Chapter 3
Dia:
Power is a funny sort of thing. When I first discovered it, it was like an insurmountable mountain, that I thought I would never be able to climb. I could not envision ever being able to wield it––to do anything like what I had seen by others.
At that point, I really struggled with the fact that magic, or whatever else you wanted to call it, even existed.
Now, it was as natural as breathing––and just as effortless.
Calling it magic, or power, was a misnomer though. It was as much science as anything. The worlds are infinite, and only as limited as one’s imagination. We, and everything else in existence, is made up of the same matter; it moves faster or slower and comes in different shapes and colors, but essentially… it’s all the same.
To use power, one must simply see the patterns and be able to take what is already there, and change it into something else. Anyone could conceivably achieve it. They would just need to know how. And there lies the crux of the problem.
Few could see it, and fewer still could shape it. I suppose that could be a good thing, in a way. There are some very bad beings in existence. So what kind of damage could be done with the tiny bit of information I understood, much less the majority of what I didn’t know?
I pondered all of this as I took my little group down the grey paths, Rioghan tight to my side. I wouldn’t risk losing him on the pathways. I had no destination in mind––only away.
I could feel those with me becoming restless, so with a sigh, I opened a door, and we stepped out into a new reality.
***
Brónach was nervous but she hid it well.
"Where are we, Dia?"
"Hmm," I answered distractedly. My mind was on our surroundings. We were in a garden, filled with flowers and fruits of every variety imaginable.
There was row upon row of carefully tended vegetable patches. Wandering over to a heavily laden stake that was covered with fat juicy peas, I popped the shell happily and ate a couple before handing the last two to Rioghan.
"Gardner's prerogative," I winked at him and watched as he ate them warily.
"They are sweet," he said, looking surprised.
"Yup, they usually are, straight from the vine."
"Dia," Brónach asked once again. "I know this has been a trying time for you, but I need to know where we are––to make sure we are safe."
"Oh yeah," I looked around us. “I have no idea what this planet is called, or if it even has a name. But it is safe," I assured her. “We are the only intelligent beings here, and I made the garden and house."
"What house," Rioghan asked me.
"That one," I said, pointing down a path. We watched as the surrounding area morphed into a sprawling building. It was a mishmash of styles. However, I had dreamed since I was a little girl of this particular house. This was my dream home.
"It looks strange," Rioghan's little nose crinkled.
I laughed and took his hand as we began to walk down the path.
The rest of our group stood with their mouths open in shock and a tinge of fear. They didn’t quite know how to take my sudden change of character.
"When I was about your age, I used to daydream about my perfect home. What it would look like, where it would be––every little detail. The only problem was, I really loved lots of different kinds of houses. So, I told myself I would have one, just for me one day, and it would have all the best parts of all of them.
The house was large, without being ostentatious. It was Tudor in color with dark black beams against a bright white backdrop. The roof was thatch and many of the windows were round. There were several beautiful stained-glass panes above the doors and main windows depicting a little of everything I loved.
Above the door, was an image of The Hunt, with Cernunnos, in all his glory, riding at its head. In other windows, there were the Sluagh and wolves, as well as humans and Fey, frolicking together in happier times.
This was my ideal home, and I dreamed of peace.
The front door was arched and made of reclaimed oak. Its dark patina showed its age and beauty, along with the faux iron hinges.
My little man cringed at the sight of them.
"Dia," he whispered.
"They are not real, my love. I would never do anything to harm you."
"But they look and smell like iron," he trembled.
"Yet, they are not. To prove my point, I walked forward and caressed them. He hesitantly joined me and bravely reached out a trembling hand to touch one.
"How?" he asked.
"The same way any of us use power, I guess. It is what I wanted, so that is what it is."
"Sister, you don’t know what you yield," he told me seriously.
"I know, little man… but let's pretend I do. It makes the others nervous."
He looked up at me with a pure, sweet, innocent love.
"I trust you, Dia."
I had just found my reason to go on. I would move universes for this young soul. My hand went to my belly, and I felt a gentle fluttering from my baby that was resting there.
"You will be a wonderful mother, sister. There is no worry there," Rioghan promised me.
