RHEN
Page 17
Closing his eyes and sighing, Rhen lifted his head and nodded. The students in the room cheered. Rhen walked over and pulled Charlie to his feet. “Ready?” he asked, while Charlie wiped a long smear of glistening snot onto the sleeve of his black coat. Rhen rolled his eyes in disgust before pulling two swords out of his weapons belt.
“Do you want to change into your war outfit?” Charlie asked, when he noticed the soft, blue dress tunic that Rhen was wearing.
“I’ll be covered in blood, no matter what I wear, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Charlie shuddered at the thought.
“Thestran War Encampment on Ustar,” Sage told the portal.
The golden frame filled with a blue light. When it dissipated, they could see an empty battlefield in front of them. Checking around them for danger, they stepped through the portal onto the bloody, war torn Ustarian field in front of them. Just before their image faded and the portal closed, Rhen turned back to look at Ceceta. There was an unexpected sadness to his eyes that put her on alert.
Later that day, Erfce leaned across the lunch table to look into Ceceta’s eyes. She had been quiet ever since Rhen had left, and Erfce could see she was concerned. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “They’re going to win. Once Rhen joined the battle my visions showed the Thestran Royal Family would be victorious.”
“Yeah,” Ceceta said, poking at the meat on her plate. Something about Rhen’s last glance had worried her. She wondered if there was anything she could do to help him.
“How are you feeling Erfce?” Latsoh asked.
“About?”
“You told us a couple of months ago, that when Rhen was around you, you felt great, but when he was gone, you got headaches.”
“I’ve been okay,” Erfce admitted. “I think the time that I’ve spent with Rhen has been… well, I guess helping my mind focus better. I seem to be able to block out some of the information I’m getting. It’s like Rhen’s been teaching me somehow.”
“That’s great,” Crystam told him.
“Yes,” Erfce said. “It is.”
“But how?” Latsoh asked. “How could spending time with Rhen, help your mind train itself?”
Erfce looked at Ceceta for an answer, but she wasn’t listening.
On Ustar, Loreth chuckled with glee. He watched Rhen tire of the Council’s incompetence and fling himself into battle. This is better than a Ventarian Delight, he thought to himself, popping some cheese into his mouth and opening another bottle of wine.
He had been sitting on top of the Ustarians’ castle for hours in his invisible state, watching the Thestran side of the battlefield. Their lame rulers couldn’t seem to make any decisions on how to proceed. Loreth had used his powers to push the Ustarians into this war, and to his surprise, before Rhen had showed up, it had looked as if they might be victorious. The Thestrans were such imbeciles.
Loreth drank from his wine bottle and gazed down on the battlefield. Rhen was nearing the Ustarians’ command tent on his rampage. “Damn, but you are fast,” he mumbled to himself. He had hoped that Rhen would join in this battle to help his ‘fellow’ Thestrans. How fortunate that the Surpen Prince had decided to oblige him. After this battle, the Thestrans’ fate would be sealed. They would fall in love with Rhen, and then Loreth would pull him back to Surpen, so Andres could declare war. Perfect!
Loreth flew up into the air and stretched, as Rhen sliced through the chest of the top Ustarian Military Commander with his sword. He laughed at the look of horror on the Thestrans’ faces, when Rhen decapitated the Ustarian King with his other sword.
Well, that was fun, Loreth thought, flying up into space. Time to go to Surpen. He couldn’t wait to tell Andres about today’s events. Loreth grinned, remembering the punishment for breaking Debrino’s Code against fighting for other planets. How could Rhen have forgotten that Debrino prohibited Surpens from fighting for other planets unless ordered to by their King? A purple, swirling vortex of lights appeared three feet from Loreth. He zipped into it and disappeared.
