"You cannot hope to survive this crime," Panek said, wrenching out the words as if the barest trace of civility was painful. "If the citizens learn that you are holding the king, I will not be able to restrain them. Do you understand me? You have only hours before the rumors spread and then they will come to burn you out of this nest."

"I do not fear untrained men," Julius said, casually. He signaled to a guard to bring him wine and sipped at it.

Panek raised his eyes in exasperation. "What do you want then, for the boy's return? I'm sure you have a price."

Julius reflected that Panek was not the best man to have sent. His anger was too obvious, and if it had merely been a matter of gold, he would have asked for more after such a sneering tone.

"We will start with the free run of the city, obviously," Julius said. "No more of this seven days you mentioned. I want to see the library and Alexander's tomb. Perhaps you can arrange guides for my officers."

Panek blinked in confusion. "You would be torn apart by the mob, Consul, the first moment you set foot outside these walls."

"That is unfortunate," Julius said, frowning. "My second demand is for the court to leave Egypt. I have ships to take you to Cyprus or Sardinia, far away from the difficulties of your lives here. I imagine it will be a peaceful retirement and I'm sure I can arrange for a little gold to make it comfortable for you."

The three Egyptians went very still and Panek's eyes glittered dangerously.

"You mock me in my own city, Consul. Do you think I will not respond? The army has been summoned. The city is filling with soldiers crying out in rage at what you have dared. If you do not return the king, they will sweep your small force away in the flood. Understand that I do not lie."

"The boy will not survive an attack on this place," Julius told them. "You will be killing him if I see a single sword drawn in anger. I suggest you do your best to keep the peace."

"You cannot hold him here forever," Panek replied. "How long do you think your food will last? Your water?"

"We have enough," Julius said, shrugging. "Perhaps you are right. We should not be threatening each other. Instead, you can begin by telling me how much you value his life. What can you offer me for your king?"

The three men conferred in their own language for a few moments and then Panek spoke again, his anger rigidly controlled.

"Trade deals could be arranged between Roman ports and the Egyptian interior. I can arrange to have your merchants given first access to our goods."

"Excellent," Julius said, signaling that wine should be brought for the men. "I believe the negotiations have begun."

It took thirty days of argument and discussion to reach a final agreement. Neither Julius nor Panek attended every hour of the meetings, instead sending subordinates to make offers and counteroffers. It could not have worked without Cleopatra's influence, but she seemed to know exactly how far the delegation of courtiers could be pushed in each area.

She did not attend the negotiations herself, instead spending her days with her younger brother, who had been given the run of the palace. It was strange to see the pair of them walking the halls, deep in discussion, and stranger still for Julius to consider their relationship. She was his elder sister and a mature wife used to the intrigues of the court. He listened to her as to no one else and his angry outbursts had not been repeated.

At night, she told Julius how much her brother had hated the stifling life of court. It seemed his smallest request would have to be approved by Panek, and Ptolemy had admitted his hatred for the man. In a sense, he had been confined far more thoroughly before Julius stole him away. Panek spoke with the voice of the king, and the army would obey his every order.

"But your brother is the king, by the gods!" Julius had exclaimed, when she told him. "Why couldn't he just have Panek taken out and beaten?"

"He is a boy and he has known no other life. Panek frightened him," she said. "He does not frighten me, but even I missed the lust for power in him." She paused and clenched her fists in the sheets. "A year ago, he brought orders from the king to have me banished. I knew they could not have come from my brother, but I was not allowed to plead my case. Those loyal to me marched into exile and the women tore their hair and rubbed ashes on their breasts. Believe me, Panek is too clever for a sheltered boy to resist."

On the thirtieth day, Julius had contracts drawn up and Ptolemy was brought to fix his signature to them. Cleopatra came with him and Panek staggered to his feet as he saw her.

"My queen," he stammered, falling to his knees and lowering his head to the floor.

The other courtiers followed suit and she smiled.

"Get up and finish what you have begun here, Panek. You have bound us in gold to Rome as I wished and with your king's approval."

Panek's eyes flickered to where Ptolemy sat watching them. Slowly, Ptolemy nodded.

"We have reached an agreement, my brother and I," Cleopatra purred. "Your influence is over, Panek. We will take our places on the thrones of the upper and lower kingdoms once more. We will rule, Panek, though you will not go unrewarded for your work."

Panek watched as Ptolemy handed a quill to his sister and she scribbled the words "Let it be so," as she signed all official documents. The papyrus sheets marked trade agreements that would hurt the growth of Alexandria, not to mention the heavy tithe of gold to be sent to Rome for ten years. Against them, Julius had made the astonishing offer of returning Cyprus to Egypt, as she had been owned centuries before. The Roman's apparent generosity had troubled Panek deeply, not knowing that the suggestion had come from Cleopatra. Cyprus had been lost since Alexander's death and its return would have almost been worth the weeks of torment and the insults to the king. Panek realized the queen had been the silent voice behind the negotiations, the reason that his bluffs were revealed and his strategies undone. He stood like a broken man and bowed stiffly to the first family of Egypt.

"I will await your return, Majesty," he said to Ptolemy.

"You will have him tomorrow at dawn," Julius said, interrupting the intense gaze between the two of them.

Panek gathered his copies and writing materials and left, his slaves and colleagues going with him. The room seemed empty without the tension he had brought and Cleopatra turned to her brother to embrace him.

"Now you will truly be king, Ptolemy, as our father would have wished. I will have Panek killed and my army will protect you from his spite."

The boy accepted the embrace, looking over her shoulder at Caesar. "You are a strange man, Roman," he said. "My sister trusts you. I wonder if that is enough."

"You have nothing to fear from me," Julius replied.

Ptolemy nodded. "I will go out to them at dawn, for the people to see me safe. There will be a new order then, in Egypt. I will not have my wife taken from me again."

His eyes were intense and Julius wondered how much Ptolemy had guessed about their relationship. The marriage was too ludicrous for him to think he had come between husband and wife, and he was not even sure if he had. Despite their intimacy, Cleopatra was still a mystery to him. It was possible that she would simply rearrange her court and resume her role as queen, politely dismissing the Roman who had made it possible.

"I have a gift for you," Julius said, signaling the armorer of the Tenth who waited nearby.

The burly man stepped forward with a bundle of cloth and Julius unwrapped it to reveal a gladius reduced in size for the king. Ptolemy's eyes widened with pleasure as he took it. He had tried the simple forms of attack and defense with Domitius at Julius's request, but the heavy swords had been too much for his arms. Julius could see the smaller blade was exactly right and the king's boyish smile was mirrored in his own face.