annr.pandora-第36章
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rn! All of you will burn! As I burn! Because I am the Fount! And the evil in me will be burnt and extinguished in all of you forever。 e; you miserable fledgling;〃 she said to me。 〃Do as they say。 Drink; and wait my vengeance。
〃The god Amon Ra will rise in the East and I will walk towards him; and his deadly rays will kill me。 I shall be a sacrifice of fire to destroy every one of you who has been born of me; transformed by my blood! You greedy wanton gods who would use the power we possess for gain!〃
Then a hideous transformation befell the entire dream。 She rose to her feet。 She was pristine and freshly adorned。 Torches burst into flame around her; one and two and three and then many and more; flaring as if they'd just been ignited; till she was surrounded by flame。 The gods were gone。 She smiled and beckoned to me。 She lowered her head; the white beneath her eyes shone as she looked up at me。 She smiled。 She was cunning。
I woke up screaming。
I was in my bed。 Antioch。 The lamp burned。 Flavius held me。 I saw the light shine on his ivory leg as it was stretched out。 I saw the light shine on the carved toes。
〃Hold onto me; hold me!〃 I said。 〃Mother Isis! Hold me。
〃How long have I been asleep?〃
〃Only moments;〃 he said。
〃No。〃
〃The sun has just risen。 Do you want to go out; lie in the warm sun perhaps?〃
〃No!〃 I screamed。
He tightened his warm; desperate forting grip。 〃It was only a bad dream; my beautiful lady;〃 he said。 〃Close your eyes。 I'll sleep by your side; with my dagger here。〃
〃Oh; yes; please; please; Flavius。 Don't let me go。 Hold me;〃 I cried。
。I lay down and he snuggled next to me; his knees behind mine; his arm over me。
My eyes opened。 I heard Marius's voice again;
〃Thank the gods that I don't want you! Not enough to betray love for brief and bloody ecstasy。〃
〃Oh; Flavius;〃 I said。 〃My skin! Is my skin burning!〃 I started to rise。 〃Put out the light。 Put out the sun!〃
〃No; Madam; your skin is as beautiful as it always was。 Lie down。 Let me sing to you。〃
〃Yes; sing。。。〃 I said。
I followed his song; it was Homer; it was Achilles and Hector; and I loved the way he sang it; the pauses he made; I pictured those heroes; and the high walls of doomed Troy; and my eyes grew heavy。 I drifted。 I rested。
He placed his hand over my head; as if to keep the dreams out; as if to be a human dream catcher。 And I sighed as he smoothed my hair。
I pictured Marius; the sheen of his skin。 It had been so like that of the Queen; and the dazzle of his eyes; so truly like that of the Queen; and I heard him say; 〃Damn it; Pandora; do you think I wanted my life foreshortened and my destiny extended forever!〃
And there followed; before unconsciousness; the utter despair; the sense of worthlessness of all striving。 Better that we be no more than beasts; like the lions in the arena。
8
I awoke。 I could hear the birds。 I wasn't sure。 I calculated that it was still morning; midmorning。
I walked barefoot into the next room; and through it into the peristyle。 I walked on the tiled edge of the Earth and looked up at the blue sky。 The sun had not yet risen high enough to be seen directly above。
I unbolted the door and went barefoot to the gate。 To the first man I saw; a man of the desert; wearing a long head veil; I said:
〃What rime is it? Noon'?〃
〃Oh; no; Madam;〃 he said。 〃Not by half。 Have you overslept? How lucky for you。〃 He nodded and went on。
A lamp burned in the living room。 I walked into the living room and saw that the lamp stood on the desk which my servants had prepared for me。
The ink was there and so were the pens; and so were sheets of clean parchment。
I sat down and I wrote down everything that I could remember of the dreams; my eyes straining to see by the miserable little lamp in the shadows; too far from the light that filled the fresh green garden of the peristyle。
My arm hurt finally from the speed with which I scratched at the parchment。 In detail I described the last dream; the torches; the Queen's smile; her beckoning to me。 It was done。 All the while; I had set aside the pages to dry all about me on the floor。 There was no breeze or wind to threaten them。 I gathered them up。
