“Too late,” Theta said as screams could be heard coming from the back of the room. “But I’ll keep Thaster out.” She said a spell, as James yelled at the elfin soldiers in the room to take the students and teachers to safety then he and his family ran towards the back of the room to try to stop Thaster’s slaves.
The front doors to the building opened and Tgfhi and Crystam ran in. They leapt up the stairs to the common area for safety. Right behind them were Thaster’s slaves. The slaves lifted their tiny black eyes up towards the common area, their red skin glowing brighter in the incandescent lights while their tails swished back and forth as they searched for Themrock. When they spotted him, they began to climb the stairs. The Surpen soldiers pulled their weapons and formed a barricade, but the slaves fought back with their three-clawed hands.
“Hello, brother.” A deep voice boomed below Ceceta. She glanced down to find Thaster’s glowing red image smiling up at her from the polished tiles on the floor. Theta had finished her spell in time. Thaster couldn’t enter the room. He could only project his image on shiny surfaces. Theta zapped the tiles, destroying their smooth appearance and making Thaster’s image vanish.
“That was clever of you,” Thaster said from his reflection on the newsboxes. “I hadn’t planned on your banning me from this adventure. But it doesn’t matter. I’m still going to win.” He laughed and addressed Themrock. “Brother? Are you ready to help me again?”
Theta blasted the newsboxes, destroying Thaster’s image, but he jumped over to the windows of the school store. “You were going to tell me the Codes. Do you remember?”
Themrock started to mumble something, so Aaron and Jet thrust their hands under his chin to close his mouth. Thaster growled and shot his red powers at them from the store’s windows. Sarah screamed, thinking Aaron was about to be hit, but the shadows in front of Themrock leapt forward as three Neptian tigers materialized in front of him, absorbing Thaster’s energy blasts with their black hides. The tigers didn’t look anything like the ones in the Neptian zoo. Those tigers had blue and black stripes, while these were all black.
“They’ve changed their appearance over the years,” Theta explained to Plos, when she noticed his questioning look.
The tigers growled at Thaster, the hair on their backs rising. “Oh,” Thaster said. “Nice touch with the tigers, Theta. I hadn’t thought of them either.” He began to shoot his powers around the room from every shiny surface that existed. The tigers reacted quickly, jumping out of the shadows to protect the mortals and Genisters, while Sarah used her new powers to fill the room with a fog, obscuring Thaster’s image and ending his barrage.
Bosternd grunted as he sliced the head off of the Hell slave in front of him. The slaves weren’t very strong. For the moment, he and his men were keeping them at bay, but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. The sheer number of them would ensure their victory.
The doors and windows to the common room burst open and a strong wind blew Sarah’s fog out of the room. “Brother,” Thaster said from the ceiling fan blades. “We had an agreement. You miss me. I miss you. We can be a family again if you give me the codes. What are they?” Themrock started to mumble something so Plos shot water into his mouth to shut him up. In retaliation, Thaster blasted at Plos with his red powers, but the tigers jumped forward to protect him.
“Brother,” Thaster said from the side of a large water bottle. “We’re so close to being together. Keep talking. Let me join you. You don’t need to be alone, ever again.”
One of the tigers knocked the water bottle onto the floor. They heard Thaster yelling with anger from the side of a lamp. “This isn’t working! I’m tired of waiting. Move it!”
Suddenly, Thaster’s slaves surged forward. They overwhelmed Bosternd and his men and then flowed into the room, climbing over the furniture in their quest to reach Themrock.
The purple chair that Thellis had been humping earlier morphed into Therol. He blasted at the elves around him, knocking them backwards, then marched towards Themrock, but the tigers leapt forward, blocking his path. Therol shot at them with his powers, but their fur absorbed his energy. The tigers growled and lunged for him but he escaped by flying up into the air.
Thaster’s slaves were now being attacked by the tigers. It seemed the tigers only had to bite a slave once to make it disappear. Unfortunately, there was no limit to Thaster’s slaves. They kept coming at an ever-increasing rate.
“Damn tigers,” Therol cursed. He flew over Themrock’s head, trying to reach down to grab him.
