When Rhen heard what Noctav had to say, he was relieved that the tigers had appeared in time to save them. He was also happy to hear that the tigers planned on helping him protect Themrock. Although, now that they knew Rhen would be the one to find Themrock, they had informed him that they would be stopping by regularly to check on his progress. Rhen didn’t like the idea, but he agreed to it.
After their meeting, Rhen phased himself and Ceceta into their bedroom at the Elfin University. Rhen pulled Ceceta into his arms and kissed her. “Thank the Gods you weren’t hurt.” He squeezed her until she squealed, “Too, tight, love.” Rhen released her, but kept his head against hers. “I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
Ceceta kissed him. “Me too. Those tigers were amazing. It’s too bad you didn’t see them in action against Thaster’s slaves. Incredible.”
“I’m sorry I missed it.” Rhen kissed her along the side of her cheek, working his way to her lips.
“What time is it?” Ceceta asked, glancing towards her night table where she had an old-fashioned time piece.
“Time for bed,” Rhen mumbled. He reached out to scoop her up in his arms.
Ceceta ducked out of the way and darted towards the door, grabbing her books as she passed by the closet. Without stopping, she called over her shoulder, “We can still catch our last class if we hurry. I’ll run ahead, while you wash off that tiger spit and get dressed, for goodness sake.”
Rhen sighed and dropped his head down. That wasn’t at all what he’d had in mind.
Ceceta bumped into Jet, Charlie and the guard elves in her living room. “You’re back?” Jet rose to his feet. “We weren’t sure where you went.”
Ceceta made her way to the door. “Sorry, we were on Surpen, but now we’re back. I’m going to try to catch our last class of the day and Rhen’s washing up.” She pulled open the door, but Jet stopped her.
“Thank you for what you did with the tigers.” He placed his hands over his heart. “We owe you.” The others murmured their agreement.
Ceceta waved their words away. She knew they would have done the same.
She ran down the stairs and out onto the pathway, heading for the academic building. If she was lucky, Latsoh was attending their class and she could copy her notes. As she rounded the bend in the empty hallway that led to her classroom door, Noctav stepped out of a shadow, blocking her path. Ceceta gasped and pulled up short, lifting her books to her chest in a protective gesture. Was he mad at her for tricking him? Was he going to finish what he’d started?
“Well, well, well, aren’t you a clever one,” Noctav said. He circled her with a leisurely gait. Ceceta tried to swallow, but found her throat was too dry.
The elfin royals and Thestran royal family had been waiting for Ceceta in her classroom. When they heard the rumble of Noctav's voice, they stepped out into the hallway to see what was happening.
“You could have told us that you were his female,” Noctav said. “Why didn’t you?”
Ceceta was relieved to see the others. Noctav sounded cross. Maybe he’d spare her now that there was an audience. “I didn’t think it would matter,” she confessed. She was turning around in circles, keeping him in her sight.
“You didn’t think it would matter?” Noctav laughed then shook his head and snorted. “Layla is a horrible wife. Are you any better?”
Ceceta bristled. How dare he compare her to Layla. “We’re very different. First–”
Noctav interrupted her. “Technically, Themrock is still married to Layla. You’re really nothing more than his mistress.”
Everything Ceceta had been about to say was gone. He was right. She’d always known it. Rhen loved her, but Themrock was Layla’s. Ceceta dropped her head. “I know my situation. When Themrock returns, he’ll take Layla as his wife, but,” she lifted her chin. “as long as he’s Rhen, he’s mine.”
Noctav stopped pacing to stare at her. He sniffed, his whiskers quivering. “You are brave and wise, two traits that Layla never possessed. You also smell like him. Layla smelled like many men. We accept you as the true wife of Themrock.” He bowed before her. “We will protect you, as well as Themrock.” Ceceta didn’t know what to say. Noctav rose and flicked his tail to seal his promise.
“Th… thank you,” Ceceta stuttered.
“No need to thank us. You’re his life. It’s our duty to protect you.” A black dimensional doorway appeared on the wall beside them. “By the way, you were right. He is happy here. It would have been wrong of us to take him.” Noctav turned to leave, but Plos cried out, “Wait!”
