Suetekh
I was supposed to be in a faculty meeting.
Instead I was in the stairwell texting Lobdell: 'Where is he?'
'Who?'
'Thoth.'
'Iran. Last ping was 48 hours ago. Near Shiraz.'
'Then why can't I feel him?'
No answer for a full minute. 'Because he's warded. Or dead.'
I threw my phone against the wall. It didn't break. I was careful.
'You're paranoid,' Lobdell typed back. 'Like always.'
'I'm not paranoid,' I typed. 'I'm careful. There's a difference.'
'He said 3 days. University cover. Study the beacon. He's doing his job.'
'His job was to stay in contact.'
The truth was I couldn't feel Thoth anywhere. Not on campus. Not in the ether. Not in that little humming way gods announce themselves when they're bored and reading someone's mind. And that was bad. Because Thoth was the brains. He was the one who said "blend in, teach, wait for the beacon."
