The Thestran royal family’s staff arrived carrying trays of food for the buffet table that had been set up in the back of the room. Rhen watched as a shy, young, elfin boy gingerly placed a meal tray on his bed for him, before backing out the door.
The elves had convinced James to allow them to honor some of their people by giving them the opportunity to serve Rhen his meals while he was on Thestran.
Rhen rolled his eyes after the elf had left and turned back to Ceceta, but her bracelet sounded off.
After Ceceta had given him his shot, Rhen took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. Remember, he thought. He tapped his head with his finger to try to tell her to remember. Ceceta smiled, but her eyebrow had raised, showing she was confused. Saying a small prayer to the Gods, Rhen held up his hand in front of her and moved his fingers to signal, I love you. Ceceta appeared puzzled. Rhen tried again, repeating the hand sign.
“Oh!” she cried out as his hand movements clicked in her memory. They had invented a way of communicating with each other using their hands while they were on Punishment Island, because they hadn’t wanted their jailer, Aul, to know what they were saying. Ceceta thought for a few minutes and then signed, I tired.
Rhen closed his eyes and said another quick prayer of thanks to the Gods then signed, Me too. Let’s eat.
Ceceta mulled over his signs for a moment, trying to remember the old hand gestures that Rhen had just used. Her face lit up when they came to her. She nodded and leaned over to pull Rhen’s tray in front of him before standing up to get herself some food. The Thestran royal family and elfin royals were already on the buffet line getting themselves dinner. Ceceta returned to Rhen’s bed with her meal and signed, This great. Can communicate.
Rhen nodded. I like the fact that only the two of us can do it.
Like before, Ceceta responded. The more they signed, the easier it was for her to recall their secret language. That reminds me. I want you to promise me you won’t leave the hospital room again until all of the shots are gone.
Rhen paused mid-bite. He really didn’t want to do that. Since he prided himself on never breaking a promise, it would mean that he’d be stuck here. Ceceta repeated her request, crossing her arms over her chest when she was done. Rhen felt like he didn’t have a choice. If he refused, he’d upset her. He didn’t want her to be angry at him. Okay, he signed. I promise.
Thank you, Ceceta signed before making a heart shape with her fingers.
“What are you doing with your hands?” Jack asked, walking over to join them. He had been watching them while he ate and had wondered if they were playing some sort of Surpen game.
“Nothing,” Ceceta sang out innocently, as Rhen gave her a wicked grin.
Before Jack could question them further, Latsoh and Erfce entered the room. They were holding hands and smiling. “Hey,” Latsoh said, stopping by Rhen’s bed. “You know what?”
“No,” Ceceta asked, her eyes on their clasped hands. “What?”
“We’ve set a date for our wedding,” Latsoh cried out, throwing her arms into the air. Ceceta cheered and hugged her, as Rhen slapped Erfce on the arm and nodded his head. It was about time. He wished he could speak so he could congratulate them properly.
“But what about your parents?” Ceceta whispered.
Latsoh glanced towards the back of the room where her father and mother were perched on one of the extra hospital beds eating. Her father glared at her, while her mother pouted. “I’ve decided to live my life the way I want to. If they won’t accept my choice, then so be it.”
Ceceta hugged Latsoh again, but released her when their friends Crystam and Tgfhi approached the bed to congratulate them. Although Crystam and Tgfhi looked happy on the outside, Ceceta could see that Crystam’s eyes were strained and Tgfhi’s movements were sharp, as if he were angry. The two of them had been engaged much longer than Erfce and Latsoh, but Crystam had been putting off setting a date for their wedding. Ceceta wondered if Latsoh’s announcement might force Crystam to act.
Chapter 6
Hospital Room – Thestran Royal Palace
When James entered Rhen’s hospital room a few days later, he saw Rhen at the window talking with a dragon and realized it was the perfect opportunity for him to ask Ceceta about the sign language she and Rhen were using. He wanted to know why they’d invented it and also he needed to tell her that he’d found a language expert who might be able to decipher Rhen’s signs. He hoped it meant that Ceceta might be able to get some rest. She’d been working constantly, ever since Rhen had arrived in the hospital. James watched as Ceceta cleaned the counter near the sink. When he stepped up beside her, she placed the towel she’d been using along the side of the metal sink and turned towards him smiling. “Bosternd told me you created the sign language you’ve been using. It’s rather ingenious of you. Out of curiosity, why did you invent it?”
