8BTFreek: Well, I'm back ahead of schedule!
Eshli: *playing with blaster pistol, plasma rifle, and beam saber* Hey, this blaster's only got 499 charges on it.
8BTFreek: *looks apologetically at audience* Well, once I finish her novel, she's going to have it anyway. She's also going to end up dying, but so does everyone else. And she'll fall in love.
Eshli: Yeah, right. *goes back to playing with beam saber*
8BTFreek: Anyway, let's answer those reviews!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
tigerlily: Well, I can't really think of much else. The creative juices run thin on anger expression. The vocabulary is shot. Well, thanks for liking it.
Mesoforte: Thank you. tigerlily98 already jumped all over me for that whole "bloody" usage thing.
Rallalon: Well, here are the partial answers for your guessing game: You missed Feizhi's first dream, got very close on Feizhi's second dream, were right on with Hama's dream, did a nice job with Ivan's, though it wasn't quite right and some of it was just wrong, and good interpretation of Sheba's, but not quite accurate. Sheba had the dream in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 took place exactly one week later. So they fulfilled that part, so you know it's all good in the end. As for the WoT quote, I just like that way of expressing anger. And yes, your quote is cooler by God-only-knows how many times.
END RESPONSES
Eshli: Where's redhead?
Rand: Here. And my name's Rand, Eshli, not "redhead."
Eshli: Oh. Well, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun, John Lennon, or AC/DC.
8BTFreek: I'm not Dad. He's my father. I'm Freek.
Eshli: Yes, you are a freak. But you're also Dad. Well, get typing, Dad.
8BTFreek: *grumbles*
**Chapter 7: Back in Black, or The Separation of Jupiter*
Hama walked up to her younger brother. "Ivan?" she asked. "Ivan, what's going on?"
Ivan just stared off. Finally, he spoke - a croaking whisper. "He's back."
At these words, Felix blanched. Hama, however, showed no visible sign of shock. "Who's 'he?'" Ivan didn't respond. She turned to her husband. "Felix, who's 'he?' Is 'he' someone I should know?"
Felix blinked, then said, "The 'he' that Ivan is referring to... is Alex." Hama stared curiously at him. "Alex. You know - Alex." Apparently, though, she didn't know. "The lunatic who stole the Golden Sun and tried to take over the world about five years ago? That Alex?" Her eyes widened with recognition. She frowned pensively.
"Hm, this is bad. We need to gather the others again. They need to know he's out." Garet nodded, walking off to find Mia. Ivan just stood there, rooted to the spot. Hama shoved him off toward Sheba and Piers. "Felix, go find Isaac and Jenna. Feizhi, I'm going to need you to get the man staying with Garet's parents, okay? I have a feeling he'll be needed." They nodded, running off.
"Why do we need to tell the Q'tiil about Alex, Hama?" Piers was standing behind her, and he didn't seem too happy. "Do you realize that he's probably Alex's buddy?" Hama shook her head. "What? No, I know what I'm talking about. We don't need him. He's evil. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: He needs to be killed, or at least run out of town. And I'm going to be the one to do it." Sheba gasped at his last words. Something clicked in Hama's mind.
"Sheba, your dream was true. If we don't do something, Alex..." She broke off. Piers was looking at then strangely. "Piers, I forbid you from attacking Rhoen. If you attack him, there will be consequences so horrible I can't even begin to describe you. Got it?" He shook his head fervently.
"No, I can't do that. Hama, this bugger's Q'tiil. You don't understand. Even if you think of the most vile things you can, it's nothing compared to what his kind do for fun." She glared at him. Then, the most unusual thing happened.
"Piers, stow that garbage and listen up." He closed his mouth, mostly out of shock. Hama had begun shouting. "Now then," she growled, "you say that he's a vile, disgusting brute just because he's from some place you've been at war with three times. Do you think it's possible that he thinks the same of you? If it is, I would be surprised, mainly because I saw him after that fight. I overheard him shouting something about a 'Lemurian racist bastard son of a three-headed goat.' I can only assume he meant you." His eyes widened in shock.
Piers leapt up. "Where is that hunk of blood and bone? I'll rip his nonexistent heart out!" he yelled.
"Halt!" shouted Sheba. The spell barely caught Piers, stopping him in his tracks and wrapping him in Psynergetic light. "Now then," she said in a calmer tone, "just do as Hama says, and I'll release you. Deal?" She did a quick mind read.
