“Shall we head to dinner?” Bosternd asked.
They passed a group of Wood Elves in the hallway, who stopped to ask him if he was feeling more rested now. Rhen growled at them and they moved on.
Bosternd gave Ceceta a look. She shook her head. Something was off. Rhen wasn’t acting right.
When they arrived in the dining hall, a different set of elves asked Rhen if he had slept well. That’s it, Rhen thought. Everyone was asking him the same question, as if they’d been briefed. Rhen grabbed Jack and phased the two of them to another planet.
“Hell,” Bosternd said.
Noctav sat down on his haunches with his eyes closed, smiling. “When I bit Rhen, I put a locating device under his skin. I knew it would be useful, but I hadn’t realized how soon we were going to need it.” He focused his mind on the device in Rhen’s shoulder. “Where are you going?” he mumbled to himself, while watching the solar systems pass by. “Ha.” He opened his eyes and turned to the others. “They’re on Tholus in System 38.”
“Should we go to him?” Aaron asked.
“No. Let him be. He’ll be fine there,” Noctav said.
Jack stared at his surroundings. He’d never been to this place before. They were standing on a lush tropical island with two suns. The ocean water before them was blue but the sand under their feet was an off-green color. It was warm and the air smelled like Crithnian coconuts. “This is nice. Do you come here often?” He wasn’t sure why Rhen had taken him away from the others, but he knew he would tell him when he was ready.
“Sometimes.” Rhen sat down on the beach. “I like it.”
“I guess we’re not in System 3 anymore?”
Rhen snorted. “No. Somewhere else.”
Jack sat down next to Rhen on the sand. They watched the waves in silence for a while. He could tell Rhen was thinking, so he lay down to wait. Within a matter of minutes, he was asleep. Rhen lowered himself down onto the sand beside Jack to watch the clouds. When a gull screeched over their heads, Jack jerked awake. “Oh, sorry.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning. “How long was I out?”
Rhen shrugged. “I’m not sure, but dinner is definitely over by now.”
Jack stood up to stretch. He was ready to get back to Thestran. Maybe Rhen needed an invitation to begin. “So, why did you bring me here?”
Studying the waves, Rhen said, “For the truth.”
Jack smiled, although he wasn’t at all at ease. Gods. What truth did Rhen want from him? What if he said the wrong thing and messed everything up? Why had Rhen picked him and not Bosternd or Ceceta? Trying to make light of the situation, he asked, “Truth or dare?”
Rhen’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at Jack. “What?”
“Truth or dare. You ask a question of someone and then, if they don’t want to tell you the truth, you make them do a dare, something they don’t want to do, because it will embarrass them.”
Rhen shook his head. “You have the weirdest elfin games.”
Jack shrugged. “So, do you want to play?”
“No. Not today.” After a brief pause, Rhen asked, “What happened to me after lunch?” He’d chosen Jack, because the boy was young and out of all of his friends, he thought Jack would be the most likely to crack and tell him the truth, even if he’d been counseled not to.
Jack had been expecting this question, so without hesitation, he said, “You were tired so you went to sleep.”
“The truth,” Rhen said.
Jack’s smile looked painful. He clearly wasn’t comfortable with the conversation. “You were really, really tired so you went to sleep?”
Rhen waited.
“Okay,” Jack said with a sigh, his mind had been running through different explanations until he’d reached one he thought Rhen would accept. “You passed out.” Rhen remained silent, so Jack continued, “We didn’t want to tell you, because you’ve been doing it a lot lately and we don’t want you to worry. We’re trying to find out what’s wrong with you.”
When Rhen relaxed, Jack realized he believed it. Thank the Gods.
Rhen grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it towards the water. “How are you trying to figure out what’s wrong with me?”
Jack bit his lip, frowning, as if he didn’t want to tell Rhen. “We’ve been keeping track of when you pass out to see if something is triggering it.”
Rhen realized that that would explain why Ceceta had seemed worried. “So, do you know what’s causing it?”
“Yes. You’re a pain in the ass.” Rhen reached out to smack Jack on the leg. He laughed and danced away from him. “No, we don’t know why you passed out today or why you passed out in the elfin castles or why you passed out after…” There was a sound behind them. Jack turned to investigate and found that Rhen had returned them to the Wood Elf castle. “We’re back?”
