The Dark Evolution Chronicles

by Cassandra Di Rossi

  A sick feeling twisted in my stomach.

  “We arranged to meet at the temple after dark, but he never came. David and I waited and waited, but when the sky began to brighten I knew we must leave without him.”

  “Do you know what happened to the man?” I asked, knowing already that she did not. Artemis had tears welling in her eyes as she continued.

  “No. I have never heard from him again. I hoped that he would follow us, that we would meet again once we reached Thebes.”

  Thebes was the Greek name for Waset. I could never get used to it.

  “He did not come. I wanted to search for him, for Apollo, for you. But I had promised to take care of the boy. I stayed with David all his life. He became a son to me, and I a mother to him, and eventually grandmother to his children. But by then it was noticeable that I had not aged. And so I left, and headed for the new city; Alexandria.”

  I still seemed to be missing something important.

  “But why is this boy, who lived and died so long ago, relevant to my current predicament?” I thought of my home, my serving girl, and the debauched scene the guards must have found when they broke down the door. I could not help but snigger. Artemis read my mind and began to giggle too.

  “Zeus cousin, you really have been leading a terrible life.”

  “Nothing terrible about it,” I grinned. “It has been rather fun.”

  “You are the terrible one,” she laughed heartily then. “I would never have thought…!”

  “Was I so very prudish back in Troy?” I gasped, my sides beginning to ache from laughing. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at her earnestly.

  “No, no my dear. But you were so very innocent, at least until…”

  “Do not say it,” I said, catching my breath, the laughter dying. “Finish your story, please.”

  She gave a nod,

  “Very well. David grew up to be an honest and kind man, but he never forgot his time in Gaza. He always told the story with one odd fact that no one could quite explain, well except for me.”

  I looked at her now, entirely sober.

  “He remembered someone was in his head; a seer that looked out through his eyes. He said her name was Cassandra of Troy.”

  I tried not to feel nervous. Artemis sighed,

  “His son told the tale to his children, and they theirs. David’s grandson moved to Alexandria. Thankfully he did not recognize me, for he had been very young when I left. But I knew him, and I could not help but watch over him. He told that same tale, and over time you became this magical immortal who could tell the future. I was afraid to seek you out then, for fear of your persecution. But, about a month ago the story came to Cleopatra. She is a wily creature and ruthless with it. She wants to keep the crown to herself and will stop at nothing to obtain it. I had heard of a red-haired Vampyr living quietly in Memphis for many years, and I knew it could only be you.”

  “Mn-Nefer,” I corrected. She glanced at me for a moment, and then carried on with her story.

  “I did not come for I did not wish to draw attention to you. But two weeks ago Cleopatra noticed the name Cassandra on some trade documents from Memphis. She did a little research and found your name on documents going back many years; too many years. She sent the guard to requisition your house merely as a front for discovering if you are the same Cassandra, the immortal seer of Troy.” She paused.

  “And when the affirmation came back, you decided to come for me before she did?” I asked. “How come you did not get here until now?” It had after all been a full seven days since the guards had first come. It would not have taken even one day for a Vampyr to get from Alexandria to Mn-Nefer.

  “I only found out yesterday morning. I came as quickly as I could. My spies in the court are good, but sometimes…”

  “You have spies at court?” I blinked at her.

  “Well, not me exactly. Princess Arsinoe.”

  “Pharaoh’s younger sister.” This was less a question than an observation. “You are working for her?”

  “In a manner. I was working at the great library. You know there is a book there called the Iliad, by a Greek poet, it is about…”

  “Troy,” I cut in. “I know.” I rolled my eyes, but this was not the time to explain. “Do not digress,” I urged.

  “Sorry, you are right.” She thought for a moment. “Well, a few months ago Arsinoe was permitted to visit the library. As I am sure you are aware, she is under house arrest at the will of her sister. The guards escorted her up to the second floor. But there was something suspicious about the guards’ behaviour, so I followed them. Behind a large stack of scrolls, they grabbed her and drew a knife to her throat.”

  “You stopped them.” Again this was not a really a question. Artemis nodded, “It was too risky for us to escape, so I threatened the guards and had them take her home safely. Later I broke into the palace and have been working for her ever since.”

  The sun was now hidden behind a thin cloud. I considered that we might attempt to move on.

  “And she is trustworthy?” I asked, getting to my feet and offering Artemis a hand up. She took it and gave the sky a good inspection.

  “I believe she is. And I believe she would be a good pharaoh, better than any of her siblings. There is a growing movement in Alexandria to stand against Cleopatra…”

  “And replace her with Arsinoe.” I finished.

  “Yes. We have a strong army now and the coup is imminent.”

  “And you want me to help?”

  We made our way to the end of the street.

  “That is not why I came. I came to keep you from Cleopatra’s prison cell, but perhaps, now, you might see fit to join us?”

  I laughed at my cousin. She had never been especially subtle.

  “Very well. I shall believe you. But I think first, we need to return to the villa and find some suitable clothing to protect us from the sun.”

  Artemis stopped behind a market stall.

