“We need to switch seats,” Rhen said in Surpen before Ceceta had picked up her fork. Ceceta nodded and stood up to change seats with her husband.
“Do I smell?” the Wood Elf King asked his wife in a teasing voice when Rhen moved away from him.
“No,” James answered. Rhen’s eyes glanced over at him. He was curious to hear James’ explanation. “Surpen custom dictates that a man’s wife must always be below him. Rhen and his wife switched places to mark that distinction. He’s closer to the head of the table now, so he’s in the superior seat.” Everyone at the table nodded their heads as Rhen shoved his first bite into his mouth. He was impressed with James’ explanation, even if it was incorrect. Surpen women weren’t allowed to sit at a table with men, so James’ clarification for why they had changed seats was wrong. No, they had changed seats simply to give Rhen a better view of the Thestrans in power. He was working and needed to see them to study them.
Rhen motioned for Ceceta to begin eating. She tore into her food. Their morning activities had left her famished. With her fingers, Ceceta ripped apart the thick piece of beef on her plate and shoved a chunk of the meat into her mouth, savoring the rich juices as they rolled down her throat.
Rhen caught sight of James nodding to Reed. What’s that all about? he wondered as Reed began to discuss the amazing sports that were offered at the Elfin University with William. Reed compared the University’s athletes to the Gods and mocked other solar systems for their attempts to beat them in competitions. Rhen tilted his head to the left when he heard the Thestran woman next to Rachel comment in Neptian about the wonderful education she had received at the Elfin University.
“That’s right, Lilly,” Rachel replied in Neptian. Rhen’s eyes shot to Lilly. He’d now identified all the Thestran Royals. “I loved learning about the Universe in history class. Were you a member of the University’s Math Club?” Rachel asked.
What are they doing? Rhen thought to himself, when William began to talk about the University’s Chemistry Club. Their conversations were downright comical. Had they lost their minds? He was there to scout out their territory for future invasion and they were talking about… school? Rhen put his hand over his face to cover his eyes as he rolled them with disbelief. He was about to make fun of the Thestrans to Ceceta but stopped when he caught sight of her hopeful face. She understood Lilly and Rachel and was desperate to talk to them. From her furtive glances in their direction it was obvious she was intrigued by their conversation and wanted to join in. Rhen dropped his hand down and used his fork to stab a chunk of meat with force. Damn them. They were trying to get to him through his wife. It was so blatant. He remembered his Dad telling him that the Thestrans were tricky.
After twenty tortuous minutes of Ceceta begging him with her eyes for permission to speak, Rhen conceded and nodded his approval. Fine, he thought to himself as he watched Ceceta’s face light up with joy. He didn’t care if they wanted to play underhanded. It meant that the Thestrans had already lost the war and they knew it. Rhen smiled to himself. How could they not know it? He’d bested both Kate and James. Rhen wanted to shout with glee. And to think he had been worried about their ‘super’ powers. They were nothing, these Thestrans. Thestran was as good as Surpen’s. His army would have no trouble defeating them.
Rhen listened to his wife talk to Lilly and Rachel in rusty Neptian. Ceceta wanted to hear everything about the Elfin University. She was fascinated by their stories and couldn’t wait to learn more. As they spoke to her, Ceceta listened to every detail. Although she had permission to speak she remained for the most part quiet during their conversation because she was embarrassed by her Neptian. The Thestrans were gracious about it, but Ceceta could see they found it difficult to understand her.
“Do you think he understands them?” Kate whispered to James at the far end of the table.
Rhen kept his eyes on his plate but his ears were trained on James. What did Kate mean? Who was he supposed to understand? There were only two conversations occurring right now, Reed and William’s and Lilly, Rachel and Ceceta’s. James shrugged in response and Kate turned in her chair to speak with one of the servants. “Please get us one of the translating devices for Rhen to wear in his ear.”