“Yes. Ceceta’s family has decided to spend the night. The elves have arranged a massive party for them. I figured you’d want to come back to celebrate.”
“Absolutely. Which way to the party?” Rhen pointed down the hallway. Jack hesitated. It looked like Rhen was planning on going the opposite direction. He opened his mouth to see what Rhen’s plans were when Rhen disappeared.
With a shake of his head, Jack ran off towards the party to tell everyone what had happened.
Rhen returned to the Wood Elf castle later that night. He appeared beside Ceceta, startling her. Noctav had told everyone that Rhen had been sitting alone in Surpen’s desert. The afternoon’s activities had upset him. Ceceta and the others had gone over everything in their minds, but they couldn’t figure out why he was fighting against their explanations. Perhaps Thestrst hadn’t removed enough of his memory? Whatever it was, Rhen’s behavior was unsettling.
When Ceceta reached out to dust some of Surpen’s brown sand off her husband’s disheveled blue tunic, Rhen used his powers to change into his formal attire for the party. “Thanks,” she said, giving him a kiss. She hoped he was over whatever it was that had been upsetting him.
***
The next morning, Ceceta put her arm around Rhen’s waist. “We’re ready.” Her family was lined up in front of them in the Wood Elves’ front hall, waiting for Rhen to use his powers to send them home to Neptian.
“Ah… Ceceta,” Rhen said, removing her arm. “There’s something I need to do. I’ll follow you later.” Without waiting for a response, he sent her and her family to Neptian. He smiled, imagining her cursing him out. Sometimes it was fun to make her angry. Rhen pointed at Jack. “Can I visit your castle now?”
Jack paled. He didn’t want Rhen to visit his home, not after how sick Rhen had been after opening the Wood Elf castle. “It’s… well. It’s not really a good day to visit.”
Rhen raised one eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Because we need to… clean the castle.”
Charlie dropped his head into his hands, when he heard Jack’s answer. He should have spoken up first.
“Right.” Rhen crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited.
“You see, we have a really dirty castle and if you show up now, you won’t be able to appreciate it,” Jack added.
Rhen grunted, then turned around to look at the Air Elf castle behind him. “It doesn’t look dirty to me,” he said as the castle lurched from his presence.
“Ha, ha… ha,” Jack laughed falsely. “Well, will you look at that. They cleaned it up fast.”
The Air Elf castle was located on the top of Mount Celestial, the tallest mountain on Thestran. It was a gorgeous, albeit, cold setting and the Air Elves had mixed emotions about their home. During the day, the sun warmed the stones that comprised the castle’s walls, keeping the elves warm, but at night that heat dissipated and the wind beat against them without mercy. Most of the Air Elves had reddish, wind-burnt skin. They wore layers of clothing at night and wind jackets during the day. The Air Elves had no form of agriculture but relied on trade with their neighbors to get the goods they needed to survive. Like the other
elfin tribes, they had sold off the artifacts and antiques that Themrock had given them in order to pay for their food and supplies. Their castle’s walls and chambers, once decorated with elaborate paintings and furnishings, were for the most part bare.
The Air Elf castle shuddered again, as Rhen took a step up the wide, white, marble stairs that led to the front entrance. “Is it safe?” Rhen asked Jack, catching himself.
“Yes,” Jack said with a nod. He noticed that Rhen hadn’t brought the tigers with them. “It’s just an earthquake.”
Rhen squinted at him. “You mean… windshake? Is that common? How do you steady your castle during storms if tiny gusts cause you to shake?”
“Excuse me?” Jack had no idea what he was talking about. Someone tugged on his white and blue cape. “What?” he snapped. Turning around, he saw Sarah pointing out into the distance. Jack’s mouth dropped open. Mount Celestial was gone. Everything was gone. His home was no longer on the ground, but seemed to be floating on clouds. “Oh,” Jack breathed out. “Yes, windshake, right.”
They stumbled again as the castle lurched to the right, moving eastward through the sky.