  “You really think that it will be safe? Had we better not just steel some cloth from that merchant over there and make a run for it?”

  Part of me agreed, but I was also curious to see what had happened back at the villa and I felt the need to see it one last time. I was certain that by then the coast must be clear. I shrugged at my cousin and flashed her a mischievous smile.

  “There is something else you should know about David,” she said as we crept into the street that led out to the edge of town. I paused to look at her serene face. There was a hint of sadness there.

  “What is it?” I asked, unable to make out the strange twist of nerves in my gut.

  “His ancestors, they came from Egypt with the Exodus. David was a direct descendent of your maid, Zoe.”

  I stared at her open-mouthed.

  “How do you know?”

  She drew a short sharp breath as though she was going to tell me some great revelation, but then something else flashed over her face and she seemed to change her mind.

  “What is it?” I urged.

  “Family lore is all,” she replied. “Stories passed down through the generations.”

  “But he was only three years old when you took him in, how did he know?” I asked, puzzled.

  “The man who rescued him had been a close friend of the boy’s parents. He told me the story. He had me promise that if anything should happen to him, then I would pass the stories on to the boy once he was old enough to understand and remember.”

  “I see,” I replied.

  We were close to the villa by then. Artemis grabbed my arm and pulled me back behind the neighbouring house.

  “Guards,” she hissed. I had seen them myself. They surrounded my home like a swarm of bees. “We cannot go back. I am sorry, but we must abandon this city and run, now.”

  I watched for a moment as the guards paced about outside. Over the wall in the courtyard, I could hear them still questioning some of my poor guests. I regretted that I had abandoned them to face
my inquisitors without me. But at least they could tell the truth when they said they did not know when I had left. I could hear one of my friends, a local merchant, explaining how there had been a farewell party, though I had not said where I was going or why. He was the one I had placed my serving girl with. He sounded a little worse for wear but otherwise convincing.

  “And you madam? Tell me again when you last saw Cassandra?”

  A woman grumbled angrily,

  “We have told you over and over. The truth will not change. When can we go home?”

  I grinned. Perhaps it was fortuitous after all that the party had ended as it had, and almost no one had gone home. For at least there were witnesses to my apparent escape.

  “Come,” Artemis took my arm. I looked back at the villa. It had been my home for so many years and I knew not what would become of it now. I felt a lump of sadness in my chest as we turned to go.

  “There are enough clouds. I do not think they will clear again today. If we run now we can make it to Alexandria before dawn.”

  “All right,” I said, and turned away from the villa for the last time.

  *

  Alexandria was more grand and impressive than I could ever have imagined. I had not been there since the first part of the city had been completed some two centuries earlier.

  We crossed by land, as it was faster for us to run than travel by boat. This meant going wide of the city and approaching through the western suburbs. Grand buildings loomed up along the coastline and the city sprawled out farther than any other I had seen at the time, greater even than Waset.

  Towering high over the rooftops from the island of Pharos was the lighthouse. High almost as the great pyramid, the octagonal pedestal was a feat of engineering that would remain unrivalled for many centuries that followed. At the very top, the flame shone so brightly it could be seen from far out to sea and across the deserts. I did not envy the stokers that had to keep it burning day and night.

  We entered the city through the Moon Gate and slowed to a walk along Canopic Avenue. I could do little but stare in awe. The architecture alone was striking. Fat Egyptian columns with brightly painted lotus petals stood side by side with the slender embezzled columns of the Greeks.

  First, there were the temples of Isis and Anubis in true old Egyptian style. But then came the tomb of the great Alexander. Next to it stood the vast Greek monument to Pan, and across the street, the university was abuzz with activity despite the late hour. Scholars and tutors were rushing about to get to lessons, others sitting on the steps in deep discussion. There were languages and dialects more varied even than the colourful fashions that the people wore.

  “There is the library,” Artemis said with pride.

  “Why did I not come here before?” I muttered in awe.

  “Beautiful is she not? And so full of learning and ideas like you could never have imagined would be here on earth.”

  I nodded. Artemis threaded her arm through mine, “Come. We must get to the palace.”

  “Why is there such a desperate hurry?” I asked, growing a little uneasy.

  “I did not want to concern you before, but the uprising, it is to be tonight.”

  Now I stared not at the city, but at my cousin.

  “And I am to become a part of it without knowing what is to happen?” I could barely utter the words I was so astonished.

  "I thought you might have seen it in your mind already," she replied with as much astonishment. I gave her a withering look.

  "I cannot see everything," I said with a hint of sarcasm.

  We had reached the gates to the palace. Artemis waved at a guard. Her pale hair billowed out behind her like a long scarf. I still could not quite believe I was with her again after so many years.

  “How will they know when to start?” I whispered as the heavily reinforced doors ease back to admit us inside.

  “There will be a signal,” she hissed back as we turned a corner into a narrow corridor.

  We followed the guard to the far side of the palace courtyard. There was little torchlight and no one else about. There was a sense of unease about the place.

