Rhen heard someone approaching and opened his eyes. An honor student stared down at him. She smiled but waited for the large spacejet to pass over their heads before speaking. Once the noise had diminished she said, “The Headmaster wants to see you in his office now.” Rhen nodded and stood up.
He walked into the University’s business office and was immediately ushered into the Headmaster office. Professor Dewey was sitting alone behind his desk. As Rhen entered the room the Headmaster indicated that he should sit down.
Professor Dewey watched Rhen for a few minutes. He seemed somber, which the Headmaster took as a good sign. If Rhen had marched into the room laughing, he would’ve been forced to change his mind about Rhen’s punishment. Picking up some papers from his desk, Professor Dewey decided to make Rhen wait. He wanted Rhen to know he was displeased with him, that his decision was a difficult one.
Fifteen minutes later, Professor Dewey put down the papers he was holding and looked at Rhen. The boy hadn’t moved. Most students would’ve spoken to him by now, either begging him for forgiveness or blaming the teacher for the incident. At the very least, they would’ve been shifting in their chair. Rhen was so calm it seemed wrong. Professor Dewey shook his head, feeling sad for the boy. Rhen must’ve learned to control himself in the army. Whatever this child had seen in his life was more than he wanted to know. Rhen had been disciplined well, too well for a Thestran Prince.
“This has been an exciting first day of school for you,” Professor Dewey said. Rhen nodded. “Well, I won’t beat around the bush. You should be expelled for what you did. But it seems your sister feels you did it in self-defense.”
Rhen snorted. Was that what Lilly had called it? Self-defense?
The Headmaster paused. “I had to agree with her, since she hasn’t anything to gain from lying. So, you won’t be expelled. But!” Professor Dewey yelled. “If you ever so much as brush against another teacher, you will be expelled. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Rhen said.
Professor Dewey felt he had made his point. “You can go.”
Rhen stood up and walked towards the door. “And please,” Professor Dewey called out as Rhen opened the door, “try not to cause any additional incidents.”
“I’m sorry sir. It won’t happen again,” Rhen told him. He bowed and left the room.
Professor Dewey stared at his closed door for a few minutes before going back to work.
Both the teachers and the students at the University were surprised when they learned Rhen hadn’t been expelled. At dinner the students joked that they were going to start slapping the teachers around if they gave out too much homework.
Lilly entered the dining room and sat down next to Rhen. She was pleased she’d been able to help him and Ceceta. Rhen gave her a look and grinned. Dropping his gaze to his plate so it wouldn’t seem as if he were addressing her, Rhen said, “Self-defense?” He laughed and shook his head in disbelief.
Lilly’s heart skipped a beat. Rhen had just addressed her. He wasn’t doing it openly, but he was still doing it. “Well it was,” she said, hoping to keep their conversation going. “Mr. Balot was belittling you, and you couldn’t even move away from him. He was blocking you. I told the Headmaster that if he’d kept a proper distance, you wouldn’t have been able to head butt him. It was his own fault.”
Rhen laughed again. Taking a chance, he looked into Lilly’s eyes and asked, “Really? Self-defense?” Lilly smiled. With a disbelieving shake of his head, Rhen leaned over towards her and bumped her with his shoulder. Lilly was shocked by the gesture and almost missed hearing him add, “I’m going to get walloped for that back in the barracks.”
A shiver ran through Lilly’s body at the magnitude of their exchange. Rhen had not only spoken to her, but he had bumped into her as if they were friends. She couldn’t wait to tell the others. She gazed up into his relaxed, laughing face and realized Rhen was gorgeous. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? “I think I’m going to get something to eat,” she said, rising to her feet. Lilly paused when she noticed Ceceta watching her like a hawk. She smiled at her sister in law, but Ceceta only blinked in response. With a shrug Lilly left to get her meal.
Ceceta had seen her husband touch his mother and the wives of other soldiers but never an unmarried woman. It was against Surpen law for a man to touch a woman who wasn’t a part of his family. His unexpected familiarity with Lilly confused and annoyed her. For the first time, Ceceta wondered if it had been a mistake for her to take Rhen off Surpen. He had an aura that people were attracted to. If he were free from Surpen’s laws, would he notice other women?