I went to the edge of the garden deliberately to look at the blue sky; this sheaf of papers dose to my breast。 Blue and clear。
〃And you cover this world;〃 I said。 〃And you are changeless; save for one light that rises and sets;〃 I said to the sky。 〃Then es the night with deceptive and seductive patterns!〃
〃Madam!〃 It was Flavius behind me; and very sleepy; 〃You've scarcely slept at all。 You need rest。 Go back to bed。〃
〃Go get my sandals now; hurry;〃 I said。
And as he disappeared; so did I … out the front gate of the house; walking as fast as I could。 I was halfway to the Temple of Isis when I realized the disfort of confronting this filthy street in bare feet。 I realized I wore the rumpled linen dresses in which I'd slept。 My hair streamed。 I didn't slow my pace。
I was elated。 I was not helpless as when I had fled my Father's house; I was not edgy and in deep danger as when Lucius had pointed me out to the Roman soldiers last night。
I was not gripped in fear as I had been when the Queen smiled to me in the dream。 Nor shivering as I had been upon waking。
I walked on and on。 I was in the grip of an immense drama。 I would see it through to the last act。
People passed … laborers of the morning; an old man with a crooked stick。 I barely saw these people。
I took a cold small delight in the fact that they noticed my loose; free hair and my wrinkled gowns。 I wondered what it must be like to separate oneself from all civilization and never worry again about the position of a fastening or a pin; to sleep on grass; to fear nothing!
Fear nothing! Ah; that was so beautiful to me。
I came to the Forum。 The markets were busy; the beggars were out in full force。 Curtained litters were being carried every which way。 The philosophers were teaching under the porticoes。 I could hear those huge strange noises that always e from a harbor … of the cargo being dropped; perhaps; I didn't know。 I smelled the Orontes。 I hoped Lucius's body was floating in it。
I went up the steps and right into the Temple of Isis。
〃The High Priest and Priestess;〃 I said。 〃I must see them。〃 I walked past a confused and distinctly virginal…looking young woman and went into the side chamber where they had first spoken to me。 No table。 Only the couch。 I went into another apartment of the Temple。 A table。 Scrolls。
I heard feet rushing。 The Priestess came to me。 She was already painted for the day and her wig and ornaments were in place。 I felt no shock as I looked at her。
〃Look;〃 I said。 〃I had another dream。〃 I pointed to the sheets which I had piled neatly on the table。 〃I've written down everything for you。〃
The Priest arrived。 He approached the table and stared at the sheets。
〃Read it all; every word。 Read it now。 Bear witness lest something happens to me!〃
The Priest and Priestess stood on opposite sides of me; the Priest carefully lifting the pages to study each one; while not actually turning over the stack。
〃I am a migrant soul;〃 I said。 〃She wants some reckoning or favor of me; I don't know which; but she lives! She is no mere statue。〃
They stared at me。
〃Well? Speak up? Everyone es to you for guidance。〃
〃But Madam;〃 said the Priest; 〃we can't read any of this。〃
〃What?〃
〃It's written in the most ancient and ornate form of the old picture writing。〃
〃What!〃
I stared down at the pages。 I saw only my own words as they had flowed in a cadence from my mind; through my hand; through my pen。 I couldn't make my eyes fix upon the form of the letters。
I lifted the last page and read aloud; 〃Her smile was cunning。 It filled me with fear。〃 I held out the page。
They shook their heads in firm denial。
Suddenly there was a little ruckus and Flavius; much out of breath and red in the face; was admitted to the room。 He had my sandals。 He took one look at me and rested back against the wall in great and obvious relief。
〃e here;〃 I said。
He obeyed。
〃Now look at these pages; read them; are they not in Latin?〃
Two slaves came tim