His words gave me a faith I had been lacking. And a fear I didn’t even know I carried was lifted from my shoulders.
"Come on," I laughed at my sudden lightness. “Let’s go and explore our new home."
***
After we had explored the house and Rioghan had filled his tummy, he was put to bed. That left the grownups sitting around the table.
My mother had always taught me to be a good host, so I made sure everyone had something to drink as well as a bowl of cock-a-leaky soup with freshly baked bread.
Not all of the guards with us would sit down, but I made sure they were fed and watered. It didn’t matter how many times I assured them we were safe, they were still determined to do their duty. However, I did manage to talk half of them into joining us, since I was ready to explain where we were.
Tamarus, our Sluagh tutor, was the first to speak.
"My lady," he bowed his head respectfully. "Are you ready to explain to us why you have brought us here?"
"And where the hell here is," Brónach added under her breath.
I took a sip of my chamomile tea and raised an eyebrow at her. I really did take pleasure from getting under her skin.
Vaken, Dion, and Marleon, the three guards sitting with us, watched quietly.
Vaken was their leader, but I would lay money that Marleon was in charge behind closed doors. Dion, on the other hand, perplexed me. Vaken and Marleon being lovers was easy to see by anyone that had eyes in their head. Though, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t read Vaken.
He must have read my thoughts, the sneaky bugger, because he smiled and sent back a whisper of thought. Not everything is seen as plainly by others.
One brow lifted in surprise at his telepathy. It made me wonder if it was a common gift or not.
Not, he sent back with a small twist of his lips, quickly hidden by his cup.
We will have to speak more later when we have time, I thought.
His chuckle penetrated my mind. Lady, don’t worry, I would be happy to show you how to block.
I nodded my thanks and tuned back into the conversation going on around me.
"We aren’t really anywhere right now," I broke into Brónach's musings. She had been asking if we had jumped planets.
"How so, Princess," Tamarus asked.
"Well," I began. I really didn’t know how to explain it––it just was, but I was willing to give it a go.
"You know how Faery is parallel to Earth right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Same basic principle," I paused. "Have you all heard of Schrödinger's cat?"
The whole room gave me blank faces and I sighed.
"Right, human quantum mechanics," I muttered.
"Dianthe," Brónach warned. "What in Danu's name does a cat have to do with this reality?"
"I am getting to that," I grumped. "I just didn’t want to go over it if everyone already knew about it."
"We don’t, Princess." Vaken nodded. "Please proceed."
I took a deep breath and tried to get my thoughts in order. Most people think the theory is loony to begin with, but here goes nothing.
"Right––Schrödinger's cat is a theory. Basically, it was a thought experiment. In the experiment, they put a cat into a sealed box with poison. If the poison was released, which I am not going into the mechanics of, and don’t ask, it is a long story." I didn’t have a chance to finish explaining the theory before I was interrupted.
"Why would they put a cat in a box with poison?" Tamarus asked.
"It would obviously die," Brónach bitched.
Wow, she was grumpy when she was not in control of her situation. I need to make a mental note of that one.
I held up a hand to quiet them.
"This is not a real experiment, but rather a mental exercise, people." I waited for them to all settle down before I continued.
"The point being, that the cat is both alive and dead at the same time."
Dion finally spoke.
"Lady, how would the cat be both alive and dead? You are either one or the other. That is nature."
"Yes––yes, it is," I murmured as another theory began to brew at the back of my brain.
"Anyway, the theory is that at the exact moment that the poison is released, reality branches off into different possibilities. In one reality, the cat is dead, in another it is not. While all of this sounds very complex, the simplest answer I can give you is that there are an endless amount of realities to choose from. I have chosen this one for us at the moment. There is no one else on this plane of reality. Think of it as one that had never developed human life. It has advanced with only its basic flora and fauna instead. It is a paradise in its own way."
"Why didn’t you just say that to begin with, Dia? That, I understood. Not the crap about the dead cat in a box. Humans can be strange creatures," Brónach sighed.
"How does time work here?” Tamarus asked, rubbing his chin.
"Huh," I thought. "Anyway that I want it to, I guess," I mused.
"Excellent, then it is an ideal place for your lessons then."
"Crap," I sighed. "It looks like school is in."