Kate was still talking, but now she’d gestured for Rhen to follow her. Her eyes were scanning the table and it appeared as if she were trying to find him a seat. Rhen snorted with derision. Of course, the Thestrans would have forgotten to make room for a visiting dignitary. He expected nothing less from them. In his opinion, they were a completely self-absorbed culture.
Kate gestured for an elf to move, freeing up two seats together at the far end of the oblong table. She indicated that Rhen should follow her then stopped behind the seats. Speaking loudly, she said something in Thestran and pointed at the seats. Rhen raised his eyebrow. If he couldn’t understand Thestran, speaking it louder wouldn’t help. He considered remaining standing, just to frustrate her, but then decided the sooner they finished their meal, the sooner he’d get to spend some alone time with Ceceta.
Reaching out, Rhen pulled back the cushioned chair she’d indicated and sat down. He glanced around the table at the faces that were watching him. Kate was talking a lot behind him and the people at the table seemed both surprised and upset. Turning his head, Rhen noticed Kate was pulling on the sleeve of Ceceta’s green robes as his wife shook her head repeatedly, trying to stop her.
“Sit, Ceceta!” Rhen barked in Surpen at the same time that King James yelled something.
Rhen’s eyes flashed to James then returned to Ceceta, who’d gathered her robes around her and was gingerly lowering herself in the chair beside his. Kate seemed to be explaining something to James, which made Rhen shake his head.
“It isn’t right,” Ceceta mumbled under her breath in Surpen. “I shouldn’t be here at the table. What if Andres finds out?” She glanced over to see a half smile on Rhen’s lips. “What are you laughing at?”
Rhen put his hand up to his mouth and whispered, “I believe that Kate and Henry never told the rest of my “family” that we’re married. If my guess is correct, they thought you were my slave.” He chuckled. “My Neptian slave.”
Ceceta gave Rhen a quick smile but didn’t add that sometimes life as a Surpen woman made her feel like a slave.
“Don’t worry about sitting at the table. Dad expects us to attend their meals. You won’t be punished for it when we return.”
Ceceta released the breath she was holding and lowered the brown, canvas bag she’d been carrying to the floor between them. It’d been a long time since she’d last sat at a table with men. She felt uncomfortable about it and shifted back and forth in her seat. When that didn’t relieve her anxiety, she sank down in her chair, so that her eyes were level with the table top.
The Thestran Royal Family was having a lively conversation. Rhen assumed it was about him and his wife. Since he couldn’t understand them, he turned his head towards the left to study the area on that side of the castle. There were woods, with brick paths in the distance and sprinkled throughout the lawn before the castle were multiple fountains with statues of what were probably the Genister Gods in them. Rhen could see spacejets rising and lowering over the left branch of the castle. It appeared the main jetport was located off the medical-center wing. In the distance, beyond the forest, he saw the lights of Thestran’s main city as they lit the clouds above. He figured that it had to be a sizeable city, judging from all the ambient light.
Rhen turned back to the table. The tone of the Thestrans’ conversation had changed. They sounded more excited than cross now. Rhen figured they were discussing the upcoming wedding. He glanced around the table, wondering which man was the fish. He’d expected to see gills or fins somewhere, something to indicate a merman was at the table. His eyes landed on King James. The man looked just like him, without the elfin ears, of course. As Rhen studied James, it suddenly occurred to him that he’d seen the man before and not just because they looked alike. Narrowing his gaze, he focused in on James’ eyes. “Oh, God,” Rhen whispered in Surpen. He felt Ceceta tug on his sleeve and lifted his finger, telling her to wait. Scanning the table, it only took him a minute to find what he was looking for.
Rhen leaned over towards Ceceta. “Want to see something funny?” Without waiting for a response, he placed his hands over his face, covering his nose and forehead just as his helmet would have covered his face in battle.
James and Reed, who’d been staring at Rhen, gasped in recognition.
