“Rhen’s here.”
Rachel’s head jerked up. The bottom part of her goggles banged into the microscope, knocking it backward. She reached out to steady it but stumbled from her seat. “Rhen?” she asked, pulling her twisted goggles off her face so she could see. She’d been waiting for him for ages.
Rachel’s face lit up when she spotted her baby brother standing behind James. She tossed her goggles to one of her assistants and jogged out into the hallway. “Hi,” she cried out, gazing up at Rhen’s glowing, red eyes with fascination. “Themrock, you look incredible.”
She strolled around Rhen, touching his hide and taking mental measurements of his claws, tail, fangs and wings. Rachel stopped in front of his large head and said, “To think that a virus could transform your elfin body into this.” She gestured at his massive form then shook her head with delight, making her hair bounce back and forth. “Incredible! You must have more fangs than a Thestran dragon in that mouth. Open up. I want to take a look.”
“Nice to see you too, Rachel,” Ceceta teased her sister-in-law from the side of the hallway, where she’d been waiting, unnoticed.
“Hi, Ceceta,” Rachel replied with a wave, her eyes never leaving Rhen. “Can I take pictures of your body for my files? I need to document this virus and its effects for future generations.”
Rhen shot a small blast of flames out of his mouth past the left side of Rachel, burning a black hole in the wall behind her. He’d meant to intimidate her into action, but instead, she cheered. When Rachel started to mention the possibility of taking deep bone scans of him, Rhen interrupted. “Do you have the antidote?” He could hear James snickering at his ignorance over Rachel’s passion for all things medical.
Rachel paused. “Well, of course. Come into my office. I need to take a few pictures and jot down a few notes about your case before I can administer the first dose of the anti-virus.” She turned and walked across the hallway, opening a white door on Rhen’s left.
Rhen stared at the small door in front of him and barked, “I can’t.”
Rachel paused. “Oh,” she replied. “Perhaps we could…”
“Rhen," Ceceta snapped. "Use your powers to change the door’s shape or phase into the room.” She smacked him on his right flank, making his hide quiver.
Rhen shook his head. For most of his life, the Genisters had told him not to use his powers. Now that his father was gone and Loreth wasn’t controlling Surpen, he could use them whenever he wanted to. Old habits were hard to break, though, and he often forgot to use the powers he’d received from the Gods.
Nodding towards the doorway, Rhen used his powers to make it large enough to accommodate his size.
“Wow,” James said. "I didn't know you had that ability." Rhen ignored James’ comment and walked into Rachel’s office without saying goodbye. Ceceta gave him a little wave then followed, closing the office door behind her.
James sighed. He hoped there would come a day when Rhen’s feelings of animosity towards his birth family would change and they could become friends.
Two hours later, Rachel gave Rhen his first injection of the anti-virus. He could feel the cold liquid in his veins as it worked its way up towards his chest. The area on his arm, where Rachel had injected him, was numb. “This is going to hurt,” Rhen hissed. He dropped to the floor and gasped as the icy fluid reached his heart. With each heartbeat, he could feel the searing cold antidote as it travelled throughout his body.
“Sorry,” Rachel apologized, before injecting him with something else.
“What…” Rhen panted. “What was that?”
“A sedative to help you sleep,” she told him. “The pain killers I have won’t be strong enough to help you, so I thought perhaps it’d be better if you slept through it.”
Rhen couldn’t speak. He’d clenched his jaw shut to keep himself from crying out. He nodded his head and shivered, hoping Rachel’s second shot would soon kick in.
As he felt his mind beginning to drift off, Rhen realized that it’d been stupid of him not to have brought guards. Here he was, the most powerful man in the Universe, the Emperor of Surpen, and he was about to be helpless and vulnerable to attack on Thestran soil. He sure hoped the Thestrans didn’t get any ideas — not to mention Loreth, wherever he was.
Chapter 4
Outer Space – Thestran Territory
Loreth flew towards the Planet of Neptian. He’d already visited twenty-seven other planets with no result. He was hoping to find someone in power who wanted to eliminate Rhen as much as he did. The Convention members had a code that forbade them from attacking each other, so he couldn’t count on their support. No, he had to find a planet that was free from the Convention members’ control. One that, preferably, had some sort of power. He didn’t relish the idea of having to build an entire military force.
Flying down through the upper atmosphere in his invisible state, Loreth buzzed past Neptian’s famous Ldastar waterfalls on his way to the home of Te, the Neptian Delegate to the Thestran Council.
Neptian was an important planet in Thestran’s Council since it was in the same solar system, so Loreth didn’t think he’d have much of a chance with Te, but he decided to check, just in case there might be an opening.