{Fine, if it'll get me out, I won't attack the Q'tiil bas-er, Rhoen. Now could you let me go? It's really uncomfortable standing in midair with your legs five feet apart.} Sheba nodded and released the spell. He collapsed in a heap. "Oof. Thanks for releasing me." He turned to the older Jupiter Adept. "I'll do as you ask. Just don't humiliate me like that again." She nodded and directed him into the meeting hall. Sheba looked around. The place had only three seats open, and all three were at a table with Rhoen. Apparently, nobody wanted to sit near him.
{I can understand that. Piers put the fear of the devil into us about him.} She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Are you the one called Rhoen?" she asked. He nodded. "Would you mind if we sat here?" He shook his head.
"There is plenty of room, young Sheba." Her name didn't quite slide off his tongue as easily as it did off of most people's. "Piers, I see you have no qualms right now? Or has Lady Sheba told you to get off my back?" He grunted at the second. "I thank you, then, Lady. I have an eternal gratitude toward you." He looked around the room. "Where's Kay?" he asked, an air of urgency surrounding his question.
"I'm not sure," replied Hama. She seemed offended that he had ignored her. "I think she's waiting outside." Suddenly, two people walked in. One was Kay, and the other... Sheba had seen him before, but her eyes refused to believe. Piers and Rhoen both shot up.
"Alex!" cried Piers, just as Rhoen cried "Slayer!" But Rhoen didn't stop after just the name. "Slayer," he continued, "your blood is mine!" From his cloak, he drew the strange weapon and flung himself at Alex. Suddenly, Alex pulled a knife from his cloak and pulled Kay close. She responded by kicking his shin and running. Piers looked on, not lifting a finger to help the young man. Just as he was about to strike at Alex, though, something happened. A blast of white light exploded from Alex's hands, striking Rhoen in the chest. Ghostly images flitted around his head. Isaac then leapt up, as did Garet and Ivan. The three of then dashed Alex, Garet holding Excalibur like a spear, Isaac with a giant axe that defied imagination, and Ivan with a thin sword that glowed with a hidden power. Piers joined them, wielding the powerful blade he'd tried to use on Rhoen. Felix added his to the fray, carrying the massive Sol Blade in both hands. The others jumped in, Mia wielding a terrible mace, and Jenna carrying the only sword she had ever liked: the Phaeton's Blade. Sheba jumped up, boosting her speed by using her Meditation Rod as a third leg. Kay dragged Rhoen off, and Hama opened doors for her.
Feizhi clung to the ceiling, having been flung up there by the blast of energy. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on much longer. Alex fired another blast, and the others collapsed. Before he could finish them off, though, a voice echoed through the room. "I will not allow you to kill them!" it shouted. Suddenly, the Wise One's form exploded into view. Alex stared at the rock in horror. The Wise One glowed with Psynergetic light. Before anything could happen, Alex was being twisted and contorted. Finally, he dissolved into midair. "Do not let him kill you," said the Wise One before he warped from the room. Kay walked into the room, her face pale.
"I think we should wait until tomorrow for me to tell my dream," she said.
***
It took the whole night to heal everyone and get them up to speed on what happened. Every one of them except Feizhi, Kay, and Hama had been hurt in the explosions. Isaac immediately recognized the Wise One from Feizhi's description, as did Garet. Everyone was frightened by Alex's appearance, mainly because it meant that the most powerful and corrupt person in the world was still free. Felix got up and paced the spare room in Isaac's house. "Okay, this is horrible. Where's that Rhoen person? I've got some questions for him." A malicious note had entered his voice. Like most of the Adepts, he blamed the Q'tiil for bringing Alex to life after they'd thought him dead.
Hama looked at the doorway. "Kay has him in the spare room at her parents' house. She thinks he's an ok guy, Felix. Do you mistrust her judgment?" He nodded. She sighed. "Well, that makes two of us. I think he's cruel and crude." The other three Jupiter Adepts shook their heads vigorously. "No? Why do you say that?"
Sheba looked her in the eye. "Listen, I saw him, I tried to Mind Read him behind his back. He didn't realize I did, and I saw some things in there that shouldn't be there, if Piers is right." {Self-loathing, revulsion of his homeland, sadness, love... If he's really as bad as Piers says, then why does he have these things in his head?} Feizhi stepped up next to her and nodded.
"Sheba is right," she said. "She knows that there's something going on. She can interpret the dreams, I think. Master Hama, I think that, in this one instance, she's wiser than you by a large amount." She exited the house. Ivan looked apologetically at his sister.
