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

by Charity Kelly

  “Oh, no,” Crystam groaned. She got up and walked over to Rhen and Ceceta’s bedroom door then knocked repeatedly until the Genister with gold powers opened it.

  “What?” Thamber snapped with annoyance. In the background, they could hear one of the Genisters lecturing Rhen on his duties.

  “There’s another one of them out here,” Crystam whispered.

  “Another what?” Thamber demanded, while puckering her bright red lips.

  “You know. You were chasing them about the room earlier.”

  Understanding dawned and Thamber narrowed her blue eyes. She stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her and waited until Crystam pointed at the bookcase. Thamber scanned the bookcase with her eyes, while singing, “Come out, come out wherever you are.”

  A tiny, red man appeared between two reference books on the top shelf. He was clutching brown hair in both of his fists. As soon as he spotted Thamber, he made a break for it, flying as fast as he could towards the open window to escape.

  Thamber zapped him with her golden powers, frying him to ash. She laughed and walked back into Rhen’s bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  “What was that all about?” Tgfhi asked when Crystam sat down beside him.

  “Gremlins,” Bosternd said with distaste from Jet’s couch, where he’d been watching.

  “Yeah,” Crystam said. She pulled Tgfhi’s hand into her lap and squeezed it. “Gremlins collect Themrock’s hair for potions. Since Themrock’s body was in the Genister loop, the gremlins showed up to snatch his hair when Ceceta started to cut it.”

  “What kinds of potions do they make with his hair?” Tgfhi asked.

  “The kinds of potions that lock you up into a Void Box for a thousand years,” Bosternd said, while walking into Rhen’s living room. Tgfhi's mouth dropped open. “Now you get it.”

  Bosternd sat down on the chair next to the couch just as Rhen’s bedroom door opened. “Hey,” Rhen said, stepping out into his living room. He looked like his old self again. His beard was gone, his hair was short and he was wearing his favorite tunic. Bosternd stood up as Rhen approached, but Rhen shook his head, telling him to sit back down. He’d been through a lot tonight, and now that the Genisters were gone, he was ready to relax.

  Tgfhi and Crystam felt their chests tighten. How should they act around Rhen? What should they say?

  Rhen sat down beside Crystam on the couch. “Hi.”

  In a barely audible voice, Crystam squeaked, “Hi.”

  Rhen gave her a curious look then leaned over to catch Tgfhi’s eye. “Is everything back to normal on Tgarus?”

  “Yes,” Tgfhi said, feeling relieved to have something to talk about. “Thanks again for stopping the Rasacks.”

  “No problem,” Rhen replied dismissively. A moment later, he laughed. “Okay. How long have you two known that I was the Black Angel?”

  “Since before you became the Surpen God of War,” Crystam admitted, feeling herself relax. Rhen hadn’t changed a bit. She just needed to forget that he was Themrock. How hard could that be?

  Rhen shook his head. He’d been hiding his Black Angel identity from them for ages, but that hadn’t been necessary. They already knew.

  “Really?” Ceceta asked, walking into the room and sitting down on Rhen’s lap. “I thought you only found out about him when you spotted him in the Surpen palace during break.”

  “What?” Rhen asked.

  “No, we’ve known much longer,” Crystam said. “After we studied those pictures you gave us for class two years ago, Latsoh noticed that the Black Angel was wearing Surpen military boots. Tgfhi doubted her, so she went into your closet to find samples of your boots. The Black Angel’s clothes just happened to be on the floor of your closet when she went in.”

  Ceceta smacked Rhen on his arm. “See! I kept telling you to pick up your clothes. That’s why. People will find out your secrets.”

  Rhen laughed and raised his hand to deflect another blow. “So Latsoh and Erfce know too?” he asked Tgfhi.

  “Yes.”

  Bosternd’s eyebrows rose. He’d never told Thellis that Rhen’s friends knew he was the Black Angel, because it hadn’t seemed important, but after today’s incident, he realized he needed to inform Thellis so he could have one of his little talks with Latsoh and Erfce.

  “Soon we’ll find out the whole school knows,” Bosternd said, while standing up and walking towards the bookcase.

  “No, only the four of us,” Tgfhi reassured him.

  “Well, thanks for keeping my secret,” Rhen told them.

  “You’re welcome,” Crystam said. “And, thanks for saving us over and over again.”

