"What is it you want?" Hecate asked.
She raised the pitch of her voice just slightly.
Set kept his eyes lowered to the water. He continued to stare at the fish that swam just underneath the surface. He stretched his fingers, felt sweat run down his back. The goddess was still, unnaturally so. As if she herself were in rigor mortis. Set glanced to his right. Her red hair the color of figs draped down her back. Her lids were half closed, hiding her coal eyes. She waited.
"Draw down the moon for me." He said.
Hecate breathed deeply, her face on the pond below.
"Do you know what they are?" She asked.
Set's face twitched. "The fish?"
Hecate stepped forward, put a hand to her mouth as if she were sharing a secret. "They're red mullet."
Set caught what seemed like pretense in her words. Was she telling the truth?
"You see those ones right there?" She continued. "You see what they're doing?"
Set followed her gaze. There was a group of fish thrashing about, swimming atop one another chaotically.
"The red mullet are eating one of their own. They eat their dead."
She broke off as a passerby stepped past.
"They're known to eat a human corpse as well. It's just what they do."
Set felt more and more at a loss as to what the goddess was getting at. Does she mock me? He squinted at the pond. Was it about the corpse? The pigment perhaps. The red, his beloved Kemet. Does she insult his home? Her thin-lipped smile still expressionless, she turned to him. "They come from the family Mullidae."
"Dead eating fish." He said.
"Yes." She replied. "Did your people eat their dead Egyptian?"
Set's mind traveled back. He heard the pyramid text as if it were spoken aloud once again.
the king orders sacrifices, he alone controls them,
the king eats humans, feeds on gods;
he has them presented on an altar to himself,
the king eats their magic, he gulps down their souls,
the adults he has for breakfast,
the young are lunch,
the babies he has for supper, the old ones are too tough to eat, he just burns them on the altar as an offering to himself.
She was mocking him. She was an accuser. Set cleared his throat. "Our Heka required no actual ingestion. Our ways disposed of the dead...differently. But that's why I'm here, is it not? The magic of my people was ineffective for reascending. Perhaps you will fare better Greek."
Hecate ignored him. She stepped back from the pond and brushed her hair back behind her left shoulder.
"I will call you Mullus." She said.
Mullus. The insult hanged in the air between them. Hecate sneered and faced the Egyptian god fully. "Yes, it will be Mullus I think. Like the red mullet."
Set managed a weak smile. "As it were." He stepped beside her and paused, studying the goddess of witchcraft. Somewhere he thought he heard a dog howling.
"Will you imbue me with your lunar spirit? Draw down your moon Greek. Perhaps I can reascend us all to our grace. It is worth a try?"
"Why you?"
"Nobody else will try."
He knew he was right. If the goddess herself had attempted it, she would have denied him outright.
"Well?"
Hecate looked at his face. Her gaze unfocused, as if in thought. But there was something else. She appeared almost eager. He saw now the Descendant behind those dark eyes. He shuddered deeply.
"What do you offer?" She asked.
"I can give you information."
"Did you know of the killings last year?"
Set glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. He knew the goddess was testing him. curious to see if he would tell her a lie.
"You mean the Christian at the Basement?" He said furtively.
"Yes."
"I know of it."
Revelation seized Set's mind. There was no way for her to know the whole truth of that matter. She had no idea of Sadie Fuller at all. Truth would be wise unless she got into specifics.
"Was it Descended? They never caught whoever it was."
"Yes, it was."
Hecate gasped, covered her mouth. "Which?"
"I don't know."
Hecate gasped again, made a kissing sound with her lips. "This Descendant...lives still?"
Set thought about this as he stared back at the pond. The Androktasiai had been slaughtered outright by the girl. He would have likely joined them had Dionysus not intervened. If ever given the chance, Set would be sure to enact recompense. But the girl was Descended. She had to be. There was no other explanation.
"The Descendant has been missing for some time." He said.
"Do you know the Christian messiah has come back?"
"What? The Christ rose again?"
Hecate spoke quickly. "Not long after. He still performs, although now he has body guards or something."
A look of elation on her face, Hecate took out her phone and nodded to Set. He was a moment comprehending what she meant.
"A number to reach you." She prompted.
"Ah yes, of course."
As Set gave her the number of his disposable phone, he couldn't help but feel unnerved. Thinking back on Sadie Fuller had shaken him. Whatever she was, she was still out there somewhere in the city. Oh, how he'd love to carve into the girl with knives.
Set recovered quickly. He put on a smile and looked back at Hecate who was staring.
"Until next time then." He mustered.
Hecate grinned eerily. "Be ready Mullus. The lunar spirit is...formidable."
Set's eyes traveled up and down the goddess as she walked away. His thoughts elsewhere, he bowed his head, content to see how this played out.