Rhen furrowed his brow. He was supposed to be listening to Reed and William? He would have expected the opposite. What purpose did it serve for him to hear Reed and William brag about the Thestran people’s athleticism at the University? Wouldn’t it be easier for the Thestrans to manipulate him through his wife? By now, he had figured out that they wanted her to go to the Elfin University. Why they wanted her to go there was beyond him, but that seemed to be their objective.
When the servant returned to the room with the translating device, Rhen heard Ceceta tell Lilly in broken Neptian that she had adored her school experience on Neptian as a child and she wanted to finish her education at the Elfin University. The Thestran women seemed beside themselves with joy at this announcement and promised to enroll Ceceta that very day. She could begin right away. As they described to her which classes she could expect her first year, Kate walked down the side of the table towards Rhen. She held out the translating device to him and said in broken Surpen, “Wear. This do will translate understand say.”
Rhen couldn’t believe it. First of all, what was Ceceta doing? She couldn’t go to the Elfin University, and secondly, Kate was a woman. She had no right to address him without permission. It was against Surpen etiquette. When Kate had arrived on Surpen, his Dad had given her permission to speak to him, but that had been yesterday. Rhen hadn’t told her she could speak with him today
Rhen put down his fork and leaned back in his chair while staring at his plate with a blank expression. Surpen law dictated he ignore Kate, so that was what he was going to do.
Kate stood beside Rhen, waiting. She tried to tell him again in Surpen to put the device in his ear, but he remained focused on his plate. Feeling defeated and angry, she slammed the earpiece onto the table next to Rhen’s glass before returning to her seat.
“Why won’t he wear the translating device?” Reed asked.
“I don’t know,” Kate replied with frustration. “He refused to wear it yesterday too. I think he’s just being difficult.”
“He’s acting like a stubborn teenager,” James said, while considering it to be a good sign.
Ten minutes later, Lilly decided to take a chance and ask Rhen’s wife what her name was. She felt horrible about the fact that none of them knew it and was still shocked with her parents for treating Rhen’s marriage on Neptian, the day before they abandoned him on Surpen, as a trivial matter. In Neptian, she asked the woman, “I’m sorry, but could you please tell me your name?”
Before Ceceta could answer, Rhen replied in perfect Neptian, “You don’t need to know her name. She’s my wife and that’s her role.” His voice was cold and there was a warning tone to it. Everyone at the table turned to stare at him. They were shocked to discover he could speak Neptian.
Rhen lifted his eyes from his plate and stared at Charlie, who was sitting next to Lilly. “And,” he added. “I would appreciate it if you would stop speaking to my wife about going to the Elfin University, because it’s not going to happen.”
The room became quiet as the Thestrans realized that their plan to convince Rhen’s wife to go to the Elfin University had failed.
Ceceta knew she had lost permission to speak. She dropped her head down and continued to eat her meal as Rhen glared at her. He wasn’t mad at her, but he didn’t want his Dad to hear he hadn’t disciplined her for agreeing to go to the University. When Rhen was finished glaring, he picked up his glass and drank the rest of the blood in it. His eye caught sight of the translating device. With a smile, he slammed his glass down on top of it, smashing it.
“You’re a jerk,” Charlie exclaimed in the heavy silence that followed.
Rhen was confused by Charlie. Something about him didn’t add up. He put his elbows on the table and clas
ped his hands together as he gazed at Charlie over the top of his fingers. He was about to comment on Charlie’s ‘drunkenness’ when James cleared his throat and spoke in Neptian. “Rhen, part of our family tradition is to attend the Elfin University. We thought you might like to follow in our paths and finish your education there.”
Oh, my, God, Rhen thought. Had he heard James correctly? After a brief hesitation, he replied in Thestran, “Well, I suppose I would’ve considered attending your University if I had been raised as a part of your family, but since you’re no longer my family I’m under no obligation to follow in your traditions.”
William started to cough and choke into his napkin.
“Can you speak Thestran?” Lilly asked Rhen with surprise.
Rhen glanced over at her, sizing her up. She was a short woman with large bones. She would have appeared too husky if it wasn’t for her thin face. Her medium length brown hair suited the pearl shape of her face and made her intelligent, blue eyes look stunning. Since he couldn’t speak to Lilly directly without breaking Surpen etiquette, Rhen turned towards Charlie and said, “Obviously.”