Ceceta’s smile faltered as her blue skin paled. She turned her head away from him and cleared her throat before saying, “We formed it during a… rough time in our lives.”
James couldn’t help himself from asking. “A rough time?”
Ceceta’s lips thinned and she nodded. She closed her eyes for a moment before softly saying, “Punishment Island.”
James shivered involuntarily. Before the war, his mother, Kate, had transmitted one of Ceceta’s memories of her and Rhen’s time on the Island to him. What he’d seen General Aul do to them had enraged him. He still wanted to gut the man for it. Too bad Aul had gone missing after the war. He opened his mouth to tell Ceceta about the interpreter he’d found, but was interrupted by Lilly.
“What are you doing bringing dragons in here? They should go with their mother.”
James glanced over towards Rhen to find him stepping away from the windows with two tiny golden dragons in his arms. The grey dragon that he’d been talking with was now flying off into the distance. Rhen signed to Ceceta. That wasn’t their mother. She was killed by the humans on their planet. That dragon saved them and brought them to me to raise until they could live on their own.
“Rhen says that wasn’t their mother,” Ceceta explained as she walked over to sit down on Rhen’s bed.
James hesitated. Rhen had been signing for a much longer time than Ceceta had answered. It seemed obvious that she hadn’t explained everything he’d said. Perhaps it would be better for him not to tell Ceceta about the interpreter. He needed to talk to Rhen about the Council’s decision to become Surpen. It might help him more in his negotiations if he had someone else explain Rhen’s signs—someone who wouldn’t leave anything out. He would wait until the interpreter arrived tomorrow before making the decision to tell them.
Rhen sat down on one of the couches in the middle of the room. The baby dragons he was holding could fit in the palm of his hand. They peeped then raced up and down his arms, checking out their new territory. One crawled up on top of his head to survey the room. Rhen lifted the dragon down and held his finger to its mouth. He knew that the Surpen Beasts of War needed powers in order to grow. Usually, the Genisters would take care of a dragon’s needs, but there weren’t any Genisters in the room. The tiny dragon squirmed in his grasp, as Rhen tried to get it to inhale his powers. It nipped at Rhen’s finger. Rhen shook his head. He clicked to it, hoping it would understand. Eventually, the dragon settled down. Rhen watched as a small, white, cloud-like wisp of his powers left his finger and entered the dragon’s mouth. There, he thought. You got it. The second baby dragon jumped out of Rhen’s shirt onto his lap. It lunged forward and bit Rhen’s hand in its rush to drink his powers. Rhen jerked his hand away and shook it. When he inspected the bite, he found it had already healed. He cradled the second dragon in his lap then lowered his hand to it, teaching it how to drink.
Latsoh was sitting on the chair across from him drinking a cup of tea. She lowered her mug slowly as she watched the scene. There was a portrait of Lord Themrock in the Wood Elf castle feeding two baby dragons the same way that Rhen was now. T
he corner of her mouth rose and she glanced around the room to see if anyone else had noticed. From the look of awe on the guard elves’ faces, it seemed they all had.
Thellis’ transparent form floated into the room through the ceiling. His wispy appearance was forest green in color, like his powers. His ghostly clothing was a darker shade of green, as was his hair and goatee. He hovered above James’ head for a moment then lowered himself over the coffee table in front of Rhen. “Feeling better?” Rhen looked up from the dragons and nodded then waved his hand in front of Thellis’ face and pointed at the golden dragons on his lap. Tired from their meal, the dragons had curled up together into a tight ball and fallen asleep. “Yes, I know. Thank you for feeding them. One of us will be back later to give them another meal.” Before Rhen could respond, Thellis phased away.
Rhen yawned. He was bored and wanted to do something. Carefully, he eased his hands under the dragons, then lifted them up and placed them onto the seat cushion beside him. Once they were settled, he stood up to stretch.