The Air Elves were now flocking out of their home, gathering in groups around the edges of their cloud. They stared down at the ground with awe, while their castle flew through the air. The sun felt warmer and the winds were less fierce now that their home was moving in conjunction with them.
Jack’s parents, Chaster and Din, arrived in a tizzy. It seemed that Rhen’s arrival had coincided with their getting dressed. Chaster had shaved only half of his face and his short, graying brown hair was standing straight up, while Din’s brown hair was soaking wet, as if she’d run out of the shower and hadn’t even had a chance to towel dry it.
Rhen raised his eyebrow at the royal couple’s appearance but kept his mouth shut. He knew he was intruding.
"Rhen," Chaster exclaimed, rushing up to him. "How are you? What a surprise. You remember my wife, Din?"
"Of course." Rhen bowed in greeting. "It's nice to see both of you. I'm sorry for my intrusion."
Chaster shook a hand at Rhen. "No intrusion at all. Please, do come in. Have you had breakfast?"
As they turned to walk up the stairs, the white marble stone walls of the Air Elf castle began to shimmer, as if they were a mirage, then disappeared. Even the steps under their feet had become invisible. The elves could feel the stone underneath them, but it appeared as if they were standing on a cloud. “Uh,” Chaster grunted, while squinting towards where his castle used to be. He didn’t know what to do. Where had his castle gone? What was he supposed to say now?
Rhen thought Chaster was waiting for his response. "Yes, we had breakfast. Thank you for asking." He pointed over towards where the castle had been a moment ago, and added, “Thellis told me you could turn invisible, but I didn’t know your castle could too. That’s fantastic. What a great way to protect your people.” Chaster bit his lower lip and stumbled on the stairs. Rhen caught him, steadying him, before they moved on. “How do you know where to go in?” he asked, when they neared where he thought the castle’s entrance would be located.
“Years of practice,” Jack said with a smile. This lie was at least better than his last one. He glanced over at Charlie, who winked at him with approval, before he stepped past Rhen into his castle, disappearing.
“Amazing!” Rhen couldn’t see Jack at all. He gestured towards the door, his eyes on Chaster and Din. “Please, after you.”
Holding hands, they followed in Jack’s footsteps. Once they passed through the stone entranceway into their home, they found they could see it again. The inside of the castle was visible. “Wow,” Chaster whispered. The floors were made out of what could only be firm clouds, the walls were clear stones and the ceilings were invisible. Din raised an arm to shade her eyes from the sun. “It’s bright.”
Rhen appeared beside them. “Oh, look.” He bent down and picked up a silver coin then tossed it to Chaster. “I’d heard that happens a lot.”
“What happens?” Sarah asked.
“Dragons roost on the outer part of the Air Elf castle. They like to collect shiny objects for their nests. Occasionally, the birds that live here will steal some of their loot, play with it, then drop it. Thellis said that that is why the Air Elves are the wealthiest elfin tribe, because they have dragons who steal for them.” He turned to Chaster. “Do you ever return the stuff they steal?”
Charlie could see Chaster was in trouble. He glanced at Jack, but he looked equally tongue-tied, as did Din. Jumping in, he said, “First of all, Chaster has told us a thousand times that the dragons aren’t ‘stealing’ for them. It’s just a coincidence that they bring their loot to the castle. And yes, they return any objects they can identify, such as the Crown of Mencuri, which happens to be hanging from that crystal lamp over there. They’ll send that back to the Mencurians later today.”
Jack laughed incredulously. He had no idea how Charlie could lie so smoothly.
“Ready for a tour?” Chaster asked Rhen.
During the tour they gave Rhen, Chaster and Din discovered that the furniture in their castle had turned into firm, but soft, clouds. There were rooms with convex glass walls that acted like telescopes, allowing them to see far into the distance. There were also steam cloud rooms, thunder cloud rooms, rooms with wind tunnels and anti-gravity rooms. When they reached the upper tier of the castle, they saw thousands of platforms, attached to their roof. Just as Rhen had told them, dragons were roosting on many of the ledges. Mixed in between the sticks and mud that comprised the dragons’ nests, where shiny objects: necklaces, clocks, bikes, mirrors; on and on it went. Of course, there were also coins, so many coins, it was impossible to count them all. They watched as a red-headed flickernut hopped onto the branch of one of the nests. It lunged for a gold bracelet dangling from one of the twigs then flew off at a great rate of speed as the dragon it’d stolen from roared in protest.
