Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 146: Iced

We probably should have realized that hauling him to shore, apparently bound and beaten was a trap. He was Sidhe, after all. If trickery and deceit were not part and parcel of his repertoire, then that should have been the surprise.

Once Duchess Wynne had reeled him in, he freed himself from the harpoons and chains. He was a creature of water, his element to control was water, his domain and sphere of influence was water, that he could manipulate the water in his body was part of his skill set. Once he was within reach, he manipulated the water his body contained, dispersing and releasing form, as he collapsed into a puddle freeing himself before reforming.

The transformation was interesting; bones, organs, skin, nothing was exempt nothing solid left to shape his physical form. Every part of him broke down, the body is made up of 70% water; he had complete control. The Duchess had no way to damage him while in this form. She could have contained him, briefly, but no matter what type of cage she was able to form with her metal, he would be able to break through it by pressurizing a water bore and drilling an opening in the metal.

It would become a competition of will and mana as the Duchess created metal to repair the cage, while the Roane cycled his water bore to break free.

The stalemate may have continued, but I controlled water's bane. I could supercharge the air, releasing enough heat to boil and vaporize his form. But I wasn't ready to kill him yet, and I didn't need to. The cold worked just as handily against the power of water, a concentrated burst of Cyronax Aura, a burst of cold, that I'd learned to control and target, reacted with the water particles of his body. Expanding and slowing molecular motion until he was once again in Roane form, but frozen, an ice statue that would contain and control his water aspect easily.

His power gave him the dominion over water in all its forms, which would include control of ice. He would be able to give life to the statue of ice I had created, but I had a few seconds to speak before he did.

"You have been defeated," I said, "will you give your parole, or will we have to kill you?"

Forming a ball of heat, not fire more warmth, I maintained my cold aspect to keep the Selkie's body frozen, but his head, I thawed. The effect was interesting, fire and ice working in concert. Most of the Roane's body reflecting the cold of Cyronax turning the water vapor in the air to crystallized snow, while the heat of Beleros quickly thawed and restored function to his head.

He was able to respond, we could hold a conversation, but he was still well and truly encased in ice. He wasn't going anywhere until and unless I allowed it if he exerted control over the ice I would respond with fire. Still, he refused to give his parole. He refused to speak at all.

The Duchess sent one of her metallic spheres towards him, morphing and changing as it approached. Metal bands created. Setting them in to contain and constrain the Roane, she activated embedded enchantments that began to suppress his powers. It seemed she'd hadn't needed my help. I leave him on ice, for now, under the watchful eye of the Duchess, I had more important concerns to deal with.

The Sithern was still only a possibility; the Seed had been planted, but I needed to guide the growth, allowing it to form and take shape. I was hoping to expand the Sithern's influence to encompass the entire Valley, not just a dimensional rift Underhill.

It would make the plans I had for city construction much easier as the Sithern controlled the environment it encapsulated completely. With the Sithern magic, my new Capital could be completed within minutes instead of decades.

I didn't know if what I had planned could be done. I thought so. The planetary capital allowed for construction to appear on the surface and traverse the boundary between factions. They had done so by expanding the boundaries of the Sithern to include a bubble, a pseudopod of space that the Sithern had extended beyond Underhill.

With the Nexus of power now under my control, and the Sithern's childlike delight and willingness to please, I thought I would be able to reproduce how the joined Sitherns that formed the World Capital were modified.

I extended Cyronax Aura, refreezing his thawed head, canceling Beleros Aura in the process. I briefly wondered how he managed to live, frozen solid as he was, but dismissed it another foible of magic trumping logic, he had not needed to breathe or for his heart to beat when he was nothing but a water ooze; he lived frozen the same way he did when he was a creature of water.

Walking towards that area Aspen and Pine had identified and marked with a Celtic Knot, I scanned the location trying to determine why they selected this spot. It was only after I expanded my scan, increasing my awareness, filtering, and identifying what I was searching for, that I found the answer.

Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Magic. A confluence of not only ley-lines, more a confluence of elements. This spot had a perfect balance of each of the elements, the Celtic Knot bringing order and form so that they blended together creating a miniature environment that was ecologically balanced.

Perfect and seamless. The Celtic Knot that had woven order into the confluence of elements was eternal. As long as that Knot was not unmade then the harmony of that spot would survive, a glimpse into the perfection of Danu's intent, a place that reflected what Talahm could be.