"Sis, I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but Sheba and Feizhi are right. My wife says Sheba isn't lying, and I know she wouldn't lie to me. I'm afraid you're wrong on this one." He walked out of the house.
Piers jumped up to confront Sheba. "But he's Q'tiil!"
She stared at him, a glare that could have frozen air. "So am I, if he told the truth." She walked out of the room, seemingly on cushions of air, holding herself like a queen. She met the others outside. "So am I. I'll have to get used to it." Ivan looked at her with a raised eyebrow, shrugged, and walked off toward Kay's residence.
***
Sheba knocked on the door. Kay was the one to open it. "Hello, Sheba," she said, a note of hesitation in her voice. "What do you want?"
"We three had some words with the others, and we don't think they'll be willing to let us stay with them tonight." Ivan stepped forward.
"Actually, we walked out on them. Can we stay here?" Feizhi moved up to behind him, her eyes pleading.
Kay sighed. "The doorstep is getting crowded. Come on in, you guys." She welcomed them into the home. "Rhoen and I are the only ones here. Mom and Dad are staying with Felix's parents because they don't want to be in the same house as a pariah." She shook her head. "I saw that rock thing in a dream before you woke me up. He says Alex will be forced to sleep for another year, and then we'll have to kill him. The Wise One can't because of something called the 'human affairs laws' that were supposedly drawn up at the beginning of the world to prevent him from meddling in our business. He's only suspended them because he wants the world to be ready for Alex." The others nodded.
"I see," muttered Ivan. "So Alex is going to go away for another year? Well, we should try to prepare."
"Yes," came another voice. The others turned to look at the hallway. Standing there, all in black, was Rhoen. "Back in black, that's me. Nine lives. Cat's eyes." He seemed to laugh for an instant, but it was immediately swallowed in a grave attitude. "So, you're here to dispose of me, is that it?"
"No!" cried Feizhi. "That is not why we are here! We want to help you, and we want you to help us." She looked around sheepishly. "Unfortunately, we're the only ones who think that." She shrugged. "Well, do you accept our help?"
Rhoen raised a hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. The Jupiter Adepts noted that he had some black fuzz on it. "Hm... I guess it'd be okay. Kay, could you sort them into rooms? I'll help if you need it." Kay nodded. Rhoen spotted the bronze wedding bands on Ivan and Feizhi's hands. "Ah, married, are you?" They nodded. "Well, we'll give you Kay's parents' room. It's the one on the left. Sheba, you get the room next to Kay's." He pointed to the door to Garet's room.
"But that's Garet's room! What if he comes here?" Rhoen shook his head.
"He won't. I've caused a schism in this family, unfortunately. Kay insists that I should to nothing to repair it, but... I'm still responsible for its existence." He frowned and walked off to the room he occupied. "Sleep well," he called back to them. His black cloak swished ominously.
"He looks like Death," muttered Sheba. "Well, let's all get some rest. We'll figure out what to do in the morning." The others nodded.
***
Alex paced the Elemental Star room. The Mars Statue held no chain on him, but the other statues bound his right arm and both his legs. He stared at the giant chessboard. There were four key figures, and they had changed. Two were still himself and the Wise One, but the other two were Felix and Sheba. "Brother and Sister, played against each other skillfully enough, can cause their own downfall," he muttered. "Let the eternal game begin."
He laughed as the four key figures moved to gain their armies. Felix's was largest, but Alex had more power than them. Zhin had taken his rightful place under the command of someone else, but Alex was displeased that the "someone else" was Sheba. The other six, as well as someone Alex could only assume was Hama, stood on Felix's side. Garet's sister, Ivan, some woman he'd never seen, and Zhin stood on Sheba's. "Now fight, and kill each other. Make my work easier."
***
8BTFreek: Well, glad I'm done with that one.
Eshli: Dad...
8BTFreek: How many times have I told you? It's "Freek," not "dad!" Gaah!
Eshli: Whatever. I was just wondering: Why is Rand so edgy?
8BTFreek: He's engaged to three women.
Eshli: Eew!
Rand: I heard that! Freek, what are you going to do about her?
8BTFreek: The worst thing I can think of: Use her to threaten the people who don't review.
Eshli: Do I get to use the beam saber and the blaster? Or the plasma rifle, maybe?
8BTFreek: Whatever you want. Now then, readers, review, or I send Eshli in her chosen battle gear to wreak havoc on your abode.
Rand: Translation: Review, or Freek will send Eshli to redecorate your home.