Rhen chuckled at their reaction and leaned over towards Ceceta. Dropping one of his hands into her lap, he explained in Surpen, “Those two men with their mouths open at the end of the table were the Thestrans I bested about a month ago. You remember that planet that set us up in the hopes of seeing the Black Angel?” Ceceta nodded. She’d been horrified when Rhen had told her what had happened. “My Dad might be right about Thestran,” Rhen continued. “I’ve beaten Kate and James. Perhaps we could conquer their planet. It’d be nice to gain more trade routes not to mention the enormous amount of money we’d save if we didn’t have to fly around their territories.” He felt Ceceta squeeze his hand in response.
Rhen took a deep breath, smelling the thick, moist Thestran air. He found it curious that he didn’t remember anything about Thestran. He had thought there would be some part of this world that would jog his memory, but the people, the landscape and even the smells were foreign to him. Rhen decided he preferred the hot, dry climate of Surpen with its flat rough countryside. He liked the Surpen people better, too. These Thestrans were exactly as he imagined they would be, completely full of themselves.
Rhen glanced to his right at the Thestran elf who was sitting beside him. The guy was sucking up a piece of pasta through pursed fish lips. When the strand disappeared into his mouth, he smiled at Rhen, displaying pieces of vegetable and chewed white chunks of pasta in his teeth; a drop of oil dangled from the edge of his chin.
Rhen quickly turned away swallowing a laugh. He knew the man was drunk. He’d smelled something akin to landjet fuel on his breath when he’d sat down. Jet had told him once that that smell was alcohol. Ceceta looked up at him, but Rhen shook his head.
Rhen leaned over and placed his forehead on top of Ceceta’s head. “I’m hungry,” she whispered in Surpen.
“Sorry, love. There’s no food for us here. They must have forgotten that Surpens can only eat meat.”
“They don’t have bloodworms on Thestran?”
“No, it’s a Surpen thing. The elves only eat plant-based products. They’d die if they were forced to eat bloodworms and humans are omnivores.”
Ceceta considered reminding Rhen that he was elfin but held her tongue. She didn’t want to get in a fight on their first night alone together in ages.
Towards the end of the Thestran’s meal, there was a great commotion at the end of the table that seemed to be spearheaded by Kate. Rhen watched as the Queen Mother shouted and gestured towards him. When she pointed at her plate, he realized that Kate had finally remembered to provide food for him and Ceceta.
Sure enough, a few seconds later several servants began to place raw meat on their plates and pour blood in their goblets. Rhen sat up and reached for his fork. “You may eat with me, Ceceta. Andres would approve since we’re on Thestran.”
Ceceta immediately grabbed one of the small chunks of meat in front of her with her fingertips and popped it in her mouth. Picking up her fork, she said, “It tastes different, this meat.”
“I believe it’s a Thestran cow,” Rhen said. His Dad had informed him that they would probably feed him cow.
Suddenly, the man beside Rhen began to yell in his direction. Rhen wondered if this was typical behavior for a drunken Thestran. He watched as the man shook his hand in Rhen’s face then pointed at his meal.
When the other Thestrans at the table started to yell, Rhen checked to see if he and Ceceta were in danger, but it seemed the Thestrans were yelling at the drunk man, not him. The one word that was being shouted the most by everyone was “Charlie.” So, Rhen thought, remembering the names of the ruling family that his Dad had reviewed with him before the trip, this must be his older brother Charlie. Rhen popped a pie
ce of cow intestine into his mouth and watched with interest as his action prompted Charlie to vomit behind his chair.
When Charlie stopped throwing up, he turned back to Rhen and yelled some more. Whatever he was saying must have frightened the other Thestrans, because Kate was now running down the side of the table towards them.
Rhen turned to Ceceta. “What do you think’s the matter with him? Does he want to fight?” Ceceta shrugged. She didn’t have any idea what Charlie was doing. Rhen rose to his feet to confront the Thestran Prince. Placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword, he began to pull it from its sheath.
A moment later, he heard a thunk on the table. Glancing down, he saw that Ceceta had given her plate of meat to Charlie. She bowed to Charlie twice then shrank down in her seat.
Ceceta seemed to have resolved the issue, because Charlie had stopped screaming. Sitting down, Rhen pushed his plate towards his wife so they could share. “Thanks.”
