House of Thebes (The Bloodstone Saga) (11 page)

Antony rested on his knees beside a small pool in the center of the court.  His head rested on his hand and he was completely still.  I had almost decided to turn and leave when he lifted his head and caught my eye.

“Ah, Hasani,” he sighed.  “Faithful and true.  How wondrous it is to have someone such as you fight by my side.”

“Antony,” I nodded, as I crossed the few feet remaining to stand by his side. “As always, you know it is an honor to be by your side.”

“Why are you out here?” Antony asked absently as he trailed one hand in the water, disturbing the lilies that floated on the water’s surface.  “You are probably as I am…unable to sleep.”

“That is true,” I admitted.  “I do not see the need.  I will be eternally sleeping soon enough.”

Antony looked sharply up at me, his dark gaze glinting in the light of the moon.

“That is true, as well,” he answered wearily.  “I fear that I have led you astray, soldier.  You will die tomorrow, although knowing you as I do, it will be a good death.”

“I pray that it is,” I acknowledged.  “I pray that it is.”

Antony shook his head.  “You don’t know any other way than honorable,” he said quietly.  “You may not be Roman, but you are more honorable than anyone I have met. That is the truth, general.”

“Thank you for your words, sir,” I answered.  

It was quiet here in the gardens and our voices carried.  I glanced up at the balconies that lined this side of the palace, the balconies that led to the rooms of both Cleopatra and Charmian.  Both were darkened.  They were still abed.  We were not disturbing them with our conversation.

“Do you ever wish that you had chosen a different path?” Antony asked me.  He was casually leaning against the stone, but his words weren’t casual at all.  He was a man trying to reconcile himself with his choices.  I understood that. I was doing the same.

“No,” I answered truthfully.  “I am happy here in Alexandria.  This is my home, Charmian is here.  I am nothing without her or Egypt.  I could have left you, sir. I could have left Egypt long ago and avoided this impasse where we are now.  But I would not have liked myself.  It would have cost me my honor and without that, I am not a man at all.”

“True words,”Antony agreed. “And here in the dark, there is no general and commander. We are friends.  Do not call me sir here.  Not tonight.”

I nodded. 

“I will fight with you to the death, Antony.  Until I draw no more breath.  It will be an honor.  I can think of no one else I would rather die with.”

“We will die with honor,” Antony nodded.  “I will have it no other way.”

We fell silent and I listened to the bushes rustling in the breeze, the flowers that tossed their heavy exotic scents into the wind.   A few minutes later, Antony broke the silence.

“I will not surrender,” he told me quietly.  “I will die as a Roman.  Do you understand what I am saying?  I would rather live as a hero in the afterlife than stay alive as a mortal as Octavian’s prisoner.”

I nodded.  “Understood.”  He would rather fall on his own sword before he would allow them to take him alive. 

“It’s been an honor fighting with you all of these years,” he told me, slapping me on the shoulder. 

“The honor has been mine,” I replied. 

“Now, what are we doing down here?” Antony asked, his tone changing from one of melancholy to one of almost jest.  “We have women to bed.  Again.”

He laughed, the sound carrying far outside of the gardens.  He stood and turned and walked for the palace. 

“I’ll meet you here in at dawn,” he called over his shoulder.

“I’ll be here,” I replied quietly. 

And I would be.  I might have played with the idea of snatching Charmian up and running as far as we could; far, far, from here, but I knew that I could never do that.  Being a soldier was in my blood.  My father had served the Ptolemies, and his father before him and his father before him.  It was who I was and my family had always done it with honor.  Dying would not change that. 

The horizon was just beginning to turn purple as the sun crept toward it and I knew my time was limited.  I turned and walked quickly back toward the palace, back to where Charmian was sleeping. 

I made one quick stop, in the bedchambers of Iras, Cleoaptra’s second handmaid.  She startled when I approached the bed, but she recognized me quickly enough and sat up in confusion.

“General,” she stuttered. “What are you doing here?”

“Iras, I need your promise,” I said firmly, holding her gaze.

“Anything,” she replied. 

