RHEN

by Charity Kelly

  “Actually, it’s a Genister tattoo,” he admitted. He watched their faces become blank.

  “Did you say Genister?” Sage asked. Rhen nodded. “But there are no Genisters. They’re all dead.”

  “They aren’t all dead,” Rhen corrected her. “Some of them are dead but there are others that are still alive.” Everyone was silent as they contemplated what Rhen had just said. Realizing they were having trouble comprehending him, Rhen said, “Is Thaster dead?”

  “Thaster gave you that tattoo?” Charlie asked, thinking to himself that there was something about Thaster and Rhen that he was supposed to remember.

  “No,” Rhen said. “I was just proving to Sage that not all of the Genisters are dead.”

  “So, who gave you that tattoo?” Charlie demanded. Ceceta stared at Charlie. She had never seen him looking so cognizant, let alone forceful before.

  “A Genister named Thellis gave it to me and he is dead,” Rhen told Charlie. Charlie nodded, as if it made sense.

  “Rhen…” Sage said. “There are no Genisters. Someone is tricking you. The Genisters are gone.”

  “Well, Sage, if the Genisters are all gone, then how did I get a Genister tattoo?”

  “If Thellis is dead, how did he give you a tattoo?” Erfce asked, feeling confused. “It doesn’t make any sense?”

  Rhen smiled at Erfce, who was trying to put the pieces together to make some sort of logic out of what he had just told them. “It appears that dead Genisters still have powers,” Rhen told him.

  “Why did he give you the tattoo?” Reed inquired, in a monotone voice. He was staring, dumbfounded, at the grass, where the three daggers were lying.

  “I was…” Rhen paused, remembering the night he had met Thellis. With a shake of his head, he told them, “I was having a rough night and he took pity on me. He wanted to give me the tattoo, so I’d always have a weapon to defend myself with.”

  “Why were you having a rough night,” Sage asked. “Were you in a war?”

  “We’d just finished a war and….” he shrugged, as if the rest were obvious.

  “How’d you do?” Tgfhi asked. Rhen gave him a curious look. “With the war,” Tgfhi said, “Did you lose? Is that why you were having a rough night?”

  “No,” Rhen laughed out. “We never lose Tgfhi. You should know that. We were fighting the Ellorians. We beat them after only three days. I had done really well and was awarded two bars that afternoon for my skill in battle.”

  “Oh, you weren’t the head of the Surpen military yet? Who was in charge before you?” Latsoh asked.

  The smile fell from Rhen’s face. In a quiet voice, he told them, “Aul and Narseth.”

  The reason why Rhen was ‘having a rough night’ became clear. The Thestrans sat in silence–thinking over everything that Rhen had told them.

  “Did the Genister who gave you that tattoo, also give you the Genister Magic Box that you gave to me for my wedding?” Sage asked.

  “No. I got that another time. Do you still like it? I have a bunch of them at home.”

  “No way,” Tgfhi exclaimed. Everyone had heard about Rhen’s amazing wedding gift to Sage. Many of them had even seen Sage using it. “Can you give me one?”

  “Sure,” Rhen said before standing up. A large spacejet flew over their heads, leaving behind enough noise to make them all want to cover their ears. As Rhen looked up towards the spacejet, he saw Lilly and Rachel in the distance. They were walking down the hill to join them. Rhen figured Mr. Orisco was complaining to the Headmaster, so if they wanted to play music, they’d better start or they would lose their window of opportunity.

  “Rhen, you can’t have a bunch of Genister boxes at home,” Reed said, interrupting his thoughts. “The Genisters only ever made five of them.”

  “Five?” Rhen repeated, turning to face Reed. “Who told you that? There are hundreds of them out there. They made them for their lovers.”

  “What?” Sage laughed out, feeling somehow slighted. “Why would they do that?”

  “The Genisters were all related, right?” Rhen said. At the blank look on their faces, Rhen shook his head. “The Genisters, who created our Universe, were all related. Since they couldn’t date each other, they would take us as their lovers. Themrock,” Rhen said, glancing down at Latsoh. “You’ll be happy to know, made the first Genister Magic Box for a lover he really enjoyed. That lover was thrilled with her box, so ever since then the other Genisters copied him and made boxes for their lovers as well.”