Ceceta smiled and pulled a piece of meat off his plate. “It seemed like the thing to do.”
Charlie was still standing above them. He appeared confused by Ceceta’s plate. An elf wearing a blue and white cape walked over and looped his arm through Charlie’s. The man spoke quietly to Charlie before leading him away.
Rhen watched the Thestrans. When no one was looking, he winked at his wife to thank her again for handling the situation.
Rhen and Ceceta finished the rest of their meal in silence. When the wedding guests began to leave, the Thestran Royal Father, Henry, arrived behind them. He didn’t speak to them, simply gestured up towards the castle then placed the palms of his hands together and rested his head on them sideways while closing his eyes.
“Right,” Rhen said in Surpen, while standing up. He gestured for Ceceta to stand. “Shall we see where they plan to house us for the night?”
They followed Henry across the lawn, past several elaborate fountains. When Henry pointed at the statues in the fountains and said the word “Genister,” Rhen realized he’d been right about them. Just what they need, Rhen thought with sarcasm as he contemplated the Genister Gods. Most of the races in the Universe worshiped the Genisters. His Dad had told him that the Thestrans believed they received their powers from the Genister Gods, just as the elves had received theirs from Themrock in the past. It seemed natural to Rhen that they would worship the beings who gave them their powers. Since there weren’t any Surpens born with powers, the Genisters were never discussed at home. Thankfully.
Henry took them on a tour of the Thestran Castle. He chatted amicably about the things they passed, occasionally pointing at items and saying their name in Thestran in the hopes that Rhen might learn the language.
Eventually, he led them up the carpeted staircase that was opposite the Thestran Royal Council Chamber. They walked up to the second floor then down a white painted hallway that was decorated with elaborate wall sconces, artists’ pictures of the Genisters, and various side tables and chairs. The floor of the hallway was covered with a thick golden carpet that had black trim. Henry stopped half way down the hallway in front of a bedroom door made of mahogany and stained a dark brown. Every door on the second floor looked the same. Rhen wondered why they were alike, but he couldn’t figure out how to ask Henry his question in Thestran.
Henry opened the door in front of him and gestured for Rhen and Ceceta to enter the room. They walked in to find a white painted, living room with brown couches in the center. To their left was a bathroom, two open doors that appeared to be closets were on the far left side of the room. There were two large windows across the room from where they were standing and on their right was a door that led to their bedroom. Behind them, against the back wall was a bar. A small, wooden bookcase that held a child’s toys was located against the right wall. Rhen recognized a few of the stuffed dragons that were there as well as a pinwheel his nanny had made for him one hot afternoon.
Henry sat down on one of the couches, indicating they should sit across from him and for the next hour he talked to them in Thestran. Rhen didn’t mind, because unlike Kate who spoke at him, Henry was trying to speak to him. When Ceceta yawned, Henry realized it was time to go. Rising from his seat, he bowed to them, then reached over to give Rhen a quick hug. Rhen didn’t know what to do. His eyes swiveled to Ceceta who was trying not to laugh. After a tight squeeze, Henry stood up, said something in Thestran and left.
As soon as he was gone, Ceceta started to laugh. “You let him hug you,” she teased in Surpen.
Instead of answering, Rhen grabbed Ceceta up into his arms and kissed her. He had been waiting all night to get her alone. “Yeah,” he said, kissing her face and neck. She felt good in his arms and he was ready to move on with their evening.
“Are we alone?” Ceceta asked. “Are they watching us?”
Rhen closed his eyes to scan the room. “We’re alone,” he confirmed, rising to his feet. “The Thestrans aren’t listening to us and neither are the Genisters.”
“So,” Ceceta began as Rhen took her hand and pulled her into the bedroom. “Tell me why we’re here and why we’re alone.” Rhen hadn’t had a chance to explain things to her before they had left Surpen. She was dying to know why they had been sent to Thestran without an escort.
Rhen laughed, picked Ceceta up into his arms and tossed her onto the bed. He unhitched his weapons belt and dropped it to the floor before jumping onto the bed beside Ceceta and reaching out for her.
Ceceta wiggled away from him asking, “Why did your father send us here?”
