thoth
we spend all our time running for our lives, going nowhere

He’s not a sideshow attraction you know. Those precious words, muttered in a murderous tone to Thoth’s left, sounded like a chorus of heavenly music. For the first part of his life, Thoth had just been a weird, unwanted kid: shunted in and out of care, constantly in trouble for pursuing his curiosity, socially inept. From adults he rarely got anything other than vague sympathy and from his peers he was lucky to be ignored. After he’d been outed as Aura’s son, it felt like nobody had been able to see him as anything else. To have someone like Cypress, a relatively new friend, stand in his corner and declare to his enemy that he was a person before anything else… He glanced sideways at her, eyes dark with gratitude. She was glaring at Emilia, her face flushed prettily.

Danny was, as usual, the tactful one. Emilia’s eyebrows lifted slightly after he said his piece.

“Dear goodness,” she murmured, swirling her tea, “what I plan to do with you. That sounds awfully nefarious. We mean no ill to you dear children. The late King Arthur, unfortunately, did a poor job of relaying our message; all I wish is for an audience with you, and then you are free to go on your way.”

There was a brief silence, which Thoth broke. “Fuck off.” He exclaimed incredulously, as an expression of disbelief rather than a directive.

Emilia’s attention snapped back to him. Thoth failed to notice that her grey eyes cooled a notch.

“Are you aware that in some… obscure sects, you are considered a god?” She studied his face, which was now lifted in surprise. “I think we can both agree that that is not an ideal situation. We’re on the same side here. We both want to ensure that as many souls as possible are saved by the true faith.”

The shock slipped away from Thoth’s face and he threw his hands up in a groan rolling his eyes.

“The ‘true faith’,” he muttered, emphasising her words with sarcasm, “oh my god.”

This time, even Thoth didn’t miss Emilia’s expression hardening.

“You are a problem,” she uttered coolly, “for the Church and for spiritual pureness. There are multiple ways to solve a problem. The solution currently on the table is, I imagine, your preferred one.”

She lifted the teacup delicately to her lips, sipping silently. Thoth studied her with a calculating expression, eyes narrowed, arms folded stubbornly across his chest. He’d dealt with enough bullies in his short life to be able to recognise a threat when he heard one. Evidently, his assumption that the Auran Church wouldn’t hurt him had been in grave error. For the first time, the full gravity of the situation weighed down on his shoulders, restricting his breathing. It had been his idea to come to Earth. He was the one who had brushed of Danny, Cypress and Mallos’ protests. He was the one these psychos wanted. And now, because of him, the three of them were in very real danger. Thoth shifted in his seat, straightening his back and resting his folded arms on the table.

“I don’t think,” he said carefully, “that there is anyone on Earth or Shaman who would take kindly to Aura’s Church murdering her son.”

Emilia didn’t even bother to deny the threat. She took another sip of tea.

“It is so sad,” she mused to Danny, “that Aura’s son was born with such a delicate medical condition. If he slipped on the stairs, it would be such a tragic accident.” She set her cup down and rested her cheek in her palm, turning her attention back to Thoth. “Fortunately, his mother’s Church would be here to organise a beautiful funeral with a heart-wrenching eulogy.”

There was another moment of silence. Thoth’s scowl deepened.

“I would fucking love to see you try.” He growled.

“My dear boy,” Emilia replied dismissively, “I have a hunch you would stand very still for a bullet if I was holding a gun to your friends’ heads. Am I correct?” She asked of Danny, setting her cup down.