Athena's Son (16 page)

After several moments, in a more composed, but somber, voice, she said, “Maybe this is all a child’s game I’m playing. Father is probably right; I’m just wasting my time. This Egyptian doctor probably isn’t even talking about murder or cover-ups, or anything important at all. I’m just a young girl with crazy theories.” She pushed the scroll off the table, where it drifted like a leaf onto the marble floor.

Archimedes looked sympathetically at Berenike, but she did not look at him. He bent down and picked up the papyrus and walked over to the open window with it.

Only after his back was turned did she look at him. He turned the scroll to his left, then right, examining the red circles and lines Berenike pointed out. He angled it to catch some of the sloping rays of the afternoon light on it. “These red marks…” He turned the scroll. “Wait a moment…” He held it parallel to the window. “Berenike, did you notice these small holes in the papyrus?”

“
Yes,” she blurted. “It’s because the stupid papyrus is so old. Crumple it up and you’ll see even more holes.”

“
No,” he turned and held the scroll toward her. “There is a pattern. The holes, when held up to the light, I think are constellations.”

She hesitantly got off the stool and looked at Archimedes before taking hold of the scroll and turning it slightly so she could see. “What do you mean? How do you know?” Her voice revealed little enthusiasm.

“
I recognize these particular patterns. Look.” He took her by the arm and led her to the open window. He held it up with his left hand while Berenike held it with her right. He had to lean his head closer to hers to coordinate what they were looking for.

“
Here, here, and here. These three holes definitely represent Orion’s belt. And the rest of these,” he slowly traced a polygon, “make his body. And these,” he drew four lines radiating away from the body, “are his arms and legs. These other holes represent the stars that make up his club, which he is holding aloft, and his shield is this set of three stars. Orion was a hunter…”

“
Look,” Berenike said. “When the sun shines through the papyrus, the red lines on the scroll connect to Orion’s belt. They make an odd square shape with three lines.” She flipped the scroll over and they examined the red lines Meti had placed randomly in the middle of the scroll. “What constellation is this square shape?”

“
None that I know of,” Archimedes said. “At least, not any Greek constellation. Maybe, since Meti was Egyptian, they are significant to Egyptian constellations or myths.”

“
This circle he drew, it goes around another one of the holes.” They flipped the scroll over again and Archimedes examined the pattern.

“
These seven stars, just to the right of Orion, are the Pleiades,” Archimedes said. “They are the seven daughters of the titan Atlas. But the one Meti circled…” Archimedes flipped the scroll twice trying to pinpoint the exact star Meti had encircled in red. “That star is Merope, the youngest daughter, and also the littlest star in the Pleiades constellation.”

Berenike lowered the scroll and looked at Archimedes. “So what we have is some constellation connected to Orion’s belt and Merope.” She looked out the window for a few moments, as if gathering her thoughts. She looked back at Archimedes. “Are you sure these holes identify specific Greek constellations? You aren’t just coming up with some theory just to make me feel better?” Her gaze was almost pleading.

“
No, Berenike,” Archimedes touched her on the shoulder. “Not at all. I respect you too much to play games. I’m certain these holes are placed to identify constellations and those red markings are part of the clue you’re searching for. This puzzle he created may identify the murderer of Alexander the Great!”

A smile widened across Berenike’s face. “This is wonderful, Archimedes! I’ll stay here and go over the document to make sure I translated it right. You track down Savas and ask if he can help you find any scrolls on Egyptian constellations.”

She was already walking over to the table and laying down Meti’s small scroll. Archimedes had just started to turn to leave the room when Berenike added, “And Archimedes… you are a true friend. You know what Aristotle said about a true friend, right?”

“
A true friend is one soul in two bodies,” Archimedes answered.

Archimedes found Savas pecking among the book stacks. When Archimedes asked if there were any scrolls about Egyptian constellations, Savas ignored him, telling him to “look over there,” with a dismissive wave of his hand, not even bothering to look at the lowly boy.