“After the battle tomorrow, if you hear news that I have fallen, send Charmian to my mother, outside of the city.  Tell her to make haste and not to stop for anyone.”

Iras looked at me in confusion. “Shouldn’t you give her these instructions yourself?” She looked at me for a moment and the sighed.  “Ah, I see.  You do not wish to trouble her.  You don’t think she knows that Egypt will fall.  I am certain that she knows, General.  All of us know.”

“Be that as it may,” I answered. “I do not wish to speak of it before battle.  It will bring bad fortune to my soldiers.  Please, just give Charmian those instructions.  And tell her that I love her.”

“Of course,” Iras answered.  I turned and made my way toward the hall. I was fairly certain that I heard Iras weeping as I closed the door behind me. 

I crept back into Charmian’s bedchambers and sat on the side of the bed for the longest time, simply watching her sleep.  She was exquisite in her beauty, but she was so much more than that.  Her spirit was beautiful and strong.  I’d never met another woman like her.  I gulped hard and tried to steel my heart against what I knew I had to do.  I would have to be satisfied in the knowledge that I would love her for as many hours as I had left. And then I would love her for all of eternity in the afterlife.

I don’t know how long I sat watching her.  Minutes, maybe an hour.

Finally, as the orange fingers of the sunrise had barely begun to break apart the horizon, I rose from the bed and began readying myself for battle.  Within minutes, Charmian woke and rose to help me. 

She walked behind me to fasten my golden chestplate and pull my hair into a band at my neck.  She leaned into my neck and kissed it, then curled herself around my body and kissed my lips.  I trembled from the need to stay here with her, to hold her and keep her safe.  I had never wanted anything more in my life.  Leaving her went against everything that I knew to be good and true.  But I was obligated to protect Egypt.  It was what I had been born to do. 

I finally broke away from Charmian.

“Charmian, my love.  Do not fear. I will be safe. I love you.”

And I did.  More than life itself. 

Charmian stood on her tiptoes and kissed me with what I knew would be our last kiss.  Her breath was sweet, her lips were warm and I memorized everything about this moment.  It would sustain me later, when this day had turned bloody. 

Charmian cupped my face with her hands and whispered, “I love you too, Hasani.  Be safe today, my warrior.”

I nodded.  And before I could change my mind, I turned as quickly as I could and walked for the door.  In the doorway, though, I couldn’t help myself. I turned to look at her one last time. 

She was so delicate and beautiful, like a flower.  So fragile, yet so strong.  One tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek and she smiled at me through her pain.  Her breath was ragged and so was mine. I had to leave before I could no longer do it. 

I smiled at her.  And then I walked away. 

As I walked the lengths of the opulent palace halls and wound my way to the ground floor, I hardened my heart toward what I would do today.  It was the warrior’s way.  If we did not harden ourselves, we would go insane.  I would kill people today.  There would be blood on my hands, the blood of soldiers just like me who simply fought for another cause.  It was the way of a warrior.

As I entered the courtyard, I could see the ships congregating in the bay beneath the palace, their sails white in the sky.  Rome had descended upon us.  Antony waited for me once more, standing still and strong beside the pool.  He was dressed in his armor and his expression was deadly.

“Ready?” he asked seriously. 

“Ready,” I answered.

And together, we walked to meet our destiny. 

Lies That Bind

A short story by Courtney Cole

Based on characters from The Bloodstone Saga

Foreword

In the Bloodstone Saga, Macy has a mentor, a handler of sorts, named Ahmose.  As she is re-born time and time again in mortal form, she is always under the belief that she is a Keeper of Fate and Ahmose is her Aegis, an ancient priest who aids her in each task that the Fates dole out to her.

Little by little, as she comes to realize who she really is and she eventually figures out her story.  But Ahmose… he knew all along. He just couldn’t tell her. 

This short story is set right after the events of
Every Last Kiss
and just prior to
Fated.
  It is from Ahmose’s POV.  I hope you enjoy.

