The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves

by Charity Kelly

  Thamber hadn’t any idea. Occasionally, Rhen would visit their homes on the other Universes, so they couldn’t put it there. She glanced around the room, trying to think of a place when she had an idea. “How about here? Rhen has no reason to come here. Jack’s certainly not going to ask him to visit his castle, not after what happened to Rhen when he put his hands into the carvings in the Wood Elf castle.”

  Thellis considered it and decided she was right. One more Genister portrait would be lost on these walls. No one would even notice it. “Good idea. There’s no way they’re going to let Rhen visit the Air Elf castle. It should be safe if we keep it here.”

  Thamber hung the portrait on the wall and laughed. “I stole it from Erfce and Latsoh so that future mortals wouldn’t know what I look like and now I’m hanging it in plain sight.” She shook her head. So be it.

  ***

  Ceceta cringed when she saw her apartment door open. She’d told Rhen that she’d invited a few people over to celebrate their last night at the University, but word had gotten out that they were having a party and now, their apartment was packed. She excused herself from a conversation with students in her math class and squeezed by a group of teachers who were blocking her kitchen door. Taking tiny steps, she followed a group of larger elves as they wound their way through the partygoers down the hallway into the living room. When the first group of uninvited guests had entered, Rhen had asked Thellis to remove the furniture in their apartment to make more room, but the result was that more people had crammed into their apartment.

  Someone tapped on her shoulder. Ceceta turned to find a friend from her history class. “How’d you do on the final?” the girl yelled. One of Rhen’s tapes was playing somewhere in the room. It was so loud that Ceceta could barely hear her. “I got a 98, you?”

  “Wow,” the girl shouted. “That’s the highest grade in the class. Congratulations!”

  Ceceta smiled and nodded. She leaned in towards the girl. “How did you do?” she yelled next to her ear. Whatever the girl said in response, Ceceta couldn’t hear. She shook her head and shrugged as the girl shouted again. Finally, the girl held up her fingers, making an 8 and then a 6. Ceceta congratulated her then turned to see if she could find her friends.

  A platter with chips on it floated past her head. Ceceta reached up to take a handful. In order to make the food and drink more accessible to everyone, Rhen had asked Thellis to use his powers to make them float about the room. Thellis had also spelled the platters and pitchers to automatically replenish whenever something was taken.

  Ceceta squeezed by a group of Fire Elves she didn’t recognize then found herself face to face with the Headmaster. “Wonderful party,” he yelled. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  When she’d met with the Headmaster that afternoon to get her grades, she’d been so excited to see that she’d made the maximum honor roll that she’d invited him on a whim. Now she was feeling a little awkward about it. “Thank you for my diploma.” The Headmaster had had it delivered to her right before the party.

  “You deserve it,” he yelled. “You worked harder than any other student I know.”

  Ceceta knew he was just being nice. There were many other students who’d worked harder than her. “I’m going to see if I can find Rhen.”

  The Headmaster nodded politely then lifted his glass for a refill. One of the spelled pitchers instantly flew towards him.

  Ceceta squeezed past some students into Jet’s apartment. The party had spilled into his rooms. She was worried about the baby, so she peeked into Jet’s bedroom, but there were so many students in the room she couldn’t see anything. Pushing her way through the crowd, she headed towards the hallway hoping to get away from the music. Unfortunately, it was just as loud in the hallway. Her friends’ apartments were also filled with students now. Ceceta covered her ears and made her way through the crowd towards the stairs. She pushed past the flow of students coming up the stairs and squeezed through the main door, stepping out into the night air.

  Once outside, she dropped her hands and took a deep breath. “Ceceta!” Tgfhi shouted. Ceceta turned and saw him waving at her, telling her to follow. “Come on,” he said, when she reached his side. “It was too loud in there so we’ve made our own party by the lake.”

  “Thank the Gods. Is Rhen with you?”

  “It was his idea.”

  They walked across the Great Lawn, past the dormitories, and out onto the school’s dock. “Ceceta,” Rhen said with a smile when he saw her. She sighed and leaned against him. Rhen wrapped his hands protectively around her belly. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, it was just too much.” Rhen nodded and kissed her on the top of her head.

