Erfce hesitated, waiting for Tgfhi to follow him through the portal. When the frame closed behind them, he said, “About that. How did you get Charlie to give it to me?”
Tgfhi winced. “Rhen told him to give it to you. I asked Rhen for permission to steal it but he just told Charlie to hand it over. He did give it to you, right?”
Erfce blinked his large eyes. The Crithnian sun was right overhead, making it hard for him to see. He’d have to remember to bring sunglasses the next time he came.
“He gave it to me but he made me promise never to show it to Rhen.”
Glancing up, Erfce saw that the paved road they were standing on led to several large mansions, one of which was his. They were on one of Crithnian’s mountains, so they probably had beautiful views of the ocean.
“That’s a weird request,” Tgfhi said.
Erfce nodded. “I thought so too until after I gave it to Latsoh.” He glanced around them to make sure no one was nearby. Their wives had gone on ahead with Ceceta. “Latsoh was thrilled to see it again. She couldn’t thank me enough.” He blushed, remembering the afternoon he’d surprised her with the portrait. “I told her Charlie’s comment and we studied the picture to see if we could figure out why he didn’t want Rhen to see it.”
“And?” Tgfhi asked.
“To the left of Thamber’s head, through her hair, you can just make out a card table with three people sitting at it. It’s barely visible. You’d never see it if you weren’t looking for something. At the table were three Genisters. They appear to be waiting for Thamber to join them. One of them is that masked Genister, Thestrst.”
Tgfhi’s eyes widened. “Really? And how would you know that?”
“Because the man had an orange glow around him. Thestrst’s color is orange. The other two people at the card table were Themrock.” Now he had Tgfhi’s attention. “That’s right. You can see two Rhens at the table. If we hadn’t of been searching for Thestrst’s identity by looking for his color, we wouldn’t have realized that one of the Themrocks was glowing blue while the other one glowed… purple.”
“What?!” Tgfhi barked. He couldn’t believe it.
Erfce nodded. “You heard me. The second Themrock was Therol. They looked identical. We were shocked when we saw it.”
“Hell,” Tgfhi cursed. “Something’s seriously wrong about that. What are the Genisters not telling us?”
“My thoughts exactly. Anyway, we wrapped up the portrait and put it in a closet on Ponto. Hopefully, Rhen will never see it. If he did, he’d become Themrock. There’s no hiding his face. It’s totally looking out at you from the portrait, only one of his bodies has a blue halo while the other one glows purple.”
They heard a shout and saw Ceceta and the others waving at them from the front walkway of one of the larger homes. Surprisingly, Rhen was standing with them. Erfce hadn’t realized he was there. He studied Rhen’s face as he jogged alongside Tgfhi towards them. It appeared he hadn’t heard them talking. Thank the Gods.
Chapter 28
Academic Building – Elfin University
Rhen found his teacher’s voice grating. Normally, he had the patience to deal with it, but today, after having had a headache all break long, it was driving him nuts. He excused himself to go to the bathroom then left with his guards in tow. Instead of turning to go into the bathroom though, he walked towards the exit. “Is everything okay?” Jet asked, holding the door open for him.
“Yeah, I need some air.”
Outside, they walked down the brick path to the lake. Rhen picked a nice, grassy spot on the banks of the water and sat down, his guards encircling him protectively as they sat beside him.
They watched the wind as it made ripples on the water. “Beautiful,” Charlie murmured, his eyes scanning the distant shore and the reflections of the trees on the water.
Sarah was feeling restless, so she decided to work on her water skills. She moved over to the side of their group then raised and lowered her hands as she moved a stream of water up and down. She shook from the chill of her powers, but kept working, trying to hone her skills.
Rhen watched her practice. He smiled every time she accidentally dropped the water. When Sarah stomped her foot with frustration, he said, “You’d be better at it if you used the proper movements.”
Sarah paused. “There are movements?”
Rhen snorted. “Of course. Everything has a movement. Haven’t you ever watched the Thestran royals work their powers?” She had but it hadn’t occurred to her that the Water Elves would have specific movements too. “I’ll show you.” Rhen walked over and leaned down to tap the inside of Sarah’s thigh. Sarah laughed and jumped back from him.