The students at the Elfin University were just beginning their dinner, when Rhen startled everyone by walking into the dining hall covered in blood and carrying a heavy green, canvas bag over his back. His beautiful blue tunic was ruined. Blood had soaked through its light fabric, staining parts of it a mottled pattern. Rhen had blood across his left cheek and by his ear, and there was dirt smeared on his neck. He looked pleased and refreshed as he strode up to Ceceta, who was rising to her feet with relief. Bending over, Rhen pulled her in towards him for a kiss. He released her and laughed, when he noticed the front of her yellow robes were now covered in blood.
Rhen pulled the bag that was hanging over his shoulder around in front of him. As he opened it, the other members of the Thestran Royal Family entered the room. Unlike Rhen, they looked exhausted.
Laughing and chatting to Ceceta in Surpen, Rhen put his hand into the bag he had been carrying. He pulled out the head of a man and dropped it onto the table in front him, where it knocked over a few of the dishes. Taking the hilt of one of his swords, Rhen cracked it down onto the man’s skull until it opened. With care, he pried open the skull and pulled out the man’s brains, putting them onto the plate in front of Ceceta. She grinned at him as he sliced off a piece of the man’s brain and popped it into his mouth.
Most of the students had fled the dining hall, when the man’s skull had cracked under Rhen’s sword, but when he started eating a person’s brains, the entire room emptied out.
James cleared his throat and Rhen turned towards him. “Oh, sorry,” Rhen said in Thestran. He walked over to James, fishing around in the bag he was holding. Rhen pulled out the head of the King of Ustar and gave it to James, who grimaced, while grabbing the King’s head by its bloody black hair. Rhen pounded his left chest in salute. “Thank you, James. That was a lot of fun. They put up a good fight, don’t you think? Nice sport.” Turning, Rhen walked back to Ceceta. “It was amazing!” he told her. “I forgot what it was like to just lay carnage and not have to worry about the overall game. We arrived on Ustar to find that James had no war plan, and the Council kept changing its mind about what to do. So, I got bored and took over. I just started killing Ustarians. I worked my way right up through the middle of their ranks into their main tents.” He laughed and popped some more brain into his mouth before adding, “The lower soldiers get to have all the fun, don’t they?” Rhen paused in mid-bite, a confused look appeared on his face. Reaching up, he rubbed at the back of his head.
James put the head he was holding onto the nearest table while Henry threw a napkin over it to cover it. “Um, Rhen, we need to speak with you in private, if that’s alright,” James said.
Rhen nodded and grabbed a fistful of brains before following James and the other Thestran Royal Family members out of the room. They went down the hall, entering an empty side room that the students used for meditation. Rhen hesitated by the waterfall in the middle of the room to rub at the back of his head with his right hand, while the Thestran Royals sat down on the square cushions that were lined up across from him.
“Rhen, you were amazing out there. I’ve never seen anyone kill with such speed or efficiency before. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re the most skilled fighter in the Universe. How you do it is a mystery to me,” James said. “But,” he added. “You need to know that we end our wars differently than the Surpens do.”
“We don’t cut off their bloody heads and eat their brains,” Charlie yelled as Rhen popped the last piece of brain that he was holding into his mouth. Rhen hesitated a moment, looking surprised by Charlie’s outburst, before continuing to chew his victory prize.
James frowned at Charlie, warning him to be quiet. Turning back to Rhen, he said, “Actually, Charlie’s right. We don’t cut off our enemies’ heads. We work with them to negotiate a settlement and to change their policies to bring peace.”
Rhen frowned and bent his head over as he rubbed it. “Why?” he asked.
“Are you sure it works better?” Rhen asked. “Fear is a powerful tool.” He sat down on the plump, green cushion at his feet, so he could use both of his hands to rub at the back of his head.
“Yes, we’re sure it works better and it’s much kinder,” Kate told him. “You Surpens should try it some time.”