“Excuse me, your majesty?” Plos said, giving Noctav an extravagant bow. “But we have two female Neptian tigers in our zoo that need to go with you. I don’t think they want to be here. It would probably be better for them if they were with you.”
Noctav lifted his chin as he regarded Plos. “I know the females. My mate is one of them, my queen the other. You’re wrong. They want to stay. They are our liaison between this dimension and our new home. It was through them that Theta contacted us. Without them, you would never have been able to reach us. If my mate is unhappy, then I will visit her this evening. Our queen, unfortunately, is never content. Ever since her husband and children were killed by your kind, she’s never been quite the same. But I will visit her as well, to see if we can do anything to ease her pain.” Noctav inclined his head towards Plos, then jumped into the dimensional doorway as it began to close.
Ceceta turned to find her teacher and all of the students from her class crammed into the classroom doorway watching. She felt embarrassed and looked away from them. Unfortunately, there was no privacy in the other direction, because every classroom door was open and hundreds of eyes were trained on her. Ceceta lifted her books up higher and turned to go back to her apartment.
“Ceceta,” James called out, moving to intercept her. “Without you, we would be at a loss. Thank you for what you’ve done. Noctav is right. You are brave and wise. Rhen is lucky to have you.”
Ceceta laughed and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Thanks, but really, anyone would have done the same.”
“No, they wouldn’t have,” Plos said. He handed Ceceta a golden key. “This is a key to our castle. You will always find it open to you.”
“Ours too,” the other elfin kings said in unison as they handed her the keys to their castles.
Ceceta laughed at their attention and dropped her eyes to the floor. Usually, Rhen was the focal point, not her. “Thanks,” she told them, feeling rather uncomfortable.
She turned and rushed off to her apartment.
“Thank Themrock for Ceceta,” James said, as the others nodded in agreement. She had saved them yet again.
Chapter 32
Nirs’ Castle – Planet of Vivist
Nirs scurried down the dirt tunnel towards Sinter. The Rasack King had arrived unannounced in the Vivist castle’s portal room. "What is it?" Nirs clicked when he reached the chamber. He snapped his front pincers with agitation. He had half a mind to declare war on the Rasacks just for Sinter’s barging in on him.
Sinter raised his serpentine head. "Therol made an attempt on Themrock."
"I know. My spies informed me about it," Nirs clicked. He lowered his tail eyes to inspect Sinter. It was dark in the underground chamber, lit only by the glow ticks that had been harvested. Even in the dim light, Nirs could see Sinter’s purple-tipped tail swishing back and forth at a rapid rate. He was excited.
"They almost had him. If we had been there, Therol would have succeeded. Why didn't he ask us to help him?"
Sinter’s excitement made it hard for Nirs to understand him. His words were being pronounced with a hissing sound. Nirs lowered his carapace to the ground to feel the vibrations coming from his hive. Everything was calm. There weren’t any other Rasacks in his home. Sinter wasn’t distracting him while the Rasacks invaded. The Rasack King was simply upset with Therol.
"My understanding was that they went after him through the Genisters,” Nirs cl
icked. “There was nothing we could do to help."
Sinter trotted back and forth in front of Nirs’ stone portal, his hooves gouging the dense dirt. "We should have been there," he hissed, his forked tongue darting out and back.
Nirs’ felt like spearing him with his stinger. He wanted to go. He’d been on a tour of the southern nursery when he’d received word of Sinter’s arrival. He needed to get back for the blessing before they sealed the eggs for incubation. “There was no way we could have assisted with this battle,” he clicked. “They did it through the Genisters.”
Sinter’s mind was elsewhere. He wasn’t listening Nirs. "I want in. Don't you? It would be fun to go after Themrock."
"Of course," Nirs clicked automatically, but in his thorax, he knew that his planet had been more prosperous since Themrock's return than ever before in recorded history. Rhen was good for the Vivists. Nirs had been contemplating the possibility of replacing Therol with Themrock as the Vivists’ God and he had heard a rumor that the Zorthans were considering the same thing.