Placing the opening for the door to the Sithern wasn't hard unless you considered the physics that came into play. I extended my aura along with that bond that the Sithern and I had formed and pulled. A twisting of reality and dimension created a spatial rift that stabilized within nanoseconds. Without this entrance, a rift between worlds would become Armageddon as the two realities attempted to absorb each other.

The path between worked like a buffer, allowing the Sithern to create a passage that slowly merged so that the passage was a construct of this reality, while the Sithern was self-contained. What I was going to do next was hopefully possible, but I was acting on instinct. I wanted to tease a bit of the Sithern intelligence, the unique attributes that made the Sithern possible, and extend it so that the Sithern was both here and there.

By doing this, I could make full use of the unique properties of the Sithern, extending its influence to include the valley. My goal was for Sithern's ability to create and adapt to the user's desires, to build and create a Capital that evolved to meet the demands of the populace. I would still need a plan for the city, but by doing this, the Sithern could adapt to the needs of those I allowed to migrate.

There would be no slums, no abandoned buildings. Sithern could refresh the cityscape as needed. And because we were bonded, the Sithern would become a key focus for protection. Even the Gods would have to consider before attacking a fully matured Sithern, an entity capable of creation, of expanding and adding lands and life forms as needed.

I began projecting my ideas to the Sithern, starting with the space Underhill. I wanted vast vistas of unspoiled land, areas protected by creeping brambles of thorn disguised by the heavy scent of flowers and a multitude of blooms. An area that the Volar-fey would thrive at.

The Sithern was overjoyed, adding landmasses and diorama as I projected them. The dimensional space was not a planet, there was no curvature, no celestial bodies, but there were seasons, temperate areas as well as those encased in ice. No Sun or passage of time, instead perpetual daybreak or twilight, a light that seemed to shine, but did so without a source.

It was here that I created my throne room, council chamber, and the royal court. I crafted thirteen thrones, a High throne for myself, as well as twelve lesser thrones that would be filled with like-minded Sidhe that would be bestowed with authority and Land and allowed to form a Royal House.

The idea of Royal Houses was one I'd conceived as a way to counterbalance the tyrannical powers I might wield as Monarch. A hope that checks and balances might temper corruption and tyranny. I thought about the bureaucracy the nations required when deciding on what Houses I would ennoble.

The House of Teigh, my House would assume the Monarch House throne, it would act as the ultimate arbiter, I would have an absolute right to veto any petitions, legislation, and treaties for my Kingdom. The right to declare and settle wars. And the right to dispense High-Justice. But I was one person, even if I adopted House members, the resources to run an entire Kingdom were problematic.

I had decided to compartmentalize and encourage a House to specialize and concentrate on the area of control that their House was tasked with, give them authority and control. A House would be created that would concentrate on twelve vital areas for the territory's survival.

Healing, Magic, Justice, Economy, Military, Production, Dungeons, Education, Diplomacy, Technology, Infrastructure, and Resource management. Thirteen in total, each House equal in power, each capable of casting one vote when matters of state or legislation were involved.

I intended to allow those Ranked Duke and below to dispense Low-Justice. They would be invested with the authority to decide cases and dispense justice with two exceptions; slavery, would not be allowed in any form, and those that the Seelie and Unseelie considered lesser were full members of my society so there would be no skirting the slavery mandate by arguing that they were not people and were exempt from that proscription.

Charges of slavery would be investigated by the House of Teigh, and if those charges were proven, the House involved would be dissolved, the possessions and investments confiscated. The proceeds from the sale of properties would be awarded to those that had been enslaved.

My conviction about this was absolute. I would not waver from this decision.

I continued to direct the Sithern, adding those rooms I'd dedicated to government function and included corridors and space for each House, a series of offices that could be made larger if needed.

The only other rooms I had the Sithern construct was a bedroom with a working office and luxurious bathing room. I was hedonistic enough to want the ability to soak in hot water and I saw no harm in treating myself to that bit of luxury.

I maintained and reproduced finishes and colors that I had used as part of glamour back in Blayney's office. Marbled stone with blues and greens and finishes of gold with diamond accents.

Prisms of light bouncing as it passed through the lens of diamonds placed to give life and warmth to the stark and cold expanse of walls, floors, and ceilings of cold stone.