Our families stuck like glue to both of us when we went in the festival again. I went to the musicians and Pirad came. “Do not do this again! I cannot hide all of us!” He ported us to our empty Council chambers. Our families didn’t come.
He looked at Ir’s daddy. “You did this! Tanirpahadachan, how many Cubes did you make? All of them are faulty!”
Elisabethae, Host Of The Green Cube Of Questions, just looked at her hands, clasped on her middle.
Cunigundae, Host Of Blue Cube Of Secrets scowled, and his eyes got multicolored irises! “I grow impatient with your approach! He would not make Cubes, so I did! I am Cunigundae, and I hate Opseh Wenh Cet!”
“He’s dead, and Rahn Wenh Cet and his other cloned sons Lun Wenh Cet and Bour Wenh Cet!”
“They may be dead, but their scientists—”
“I destroyed their facility!”
Pirad got more upset! Ten ran in and poured drinks down him like mad! “Show me what you did, all of you!”
All three of us did, and that white walrus came with Suma and Ni’olmai. He’s Ishah, too? I remembered him as Elshar in Rainbow, but with tri-toed feet—that’s an Ishah trait.
Suma added what she, Neal and the walrus did. “Jarfus said we needed to help them on Lisbaar, but it blew up!”
Pirad clicked his face into an expression of utter dismay! “Your interference will cause a trial for us all in the Padrisa! Dromie knows this!”
I slapped my hand on the table. “If Rentappenen wins, we perish, the Thirteen perish, and hundreds of thousands of galaxies in the Padrisa! Dromie brought them all back!”
Pirad fell on the floor! “He brought them back! Does he think that will save him from their judgment? Laws of the Padrisa are absolute! If they destroy the Thirteen—”
Dromie appeared. “So little all of you know! The Thirteen will not be punished. My people will. The Thirteen is like a flea to the Padrisa, except for Rentappenen. He went to the future and destroyed the Padrisa, and I helped him because I feared him. This battle is worth dying for, and I brought back every world I destroyed. They are now angry with Rentappenen. Because I went there, he can’t. Every time period I visit, he is blocked because Cube have limits that Lenses don’t and I have the Lens Of Many Colors!”
“That will not save you—”
“Did you hear me, Pirad? Some things are worth dying for. My father is our king and he agreed.” The little goblin hugged him.
That shocked Pirad. “Your people evolved!”
“Yes, we did. Despite the Padrisa, which fears us. But we will submit to their Council. They can destroy us, because we will allow them to punish us. But first, we will restore what Rentappenen destroyed. If we die doing it, that does not matter. We died many times and Rentappenen brought us back to die again. He does not care who dies, because he wants power.
“I had power, that I killed my father to get, but it was empty. I see now, that we are a foolish people that only came to destroy, because we were mindless weapons. We are now sentient, and we want to choose things.” He spread his arms wide.
“I saw people who are loyal to Ry’nao, and I became loyal to him. Pirad, you did not plan for anyone to help you. Did you not think the Bisillips and Biehshah have friends, to help you?”
That walrus waddled to Pirad. “Dromie’s people decided to help, because of an Earthan. I decided to help, because of a Thordes. Wally changed his mind about Rentappenen because Suma loved an Elshar and gave up everything for him. Our Imwa are observers. Never did we see people like your Earthans, and they are influencing the Thordes.”
Pirad shook his head. “I would say the Thordes are influencing them, but yes. There is a reason the Council chose Earth to be the Final Battle to end the 300 Year War. I do not like the fact that Pinda gave Earthans Gifts, and all of this happened because of him!”
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Pinda came in and licked a paw. Smoothed his pricked ears. “Rentappenen carefully laid out plans, but these Earthans are unpredictable. Cunigundae was on a ship that Llsam saved and brought to Areon. He and Elisabethae were on that ship. Without their research, aandats would not be on so many worlds saving lives, would they? Adia is Areonian. Did the last holder of the White Cube Of Light use it for good?”
With a pop, Pirad shut his mouth. “I withdraw all of my objections. Perhaps I like things to proceed according to careful planning myself, but I am smart enough to see what you are doing. Do not speak of this when I am not here. I cannot keep us hidden—”
The blue eyes of Cunigundae stopped him. “I let Dromie improve The Blue Cube Of Secrets. I cannot see Rentappenen, therefore he cannot see any of us.”
