Lucius searched his eyes, intrigued.
The man slipped him a small piece of paper. “We meet Friday evenings,” he whispered before disappearing back into the crowd. Lucius tucked the paper into the breast pocket of his coat and snuck out the door.
“How was it?” Thoth asked him as soon as he returned home and entered his chambers. Though navy-colored rugs covered the marble floors, the spaciousness of the rooms caused an inevitable echo.
“Careful, Kali is looking for me,” Lucius warned him in a low voice, pulling off his fitted coat and loosening his cravat.
“Was your experience that bad?”
Lucius shrugged. “I was invited to another meeting that seems far more promising.”
“Ah.” Thoth nodded as he took the chair across from where Lucius had slumped and began peeling off his stockings with rueful contempt. Though he enjoyed excess, he hated formal attire, grateful for the hour when he could replace the stifling clothing with nightclothes. He suddenly wondered how he would feel when he was turned into one of Angelique’s vampires, if starchy fabrics and lace would make him shudder the same way as before.
“I need to figure out a way to be rid of Kali,” Lucius told the apparition across from him.
“I think you’ve done a remarkable job of avoiding her thus far,” Thoth commented. “Do you think it wise to take her on while you are still human?”
Lucius frowned, looking down at his hands. “I’ve killed before.”
“Yes, but Kali is a goddess made strong by feeding on the flesh of other immortals. Though I don’t believe she would kill you, she could make your life more difficult if you cross her.”
Lucius let out a sound of frustration, throwing himself back on his bed. “I wish I could remember all the things you told me about my past.”
“What more do you want to know?”
Lucius sat up on his arms. “Did I enjoy stirring up crowds?”
Thoth laughed pleasantly. “Well, remember, I did not have the privilege of knowing you back then, but yes, you were notorious for inciting conflict. You enjoyed fighting wars. Not just the physicality they entailed, but you loved putting your mind to work solving conflicts—a grand scale of chess, if you will.”
“So I relished in chaos so that I could bring order to it, to control it?”
His words seemed to take Thoth by surprise, and he paused thoughtfully. “Well, yes, I suppose that’s true. Did you end up reading the book I lent you, the Egyptian myths?”
Lucius sighed. “You are worse than my old tutors. Yes, I read them, but I still find it difficult to connect emotions to the words. There are so many different accounts of things, and I find it hard to believe I once looked like a jackal.” His eyes flitted up towards Thoth. “With all due respect, of course.”
Thoth smiled at him, unoffended. “All things exist to be interpreted, and humans interpret things how they may. Sometimes their stories are passed down, sometimes they are trapped in artifacts that don’t surface until much later, some stories are distorted with each retelling. It is good that you cannot connect to these tales, for they are only partly true—one man’s view on what he has found.”
Lucius sighed. “That doesn’t make things any easier for me. The hieroglyphic images look nothing like the raven-haired woman in my dreams.”
Thoth examined him carefully. “So that is what still consumes your mind.”
Lucius looked away.
“For so long, I had you categorized as the perpetual Rebel, with David as the Lover, though the more I get to know you in your tabula rasa state, I think I have been mistaken. You really do cherish love above all else.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Lucius said, his first reaction defense.
“I do not mean to offend you,” Thoth explained gently, gazing at him over his wire rimmed glasses. “I enjoy categorizing things and I do enjoy our conversations. I only hope they continue when you have turned.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“I am only here through magical means,” Thoth explained. “There is a caveat that allows me to visit you, since I am a god and you are currently human. Once you transform, however, it might be a bit difficult for me to reach you.”
Lucius frowned. “It is hard to believe you are not really here, that you live across the ocean in a completely different land.”
“Our world is very strange,” Thoth agreed.
“Louis?” a high-pitched voice interrupted them.
“Until we meet again,” Thoth said before he faded into nothingness.
Lucius looked up to see Angelique at the door, a vapid mouse dressed up in French silk and scented perfume. He tried to disguise the loathing she invoked in him, knowing that nothing about her was genuine; everything was a ploy to keep him as her puppet. He imagined setting her on fire in those moments, bringing a smile to his face that she assumed was delight in seeing her.
“I am absolutely exhausted,” she declared, flopping down on his bed. “Did you finish your lessons?”
“Of course,” he said, motioning towards his desk, where his books and ledgers were kept.
“Where is Kali?”
“I don’t see why I still must have a guardian,” Lucius said, taking the opportunity to complain. “I am a grown man and will be an immortal soon. I shouldn’t have to be saddled by someone watching over me.”
Angelique hopped to her feet, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you think when you are king that you will not have scores of guards and servants at your call? You will rarely have time alone. I suggest you get used to it now.”
“The more I learn about this life, the more I detest the notion of becoming king.”
Her mouth turned into a thin, angry line. “We have been preparing for this for years. You are meant to be a king, to rule over all. That is who you were in your past life—Hades, the king of the Underworld. You are destined for greatness—do not let fear prevent you from attaining it.”
Lucius forced his lips to turn upwards.
