her was a huge inconvenience.It slowed us down and when we finally reached Hasani and Antony, we had missed the entire first part of the animated conversation.By the time I stepped to Hasani’s side, the crowd had already swallowed the priest. 

“What did you say?”Hasani demanded, as he grabbed Tehran by the front of his tunic.Tehran finally looked genuinely afraid as his weasley face paled. 

“I said nothing, general,”Tehran whimpered.“I said nothing at all.”

“That’s odd,”Antony interjected as he slowly drew a large dagger from his belt.“I could swear that you just threatened our great queen.”

He moved closer with slow, lethal purpose.

“My wife, the queen,”he added needlessly.

“No sir- no, I did not,”Tehran’s eyes were wide and frightened as he stared at the large knife that Antony calmly held in his hands.

“I’m pretty certain you did,”Hasani countered, with deadly calmness.

I felt as though I was watching a hunting lion as Hasani appraised Tehran.His dark eyes had gone cold as he calculated the man that he was grasping.

“Do you know what we do to murderous traitors?”

Before Tehran could answer, Antony lunged forward like a lithe jaguar, plunging the dagger smoothly into Tehran’s side.Blood gushed, staining an ever-widening spot on Tehran’s tunic.

Antony yanked the knife back out and stepped back.

“We kill them,”he announced as he wiped the blade on the hem of Tehran’s shift.

Cleopatra gasped and took a step forward, but restrained herself, stepping back.In her opinion, a queen never showed dismay or distress.Only I noticed the panic in her eyes, as she clenched her fists at her sides.Her knuckles quickly turned white.

Tehran stared at her with glittering eyes.

“It doesn’t matter,”he rasped, coughing as blood gurgled into his mouth.“He is here and he will kill you.”

“Who is here?”Hasani demanded, yanking the servant closer, but Tehran went limp as his life drained from him.Hasani dropped him unceremoniously to the floor, where he crumpled into a heap.

“My queen, you must retire immediately to your chambers until we can determine what is happening,”Hasani implored as he swiftly turned to us, his face an impassive mask.

“Charmian, come-- I will escort you both to the queen’s chambers.”I could tell by the firm set to his chiseled jaw that there was no use arguing.

I nodded silently as he grasped my arm, while Antony and Cleopatra followed closely behind us.I noticed that Antony was protecting Cleopatra from the curious crowd with his own body as we walked away quickly, leaving Tehran bleeding on the expensive rug as someone called for a servant to drag his lifeless body from the hall.Before we disappeared into a private back hallway, I looked back over my shoulder.Annen was nowhere to be found.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The sound of the Mediterranean crashed comfortingly below the palace as Cleopatra paced restlessly, her lovely face drawn and anxious as she walked circles around her large bedchamber. I had almost allowed the soothing sound to lull me into sleep as I waited for Antony and Hasani to return, but at Cleopatra’s loud sigh, I rose tiredly from the chaise I was seated upon and grasped her arm.

“My queen, it does no good to worry. You’re going to wear holes in your carpets.Sit down.”

I tried to pull her to one of the many lounges in the room, but she resisted.

“Since when do you get to order me, Charmian?”she asked grumpily, pulling her arm from my grasp and returning to the open balcony doors to stare out at the city.

“Since you don’t listen to anyone else but me,”I answered firmly.She didn’t intimidate me.  

“Well, no matter.I am still queen here and I answer to no one.”Her voice was sharp, apparently even sharper than she had intended because she turned to me and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Charmian.I didn’t mean to snap at you.I’m just worried…and that is not your fault. I seem to be taking my worry out on everyone today.”I thought of the poor little serving girl and had to agree.

“I know, my queen.I’m worried, too.”

Was I ever.Hasani and Antony had left us secluded in the queen’s chambers with guards at every entrance while they searched for Annen. They meant to question him regarding his involvement with Tehran, to see if he knew anything of the servant’s claims.  But that wouldn’t do.I needed to find him first.  