Te was sitting on the balcony of his lavish manor house drinking coffee, while gazing at the falls in the distance.
Loreth landed on the deck and took the open seat to Te’s right. He was about to make his presence known when Yfetb, Te’s son, walked out to join Te at the table.
“Father,” Yfetb said in greeting, while sitting down across from Loreth and putting his linen napkin on his lap.
“Rhen’s back on Thestran,” Te said.
Loreth’s unibrow rose. Well, this was a surprise. Usually, he had to plant the idea of Rhen in his pawns’ minds to get a sense of how they felt. It appeared Te was going to start the conversation for him.
“He is?” Yfetb asked. He leaned back as a servant poured coffee in his cup. When the servant had finished, he reached out and picked up his cup, cradling it with his blue hands as if he were cold.
“Yes. He and that woman have returned to Thestran so that Rhen can get the antidote to the virus that changed him into an animal.”
“That’s good,” Yfetb murmured, while trying to come up with a different subject. He didn’t feel like talking about Rhen or Ceceta.
Te’s wrought iron chair screeched on the flagstones as he pulled it closer to the table. He waved his hand at the servants to dismiss them. Once they were gone, he pointed at Yfetb. “That damn woman will destroy us.”
“Ceceta won’t do anything. She’s not like that,” Yfetb said.
“Yes, she is,” Te snapped. “You don’t know Neptian women. I do. She’s going to want revenge for what you did to her.”
Yfetb considered mentioning the fact that it’d been Te’s idea for him to leave Ceceta at the altar. Te had wanted him to marry someone with more power and money. Personally, he’d liked Ceceta. When they’d met, they’d gotten along fine. It’d been his father’s ambition that had ruined her and her family’s life on Neptian.
“Dad, Rhen’s been in power for four months and he has yet to go after us.” Yfetb placed his coffee cup down on the table. “Hell, before that, he was running around conquering everything in his path as the Surpen God of War. Not once during that time did he come after us. Thestran, yes. Neptian, no. I think you’re making an issue where there isn’t one.”
“You don’t know anything about Universal politics,” Te said. “Rhen is our enemy. Not only is he a member of the Convention, but he married Ceceta. There’s no doubt that she will turn him against us. Surpen will focus its eyes on Neptian and we now know that Thestran’s Council won’t be strong enough to protect us. If we can eliminate Rhen, Ceceta will be powerless and nothing she does will hurt us.”
Loreth smiled. He’d found his pawn. He watched Te belittle Yfetb for his inexperience with Universal politics for a while and then swung his
hand towards Yfetb.
Yfetb was about to ask his father why he refused to admit that Ceceta had no interest in them, when he felt a sharp pain in his belly. “Oh!” He reached down for his stomach, pressing his hands against it to stop the pain. “Something I ate is disagreeing with me.” Yfetb pushed his chair back and ran for the bathroom.
After Yfetb had left, Loreth turned visible. “You’re right, you know.”
Te cried out and tried to run, but Loreth sent a snake-like wisp of his purple powers towards him, strapping him to his chair.
“Don’t be frightened. I’m agreeing with you. Ceceta will do everything in her power to destroy you. You need to eliminate Rhen. With him gone, you have nothing to fear.”
Te stared at the small-eyed man in front of him. He had dark brown hair, a beak for a nose and a giant unibrow across his forehead. “Who are you?”
Loreth smiled and leaned forward, his hand out in the Thestran’s form of greeting. “The name’s Loreth. I worked with Andres to make Surpen the most powerful empire in the Universe. I’d like to do the same for you.”
Chapter 5
Outer Space – Convention Territory
Loreth hummed to himself as he flew through space towards the Rasacks’ home planet. His meeting with Te had gone well. At the next Thestran Council meeting, Te would try to convince the other Delegates to remove Rhen as Emperor of Surpen. Loreth didn’t think his plan would work — he was simply testing Te — but if Te tried to remove Rhen, he’d know the Neptian Delegate was hooked.
Flying down towards Rasack to meet with King Sinter, Loreth changed to his mortal form. His unibrow disappeared, his eyes enlarged, his hair turned a rich, chestnut brown and his nose shrank so it no longer appeared like a beak. His purple shirt and blue pants morphed into a black shirt, black pants, boots and a black cape. When he was finished, he resembled the Genister God known as Therol – Champion of the Convention planets.