“
Thank you Savas,” Archimedes said. “I’ll let Berenike know where she should begin her search.”

Savas swung his beak quickly around. “Is it for the Princess? Why didn’t you say so?” He personally walked Archimedes across the library, to a far shelf, where at the top lay a set of scrolls. He went through five scrolls before he found one to his liking. “This one,” Savas said, “has the constellations plotted and the accompanying myths.”

Now Archimedes was ready to present the very scroll that could complete his soul friend’s murder mystery. Imagine, an Egyptian princess considering him as part of her soul. What is it about women that make them perilous as a feral dog one minute and tender as a litter of kittens the next? He had his head down daydreaming when he turned the corner and bumped into someone, knocking the scroll out of his hands. Archimedes, startled, took a step back. Standing in his way was Remus Decimus.

“
Remus,” Archimedes said after he recovered his senses, “what are you doing here?”

“
Remus,” Remus echoed in his cat hiss. “But of course. I am broadening my horizons, as it were.” He punctuated it with a sly smile and the familiar tapping of his fist against his mouth. “I am sorry I startled you. Here,” he reached down and picked up the scroll, “let me assist you.” Remus read the scroll’s label and said, “Egyptian constellations, but of course. Perhaps I can help you with something?” It was the kind of invitation a spider would give a fly to inspect its web.

“
No, thank you,” Archimedes said as he took the scroll from him. “We’ll…I’ll do just fine on my own.” He carefully walked around the Roman, heading back to Berenike.

“
But of course. Certainly,” the spy said. “Oh, and do be careful, young scholar. Do be careful. Do not make the same mistake poor Pholus did.” He smiled and waved, even though Archimedes had his back turned and was walking away.

Archimedes continued at a quick pace, trying to put some distance between him and the ubiquitous Roman. The last thing Archimedes wanted was any help or advice from that disreputable spy. Poor Pholus, what did he mean by that? Archimedes abruptly stopped. “Pholus,” he whispered.

Pholus was a centaur who dropped a poison arrow on his foot, killing him. Archimedes turned back but Remus was gone. Did Remus know about the dart Archimedes found? Blessed Athena! He forgot about his own murder investigation. He quickly touched the pocket he kept the dart in. He could feel the dart’s narrow wooden body through his tunic and was careful to avoid the sharp needle. As soon as he finished in the library, he planned to take the short walk over to the school and show Callimachus the dart and blowgun.

Archimedes walked into the room and set the scroll on the table. “I found it.” He put the scroll on the table and it rolled slightly away from Berenike. He sounded less enthusiastic than he had been before he ran into Remus.

Berenike reached over and detained the runaway scroll. “I think I may have figured out a possible solution to the sun rising. Obviously, when you first read the phrase ‘sun rising in the west’, you assume the disk of fire, spelled s-U-n. What if reads son, s-O-n, like a boy?” She looked up, beaming, but noticed Archimedes was looking back out the door. “What’s wrong?”

“
Oh,” Archimedes turned toward her. “That Roman,” he pointed back to the hall, “Remus Decimus, was out there again. He was here the other day spying on us. Then he magically appears at your father’s court. Something is up with him. He seems to be able to conjure himself to wherever he wants.”

“
Are you sure he’s a spy? I see him in father’s court all the time. Although he comes off aloof at times, he seems sincere and friendly enough to me.” She started to unroll the scroll Archimedes brought. “So what can we find out from this? Did Savas help?”

Archimedes walked over to her side. “He did tell me there weren’t as many Egyptian constellations as there are Greek constellations, but that makes it easier to find the one we need. I’ll try to identify the Egyptian constellation somewhere on this scroll and you read to me what it says.”

Archimedes scanned the map of the sky with his finger, slowly tracing the dark stars drawn on the papyrus. “First, I have to find a map of the winter sky. The stars change with the seasons, and Orion appears in the fall and winter sky.” He kept unrolling more of the crackling papyrus as he carefully scanned the drawings, finally stopping at a rectangle filled with dark, simple stars. “Let’s see, this cluster must be Gemini. Just to the east…this must be Orion, and this is his belt. What does that say?” He indicated a short line of writing.