Lies That Bind

Ahmose

As dawn approached, my black cloak dragged on the ground behind me as I walked toward the rear of Macy’s home.  Her old white-muzzled dog dutifully stood watch at the door and cowered as I grew near, visibly shaking as I stepped soundlessly through the glass of the sliding doors.  I glanced at him and he ran yelping from the room.  I smiled.  Animals could see things that mortals could not, a fact that was usually vastly entertaining. 

The house was utterly devoid of noise as I made my way silently through the quiet rooms and into Macy’s bedroom.  Stopping at the foot of her bed, I gazed down at her as she slept.  Her soft mortal mouth was curled into a small smile even as she slumbered and I couldn’t help but feel a brief rush of warmth for her. 

She and I had been with each other for a long time. Longer than even she knew.  I disagreed with the way the Fates were manipulating her memories, but what could I do?  I was just an old priest who had been forced into servitude by the Moirae.  Not that Macy knew that. She thought that I willingly served them, that they had the best interest of everyone at heart.  I almost laughed at the thought, but it wasn’t humorous.

She stirred in her sleep and her smile stretched into a grin. I couldn’t help but smile myself.  I couldn’t read her mind while she slept, but I felt certain that she was thinking of her soul mate.  She had only just been reunited with him yesterday and I knew that she was relieved.  I had watched her stand in the middle of a crowded deli and kiss him squarely on the mouth- completely disregarding the fact that he didn’t remember her.  But I had to cut her slack…she had been so traumatized in Alexandria, an occurrence that I had grown used to watching.  The Fates did so enjoy toying with her. 

She whispered in her sleep and I bent to catch what she said.

“Gavin,” she murmured and reached out her hands toward the empty side of the bed. 

I had been correct, but it had not been hard to guess. Her soul mate had been in the forefront of her mind for thousands of years.  And sadly, she didn’t even know his true name.  In fact, she didn’t know her own.  I shook my head.  It was cruel.

I closed my eyes and focused on lightening my limbs.  I felt the heaviness slip away and I drifted to the corner of the room, hovering near the ceiling as I rested, keeping guard over my young charge as she slept.  Things were rapidly becoming more and more dangerous and I would protect her as long as I could.

I didn’t even realize that I had fallen asleep until something woke me.  I snapped open my eyes, finding the room flooded with morning light.  Macy was still soundly sleeping.  But her phone was ringing.  I breathed a ragged sigh of relief.  It was just a phone.

A few rings later, she grabbed at it groggily and flipped it open, holding it to her ear. 

“Hello,” she mumbled, not bothering to open her eyes. One second later though, her eyes popped open and she sat straight up in bed.

“Gavin!” she exclaimed. “No, it’s not too early. I was just… being lazy.” 

Pause. 

“No, of course not- I’d love that.  I love the beach.  Yes, 10:00 is fine. I’ll see you then.”

She closed her phone and laid it back on the bed stand, staring dreamily out the window, watching the sunlight shimmer off the top of the backyard pool. Her thoughts were a million miles away.  I chose to remain invisible to her, waiting to see what she would do.  There was no reason to appear to her yet, at any rate.  I had not been given permission to return her bloodstone to her. 

I glanced at the clock.  It was 9:30.  She would need to hurry.  She made that realization at the same time as I did and lunged out of bed, hurtling herself toward the bathroom. She emerged, fresh-faced and dressed, twenty minutes later. 

It never ceased to amaze me how much she resembled her true self. It seemed like a cruel joke to me that the Fates would allow her to retain her physical appearance in every life, but not ever remember who she really was.  She remembered what they wanted her to remember, manipulating her thoughts with the power of her own necklace.  

She was exquisitely beautiful this morning with her long dark hair pulled away from her face and her jade green eyes bright and shining. I held her bloodstone close to my breast in a hidden pocket.  I would return it to her soon.  And her cycle would begin all over again, as it had countless other times.  I had begun to lose hope that the end would ever come.

Macy sat downstairs anxiously until the doorbell rang and she rushed to answer it, seemingly afraid that if she waited too long, he would no longer be waiting for her on the other side of the door.