The room felt suffocating. The idea of sleep – while Calista had just lost her father and was in such a horrible situation – repulsed me. I put on my warm clothes, threw another log into the fireplace and stepped outside on the terrace. Abydos beneath me felt magical. Torch lights illuminated its wide streets and white houses. For such a large city it was eerily silent. Standing on that terrace, looking at Abydos beneath me, I longed for Lux and Vetulonia. Only then did I realize that when I stepped onto the ship in Arabor, I said goodbye to the innocent part of my life. From now on it was calculations, assassinations and schemes. Politics, the most vicious trade of them all.
“Looks quite nice, doesn’t it? The city?” It was ambassador Cornelius. Somehow he crept on me while I was dwelling within realms of melancholy.
“I have trouble sleeping,” he said to excuse his unexpected presence. Then added: “Sometimes I roam this terrace for hours, thinking about things. It goes all round the pyramid, you know?”
“I figured that. No privacy in the rooms though, with all these glass walls. Anyone can pass by and lurk.”
“Well that’s what those ghastly curtains are there for. Haven’t you noticed them?”
“No, I haven’t,” I admitted.
“Well, you pledges must have a lot on your mind. The days of the Academy are over. Welcome to the real world, the brutal arena of love and death. That was my father’s phrase.”
We stood there in silence for some time, observing the city, until I spoke:
“Funny... When I was surrounded by books and scrolls and lectures from our masters, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of life... Politics, matters of the mind even! Now? Now I’m not so sure.”
“A pinch of self-doubt is always welcomed, Antonius. But Kato is a good judge of character. He recommended you for this mission for a reason. So have some trust.”
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“You know Kato?”
“Why of course! He’s one of my closest friends… I hope I’ll see him again.”
“You think you won’t?” I frowned.
“A storm is coming,” he answered with a worried voice.
“He used similar words.”
“Ha ha, good old Kato… Well, have a good night, Antonius!”
“You as well, ambassador.”
He walked away with slow steps. I went back inside my room, took a tobacco stick, lit it with the help of the fireplace and stepped outside again. This time I found Otho there, standing still, observing the city. He seemed nervous, even angry.
“You want one?” I asked and pointed to my tobacco stick.
“Why not,” he answered, then mustered the courage to look me into my eyes. “Are you mad at me?” he almost screamed.
“I am not, why would I be?”
“I failed!”
“He had us all fooled, not just you.”
“But Lord Cronos died. Calista had to marry some idiot… Only gods can imagine what her life is now… I know, I know! Not my fault. But I can’t get it out of my head.”
“Have a stick.”
He exhaled the thick white smoke into the dark night.
“You’ll have to have thicker skin, Otho. Soon troubles will start raining on us from every corner of this world. We’ll see a lot of death, a lot of injustice.”
“I thought you’d be more shocked by how things went.”
“I was at first. I always am. Then I go numb,” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Odd way of dealing with things. It reminds me of my father.”
“Gods forbid.”
“Ha! I’m going to bed. Might as well try to get some sleep.”
He threw the leftover of the stick to the floor and stomped it. Again he sighed, looked at me, smiled, turned around and left to his room, which was right next to mine. I stayed there on that balcony for a little while, smoking and observing the city.