“Get him, Therol,” Thaster ordered from the shiny hinges on the school store’s door. “Bring him to me now.”
Thaster’s slaves focused their efforts on Aaron and Jet, who were holding Themrock. The tigers encircled Themrock protectively, their bodies keeping the slaves at bay. “Hold him tightly, Aaron,” Jet warned, when they felt Therol pulling up on Themrock with his powers.
“Hurry up,” Thaster yelled.
Suddenly, two of the tigers stood up on their back legs. Their bodies shifted and changed, evolving into giant men with tiger heads. They were all black and they towered over everyone else. They wore a strange, armored outfit that covered the bottom half of their body, but left their chests exposed. The tigermen leaned forward and licked at Rhen’s chest and back. His skin turned bright red and angry from the coarseness of their tongues.
Aaron began to worry that they were hurting him. “What are they doing?” he yelled, as the tigermen continued to lick Themrock.
Theta was under several of Thaster’s slaves. She blasted them off of her and flew up into the air, but before she could answer Aaron’s question, she was hit by a blast from Therol. She crashed into the wall and fell to the ground, becoming engulfed by Thaster’s slaves again.
“I don’t know,” Jet told Aaron, “but whatever they’re doing it seems to be helping.” One of the tiger’s tongues had brushed against his arm. It had stung his skin, but he had felt strength flowing through him from the encounter.
Jet shifted his grasp on Themrock as Aaron moved his hands to get a better grip on Themrock’s arms. The tigers’ actions were putting a strain on them.
At that moment of weakness, Therol jerked up on Themrock with his powers. Themrock flew up into the air towards him.
“I have him!” Therol yelled in triumph. But before he could catch Themrock, a tigerman jumped forward and snatched Themrock into his arms. The tigerman held onto Themrock protectively, cradling his body as one would a child, while the other tigerman continued to lick his skin.
“Stop them,” Thaster screamed from the fan blades. “They’re removing the delight from his body.” Therol blasted the tigermen with his powers, but they absorbed his purple energy without flinching.
Two tigers jumped up and caught Therol by his legs. They dragged him down towards the floor screaming. The remaining tigers were running around the room biting Thaster’s slaves.
“You’ve lost, you idiot,” Thaster hissed. He swung his hand out and disappeared along with his slaves.
Moments later, when Therol realized he was suddenly alone, he phased himself out of the room to escape.
Theta rose from the floor and bowed to the tigers. As she opened her mouth to thank them for their help, a black rectangular shape the size of a doorway appeared on the wall next to the school store. “You’re leaving already?” she asked, when she saw it. The dark depth inside the dimensional opening raised the hair on her arms. “Thank you for your help. We’ll take Themrock. We can keep him safe.”
“No,” the largest tiger said, the tips of his ears flicking back and forth. “You’ve done a poor job. He will come with us.”
“He belongs with us,” Theta insisted.
“He belongs to all of us,” the tiger corrected.
“Noctav is right,” one of the other tigers said, his chin lifting towards the larger tiger. “Themrock is ours as much as he’s yours.”
“Correct,” Noctav said. He made a motion with h
is tail and several of the tigers in the room ran across the floor then jumped into the black rectangle.
Theta tried again. “He has a wife. He needs to stay here.”
Noctav snorted, while glancing over at Layla. “No, I don’t think so. Have you forgotten that we know Layla?” He turned to the tigerman that was holding Themrock. “It’s time. Take him.” The tigerman nodded to his leader then strode across the common room towards the dimensional gateway with Themrock sleeping in his arms.
“Crap,” Charlie hissed as Ceceta cried out, “No! You can’t take him from us. We need him.”
“Everyone needs him,” a tiger near Ceceta snapped. “Why are you so special?”
Ceceta spoke loudly so that Noctav would hear her. “I’m not. I’m nowhere near as special as you are. You’re amazing. You’re gods compared to me, but I do know one thing. I know he wants to stay here. He’s happy here.”
Noctav lifted up one of his paws. Ceceta swallowed. It was bigger than a dragon’s paw. “This dimension is dangerous. He will be happy and safe with us in the dimension that we have chosen for him.”