“You cannot be sure—”
“I can.” Elisabetha’s blue eyes had fear in them. “We fear what we cannot see, what lurks in shadows. Fear questions everything, all our beliefs, our skills, even our very existence! Ry’nao taught me that courage is not lack of fear, but acts despite fear. I fear Rentappenen and that fear makes The Green Cube Of Questions more powerful than I knew. Rentappenen, for the first time in his long existence, has fear that he cannot win. He bluffed Dromie into thinking his people were not powerful enough to fight. Now they see the successes of their fight, and those they brought back. Rentappenen now knows the terror of failure, and Eriganh destroyed half his Collective because he forgot to control his anger. His Collective is becoming unstable, but so is Rentappenen’s. I showed his points of weakness to Ry’nao.
“But, Ry’nao showed his fear to me and now my Cube has the combined fear of his 13. Many are afraid. Cunigundae cannot hide this fear. Eriganh’s anger is contaminated with it. Suma cannot heal it and Kia cannot use The Emerald Cube Of Newness to combat timelines that Rentappenen feels no newness within.
“Many of his troops are new to battle. Kia, once your Cube is not new, you will lose power. Experience is your enemy.” She pulled at a blond curl on her shoulder. “This frightens me. You can only help me while my Cube is new to me, too.”
But, I healed Ry’nao. He’s over 300 years old and he’s had his Gray Cube almost that long.
“I can remake your Cube, Kia. This will break many rules that bind us. But it will help you keep Ry’nao alive, and we can all win this Battle Of The Cubes.” Father smiled at Ir. “Bring me Earthans with Gifts. You can see them. Pirad made Cubes and threw them into the cosmos. I can make Cubes for individuals, to use their traits wisely.”
Pirad ported Girdre, whom I’d seen at the festival playing an ethnic stringed instrument. She appeared in front of us and startled. “Pirad? My Ty’nirrhan-Xchou sister died on Lisbaar. Do you need to make another one?”
He clicked his face into a surprised expression. “If she would comfort you—”
“There’s someone else who misses her more. I didn’t think you needed me for this, so is there something else?”
“You were DS and told Ry’nao you are loyal. There is another fight.”
“A fight? I was a biome tech!”
“You know how to disable biome installations. Let Tanirpahadachan give you a weapon.”
She looked scared. Elisabetha grinned. But Father took her hand. “I want to make a Cube for you. Tell me about yourself.”
Girdre looked down. “All I did was get hurt doing my job, and the slime I fell in had Gedda Dier’s mind in it. I felt smart while she was part of me. I’ve never been smart, or good at anything.”
“You play that instrument and I really enjoyed it!” I smiled at her, and that got a bit of a smile.
“I’m better at music than I was in DS.”
“Some of Rentappenen’s enemies are inspired by music, and some of his facilities are vulnerable to certain sounds. What is your favorite color?”
She thought a minute. “Red, like people of Lisbaar.”
He waved and put a cube in her hand. The color of blood? “This is the Red Cube Of Inspiration, and you will use music in the Battle Of The Cubes! Meet your Collective!”
A building of cubes appeared on the border with Ry Pethe. People came out to stare at it! The red in the cubes made orange shadows like fire.
Gierdre startled and her double walked out of her. “Where’s this?”
Another stood there. Ten. Twenty!
“All of you, go that way! There is your building, but if you do not want to fight Rentappenen, go to any world of Alb you like!” They all ran for it! In the other future, a lot of her clones volunteered for Rainbow’s Collective.
One stayed with her and she was red. “I’ll be your sister.”
A Zheien ran in and they all three went back to the festival with two others and two of her cloned sisters. Oh, her DS Team.
Pirad brought another Earthan, and Father frowned. “This is too slow!” He used his Diplomatic Link to speed up the process. Another lady who was in Diplomatic Service, or DS, in the other future.
They kept appearing and Father worked faster. Buildings of Cubes appeared on various worlds in Alb near the Earthan colonies, depending on whose husband’s world or colony. Some went to every world of Alb except, of course, Escet Vu and Elshar Zheiea. Mican makes me mad!
We built an army of Earthans with Cubes, right there on Ye~.
One of Ryonne~‘s clones and one of Ry’nao’s came to the doorway, and Ry’nao strode in. Saw Father give an Earthan a Cube with a surprised look! “This is what I felt! But I warn you, Rentappenen can see it.”
“I am Cunigundae, Host Of Blue Cube Of Secrets! I can hide all of us from him!” That man pulled at a blond curl.
Ry’nao paled. “Rentappenen let you think he cannot see it, but I hear echoes. He knows!”