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

by Charity Kelly

  The two of them were just walking past the entrance to the throne room when they saw the Black Angel fly in. The Angel spun out of control and crashed onto the ground, skidding across the floor, until he banged into the opposite wall. They could hear him gasping and choking, as he ripped off his cloak, scarf and sunglasses. He threw them onto the ground and lifted himself up onto his hands and knees.

  Tgfhi’s mouth dropped open. Rhen had picked it up again! He’d just been somewhere as the Black Angel. The Black Angel was back! Before Tgfhi could shout with joy, a strangled sob broke from deep within Rhen’s chest, as he crawled unsteadily towards the center of the room.

  A moment later, Ceceta yanked Tgfhi out of the doorway. She smacked him up against the wall, thrusting her thumb into his neck and pinching a nerve that paralyzed his body. “Never mention this to anyone. Do you hear me? I may be a woman, but I’ve lived on this planet long enough to know how to kill someone.” They could hear Rhen gasp for air in the other room. “Return to your bedroom and don’t come out again until breakfast.” She released Tgfhi and ran into the throne room.

  Tgfhi rubbed his neck then stepped sideways to peer into the room. He could see Ceceta sitting on her knees, holding Rhen in her arms.

  “I couldn’t save her. I tried, oh, Gods, I tried,” Rhen told Ceceta. He gasped for air to keep himself from crying. “She was in my arms. She… she asked me to get her bear for her.” Rhen shuddered as he inhaled. “I turned around to reach behind me to get it and he grabbed her from me. I couldn’t hold onto her. It happened so fast. He pulled her right out of my arms.” Rhen choked again then added, “Her face… her face reminded me of yours.”

  Ceceta stroked Rhen’s hair. “Were you stealing her from death?”

  “No,” Rhen coughed out. “Thaster. Thaster wanted her. I was stealing her away from him. She was four or five maybe. Thaster has claimed her as his next wife. I was trying to, to save her from him. I… I… It happened so fast. Thaster laughed at me as he pulled her out of my arms to take her to Hell. It… Ceceta… I…” Rhen moaned. “I hate my life. I finally find the time to become the Black Angel again and I lose the very first person I try to save. An innocent young girl.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “She looked just like you. I felt like I was losing you.”

  “Shh,” Ceceta said, rubbing his back.

  “I went after her. I chased Thaster into Hell, but the Genisters were right. He’s more powerful than I am. We fought and he beat me. I couldn’t rescue her. He forced me out.” Rhen took a shuddering breath to calm himself. “She’s too young to live such a life.”

  Ceceta pulled Rhen in towards her as she tightened her embrace.

  “When I looked at her, all I could see was your face when they locked us up on Punishment Island. I couldn’t save you, Ceceta. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. She could’ve been your twin as she fell down into Hell in Thaster’s arms.” Rhen screamed out in frustration. “If I’d just left her bear, if I hadn’t of reached out for it, she’d be safe now.”

  “She’s not me, Rhen. Don’t blame yourself for the fact that Loreth put us on Punishment Island. You couldn’t have stopped him. You were just a child. You didn’t have any powers when we were there. You tried to save her, but you know you can’t fight the Genisters. You’re not strong enough. She asked you for her bear and of course you would try to get it for her. You wanted her to have something that would comfort her.” Ceceta placed her hand on the side of his face. “You did the best you could.”

  Rhen nodded. He sat up and put his arms around Ceceta, hugging her. She always made him feel better.

  “I’m sorry you couldn’t beat Thaster,” Ceceta said. “But don’t worry, someday you’ll find a way to beat the crap out of him.”

  Rhen laughed. “Yeah, I will, someday.” He rested his cheek on the top of Ceceta’s head and grunted.

  “What?” Ceceta asked.

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I thought I saw Charlie when I was fighting Thaster in Hell.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Some guy was running around the gardens in his underwear underneath us. I was too busy fighting Thaster to get a good look at him, but when I glanced down, I thought it might be Charlie.”

  “Huh,” Ceceta grunted. “That’d be weird. Is he missing?”

  Rhen didn’t answer. He’d already moved on. He smelled the scent of Giy flowers in Ceceta’s hair and kissed her gently on the side of her face, while rubbing his hands up her soft blue arms. He hadn’t been alone with his wife since he’d changed back into a man.