"Good," Sinter said. He halted in front of the portal, the only human-made item in the room. "I'll contact Therol to let him know he can count on us. I know he’s got some elves working for him on Thestran. It’s time he included us in his plans."
***
James sat down on the cushion next to Rhen and poured more blood into his glass. Sarah and Aaron’s wedding reception was in full swing in the Water Elf castle and Rhen had just finished singing four love songs to the newlyweds. “Thanks,” Rhen said as he reached for the drink.
James sniffed the pitcher and winced. “When are you going to start eating regular food? You don’t have bloodworms anymore, right?”
Rhen lowered his glass. “No, they’re gone.” He shrugged. “I guess I feel I should stick with traditional Surpen food, since I’m Emperor.”
James couldn’t understand his reasoning. “But haven’t you removed the bloodworms from all of your people? I heard they don’t eat a lot of meat these days. Why would you continue?” Rhen shrugged again. He didn’t feel like discussing it.
Reed sat down on the cushion to Rhen’s left. The merman who’d been sitting beside Rhen had gone off to play in the tubes. “Mom just told me that she’s set a date for our family Olympics.”
James was surprised to hear it. She’d been going back and forth about it forever. “When are they?”
“The first day of summer.” Reed picked up a spoon that had been left behind and tapped it absentmindedly against the table. “You’ll come, right?” he asked, his eyes on Rhen. “Mom has her heart set on everyone attending the event.”
Rhen glanced in Ceceta’s direction. She was standing with Latsoh and Crystam by the tubes. “Sure, if it’s okay with my boss.”
“It’s fine with me,” Jet said on the other side of the table, while mentally checking Rhen’s calendar in his head. Rhen laughed and Jet realized his mistake. He groaned and covered his eyes with his hand. “Sorry, Rhen. I was up a lot last night with the baby.”
“I remember those days,” Reed said. He was glad they were over. He’d been exhausted when his kids had been little. Speaking of children, he lifted the spoon he was holding and pointed it at Plos, who was dancing with his wife. “Did you hear that one of the female Neptian tigers in the zoo is pregnant?”
“Ah,” Rhen said with a smile. “Plos must be beside himself with joy.”
The music changed to a slow song. They watched as Sarah and Aaron kissed on the dance floor.
Reed yawned. “Out of curiosity, what are you giving the newlyweds for a present?”
“Power balls,” Rhen answered nonchalantly.
Reed snorted. Of course. That was Rhen’s trademark gift. “I wonder what they’ll choose.”
“They’re total love birds,” Rhen said, with a laugh. “Aaron has already asked for water powers and Sarah wants fire powers.”
“Oh, that’s so cute,” Crystam said, walking up to their table with Tgfhi by her side. Rhen rolled his eyes and opened his mouth as if he were going to throw up, while Tgfhi laughed. They planned on teasing Aaron about his decision for weeks to come.
Reed glanced up to find his wife beckoning to him. “Excuse me.” He weaved his way through the tables, until he reached her side. “What’s up?”
Lilo put her hand on Reed’s arm. “Dad’s upset. The Water and Fire Elf castles have been restored, but not ours. He’s asked Shno a million times to bring Rhen to our castle, but Shno keeps coming up with excuses. Will you help? You ride jetbikes with Rhen almost every day. Can you ask him to stop by?”
“Jetbikes are an outdoor sport. I’d have no reason to ask him inside.”
Lilo pouted. “What if you ask him in for a drink when you pass by the next time?”
Reed hesitated. Whenever he and Rhen got together, they were both focused on their bikes. Reed loved the fact that his little brother enjoyed his obsession as much as he did. They would spend hours trying out new trails, tinkering with their jetbike engines or discussing the latest jetbike designs. Their time together was always relaxing. Lilo was right, though. He should ask Rhen to visit. As the Wood Elf Prince, it was his duty to get Themrock to open their castle. “Okay, I’ll try to think of a way to get him to stop by tomorrow.”
Lilo leaned forward to kiss him. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll let Dad know.”
***
The next morning, Reed entered the University’s student dining hall and approached Rhen’s table. “Hey, Rhen, would you be able to join us for lunch at the castle today? We’re setting up a picnic down by the lake.”