“I love it when the birds try to fool the dragons,” Rhen said. He watched as a golden-footed swimmer bird waddled along the edge of a dragon’s nest, its eyes on a shiny mug. The dragon sitting on the nest swung its head towards the bird to stop it, but the swimmer dove down and caught the cup with its bill. The dragon tried to get its prize back by reaching for the bird with its mouth. It clipped the edge of the swimmer’s wing. The swimmer flew unsteadily for a minute before dropping the cup into the Air Elf castle and flying on. “It’s better than watching a movie.”
Rhen pointed towards a large green dragon. “That one has an egg.”
“Wow,” Sarah said. She’d never seen a dragon egg before. Its iridescent shell glowed in the light. She glanced over at Chaster and Din. They looked like they wanted to scream and jump about. It was nice to see them so happy.
Rhen leaned out over the castle’s clear stone wall as they flew over a city. He could see the Thestrans below, gazing up at them. “That’s great,” he said with a laugh, before continuing on down the hall. Pausing in front of a double door made of clouds, he asked, "What's in here?"
Chaster pushed open the door and found himself in a room that was larger than fifteen Thestran stadiums combined. Square boxes made of clouds hovered at varying heights. Growing within each box was a different species of plant. The roots for the plants hung down into irrigated troughs that remained moist from tiny rain clouds. Chaster nearly cried with relief when he saw it. At last, his dreams had been answered. The Air Elves were finally self-sufficient.
“You sure are a bunch of happy elves,” Rhen said, while watching an Air Elf sing to a bird that was sitting on her shoulder.
The one room that Chaster and Din skipped on their tour was the Ancestor Room, where Themrock’s paintings and handprints were located. They didn’t want Rhen to put his hands in the prints. It had caused him too much pain.
They ended their tour in the outdoor garden. As they chatted about their castle’s architecture, Rhen watched a tiny, multi-colored dragon land on one of the gard
en’s many fountains to rest its wings. Rhen thanked Chaster and Din for the tour and told them they had a lovely home. When Chaster stepped away to watch two dragons, who were performing a mating dance, Rhen turned on Jack with his arms crossed.
“Do you want something to drink?” Jack asked. For some reason, Rhen seemed angry.
“No. Your father missed something on our tour. Perhaps you could take me to your Ancestor Room?”
Jack looked panicked.
What’s going on? Rhen thought. Why don’t they want me to see it? Jack’s reaction furthered his growing suspicion and made him determined to get what he wanted.
“Sorry,” Jack said, shaking his head. “We don’t have one,”
Rhen frowned. “Yes, you do. Latsoh mentioned that all of the elfin castles have one.”
Jack’s dad was refusing to look their way, so he asked his mom. “Do we have an Ancestor Room?”
Din shook her head slowly then glanced towards Chaster for support.
Rhen laughed. It was obvious they were lying. “Okay, what’s going on? Why won’t you take me to your Ancestor Room?”
“Nothing’s going on,” Jack protested.
“You have an Ancestor Room. Themrock gave all of you one. Where’s yours?” Rhen stepped towards Jack, who gulped and backed away as if he were afraid Rhen might hit him. His actions infuriated Rhen. Why would Jack be scared? He’d never threatened Jack before.
Just as Rhen was about to yell at Jack, Layla floated out of his body and pointed towards Rhen’s left. Rhen turned on his heel and followed her ghostly form to the Air Elves’ Ancestor Room.
“Thank you, Layla,” he said as he approached the handprints in the center column of stone. Layla zipped back and forth in front of him, indicating that he should look up at the pictures, but Rhen didn’t want to. He kept his eyes on the handprints. He had a weird nagging suspicion that… well. It’d be best to try it first. Closing his eyes, he begged the Gods for strength, then thrust his hands into the carvings.
The Surpen King - Part 2 - Rise of the Elves Page 50