Rhen felt the hairs on his neck rise. He snorted with anger, stood up and walked to the door. Pausing by the door, he said, “Excuse me, but you sound like assholes. War is war. There’s nothing kind about war. If we hadn’t won the war today, you wouldn’t be sitting here telling me to play nicely, you’d be telling me to murder them in their sleep. You can afford to be jerks today, because you won. I don’t think any of you truly understands the reality of war.” Rhen opened the door to leave, but stopped to brace himself against the wall as he rubbed at the back of his head. It was obvious something on his head was making him uncomfortable.
James took the opportunity to speak. “Yes, you’re right. Perhaps we are acting like assholes. We’ve never had to fight such a violent war before. In fact, without you, I’m not sure we would be here right now. You clearly won this war for us. Your joy at fighting inspired the troops. They followed you through the most dangerous fighting that I’ve ever seen. We kept thinking your moves would fail, but somehow, you always pulled it off. Let’s just leave it like this. When you help us in the future, please win the war for us, but let us do the final negotiating. Okay?” He walked over to Rhen, who was still rubbing his head.
Rhen stopped what he was doing to stare at James. “I can’t change my methods. If you don’t like them, don’t ask me to join you.” Turning, he marched back to the dining room, where he found the students, who had returned, glaring at him. Rhen scooped up what was left of the brains, and with Ceceta following him, left. They went to their apartment, and for the first time, locked their door.
Later that night, Rhen and Ceceta left their apartment to attend their Astronomy class. As they walked out their front door, they found most of the Thestran Royal Family waiting for them. The Thestrans accompanied them to their class, surrounding them as they sat down. Not only was Ceceta surprised by their actions but so were the other students and the Astronomy teacher. Rhen knew why they were keeping him separated from everyone else. It angered him that they didn’t trust him.
When class was over, the Royal Family escorted Rhen and Ceceta back to their apartment in silence. Strolling down the school’s hallways, Rhen and Ceceta heard some of the students whispering derogatory remarks about Rhen. They moved away from him as if he were tainted and stared at him with disapproval. Rhen shook his head. They had begged him to fight for them, but now they shunned him for his methods. How typically Thestran, he thought. No wonder the Convention members despised these people. He remembered Loreth’s overwhelming desire to attack the Thestrans and wondered if something similar to what he was experiencing had happened to the man. He had never asked his father why Loreth hated the Thestrans so much. Perhaps he had a good reason.
The Royal Family remained outside of Rhen and Ceceta’s apartment after they returned. When their friends arrived for study group, the Thestran Royals turned them away. Disgruntled, the four friends wandered back to their dorm rooms. “I’m as pissed off now as I was when Professor Orisco informed me that he wouldn’t teach me the drums, because I don’t have rhythm,” Tgfhi told the others, stomping his little feet.
“Why won’t they at least let us talk to Ceceta?” Latsoh asked. “She didn’t decapitate anyone.”
“They said they were tired,” Crystam said, repeating James’ words.
“They’re not tired,” Erfce said. “I bet Ceceta and Rhen want company after a day like today.”
“Yes,” Tgfhi agreed. Several students ran by him talking in loud voices. One of the students bumped right into him, knocking him backwards. “Hey,” he yelled.
“Sorry,” the student said before running off with her friends. Tgfhi stared after her. For some reason, there were a lot of students running around the campus carrying papers and devices. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Did the Black Angel do something?” His friends shrugged. “Hey,” Tgfhi yelled at a passing group of students. “What’s going on?”
“Rhen did it,” a boy said, looking at him with an awe-struck face.
“Did what?” Latsoh asked. She felt irritated that the other students knew something about Rhen that she didn’t.
Charlie’s friend Stanley approached. “Rhen single handedly won the war against Ustar for the Thestrans,” he told them. He handed each of them copies of the papers he was carrying. “I’ve printed some of the articles that are coming out. Rhen’s a hero. We would all be Ustarian right now if it wasn’t for him. The Royal Family did nothing during the war.”
“Well, they did do something,” another one of Charlie’s friends said, shaking the paper he was holding for emphasis. “They followed Rhen as he cut a path through the Ustarian soldiers up to the King’s main tent.”