“Could you speak it before you came to Thestran?” the woman Rhen assumed to be Sage asked.
Rhen leaned forward in his seat to get a better view of Sage. She was typically elfin, thin and tall, and had black hair and green eyes. Sage’s eyes were such a deep blue green that Rhen wondered if they’d been enhanced. “No,” he answered, while looking at Reed.
“But how did you learn it so fast?” Reed asked.
Rhen narrowed his eyes as he turned towards Reed. He wasn’t sure what to make of this tall elf with reddish blond hair. If they had been Surpens, not Thestrans, Reed would have been King. He was bigger and stronger than James, and although it was reported he didn’t have powers there was no doubt in Rhen’s mind that Reed could have defeated James years ago to claim the throne. “You’re Reed, right?” Rhen asked, staring into Reed’s dark blue eyes. “Why aren’t you King?”
Reed was stunned by the question. No one had ever implied before that he take the throne from James. It had never occurred to him. He turned towards James, who seemed just as shocked by the question. “I will become King of the Wood Elves when my wife’s father retires,” Reed replied, wondering if Rhen would think less of him for his answer and finding himself angry for caring. “I have no desire to be King of Thestran.”
Rhen stared at Reed in silence for a moment before asking, “How large is the Wood Elf army?”
Suddenly, they realized why Andres had allowed Rhen to attend Sage’s wedding. He wasn’t there because Kate had outsmarted Andres before her mock battle with Rhen. No, Rhen had been sent to Thestran by Andres to gain information on their forces. And, since Rhen didn’t seem to care if they knew it or not, they realized he’d already decided they weren’t a threat. If Rhen had been worried about defeating them, he wouldn’t have told them his objective.
“The Wood Elves have no army,” Reed said through tight lips while wishing, for the first time in his life, that they did.
“Rhen,” James said. “You didn’t answer Reed’s question. How did you learn Thestran so quickly?”
Rhen stared at James until the Thestran King squirmed. After James had looked away Rhen answered, “Henry was good enough to speak a great deal of Thestran to me last night. The language became clear to me by the time he left.”
At the head of the table Henry laughed, sounding embarrassed. “Well, I, I guess I was a little long-winded last night. Sorry about that, son.”
Rhen stiffened when Henry called him ‘son’. “No apology necessary,” he answered. He was glad he’d learned the Thestran’s language. Turning his head, Rhen glared down the table at the Elfin Royal wearing a red and black cape. “You’re the King of the Fire Elves,” he stated. The Fire Elf King was short and stocky for an elf. Rhen could see the anger building within him at being questioned. The man reminded Rhen of one of his old weapons teachers. His black hair was cut short and his narrow brown eyes stared back at Rhen with hostility. Rhen decided to have some fun, so he asked the man in a mocking voice, “Do you have an army?” He already knew the answer, but he wanted to see the Fire Elf King squirm.
“Our army isn’t something that concerns you,” the man spat, his face and neck turning red with rage.
Rhen chuckled outright at his blatant lie. “Very well,” he said. “I appreciate your honesty. It’s nice to know that none of the elves have trained armies.” The Fire Elf King’s eyes flashed with anger as Rhen grinned at him. Rhen knew he had made an enemy, but he had expected as much. In fact, he had expected all of the Thestrans to hate him. He had been surprised last night when none of them had challenged him to a fight. Their insipid smiles were driving him crazy. Didn’t they know he was their enemy? Wasn’t it obvious their planets would soon be at war? What was wrong with them? Rhen liked the Fire Elf King’s anger; he could relate to it. The man would have made a fine Surpen.
Having finished both his meal and his final assessment of the Thestrans’ fighting capabilities, Rhen was ready to go. Sage’s wedding wasn’t until later that afternoon, which meant he had all morning with Ceceta. Rhen shoved his chair back from the table and stood up. Focusing on William, he said, “In answer to your question, Surpen men wear military shorts during their battles and competitions.” He paused to be dramatic. “And when assholes like you are visiting our planet.”
