Fionn balled his hands into a fist. For her to speak so casually about what happened to Conleth, all he wanted to do was kill her there and then.
No lad! said Sir Bearach. Let her speak first.
What happened to incinerating her where she stands?
Do that afterwards!
“Sure,” said Fionn, relaxing his fingers. “The Lady Meadhbh said I was meant to die on the way to Penance.”
“She lied,” said Morrígan. “Or at least, She did not tell the full truth. Fate dictated that you were to set upon by bandits, but they did not kill you. They tried, but your Divine Gift frightened them, and they sank you to the bottom of Heretic’s Bay.”
“The dream,” said Fionn. “I saw….”
“I showed you,” said Morrígan. “I showed you what the Tapestry dictates should have happened. In reality, Farris the Simian killed those bandits on his own journey to Penance. A journey that was never meant to happen. For instead of dying at the Clifflands, as he was meant to, he spread seeds of chaos throughout the threads of fate.”
“And you were meant to find me,” said Fionn. “You opened up the ocean and found me on its floor.”
“This is what concerned me,” said Morrígan. “The power of Meadhbh allows me to see Tapestry as it was originally written, but I lack her centuries of wisdom to fully interpret the meaning. That is why I need your help.”
Fionn nodded slowly.
“As it was written,” Morrígan began, “you were buried in Heretic Bay, and I came to find you. But I do not understand why I would do that.”
“Was it not to claim my power too?” said Fionn. “As you did with Diarmuid and Meadhbh? As you seek to do with Seletoth?”
“That is what I assumed,” said Morrígan. “As it was written, I killed Diarmuid in Cruachan, Meadhbh in Dromán, then Seletoth atop Mount Selyth. These, I was destined to do in quick succession, urged by a lust to become like the gods themselves.
“But when I slew Meadhbh and saw the Tapestry of Fate for myself, I stopped to study it. For it was written that I would never reach Penance, which I already had, and that I would kill King Diarmuid in Cruachan, which I never did. Upon searching for an answer, I saw the actions of Farris the Simian, like a scorch-mark through its threads, unravelling them wherever he went. Other Simians bore similar marks upon, though none as large as his.
“And as I examined them, I saw what was meant to become of you, which then brings me to how I was meant to find you on the bottom of Heretic’s Bay.”
“Why is that so important?” said Fionn. “You said so yourself, you want to steal the powers of the gods. Surely this would include me too?”
“That is logical,” said Morrígan. “But the words I was meant to say upon finding you were not. As it was written, I said, ‘Come, Fionn, Lord Seletoth is waiting for us.’”
Fionn stared back. He recalled that she said those words in his dream; the dream she had apparently shown him, but still, he didn’t follow.
Morrígan sighed. “Consider this,” she said, adapting the air of a teacher. “My words imply the Seletoth was still alive at this point, as it was written, and that I had spoken to Him. Furthermore, they also imply that He knew you were alive, and wanted both of us to come to Him.”
“Sure,” said Fionn. “So, this means you were fated to find Him, speak to Him, then come to find me afterwards?”
“Correct. But whenever I try to look at that part of the Tapestry, where I speak to Him, the threads become unclear, and something in my mind seems to… unravel. All I know is that when I was meant to walk through that great iron door atop Mount Selyth, something terrible happened. And I was no longer myself afterwards.”
“I see,” said Fionn. “Then why do you seek my help?”
“Because you already have some of Seletoth’s power. Perhaps whatever was meant to happen to me up there will not happen to you.”
“The dream in the church,” said Fionn. “With you as a child, and you as you are today, waking down the aisle and through that door. Was that your work too?”
“Yes,” said Morrígan. “Though I cannot interpret the details, I know that I must not confront Seletoth Himself, despite what the Tapestry says should have happened.”
Fionn’s brain struggled to keep up with this. “What do you want from me, then?”
“You are already on the way to confront Seletoth. I need you do continue your quest, confront Seletoth, and kill Him.”
Fionn gasped, echoed by Sir Bearach.
“Are you serious?” said Fionn. “Why would I do such a thing? Seletoth is our last chance at… at defeating you!”
“When you learn of His lies,” said Morrígan, “perhaps you will understand. If you do this, and acquire His power, we can both wipe away the life He created here and start anew, as two gods.”
“No!” said Fionn. “Nobody else is going to die. I’ll fight you with every fibre of my soul if it stops you.”
“Those created by Seletoth are lives with no value. Together we can create life with real meaning. With real purpose.”
Having heard enough, Fionn readied a ball of fire in his hands. With his other hand, he held the side of the window, reeling back to hurl the flame at Morrígan. She reacted quickly, throwing herself off the roof into the darkness below. With his heart pounding in his chest, Fionn raced to the edge, scanning the darkness for a sign for where she went.
Then, far to the north, he saw a dark shape dart away through the sky. As he looked on, a soft voice spoke in his ears:
“Find Him, learn the Truth, then kill Him. If you change your mind, you will know where to find me.”
Chapter 18:
At Mount Selyth’s Peak
We struggled at first in our journey through the Glenn. The wildlife stalked us and hunted us with the ferocity of no animal I have ever seen before. One of my men, a naturalist in his spare time, noted that this was likely a result of the vegetation that grew there, for every plant, every leaf, every blade of grass was imbedded with poison. As to why the plants had grown this way, he had no answer.
This desolate place did not obey the laws of nature as we knew it. Even with that sickly presence thick in the air, we ventured on, for Seletoth’s voice called to us.