“Later, Ceceta,” Rhen said, kicking off one of his military boots.
“Now!” she demanded. She spun to her right and got off the bed.
With a heavy sigh, Rhen dropped his other boot onto the floor and said, “We’re spying on them. Dad sent us here so that I could examine their castle and assess its weak points—”
“For future attack purposes?” she interrupted.
“Yes.” Rhen pulled off his tunic. “I’ve already pinpointed where we should attack and Henry spoke enough Thestran to us just now that I’ve picked up the language. All that’s left is researching the extent of their forces and then we can go.”
“Why did he send us here alone?”
“He thought we’d have more success spying if we came alone, and he was right. Henry just gave us a complete tour of the castle.” Rhen paused to search Ceceta’s face. “Are you worried? You know nothing will happen to us. The Thestrans are too insipid to go after me. They still consider me to be a part of their ‘family’,” he added with derision.
Ceceta shook her head in disagreement. This was a sore point between them. “Rhen,” she began. “You are a part of their family. You look exactly like James and Henry, you’re built like the elves and you have sculpted ears.”
“Ceceta!” Rhen snapped. “I can’t understand why you’re always harping on this. My family is Andres and Orpel. I am Surpen. The Thestrans mean nothing to me.”
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a tense moment.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Ceceta began. “I just… you still have your birth family and mine is gone. I wish I had had the opportunity to at least see them again before they’d died.”
“I’m sorry, my love,” Rhen said softly. He reached out for her hand. Ceceta’s family had tried to rescue her two years after Kate and Henry had left them on Surpen. The Surpens had massacred them. She didn’t have anyone left.
Ceceta slid onto the bed next to Rhen. He folded her up into his arms and held her. “I’m sorry. Let’s not talk about it anymore.” He lifted her chin up and bent his head down to kiss her. Ceceta wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
Chapter 7
Thestran Royal Palace – James’ Office
Lilly walked into James’ office. Her brother was sitting behind his desk, studying one of the Surpen history books they’d gathered last night in the hopes of finding a way to keep Rhen on Thestran. He placed his finger on the page he was reading
and glanced up. “Did you want another book? We still have a couple more to read.”
Lilly shook her head. “I found something interesting in mine.”
“Really?” someone asked from the floor behind James’ desk.
Lilly leaned over to find Charlie lying on the tan carpet behind James’ chair. An empty martini glass was lying sideways on his stomach. Lilly sighed. She couldn’t believe that Charlie had started drinking before breakfast. Sitting down in the chair across from James, she lifted the book in her hands up to show it to him. Just then the door to James’ study opened, and Reed walked in. “I came for another book,” he announced to the room. “Although they all seem to say the same thing. Surpen’s a military planet run by the strongest warriors. Some guy named Debrino set up a bunch of Codes that the Surpens follow. If they break a Code, the punishments are harsh. Surpen used to be an egalitarian society until Debrino stripped women of their rights. He also instituted slavery, outlawed music and forced all Surpens to eat those disgusting bloodworms that make it impossible for them to eat anything other than meat, blah, blah, blah.” Reed tossed the book he was holding on the coffee table near the back of James’ study. “I’m getting so damn tired of reading the same thing over and over again. There isn’t anything in these books that’ll help us keep Rhen on Thestran.”
“My book had something interesting,” Lilly told him.
“What?” Reed snapped, placing his hands on his hips. He sighed when he saw the hurt look on Lilly’s face. “Sorry. I’m just exhausted. We’ve been up all night studying books that hold useless information.”
“It’s fine,” Lilly replied, leaning back in her chair. She noticed that James had deep purple bags under his eyes. “My book said that in ancient times, Surpen’s oracles predicted their Supreme God would one day deliver unto Surpen a God of War, called Rhen.” She watched as James sat up straighter. “Rhen,” Lilly continued, opening the fragile book in her hands and carefully flipping through its worn pages to the one she wanted, “would conquer the Universe making Surpen the greatest, most powerful civilization of all time.” Finding the page she was searching for, she leaned forward and placed her book on top of James’ desk. “Here’s what he looks like.”
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