  “Congratulations again, Ceceta,” Crystam said, lifting her glass in salute. “To the graduate!” The others joined in, toasting her success.

  Ceceta flushed. “Thank you.”

  “Crystam was just telling me that she and Tgfhi will be staying at school over break,” Rhen said. “They’re going to be taking some intensive classes so they can graduate before next semester that way they can be at home when the baby arrives.”

  “Great idea,” Ceceta said.

  “For her,” Tgfhi grumbled. Crystam only had to take two classes over the break. He needed six classes in order to graduate. This break was going to be hell.

  “Have you decided where you’re going to live or is it still up in the air?” Ceceta asked them.

  Crystam reached for Tgfhi’s hand. “We have. We’ll be splitting our time equally between our two homes. The baby will be raised speaking both Ventarian and Tgarian.”

  “Nice,” Ceceta said, although she was thinking that it sounded like a logistical nightmare. Hopefully, her friends would work it out. She turned towards Latsoh and Erfce, who were chatting with Thellis. The two of them had finished in the top of their class. They barely had any work to do to graduate next year.

  “Hey, Rhen,” Aaron called out. He was sitting next to Sarah on the edge of the dock. Their feet were in the water. Lifting his cup, he asked, “Can I get a refill?”

  Ceceta felt Rhen’s grip tighten. “Thellis, would you get that for me?”

  “Seriously?” Thellis snapped, his green powers flaring. “Why are you making me do all the work for this party?”

  “Because I feel like it,” Rhen sassed. He laughed when Thellis made a face at him.

  Charlie chuckled as he lay on the dock next to Mary. It was about time Rhen made Thellis do some work. He felt Mary nudge his side. Rolling over, he peered into her eyes. Mary had agreed to join him on Surpen. She didn’t know it yet, but he was planning on asking her to marry him on her birthday. He could hardly wait.

  There was a shout behind them. Ceceta and Rhen turned to see a crowd of students walking towards them. It appeared they’d been found. The party was now moving outside.

  Jet stood up and brushed off his tunic then reached out to take his sleeping daughter from Lilly. “Since they’re leaving our apartment, we’ll head in now and put the baby to sleep.”

  “Lucky,” Rhen whispered after they’d said goodnight.

  Ceceta bumped her head back into his chest. “It’s our last night,” she reminded him.

  “That’s right,” Tgfhi said standing up beside them. “So, let’s get his party started!” He turned to Thellis. “Music, please.” Thellis snarled, but a moment later music was playing all around them. The arriving students began to dance and Ceceta and her friends joined in.

  ***

  Lilly didn’t want to live on Surpen. She wanted to stay on Thestran near her family. She and Jet had put off talking about it for weeks now, but with Rhen and Ceceta leaving the next morning for Surpen, it was time to make a decision. “You could work for James,” Lilly said as Jet rocked their baby in his arms to keep her from waking. “He’d love to have you run his army.”

  Jet rolled his eyes. “Lilly. We’ve discussed this. It’s not the same. Your armies fight differently. Unless James will le
t me retrain your forces, I won’t fit in. I can’t change the way I learned how to fight and there’s no way your Thestran forces would agree to the way I work. It’s not a good fit.”

  Lilly pouted as she held open their apartment door. “I don’t want to leave my family.”

  Jet couldn’t understand the problem. “You’re not leaving your family. You’re just one step through a portal away from them, just like you are now. Please, let’s go to Surpen.”

  Lilly sighed as she followed Jet into their bedroom. It would be hot on Surpen, but that was the only complaint she could come up with. The Surpen people were friendly and there was a lot to do there. Not surprisingly, Surpen had the largest city in the Universe. It was also safe. Thestran’s Council and the Convention both considered Surpen their ally. Also, Lilly knew Jet would be happy there. He’d never done well in her family home. He needed to work.

  “Fine,” she grumbled. Jet opened his mouth to thank her but she held up her hand. “This is a trial run only, okay?” Jet nodded, pleased that the matter was settled. He knew Lilly would fall in love with his planet.

