Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 264: Tuatha Book 1 Chapter 3

"I need to speak with Tybalt," I said. For anyone observing, it would appear as if I was speaking to myself. I hadn't activated my M-AI, nor was there anyone else nearby. At least not that most would recognize.

But that wasn't exactly true for Sidhe. We had many species that were adept at [Stealth], a few Demi-fey, small people that exploited their size to increase the effectiveness of [Stealth]. The Aziza were well suited for [Spy craft], but they weren't the only Sidhe that took to hiding in corners and ferreting out secrets.

Cats were funny creatures. Never really there when you were looking for them, but always underfoot when you weren't. Tybalt was a fellow [Monarch]. He had been the reigning King of Cats for this universe for as long as anyone alive could remember. We had formed a tentative agreement, reciprocity between our two courts when I had first become King of the Tuatha de Danann faction. I had agreed to Tybalt's request that one of his people be stationed in my court. An ambassador, as it were, between the King of Cats and me.

I wasn't certain if the Morrigu or Queen Bridga enjoyed the same relationship, and had their own Cat ambassador, but I was certain that their kingdoms and courts were brimming with Tybalt's subjects, whether they liked it or not.

By the time I had entered the offices that they had assigned the Sidhe in the Senate complex, Tybalt was already waiting for me. His ability to travel to any place where a cat roamed was perhaps not as extensive and comprehensive as the Summerlands, but it came close, and it was not as risky. He could come and go anywhere in this Universe a cat existed, no matter the distance, without the worry of time travel or Paradox.

"The Oracle has agreed to see you," he said. It was uncanny how his relationship with that woman allowed him to act before action was required. I hadn't requested to speak with her yet, and she had already agreed to an interview.

I had almost no dealings with any other [Oracles], and those I'd encountered other than her were limited. In fact, I hadn't known of Tybalt's or the [Oracle's] existence until they approached me. That the King of Cats ruled Cait Sith an extra-dimensional pocket space, very like the Sithern, was a closely held secret. One that Tybalt guarded jealously.

Certain that he had my permission, Tybalt reached out to grasp my arm, translocating us between the here and there. For other members of the Cait Sith, the transition process required opening a rift, a tear in the fabric of space between both dimensions, but Tybalt was King. Just as Saor o Shlabhraidhean responded to my will through the Sithern host bond, Tybalt was able to effectuate the change in dimension easily, to command Cait Sith and move between effortlessly.

Cait Sith was attuned and bonded to Tybalt so deeply that it was possible that when, and if, he ever died, it would cease to exist. The inheritor of his title would have to create a new Cait Sith, one that responded to their will with the same responsiveness as the dimension that Tybalt had created did.

He had moved us to a less formal setting than the last time I'd visited. Instead of his throne room, I found myself in a woman's parlor. The [Oracle] firmly ensconced in a plush chair with two additional seats available. She had a pot of Unrey steeping, as well as the cups and accouterments that went with it. She had also prepared enough dishes for an informal brunch.

She, like most [Oracles], had traded their sight for the [Sight]. It didn't seem to change what they could perceive, her head moving to follow our movements as adroitly as if she still had eyes that could see. Somehow, she retained her vision and could perceive the world around her in some manner that made the sacrifice of her eyes insignificant.

I had barely managed to take a seat before she began speaking. Her voice was melodic, her words uttered using rhythm and music. I had heard her speak like this only once before and knew she was [Speaking].

It was a skill of all [Oracles], this ability to infuse their words with a gravitas that seemed to cause [Eternity] and [Time] to pause. It was as if those cosmic entities allowed the barest amount of their vast and infinite attention to notice what the [Oracle] said.

"Seek the Son of Sun and the Sun of Ice,

for he has the Power to Call the Hunt.

The Power to open the path,

and walk the road betwixt and between.

One will become two,

and that which has been hidden will be set free.

He will free the Sidhe people, unleash their fury,

and restore balance, and the divine, to its proper course."

"The words have been spoken," the Oracle said as she sat forward to poor Unrey for Tybalt and me. "It is for you to decide what they mean.

"Did you see what they said, what Athena, Loki, Set, and Coyote have discovered?" I wondered. With the barriers against scrying, spying, and fore-telling that Athena and the other Gods had erected, I found it hard to believe they hadn't found a way to circumvent even the sight of [Oracles], but it was safest not to assume.

"No," she admitted, "they guarded that meeting well. But it was a wasted effort. They could guard against that moment, but not the infinite moments that transpire once the barrier was breached and you each left the protections they had erected.

"All they managed to do was to focus the attention of every Oracle with the [Sight], a direction to see. By creating that blind spot they made it evident that something momentous was approaching. They blinded us from the meeting itself, but the future, the threads of futures that were spun as a result of that meeting were blindingly clear."

"They contend that Zeus and Odin in some parallel Universe have co-opted the tapestry and functions of Fate. That they have found a way to kill Gods and steal the Divine energies released from their deaths," I said.

"They have suggested that by co-opting the threads of fate they increase their own power beyond what should be possible," I explained. I wasn't worried that Odin or Zeus would hear my words. Cait Sith had its own protections against scrying and spying. Without those protections, it would be impossible to combat [Paradox].

And combating [Paradox] was the reason the Cait Sith existed, both the people and the place.

"They suggest that this is the first step, the first of many and that Universe after Universe, God after God, will fall to this tactic until only Zeus and Odin remain to battle for the remaining scraps of Eternity.

"They warn that if something is not done if we do not restore the balance, not only will all Gods fall, but the very Cosmic entities of [Eternity] and [Infinity] will find their function suborned."

"And what do they expect you to do to solve this problem, not of your making?" Tybalt asked in disbelief. "Why would they turn to the Sidhe, who they have persecuted since we first walked the land for help?"

"They would have him use Gwyn ap Nudd, use Fairy, perhaps they would even ask that you use the Cait Sidhe if they knew of its existence to walk the path of Summerlands, to venture to this Universe where the Fates have been compromised, where balance has been corrupted, and restore order," the [Oracle] answered for me.

"It is possible," she continued. "Their plan might work, and you are tricksy enough to spin their plan to the benefit of the Sidhe. I would counsel against it, but in every future, I can see, you agree.

"So, what brought you here?

"What is it you wish to ask of the Future, what question do you believe I as [Oracle], can answer that will make your decision easier?

"Your path forward of some benefit for our people?"