“They’re beautiful,” Jack said, leaning over the couch to get a better view. He wanted to touch them, but was afraid. He inhaled sharply when Rhen’s hand closed around his wrist. Themrock was touching him. He felt lightheaded. Rhen had touched him hundreds of times in the past, like when he’d taught Jack how to fight, but this was different because he now knew that Rhen was Themrock. Rhen guided his hand down to the back of the largest baby dragon. Slowly, he moved Jack’s hand so that Jack was stroking the dragon’s silky back. “Oh, Gods,” Jack breathed out, forgetting all about Themrock. He couldn’t believe it. He was touching a dragon.
Rhen smiled when Jack glanced up at him with wonder. He’d always liked Jack. Leaning over, he patted Jack on the shoulder before walking over towards his bed.
Across the room the Air Elf King beamed. He’d watched the exchange between his son and Rhen. There was no doubt in his mind that Jack was in with Rhen. Now all Jack had to do was get Rhen to their castle. He’d talk to his son about it later. He lifted his chin with pride. The other elfin kings were still at a loss. Even Naci, who’d once had the best chance of getting close to Themrock. He wondered if Naci would apologize to Latsoh. Probably not. The man was more stubborn than a Ventarian pig.
"Hey, Rhen,” Charlie said, walking into the room with a rectangular box under his arm. He’d been dying to ask Rhen to save Chisten from Hell, but couldn’t because he’d promised the Gods he wouldn’t bring it up until Rhen was healed. It was frustrating, because Rhen seemed perfectly healthy now.
A couple of days ago, Ceceta and the others had been concerned when Rhen’s wound had started to grow. Ceceta had tried to put the cream on it but Rhen had signed that it hurt more than the wound. She’d had to trick him, giving him a Neptian sleep massage then handcuffing him to the bed so he wouldn’t wipe the cream off his back in his sleep. They’d been worried that Rhen might fight them every time Ceceta tried to apply the cream, but when Rhen’s mother, Orpel, had visited from Surpen, she’d made him promise he’d let Ceceta administer the cream. Now Rhen was feeling better and his wound had shrunk back to its original size.
Charlie hadn’t been able to get Chisten out of his mind. The thought of her alone in Hell with Thaster made his stomach turn. Placing the box he was carrying onto the coffee table, he gestured for Rhen to approach. He lifted the lid and pulled out a checkered board, which he laid on the table. Last night, he’d realized that he might be able to broach the subject of Chisten in a roundabout way. The game he had brought included pieces that symbolized Hell. Maybe, when Rhen saw the pieces, he’d ask about Chisten? If Rhen brought it up then Charlie wasn’t breaking his promise by talking about it. Charlie pulled a leather satchel from his pocket that held the game’s pieces. “Let’s play Tetong Chess,” he said when Rhen sat down in the chair to his right.
Reed, who happened to be sitting in the chair next to Rhen’s, scoffed and reached out for the coffee table. He pulled it closer then moved the board so that it was between himself and Rhen. “We don’t want you to hurt your brain, Charlie. I’ll play Rhen.”
Charlie hesitated. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. “But I want to play,” he whined like a child, hoping Reed would back off. Since Reed had two young children, he was used to whining. He gave Charlie a look then held his hand out for the bag of pieces. Charlie sighed and tossed him the bag then moved over to sit on the opposite side of the coffee table.
After Reed explained the game’s rules to Rhen, they started to play. It didn’t take long for Rhen to beat Reed. Rhen played the Water Elf King and Air Elf King next and he beat both of them as well.
"What are they doing?” Nk asked as he stood behind Rhen’s chair watching. He’d just arrived from Surpen to check on Rhen and had found him and Lilly moving wooden shapes around on a checkered square.
“They’re playing a board game,” Aaron told him.
“Why are they playing a... bored game?" Nk shifted his weapons belt forward and sat down on the couch then dusted some sand off his tunic. There’d been a brisk wind on Surpen that had kicked up a lot of desert sand. His uniform was coated in it.
"A board game,” Aaron enunciated. “They’re playing it because it’s fun. Rhen’s good at it.” Nk snorted. Rhen was good at everything.
This game is too easy, Rhen signed to Ceceta when she administered his next shot.
“Play me,” Charlie insisted, sitting down on the chair across from Rhen when Lilly stood up. Rhen sighed. He might as well let Charlie play. Their game would be over quickly and then he could check out one of the new jetbike magazines that Reed had brought.
