The Surpen King: Part 1 - Return of the Gods (Themrock Book 2)

by Charity Kelly

  "Not that it's any of your business," Sinter replied, "but he has a plan to attack the Thestrans from the inside and he may need us to convince his pawns to act.”

  “That’s his plan to make us glorious?”

  Sinter hissed and Second backed up. “Do not question our God’s plan. He works continuously to make Rasack the greatest planet in the Universe.”

  Second dipped his head. “Of course, my Lord.” He waited until Sinter’s eyes had grown round again before saying, “Off the record, I’d like to note that it appears Lord Therol has something against the Thestrans and he wants to use us to achieve his own goals.”

  After a brief pause, Sinter acquiesced, "Perhaps, but it’s not our place to question his actions.” He flicked his tan tail twice; the fuzzy tip struck Second in his chest. Second remained silent, choosing not to challenge Sinter for demeaning him. "Thaster has also been by,” Sinter added. “It seems he too would like to advise us."

  "The Genister God Thaster?"

  "Yes."

  Second was thoughtful. "Didn’t the other Genisters join together to lock Thaster into an alternate dimension called Hell?"

  "They did," Sinter replied. He flexed his neck to raise his head above Second's. "It seems the red Genister was too evil for them to control."

  "Thaster sounds like our kind of leader," Second remarked.

  Sinter hissed and lunged for Second, landing a blow to his front quarters before he could back away.

  When Second lowered his head in deference, Sinter added, "It seems the King of Hell is also intent on attacking the Thestrans. I suggested he simply abduct the ones he wants to remove. He thought my idea was funny, but before he left, I could tell he’d taken a liking to it.”

  “He steals humans all the time to make them into his slaves. Why not take a few of the Thestran Royals? It seems logical.”

  “Indeed,” Sinter hissed. “That was my thinking. For some reason, though, it appeared the idea hadn’t occurred to him before.”

  “My Lord,” Second replied with respect, “advising the Genister of Hell. We are most fortunate to have you as our King.”

  Sinter narrowed his eyes in approval.

  Chapter 6

  Thestran Royal Palace

  Rachel tucked Rhen’s final shot into the pocket of her lab coat and knocked on his bedroom door in the Thestran palace. Ceceta opened it immediately looking flushed and grinning from ear to ear. “What's up?” Rachel asked. She hadn’t seen Ceceta that happy in days.

  "Rhen took a bath."

  “That’s a relief,” Rachel sighed. “I hope that means he doesn’t stink anymore. His feet were rancid when he changed back into a man.” She grimaced, remembering the smell.

  Ceceta laughed and glanced towards the bathroom to see if Rhen had heard her. “He’s good now. Come on in. I’m about to cut his hair.” She pushed the door open to let Rachel in.

  Rachel stepped into the room and paused. Yesterday, when she’d stopped by to give Rhen his shot, his bedroom had had white walls, a beige carpet, tan couches and wooden chairs. Dragon pictures had decorated the walls and a few of Rhen’s old toys had been on the bookshelf underneath the window. Now, the living room section of Rhen’s bedroom was a bright orange color and the furniture was Surpen—red velvet couches and chairs were laid out in the center of the room and a marble desk sat by the windows. There were also twice as many lights in the room, making it extremely bright and hot. “Wow, it’s so sunny… and toasty in here,” she said, stepping backwards. She needed a moment to collect herself before going any further.

  “Yes,” Ceceta said. “We were feeling homesick so Rhen changed it this morning to make it more like Surpen. Didn’t he do a wonderful job?”

  “Yeah,” Rachel said half-heartedly. She put her hand on the bar that was located to the right of the front door to steady herself because her eyes were having trouble adjusting to the light. It was so bright, she felt like she was standing in the middle of the desert. “You didn’t remove the bar?” she asked, focusing in on its dark wood to ease the headache that had started to form in the middle of her forehead. She needed sunglasses. “Why not? You can’t drink anything but blood, because of your bloodworms, so why leave it?”

  “We decided to leave one Thestran thing in the room in case we had visitors. The bar is so typically Thestran, we thought it’d make you feel comfortable.”