  Ceceta’s lips tugged gently on his earlobe and Rhen felt the desires he’d been holding in for over a year explode within him. He pushed Ceceta down onto the floor of Surpen’s throne room and ripped at her clothing. When he felt Ceceta writhing underneath him in response, a small part of his brain grew concerned that she might be fighting against him, so he forced himself to pull back and let her go.

  “Why the hell are you stopping?” Ceceta yelled, while clutching desperately onto his coat. “Hurry up!”

  Throwing his head back, Rhen laughed then flung himself back down onto his wife.

  Tgfhi jumped when someone tapped his shoulder. He jerked about to find Bosternd smiling at him. “Hey, going to bed? I’ll walk you back.”

  They chatted about the weather, as they walked along the palace’s corridors. When they reached the hallway to Tgfhi’s bedroom, Bosternd swung Tgfhi about, pinning him against the wall. He clutched Tgfhi’s neck with his hand and squeezed it, pinching the same nerve that Ceceta had used to paralyze him earlier. “Don’t ever mention what you’ve just seen to anyone! Do you understand?” Bosternd hissed. “If you do, I’ll kill you.” He released Tgfhi just enough, so that he could nod his head. “Rhen has finally decided to become the Black Angel again and we don’t want anything to stop him. Do you hear me? If you were to tell anyone that Rhen’s the Black Angel, he would stop being the Black Angel. You don’t want that, do you?” Tgfhi shook his head. “Neither do I.” Bosternd released Tgfhi and stepped away, while motioning for Tgfhi to continue on down the hallway.

  “You know," Tgfhi said, while rubbing his neck. "I already knew Rhen was the Black Angel. We figured it out last year. We’ve never told anyone.”

  “We?”

  “Erfce, Crystam, Latsoh and I,” Tgfhi confessed.

  “Does Ceceta know this?” Bosternd asked. Tgfhi shook his head. “You’ve done well. I’m glad to know I don’t have to worry about you telling anyone. Thank you for supporting Rhen and for being his friend. Good night.” Bosternd turned to go.

  “Bosternd,” Tgfhi called out. “What made Rhen change his mind?”

  Bosternd shrugged. “I don’t know. I think his schedule might’ve had something to do with it. When I told him that he’d have his evenings free, he became very pensive then grinned like he had a secret. I think that was the turning point.” Tgfhi nodded. “It’s unfortunate that tonight was his first run,” Bosternd added. “I hope this defeat won’t keep him from going back out again.”

  Tgfhi looked horrified at the prospect. “I pray you’re right.”

  “Good night,” Bosternd said. “I need to tell the Queen that he’s home so she can get some sleep.”

  --

  The next morning, everyone was thrilled to see that Rhen and Ceceta were back together. They clung to each other throughout breakfast, giggling quietly and kissing each other repeatedly. “What a relief,” Crystam whispered to Latsoh.

  After breakfast, Rhen took his friends to meet his Surpen Beast of War, Bartar, and her son. Bartar let them touch her warm, tan hide and everyone commented on what a fine animal she was. Feeling proud of his Beast, Rhen offered them a ride.

  “What?” Crystam asked with apprehension. Although Bartar seemed very nice, she couldn’t get over the enormous number of sharp fangs that were in the animal’s mouth. It seemed that Bartar liked her meat.

  “Do you want a ride?” Rhen asked again.

&nbs
p; “Yes!” Tgfhi belted out.

  Rhen laughed at Tgfhi’s enthusiasm and hollered something towards the sky. A few seconds later, four more Surpen Beasts of War swooped down towards them, landing with incredible grace in the field beside Bartar. Rhen clicked and barked to the animals. They snorted at him in return, as they lay down on the ground. Rhen flicked his wrist and saddles appeared on their backs. “Get on,” he told his friends, as he picked up Ceceta and plopped her onto Bartar’s back. He climbed up behind her and checked to make sure his friends were settled on their Beasts then yelled out, “Hold on!”

  Rhen made a loud click and the Beasts jumped into the air, beating their wings. Latsoh laughed with delight as she held onto her saddle. “This is amazing!” she yelled, while Tgfhi let out a loud “Whoop!” Crystam had been scared at first, but her Beast must have felt her emotions, because it slowed down and never made any of the spins the other Beasts did. Erfce’s mount dropped back to fly beside them.