Rhen jerked his wife’s chair away from the table as she was in mid-bite and helped her to her feet. Ceceta dropped the food she was holding onto her plate and followed him towards the exit.
“Rhen,” James called out. “Would you please reconsider my suggestion about going to the Elfin University? You can get back to me about it tonight.”
Rhen paused as he opened the heavy wooden door, allowing Ceceta to sneak out into the hallway. “No need James. I have about as much interest in attending your University as William has in bedding my wife.” With that, he stepped out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” William yelled.
Chapter 9
Thestran Royal Palace – James’ Office
James dropped down into the chair behind his desk. “What a nightmare,” he groaned to himself. Placing the blaster he was holding onto the top of his desk, he leaned forward and rested his forehead onto the stack of papers in front of him. Groaning, he rocked his head back and forth.
After Rhen had left the breakfast table, James had held a family meeting with the Elfin Royals where he’d announced that he was not only postponing Sage’s wedding but planning an ambush to kill Rhen in the stadium later that morning. It hadn’t surprised him when the Elfin Royals had jumped at the chance to help.
Unfortunately, what had seemed like a good plan at the time had ended up as a complete disaster. He should have known it wouldn’t work. Once he’d given the command to kill Rhen, his mother had collapsed onto the floor weeping. She’d cried until Lilly had convinced her that Rhen would kill all of them if they didn’t stop him first.
Later, while James had been gathering his weapons, Kate had wandered into his study to ask him to arrange to take a photo of Rhen before they killed him. It appeared she’d spent her time preparing for battle by going over family photobooks. During which time, she’d discovered that they didn’t have any pictures of Rhen where his face wasn’t obstructed. James had had to promise his mother that they’d take a picture of Rhen before they killed him, which in turn had given James a massive amount of anxiety, because he had felt that they’d lose their advantage while waiting for the photo to be taken. Still, he’d decided to use the ‘photo’ session idea as a way to get Rhen to the stadium and had asked Reed to tell Rhen to meet them at the stadium for the picture.
James thumped his head onto the stack of papers remembering the rest of his morning. He’d arrived in the stadium early to be sure that his soldiers were well hidden. The Fire Elf King had given him a lot of trouble. He hadn’
t wanted to hide, but James had finally convinced him to join the others in hiding. When James had mounted the steps to the stage, he’d found William hitting Charlie. It seemed Charlie had thought they were all going to die, so he’d been calling for the Black Angel to come save them for over an hour. His incessant blabbering had given the rest of his family headaches and William was taking his headache out on Charlie by smacking him around. James broke up their fight then sat down on the bleachers that had been left on the stage from some prior event. A moment later, his mother had placed herself beside him. She then proceeded to nag him for almost an hour to do more to find out the Black Angel’s identity.
When the time for Rhen’s ‘photo’ shoot came and went, James had asked Reed if he’d given Rhen the message. James laughed, making the edges of the paper he was lying on flutter around his face. Reed’s face had said it all. Apparently, Reed had meant to tell Rhen, but then his daughter had skinned her knee, so Reed had asked Rachel to tell Rhen. When James had turned to Rachel, he had found her pointing at William. Rachel had had a medical emergency to deal with so she’d asked William to tell Rhen about the photo shoot. Turning to William, James found him pointing at Sage. It seemed William had been expecting a delivery of Ermendium crystals, so he’d asked Sage to tell Rhen. Then Sage told him she’d asked Lilly to tell Rhen, because she’d been having trouble contacting the wedding guests to cancel the wedding. At least Lilly had had the decency to look guilty when James had turned to her. She’d apologized and told James that she’d asked Charlie to tell Rhen, because she’d been having trouble deciding what to wear for the ambush. James had turned to Charlie to find him gazing up into space. When he’d gotten Charlie’s attention, he’d found out that Charlie had stopped by Rhen’s room but no one had answered the door when he knocked, so he’d taped a note to Rhen’s door to let Rhen know to meet them in the stadium for a photo shoot.
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