  “You’re welcome,” Rhen told her with a small bow. “I still can’t believe that you never told anyone about me.”

  “Why would we? You didn’t want anyone to know,” Tgfhi said. “It was clearly important to you to keep your identity a secret.”

  “Why?” Crystam asked. “Why did you keep your identity a secret?”

  “Because of my Dad,” Rhen said. “He never would’ve understood. He would’ve been furious with me if he’d ever found out.”

  “Are you going to continue to be the Black Angel?” Bosternd asked.

  “I guess so,” Rhen said. “It seems to be the right thing to do, but if more people discover my identity, I’ll stop. I don’t want to look like an idiot, flying around in a mask. That’s Thestrst’s job.”

  “I heard that!” the masked Genister hollered from outside Rhen’s living room window.

  “Go away! Your spying is driving us all nuts,” Rhen yelled.

  The others hadn’t even realized that Thestrst was out there. Tgfhi glanced at Crystam and she winked. Life with a Genister was going to be fun.

  “Rhen, do you remember everything that happened on Tgarus?” Tgfhi asked. He wanted to know what the Genisters had told him about the purple Genister, Thaster and his losing consciousness. He didn’t want to mess up their story.

  “No, I don’t remember much. The blow to my head wiped out most of my memory of Tgarus. I remember up to the part where I saved your dad. After that, everything is a blur, but the Genisters told me roughly what happened. I guess Therol and Thaster showed up? They attacked me and I got hit on the head. I was lucky because the Genisters arrived in time to save me. They brought me back here before your people could discover who I was. Do you have anything you want to add?”

  “No,” Tgfhi said. “That’s what happened.” He glanced at Bosternd, who was nodding in agreement.

  It was better for Themrock if Rhen didn’t use his blue powers. The more Rhen tapped into them, the more likely it was that he would realize his own identity. Rhen had never met Therol before, he’d only ever had contact with Loreth. To help Themrock the Genisters had told Rhen that if he used his blue powers, Therol would kill him. They’d reiterated that point just moments ago, telling Rhen he’d been lucky to escape Therol’s wrath. Bosternd wondered if Themrock would be mad at the Genisters for lying to him or if he’d thank them for their help.

  “Hey,” Ceceta said, changing the subject. “I’m starving. Do you think that we could get something to eat in the school’s cafe?”

  “Definitely,” Tgfhi said, rising to his feet. “Now that you mention it, I’m starving too.”

  As they left the Teacher’s Residence Hall, they found the University’s grounds eerily quiet. Bosternd and the others glanced about with concern. Where was everyone? When they neared the front door to the common area, they spotted Latsoh and Erfce. Erfce saw them first. He turned and whispered something to Latsoh, who jerked around to stare at them. Tears streamed down Latsoh’s cheeks and her mascara was so smudged she looked like a raccoon.

  That’s not good, Tgfhi thought. He fell back behind Rhen to whisper to Bosternd.

  A moment later, Bosternd called out, “Hey, Rhen, can I have a word with you?”

  “Can’t this wait until after we eat?”

  “No,” Bosternd said. “
I need to know if we should send our troops to attack the Rasacks in retaliation for what they did on Tgarus.”

  “Business,” Rhen mumbled to himself. His head still ached from earlier, but he needed to decide Surpen’s next step. Rhen bent over to kiss Ceceta then walked back towards Bosternd. “I’ll catch up to you in a minute.”

  The others rushed over to Latsoh and Erfce, where they explained the situation. Latsoh was having a terrible time controlling herself. She kept crying, her body was shaking and every now and then it looked as if she were going to pass out. “Give her some Tgarus weed,” Ceceta told Tgfhi.

  “What?!” Erfce snapped.

  “Give her some weed to calm her down,” Ceceta explained. “We can’t have her around Rhen until she can control herself.”

  Latsoh nodded. “Yes, I’ll do it.”

  Tgfhi laughed as everyone looked at him. “What makes you think that I have Tgarus weed on me at all times? Just because it comes from my planet, doesn’t mean that I have it with me.”

  “Get off it, Tgfhi,” Crystam snarled. “We know you’ve been supplying half of the student body with it. I was going to make you stop selling it as soon as we were married, but you might as well stop after tonight.”

  Tgfhi sighed and dropped his head down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette for Latsoh.