  Rachel clutched onto the bar’s wooden lip and blinked her eyes, hoping to make them adjust more quickly to the light. “You’re Thestran too,” she reminded Ceceta quietly.

  “Only in looks,” Ceceta replied with a wink. She waited until Rachel had removed her hand from the bar, before gesturing for her to follow.

  They entered the bathroom and found Rhen sitting on a chair between the sink and the bathtub. His brown hair was tousled, as if it’d just been towel dried, and he was wearing a dark blue tunic. A towel was wrapped around his shoulders as he waited for Ceceta to cut his hair. “You know, we have a great hairstylist in the palace. Do you want me to call her for you?” Rachel offered, stepping out of the bathroom. Rhen had painted his bathroom a yellow that was so strong it made her want to run for cover. She’d never seen a color that obnoxious before.

  “No,” Rhen told her. He stood up and pulled the towel from his shoulders. “Ceceta’s great at cutting hair. She does mine all the time.” He tossed the towel onto the sink and walked out into the living room. “Are you here to give me the last dose?”

  “Yes. Is now a good time?”

  “That depends. Will my skin return to normal?” Rhen lifted his green hands into the air and flexed them.

  “It should. If it doesn’t, we have a different problem.”

  “Then let’s get it over with,” Rhen said, brushing past Rachel on his way to the bedroom. He wanted to go home. He’d been lying in bed for six days and was tired of it.

  “Love,” Ceceta called out from the bedroom doorway, as Rhen lay down on their bed.

  Rachel wet a cotton ball from the bottle of alcohol on the night table beside Rhen and leaned down to sterilize the back of his neck.

  “Yes,” Rhen said, feeling the cool liquid on his skin.

  “I need to go to the University for a couple of hours. Will you be okay if I run back there while you sleep?”

  “Sure,” he said, before grunting in pain as Rachel gave him his final shot. He’d been about to tell Ceceta to pack her bags for Surpen once she returned from the University, but he was in too much pain to form the words.

  Rachel followed the shot with a sedative so Rhen could sleep. “Sorry,” she apologized to Ceceta after Rhen had fallen asleep. “I hate the fact that this stuff hurts him.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Ceceta said, turning away from the bedroom. She walked over to the couch to pack her book bag. When Rachel entered the living room, she added, “You shouldn’t feel bad. You’re turning him back into a man. It’s worth the pain.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Rachel said as Ceceta zipped up her bag. "Would you mind if I waited here with Rhen? I don’t like the idea of leaving him alone. All of this is so experimental.”

  Ceceta hesitated. “Should I be worried?” She wasn’t sure if Rachel was implying that there might be an issue with the antidote.

  “No. Don’t worry. I just think someone should be within earshot, in case he needs something. That’s all.”

  It made sense. Ceceta looked at her bag. She really wanted to go back to the school to catch up with her friends. She hadn’t seen them since Rhen had become Emperor. But Rachel’s words made her feel like she should stay. Hesitantly, she asked, “Do you mind staying?” She was relieved when Rachel shook her head. “I’ll be back as fast as I can,” she added, walking out the front door before her sister-in-law changed her mind.

  Two hours later, Rachel’s sister, Lilly, peeked into the room. “Having fun?” She laughed at the murderous expression on Rachel’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m here to relieve you.”

  “Th
ank Themrock,” Rachel said. “Charlie was supposed to be here over an hour ago, but he never showed up.” She pulled her lab coat on over her shoulders. “I don’t know why I’m surprised by that.” Charlie was always late. He seemed to operate on his own schedule.

  Lilly stopped short to put a hand in front of her face. She squinted as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the room’s lights.

  Rachel snickered. “A little bright for you?”

  “Gods, what the Hell?”

  “Rhen changed the room so it’d be more like Surpen,” Rachel told her. “You’ll get used to it. Do you want me to walk you to a chair?”

  “No, I got it.” Lilly put her hands out in front of her and shuffled forward, making Rachel laugh again.

  “Thanks again for coming to relieve me,” Rachel said as she made her way to the door. “I’ve got to get back to the lab. One of my assistants has been calling me non-stop about a shipment of mosquitos that just came in.”

