Rebirth and Second Chances

I didn't have time to warn Balfour or the Azi-Fey about the dangers within the [Forest of Nightmare Plants] before a garden of vines had been triggered. A few of the Fey had flown within range, and without an illusion to hide, the vines attacked as soon as they were within range.

Luckily, the attack was a wasted effort, as the Fey that closed within range seemed to evade every attack easily. They seemed to teleport from place to place, gaining altitude and moving out of range as each vine lashed out in hunger.

"You need to cloak yourself in a [Look Away] glamour," I informed Balfour as soon as I saw the attack. "The plants here are close to sentient and have ways to defend and attack. Poisons, hallucinogens, and as you just experienced the ability to move."

"Why do I feel a connection to [Fairy]?" Balfour asked as he ordered his people to cast [Look Away] glamour. The Forest stilled, returning to a world of lush plant life that appeared benign and harmless.

"I've been planting [Fairy Daisies] as I traveled, using them as beacons to plot my path forward," I replied

If I had realized the System had a mapping feature, I wouldn't have bothered, but I hadn't noticed that new addendum to the System soon enough. Still, the idea I had using the flowers as a method of invading Asgard with [Fairy] was sound, so planting the flowers had not been a waste of time.

The invasion would be subtle, taking a millennium to build up to any sizable change. The [Fairy Daisy] plants might be discovered and destroyed. But, if they were left alone, the [Forest of Nightmare Plants] might just become the staging ground for a future war between the Tuatha de Danann and Asgardian Pantheons.

"You should create [Fairy Rings] at certain intervals," Balfour suggested after examining a [Fairy Daisy] I had recently planted. "It would give our Seers a means to scry within Asgard, breaching the protections inherent in a realm ruled by Asgardian Gods."

"It would also allow the Sidhe to ignore the Bifrost bridge. They could come and go as they pleased," I speculated.

The Forest was dangerous, but those dangers were easy to overcome. A [Look Away] glamour would work for the Fey. They could fly and leave no tracks or activate any of the Forest's defenses in their flight.

The rest of the Sidhe would need to use more extreme methods to cloak their presence. I doubted whether anyone not [A Rank] would survive. They simply didn't have the magic necessary to cloak themselves in a powerful enough [Illusion] to fool the plants.

Although, after a few centuries, that might not be needed. The Sidhe embraced the natural world and were tied intimately to plants and forests; perhaps the Forest could be tamed as we came to know it.

"You will need Fey willing to tend to them if you do," Tia pointed out. "[Fairy] is too linked to the Demi-fey to gain a foothold without them. And I'm sure you have plans for the Azi-fey you had me bring."

She was right. I needed the Azi-fey out scouting for me. Almost stumbling into a clearing with two Asgardian Gods had demonstrated that fumbling along by myself was too risky. The Tuatha de Danann must wake; their long [Sleep] had to be broken. I couldn't be careless or stupid.

I had already acted precipitously by traveling the World Tree without gathering allies, making plans, or making sure the moves I had made using the Mongols, and Alexander were successful.

I assumed my actions would work because the quest I'd received to save the Sidhe of this world had been marked as completed. The problem with relying on that as a marker for success was evident. I might have saved the Sidhe for this moment in time, but time stood still for no one, not even the Sidhe.

My actions might have served only to delay the armies of Man. Perhaps I had garnered a thousand years or two thousand years of safety, but that was a blink of the eye for my people. For man, with their prodigious birth rate, I knew that the hundreds of millions of people on this planet could explode into billions.

The Sidhe simply couldn't match that kind of population explosion. We would grow. I had made sure of that by establishing Sitherns blessed with fertility. And some of our people, the Goblins and Demi-fey, were more fertile, their population growth would help, but it was the Silinium and the advanced technologies that I was willing to share that would, in the end, be the equalizer between our species.

"I'll travel to Seastan Deireanach and speak with the Fey Queen," Tia offered. "She will know of anyone willing enough and brave enough to take a chance on making Asgard their home.

"I might approach the Wisp King while I'm at it. It should be easy enough to convince them. They love trickery and deceit as well as any Sidhe. Imagine how they can brag if they manage to convert part of Asgard into [Fairy]?"

"That could work," I mused in agreement. "The Demi-fey and the wisps are too often ignored as lesser. Not as powerful or dangerous as other Sidhe. They have embraced that identity and used it to protect themselves while hiding the darker side of their nature.

"The wisps have probably led more humans to their death than any other Sidhe. And the Fey can swarm when angered, tearing the flesh from whatever had disturbed them and leaving nothing but bone behind."

"Should I inform the council of Twelve?" She asked.

"No," I replied immediately.

"It's better they do not know where we are and what we are doing. Lleu Llaw has proven that some Sidhe are willing to throw in with Asgard. Sidhe who are selfish enough to act if it serves their purpose. I don't want even a hint of what we are attempting here to leak out.

"Make sure the Fey Queen and Wisp King are sworn to secrecy. Have them give [Oath] to ensure their silence. And only speak to them in Cait Sith. Not even the Azi-fey can enter your realm without your permission. It is the safest place to guard against spying.

Tia nodded in agreement before the slightest ripple between dimensions announced her departure. I was persuaded that the Asgardians could not monitor her coming and going as I felt her leave.

I doubted she could be tracked if Baldur hadn't noticed the dimensional rift opening when he'd been so close; no one in Asgard should be able to either.