The Golden Scarab (Chasing Chaos Book One)

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

When the door opened, Panya nearly panicked. The man who walked in had dark skin and smiled at her kindly. She decided almost instantly he was not there to harm her.

"Hello, Panya," he said warmly in her native tongue. "I am Julian, but you would know me as Thoth."

Panya immediately got on her knees and bowed her head. "Now, now, I'm honored, but that really isn't necessary," Julian said. He helped her stand up. "Do you know what brought you here?"

"No," Panya replied softly.

"I would like to help you find out. Do you trust me, Panya?"

"Certainly. You are a God."

Julian took her hands into his own. "I am going to cheat a bit," he said. "Don't tell Dean. He'll be terribly jealous that I would grant you this gift and not do the same for him. He really doesn't have a talent for learning new languages. I can give you the knowledge to speak the language everyone here speaks. You will understand them and be able to communicate with them."

"How?"

"Very simply. Do I have your permission?"

"I... I suppose."

"Very well. Come here."

Panya obediently moved closer to him. Julian bent down, put his hands on either side of her head, closed his eyes, and kissed the center of her forehead.

It burned. Panya felt as if someone were trying to shove a world of knowledge inside of her skull. Still, she allowed him to continue. Thoth was wise. If he deemed this to be her path, who was she to question him?

When Julian finally released Panya, she nearly fell to the floor. He steadied her. "Easy, dear! You're still adjusting."

"How do I know if it worked?" Panya asked.

"Oh, it worked," Julian assured her. "You are speaking in English, Panya. I am as well. That is the language everyone else around here was speaking."

"English... How is it I do not know I am speaking another language?"

"It is natural to you, so your brain hardly perceives it. You now possess a decent vocabulary. It should help a great deal with communication. I could have given you more words, but it would have hurt worse. You will have to learn more as you go."

"Lord Thoth... Julian... Why is it I am here?"

"What a wonderful question! I believe we are all here for a purpose. We are here to learn, to grow, to evolve, and to help others do the same. In fact, each soul's journey connects to thousands of others and we all evolve at our own rate. Gods tend to evolve rather quickly, while mortals take longer... Of course, we Gods only incarnate to understand mortals, so perhaps they are the more evolved ones... The human experience is a glorious one. Who is to say what is evolved and what is not? This is a fascinating subject. I really should write a paper on it..." He took out a notepad and pen and paused as he wrote a reminder to himself. "Now, the soul is a complicated thing. The meaning of life and our reason for existing is even more complicated, I'm afraid. There are many levels of evolution. It is all about balance, about learning both sides. Why, I recall one young gentleman who-"

"If you don't tell him to shut up, he never will," Dean advised as he appeared in the doorway. "No offense, Julian. We were wondering what was taking the two of you so long."

"Ah, yes! We have work to do. Come, Panya. We can discuss this downstairs."

Julian quickly retreated. Dean shook his head. "Sorry about that," he said. "Or, um..." He struggled to find the Egyptian words.