Huig was able to form the [Host Bond] with the Sithern without any issue. My worry that Balfour might be chosen instead proved needless. His connection required a more intuitive process. Without System access and drop-down menus, Huig had to rely on the [Bond] and the synergy that [Bond] gave them.

Together they began to build a Sithern space that could support the Sidhe. It was a dimensional space that was large enough and expansive enough to house the entire population of our people if needed.

I remained hands-off after having gifted a few pieces of Silinium Seed stock. The only intervention I had to make once the [Ritual] was completed and the [Bond] was formed was to guide Huig in establishing a [Portal] connection that linked the Sitherns together.

I couldn’t be sure this Sithern would link to Underhill like Seastan Deireanach until we made the attempt. That Sithern was unique, the location rooted in three realities giving it access to dimensional magic. The ability to weave through and around dimensions was what made it possible for it to send out tendrils, shifting echoes of order and chaos magic to find those places of Underhill resonating with Sidhe magic.

Unfortunately, when the Sithern [Portal] chamber was established, it was created without access to those Underhill. It wasn’t a major issue; people could simply travel to Seastan Deireanach and access the Hall of Portals to move between each Underhill. Those spaces would still be used, but their use as a strategic retreat would diminish. Establishing these new Sitherns would be impactful, increasing the safety of our people.

The Underhills would remain. Their ancillary function was to allow the Sidhe to retreat from the world, to step outside of time. They were integral for mental stability. When you lived as long as the Sidhe did, you needed time to simply be, to center yourself, and find equilibrium without the ramifications of reality intruding.

With the [Portal] established, Huig had named the newly birthed Sithern, Cuimhneachan. It meant Remembrance in the old language of the Tuatha de Danann Gods and would stand as an additional beacon to this new chance the Sidhe had gained. A place of safety in this new land. A place to remember how close the Sidhe had come to losing everything.

The ley-line barrier that divided the world would fall at some point, changes in the planet’s tectonic plates would shift those ley-line out of the current alignment at some point. The energy that powered the barrier and protected the undiscovered landmasses redirected. But if the Sidhe nurtured those lines, that change could be postponed. The border might be maintained until it inevitably falls thousands of years in the future.

With Cuimhneachan and Huig lost in communion, working to create an inner world that would support every type of Sidhe, I stepped outside with Caraid. The veil that would stand as a barrier between the real world and Sithern had already formed. That boundary would protect the Sithern, making it impossible to find or cross without [Fairy Sight].

[Fairy Sight] was a unique gift from the Tuatha de Danann. An ability that allowed our people to not only see those flickers of motion at the edge of their vision but to navigate them. Those glimpses of something that vanished when you turned to identify them were places or creatures that traveled betwixt and between.

Caraid and I hadn’t had much time to speak since we’d arrived and we’d been separated. Or maybe it wasn’t that we hadn’t had time, more that I was uneasy at his new circumstance. Afraid he would want to remain here, in this body, and not return to our own world. Here he had been gifted with a body, a way to make a fresh start.

I wouldn’t blame him if he did. He would have a real life here, a chance to fulfill his own dreams and goals. A chance to live the life he could have if his own had not been cut short. His murder, decades ago, still weighed heavily on my psyche. I know what happened hadn’t been my fault, but I felt responsible. But I would miss his constant presence if he stayed. He was an integral part of who I was, at times adviser and conscience, but he was always a friend through it all.

I had avoided any meaningful discussion with him about this mainly because I recognized that my feelings were selfish. I should want what was best for him, but all I could envision is the echoing hollowness of my life if part of my soul were to remain in this world forever.

“What is your plan, Teigh? Why are you creating more Sitherns?” He asked me once we had stepped out into the wider world.

The Sithern had been established near the ocean, the smell of the sea and brine pervasive. Skjoldungen Island had little to recommend it, other than its beauty. It was a landscape dominated by sheer cliffs and flowing glaciers. It was a harsh land, but that was what made it perfect for the Sidhe.

Even in the future, the island would never be populated or civilized. At best, the fjords would become points of interest as visitor attractions. Glacier peaks and cliff walls made impressive sculptures for floating cruise ship passengers to enjoy as they floated by.

“These new Sitherns are part of my plan to fulfill the requirements for the quest [Rebuild the Sidhe and appoint a King]. Not only do they provide fallback locations for the Sidhe in case the worse happens, but they also give the Sidhe time to grow, restore their populations, and a safe place to learn professions. I plan to share enchantment, blacksmithing, and farming techniques from Talahm.

“I invoked fertility Gods and Goddesses when kindling life within Cuimhneachan. I’ll do the same with the next Sithern. That fertility magic imbued and part of the creative magic released when giving the Sithern’s life will resonate. The Sidhe will be more fecund here. They will find it easier to have children and restore the losses they have suffered.

“The Sidhe will never reproduce as fast as Man, but in these Sitherns, the ability to conceive will be significantly multiplied. For some Sidhe: the Goblins, Wisps, and Selkie, that increase will be even more profound.

“Without factions of Seelie and Unseelie splintering the Sidhe, the chances for hybrid’s proliferating and swelling the Sidhe numbers are also likely to help increase their numbers. Goblin/Seelie or Selkie/Unseelie hybrids, for example, might give them the numbers they need quickly.”

“And the part about appointing a King?” He asked.

“That might be just as hard as securing the safety of the Sidhe and helping them to rebuild,” I admitted. “The only person I’m confident won’t be selected is Lleu Llaw. He abandoned his people and forced Kings and Queens to retreat Underhill.

“He used his power and position to force [Geas] on each of them. He has shown a callousness for his people that reminds me too much of Mab.”

Caraid winced at my comparison. Mab had been insane. And as the Queen of the Seelie faction, she had been allowed to abuse her people. Her [Rank] allowed her to exploit and torture the Seelie as she pleased. I could not guarantee the same would never happen here, but I did have a plan.

“The monarchy I intended to create will have elements of hereditary, but it won’t automatically fall to the oldest child to inherit. Based on life experience, altruism, management skills, fertility, and proven leadership, the best person will claim the throne.

“The council of Twelve will select the monarch from a pool of prospective claimants, and each monarch’s rule will be limited by time. Ten thousand years, and then they will be required to abdicate.

“They will still serve after their tenure as monarch, but as diplomats, banished from the halls of government to keep them from wielding the power they have collected over those years. It will be a type of exile, but one that gives them purpose and function.”

“How will you enforce this type of process if and when we return to Talahm?” He asked.

“Oaths,” I replied immediately. “Oaths sworn to and governed by the Tuatha de Danann and Gwyn ap Nudd.”

While I answered his question almost automatically, my inner voice repeated his words, when and if ‘we’ return to Talahm. He was going to return with me, my soul would be restored, and that gnawing gulf of emptiness that I had feared might happen if he chose to stay faded.

I contained my happiness that threatened to bubble out, realizing a lot might change before we returned to Talahm. He might change his mind, or we both might decide to stay. But his words were enough of a comfort to ease some of the tension I had been carrying. As my mind cleared, I realized how I had obsessed over this—the barely suppressed panic I had been controlling fading.