  Reed gazed up at Rhen as if he were a priest. In less than a minute, he had learned more about his Genister Gods than he had ever known before. His eyes fell on Sage, who’s mouth was open, and he knew she felt the same way.

  “How did you learn about that?” Lilly asked. She and Rachel had arrived in time to hear Rhen’s speech.

  Rhen sighed. Lilly and Rachel hadn’t been there for his tattoo discussion, and he didn’t want to have to review it all over again. He just wanted to play music before his Dad came. “It’s a long story,” Rhen told her. He took a step towards the bandstand but felt his left foot drag something. Glancing down, he saw Latsoh clinging to his trainer. “What’re you doing?”

  “You… you know Themrock?” Latsoh asked. Her green eyes were twice their normal size and her red hair fell down onto the grass at Rhen’s feet.

  “No,” Rhen said with a laugh. Of course, Latsoh would think something like that. “Sorry Latsoh.”

  “Did you learn where Themrock was imprisoned,” she asked, with desperation. “Do the other Genisters know? Could we possibly release him?”

  Rhen bent down and took Latsoh’s hands in his. “I’m sorry Latsoh, no one can rescue him. One of the other Genisters locked him into a void box. The only way for him to return is if that Genister releases him, and according to Thellis, that’s not going to happen.” Tears formed in Latsoh’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” Rhen told her.

  “So, Themrock’s still locked up,” Reed asked. He had hoped that Themrock had escaped. They’d had so many miracles in the last few days that he had thought it was a sign of Themrock’s return.

  “That’s what Thellis told me,” Rhen told him.

  “This just totally blows my mind,” Charlie shouted out. “Like, are you friends with Genisters?”

  From their reactions, it was clear to Rhen that they couldn’t handle the truth. “No,” he told Charlie. “I met a Genister once and he talked a lot while he gave me my tattoo.” Rhen helped Latsoh to her feet. “Come, let’s play some music. It’ll make you feel better.”

  Before they left, Sage said, “What does it say on my box?”

  Rhen had no idea what her box said. He couldn’t even read Surpen, let alone Genister. “Usually a box tells you who made it, who it was made for and how much that Genister loved that person. That’s about it.” Rhen pulled Latsoh forward, towards the bandstand. “Let’s play before we lose our chance.”

  The others followed along behind them, a million questions racing through their minds.

  When they reached the steps to the stage, Rhen released Latsoh’s hand and ducked behind the stage to pull on his military shorts. Once he was done, he jumped up onto the stage to join the others. He cruised around the floor, inspecting the instruments on hand. As he touched them, he would gain an understanding of what sounds they were capable of and how to play them. When he was finished, he approached the control panel for the sound system. Rhen placed his hand on it, absorbing the knowledge of how it worked. Satisfied that he had learned what he needed to know, he walked over to Ceceta, who was sitting on a stool at the back of the stage.

  “Which instrument would you like to play?”

  Ceceta gave him a secret smile and batted her eyes. “I’ve always wanted to play the flute.” Rhen laughed. He knew Ceceta liked the flute, because that had been his first instrument. Leaning over to give her a kiss, he reached out to pick up the flute that was beside her. “There you go,” he said, placing it into her hands.


  “Can I play the keyboard?” Crystam asked.

  “Of course. All of you, pick up the instrument you want to play,” he called out to the others.

  Tgfhi threw himself down onto the seat by the drum set. “I can play the drums,” he cried out. Without any rhythm, whatsoever, he started to bang on them.

  “Okay, stop,” Rhen told him, holding up his hand. “You’re going to give us all headaches.” Tgfhi gave Rhen a sheepish look and mouthed ‘sorry’.

  When everyone seemed settled, Rhen glanced up at the University. The windows to the dining room were still filled with students’ faces. “I hope they’re not disappointed,” he said before turning back to the Thestran Royals. “Just do me a favor and keep yourselves relaxed. I can move your bodies much more easily if you’re relaxed.”

  “What do you mean?” Reed asked, but then he felt a presence inside him, as his fingers began to race up and down the guitar he was holding, so that he was jamming like a professional. “Wow,” he shouted with enthusiasm before settling down to watch his body perform. A few seconds later, everyone joined in. They played a five-minute instrumental. When the last note was struck, Rhen released their bodies and the air was filled with laughter and cheers.

