the tent. She looked around with a guarded and piercing gaze and stared at the princess. Ptolemy began to look at him with surprise. And then, deciding to satisfy his curiosity with the unexpected appearance of an unfamiliar guest, he gestured for his daughter to go to her own half. Cleopatra was extremely surprised at this visit, but fears did not leave her, even when Avlet told her who Actius was in fact. The life of Cleopatra in the palace, where there was a conspiracy and betrayal in her family. And now, without informants, it was impossible to save power to her father. With this Cleopatra quickly hid behind the curtain. The Visitors did not say a word until the servant left the tent. As soon as the last servant left the bedchamber of the pharaoh, the woman took off her veil, rubbed soot from her face with the palm of her hand, and a lean, tanned, copper-tinged skin, a short man appeared before Avelt. Under the burqa on it were clothes and equipment of an Egyptian warrior, on his chest hung a strange amulet on a black leather lace.
«Greetings, Ptolemy. – Putting his right hand to his chest, and bowing low, began to speak entered. – I am sent to you by the sky to secure your way to the Oracle of Amon Ra. My name is Kshatra, I am a priest of the temple of the god Shiva Nataraja, which is in Hindustan. I am here because you are making a pilgrimage to the temple of Amun to priests, ancestors, who were asuras and demons. They were expelled from the lands of India. I’m here to protect the Ptolemaic family from the designs of ill-wishers, encroaching on your throne. I follow with your caravan from Mersa Matruh. On the way I had a chance to look at all of those who accompanied you. I did not notice any enemies. Be still, your way is safe. «Again,» Kshatr bowed.
Avlet threw him a wet canvas of soft linen:
«Kshatra, wipe your face, it’s soiled with soot, like a demon from a land of shadows on the bank of Styx.» – Kshatr, having caught a damp cloth on the fly, wiped the soot from his face: «I see that you come from the south of Egypt and will not give yourself away as a foreigner.» But, the fact that you are a priest, I see no evidence. Avet paused, expressively measuring the stranger from head to foot with his gaze. «You came here as a guest, and my path in the sanctuary of Amon Ra should not be overshadowed by anything, so I leave you life.» I believe that the god Amon Ra sent you to make my way successful, it is a sign from above. Tell servants who cook food, let them feed you.
«Oh, the governor of the god Amon Ra on earth, do not stand your divine concern for me, I’m not hungry. And here is what I am commanded to give to you the powerful heavenly powers guarding your path to the Oracle sanctuary, this amulet opening the way to the tomb of Alexander the Great and to his untold riches of the labyrinth under the land of the temple of Amun Ra. – With these words Kshatr, took off the amulet and handed it to Ptolemy. Pharaoh put the gift of Kshatra on his palm, carefully examined it. It was a metal key made of unfamiliar material. On one side of the key is fixed a plate with notches in the form of small protrusions. From the opposite, the holder rests against a semicircle fixed by the middle convex part in the groove of the rod-holder. Ptolemy drew attention to the scrapping of the edge of this semicircle, it looked as if someone had deliberately broken off half the mug from the key holder…
Avlet looked inquiringly at Kshatra, weighing his true intentions in his mind. A tanned, almost dark shade of skin gave him the appearance of a resident from the headwaters of the Nile. And did not produce the impression of a temple servant, Lord Shiva Nataraja from the land of Hindustan. Ksatr hastened to say:
– This key will give you respect for the Oracle, power and wealth, which the rulers of Egypt did not yet know, oh, the great governor of the god Zeus-Amon on earth.
«Oh, yes, that would be useful, because I need money right now because of which the troubles in Egypt are brewing.» – Pharaoh thought, he said aloud, – How will you continue to carry out your mission? – letting him of greatness and importance, spoke, letting the guest understand that he was accepted into the caravan.
«There’s no point in staying with you.» It will be useful if I go out to the oasis tonight and find out and investigate everything you need to know for your safe stay in the capital of Agurmi oasis Amun. «Having said this, Ksatr looked expectantly at Pharaoh’s eyes. Avlette was silent. He put on his neck an amulet, he hid it on his chest, began to consider the alien thoughtfully. He was amazed by the proud posture and boldness in the look of piercing black eyes, as he looked directly at Pharaoh, that commoners and servants and soldiers from his guard could not afford. He was a free and independent man, his behavior with the ruler of Egypt, one gesture that was enough to make the head of this frail man with a sudden appearance flew from his shoulders, spoke of this, a night visitor, even a hint of hostility to the untouchable person of the king. The pause was prolonged, Pharaoh continued, silently looking at the visitor. And then he said slowly:
«You are right, Kshatra, so it will be more reasonable.» But, tell me, how are you going to cross the desert for the remaining five days of the journey, and even alone?
«I agree with you.» All these five days I will be with the caravan. The remaining section of the road, after five days’ journey, I’ll leave first and fulfill my planned mission. «The guest answered very importantly.
Avlet was embarrassed by pride, which he observed in the behavior of the newcomer, and, in order not to attract the attention of the guards by leaving the guest’s tent, he said to him:
«You can go out of the tent unnoticed, come with me.» – Avlet led the guest to the back wall of the tent to the carpet hanging on the wall. He threw back the curtain of the carpet and said: «Look, there’s an inconspicuous way out in the tent, you can open it only from the inside, pushing aside this bamboo pole.» – Avlet grabbed a bamboo frame of the tent with his hand and pulled it on himself. In the tent immediately formed an opening. Kshatr with quick movements put on a veil and with the words of Avlet: – I will order that you will be accepted into the servant-cook, you will be at the kitchen all the way.
Ksatr nodded his head to Pharaoh as a token of gratitude, and he slipped into the formed path, hiding in the night darkness of the camp.
When a guest talk with his father had died down, and the tent was filled with silence, Cleopatra, tormented by thoughts of Anthony, decided to go to his father.
– I cannot sleep.
Avlet poured himself a palm wine into a bowl, sipping, said:
«It always happens in a new place.»
«Why did I fall asleep fast in Rome, father.»
– In Syria and Rome, you were still a child. Now you are a young and beautiful princess. You are already, my daughter, fifteen years old. This is the flowering of a young girl. And at your age, young princesses rarely fall asleep quietly. – said Avlet, guessing the cause of insomnia daughter.
– Father play me on the flute, under her wonderful sounds anxiety and fears pass, thoughts calm down and they wind pleasant dreams…
Kshatriyas, stealthily made his way to the corner of the wall of the tent, which was the entrance to Pharaoh’s bedchamber and looked at the dark figure looming in the guard that was standing there. At that time melodic sounds of a flute were heard from the tent.
Dionysius, hearing the soft sound of the flute, was banging into the night, as it seemed to him, to his partner, who was guarding along with him the entrance to the tent:
– It’s not for nothing that Pharaoh the twelfth of the Ptolemies was called Avletom. He does not even part with the flute even in the desert. –