Rhen hesitated. Reed could tell he was trying to come up with a reason not to join them. “It’ll be fun,” Reed assured him.
“The thing is, Reed–” Rhen began.
Charlie interrupted him. “Down by the lake? Definitely! We haven’t had a picnic by the lake in ages. I bet the water is perfect for swimming now.”
“Oh!” Ceceta chimed in. She liked the idea of swimming in the Wood Elves’ lake. “That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.” She glanced up at Reed. “I mean, if the invitation was for all of us.” Reed scowled as if it were obvious they were included. Ceceta reached for Rhen’s arm. “This will be great. We can meet you and Reed there after our math class.”
Rhen realized Ceceta had made up her mind. “Okay.”
Reed closed his eyes and sent a silent thank you to the Gods that Ceceta had gotten involved. If she hadn’t, Rhen would have refused. Now the problem was going to be getting Rhen from the lake into his castle. He put his hand on Rhen’s shoulder. “If you finish early with Bosternd, why don’t you join me for a jetbike ride beforehand?” Rhen perked up at his suggestion. Reed waved goodbye and headed home. He had work to do to prepare for Rhen’s visit.
***
Rhen fell off his jetbike only twice on the Wood Elves’ paths, so he was in a good mood when he and Reed pulled up beside the picnic that had been arranged on the banks of the Wood Elf lake. He pulled off his helmet and gazed out over the crystal blue water. Birds were singing in the apple trees above him, as frogs provided an echoing chorus by the lake’s edge. Three busy dragonflies halted momentarily in front of him before hurrying off on their way. A mother duck and her babies paddled past them towards the distant water lilies. Rhen took a deep breath, smelling the fresh air. “It’s nice here,” he said, securing his helmet to the back of his bike.
“Thanks,” Reed said. He pointed at Rhen’s oil tank. “Like I mentioned by the caves, you should add more oil the next time we ride.” Rhen nodded. He tended to forget things like that. Reed was good about reminding him.
They walked over to join the others on the blankets that had been placed on the grass. Estan, the Wood Elf King, and his wife, Ralis, were seated beside Lilo. Rhen wondered if this was a formal gathering, but when Reed collapsed onto Lilo, making her laugh, he dismissed the idea. They were there to have fun.
Food was passed around and everyone began eating. Rhen watched the water as he l
istened to Ceceta chat about the movie club’s next film. When he brought his gaze back to the group, he noticed Estan was staring at him. He threw a meatball into his mouth and turned away, but a short while later he looked back to find Estan still staring at him.
Ceceta was talking with Latsoh and Crystam about one of their classes when she saw Rhen sign, Why is Estan staring at me? He’s been doing it the entire time we’ve been here. Do I have food on my face or something?
The elves were surprised to hear Lilly transmitting Rhen’s signs. They had forgotten that Mary was still working for the royal family. She and Charlie had been dating for so long now that they simply thought of her as Charlie’s girlfriend.
Ceceta shook her head, but Rhen rubbed his face with his hands anyway.
Estan dropped his gaze to his lap. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Themrock uncomfortable before taking him into his castle.
Charlie yawned and stretched. “Hey, when does the swimming portion of the day happen?”
Rhen had no interest in swimming. He didn’t mind sitting underneath the water to think, but swimming held no appeal to him. He glanced towards Ceceta, hoping to indicate to her that he didn’t want to go swimming, when Tgfhi cried out, ‘Yes!’
Ceceta frowned and checked her communicator. “Tgfhi, I don’t think we have enough time to go swimming before our next class.”
Yeah! Rhen cheered to himself.
“Sure, you do,” Charlie said, standing up. “There’s plenty of time for a quick swim.” He glanced down at Reed. “Would you show us where the changing rooms are?” Reed was stunned. Was Charlie actually helping them, or was his behavior just a coincidence? A moment later, Charlie grabbed his crotch and danced around like a child. “I got to pee,” he sang out, making the others laugh.
Reed shook his head and rose to his feet. “Come on, I’ll show you where the bathrooms and changing rooms are. We have bathing suits that will fit everyone in the locker rooms.”
The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves Page 42