Free TW11 The Cleopatra Crisis NEW by Simon Hawke Page A

when he awoke, it was morning and Caesar was still up, showing no signs of being tired. He chided Travers gently for falling asleep and when Travers apologized, assured him that it was perfectly all right, that he deserved his rest. If I don't die on the battlefield, Travers thought, just trying to keep up with him will kill me.
    The morning was spent with Caesar visiting his troops and seeing to their comfort. Then he presented his demands to Ptolemy for payment of the tribute.
    The boy king simply sat there, looking at them sullenly, while Pothinus stood at his side and spoke for him. He was, thought Travers, a decidedly unpleasant man. He was large and fat and jowly, with a shaved head and a mannered, effeminate voice. His pudgy hands had rings on every finger but the thumbs and they gestured languidly when he spoke, making Travers think of pale and bloated slugs.
    "Your petition has been noted,” the eunuch replied pompously. “It would seem now, Caesar, that your business here has been concluded. The man you came here seeking has been dealt with, your soldiers have been fed and rested. We have done our best to be hospitable hosts. But the time has come when you should leave Egypt and go back to Rome. There are, no doubt, affairs of greater consequence you should attend to. You should not concern yourself with minor matters such as collecting tribute. It can be sent to you in Rome."
    Caesar stiffened and his cheeks flushed red. "I do not require Egyptians to be my counselors!" he snapped. "And Rome does not wait on Egypt's pleasure. The tribute will be paid in due course, and speedily, else I shall instruct my army to seize it for themselves in whatever manner they so choose! It is
I
who have been patient, Pothinus. But my patience has been sorely tried. I would advise you not to try it further."
    He turned on his heel and stalked out of the chamber, with Travers hurrying to catch up with him.
    "I will rid Egypt of this insolent eunuch if it is the last thing I ever do," stormed Caesar as they headed back to their rooms.
    Afterward, several of Ptolemy's ministers came to speak with him discreetly and Travers wondered which of them would send word to Cleopatra. He was excited at the thought of actually meeting her face-to-face, a woman who was one of the most legendary beauties and seductresses in all of history.
    Despite all the years he'd spent at Caesar's side, there were still times when he found himself looking at that handsome, scholarly profile and thinking, "My God, I'm actually sitting here with
Julius Caesar
!" At such times, it seemed almost like a dream. And at other times, the world he came from seemed unreal.
    He had been born in Dallas, Texas and had acquired an interest in ancient history at a very early age, a result of a typical boyhood fascination with the glamour of the Time Wars. Childhood play had led him to the library, to look up certain historical details so that he could settle arguments among his playmates about what sort of armor was worn by medieval knights and how ancient Romans fought. He was able to point out historical flaws in the design of the toy weapons that their parents purchased for them and was soon making his own from wood in his father's workshop. He sold them to his friends, who found that they held up to rough use far better than the flimsy plastic swords they bought in stores and made a far more satisfying sound when they were stuck together.
    He became the local "Armorer," constructing wooden swords and shields and daggers for his friends, and with practice, he became more skillful at it.
    Determined to be authentic at all costs, he did his research carefully and the more he read about ancient times, the more fascinated he became and the more he wanted to know. His interest in research helped him to acquire better study habits and his grades in school improved dramatically. His father, pleased with this development, as well as with his growing skill in craftsmanship,