CHAPTER 10

 

 

 

INTUNECAT FELT the ripple as the intruder entered his realm. Only one person had yet been able to penetrate the barrier between the light and darkness. This was not that person.

He remembered the day Lilith had arrived unannounced and uninvited. The revelation that his once impregnable world was vulnerable was disconcerting, but he soon forgot about that after getting to know his new guest. Afterward, he looked forward to her visits. Not only was she mentally stimulating, but he felt an inexplicable attraction to her. Her voice, her touch, her presence brought a warmth and light to his world that he would have thought impossible.

"Do you always go where you're not invited?" he asked, unable to see what he knew was there.

"Would you have invited me if I hadn't come unasked?" a voice answered.

"You're female." He sighed melodramatically. "Why is it I can't keep women from barging in on my space?"

"Do you wish me to answer your question?"

"Would the answer prevent you from coming in the future?"

"No. Only satisfying my curiosity will do that."

"Then by all means, show yourself. The sooner I give you what you want, the sooner you'll be gone."

A luminescent white cloud appeared in the darkness, its shape shimmering slightly before becoming a transparent haziness.

"Who are you?" Intunecat asked.

"I am Saira, a simple Traveler."

"Simple? I doubt that. You've traveled to an unusual place. Do you always intrude where you're not welcome?"

"I go where I must. To be welcomed is not important."

"I see. How did you manage to find your way here?"

"I followed a thread from Mari. It guided me to you."

"Mari told you about me?" he asked, surprised the Earth Mother would reveal anything about him, let alone a way into his solitary sanctuary.

"No. She keeps her secrets well. She hasn't betrayed you."

"But you said she guided you here."

"Not her. Her thread. You're a part of her past and her present, so your lives are forever joined."

"And this thread has to do with our joining?"

"Of course. Those you meet in your life and those they have met are forever connected to you, as you are to them. Existence creates many strands in lives and time, like a spider's web. In the beginning, only a few threads are woven but they quickly grow larger and more abundant, trapping everything that comes in contact with the web. It's very complex in its simplicity."

Motioning for Saira to sit, Intunecat offered her a drink. Although it wasn't something he required, he was fond of the ritual. Saira politely refused the drink but sat down.

"Why follow a strand to me now? I assume you've been doing this for a very long time."

"Longer than even you can imagine. Still, it's what I do. You are a First Born, one of five. It's rare that I have the chance to meet you or your siblings. I must go where I'm pulled."

"Siblings? I have no siblings," the Dark One said indignantly. "Those you speak of are not of my essence."

Intunecat believed himself to be the creator of light and therefore the oldest living being. He didn't accept that Dis or the Twin were in any way connected to him.... And Mari, well, his interest  wasn't in any way sexual. He had no need of such things. The mind was the attraction, and the Earth Mother had the sharpest mind of any entity he had ever met.

"So you have no control over what you do or where you go?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I can choose not to follow if I wish, but curiosity compels me to seek the source of my questions."

"Meaning you don't have a choice."

"I'm no different than you. I always have choices. Just because I follow my compulsion doesn't mean I'm not in control of my life."

"So you say."

"So I say."

Feeling slightly disgruntled at his inability to get the desired reaction from her, Intunecat changed tactics. "This conversation is going nowhere. What do you want from me?"

"It's what I wanted before I met you. I now have my answer."

"To what? You haven't asked me anything."

"I never intended to ask you anything. You wouldn't know the answer to my question."

Intunecat grumbled something unintelligible. He wasn't used to being thwarted, and frustration only added to his irritability. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have the answer now."

"Must you be so evasive? Do you do this to everyone you meet?"

"Do what?"

"Forget it. Since you have your answer, perhaps you'll share it with me. Then at least I'll know why you came here."

"Like I said —"

"I know. To find an answer. So what is it?"

"I can't say. Now isn't the time for you to know. Telling you could drastically alter the future. Even the First Born isn't immune to the damages tampering with the unknown can bring."

"Then your work is done. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you've done more than you'll ever know. You gave me the answer to one of my greatest questions. Thank you."

"Does this mean you won't be coming back?" Intunecat asked, his voice full of hope.

Saira grinned broadly. "Unfortunately, I can't answer that either. It will depend on those you meet in the future. Already you seek something from someone that raises new questions, but the tugging isn't very strong for now. One day, though, my curiosity will pull me here if the relationship prospers. The daughter of a First Born, who became the wife of a First Born eons ago, will make the future interesting if she should fulfill the desires of the First Born."

Frowning, Intunecat understood the human impulse to stomp a foot. He was about to ask her for an explanation when she vanished. Perhaps it was intentional or merely an oversight, but Saira had given him enough information to know what had drawn her to him. Now he had questions as to what she meant before she left.

"Females," he growled unhappily. "They can be so frustrating."

Immediately, his thoughts turned to Lilith.