Berenike pulled the scroll over to her. “Give me a moment.” Berenike mouthed out consonant sounds and then leaned back with a quizzical look. “It says that is the Crown of Osiris.”

Archimedes paced slowly around the table, deep in thought. “So what we have so far is a murder, a possible son—boy,” he turned toward Berenike and emphasized ‘boy’, then resumed his pacing “rising in the west, and finally, a crown.” He looked out the open window, the late afternoon rays of sun streaming straight into his face. Archimedes took a deep breath, and let out a slow sigh. “It’s getting late, Berenike, I should get back to the school for supper.”

“
What?” Berenike jumped up and glanced out the window. “Sweet Isis.” She quickly gathered the scrolls. “I have to get to the palace. Father is going to kill me if I’m late for supper again!”

And me with you, Archimedes feared.

As Berenike checked the different scrolls to see which ones she was keeping and which ones would be left behind for Savas, she opened Archimedes’ entrance scroll from Callimachus. She scanned the scroll for a few moments. “Archimedes,” she said hesitantly, “where did you get this scroll from?”

Archimedes turned from the window. “That? It’s my entrance scroll to the school, from Callimachus.”

“
But Callimachus wrote this? It’s from him?” The unease in her voice brought Archimedes over.

“
Well, no. It’s just some papyrus Ipuwer was writing on when Ptahhotep was going to have me whipped. Why?”

Berenike was quickly uttering breathless consonant sounds, eyes dashing back and forth across the scroll. “It talks about the murders and the lighthouse. It says…it says there needs to be more murders.” She looked up at Archimedes, her face going pale.

Archimedes grabbed the scroll, looking it over as if it were written in blood. It seemed, to him, that it was.

Chapter 22

“
Incredible.”

Callimachus and Herophilos used the same adjective to describe what lay before them. For Herophilos it was the dart; for Callimachus it was the entrance scroll.

When Archimedes returned to the school, he searched the library and classrooms and finally found Callimachus and Herophilos eating supper in the dining hall. He explained that he had two crucial clues to the lighthouse murders and the three scholars moved to a vacant corner of the hall to discuss them confidentially.

Archimedes was starving after his busy day. A servant brought him a bowl of fish and barley soup, a slice of cheese, and a goblet of watered wine. Archimedes reached over to a plate of warm flatbread to scoop up the thick, steaming soup.

Between bites he succinctly explained where each of the objects came from. Herophilos was impressed how Archimedes applied the physiology of the human body to the pneumatic cannon. Callimachus said he would like to inspect the cannon after the investigation settled down.

Herophilos shook the dart after Archimedes explained the rattling sound inside. “Of course I will have to try to open it up, although it is obviously the work of a fine craftsman. My first guess, judging the length of the needle to be about two inches, is that it is designed to penetrate the chest cavity and lodge in the victim’s heart.” He held it and admired it as if it were one of his instruments that were used to keep people alive.

“
Don’t you see, Callimachus?” Herophilos said. “When the dart hits the chest, the abrupt stop pushes a weight inside the needle forward, injecting the heart with whatever poison was inside. That way the poison isn’t depleted on the body’s exterior. It injects the full dose only when it is inside the heart. Depending on the poison used, the heart could stop within seconds. That is why we saw no signs of poisoning during the autopsy. Ingenious”

“
Diabolic seems more apt in describing it,” Callimachus said. “Humans are adept enough at killing each other without finding more efficient ways of doing it.”

“
Well certainly, Callimachus,” Herophilos tried appeasing him. “I’m not advocating any murder. But even you must admit that the design is cunning, if not ingenious.”

“
I should think you would be more offended than me, Herophilos,” Callimachus replied. “I am no physician, but I believe your Hippocratic Oath denounces any type of poisonous drug.”