  “Did I just do that?” Lilly asked, staring with awe at the violin she was holding. “That was amazing.”

  “I’ve never had so much fun before in my life,” Sage told the others.

  “It’s better than jet bike riding,” Reed said. Rhen raised his eyebrow and gave Reed a look. “Okay, it’s just as much fun as jet bike riding,” Reed acquiesced.

  “Let’s do another,” Charlie shouted out.

  Rhen snatched up their bodies and they tore into another piece. Picking up the microphone, Rhen began to sing. When the song was over, no one had time to react, because he pushed them into another piece. Students were now running out of the building towards the bandstand, while the Wood Elves, who could hear the music in their castle, were flocking to the school to watch the performance.

  “Do you want to keep going?” Rhen asked Ceceta. They had played four songs, and he was worried that they might be tired of performing.

  “Are you kidding,” Charlie yelled. “This is amazing. Don’t stop.”

  “Alright,” Rhen said. “Why not? I’m going to get punished either way, right?” He pushed them into a new song that had the audience singing along. When Rhen needed to harmonize, he would pull their voices right out of their bodies. It made them feel breathless and odd as he manipulated them, but they didn’t mind, the end product was worth the strangeness of it all.

  Many of the students had contacted friends and family members about Rhen’s concert. The school’s portal was packed with people arriving to watch the Surpen Prince sing. “I think there might be close to twenty thousand people here,” Henry told Kate as he glanced about the lawn.

  “More than that,” Kate said, dancing to the newest tune.

  “He’s really getting into it,” Henry said. He watched Rhen march about the stage as he sang. Rhen was holding the microphone with his left hand while his right hand grasped and released the hilt of one of his swords or punched out into the air for emphasis. After a while, Rhen released himself completely and danced about the stage, singing. From fight class, they knew that Rhen was flexible, but some of his moves seemed downright impossible, and when Rhen started playing with the weapons he was wearing, tossing them in the air and catching them, the crowd went wild.

  When Rhen’s friends and the Royal Family members became tired, Rhen would either take over the instrument they were holding and play himself or he would use his powers to make the instrument perform on its own. The stage looked enchanted with the instruments floating in the air while Rhen danced about singing.

  “I’m hot,” Rhen announced, after a particularly long song. He wiped the sweat from his face onto the sleeve of his turquoise tunic.

  “You’re dressed too heavily,” Erfce told him. “Take my shirt.” He pulled off his yellow t-shirt and tossed it over to Rhen. “You might not look as stylish, but you’ll be a lot cooler.”

  “Thanks,” Rhen said. Erfce’s t-shirt was much lighter than his full tunic. Rhen took off the guitar that was hanging around his shoulders and placed it on the piano, along with his weapons belt. Pausing, he stared at the t-shirt in his hands. “Um, Erfce,” he said with laughter in his voice. “There’s no way your shirt is going to fit me.” He lifted it up to his chest and laughed at the tiny shirt that he was holding next to his body. Rhen had never realized before how much smaller Erfce was. Tossing the shirt back to his friend, he said, “Thanks, but it’s not going to work.”

  “Try mine,” Reed called out. He stood up and pulled off his black t-shirt, to the thrill of the female Wood Elves. “I’m your size.” Reed tossed Rhen his shirt and Rhen stepped out of view, behind the piano, to change. For added relief, Rhen took off his black trainers and placed them on the piano beside his weapons belt and tunic. Glancing down, he saw Crystam sitting at the piano. She was finished with her break and wanted to play again. With a smile, Crystam lifted her hands up and placed them on the keys while she waited for Rhen to move her body. Rhen laughed at her boldness and sat down beside her on the bench.

  “Go ahead then,” he said, “play.” He knew she couldn’t play without him. Crystam frowned and shoved Rhen, making him laugh. When he still didn’t command the music to begin, she pouted and dropped her hands into her lap, looking up at him with sad eyes. “I’m only teasing you,” Rhen said. He reached over and grabbed her hands to put them back on the keyboard. For some reason, Crystam felt embarrassed. She wrestled playfully with Rhen, trying to pull her hands free from his grasp.

  “Why are you being difficult,” Rhen laughed out as he fought with her.