Standing up, Ceceta moved around the table to sit down beside Rhen as he rubbed at the back of his head. She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned up to kiss him on the check. Rhen returned the gesture. “Thank you for fixing everything,” she told him in Thestran.
To express his remorse, Rhen had used his powers to give Ceceta the ability to understand Thestran. He’d also given her permission to speak whenever and to whomever she wished.
“My pleasure,” he told her. “I promise to behave.”
Professor Dewey came up behind them. “Ceceta,” he said, holding out a sheet of paper for her to take. “We’ve had two students sign up for your Surpen class. Crystam, the daughter of the Ventarian Queen, and Latsoh, the daughter of the King and Queen of the Fire Elves.”
“Really?” Ceceta asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “That’s wonderful.”
“What’s wonderful?” Lilly asked, placing her tray of food on the table. “And how can you speak in Thestran?”
“Two people signed up for my Surpen class,” Ceceta explained. “And I remember my Thestran now. It just took me a few days to brush up,” she lied. A moment later Ceceta started to give Lilly a run down on her ideas for the class she was teaching. She spoke for a long time, occasionally stopping to ask Rhen his opinion.
Rhen grew tired of listening to her. He grunted in response to her questions and rubbed at a sore spot on the back of his head. After a while he waved his hand at Ceceta to tell her to be quiet, but Ceceta ignored him. Looking for relief, Rhen left the table to go to the bathroom.
Pushing open the wooden door to the bathroom, Rhen walked over to stand in front of a urinal to relieve himself. He paused when he heard some noises coming from one of the stalls. Glancing behind him, Rhen saw a short kid being suspended over one of the toilets by four older boys. The bigger kids had stopped their tormenting when Rhen had entered the bathroom and were now staring at him with apprehension, their eyes darting to the 15 small daggers he wore around his waist. When Rhen ignored them and turned back to the wall, they breathed a sigh of relief but remained silent until he left. Outside the bathroom, Rhen paused; he debated whether he should return to help the small boy but decided to move on. He really didn’t want to get involved with the Thestrans.
Returning to the student dining hall, Rhen discovered that Ceceta had picked up some more “friends.” It appeared as if she hadn’t stopped talking the entire time he had been gone. Rhen sent a prayer to the Surpen God that he wasn’t going to regret his decision of allowing her to talk whenever she wanted to. He closed his eyes and rubbed at the back of his head. Feeling like he just couldn’t handle any more Thestrans for the night, he turned around and walked out of the building.
Making his way to the University’s lake, Rhen sat down on the lush grass, pulled his knees up to his chest and slumped his shoulders over them so he could rub at the back of his head with both of his hands.
The night was alive with wild creatures. Their evening songs played in his ears, complementing the music that had popped into his mind when he had sat down.
A small, pale-skinned boy was sitting just a few yards away from him with his eyes closed. The boy’s skin shimmered in the moonlight and Rhen wondered where he was from.
The two of them sat in silence for half an hour. Eventually, the boy opened his eyes and rose to his feet. Turnin
g, he made his way to Rhen. Although he was wearing traditional Thestran clothing, his large brown eyes and soft features were not Thestran. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. I didn’t even hear you arrive.”
Rhen paused in rubbing his head and shrugged in response.
“You’re Kate’s son Rhen, right,” the boy asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Rhen nodded but remained silent. He figured if he didn’t engage the boy, he would leave him alone.
“My name is Erfce. I’m from Ponto. My family has ruled Ponto for 1,000 years.” Erfce stepped sideways and sat down next to Rhen, his hand brushing against Rhen’s sleeve by accident. Rhen glared at him and moved two feet away.
