Julius let the silence stretch for a little longer, then stood. “If there is nothing else, I will go back to my work,” he said.

He turned to leave and Ptolemy snapped words at his back. “You will release me immediately!” he said. His Latin was faultless.

Julius faced him and this time could not prevent a smile. “No, I will not, Your Majesty. I need you, you see.”

“What do you want? Gold?” The boy’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“I want to see Cleopatra restored as queen,” Julius replied, watching the boy closely. As he spoke, he wondered if that was truly what he desired. Before meeting Cleopatra the night before, his aims had been clear. Now, the thought of restoring her to the incestuous arms of her brother did not seem as attractive.

“I knew she would be behind this!” Ptolemy burst out. “I knew it! You think I want her back? She treated me as a child.”

“You are a child,” Julius snapped, instantly regretting it. Sighing, he seated himself once more. “Your courtiers honored your every wish, I suppose?” he said.

Ptolemy hesitated. “When I acted with honor and with the traditions, they did. They respected the office and the blood, despite my youth.” His eyes would not meet Julius’s as he spoke, but then he stiffened in fresh anger. “Your men struck me, invaded my private rooms. You will be burnt and torn when . . .”

“From what I saw, Panek barely listened to you,” Julius murmured.

Ptolemy’s eyes flashed. “You know nothing of my life, Roman! I am a child and I am a king. I carry the god flame within me. Panek is . . .”

He hesitated again and Julius spoke quickly, wanting to probe the weakness. “Panek is the power behind the throne, I think. Are you expecting him to stand back when you are older? It would never happen. There would be an accident—a tragic fall, or an illness—and Panek would have another decade to rule while the next child grows. I have known the compulsion of power, lad. Take that warning from me, if nothing else.”

He watched while the boy considered his words, quietly surprised at Ptolemy’s composure. Julius had half expected him to be in tears when he entered, but instead he had found himself addressed as an equal or a servant. The king may have been a child, but he had a sharp mind and Julius could see him thinking and planning.

“Panek will be furious when he hears I have been taken,” Ptolemy said thoughtfully.

Julius could see the idea amused the boy and he waited for more.

“You will have to show him I am unharmed, or he will raze this place to the ground.”