Pharaoh by Karen Essex Page A

did not believe that he was either surprised or upset. “There is more.”
    “What more could she do to me?” asked the wretched boy.
    “Oh, so much more. I’m afraid your lack of control in the situation has led to an entire chain of unfortunate events.”
    “It’s Pothinus, cursing us from his tomb,” Ptolemy cried. “You should have left him be.”
    “What is the rest of the news, General?” Kleopatra asked, cutting short her brother’s histrionics.
    “She’s had General Achillas murdered. She’s made some eunuch named Ganymedes commander of the Egyptian armed forces.”
    “She has no right to do that!” the king exclaimed. “She is not king!”
    Kleopatra stifled her own response. Caesar answered quickly, “No, she is not. But she’s managed to get a substantial number
     of the tribes of the city to declare her queen.”
    Kleopatra sat still. She had always known this day would arrive, though she had never suspected it would come so quickly.
     The Alexandrian populace regarded her brother as an ineffectual child, the puppet of whatever courtier had his ear, and herself
     as a Roman collaborator. They had despised her father for his propitiating policies with Rome, never understanding that the
     days of the illustrious Ptolemaic empire were over and that Rome was the immutable beast that would either trample over them
     or allow them to remain unscathed-the latter only if they made themselves of good use. Kleopatra and her father were resigned
     to this reality, whereas her brothers, her sister, and the Alexandrian mob preferred to live inside the fantasy that if they
     defied Rome, if they gathered their forces and put up some resistance, the Romans would just leave them in peace. That had
     not been the case with the rest of the world, of course, and Kleopatra always knew that Romewould
never,
under any circumstances, withdraw its interest in this nation that was not only the world’s largest producer of grain, but
     was also the singular gateway from the west to the coveted lands of the east. She did not intend to play the suppliant to
     Rome either, but she had a more ingenious plan than engaging in some inglorious war she would inevitably lose. Her battle
     would be fought on higher ground.
    But now Arsinoe had joined the ranks of deluded Ptolemies determined to restore the great glory of the past. Good, Kleopatra
     wanted to say. When the Roman reinforcements arrived, they would just kill her.
    Ptolemy looked beseechingly at Caesar. “What am I going to do?”
    “My good young man, you must take control of the situation. The queen has no sway with her sister.” Caesar looked apologetically
     at Kleopatra. “So you must go to her and this Ganymedes and negotiate.”
    “But what if she has turned against me?”
    “Do you think she’s capable of that?”
    The king exhaled, shaking his head. “No. She’s deceived me, but I do not believe she’s turned against me. Ganymedes has influenced
     her, that is all. Or perhaps she means to gather her forces and break me out of here.”
    Caesar gave him a grave look. “Is that what you and she have been planning?”
    “No, no, I have already told you. I had no idea what she was up to.”
    “But did you ever say to her that you
wished
someone would rise up against Caesar and break you out of your besieged palace? Did you incite her unwittingly? Did you imply
     to the poor girl that it was her responsibility to free you from me? I heard you say she was your ’most cherished chancellor.’
     I will be very displeased if all the while you and I have been discussing peace, you have secretly plotted with your sister
     against me.”
    The boy turned to Kleopatra. “It’s her, isn’t it? You and I were in perfect agreement until she sneaked back into the palace.
     She’s the one who turned you against
me.
She’s probably the one who made Arsinoe do this, too.”
    “I have no truck with my sister.” Kleopatra’s voice was ice cold. Why couldn’t