  They flew around Surpen’s palace then out over Surpen’s desert. “It’s beautiful,” Crystam said to Erfce as they sailed over the waves of sand towards some mountains in the distance.

  Rhen took his friends to an oasis he had discovered. Using his powers, he made a picnic for them. They relaxed by the hidden lake eating lunch, while the Beasts played in the water beside them catching fish.

  “How do you talk to them?” Tgfhi asked, his eyes on Bartar.

  Rhen shrugged. “They speak a language like everyone else. I’m good with languages.”

  “They look like dragons,” Latsoh said. Erfce was sitting beside her pouring iced tea into her glass. He hadn’t officially asked her out yet, but lately they’d been doing everything together. It was almost better for Latsoh, because she could still tell her father, whenever he asked, that she wasn’t dating a non-elf.

  Rhen gazed at his Beasts. “It kind of makes sense, since they’re related.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Ceceta said.

  “Yeah, Thellis told me they’re cousins.”

  “Fascinating,” Tgfhi mumbled. “Thestran dragons and Surpen Beasts of War. It’s like Surpen and Thestran were destined to be together.” Crystam laughed and threw a grape at his head.

  Ceceta frowned at the mention of Thestran. Leaning over, she whispered in Rhen’s ear, “I forgot to ask you. What did James say about Charlie, when you talked to him this morning?”

  “He said he was fine.”

  “So, Charlie’s not in Hell?”

  “I asked James if Charlie was okay and he said he was fine. That’s all I know.”

  “You didn’t ask him if Charlie was in the palace?”

  “No,” Rhen whispered.

  “Why not? You should’ve asked him if he’d seen Charlie in the palace.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to…”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Tgfhi asked, interrupting them.

  Rhen looked at Ceceta. He wasn’t going to answer.

  “We were wondering where Charlie was. He usually stops by the University a few times to…”

  “Trash your apartment,” Latsoh threw out with a laugh.

  “Yeah,” Erfce agreed. “I would’ve expected him to stop by at least once this semester to take a dump in your toilet.”

  “When you put it that way,” Ceceta told them, “I’m glad he’s not around.”

  Latsoh went back to talking about dragons and Ceceta poked Rhen in his side. “I’m not done with this. We’ve got to find Charlie.” Rhen nodded. He felt the same way. He’d look into it after they returned to the University.

  --

  That night, as everyone gathered in Orpel's study, they heard Tgfhi’s father laugh just before he walked into the room carrying two blue roses. Tgonar was a broad man with grey hair, a sharp jawline and deep brown eyes. He didn’t notice Rhen or the others in the far-left corner of the room, but stopped before Orpel and handed her one of the roses he was carrying. “How are you tonight, my dear?” he asked, causing Tgfhi to snort.

  Tgonar turned around at the sound and his jaw dropped. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

  “Rhen invited us to come for the weekend,” Tgfhi explained. He walked over to greet his father. “I didn’t know you’d become a regular on Surpen.”

  Tgonar appeared taken aback, but he smiled when Tgfhi embraced him. “Of course, Orpel and I have become good friends.” Stepping forward, Tgonar saluted Rhen. “Nice to see you again, Emperor.”

  “As always, it’s a pleasure to see you, Tgonar,” Rhen replied, while dipping his head in the Tgarian King’s direction.

  Before they could continue their conversation, Queen Chara entered the room. Like Tgonar, she didn’t see the group in the corner of the room, so she proceeded across the stone floor towards Queen Orpel to greet her. “Hello, Orpel. How was your week?’

  “Lovely, thank you, and yours?” Orpel replied, closing her eyes to keep herself from passing out.

  Tgonar approached Chara at once. He walked over to stand beside Orpel then lifted the rose he was carrying. “A rose for a rose,” he told Chara, while keeping his eyes on the floor. Chara smiled and put out her hand. Tgonar tossed the flower into her palm, so he wouldn’t come into contact with her.

  “Chara, I don’t think you’ve ever met my son before,” Orpel began, gesturing towards Chara’s left.