“No, silly,” Rhen said, gesturing for her to return. “You have to open your legs more so you don’t lose your balance when you lean backwards.”
Sarah laughed again with embarrassment . Rhen had been trying to position her properly.
She stepped back into place and waited as Rhen circled her, inspecting her stance. When he was satisfied, he took the same stance in front of her. “Copy me.” He moved his arms in a wave-like fashion then brought them across his body. Sarah tried to follow his movements, but she was horrible at it. “You need more guidance.”
Rhen stepped behind her to match his body to hers. When Rhen dropped his head down over Sarah’s shoulder, to align their arms, Sarah caught a whiff of Giy flowers and her body became rigid. Themrock! Themrock was showing her how to use her powers. Sarah felt dizzy and leaned forward to step away from him, but Rhen grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back into his body. She felt his arms touching hers, his hair brushing against her cheek, the feel of his breath tickling her neck. Sarah gasped and pushed herself away from Rhen. Behind her she heard Rhen ask, “Don’t you want to learn?”
Sarah took a few deep breaths to steady herself. She was blushing and found it hard to look him in the eye. “Yes, I do want to learn, it’s just… I don’t know what to do,” she finished lamely.
“Come back here and I’ll show you.” Rhen stepped back into position but Sarah hesitated.
What’s up? Aaron thought. Sarah glanced at him. Why are you acting this way?
Sarah closed her eyes. It was hard to think of anything but Themrock. I’m sorry. I know it’s Rhen but I can’t stop remembering that he’s Themrock. Themrock is holding me. Themrock is showing me how to use my powers. I feel like throwing myself on the floor and worshiping him. What should I do?
Jack coughed. Sarah had been so caught up in Themrock that she’d accidentally sent her answer to all of them.
You’re freaking out too much. Aaron thought. Remember he’s just a goofy guy, who can’t ride his jetbike as well as you do and who wears a skirt. He’s not Themrock. He’s–
Charlie interrupted, chanting in his mind, Sarah’s in love with Themrock. He didn’t stop until Aaron reached over to hit him on the head.
Rhen cocked his head and gestured towards Sarah. “Come on. Let me show you.”
Sarah fit herself back into his stance. She felt the warmth of his skin on hers and bit her lip to try to keep calm. As Rhen moved their arms in a fluid motion, his body pressed against Sarah’s to guide her, Sarah realized she was about to lose it.
Dog Poop! Charlie yelled, interrupting everyone’s thoughts except for Rhen’s. They were all starting to feel Sarah’s loss of control. Her feelings for Rhen were seeping into their minds and they found themselves wanting to bow before him. Sarah glanced over at Charlie, who gave her a lazy smile. When you feel yourself losing control next to our Lord Themrock, think of something you hate. Dog poop smeared all over your shoe is what I think about. I find it very helpful.
Thanks, Charlie, Sarah thought. She closed her eyes and focused on poop while moving in tandem with Rhen’s body.
Charlie’s advice worked. When she felt she had the movements down, she opened her eyes and found she’d made a stream of water that reached several stories high. Rhen swirled their hands in a circle a
nd the water turned. It dove and spun, copying their movements. When Rhen lifted their hands up, the water shot higher. After a few more minutes of guidance, Rhen stepped away from her.
Sarah’s lips thinned as she concentrated on the water. She moved it to the left and right, turned it in circles then pulled it towards her so that it was dangling over her head. As soon as the water was above her, she panicked, forgetting what to do. Sarah gasped as hundreds of gallons of water fell down toward her.
Before it crashed on top of her, the water froze into beautiful crystals that dangled in the air. Sarah reached up to touch one of the frozen droplets.
Rhen cleared his throat. “That’s the next step. First control, then freeze, then boil, then evaporate. You’ll get it.”
The water above Sarah disappeared. “Thanks, Rhen.” She wanted to hug him but paused when she saw Ceceta and her friends coming down the hill towards them.
“That was so cool!” Tgfhi yelled. “Did you do that, Sarah?”