Several hours later, Rhen watched as Charlie took a sip from his drink while he surveyed the pieces on the board. They were still playing the same game they’d started earlier that day. Every time Rhen had thought that he’d cornered Charlie’s emperor piece, his brother would find a way to escape. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to concentrate this hard. Even some of his battles had been easier than this. When Charlie moved his pawn to an area where Rhen had thought he was protected, he groaned. No, he thought, as Charlie removed his hand from his piece marking the end of this turn. No way! Charlie had beaten him. He’d won the game and Rhen hadn’t even seen it coming.
Rhen lunged forward and grabbed Charlie by his jacket. “Hey, watch it little brother,” Charlie cried out, his hand compensating for the movement. “You’re going to spill my drink.”
Rhen held Charlie in front of him as he studied his face, searching his eyes. Ceceta was worried that Rhen might hurt Charlie so she placed her hand on his arm. “Love? Is everything okay? You played a good game.” Flinging Charlie back into his chair, Rhen turned to Ceceta and signed, Ask Charlie what his favorite color is.
“Charlie, what’s your favorite color?”
Charlie glanced towards Ceceta and then back at Rhen. This was an unexpected twist. He hadn’t been successful in getting Rhen to talk about Chisten. Instead, he’d slipped enough to clue Rhen in on his secret. “Dark brown.” Charlie watched as a grin spread across Rhen’s face. I guess that’s that, he thought. He wondered if Rhen would say anything to the others. Probably not, since the Code Book forbade it.
Ceceta, Rhen signed, Tell Nk to hire Charlie as my advisor.
“What?” Ceceta couldn’t believe it. Surely, she’d misunderstood his signs.
Rhen lifted his chin and pointed towards Nk. He knew Ceceta had seen him.
Nk balked when he got the message, but he walked over and asked Charlie if the two of them could speak together in private. Once they had left the room, Rhen lay down on his bed. Good, he thought. He was happy to have Charlie. From the looks he was getting, he knew everyone thought he was crazy for hiring him. If they only knew. Rhen chuckled to himself.
So, Charlie was a Genister. That explained why he hadn’t gone insane during his time in Hell.
Chapter 7
Hospital Room – Thestran Royal Palace
“Rhen, can w
e talk?” James asked as he entered Rhen’s hospital room. Glancing towards the back of the room, he spotted Mary, the language expert, sitting next to Lilly.
What do you think he wants? Rhen signed to Ceceta, who shrugged in response.
Mary smiled from her perch by the window. She’d been hired by James to translate Rhen’s signs but had been growing nervous that her new job was in jeopardy because Rhen hadn’t used his sign language all morning. She was surprised by how simple Rhen’s gestures were to interpret. Signaling discreetly to Lilly to read her mind, she translated Rhen’s comment. Lilly turned her back on Rhen and gesticulated with her hands, using her powers to send Mary’s translation into the minds of all of the elves and Thestrans who were present. She was about to tell Rhen that they could now understand him, but paused when James held up his hand, asking her to wait. He wanted to know what Rhen was thinking, so he could move their conversation in such a way as to get what he wanted. Bosternd had told him that Surpen would not incorporate Thestran into their empire, but James needed to have Rhen confirm it, in case Bosternd had been mistaken.
Charlie really likes that woman. I wonder who she is? Rhen signed, his eyes on Mary.
Mary blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor before whispering to Lilly what Rhen had signed. She’d noticed that Charlie was watching her, but hadn’t realized it was because he liked her. She peered over at Charlie through her lashes and found him looking equally flustered by Rhen’s comment. He was cute with his bright blue eyes, tousled blond hair and flushed cheeks.
James cleared his throat to get Rhen’s attention then sat down on the sofa beside him.
Uh, oh, this can’t be good. Every time there’s a difficult issue that James doesn’t want to deal with, he clears his throat.
“Did he say something I should know?” James asked Ceceta, even though he knew exactly what Rhen had said, because Mary had just translated it. When Ceceta shook her head, James made the decision to keep Mary’s work a secret. He wouldn’t tell Ceceta or Rhen that they could understand their sign language. “So, Rhen, here’s the situation. Our Delegates have become enamored with the idea of becoming Surpen. It’s put me in a difficult position, because… they’re calling for me to step down as the Head of the Council. They want to put you in charge. They want us to relinquish complete control to Surpen. I would like you to deny their request.”
The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves Page 5