  Queen Chara gasped and suddenly Tgonar, Tgfhi and Erfce, along with half of the Surpens in the room, dropped to the floor unconscious. “Oh, sorry,” she apologized. Fortunately, it’d only been a small gasp, so the men were already beginning to recover. “I was surprised when you mentioned that the Emperor was here. I expected your son and…” she noticed Crystam and the others, “and my daughter, to be at school studying!” She tried to sound cross, but wasn’t very convincing.

  Crystam laughed and walked over to give her mother air kisses. “I can’t believe you visit Surpen regularly. How come you never told me? We talk every day and you never said a word.”

  Chara was saved from answering her daughter’s question because Tgfhi had recovered enough to bow to her in greeting. “Tgfhi, it’s good to see you again,” Chara told him.

  “The feeling is mutual, your majesty.”

  When Rhen stepped forward to meet Chara for the first time, the Ventarian Queen reached out to shake hands with him. Although Rhen knew the Thestrans liked to shake hands, he was still uncomfortable with it, so he gave Chara a Surpen military salute instead.

  Chara’s gesture put Crystam on alert. Why had her mother reached out to touch Rhen? She knew that he’d pass out, if she made physical contact with him. She couldn’t have forgotten that fact. Chara never touched anyone. Crystam wondered what was going on, as she walked with the others into the next room to sit down for dinner.

  During dinner, Queen Chara, who sat at a tiny table beside the main table so her powers wouldn’t overcome the others, focused her attention on Rhen. She spoke only to him and listened with interest to everything he had to say. Crystam wondered if it was as clear to the others as it was to her that Chara had a crush on Rhen.

  Tgonar asked Rhen to play some music for them, and after some pressure, he finally agreed. Instruments appeared in the back corner of the room. When they began to play, Rhen took Ceceta’s hand and the two of them danced while the others joined in.

  During the second song, Rhen danced with his mother. He twirled her around and caught her, just as she was losing her balance at the end. Orpel laughed and looked up into Rhen’s black eyes. “I love you, honey,” she said, her lips quivering with emotion.

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Turning, Rhen found Chara smiling at him. “Yes, Queen Chara?” he asked, while walking his mother back to her seat.

  Chara followed along behind them, her hands clasped in front of her. “Well,” she began. “I was just wondering if you’d dance with me tonight?”

  “What?” Orpel snapped. She’d watched Chara�
��s behavior during dinner and had planned on talking to her about it later. It was odd for Chara to be fawning over Rhen. But, this? This was wrong. How could Chara ask Rhen for a dance? Rhen would be unconscious for days if he touched Chara’s skin. "What are you doing, Chara?"

  “Mom, you can’t dance with Rhen,” Crystam told her mother, as Rhen reached out to take Chara’s graceful hand in his.

  “Why not?” Rhen asked.

  No one answered. They were all too stunned at the sight of Rhen holding Chara’s hand.

  “Bu… but you can’t do that?” Crystam replied lamely.

  Rhen turned to face her with raised eyebrows. He couldn’t understand why they didn’t want him to dance with Chara.

  Chara stared down in amazement at her hand as it rested in Rhen’s. His fingers were gentle on her skin. Her assumption had been right. Rhen could touch her. Their powers canceled each other’s out. Looking up at Rhen with awe, she felt him pull her out towards the center of the room to dance. She couldn’t believe it. He was awake. He was holding her. They could touch each other. She felt the warmth of his skin on hers and her heart rate quickened. She hadn’t realized that people’s skin felt so soft. It was an amazing sensation. Without meaning to, she sent a wave of her powers towards the left side of the room and everyone on that side of the room passed out.

  Rhen pulled Chara into his arms and she gasped with pleasure at the feeling of someone holding her. If the music hadn’t of been so loud, she would’ve knocked out everyone in the room. Trying to take advantage of the situation, Chara reached up and rubbed her hands along Rhen’s shoulders, down his neck and around his sides to his back. A tingling sensation traveled up her arms, and for the first time, she felt as if she might be the one to faint. The excitement of it all was almost unbearable. It was the most amazing experience she’d ever had. Chara clutched onto Rhen’s body as much as possible until the song ended. When Rhen stopped dancing, she started to cry. “Are you okay?” he asked.