  “Come,” a girl appeared from a dark recess in the wall. She ushered us quickly into a small anti-chamber. I looked around, but the guards had gone. As she closed the door behind us I noticed just how young and beautiful she was. Her elegant features were surrounded by softly curled hair and her black eyes were large and round.

  Her straight Greek nose flared at the nostrils as though her Kushite blood was trying very hard to show itself. She was tiny too, no higher than my shoulders, and her bones small and delicate. She looked to be around fourteen years old.

  “What are you doing out of your rooms?” Artemis seemed a little angry with her.

  The girl shrugged and grinned.

  “I heard you coming.” As she spoke her eyes flickered toward me. She looked me up and down with curiosity. “You! You are the seer my sister is so obsessed with.”

  I swallowed a sigh. Was my gift always going to cause me so much trouble and attention?

  “Yes, she is.” Artemis presented me as a guest before a queen. “This is my cousin, Cassandra. She will work for us now.”

  I shot her an irritated glare. So she had wanted not to save me, but to use me. The girl clapped her hands together in delight.

  “Very good. You are most welcome here.” She smiled with such warmth I could not have been annoyed with her.

  I found myself smiling back and dropping a courtesy.

  “The signaller is on the roof as we speak,” she added, as though it were perfectly normal. “We should stay in here for shelter until they have made their attack. This room is small and heavily fortified.”

  I looked up to see large sheets of unpolished bronze hammered to the ceiling, long panels ran down the walls, and the doors were re-enforced in the same manner. The only gap was a narrow air vent high up like in a prison cell.

  ‘This is the safest room in the palace,” she said calmly, taking a seat on a hard wooden stool by the back wall. She gestured for us to sit too, for there were several other stools in the room.

  “Where is your brother?” Artemis asked. Arsinoe shrugged,

  “He said he was too brave to hide.”

  “Men!” Artemis grumbled.

  “Boys,” the princess corrected, for he was a year younger than her. And with that, we sat and waited in anticipation.

  *

  Banging on the roof like giant hailstones. Rumbling like thunder and floors shuddering as though a thousand horses hurtles toward us. Shouting and jeering, swords clashing, and men grunting and groaning. A thin wisp of smoke began to seep beneath the door to our safe-room and with it the choking smell of burning brick and wood. The one torch in the room flickered as the air began to burn away.

  “We have to get out,” I said, getting to my feet and rushing toward to the door, panic rising in my chest. Fire is one of the few things that could kill a Vampyr, and for the first time in my life, I was afraid we might die. Artemis got up too,

  “Come, Princess, we have no choice. You will choke to death before we burn.

  Arsinoe’s large eyes were like dark holes in her face. I noticed then that she was shaking. I grabbed the bolt on the door and flinched, for it was scolding hot. I grimaced, and ignoring the burn, yanked it back. At first, it wouldn’t budge, for the heat had bent the metal.

  Artemis placed her hands over mine and we tugged together until it screeched back into its slot. I aimed a kick at the door. The wood was already charred and brittle. It took little effort to break it. It splintered to reveal a terrifying sight. There were flames everywhere and the smoke so thick it was like trying to see through putrid soup.

  My eyes were stinging and my throat hot as the fire. My skin burned and blistered. We clambered through the broken door and ran right at the fire, for it was the only way out.

  “This way,” Artemis yelled from somewhere just ahead. There was a clunk to my le
ft. I glanced over just in time to see a Roman guard swing a baton at my head. Through the smoke, I could hear Arsinoe scream as she was dragged away, and Artemis fighting against someone.

  *

  Ringing in my ears and pounding on my head. I awoke to an even stronger smell of smoke than before I was knocked out. I sat up, coughing and frantically trying to see through the thick burning fog that surrounded me. I scratched at my hands.

  At least my wounds were already healing. Everywhere voices were calling for water or screaming for help. Pulling myself to my feet I reached about in the hope of finding something solid I could lean on and get my bearings. I knew nothing of the palace and even if I had, I was not certain I would be able to escape. Someone was gasping nearby. I stumbled over a protruding cobble and grabbed at them.

  “Cassandra, is that you?”

  “Artemis!” I threw my arms around her.

  “What happened?” I spluttered.

  “Caesars’s guards took Arsinoe. We have to go back inside and rescue her. I did not see where she was taken, but it can only have been the tower,” I felt her gesture somewhere to our right, but I could barely make out her hand, never mind the tower she was pointing at.

  “Where are we?” I asked as we began to edge towards a dark shape that seemed like a wall.

  “We are in front of the palace gate, by the docks.”

  “Then why is there so much smoke if we are outside?”

  Artemis tripped and I grabbed her wrist to stop her falling.

  “Look out there.”

  I wafted at the smoke and blinked. A short distance ahead a line of bobbing balls of fire was crashing dangerously against the jetty.

  “The ships are on fire!” I gawped. But that was not all. At least one of the ships had crashed into the jetty and now it too was ablaze. Flames were tearing along the wooden decking and into the city. The customs house, warehouses, homes, inns, everything was burning. Fire was all around us, licking at the palace like a thirsty dog.