"Every moment I have spent in your presence lives in my memory."
"There were many moments when you were unaware of my presence," she said.
"Tell me of these moments, my queen."
"Your laboratorium in Babylon. Your many gatherings of alchemists. I found them all, your elaborate laboratoria."
"You were there. Watching me."
"Yes."
"And if I had succeeded, would you have unleashed your poison against me as you did today?"
"I did not unleash my poison against you. I unleashed it against your fracti--henchmen unworthy of immortality. I unleashed it against your plot to abduct and torture Julie Stratford."
Amazing the gentleness between these two as they discussed these things, Ramses thought. To see them converse as if no time had passed. Did their great age allow for this mix of familiarity and reserve?
Bektaten stood. He noticed a faint perfume rising from her as she moved back and forth before her prisoner, the light glinting on her long shining raven braids.
Around her head, high on her forehead, she wore a circlet of gold that put him in mind even more of his ancient kingdom, of the magnificent women who had been in the harem of the king. Looking down, he put these thoughts out of his mind, yet they had endowed Bektaten with even greater power in his heart. How could an immortal man not muse on what it would be like to have such an immortal woman in his arms? And how could a proud king not deny such thoughts?
"You murdered my children," Saqnos said quietly.
"You speak of them with affection now. When you traveled with fracti in Jericho, you spoke of them with disgust. They were mercenaries and nothing more. You drew me away from them so they would not hear you tell me the elixir they'd been given was impure. Did you keep these things secret from your children as well?"
"They knew of your poison."
"Yes, I saw the terror in their eyes when I appeared before them today. And yet you also told them I slept. That I was no longer to be feared."
"How do you know this?" he asked.
"There are many secrets in my garden. This is how I maintain my rule, even if I have only several subjects left."
Saqnos looked to Ramses and then to Julie again. "It appears your subjects grow in number even now."
"Friendships, to one as driven by appetite as you, may not appear as such."
"And queens with no sense of their true burdens will always assume those who serve them out of fear do so out of love."
"Did you fear me, Saqnos? Is that what defined your time as my prime minister, before your betrayal?"
"I feared you would betray your people. And I was right."
"There was a moment when you spoke for the people? When was this? Was it when you raided my palace, stole the elixir from my secret chamber, and gave it only to the royal guards? This was how you spoke for my subjects, by rushing to secure the greatest power ever known for only yourself and your guards?"
"Ah, Bektaten. Once again we arrive at your great weakness."
"And it is?" she asked.
"Your belief that pursuit of power is a weakness."
"And so it is the pursuit of power by which you wish to be defined. This is an ambitious wish, Saqnos. For I'm your only historian, and I don't see you in this light. Not now, not thousands of years ago. Not in the centuries between."
"What does it matter? I've nothing left. You've seen to that. My children, all taken from me. Even my hounds you have turned against me. And what of my estate? Have you burned it to the ground just to spite me?"
"Until you answer my question, I'll answer no more of yours."
"What is this question?"