  “Sounds delightful,” Lilly teased. She grasped the top of a chair and settled herself on it then reached down for her bag.

  Rachel paused by the door. Lilly had placed herself on one of the straight-backed red chairs. She’d tied a blue ribbon around her medium-length brown hair and was pulling a thick novel out of her bag. She was smiling and her cheeks were flushed a light pink. “You look good,” Rachel said.

  Lilly looked up from her book. “Thanks. I love being pregnant.”

  Rachel nodded, but she couldn’t think of anything worse. “Your face glows,” she added. It was something she’d heard other people say to pregnant women before, and it seemed to make Lilly happy.

  “Jet says the same thing,” Lilly said, her dimples showing.

  Rachel was about to comment on Lilly’s husband when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “Sorry, I can’t chat. I’ve got to go. Just so you know, Ceceta said she wouldn’t be very long, but it’s already been two hours.”

  “She’s probably catching up with her school friends and teachers before they leave for vacation. Don’t worry about it. I’m looking forward to some alone time, so I can finish my book. Jet’s always hovering over me these days. It’ll be nice to have a break.”

  Rachel didn’t say it, but she knew Jet was bored. Everyone knew Jet was bored. He’d been a full-time Surpen soldier before the war. Life as the pampered husband of a Thestran Princess had been driving him insane. He never complained about it, but it was obvious to everyone that he needed something to do. When Lilly had discovered she was pregnant, Jet had taken it upon himself to start micromanaging everything she did in order to keep himself active. His attention was clearly suffocating Lilly. The man needed a job.

  Rachel’s phone buzzed again, pulling her thoughts away from Jet. She needed to go. “Thanks again for coming,” she called out, shutting the door behind her.

  Once the door was closed, Lilly squeezed her eyes shut and listened. Besides the sound of Rhen’s steady breathing in the other room, everything was quiet. She sighed. Peace at last. She opened her mystery novel and flipped to the page that had been dog-eared. She couldn’t wait to find out who had killed the overpowering elfin priest. Her guess was that it was the Genister God Themrock. He must have found a way to return from the prison he’d been locked into for thousands of years and he was finally going to bring justice back to his Universe. Lilly liked how the author took parts of real life and mixed them into the story.

  Two hours later, the front door opened. “Lilly?” Ceceta said, when she found her sister-in-law reading in the living room. She rushed over and bent down to give Lilly a hug. “Congratulations! I heard you and Jet were having a baby. That’s fantastic.”

  Lilly placed her hands on her protruding stomach. “Thank you. We’re thrilled.”

  “How’s everything going?”

  “The morning sickness has passed, thankfully, and my appetite is picking up, which is a good thing, because Jet was starting to get worried about the fact that I’d lost weight.”

  “Has he been attentive to your needs?”

  Lilly laughed. Ceceta had no idea. “Yes, he’s been a wonderful husband. He’ll make a fantastic father.”

  “That’s great. I figured he’d be over the top. Surpens love children. The more the merrier.”

  Lilly considered Ceceta’s words. She’d forgotten about the Surpen people’s passion for large families. Perhaps she should discuss the number of children she wanted to have with Jet before he got any ideas.

  Ceceta yawned and rose to her feet. “I think I’m going to take a nap. I haven’t slept much over the last few days, because I’ve been worried about Rhen.”

  “With good reason,” Lilly stated.

  Ceceta stretched. “Thanks again for watching over him. I can take it from here. You don’t need to stay.”

  “Oh, that’s okay,” Lilly said, shifting on her seat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to finish my book before I head back.”

  “Sure,” Ceceta said, walking towards her bedroom.

  Trying not to wake Rhen, Ceceta crawled onto her bed and snuggled up into his body. She could tell Rhen was still in a deep sleep because his breathing didn’t even change from her movement. Ceceta wiggled closer, tucking her left side underneath him for warmth. She pulled his arm around her like a blanket. It wasn’t long before she realized she wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep. Her mind was too active. She kept thinking about everyone she’d seen at school. She’d loved attending the University as a student. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had a chance to talk to Rhen about going back. She wondered if he’d be up for it or if he’d prefer to stay on Surpen. Maybe there was a way to convince him to go back to school? She’d have to work on it.

