Ciro cast again and again as he found spears to throw, and then Brutus saw Ptolemy’s courtiers scuttling out of range. He heard a howl of frustration from the legion lines ahead of them and, without warning, his weary cohort reached the armored Roman flank. They had cut their way through and now both forces seemed to gain fresh strength from the contact. The Fourth were off on the wing, holding the new arrivals, but the Tenth were free to push for the king.

Missiles began to come from the crowd in greater and greater numbers. Curds of cattle dung were harmless enough, but the stones and tiles were a constant danger and distracted more than one legionary long enough to be killed.

Brutus strode through the fighting square of the Tenth to Julius, panting in reaction. They let him pass with little more than a glance.

Julius saw him and smiled at his battered appearance. “They can’t hold us,” he shouted above the crash of battle. “I think the king’s down.”

“What about the reinforcements?” Brutus answered, yelling into Julius’s ear.

As he spoke they both felt a shift in the movement of men and Julius turned to see the Fourth legion being pushed back. They did not run. Every man there had been saved by the honor of the Tenth against Pompey and they would not give way. For the lines to buckle, Julius knew the reinforcements must be large.

“Tenth! Cohorts one to four! Saw into the Fourth! Move to support! One to Four!”

Julius kept roaring the orders until the cohorts heard him and began to move. The whole left wing was being compressed and Julius shook his head.

“I could use a horse, if the bastards hadn’t slaughtered them,” he said bitterly. “I can’t see what’s happening.”

As he turned to face Brutus he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye and froze. “What are you doing?” Julius whispered.

Brutus jerked around to see. Cleopatra had walked out behind the legions and both men watched in amazement as she climbed onto the base of a statue to Isis, swinging herself up with neat agility until she stood at the feet of the goddess, looking down on the armies.

“Get her off there before the archers see her!” Julius shouted, pointing.

She had a horn in her hand, and before he could wonder what she intended she raised it to her lips and blew.

The note was deep and low, going on and on until she had no more breath. By the end of it, heads were turning in her direction and Julius was terrified she would be torn from her perch by a cloud of shafts.

“You will stop!” she cried. “In the name of Cleopatra, your queen. I am returned to you and you will stand back!”