  Kate, like most of the audience members, was chuckling at the interplay between the two of them, when she felt the presence of someone powerful standing beside her. Before she could turn, to see who had arrived, she heard the person say in a rich, melodic voice, “My daughter seems to be taken with your son.” Kate raised her eyebrows in shock. She knew that voice. The Queen of Ventar was on Thestran. With hesitation, Kate turned towards Chara. It was rare for Chara to leave Ventar, because her powers were so strong; they caused the men and women around her to lose control. In fact, to the best of Kate’s knowledge, Chara had never left her palace, let alone her planet.

  “Queen Chara,” Kate said with surprise, noticing that James was walking over in Chara’s direction with an impish grin on his face. Oh, no, she thought. James had been hit by Chara’s powers.

  When James reached Queen Chara’s side, he leaned over to sniff the sleeve of her floor-length, blue dress. James had an enormous smile on his face and his eyes appeared unfocused.

  Queen Chara glanced in James’ direction before turning back to Kate.

  “What an honor to have you on Thestran,” Kate told Chara, hoping to distract her from James. She could feel Chara’s powers starting to work on her, so she turned away from the Ventarian Queen and focused her mind on the distant bandstand.

  “I heard my daughter was putting on a concert with her friends. Since she hasn’t any musical ability whatsoever, I decided to see what she was doing,” Queen Chara said. “I ran into Erfce’s parents and King Tgonar, Tgfhi’s father, on my way here from the portal,” she said, pointing towards Kate’s left.

  Kate glanced in the direction in which Chara pointed and saw that Erfce’s mother was fanning his father. It appeared he had passed out after meeting Chara. Behind them, she caught sight of Tgonar, the King of Tgarus. His entire body was soaking wet. Kate wondered if he had doused himself with water, in order to keep control of his senses, after meeting Chara.

  With a shake of her head, Kate peered back at Chara, to see how James was doing. Unfortunately, her eyes met Chara’s and Kate felt herself losing control. With haste, Kate used her powers to float up into the air. The coldness of her powers lessened, to some degree, Chara’s effect. Kate
willed herself to look away from Chara. She was relieved when Rhen distracted her by announcing that his next song was in honor of his good friend, Crystam. Everyone clapped as the song began.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw several men and women crawling on their hands and knees towards Queen Chara. She would have laughed at the sight of them, but she noticed James’ wife glaring at him and realized the situation really wasn’t that funny. Thank goodness Henry had moved down by the stage to watch the performance.

  Sneaking another quick peak back at Queen Chara, Kate noticed that the King of Mercioles was now licking her right shoe and the Fire Elf King and Air Elf King had joined the throng of people kissing her dress. Chara seemed unphased by their behavior. It appeared she was used to it. Kate felt sorry for her. A life like hers couldn’t be easy.

  Rhen’s song for Crystam was magnificent and everyone applauded when it was over. Queen Chara was startled to find herself moved by the song. Music did nothing for her, but something about Rhen’s voice was… different. It touched her in some manner that she couldn’t quite grasp. She felt she could listen to him for days and days and never tire of it. She had caught a glimpse of Rhen’s powerful shoulders as he was changing his shirt, and she wondered what it would be like to run her hand across Rhen’s chest. Bang! An alarm went off in Chara’s head, knocking her back to reality. Rhen had powers. She couldn’t quite figure out what his powers were, but whatever they were, they had mesmerized the entire audience and everyone was left wanting more. Rhen had control over everyone watching. His powers were similar to hers, so she was able to detect them, but no one else seemed to have any idea how much they were under his influence. Chara smiled to herself as she looked around at the audience. Yes, they were under his power, but what power could cause a reaction like this?

  Shaking her head, Chara glanced away from the bandstand. She told herself it was better not to watch Rhen too closely. She didn’t want to fall under his spell. Chara stared down at the King of Geis, who was holding up wilted blades of grass he had ripped out of the ground to give to her as a gift. With a disgusted shake of her head, she looked away from him. She had learned the hard way that it was better to ignore her admirers than to encourage them. Any kindness on her part would only make them more desperate for her attention. Chara glanced up at the University, thinking about the reports waiting for her on her desk and saw something that made her skin crawl. There, on the third floor, were at least fifteen Zorthans hanging out of the University’s windows watching Rhen, and if her eyes weren’t mistaken, she thought she saw the tail eyes of a Vivist or two peering out of the windows next to them.