8BTFreek: Precisely. So review!
Eshli: *playing with blaster pistol, plasma rifle, and beam saber* Hey, this blaster's only got 499 charges on it.
8BTFreek: *looks apologetically at audience* Well, once I finish her novel, she's going to have it anyway. She's also going to end up dying, but so does everyone else. And she'll fall in love.
Eshli: Yeah, right. *goes back to playing with beam saber*
8BTFreek: Anyway, let's answer those reviews!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
tigerlily: Well, I can't really think of much else. The creative juices run thin on anger expression. The vocabulary is shot. Well, thanks for liking it.
Mesoforte: Thank you. tigerlily98 already jumped all over me for that whole "bloody" usage thing.
Rallalon: Well, here are the partial answers for your guessing game: You missed Feizhi's first dream, got very close on Feizhi's second dream, were right on with Hama's dream, did a nice job with Ivan's, though it wasn't quite right and some of it was just wrong, and good interpretation of Sheba's, but not quite accurate. Sheba had the dream in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 took place exactly one week later. So they fulfilled that part, so you know it's all good in the end. As for the WoT quote, I just like that way of expressing anger. And yes, your quote is cooler by God-only-knows how many times.
END RESPONSES
Eshli: Where's redhead?
Rand: Here. And my name's Rand, Eshli, not "redhead."
Eshli: Oh. Well, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun, John Lennon, or AC/DC.
8BTFreek: I'm not Dad. He's my father. I'm Freek.
Eshli: Yes, you are a freak. But you're also Dad. Well, get typing, Dad.
8BTFreek: *grumbles*
**Chapter 7: Back in Black, or The Separation of Jupiter*
Hama walked up to her younger brother. "Ivan?" she asked. "Ivan, what's going on?"
Ivan just stared off. Finally, he spoke - a croaking whisper. "He's back."
At these words, Felix blanched. Hama, however, showed no visible sign of shock. "Who's 'he?'" Ivan didn't respond. She turned to her husband. "Felix, who's 'he?' Is 'he' someone I should know?"
Felix blinked, then said, "The 'he' that Ivan is referring to... is Alex." Hama stared curiously at him. "Alex. You know - Alex." Apparently, though, she didn't know. "The lunatic who stole the Golden Sun and tried to take over the world about five years ago? That Alex?" Her eyes widened with recognition. She frowned pensively.
"Hm, this is bad. We need to gather the others again. They need to know he's out." Garet nodded, walking off to find Mia. Ivan just stood there, rooted to the spot. Hama shoved him off toward Sheba and Piers. "Felix, go find Isaac and Jenna. Feizhi, I'm going to need you to get the man staying with Garet's parents, okay? I have a feeling he'll be needed." They nodded, running off.
"Why do we need to tell the Q'tiil about Alex, Hama?" Piers was standing behind her, and he didn't seem too happy. "Do you realize that he's probably Alex's buddy?" Hama shook her head. "What? No, I know what I'm talking about. We don't need him. He's evil. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: He needs to be killed, or at least run out of town. And I'm going to be the one to do it." Sheba gasped at his last words. Something clicked in Hama's mind.
"Sheba, your dream was true. If we don't do something, Alex..." She broke off. Piers was looking at then strangely. "Piers, I forbid you from attacking Rhoen. If you attack him, there will be consequences so horrible I can't even begin to describe you. Got it?" He shook his head fervently.
"No, I can't do that. Hama, this bugger's Q'tiil. You don't understand. Even if you think of the most vile things you can, it's nothing compared to what his kind do for fun." She glared at him. Then, the most unusual thing happened.
"Piers, stow that garbage and listen up." He closed his mouth, mostly out of shock. Hama had begun shouting. "Now then," she growled, "you say that he's a vile, disgusting brute just because he's from some place you've been at war with three times. Do you think it's possible that he thinks the same of you? If it is, I would be surprised, mainly because I saw him after that fight. I overheard him shouting something about a 'Lemurian racist bastard son of a three-headed goat.' I can only assume he meant you." His eyes widened in shock.
Piers leapt up. "Where is that hunk of blood and bone? I'll rip his nonexistent heart out!" he yelled.
"Halt!" shouted Sheba. The spell barely caught Piers, stopping him in his tracks and wrapping him in Psynergetic light. "Now then," she said in a calmer tone, "just do as Hama says, and I'll release you. Deal?" She did a quick mind read.
