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We watched the atmosphere thicken and develop, watching it changein composition.
"And then, and then, came what I will call for you the ThirteenjR.eveiauons or rnysical Evolution. And by revelation, I mean whatwas revealed in the process to the angels, to those of us whoWatched, to us.
"I could tell you in greater detail, take you inside every basic speciesof organism that ever thrived in this world. But you wouldn'tremember it. I'm going to tell you what you can remember so thatyou can make your decision while you're still alive.""Am I alive?""Of course. Your soul has never suffered physical death; it's neverleft the earth, except with me by special dispensation for this journey.
You know you are alive. You're Lestat de Lioncourt, even thoughyour body has been mutated by the invasion of an alien and alchemicspirit, whose history and woes you have recorded yourself.""To come with you ... to decide to follow you ... I have to diethen, don't I?""Of course," he said.
I found myself stopped still again, hands locked to the side of myhead. I stared down at the grass underneath my boots. I sensed theswarm of insectile light gathered in the sun falling on us. I looked atthe reflection of radiance and verdant forest in Memnoch's eyes.
He lifted his hand very slowly, as if giving me full opportunity tomove away from him, and then he laid his hand on my shoulder. Iloved this sort of gesture, the respectful gesture. I tried so often tomake this sort of gesture myself.
"You have the choice, remember? You can return to being exactlywhat you are now."I couldn't answer. I knew what I was thinking. Immortal, material,eartbbound, vampire. But I didn't speak the words. How could anyonereturn from this? And again, I saw His face and heard His words. Youwould never be my adversary, would you?
"You are responding very well to what I tell you," he said warmly.
"I knew you would, for several reasons.""Why?" I asked. "Tell me why. I need a little reassurance. I'm tooshattered by all my past weeping and stammering, though I have toconfess, I'm not too interested in talking about myself.""What you are is part of what we are doing," he said. We hadcome to an enormous spiderweb, suspended over our broad path bythick, shimmering threads. Respectfully, he ducked beneath it ratherthan destroy it, drawing his wings downward around him, andI followed his lead.
"You're curious, that's your virtue," he said. "You want to know.
This is what your ancient Marius said to you, that he, having survivedthousands of years, or well, nearly... would answer your questions asa young vampiric creature, because your questions were truly beingasked! You wanted to know. And this is what drew me to you also.
"Through all your insolence, you wanted to know! You have beenhorribly insulting to me and to God continuously, but then so iseveryone in your time. That's nothing unusual, except with you therewas tremendous genuine curiosity and wonder behind it. You saw theSavage Garden, rather than simply assuming a role there. So this hasto do with why I have picked you.""All right," I said with a sigh. It made sense. Of course I rememberedMarius revealing himself to me. I remembered him saying thevery things to which Memnoch referred. And I knew, too, that myintense love of David, and of Dora, revolved around very similartraits in both beings: an inquisitiveness which was fearless and willingto take the consequence of the answers!
"God, my Dora, is she all right?""Ah, it's that sort of thing which surprises me, the ease with whichyou can be distracted. Just when I think I've really astonished you andI have you locked in, you step back and demand to be answered onyour own terms. It's not a violation of your curiosity, but it is a meansof controlling the inquiry, so to speak.""Are you telling me that I must, for the moment, forget aboutDora?""I'll go you one better. There is nothing for you to worry about.
Your friends, Armand and David, have found Dora, and are lookingout for her, without revealing themselves to her."He smiled reassuringly, and gave a little doubtful, maybe scolding,shake of the head.
"And," he said, "you must remember your precious Dora hastremendous physical and mental resources of her own. You may wellhave fulfilled what Roger asked of you. Her belief in God set herapart from others years ago; now what you've shown her has onlyintensified her commitment to all that she believes. I don't want totalk anymore about Dora. I want to go on describing Creation.""Yes, please.""Now, where were we? There was God; and we were with Him.
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