Bargain Shopping (Isis)
Sitting as he was, just beneath the thin spire that capped Cairo Tower, Gwydyon couldn't see what was so special about Egypt. Before Set had interrupted his time there, he'd been enjoying himself, hadn't he? It was sadistic to torture people like that. Gwydon stared at his palms, open as they were, through the gaps between his fingers to the crowd below. None of them seemed to have noticed him. Torture wasn't something that enjoyed, wasn't even something that he did unless it was absolutely necessary. Much the same for his treatment of Set. Rude of him to interrupt? Certainly. Worthy of being turned into a toad, probably not. He didn't think, for some reason, that any promise he extracted from Set would ensure the business between them was at an end. He didn't fear the Egyptian god, but Gwydyon certainly didn't need another reason to wander or try to stay out of trouble. There were enough of those wandering around, Gwydyon was sure of that.
Very sure.
That did leave him with a small problem. What to do with Set - he couldn't just leave him as a toad, could he? The larger problem, of course, was what to do about Arianrhod. He'd come close to killing her, not once but twice. Gwydyon knew that some part of him, however large or small, would have been satisfied by her death. Just as he knew that the rest of him would have hated himself for it, in the end. There was only so much one could do in a life before they tired of it. He had tired of the way he'd been living his life for the last few weeks, hating Arianrhod so much he'd given up on the mysteries of the world. That was no way to live, and an even worse way to conduct your affairs in the kingdoms of others. He didn't have a head for the sort of things that would lead him to. Gwydyon glanced at the plastic case next to him, and at the toad sitting calmly on his toadstool. It was pretty funny, even if he felt bad about it.
Not that bad.
"I don't suppose you'd promise to leave me alone if I let you go," Gwydyon said with a wry smile.
The toad didn't move.
"What are you going to do, then? It's not as though your people are beating down my door to rescue you, King Set."
Nothing.
Hmm.
He should have killed Arianrhod. He should have left all of this behind him and started over. It didn't work that way. Gwydyon knew he was going to release Set; it was just a matter of finding a way to be far far away when it happened. Probably something with a delayed effect. He would have to ask himself that question in a few moments, when he wasn't thinking about his sister. Something in him wanted to beg for her forgiveness, only she didn't have any that Gwydyon was aware of. And he wasn't convinced, in reality, that he should be forgiven. There were a great many things that could be forgiven, but trying to murder your sister - and the only goddess you'd ever truly loved - probably wasn't one of them. Math had taught him, a long time ago, that it was hard to do something unforgivable as long as love still existed and pride was forgotten. That was something he might be able to think on.
Later.
"Well, what do you suggest, then? I'm all for throwing you into the Mediterranean and forgetting this ever happened."
The toad twitched, only just.
It was a narrow circular walkway, the last level that was accessible from the inside of the tower and the staircase. Metal railing was at forehead level if you were seated, roughly, so Gwydyon rested his against it. So much to think about. Obviously Set didn't like the idea of being tossed into the sea.