{Fine, if it'll get me out, I won't attack the Q'tiil bas-er, Rhoen. Now could you let me go? It's really uncomfortable standing in midair with your legs five feet apart.} Sheba nodded and released the spell. He collapsed in a heap. "Oof. Thanks for releasing me." He turned to the older Jupiter Adept. "I'll do as you ask. Just don't humiliate me like that again." She nodded and directed him into the meeting hall. Sheba looked around. The place had only three seats open, and all three were at a table with Rhoen. Apparently, nobody wanted to sit near him.
{I can understand that. Piers put the fear of the devil into us about him.} She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Are you the one called Rhoen?" she asked. He nodded. "Would you mind if we sat here?" He shook his head.
"There is plenty of room, young Sheba." Her name didn't quite slide off his tongue as easily as it did off of most people's. "Piers, I see you have no qualms right now? Or has Lady Sheba told you to get off my back?" He grunted at the second. "I thank you, then, Lady. I have an eternal gratitude toward you." He looked around the room. "Where's Kay?" he asked, an air of urgency surrounding his question.
"I'm not sure," replied Hama. She seemed offended that he had ignored her. "I think she's waiting outside." Suddenly, two people walked in. One was Kay, and the other... Sheba had seen him before, but her eyes refused to believe. Piers and Rhoen both shot up.
"Alex!" cried Piers, just as Rhoen cried "Slayer!" But Rhoen didn't stop after just the name. "Slayer," he continued, "your blood is mine!" From his cloak, he drew the strange weapon and flung himself at Alex. Suddenly, Alex pulled a knife from his cloak and pulled Kay close. She responded by kicking his shin and running. Piers looked on, not lifting a finger to help the young man. Just as he was about to strike at Alex, though, something happened. A blast of white light exploded from Alex's hands, striking Rhoen in the chest. Ghostly images flitted around his head. Isaac then leapt up, as did Garet and Ivan. The three of then dashed Alex, Garet holding Excalibur like a spear, Isaac with a giant axe that defied imagination, and Ivan with a thin sword that glowed with a hidden power. Piers joined them, wielding the powerful blade he'd tried to use on Rhoen. Felix added his to the fray, carrying the massive Sol Blade in both hands. The others jumped in, Mia wielding a terrible mace, and Jenna carrying the only sword she had ever liked: the Phaeton's Blade. Sheba jumped up, boosting her speed by using her Meditation Rod as a third leg. Kay dragged Rhoen off, and Hama opened doors for her.
Feizhi clung to the ceiling, having been flung up there by the blast of energy. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on much longer. Alex fired another blast, and the others collapsed. Before he could finish them off, though, a voice echoed through the room. "I will not allow you to kill them!" it shouted. Suddenly, the Wise One's form exploded into view. Alex stared at the rock in horror. The Wise One glowed with Psynergetic light. Before anything could happen, Alex was being twisted and contorted. Finally, he dissolved into midair. "Do not let him kill you," said the Wise One before he warped from the room. Kay walked into the room, her face pale.
"I think we should wait until tomorrow for me to tell my dream," she said.
***
It took the whole night to heal everyone and get them up to speed on what happened. Every one of them except Feizhi, Kay, and Hama had been hurt in the explosions. Isaac immediately recognized the Wise One from Feizhi's description, as did Garet. Everyone was frightened by Alex's appearance, mainly because it meant that the most powerful and corrupt person in the world was still free. Felix got up and paced the spare room in Isaac's house. "Okay, this is horrible. Where's that Rhoen person? I've got some questions for him." A malicious note had entered his voice. Like most of the Adepts, he blamed the Q'tiil for bringing Alex to life after they'd thought him dead.
Hama looked at the doorway. "Kay has him in the spare room at her parents' house. She thinks he's an ok guy, Felix. Do you mistrust her judgment?" He nodded. She sighed. "Well, that makes two of us. I think he's cruel and crude." The other three Jupiter Adepts shook their heads vigorously. "No? Why do you say that?"
Sheba looked her in the eye. "Listen, I saw him, I tried to Mind Read him behind his back. He didn't realize I did, and I saw some things in there that shouldn't be there, if Piers is right." {Self-loathing, revulsion of his homeland, sadness, love... If he's really as bad as Piers says, then why does he have these things in his head?} Feizhi stepped up next to her and nodded.
"Sheba is right," she said. "She knows that there's something going on. She can interpret the dreams, I think. Master Hama, I think that, in this one instance, she's wiser than you by a large amount." She exited the house. Ivan looked apologetically at his sister.