Cleopatra turned to me, her smooth face creased with worry.  

“What do you suppose Tehran meant?Who is here to kill me? Octavian?That can’t be right.We would have heard. And what was he doing with that priest?”

That was something I would like to know, too.Surely, Tehran couldn’t have meant Pothinus. Surely.If the eunuch had figured out a way to defy constraints of time in order to secretly beat death… Well, it just couldn’t be.I ran my fingers over my little scar, but unfortunately, it wasn’t speaking to me.  That might be a good sign, but it still offered me no guidance. 

“I know not, my queen,”I answered softly.“But it would seem to me that it has more to do with the fact that I dismissed Tehran today than anything else.Perhaps he chose that priest at random as an object for his anger… and we interrupted so he turned his tirade toward you.Perhaps his words were just lies. It is difficult to say, my queen, when we are speaking of such a seedy person.”

She nodded.“You’re right about that, Charmian.I’ve never trusted him. I honestly don’t know why I allowed him to stay for so long.”

“That doesn’t matter now, my queen.Our problem now is that Annen will likely be frightened when he hears that Antony and Hasani are seeking him.I doubt he will come out of hiding.Which means that we can’t find out if he knows who the ‘he’ was that Tehran threatened you with.”

But I already knew.  My gut was whispering to me, I just didn’t want to listen.It couldn’t bePothinus.It just couldn’t be. Because I didn’t know what to do if it was.

“I know,”Cleopatra sighed again, dropping into a heavily embroidered arm chair. “But what can we do?If we defy Antony and Hasani and leave the palace, it will be wondered why.There has been a public threat on my life.It would seem odd if I simply disregarded it.Plus, it will seem as though I doubt my husband’s abilities.”Her shoulders slumped and she turned toward me.

“And I do not,”she clarified.

“Of course you don’t,”I said soothingly.

“But you’re the queen of Egypt,”I added firmly.“You can defy anyone, even your husband.However…there has to be a way around it.I wonder if we could send Iras to the temple in search of the priest?”

Iras was Cleopatra’s other royal handmaiden, second only to me in her service of the queen.

“Perhaps she could inconspicuously slip into the temple… and perhaps the priest would come out of hiding if he realized that she was there at your behest.”   

The idea formed as I spoke, and for once, it seemed like a good one.Everyone knew that Iras and I acted on Cleopatra’s orders. It was a sound plan- one that might bring Ahmose to me if he heard of it.Because I was floundering here.I had no idea what to do.I couldn’t believe that I was wishing for his wrinkled, scary face, but I was.  I needed his input.

Cleopatra nibbled her lip, considering the idea carefully.

“That could work, I suppose.But what if the priest is still too afraid to emerge? We will have gained no knowledge whatsoever.”

“You are the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra,”I reminded her again. “He will not refuse you.”

She nodded again, even though her expression was uncertain.“Iras will have to be crafty and take pains not to be seen by Antony and Hasani,”she warned.“I do not want Antony’s feelings injured.”

“I know.But if we explain that this is a very delicate situation, even too delicate to share with Antony, she will understand, my queen.She is as loyal to you as I am.”

“Yes, I know,”Cleopatra said absently.“I know she is.Summon her.”

I walked quickly through her chambers, opening one of the floor-to-ceiling carved doors.I quickly poked my head out to speak to one of the Nubian guards stationed there.

“Please send for Iras,”I commanded firmly, before disappearing once again into Cleopatra’s chamber.It wasn’t necessary to linger and ensure that he was carrying out the order.It would be done without question.

As I waited, I crossed to a long ivory table lining the far wall of her sitting room. Opening the carved doors, I pulled out a jar of shedeh, an Egyptian specialty wine, and poured it into a jeweled gold chalice.A loaf of fresh bread had been placed on a stone warming plate by a serving girl and I cut a slice of the thick rye bread as well.Carrying the food and drink to Cleopatra, I implored her to eat it.Neither one of us had eaten anything since our dinner had been disrupted by Tehran.