Cleopatra Occult by Peter Joseph Swanson

the most ludicrous thing. I don’t know how many times I’ve been knocked into the water within minutes. Once I damned myself by jumping into the water all on my own, within the very first minute of battle, misjudging the distance of the enemy ship.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “No smaller ships to pluck you out?”
    He looked sheepish. “My luck, the only ones were enemy boats.”
    “And they didn’t try to kill you?”
    “They ignored me. They were only there to fish out their own.”
    Cleopatra said, “Poseidon laughs at all our little boats.”
    Mark took a deep worried breath as he looked off at the stars. “Pompey defied Poseidon. Nobody could fight at sea like Pompey. His sea legs were as sure as his sword. Nobody could fight on land like him either.” Mark looked at her and cringed. “I think about Pompey too much. I feel guilty and I didn’t even do anything to him, myself. But he’s in my mind like one of the gods.”
    Cleopatra took his hand and squeezed, to break the glum mood. “Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I haven’t been keeping track of the Roman civil war as much as I should. You fill me in. How is Pompey the Great?”
    “A great war hero of legend before he could even shave.”  
    Cleopatra pointed out, “For being your great enemy, or Caesar’s great enemy, you speak so glowing of him.”
    Mark explained, “He was great but the times quickly changed from under him. Oh Goddess Fortuna, our fortunes change from such fickle gods. In opposing Pompey, Caesar increased his power. The aristocrats were always out to put Pompey in his place.”
    Cleopatra gave a knowing nod. “They said that as Pompey went down, Caesar went up. One caused the other.”
    “Correct.”
    Cleopatra asked, “What made Pompey such an issue anyway, to cause your civil war? The wheel of fortune sure turned him on his head in a hurry.”
    Mark explained, “He was so powerful but on the wrong side of an issue—the wrong side of Caesar. There can only be one hero of Rome.”
    “Make me the queen of Egypt again.”
    Mark was thrown by the change of topic.
    After an awkward silence, she repeated her request.
    He finally asked, “Who are you?”
    She glared at him.
    Mark shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, but so what. But who are you to Rome?” He gave an uneasy laugh. “ Men rule. Admit it, your brother makes a great puppet for Rome.”
    “He doesn’t know how to rule. He just thinks it’s all a party for him.”
    “It isn’t, in Egypt?”
    “No.”
    He insisted it was.
    Cleopatra explained, “It’s no easier than ruling in Rome. A ruler always feels alone in the crowd but knows there are many intimate enemies there. No matter how solid your claim to the throne there are always other powerful aristocratic families that have competing interests with you, or threaten civil war with each other, disturbing the peace and economy of the land. A ruler prevents the misery of war.”
    “Rome can keep the peace.”
    Cleopatra lowered her voice. “A ghost first led me to my throne so it must be true that I should have it.”
    “A ghost?”
    She nodded. “When I was fifteen years old my father died. That night, in my dreams, Mother, a ghost with a crow perched on her hand, came to me to tell me that I’d have to rule. I walked in my sleep. She led me to the throne and told me to sit and wait for the sunrise. She told me, your star has risen in the sky, the star that you will choose to pray to . I asked Mother how to rule. The ghost instructed me, rule the palace like a firm tyrant or else you will be eaten by crocodiles. Rule Egypt as her gentle servant or else you will be eaten by the gods . I’ll never forget that.” 
    Mark nodded. “I’d never forget that! But is that reason to rule? Is that a reason Rome will accept? Rome only cares about its own ghosts, not weird foreign ghosts.”
    Cleopatra shook her head. “There’s more, far more. The future. Egypt is deeper than you can imagine. A land