Song of the Nile
Table of Contents
Twelve - MAURETANIA WINTER 25 B.C.
Fourteen - MAURETANIA SUMMER 24 B.C.
Seventeen - ITALIAN PENINSULA SPRING 23 B.C.
Nineteen - ROME SUMMER 23 B.C.
Twenty-three - MAURETANIA SPRING 22 B.C.
Twenty-eight - GREECE SPRING 21 B.C.
Thirty-two - ISLE OF SAMOS, GREECE SPRING 2 0 B. C .
Thirty-four - ISLE OF SAMOS, GREECE SPRING 19 B. C .
Thirty-seven - ATHENS, GREECE SUMMER 19 B. C .
PRAISE FOR
LILY OF THE NILE
“Magical.”
—M. Isidora Forrest, author of Isis Magic
“In this account of the fate of Cleopatra’s daughter in the household of Augustus Caesar, Dray reveals the same events we’ve seen in
Rome
and
I, Claudius
from a very different perspective, that of a teenage girl. Cleopatra Selene has unusual gifts and problems, but her struggle to understand herself and her destiny is universal. The glimpses of the cult of Isis leave one wanting to know more, and the story keeps you turning the pages until the end.”
—Diana L. Paxson,
author of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword of Avalon
“
Lily of the Nile
is graceful history infused with subtle magic and
veiled ancient mysteries, at a time of immense flux and transition.
Cleopatra Selene—regal, stoic, and indomitable daughter of the
legendary Pharaoh-Queen Cleopatra—carries on the spirit of her
mother, the goddess Isis, and the soul of Egypt itself into the lair
of the conquering imperial enemy. Selene, whose skin speaks the
words of queen and goddess in blood, channels the dynastic pride
that is her birthright, and seals the fate of the Roman Empire.
Meticulously researched, thoroughly believable, this is a different
kind of book, and a true achievement.”
—Vera Nazarian,
two-time Nebula Award–nominated
author of Lords of Rainbow and Mansfield Park and Mummies
“With clear prose, careful research, vivid detail, and a dash of magic, Stephanie Dray brings true life to one of Egypt’s most intriguing princesses.”
—Susan Fraser King,
bestselling and award-winning
author of Queen Hereafter and Lady Macbeth
Berkley titles by Stephanie Dray
LILY OF THE NILE
SONG OF THE NILE
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Dray.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
BERKLEY
®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / October 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dray, Stephanie.
Song of the Nile / Stephanie Dray.—Berkley trade pbk. ed. p. cm.
ISBN : 978-1-101-54506-5
1. Cleopatra, Queen, consort of Juba II, King of Mauretania, b. 40 B.C.—Fiction. 2. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C.—Family—Fiction. 3. Rome—History—Augustus, 30 B.C.–A.D. 14.—Fiction. 4. Augustus, Emperor of Rome, 63 B.C.–A.D. 14—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3604.R39S65 2011
813’.6—dc22
2011020553
To my mother and my grandmothers,
because like Cleopatra Selene,
I come from a long line of powerful and inspiring women.
Dear Reader,
It’s often erroneously said that Cleopatra VII of Egypt was the last of the Ptolemaic queens. In truth, that title belongs to her daughter, Cleopatra Selene. Though Augustus would make Selene the most powerful client queen in his empire, she’s typically overlooked by historians in favor of her notorious mother. It was suicide that helped to make Cleopatra so famous, but her daughter has always captivated me because Selene’s story is one of survival.
Cleopatra Selene carved out a new destiny for herself in an uncertain land, but she seems always to have been looking behind her. She was a woman who forgot nothing.
I wrote this book so that we don’t forget
her
.
As an author of historical fiction, one of my greatest joys is filling in the spaces the historical record leaves empty. While Selene is believed to have married King Juba II of Mauretania in 25 B.C., she doesn’t appear on the coins of her realm for another five years. Her exact whereabouts during this time are unknown, but as a nominal member of the imperial family, she had a unique perspective from which to witness five of the most crucial years in Roman history and
religious
history.
Though Isis worship would eventually come to dominate the ancient world, the cult frequently came under attack even before it fell out of favor with Augustus. While the Romans generally tolerated foreign gods and goddesses, Augustus banned the worship of Isis within the sacred boundaries of Rome. Cassius Dio tells us that Agrippa also cracked down on the Alexandrine cult in 21 B.C. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, Selene actively promoted her goddess. That she appears never to have been censured by Rome for this—or for any of the more politically provocative actions she took as queen—tells us that she enjoyed an extraordinary relationship with Augustus.
This novel imagines and dramatizes that relationship.
As in
Lily of the Nile
, I’ve adopted some conventions that bear explanation. To start with, I’ve embraced the most familiar spellings and naming conventions for historical figures and ideas. For example, I’ve used Mark Antony for Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra instead of Kleopatra. I’ve also used English words for Latin concepts whenever possible. One instance is my adoption of the word
lady
when the word
domina
may have been more accurate. Moreover, I’ve addressed Augustus as
the emperor
throughout the novel even though our modern understanding of the word differs greatly from the traditional Roman concept of an imperator. I stand by this choice because of Octavian’s nontraditional use of imperator—a title he held lawfully in 43 B.C. and should have relinquished that same year but continued to use in front of his name until he acquired the new honorific of Augustus.
Whenever the historical record was in doubt, I’ve unabashedly adopted the slant most favorable to Egypt, Selene, her family, or the faith in which she was raised; the bias against Rome and Augustus reflects her views as I’ve imagined them, not my own. Also, Selene’s relatively uncritical acceptance of the idea that native peoples must be “civilized” is not an endorsement, but simply the historical attitude of the time period.
Finally, though the weddings, divorces, battles, treaties, and imperial politics are all firmly rooted in historical fact, I’ve tried to respect this work as a novel more than as a biography. To that end, my choices and changes are explained in the author’s note at the end of this book.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are many people I wish to thank. My wise-woman agent, Jennifer Schober, for her guidance and innate understanding of my work. My warrior-woman editor, Cindy Hwang, who taught me how to make this story more powerful. My amazing husband, for his infinite patience and encouragement. My wonderful friends and family—especially my in-laws—all of whom have been so supportive. My sister, for her friendship and tireless promotion. The Rovets for their hospitality. The generous bloggers and reviewers who have helped spread the word. Kay Dion for being the most unfailingly helpful librarian in the nation. Mallory Braus, Julia Drake, Shelly Dunlop, Tanja Pederson, and Anna Treece for assisting me with publicity so that I could focus on writing. Paul McEndree for help with sea snail mucus and purple dye. Jessica Cooley for last-minute edits. Victoria Janssen, Rachel Blackman, Craig Lammes, and Reggie Greenberg for their vivid recollections of Athens. Sheila Accongio, Christi Barth, Sharon Buchbinder, Mallory Cates, Sabrina Darby, Moriah Jovan, Michelle Sandmeier, Christine Rovet, Constance Chamberlain, Jen Lazarus, Kai Lawson, Joseph Kelly, and Stephanie Rice for critiquing early drafts of the manuscript. Becky Wilson and Jamie Michelle for reading the manuscript after I made changes—and the remarkable Gabrielle Carolina, who gave up sleep to help me with the book and with study guide questions.