Sarah blushed. “Some of it, but Rhen did the rest. He showed me how to work my powers.”
“Can you teach me how to use my fire powers?” Latsoh asked.
Rhen tilted his head. “When did you get powers?”
No one said anything. What could they say? Rhen didn’t remember what had happened at the Fire Elf castle and they couldn’t tell him.
Latsoh giggled as Charlie came to her aid. “Didn’t you know, little brother? The oracles have been predicting that Themrock’s coming back. As his time of arrival gets closer, more and more of our powers are materializing within us. If this keeps up, we should have our powers back by the end of the school year. Isn’t that great?”
Rhen’s brow furrowed. He needed to start looking for Themrock. If the elves were getting their powers then he must be close. “Sure, Latsoh. After dinner, I’ll show you some moves.”
Later that evening, a crowd had gathered by the University’s lake to watch Rhen teach Latsoh how to use her powers. As the number of people grew, Latsoh felt herself getting cold feet. She didn’t want everyone watching her. “Rhen, teach Aaron first and then me,” she pleaded, when Rhen arrived.
Rhen turned to Aaron. “Do you want to learn?”
Aaron snorted. Did he want to learn? Of course he wanted to learn! “Yes. Would you teach me?”
“Sure,” Rhen said. He moved Aaron into the proper stance then stepped forward to match his form, like he’d done with Sarah.
As soon as their bodies touched, Aaron had the same reaction that Sarah had had that afternoon. He couldn’t stop thinking of Rhen as Themrock. The desire to prostrate himself before Themrock in worship was overwhelming. He glanced towards his wife and saw her pointing at her shoe. Dog poop. That’s what Charlie had said. Dog poop. Smelly dog poop smeared all over his shoes. Instantly, he felt much better.
Rhen moved their arms to the right, making shapes in the air. Aaron concentrated on the movements as Rhen turned their arms again. When he swung their hands to the left, a strong blast of flames shot out of their hands. Aaron laughed. He’d never made a flame longer than his foot before. Rhen showed Aaron how to maintain the blast. When Aaron was ready, he moved on, showing Aaron how to make designs in the air with this flames. Aaron’s fingers were red from the flames, but they didn’t hurt. Rhen clapped their hands together and the flames disappeared. Then, he pulled their hands apart to reveal red-hot lava suspended in the air between them. The crowd gasped and clapped with delight. Moving quickly, Rhen swung Aaron’s hands upward and the lava flew into the air. He spun Aaron around and the lava burned so hot that it turned to ash. The crowd was cheering when Rhen stepped away from Aaron.
“Very good, Aaron. You got to step two.”
Aaron laughed and shook his head. “Thanks, Rhen. That was amazing! I hope I can remember all the moves. Is there a step three for Fire Elves?”
“You can change the temperature of the fire so it burns hotter or colder and you can make it implode if you want to.”
Aaron was stunned. “Seriously? I can blow things up? Will you teach that to me?”
Rhen pulled down on his tunic to straighten it then held his hand out to Aaron. “I will, but not tonight. Tonight I’ll show you something else. Take my hand.” Aaron reached out to grip Rhen’s fingers. “Close your eyes and concentrate on fire, and I mean really concentrate on fire.” Aaron closed his eyes and thought about the fire shooting out of the top of the Fire Elf temple. He could feel a pressure building within him as his mind focused on the flames. “Ready?” He heard Rhen ask. He was about to ask what was going to happen, when Rhen shouted, “Go!” and released his hand.
Flames burst out from underneath Aaron’s feet, rocketing him high into the air. Aaron screamed but Rhen flew up beside him and yelled, “Run with it!” When Aaron started to run, he felt the flames pushing him forward. He was flying through the air, running on flames. He laughed and shouted with victory as he ran out over the lake then headed back towards the shore.
Aaron sailed down towards the crowd on a stream of flames. Just before he touched down, he fell and bounced along the ground, the flames under his feet engulfed him. Rhen waved his hand to put them out and Aaron stood up laughing. “That was fantastic!” He grabbed Rhen and hugged him, pounding his back. “Thank you! I love you!” he shouted. The crowd laughed at his excitement. Aaron released Rhen and walked away yelling, “Yeah!” while pumping his fists into the air.
