Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 101: Volar-Fey (1)

Stepping through the crack between realms was nothing similar to using a portal. The process felt as if I had been squeezed and compacted, forcing my body to conform to the Sithern's rule-set, and then unfolding to return me to my original form. My three-dimensional body felt as if it were digitized and compressed into two-dimensions before the process unfolded like living origami.

The process wasn't painful, but it was disconcerting. I had no issues with balance or spatial awareness. I think the change in environment and lighting was the most jarring. At least it wasn't nausea-inducing, I'd found enough new experiences that ended with me vomiting. A Ranked Sidhe with a weak stomach did not make for an impressive and staunch ally.

I was deposited partly in shadow. A blending of light and dark that returned dimensionality to my form. Marbled floors, walls, and ceiling welcomed those that managed to gain passage into the Sithern. Veins of black and gold intricately woven and cunningly displayed for maximum effect. The polished stone spoke of wealth, tempered by grace and taste. The patterns were obsequious and subtle.

Light sources were cleverly hidden and mimicked the recessed sconces and details I'd noticed in Lord Kel's keep. The passageway was more austere than welcoming. But it was functional, sheltering those that could gain entrance and ignoring the blizzard that railed in increasing sound and fury on the other side.

I found the surroundings soothing, and I would have relaxed if I didn't have the feeling that I was being watched. I doubted a person was responsible for that discomfort, my perception informed me there were no living creatures within range. It was more likely it was the Sithern itself that was watching.

The Duchess had been able to claim land, a claim which should have been impossible while in a Dungeon, but somehow, she had managed to birth a Sithern in CERN dungeon. And this Sithern, that she had coaxed into being, was imbued with her essence, it had manifested as a willing extension to the Lady's will. A symbiotic partnership that appeared healthy and flourishing.

Discounting how for now, I began exploring. The path forward was obvious, there were no hallways that branched or alcoves to break the continuity of the marble walls and floors. No doors opened into side rooms or passages.

I checked System: Time, partly to orient myself to the planet's diurnal cycle, partly to make sure I still had access to System functions. I found it interesting that my time function had been converted to twenty-four-hour military time. I wondered if the time zone had been synchronized with Switzerland, before dismissing the notion that the System would ignore something so trivial.

I walked slowly down the Sithern passage, cautiously, my perception extended fully, probing for life-signs. I thought it doubtful that Duchess Wynne would have no guards to give warning, but perhaps she had abandoned the practice after so many years trapped on at CERN. The Sithern itself created an impenetrable barrier; egress was restricted. It wasn't as if the Dungeon residents would have a way to enter. The Sithern offered protection as well as concealment.

There were no local Earth inhabitants that would be able to find the Sithern opening, so any intrusion would be accidental at best. The Sidhe had a long history of how they treated any mortal that visited Underhill, and I fully expected that in the unlikely event that anyone might have found their way inside, did so because they had been enticed or kidnapped by a Sithern inhabitant.

That invitation to enter would result in enforced permanency or more likely one-way passage through the portal exit to Talahm. A guest was synonymous with a hostage in most Underhill myths.

Duchess Wynne and her entire House had been tasked with espionage and research as well as procuring Scientists for exportation. I wasn't sure how large her House was, but if she was an established power, there may be a multitude. As a Duchess, she had most likely grown her base and followers over countless years.

Unlike my Ascension, she had put in the time and effort to level and Rank up through hard work and perseverance. Vassals and House members would have been gained as she rose through the Ranks.

Her daughter has been a hostage for her behavior, but her Vassals, servants, staff, and House members were allowed to accompany the Duchess into exile. She had agreed to a Faustian bargain, she had to know that there was no way she was ever leaving this place. Or that she would see her daughter alive again.

Which made me wonder why she'd agreed.

I suppose her daughter was the perfect foil and bargaining chip to constrain and bind her actions. The Sidhes' love for children was well supported, the Seelie and Unseelie especially once birthrates began to decline.

Tales of sacrifice from the Shining and Dark courts to protect and cherish their young, those immortal perfections that were the only chance to bring true immortality to a House and lineage were prolific.

They were protected, often spoiled, as the hopes of House and Rank, it explained how Thom was allowed to become the bully and tyrant he had demonstrated.

Ultimately, she had no choice.

There was always the very slim chance that her daughter was alive. A possibility that they would be reunited. No matter how unlikely it was that they would be reunited, there was no certainty that her daughter would be killed either.

I dreaded the fact that my first encounter with the Duchess would be as the bearer of grave tidings. I did not want to be the one that shattered what illusions or hopes she was clinging too.

Needs must. Sadly. And my duty here was clear. I would shoulder the burden of imparting ill-tidings. I would do what was necessary and end that small seed of hope that the Duchess might have retained.