  A little while later, Rhen shifted in his sleep and Ceceta found herself being crushed under his weight. She tried to free herself from his mass but couldn’t get him off of her. Her struggle to escape ending up waking Rhen. He raised himself up onto his elbows and stared down at her with his black eyes.

  Ceceta grinned up at him, trying to look innocent. “Your eyes are back to normal,” she whispered, as he lowered his lips to kiss her forehead.

  “That’s nice,” he answered distractedly, brushing his cheek against hers.

  “And your green skin is beginning to fade,” Ceceta added. Rhen’s warm breath caressed the side of her face, sending chills down her spine.

  Rhen glanced down at Ceceta’s breasts and felt his heart rate quicken. He reached out to pull off her robes but paused when he heard a sound in their living room.

  “What’s wrong?” Ceceta asked.

  “I thought I heard…” Rhen rolled off the bed and peered through the bedroom doorway into the living room. He snuck back to Ceceta and whispered, “Did you know that Lilly’s in our bedroom?”

  Ceceta groaned. She’d forgotten that Lilly had stayed to read her book. “Yes,” she sighed.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  “She was watching over you while I was at the University. I figured she’d be gone by now.”

  “She doesn’t look like she’s leaving any time soon,” Rhen murmured.

  “Oh, no,” Ceceta groaned.

  Rhen laughed. He kissed Ceceta one more time then walked out into the living room. “Hi Lilly.”

  “Rhen!” Lilly exclaimed. “You’ve lost your fangs.” She placed her book down and rose to her feet to give her little brother a hug. “Look at you,” she said, taking in his rounded face, black eyes, dark brown hair, straight nose and pointy ears. “I guess it’s official. You’re an elf again.” She laughed with surprise as Rhen hugged her back.

  “It’s great to see you again,” Rhen said. After he released her, he noticed the surprised expression on her face. It seemed Lilly was taken aback by his greeting. He wondered what Thestran social rule he had broken this time when it occurred to him that before Loreth’s war, he had always acted like a proper Surpen in her presence, restrained and businesslike. Now
, for the first time, she was seeing him relaxed. Rhen considered whether he should put on his proper military airs but decided against it. He was the most powerful man in the Universe, Emperor of nineteen solar systems. He didn’t need to pretend for anybody.

  “Are you feeling better?” Lilly asked.

  “Much.” Rhen tapped his chest. “It’s like I’m a whole new man.”

  “Har, har, har,” Ceceta remarked behind him.

  Rhen turned around to grin at her.

  “Did you hear that Jet and I are going to have a baby?” Lilly asked.

  Rhen turned back to Lilly, his eyes wide as he took in her stomach. He’d thought that she’d just put on some weight. “Seriously? That’s fantastic. Congratulations!”

  Lilly grinned up at him, her hands lowering to cradle her stomach. Jet had been concerned over what Rhen’s reaction to their pregnancy was going to be, but it appeared the Surpen Emperor was fine with it.

  “Ceceta,” Rhen said, turning back to his wife. “Did you know that Lilly was pregnant?”

  “I just found out today,” she told him.

  “I wasn’t even sure if you knew that Jet and I got married,” Lilly said.

  “Ceceta told me after the war,” Rhen told her. “She’s been keeping me up to date on everyone.” He hesitated when he saw Ceceta frown. “What’s wrong?”

  “I may have forgotten to tell you something.”

  “What?” Rhen asked warily. He could tell from her slumped posture that she knew he wasn’t going to like what she was about to tell him.

  Ceceta walked over towards Lilly, her head down, as if she were afraid to meet Rhen’s eyes. “Um, Rhen, I meant to tell you this earlier, but I didn’t get a chance.”

  “What happened? Is everything okay on Surpen?”

  “It has nothing to do with Surpen. It involves our school friends.”

  “Are they okay?” Rhen asked. The last he’d heard their friends were going to go home to visit their families during the Elfin University’s upcoming vacation. Could something have happened to one of them? He would have known if Tgfhi had been in trouble, since he owned Tgfhi’s planet, but Erfce and Crystam? Their planets were a part of Thestran’s territory.