“You should want us to take him from you,” another tiger told Ceceta, as it walked towards her. “If we keep him safe, your Universe will continue to exist forever.”
“Perhaps,” Ceceta agreed, “but I think he wants to stay with us.”
“Why would he?” Noctav asked. “What can you offer him? You have nothing.”
Ceceta held out her arms. “True. We haven’t anything to offer him. We take from him and give him nothing in return. We treat him like he’s our servant, but he’s happy here. He’s loved.”
Noctav huffed. “He can find love in our dimension.” He turned and walked towards the dimensional gateway, but paused by Plos. “Why do you wear our face?”
Plos brightened. “I want to help you. I’ve been raising money to make new habitats for you.”
The tigers in the room made a growling, hissing sound. “You’ve made new habitats for us?” Noctav asked, baring his black fangs. “You kill us for pleasure, slaughter us for clothing and now you think you can help us by making a new habitat? You’re a ridiculous creation.” He flicked his tail, telling the rest of his soldiers to leave.
“Wait!” Ceceta cried out. “Please. Ask Themrock. He will tell you he wants to stay.”
Noctav dipped his head. “He’s our Lord. We will see to his needs.”
Ceceta groaned. This wasn’t working. She needed to do something else or she’d lose Rhen.
She walked across the room towards the tigerman holding Themrock. “May I say goodbye to him?”
Noctav sniffed her then inclined his head. “Alright. Your scent is strong on him, as is his on you. You have mated with him. You may say goodbye to him if you wish.”
Theta flew over towards Noctav. “Before you leave, could you also help us with the others?” She pointed over at the Genisters, who were now standing as still as statues; even their breathing had slowed.
Noctav bristled. “Why should we help you? You should have told us Themrock was back.”
Theta lifted her hands defensively. “We only found out by accident. Thellis just happened to be flying by the Thestran palace, when he spotted a child petting an invisible Universal dragon. Since Themrock didn’t know who he was, we thought it best to wait until he remembered before telling you. Now, would you please help the others?”
After a pause, Noctav flicked his ear. The remaining tigers morphed into half-men, half-tiger form and began to lick the Ventarian delights out of the Genisters’ bodies.
Ceceta approached the tigerman who was holding Themrock. “You need to come down a little,” she told him. “I haven’t any powers. I can’t come up to you.” The tigerman checked with Noctav for confirmation before lowering Themrock.
Themrock was sleeping in the tiger’s arms. He looked peaceful. “Hey,” Ceceta said. He didn’t respond. Ceceta hesitated, considering the two paths that were open to her. She could let Themrock leave with the tigers, ensuring that he would lead a safe life, or she could wake him up and gamble that he’d turn back into Rhen. If he did, he would insist on staying behind with her. Ceceta pondered over which was the right decision. He would be safer somewhere else. It might be better for him to go. But, she thought, he loved adventure. He would be happier here. She looked down at the Universal Dragon tattoo on Themrock’s arm and made her decision.
Ceceta reached out towards Themrock’s face, as if she were going to stroke his cheek. Instead, she slapped him as hard as she could, screaming, “That’s for leaving me, you bastard–”
The tigers howled in protest while the tigerman holding Themrock kicked Ceceta across the room. She screamed as loudly as she could as her body flew over everyone’s heads and slammed into the wall above the newsboxes before tumbling to the ground.
“How dare you strike the creator!” Noctav yelled. He prowled towards her, intent on killing her for her crime.
As everyone’s attention was focused on Ceceta, Themrock opened his eyes. They glowed blue for a second, before turning black. Thestrst, Thellis, Tharis and Theta lost their solid bodies and floated up into the air as Layla disappeared in a swirl.
Ceceta tried to rise, but she was in too much pain. She lifted her eyes to see Noctav advancing on her. His head was lowered as his eyes sought her neck. Several people in the room screamed when he lunged for her, but Ceceta vanished before he could reach her. Noctav skidded into the wall, then turned, his eyes scanning the room for his prey. He spotted Ceceta on the far side of the room. She was standing behind Themrock. He had his left hand behind him, holding her, while his right hand held a white energy ball.