  By the time Bosternd and Rhen had rejoined them, Latsoh had finished half the cigarette.

  “Hi, Latsoh, Erfce,” Rhen said. “Thanks for not telling anyone my secret.”

  “Secret?” Latsoh whispered, looking very pale.

  “The Black Angel,” Crystam told her with a wry smile.

  “Oh,” Latsoh breathed out.

  “No problem,” Erfce said.

  “Yeah,” Latsoh agreed. She brought the Tgarian cigarette up to her mouth while keeping her eyes averted from Rhen.

  Rhen stared at Latsoh. He’d never seen her smoke weed before. He licked his lips involuntarily. He wouldn’t mind a taste of Latsoh’s cigarette right now. He had a terrible headache and he knew the weed would help ease his pain. Ceceta pulled on his arm so Rhen dropped his eyes to the ground and followed her into the University’s common building. They walked down the slate stairs to the student cafe and stopped by the counter to order some food. One old lady was working behind the counter. It was obvious that it was going to take her forever to serve them. Rhen kept glancing over at Latsoh, while he waited for his turn on line. When Ceceta turned away from him with her tray to go to a table, Rhen bent over towards Latsoh and whispered, “May I?” while gesturing towards her cigarette with his hand.

  Latsoh hesitated. She felt herself getting light headed as Erfce guided her hand over to Rhen’s.

  Rhen took Latsoh’s cigarette and stepped behind them. He inhaled a few times then handed the cigarette back to Latsoh. “Thanks,” he whispered, before walking over towards Ceceta.

  Latsoh put the cigarette back into her mouth. The end of it was moist from Rhen’s lips. It dawned on her that sharing her cigarette with Rhen was almost the same as kissing him. She was kissing Themrock! She was kissing God! Without warning, Latsoh fainted into Erfce’s arms. He quietly pulled her out the back of the restaurant, before Rhen could notice.

  When Tgfhi and Crystam sat down at the table with the others, they heard Ceceta scolding Rhen. “I saw you. Don’t pretend you didn’t borrow Latsoh’s cigarette. I saw you.”

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” For some reason, his headache was getting worse.

  “You have to stop smoking Tgarus weed, Rhen. You’re an Emperor now. You have to set a good example for everyone.”

  “Oh, Gods, come on, Ceceta. Don’t give me that. I have a massive headache and I thought I’d feel better if I used some. That’s all. Can we stop arguing, please?”

  “You have a headache?”

  “Yes, a horrible, pounding headache,” Rhen hissed through gritted teeth, as he closed his eyes and pushed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets.

  “Is there anything else wrong with you?”

  “No,” Rhen said. “Just that.”

  “Where’s Latsoh?” Bosternd asked Crystam.

  “She was afraid she was going to get caught smoking so she and Erfce took off.”

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Tgfhi asked Rhen.

  “No, my headache is making me feel sick to my stomach. I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to eat right now.”

  “Did you find out where all of the students went?” Bosternd asked Ceceta. He’d been with Rhen, so he didn’t know what Erfce and Latsoh had told them about the empty campus.

  “Yeah,” Crystam said. “It seems they went to Tgarus to look for signs of the Black Angel. Since you passed out,” she said, while nodding towards Rhen, “they were hoping you left something behind.”

  “Did I?” Rhen asked Bosternd, lowering his hands from his eyes. The light made his eyes tear up.

  “No. We got it all. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Good,” Rhen whispered.

  “What are you going to do about the Rasacks?” Ceceta asked.

  “I’m spanking them later tonight as the Black Angel,” Rhen said softly.

  “What?!” Tgfhi cried out.

  Rhen winced. “You heard me.” He lowered his head down onto the Formica table in front of him.

  “But you’re sick and tired. You should take tonight off,” Ceceta said.

  Rhen got a whiff of the detergent used to clean the table and he thought he was going to throw up. Sitting back up, he said, “No, it has to happen tonight. I can either go as the Black Angel or as Rhen. I’ve decided that I’d prefer to fight them as the Black Angel using my powers rather than as Rhen with my sword. I think it’ll be faster and easier that way.”

  “Remember what Erfce warned you about,” Tgfhi told Rhen, sounding paternal. He was worried that Erfce’s prediction might come true tonight while Rhen was fighting in his weakened state. “Something bad is coming. I don’t think you should go to Rasack tonight.”