“Sorry, again,” Erfce said, looking up at the moon. “I know how you feel. I’ve been coming to the Thestran’s schools for three years now, and I still don’t feel comfortable.” He glanced back at Rhen. “I’m an oracle,” he said. Rhen didn’t answer, so Erfce continued, “most of the kids don’t bother with me. It’s no fun having a friend who can see the future. I know who they’re going to marry, if they’ll have children, whether they’ll live long enough to become kings themselves…”
Erfce paused to stare at Rhen. “You know what?” he asked. Rhen didn’t respond. “The funny thing is… I can’t read you. I noticed it when I sat behind you in our writing class.” He shook his head in confusion and gazed at Rhen, searching for an answer.
Rhen ignored him. Reaching to his waist, he took a knife from his belt and started to pick at a rock, the tip of which was sticking out of the ground.
“I’ve never not been able to read someone before,” Erfce said. “You may find this odd, but I find it very peaceful to be with you. I find a calmness in your presence that I can’t reach around others. Their futures are always blaring in my mind, whether I want them to or not. The teachers here are trying to help me control my powers, but it’s hard for them since none of them are oracles and they don’t know what I’m dealing with. When I’m near you, everything calms down and I can block the waves of knowledge that flood over me.” Erfce peered at Rhen. “Do you have any idea why that would happen?”
Rhen didn’t answer. He continued to pick at a new rock with his knife. Erfce decided to respect his silence and stopped talking. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the grass. They sat in silence for an hour. The only sound was the night creatures, and Rhen picking at an obstinate rock in the ground.
When Rhen got up to walk away, Erfce opened his eyes. “I’m not going to tell anyone about what you do to my powers,” he said. Rhen paused with his back to Erfce. “I enjoy the peace you give me. In fact, it’s such a relief that I’m planning on being next to you as much as possible this year. I’ve already asked three of our teachers if I can sit next to you.“ Erfce laughed. “They didn’t have any problem with it, since it seems all of the other students have requested not to sit next to you. Anyway, I just wanted you to know why I’m going to be following you around for the rest of the year.”
Erfce seemed to be finished, so Rhen walked away without saying anything. He heard the boy groan in discomfort as the distance he put between them caused the thoughts and futures of the students in the area to rush back into his mind like a tidal wave.
Rhen considered using his powers to help Erfce but decided against it. The only people who knew he had multiple powers were Ceceta and the Genisters. He had mentioned his powers to Bosternd a couple of times, but never in any detail. It was best for everyone if he kept his powers hidden.
Chapter 15
Elfin University – Classroom Building
The next morning, as Rhen was exercising, Ceceta walked into the small classroom that Professor Dewey had assigned to her. She stopped short at the sight of the gorgeous young blond woman sitting at a desk in front of her. The woman’s deep blue eyes left Ceceta speechless. “My name is Crystam,” the woman told her when she saw Ceceta’s stunned expression. “The Queen of Ventar is my mother.”
“Oh,” Ceceta said. The Queen of Ventar, also known as the Goddess of Love, was known to be the most beautiful woman in the Universe. “So, Crystam, my papers say you’re a freshman. Out of curiosity, why did you decide to take this class? Your planet is aligned with Thestran’s Council, not the Convention.”
Crystam hesitated. “Well, to be honest, people don’t always respect me. They can’t see past—” she held up her hand to indicate her face. “I hate it. I hear on Surpen the men treat their women the same way, like objects. I can relate to that, so I thought I’d learn about your planet to see if I could do anything to help Surpen’s women change their situation.”
Ceceta’s heart went out to Cyrstam and she knew the two of them were going to get along great. “Sadly, I don’t think you’ll be able to do anything to change our circumstances,” she told Crystam. “But we Surpen women appreciate your thoughts.”
Turning, Ceceta took in the green-eyed red-haired beauty sitting beside Crystam. The girl was very pretty, but her looks paled next to Crystam’s. “Hello. My papers indicate you’re the daughter of the King and Queen of the Fire Elves.”
“Yes, my name is Latsoh and I’m also a freshman. I’d like to learn about Surpen’s Debrino Codes. I think they might be helpful to my Dad. From what I’ve read, it seems as if Debrino’s Codes provided your people with a strong base from which they could run their society. The elves were devastated after Lord Themrock’s disappearance. I think a strong set of rules might help us repair our culture.”