Rhen didn’t know where the Neptian tigers had come from, but they’d been trying to hurt Ceceta so, clearly, they were his enemy. When the tigerman beside him stepped closer, he backed away, keeping Ceceta against his body to protect her. “What’s going on? Why are they here?” He lifted his chin towards the tigers. “Is Themrock here?” He knew the tigers were Themrock’s bodyguards. Thellis had told him they would come back the Universe when Themrock returned.
Rhen tilted his head backwards towards Ceceta. “Why are they trying to hurt you?”
Ceceta and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Rhen was back. He wasn’t going anywhere. She watched Bosternd dip his head in her direction, honoring the sacrifice she’d been prepared to make as James held his hands out towards her, thanking her. They would forever be in her debt.
“It’s okay, love,” Ceceta said softly. She squeezed Rhen’s shoulder, thankful that he’d healed her. “The Neptian tigers saved you and the Genisters from Thaster. He tricked you this morning and gave you Ventarian delights. If it wasn’t for the tigers, you could all be dead right now.”
Rhen wasn’t sure what to make of Ceceta’s explanation. He watched the tigers warily as they approached. “But why are they trying to hurt you?”
“We had a misunderstanding that got a little out of control,” she said lightly. “Just a simple mistake. The tigers are our saviors.”
“It’s true,” Bosternd called out from across the room. He raised his sword to show the blood on it. “Thaster attacked us with his slaves. They overwhelmed us. The tigers saved us.”
By now, the tigers had lined up in front of Rhen. As they bowed, he asked, “Why did you come? Is Themrock here?”
“No,” Theta said floating towards Rhen. “I asked them to help us. They’re required to help all Genisters in trouble, not just Themrock.”
Rhen extinguished his power ball. “All Genisters?” Theta nodded.
Rhen seemed to believe her, because he relaxed his stance and released Ceceta. “Who’s in charge?” Noctav stepped closer. Rhen dipped his head. “Thank you for saving us from Thaster.”
Suddenly, Rhen jumped forward and slammed Noctav into the ground. He pressed a knife up under Noctav’s chin. “If you or your men ever harm my wife again, I will kill you,” Rhen hissed. His body was shaking with rage. It took every
thing he had to keep himself from killing the tiger that had injured Ceceta.
Rhen’s words caught the tigers by surprise. They stared at Ceceta with renewed interest. They hadn’t realized that Themrock had remarried.
“Understood,” Noctav said. As soon as Rhen released him, he lowered himself submissively. “I’m sorry, my Lord. We didn’t mean to hurt the female. It was, as she said, an accident.” His black eyes turned towards Ceceta with curiosity and he found her smiling at him. He huffed. He liked this woman.
Rhen took in the room. There were fires, broken glass and shredded pieces of furniture everywhere.
“Whoops,” Theta said. She waved her hand and her turquoise powers restored everything to the way it was. “See, all better.”
Rhen wanted to know what had happened, but for some reason he felt the Surpens and Thestrans wouldn’t give him an accurate account of the events. Turning towards Noctav, he asked, “Would you please take the time to fill me in on what just happened? I don’t remember much of this morning’s activities.”
Noctav closed its eyes, smiling. “I would be happy to tell you about today’s battle, but perhaps you would prefer to hear about it from one of the Genisters?”
“No. I’d prefer to hear about it from you.” He wanted an unbiased account. He also felt he should talk with the tigers in private about Themrock. He needed to know what their plans were for him when he returned. Since Rhen was supposed to find Themrock and protect him from Thaster, he needed to know what help he could expect from the tigers.
“Please,” Rhen said, gesturing to his right. He’d used his powers to take the tigers and Ceceta home to Surpen so they could talk in private.
Noctav lifted his nose to sniff the air. Rhen had transported them to a desert planet. The only other person he had included with them was his new wife. The elves and Genisters had been left on Thestran. Rhen indicated that they should enter what appeared to be a personal study. The tigers grunted with appreciation for Rhen’s powers, then followed Noctav and Rhen into the room.
The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves Page 41