  “Shut up!” Rhen snapped. He winced when the pain increased. He shouldn’t have yelled.

  Rhen’s reaction to Tgfhi startled Ceceta and the others. It wasn’t like him to snap at his friends.

  Rhen shrank down low in his seat so he could rest his head on the back of the chair. “I’m sorry, Tgfhi. I didn’t mean that. Yes, I know what Erfce said, but I won’t take any chances tonight. I’m going in full blast. After I have my revenge, I’ll come home and sleep.”

  “Full blast?” Ceceta asked. “Remember what the Genisters were just warning you about. You can’t use your full powers.”

  “Gods, I know, Ceceta,” Rhen hissed. He pushed against his eyes with the palms of his hands. Why were they treating him like a child? He wished they’d just be quiet. His headache was unbearable. “I won’t use my full powers. Don’t worry. You always worry.”

  “Come on," Ceceta said, rising to her feet. Her dinner untouched. "Let’s go home. You need to rest before you can start spanking those Rasacks.”

  “Yeah,” Rhen said.

  After they’d left the restaurant, Tgfhi said, “That’s not good. Rhen can’t fight a war in his current state."

  “You're right,” Bosternd told him. “That’s why I’m sending some Surpen troops along with him to emphasize to the Rasacks that the Black Angel protects Surpen and her territories and also to keep an eye on him.”

  “Good soldiers?” Tgfhi asked.

  “Does Surpen have any bad ones? Don’t worry,” Bosternd said. “I’m going too, and if we do get into trouble, I’ll just call the Genisters. Which reminds me, I need to tell Thellis that Latsoh and Erfce are a part of our club.”

  Bosternd bid them good night and left for Surpen. He had to handpick the soldiers who were going on tonight’s mission with the Black Angel.

  Chapter 51

  Thestran Royal Palace

  Charlie poured himself a cocktail. He was using the bar in the l
ounge next to his family’s dining room. His own bar had been decimated by Thaster. The Palace’s servants were working overtime to repair it, but it would be days, maybe weeks, before he could relax in his own quarters again. Charlie swirled the ice cubes around in his glass. He hadn’t meant to start drinking again. He’d planned on staying sober until Chisten was rescued from Hell.

  Charlie had refrained from drinking while his family had given him their lame excuses for not noticing he was gone. He’d even withheld after finding his private rooms had been destroyed by Thaster. He’d stayed sober throughout his entire reunion. It hadn’t been until after he’d discovered that the Black Angel was Themrock that he’d broken down and had his first drink. "Damn it," he cursed with despair. He was never going to be able to get the Black Angel to save Chisten. If the Black Angel had been human, he knew he would have been able to discover who it was. He would have tracked the Angel down and begged him to return to Hell for Chisten. But now, now that he knew the Black Angel was Themrock, it was hopeless. How was he supposed to find Themrock? And, if he was lucky enough to get close to Themrock again, how could he possibly ask the Genister to risk himself by going into Hell to save a mortal child?

  Charlie shook his head. It was hopeless. Chisten was lost forever. Charlie slammed his fist onto the top of the wooden bar. Why did the Black Angel have to be Themrock? Why?

  Charlie downed his cocktail then poured himself a new one before walking over to sit down on one of the sofas surrounding the room’s fireplace. He pulled out a Tgarian cigarette. His family had been shocked when he’d told them what had happened to him. Unfortunately, before he could tell them the whole story, he’d lost consciousness. When he’d woken up in Rachel’s office a couple of hours later, he’d found himself alone. He’d wandered down the hall to his room to relax only to find his living room had been destroyed. The chairs, tables, sofa, bar and desk had all been reduced to kindling. His lamps had been shattered, his books had been shredded, his mementos had been melted and his carpet had been ripped. He would’ve fallen to his knees in defeat, but then he remembered his Genister treasures and he dashed across the living room to throw open his bedroom door. At the sight of his precious artifacts sitting unmolested, he’d collapsed. Charlie had wept openly on the floor with relief. For some reason, Thaster hadn’t touched his bedroom. All of the Genister artifacts that he’d collected were safe. Thank the Gods, Charlie thought. If Thaster had destroyed his treasures, he would have been devastated. He didn’t care about the stuff in his living room. All of those items were replaceable. It was the Genister memorabilia that he’d collected that was worth something.