Rhen pointed at Latsoh. “Are you ready?”
Although she was afraid to learn her powers in front of everyone, her brother’s reaction was so overwhelming that it pushed her forward. Latsoh aligned her body with Rhen’s. Since she had already felt a passionate awe of Rhen, before she had even known he was Themrock, she recognized the sensation at once and clamped down on her emotions before they overwhelmed her.
Latsoh’s training was quick. She picked up on the movements in half the time that it had taken Aaron.
As she ended her lesson flying through the air on a burst of flames, Rhen called out, “Well done. You’re my star student today.”
Latsoh landed with grace on the ground beside him and laughed. “Thanks, Rhen.”
Rhen proceeded to teach some of the other elves how to use their powers. When the Water Elf beside him accidentally threw several tons of water into the flight path of a spacejet, he decided to call it a night. “I need some sleep,” he told the students. “Maybe tomorrow I can teach more of you.”
“We’ll see,” Ceceta said, looping her arm through his and pulling him towards their apartment. She was worried he might have overexerted himself. He’d only just gotten over his headache.
They entered their living room to find it decorated with balloons, ribbons, flowers and streamers.
“Surprise!” Lilly cried out, jumping up from behind their couch. “I thought we should have a party.” She gestured for Jet to hand Rhen the guitar he was holding.
Jet grimaced. “Sorry,” he whispered, when Lilly wasn’t looking. “She insisted.”
Rhen chuckled with sympathy. Surpens didn’t have parties for anything but weddings. “It’s fine,” he said, taking the guitar. He sat down on the couch and began to play as Lilly handed out refreshments.
Ceceta raised her glass. “A toast to new marriages, marriages soon to come, and new babies.” She winked at Jet and Lilly. Lilly blushed while Jet stood a little taller.
Crystam gasped. “Are you expecting another baby?”
Lilly nodded and cradled her stomach. “Yes,” she said, her face glowing, as everyone crowded around her and Jet to congratulate them.
Ceceta found she was having a lovely time. Lilly had planned some party games that had them all laughing late into the night. “I wish this evening would never end,” she said, leaning over to kiss Rhen, who was still playing the guitar Jet had given him.
Mary sighed at the love she could see in their eyes. “How did you two end up together?” she asked. She was sitting on Charlie’s lap as he tried to braid her h
air and felt him kiss her softly on the back of her neck. Reaching back, she gave him a hug.
“It’s a lovely story, really,” Ceceta said, leaning back into the couch.
“Tell us,” Crystam insisted. She and Tgfhi were sitting next to the coffee table in Rhen’s usual spot.
“Well, as you all know by now, Yfetb broke off our engagement. My family and I were visiting the Neptian royal palace, because we were having some trouble in our hometown.”
Mary lifted her hand. “Um, excuse me, but didn’t you meet Rhen when you were eight years old? Why were you getting married at 8?”
“I know it sounds weird to you, Thestrans, but that’s what Neptians do. They get married at a young age. The girl lives with her husband’s family, helping them, but she doesn’t share a marital bed until she’s a teenager.” Rhen played something discordant on the guitar and Ceceta smacked him on the arm. “Anyway,” she continued, “my family went to the palace and by coincidence, Rhen and his parents just happened to be there at the same time. My parents went to stand in line to meet with the King and Queen and I went off with my brothers and sisters to explore. We heard some music coming from one of the rooms and went to investigate. There, sitting on a bench, with about thirty women at his feet–”
“It was more like seven women,” Rhen interrupted.
“No. It was thirty women. They were lying at your feet, looking up at you with love in their eyes.”
“You mistook indigestion for love, Cece. We’d just had a horrible lunch and we were all sick.”
Ceceta smacked Rhen on the arm again. “Who’s telling this story?”
“I’m just trying to get the facts straight,” Rhen said, starting a new song.
“I am getting the facts straight. There were at least forty women lying around at your feet. You had put a spell on them and they were looking up at you with love in their eyes.” She stared at Rhen waiting for him to contradict her.
The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves Page 37