“Hmm,” Ceceta said. “Well I don’t know what you’ve read, but from what I know about the Codes, I don’t think they’ll work for the elves. The Codes are a form of control over the people, and their effects have been, for the most part, negative. Although they do bring order, it’s a stifling order that isn’t natural.”
For the next few minutes, Ceceta spoke about the Codes in detail with Latsoh. When she felt she had answered all of Latsoh’s questions, she asked, “Do you still want to take this course?”
“Will you teach us how to speak and write the Surpen language?”
“Yes, of course, if you would like me to.”
“Then I will take your class. Surpen controls six solar systems. That’s more than any other planet in the Universe. It may prove to be a valuable language to learn.”
Ceceta agreed with a knowing smile. She rose from the seat she had taken beside Latsoh and moved to a metal desk near the front of the classroom to begin the day’s lesson.
At the end of the period Ceceta closed her book and looked up at her new friends. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to join Rhen for morning prayers.”
“Can we come?” Latsoh asked.
“Maybe in a few weeks,” Ceceta told her. “If you came today, Rhen would think you were mocking our prayers. He needs to get to know you first.” She paused and said, “Why don’t you join us at our table for breakfast?”
“That’d be great,” Crystam said, as Latsoh nodded. “Rhen can keep my suitors at bay. I’d appreciate even a few minutes of peace.”
“Me too, from the Fire Elves,” Latsoh said. “I love my people, but sometimes I just need a break.”
“Perfect. We’ll see you at breakfast.”
Later that morning, when Rhen and Ceceta entered the dining hall for breakfast, they found not only Crystam and Latsoh at their table but Erfce as well. The young Pontian Prince was chatting with both women when Rhen plopped down onto the bench beside him.
“Good morning,” Erfce said to Rhen.
Rhen grunted in response and grabbed a bloodworm from his bowl. Popping the worm into his mouth, he turned his head away from the Thestrans at the table.
Ceceta sat down between Crystam and Latsoh on the opposite side of the table. “I hope you liked my class,” she said, grabbing her bowl of bloodworms from the center of the table.
“Of course, we did,” Latsoh told her. “It was really interesting.”
“Yes,” Crystam
agreed. “I can’t wait until tomorrow.” Turning, she caught Rhen’s eye. “Hi, I’m Crystam. I’m taking Ceceta’s class.”
Rhen froze. “Uh,” Ceceta said as she looked at Rhen. “You see Crystam, it’s against Surpen etiquette for Rhen to speak to you.” Crystam looked taken aback. “But,” Ceceta added with a growl, “he should break from that archaic attitude and learn to speak to women while he’s here on Thestran.”
Rhen sighed and reached down for another bloodworm.
“Git mngn,” Latsoh greeted Rhen in Surpen. She butchered the words, making him laugh. He glanced up at her and dipped his head in greeting before turning to nod at Crystam.
Erfce rose from his seat and leaned over the table with his hand out in Ceceta’s direction. “Good mo—” he said. Rhen backhanded him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to sit back down.
“You are not allowed to touch a Surpen woman, unless you are married to her,” he barked at Erfce.
Rubbing his aching stomach while giving Rhen a pained look, Erfce apologized. “I’m sorry Rhen. I didn’t know about that custom.” He turned back to Ceceta. “My name is Erfce. I’m the Prince of Ponto. We’re a small planet in Thestran’s solar system.”
“It’s nice to meet you Erfce. When did you meet Rhen?” Ceceta was trying to move past Rhen’s rudeness. She couldn’t believe he had just struck the only student in the University who wanted to become friends with him.
“We met last night by the lake, although yesterday I sat two rows behind you in our writing class,” Erfce told her. He took a drink of milk before adding, “Our teacher may move my seat, so I can sit next to you for today’s lesson.” With a quick glance towards Rhen, he added, “I had trouble hearing him yesterday.” Erfce wondered if Rhen would call him out on his lie, but Rhen was ignoring him. That was just fine with Erfce. He didn’t need to be friends with Rhen. He just needed to be near him.
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