  Lilly bent over to pick up a bottle and her eyes landed on one of the parenting magazines that were on her night table. Recently, Ceceta had been asking her a lot of questions about raising a child. Come to think of it, she’d been gaining weight too. “Jet, is Ceceta pregnant? Is that why they’re leaving school early?”

  Jet scoffed. “No. Rhen can’t have children. Genisters can’t reproduce with mortals.”

  “But… ” Lilly hesitated. “I think she might be.”

  Jet shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

  Lilly knew he was right. She reached for her communicator. She had to tell her parents they were moving to Surpen with Rhen.

  ***

  Rhen yawned as he stood beside the school’s portal. He was tired. They’d been up until the early hours of the morning with their friends.

  When they’d finally decided to leave the party, their friends had followed them back to their apartment. They’d talked together for hours, planning vacations and other outings. Although he and Ceceta were leaving the school, they were still going to see their friends a lot. It seemed they would also be seeing a great deal of Jet and Lilly, since they’d decided to move to Surpen too. The four of them had scheduled lunch plans for later that day. The only loose end, with regards to their time on Thestran, was now standing in front of Rhen. “Are you absolutely sure that you want to come with us?”

  “Of course,” Aaron said. “We’re your guards.”

  “But you’re also the future rulers of your tribes. I’m perfectly safe on Surpen. I don’t need guards. I know your parents feel some sort of obligation to me, since I saved their lives, but really, you’ve done your duty. There’s no more debt to repay.”

  Jack swung his bag onto his back. “We know. We made our decision. We want to do this. Don’t feel guilty. We enjoy protecting you.”

  Rhen was about to protest when Ceceta said, “And we appreciate it. It’ll be fun having you with us. Come on, Rhen. You told your mother we would be there by now.” Rhen reached out for Ceceta’s bag as the portal opened to Surpen. He waited for her as she looked out the windows in the school’s portal room towards the Great Lawn one last time. Ceceta sighed and reached for his hand. “We had some fun times here. I’m going to miss it.”

  Rhen squeezed her hand. “Yes. We did.”

  Ceceta took a deep breath then sighed and stepped through the portal.

  Rhen’s mother, Orpel, was waiting for them in Surpen’s portal room, along with Bosternd. The heat hit Rhen as soon as he followed Ceceta through the portal, bringing a smile to his face. He was home. He couldn’t be happier.

  “Sweetie,” Orpel said, lifting her arms for a hug. Rhen released Ceceta’s hand and embraced his mother. “Hi, Mom.”

  She patted his chest and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want? You could stay at that school for another year.”

  Rhen shook his head. “We’ve made our decision. We’re here to stay.”

  “Wonderful.” Orpel kissed his cheek then turned towards Ceceta and gasped. “My word! You should have told me that Ceceta was pregnant.”

  Bosternd and the guard elves were startled, their eyes landing on Ceceta. Ceceta was pregnant? She’d gained some weight, but… pregnant?

  “When are you due?” Orpel asked.

  Ceceta grinned, looking guilty, as Rhen lamely said, “Surprise?”

  Orpel laughed and the room erupted as everyone congratulated them, but at the same time, no one could believe that Ceceta was pregnant. Had she cheated? If so, wouldn’t Rhen have known? Could she really be pregnant with Themrock’s child? If she was, then how? Everyone knew that Genisters and mortals couldn’t have children together.

  "The baby's due this fall," Ceceta told them, rubbing her hand on the top of her stomach.

  "But, that's when Crystam’s baby is due,” Sarah said. How long had Ceceta been pregnant?

  “I know.” Ceceta noticed Sarah’s narrowed eyes and guessed her thoughts. “Neptians don't carry as long as other races. Our babies grow fast."

  "Very fast," Noctav said, startling them. He stepped out of the room’s shadows with three other Neptian tigers. They bowed before Rhen. “My Lord. May we join your group?” Noctav indicated behind Rhen towards the guard elves.

  Rhen hesitated before shrugging. “Sure. Why not? The more the merrier.” He wondered if the tigers were there because they knew something. Would he soon be meeting Themrock? He’d have to ask Noctav later.

  From that moment on, Ceceta and Rhen were never alone. A Neptian tiger accompanied them wherever they went. They even slept on the floor beside Rhen and Ceceta’s bed.