“It appears the Council members and the Thestran Royal Family were bickering over what to do while Thestran’s soldiers were dying in the fields. Rhen got pissed off and took charge. This isn’t a victory for the Council or Thestran, it’s a victory for Rhen,” Stanley said. “Ustar is Rhen’s.”
“But he isn’t claiming it,” Charlie said in a quiet voice. He approached them from the direction of the Wood Elf Forest. “He’s giving Ustar to us.” Stanley and the others glared at Charlie. He shrugged. “Hey, the guy can fight. He has experience. What did you expect us to do?”
“You could have helped our soldiers,” a nearby female student said. “Why did you leave them there with no orders and no direction?”
“We were working on it,” Charlie snapped.
“No. You and your family were squabbling while our soldiers were dying,” another student said.
“No,” Charlie told the kid. He pointed his finger at the papers they were holding. “The news companies are distorting the truth. We… we had a plan, but Rhen, after he heard what it was, showed us its weaknesses, and we realized he was right. Rhen suggested we follow his plan instead. The Council Members were discussing it, James urged them to agree to it, but they were worried that Rhen might have an ulterior motive, so they were examining it slowly. After three hours, the Council Members agreed to Rhen’s plan, but Rhen told us his plan was now mute. It would no longer work. We had waited too long. As the Council Members tried to come up with a new plan, Rhen picked up his swords, yelled out to our generals to follow him and jumped into the battle. We couldn’t see him. He was surrounded. Then, out of nowhere, we heard the Ustarians yelling to retreat, as Rhen ran along behind them, cutting them down with his swords. It was….” Charlie stopped speaking and shook his head as he remembered the day’s events.
“You don’t deny that your family did nothing?” a student asked.
“We worked within the Council,” Charlie told him.
“Perhaps, in times of war,” Stanley told Charlie. “You should reinstate James as full King and do away with the Council.”
Charlie’s tired, blue eyes turned to Stanley. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded. “That would be a wise decision, but I have no power over Thestran politics and James is very lenient with his Delegates. I doubt anything will change after today’s battle.” He seemed depressed, and for the first time, sober. “Good night all,” he said, turning to go to his dorm room, his shoulders hunched with fatigue.
Chapter 20
Elfin University – Student Dining Hall
When Rhen and Ceceta entered the dining h
all the next morning, the students rose to cheer. Rhen gave them a small smile, acknowledging their thanks, and walked over to his table with Ceceta. As he approached, Erfce and Tgfhi jumped up from their seats and slapped him on the back. “We heard what you did. You’re incredible!” Tgfhi said.
A group of students surrounded Rhen’s table, the news reports glaring form their devices. A few of them were reading excerpts of his heroics aloud. Rhen smiled, shaking his head at the news reports. He was dressed in a simple red tunic with no piping, and for the first time, he wasn’t wearing his weapons belt.
“So, did you really win the war for us?” Crystam asked, when the crowd of students dispersed.
“Well, if that’s what the news is saying, then it must be true,” Rhen told them with a smirk. “You know how accurate they are.”
“You were so covered in blood. It was gross,” Latsoh said, scrunching up her face at the memory.
“Better theirs than mine.”
“What’s it like fighting in a war?” Crystam asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Rhen told her softly. He bent over and rubbed at the back of his head.
“Where are your swords today?” Erfce asked, watching Rhen rub his head.
“I decided not to wear them.”
“Why not?” Tgfhi asked.
“I’ll be heading out soon, and I won’t need them.”
“Where are you going?” Ceceta asked. They hadn’t had a chance to talk last night before Rhen had left as the Black Angel. She knew something was wrong, but she hadn’t figured out what it was yet.
“Home,” Rhen whispered, rising to his feet.
The main double doors at the far end of the dining hall crashed open, making the walls and windows rattle. King Andres marched into the room with 20 soldiers in full military gear while the Headmaster followed along behind him calling out, “You must bring any issues to my office first. You can’t just barge into the University’s dining hall.”