RHEN

by Charity Kelly

  “I will if I can.”

  “Do you know why the Thestrans’ power blasts didn’t work on Rhen but Loreth’s did? Also, how did you know the Black Angel would come when you called?”

  Ceceta sat in silence for a moment, studying Bosternd’s face. She released the breath she was holding and smiled. “Bosternd,” she said. “That wasn’t the Black Angel on Thestran, but a Genister dressed like the Angel.”

  “What?” Bosternd asked. “A Genister…? I don’t understand.”

  “Ahh, Bosternd,” Ceceta sighed, leaning back in her chair and smoothing her violet robes. There was a twinkle in her eye. “There are so many things you don’t know.”

  “Like what?”

  Ceceta shook her head and reached for his hand. “As Rhen’s right-hand man, you need to know the truth, so you’ll be prepared for future complications.”

  “Complications?” Bosternd asked.

  “Bosternd. The Black Angel is Rhen.”

  Bosternd felt his mouth drop open. Before he could come up with something to say, Ceceta said, “On Thestran, you saw a Genister dressed as the Black Angel. He was helping Rhen fight Loreth. The Thestrans’ power blasts or anyone else’s blasts for that matter, won’t work on Rhen. Only a Genister’s power blast can hurt him.”

  “What?”

  “Bosternd,” Ceceta said with a smile, patting his hand. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Loreth was a Genister. That’s why the other Genister helped Rhen by dressing up as the Black Angel and that’s also why Loreth’s blast affected Rhen.”

  “But,” Bosternd said. “I don’t understand. Why would only a Genister power blast affect Rhen?”

  Ceceta chuckled and shook her head. She released his hand and leaned back in her chair. “Because,” she told him in a teasing voice. “Rhen is a Genister.”

  A coldness descended upon Bosternd’s body as he felt his head grow light and his vision roll black. Everything he’d seen Rhen do, it all made sense now. He could hear Ceceta chuckling in the distance as a man said, “Well, now you let the cat out of the bag. I’ll talk to him when he wakes up.”

  “Thank you, Thellis,” Ceceta said. “I’ll see you later.”

  APPENDIX

  RHEN’S CHARACTERS

  THE SURPENS

  Andres – King of Surpen

  Orpel – Queen of Surpen

  Rhen – Prince of Surpen, adopted by Andres and Orpel, Kate and Henry’s 8th child, Commander of Surpen’s Army

  Ceceta- Rhen’s wife, Neptian by birth

  Loreth- Andres’ advisor

  Bosternd- Second in Command of Surpen’s Army, Rhen’s friend

  Nk – General in Surpen Army, Rhen’s friend

  Jet – Lieutenant in Surpen Army, Rhen’s friend

  Ngi – General in Surpen Army, Rhen’s friend

  Authe – General in Surpen Army, Rhen’s friend

  Aul – Personal guard to Andres

  Narseth – Personal guard to Andres

  THE THESTRANS

  Kate – Thestran Queen Mother, retired Queen of Thestran, mother of the royal family

  Henry – Thestran Royal Father, retired King of Thestran, father of the royal family

  James – King of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s first child

  Reed – Prince of the Wood Elves – Kate and Henry’s second child – elfin

  Lilly – Princess of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s third child

  Sage – Princess of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s fourth child – elfin

  Rachel – Princess of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s fifth child, William’s twin

  William – Prince of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s sixth child, Rachel’s twin

  Charlie – Prince of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s seventh child – elfin

  Max (aka Rhen) – Prince of Thestran – Kate and Henry’s eighth child, adopted by Surpen’s King and Queen

  THE ELVES

  Estan – King of the Wood Elves

  Ralis – Queen of the Wood Elves

  Lilo – Princess of the Wood Elves, daughter of Estan and Ralis, married to Thestran’s Prince Reed, children – Lir and Alexa

  Chaster – King of the Air Elves

  Din – Queen of the Air Elves

  Jack – Prince of the Air Elves, son of Chaster and Din

  Naci – King of the Fire Elves

  Reman – Queen of the Fire Elves

  Aaron – Prince of the Fire Elves, son of Naci and Reman

  Latsoh – Princess of the Fire Elves, daughter of Naci and Reman

  Plos – King of the Water Elves

  Neka – Queen of the Water Elves

  Sarah – Princess of the Water Elves, daughter of Plos and Neka

  SCHOOL FRIENDS

  Crystam – Princess of Ventar, a member of Thestran’s Council

  Latsoh – Princess of the Fire Elves, daughter to Naci and Reman

  Erfce – Prince of Ponto – a member of Thestran’s Council

  Tgfhi – Prince of Tgarus – a Surpen planet, member of the Convention

  THE NEPTIANS

  Te – Neptian’s Delegate to Thestran’s Council

  Yfetb – Son of Te, ex-fiance of Ceceta

  Ceceta – Native of Neptian, married Rhen, lives on Surpen

  THE GENISTERS

  Themrock – Genister God worshipped by the Thestrans, creator of the Universe

  Thellis – Green glowing Genister God

  OTHERS

  The Black Angel – Anonymous individual who rescues people in trouble throughout the Universe.

  Tgonar – King of Tgarus, father of Tgfhi – Tgarus is a Surpen planet, member of the Convention

  Chara – Queen of Ventar, mother of Crystam – Ventar is a member of Thestran’s Council

  Ryan – Merman, married to Thestran’s Princess Sage

  Susan – Queen of Thestran, married to King James, children – Henry Jr. and Catharine

  Stanley – Charlie’s friend at the Elfin University

  Professor Dewey – Headmaster of the Elfin University

  Professor DiGrego – Math teacher at Elfin University – elfin

  Professor Balot – History of the Thestran Royal Family teacher at the Elfin University

  Professor Orisco – Music teacher at the Elfin University

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading RHEN. If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review on Amazon.com.

  I hope you’ll see what Rhen and his friends are up to next in The Surpen King (Themrock Series – Book 2).

  Charity

  Acknowledgments

  A huge thank you to my husband, Stephen, and my sons, Jack, Reid and Aaron. Without your support, Rhen never would have moved beyond the pages of my two a.m. notebook scribblings.

  Thanks to my beta readers, Maryanne D’Amato and Alexandra Williams, whose encouragement meant more than they’ll ever know.

  Thank you to you, my readers, who took a chance in choosing a book by a new author. I’m thrilled to have had a chance to share my story with you.

  Many thanks to my editor, Alex Henderson, at The Writer’s Rock in New York City for his sage words of advice.

  Finally, I’d like to give a big thank you to Tatiana at Viladesign.net for the amazing cover art. She did a fantastic job.

  About The Author

  Charity W. Kelly lives in Katonah, New York with her husband and three sons. Rhen is her first book. When she’s not writing, Charity spends her time reading and exploring the local parks.