"Sis, I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but Sheba and Feizhi are right. My wife says Sheba isn't lying, and I know she wouldn't lie to me. I'm afraid you're wrong on this one." He walked out of the house.
Piers jumped up to confront Sheba. "But he's Q'tiil!"
She stared at him, a glare that could have frozen air. "So am I, if he told the truth." She walked out of the room, seemingly on cushions of air, holding herself like a queen. She met the others outside. "So am I. I'll have to get used to it." Ivan looked at her with a raised eyebrow, shrugged, and walked off toward Kay's residence.
***
Sheba knocked on the door. Kay was the one to open it. "Hello, Sheba," she said, a note of hesitation in her voice. "What do you want?"
"We three had some words with the others, and we don't think they'll be willing to let us stay with them tonight." Ivan stepped forward.
"Actually, we walked out on them. Can we stay here?" Feizhi moved up to behind him, her eyes pleading.
Kay sighed. "The doorstep is getting crowded. Come on in, you guys." She welcomed them into the home. "Rhoen and I are the only ones here. Mom and Dad are staying with Felix's parents because they don't want to be in the same house as a pariah." She shook her head. "I saw that rock thing in a dream before you woke me up. He says Alex will be forced to sleep for another year, and then we'll have to kill him. The Wise One can't because of something called the 'human affairs laws' that were supposedly drawn up at the beginning of the world to prevent him from meddling in our business. He's only suspended them because he wants the world to be ready for Alex." The others nodded.
"I see," muttered Ivan. "So Alex is going to go away for another year? Well, we should try to prepare."
"Yes," came another voice. The others turned to look at the hallway. Standing there, all in black, was Rhoen. "Back in black, that's me. Nine lives. Cat's eyes." He seemed to laugh for an instant, but it was immediately swallowed in a grave attitude. "So, you're here to dispose of me, is that it?"
"No!" cried Feizhi. "That is not why we are here! We want to help you, and we want you to help us." She looked around sheepishly. "Unfortunately, we're the only ones who think that." She shrugged. "Well, do you accept our help?"
Rhoen raised a hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. The Jupiter Adepts noted that he had some black fuzz on it. "Hm... I guess it'd be okay. Kay, could you sort them into rooms? I'll help if you need it." Kay nodded. Rhoen spotted the bronze wedding bands on Ivan and Feizhi's hands. "Ah, married, are you?" They nodded. "Well, we'll give you Kay's parents' room. It's the one on the left. Sheba, you get the room next to Kay's." He pointed to the door to Garet's room.
"But that's Garet's room! What if he comes here?" Rhoen shook his head.
"He won't. I've caused a schism in this family, unfortunately. Kay insists that I should to nothing to repair it, but... I'm still responsible for its existence." He frowned and walked off to the room he occupied. "Sleep well," he called back to them. His black cloak swished ominously.
"He looks like Death," muttered Sheba. "Well, let's all get some rest. We'll figure out what to do in the morning." The others nodded.
***
Alex paced the Elemental Star room. The Mars Statue held no chain on him, but the other statues bound his right arm and both his legs. He stared at the giant chessboard. There were four key figures, and they had changed. Two were still himself and the Wise One, but the other two were Felix and Sheba. "Brother and Sister, played against each other skillfully enough, can cause their own downfall," he muttered. "Let the eternal game begin."
He laughed as the four key figures moved to gain their armies. Felix's was largest, but Alex had more power than them. Zhin had taken his rightful place under the command of someone else, but Alex was displeased that the "someone else" was Sheba. The other six, as well as someone Alex could only assume was Hama, stood on Felix's side. Garet's sister, Ivan, some woman he'd never seen, and Zhin stood on Sheba's. "Now fight, and kill each other. Make my work easier."
***
8BTFreek: Well, glad I'm done with that one.
Eshli: Dad...
8BTFreek: How many times have I told you? It's "Freek," not "dad!" Gaah!
Eshli: Whatever. I was just wondering: Why is Rand so edgy?
8BTFreek: He's engaged to three women.
Eshli: Eew!
Rand: I heard that! Freek, what are you going to do about her?
8BTFreek: The worst thing I can think of: Use her to threaten the people who don't review.
Eshli: Do I get to use the beam saber and the blaster? Or the plasma rifle, maybe?
8BTFreek: Whatever you want. Now then, readers, review, or I send Eshli in her chosen battle gear to wreak havoc on your abode.
Rand: Translation: Review, or Freek will send Eshli to redecorate your home.
8BTFreek: Precisely. So review!