  At first, Rhen had been frustrated by their intrusion but when Noctav had explained to him that Themrock was nearby, he had accepted their presence, hoping they might be able help him when the time came for him to protect Themrock.

  Five Years Later

  Chapter 34

  Sinter’s Office – Rasack Palace

  “Dial the Vivist King, then get out,” Sinter told his slave. The human shivered as he worked Sinter’s computer. Once the call went through, he ran from the room, lest the Rasack King decided to bite him. Sinter sniffed as he waited for Nirs to answer. It seemed to be taking longer than usual. Finally, the screen went blue before showing Nirs’ front eyes. “Nirs, have you heard from Therol?” Nirs dipped his tail, which Sinter took to mean he hadn’t. “Listen, I’ve been trying to reach him for ages but he won’t return my calls. It’s like he’s disappeared.”

  “He's a Genister,” Nirs clicked. “I’m sure he's busy.”

  “I have some ideas on how to wake up Themrock,” Sinter said, but then he hesitated. He didn’t want to tell Nirs his plan to capture one of Rhen’s children to force Themrock into consciousness. He was worried Nirs would claim it as his own. “Just tell Therol, if you should see him, that he must contact me. It’s crucial.”

  “I will. Computer, off.” Nirs wondered if Sinter had decided to install voice commands on his devices too or if he was still using his slaves.

  Turning, Nirs looked towards the rock ledge, where he kept refreshments for his guests. Pada, the Zorthan King, was mixing himself a cocktail. It seemed that humans liked their spirits. “As I was just saying, our comrade doesn’t get it,” Nirs clicked.

  Pada took a sip from his drink and sighed. “True.”

  Rhen had shocked the Universe when he and Ceceta had given birth to a child. But he hadn’t stopped there. He and Ceceta, longing for a family for years, had gone on to have four more children. Surpen’s throne now had five heirs, all of whom would probably have amazing powers.

  Therol and Thaster had been spotted nosing about Surpen while Ceceta had been pregnant with her first child, but once she’d given birth to a living mortal, they’d disappeared. No one had seen them since. The Universe was at peace.

  Pada swirled his drink. “It’s like we’re living i
n the time after. Why stir the pot if everything’s going well?”

  Nirs agreed, which was why he’d asked Pada to visit. “So you’ll join me?”

  “Definitely. Therol’s dead to us. Themrock’s our man. He has our complete support. Zorthan will pledge itself to Themrock.” He shrugged. “It makes sense. As you put it, Themrock grew up with us. He understands us better than the Thestrans. When he returns, he’s going to be one of us. It’s the Thestrans who’ll have to worry.”

  Nirs made a strange scratching sound. Pada looked away. He couldn’t stomach the sight of a Vivist laughing. They looked absolutely horrid. He downed his drink. “I’ll be going.”

  “Remember, don't tell the Rasacks,” Nirs clicked.

  Pada snorted. “Not a problem.” He hated the Rasacks and hoped Themrock would destroy them when he finally woke up.

  ***

  "Are you sure he's coming?" Reman asked Naci as they waited on the Fire Elf castle steps.

  "He'll be here." Naci had never known Rhen to break a promise.

  "But he hasn't left Surpen in five years. What makes you think he'll leave now?"

  Naci grinned. "Because I invited him to a mock battle between our army and Surpen's soldiers, not some fancy dinner party or social gathering. Rhen loves his soldiers. He’ll want to show them off. He’ll be here."

  Reman reached down to fix her belt. "I hope you are right."

  “Crap,” Naci hissed beside her.

  Lifting her head, Reman gazed out over the flowering courtyard towards the Fire Elf temple to see what had upset him, then laughed. “I guess you were right. He did come. Along with four Genisters, three Neptian tigers and a whole battalion of Zorthans."

  Rhen was smiling as he mounted the stairs to the Fire Elf castle. “Naci!” He embraced Naci as if they were old friends then introduced him to Pada, the Genisters and his tigers. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Pada. I mentioned your idea to him that we should create mock battles to keep our soldiers active and he thought it was a splendid suggestion.”