Patrikia squinted at her with almost insolent suspicion. "I have long been regarded as a crazy old woman, despite these marvels," she said, resting her hand on the case. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes, upon my heritage as a Queen of Alexandros's Egypt and the Makedonian Dynasty," Kleopatra said. She wanted to believe the priestess. Life in the court had been very dull the past few years. And the queen did indeed exercise some powers, chiefly in matters involving the political spirit and aims of the state. She could fit this quest into those territories nicely.

"Thank you," Patrikia said. "My husband never truly believed me. He was a fine man, a farmer of fish. . . . But he worried about me and said I should live this life only, and not dream of others. . . .”

"I hate limitations," Kleopatra said vehemently. "What will you do if we find this passage?"

Patrikia's eyes widened.

"I will go home," she said. "Finally, however futile it may be, I will go home."

"Not before you have finished your work for us, I presume."

"No. That will be my first priority."

"Good. So be it, then."

Kleopatra called in her counselors, warned them sternly this was an Imperial decree not subject to dissension, and issued a command that the search begin.

"Thank you, my Imperial Hypsēlotēs," the priestess said as they strolled back to the court. Kleopatra watched Patrikia leave through the Theotokopolos door, on her way back to the Hypateion until such time as the search would begin. Then the queen closed her eyes and tried to imagine. . .

The old woman's home. Where would such a woman have come from? A place of gleaming towers and mighty fortresses, where people might be more like gods or devils than the men and women she knew. Only such a place could have produced this small, intense sophē.

"How strange," Kleopatra murmured, resuming her throne. The heavy robes were wrapped around her shoulders again. She felt a shuddering thrill. "How wonderful. . .”

Epigraph

"Unless you know where you are, you don't know who you are."

—Wendell Barry

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

A book as complicated as this one cannot be written alone, and thank God for those willing, even eager, to help. My deepest appreciation to (in no particular order) Rick Sternbach; Ralph Cooper; John S. Lewis; Louis A. D'Amario; David Brin; Anthony and Tina Chong; Craig Kaston; LCDR Patrick Garrett, USN; LCDR Dale F. Bear, USN RET.; the Citizen's Advisory Council on National Space Policy; and of course Astrid.

Errors and misconceptions no doubt remain, and are my own.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.