She raised the pitch of her voice just slightly.
Set kept his eyes lowered to the water. He continued to stare at the fish that swam just underneath the surface. He stretched his fingers, felt sweat run down his back. The goddess was still, unnaturally so. As if she herself were in rigor mortis. Set glanced to his right. Her red hair the color of figs draped down her back. Her lids were half closed, hiding her coal eyes. She waited.
"Draw down the moon for me." He said.
Hecate breathed deeply, her face on the pond below.
"Do you know what they are?" She asked.
Set's face twitched. "The fish?"
Hecate stepped forward, put a hand to her mouth as if she were sharing a secret. "They're red mullet."
Set caught what seemed like pretense in her words. Was she telling the truth?
"You see those ones right there?" She continued. "You see what they're doing?"
Set followed her gaze. There was a group of fish thrashing about, swimming atop one another chaotically.
"The red mullet are eating one of their own. They eat their dead."
She broke off as a passerby stepped past.
"They're known to eat a human corpse as well. It's just what they do."
Set felt more and more at a loss as to what the goddess was getting at. Does she mock me? He squinted at the pond. Was it about the corpse? The pigment perhaps. The red, his beloved Kemet. Does she insult his home? Her thin-lipped smile still expressionless, she turned to him. "They come from the family Mullidae."
"Dead eating fish." He said.
"Yes." She replied. "Did your people eat their dead Egyptian?"
Set's mind traveled back. He heard the pyramid text as if it were spoken aloud once again.
the king orders sacrifices, he alone controls them,
the king eats humans, feeds on gods;
he has them presented on an altar to himself,
the king eats their magic, he gulps down their souls,
the adults he has for breakfast,
the young are lunch,
the babies he has for supper, the old ones are too tough to eat, he just burns them on the altar as an offering to himself.
She was mocking him. She was an accuser. Set cleared his throat. "Our Heka required no actual ingestion. Our ways disposed of the dead...differently. But that's why I'm here, is it not? The magic of my people was ineffective for reascending. Perhaps you will fare better Greek."
Hecate ignored him. She stepped back from the pond and brushed her hair back behind her left shoulder.
"I will call you Mullus." She said.
Mullus. The insult hanged in the air between them. Hecate sneered and faced the Egyptian god fully. "Yes, it will be Mullus I think. Like the red mullet."
Set managed a weak smile. "As it were." He stepped beside her and paused, studying the goddess of witchcraft. Somewhere he thought he heard a dog howling.
"Will you imbue me with your lunar spirit? Draw down your moon Greek. Perhaps I can reascend us all to our grace. It is worth a try?"
"Why you?"
"Nobody else will try."
He knew he was right. If the goddess herself had attempted it, she would have denied him outright.
"Well?"
Hecate looked at his face. Her gaze unfocused, as if in thought. But there was something else. She appeared almost eager. He saw now the Descendant behind those dark eyes. He shuddered deeply.
"What do you offer?" She asked.
"I can give you information."
"Did you know of the killings last year?"
Set glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. He knew the goddess was testing him. curious to see if he would tell her a lie.
"You mean the Christian at the Basement?" He said furtively.
"Yes."
"I know of it."
Revelation seized Set's mind. There was no way for her to know the whole truth of that matter. She had no idea of Sadie Fuller at all. Truth would be wise unless she got into specifics.
"Was it Descended? They never caught whoever it was."
"Yes, it was."
Hecate gasped, covered her mouth. "Which?"
"I don't know."
Hecate gasped again, made a kissing sound with her lips. "This Descendant...lives still?"
Set thought about this as he stared back at the pond. The Androktasiai had been slaughtered outright by the girl. He would have likely joined them had Dionysus not intervened. If ever given the chance, Set would be sure to enact recompense. But the girl was Descended. She had to be. There was no other explanation.
"The Descendant has been missing for some time." He said.
"Do you know the Christian messiah has come back?"
"What? The Christ rose again?"
Hecate spoke quickly. "Not long after. He still performs, although now he has body guards or something."
A look of elation on her face, Hecate took out her phone and nodded to Set. He was a moment comprehending what she meant.
"A number to reach you." She prompted.
"Ah yes, of course."
As Set gave her the number of his disposable phone, he couldn't help but feel unnerved. Thinking back on Sadie Fuller had shaken him. Whatever she was, she was still out there somewhere in the city. Oh, how he'd love to carve into the girl with knives.
Set recovered quickly. He put on a smile and looked back at Hecate who was staring.
"Until next time then." He mustered.
Hecate grinned eerily. "Be ready Mullus. The lunar spirit is...formidable."
Set's eyes traveled up and down the goddess as she walked away. His thoughts elsewhere, he bowed his head, content to see how this played out.
No comments:
Post a Comment