Voice

King Teigh promised my parents that they could have some time with me after the meeting to catch up. His decision not surprising considering the Herd Patriarch and Lord Aesin had accompanied them and to make them wait would have been understandable but unnecessary.

Everyone except His Majesty grabbed a seat across from me at the conference table. King Teigh should have taken the seat at the head, but he sat next to me instead making it clear he was here today as father not king.

His actions were plain for everyone to read concerning the Sithern and my new position. He would support me in all decisions made here this day. He had every intention of validating the System messages that he had received, bowing to fate and circumstance and leaving me in charge. If there were a way for him to undo the Host bond that the Sithern had formed, he might have considered it, but there wasn't, and he wasn't going to fret over something Fate had decreed.

"Before we get started," I said, "I would like to share the System notice I received. It will answer some of your questions and show that I was given no choice when System, Sithern, and Fairy conspired to name me Host."

I highlighted part of the System message I'd received that dealt with my elevation, and through the use of a bit of glamour and illusion, reproduced the message in a three-dimensional blue screen that everyone in the room could read.

[System Notice: The Sithern has evaluated available Hosts. Your energy signature has been selected as the most suitable for bonding. Note: As a member of House Teigh, the Sithern recognizes the potential strength of your House and the benefits aligning with House Teigh will bring to Sithern Derva.]

[System Notice: Sithern has bonded with Irvin A'Teigh. You now have access to Sithern System menus. Sithern has accepted Talahm Embassy as a placeholder name for the Sithern, a permanent name needs to be selected.]

System had limited functionality when it came to sharing System Status, messages, and quests, but the Sidhe had been able to overcome that limitation. We were able to circumvent those restrictions by using illusion. For most, the use of illusion to recreate those messages would have been suspect, but because the Sidhe did not lie, the messages I reproduced would be considered factual and accurate.

There would be no accusations that I manipulated the messages, no one would dare. Because just as penalties and the Wild Hunt could and had been called to punish those that broke Oath or their word, the same penalties and calls for justice could be used by those believed to be lying. Or those that made false accusations.

"What is an energy signature?" Blayney, my father questioned the wording of the message, not the validity. "Wouldn't his signature show up as Kelpie? How is his status as a member of House Teigh determined by that signature?"

"Adoption into a House is more than a declaration of words, it requires intent," King Teigh explained. "His aura, that part of Sidhe that is closely tied to spirit, fairy, and soul, resonates with that declaration.

"When I adopted Irvin into my House, a small part of my essence was gifted to him."

"Similar to how we can create children using our energy," Herd Patriarch Garr explained.

"Exactly," Teigh said.

"The Sithern recognized his connection to His Majesty because of the change in his aura, once it had recognized that relationship, it claimed him as Host. You will notice in the System Messages that Irvin shared, there were no System prompts asking if he agreed or would like the position," Lord Aesin pointed out.

"Is there a way to transfer the Host bond?" Una, my mother, asked.

"None," Lord Clive answered with resignation, "Lord Irvin can only be removed as Host if the Sithern repudiates him."

"He can't abdicate?" Mother said in disbelief.

"He can't, Una. The Sithern has tested every person available, and found Irvin acceptable," Herd Patriarch Garr explained, watching as my father clasped her hand to soothe and console her.

"Your plan was for Lord Clive to become Host?" Mother continued. "His position as ambassador becoming permanent?"

"No," Teigh admitted. "This is the third Sithern we have opened on another planet, but this is the first fully functioning Sithern to awaken. The other two are missing the intelligence that a Sithern should have. Something in the awakening process was missing.

"Those pseudo-Sitherns exist only as pocket dimensions at best. A bit of functionality included, with permission settings able to be modified by an administrator. The ambassador assigned as an administrator in those cases."

"The same should have happened here," Lord Aesin mentioned. "But the ritual you used was significantly different than what we have used when awakening the others."

"How?" Herd Patriarch Garr asked.

"We were creating a Sithern that was meant to form a barrier around the land that would not be claimed, an interior space that would be protected but excluded," I explained. "The previous owner of the land, only sold a three-foot border that surrounded her property to us.

"We used blood as a method of demarcation. She was supposed to break a vial of her blood at a certain point in the ritual to limit the area Sithern would claim, but decided against it at the last moment, deciding to tie her fate with Fairy."

"Whose blood was used to set the boundary for Sidhe?" Garr asked.

"A blending of the four people that conducted the ritual," Lord Clive answered.

"You donated nothing, Lord Clive?" Garr pressed.

"No," he admitted.

"That might also explain why Irvin was chosen," Herd Patriarch Garr surmised, "the Sithern gave more weight when claiming a Host on the blood that was donated. It was tangible proof that those four individuals had invested more of themselves for the ritual, and Irvin was the most potent."

"Blood calls to blood," Lord Aesin remarked.

"Exactly," Garr agreed. "It still doesn't explain why the Sithern gained sentience and full life."

"You don't think the reason is tied to the blood?" Lord Aesin asked.

"Lord Irvin is adopted of House Teigh. House Teigh that was created by and is led by a man who is a direct descendant of Beleros and Cyronax," Garr explained.

"His Majesty isn't just boasting about his bloodline when he names himself, Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax. He has spoken to those Gods. He has received Their blessing.

"The first Sidhe since the Tuatha de Danaan accepted Sleep to meet and speak with them. It has never mattered who his mother and father were. Even from that first moment when he stepped out of the Ascension chamber, his body had been reformed, perfected to accept those bloodlines.

"His Majesty was reborn as the son of Gods and was allowed to skirt the rules of Sleep in another Universe, on another world.

"The essence that he donated to Irvin with adoption, included the changes to his soul, those changes that mark him as closer to the spark of the Divine than any Sidhe alive today. Irvin has been gifted with a trace of that divine connection, and the Sithern recognizes he has been God touched," Herd Patriarch Garr concluded, his words filled with the power of conviction and certainty.

"So, what now?" Mother asked. She wasn't the type of woman to be impressed by Garr's explanation. Gods and bloodlines were secondary considerations at best for her. I was her son, and what she was really asking was what was going to happen to me.

"Lord Clive remains as ambassador to Derva," King Teigh proclaimed, "Irvin is Host and Plenipotentiary. The two offices do not need to be held by the same person.

"Lord Clive will remain the voice of Sidhe. He will continue in his position as our planet's ambassador. He will continue to build diplomatic ties and find opportunities for our people to expand and prosper.

"Nothing about this has changed for him or his duties.

"Lord Irvin has been proclaimed Host by Sithern, System, and Fairy. Now he needs to learn to live up to that title. He will rule as Plenipotentiary within the Sithern. Those who decide to emigrate here will do so knowing that Irvin's word within the Sithern is Law.

"Until the Sithern repudiates him and selects another Host, Lord Irvin will stand as leader and ruler. He remains heir to House Teigh, and I confirm his status as Heir, Plenipotentiary, and my Voice within the bounds of this Sithern."

System Announcement: King Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax has named Lord Irvin A'Teigh his Voice. Lord Irvin's authority as Host is confirmed and accepted.