Therol had made up Loreth as a way to get to Rhen. If he’d gone after Rhen as himself, Themrock might have noticed he was getting involved in another Genister’s mortal life. By coming up with an alias, Loreth, Therol had been able to manipulate the mortals around Rhen without anyone being the wiser. Well, he’d been able to work freely until he’d changed Rhen into a dragon, that was too much for the other Genisters. Fortunately, Themrock had remained absent. Until Themrock decided to show himself and enforce the Code Book’s rules, Therol had every intention of playing his games.
Therol passed over the bountiful fields and rivers of Rasack on his way to Sinter’s castle. His eyes narrowed as he approached the stone fortress located on the only mountain on Rasack. It appeared Sinter was in his study. Dipping down, Therol flew through the open window into the Rasack King’s sparsely decorated study. Five of Sinter’s slaves were standing on a round grass rug in the center of the room, cowering in fear. Therol landed by the windows as Sinter screamed at the second slave to the right.
“You idiot. I’m going to have you flayed for this.” Sinter lifted his serpentine head to call for one of his guards and spotted the man in black standing by the windows. “Lord Therol,” he said, bowing his head before the Genister who the Rasacks worshipped as their God.
Therol remained silent as he gazed at the Rasack King. He loved the iridescent purple scales on the Rasack’s serpentine head. As Sinter bowed, Therol’s eyes fell to the junction where Sinter’s scales met his tan, horse-like body and he wondered why he hadn’t continued the Rasacks’ scales further when he’d created their race.
Sinter turned back to the slaves standing in the middle of the room. “You,” he hissed, nodding at the slave he was going to flay. “Bring Lord Therol a glass of wine. The rest of you get out.”
The slaves ran from the room.
Sinter turned back to the handsome Genister God leaning against the wall of his study. “It’s been a while, my Lord,” he said. “May I get you anything other than wine?”
Therol shook his head.
Assuming he was there for a report, Sinter said, “As you requested, I’ve ensured that the Convention members continue to meet regularly. We issued an invitation to the Planet of Sastar, to see if they’d be interested in joining with us but have yet to hear back. I believe the Sastarians would be a welcome addition to our Convention. Unfortunately, the Surpen King voted against including them, so the vote wasn’t unanimous, but I convinced the others to vote with me. If Sastar were to join the Convention, we’d be able negotiate cheaper leasing rates for their slaves.”
The slave Sinter had sent for wine returned. It was obvious from the way the man was breathing that he’d run the entire way. He bowed before Therol, offering the cup he was carrying.
Therol watched the cup shake in the man’s trembling hands. He was either terrified or exhausted from his run. Sinter hissed and the slave ducked down as if he were expecting a blow. Terrified, Therol thought.
Reaching out, Therol took the cup. A moment later, the slave darted from the room.
Therol raised the cup to his nose and sniffed the thick, Rasackian wine. “Thank you for organizing the Convention’s meetings. It was clever of you to invite Sastar to unite with us. Although, I doubt they’ll do it at this point in time.”
Sinter’s scales flattened with appreciation. Therol rarely complimented him.
“Has the Black Angel returned yet?” Therol asked, taking a sip of the cool, dark liquid that reminded him of freshly turned fall leaves.
“No, not yet. We believe he was killed by Rhen during the war. I’ve tried to get Rhen to confirm it, but he won’t.”
Therol glared at Sinter. “If that’s the case, then why haven’t you begun to assimilate more planets? How can you hold Convention meetings when there’s no one to stop you from conquering the Universe? You should be out there…” He waved his hand towards the window. “Rather than sitting around here inviting other countries to join us.” Therol shook his head with contempt. “Pathetic.”
Sinter was about to respond, when Therol continued, “Speaking of Rhen. He’s on Thestran.”
“What?” the Rasack King asked. He swished the purple tip on the end of his tail with curiosity.
Therol lifted the metal cup to his lips. He drank slowly, enjoying the rustic flavor of his wine, while forcing Sinter to wait.
Sinter lifted his hoof in irritation but placed it down again. He hated Therol’s power plays. He wanted to know why Rhen was on Thestran, but he knew better than to speak. Therol would tell him when he was done playing.
“You heard me,” Therol replied a moment later. He leaned his back against the stone wall behind him and swirled the wine around in his cup to aerate it.
“What’s he doing on Thestran?” Sinter asked.
“He went there to get the antidote to my virus,” Therol remarked casually, while sniffing his wine.
Sinter narrowed his round, yellow eyes making the purple, horizontal slit within them wider. He hadn’t realized that Therol had invented the virus that had changed Rhen into a dragon. He had thought that Andres’ advisor, Loreth, had created that virus. It seemed Therol had been working with Loreth. “Pity. I liked his new form.”
Therol laughed and placed his empty cup on a natural shelf in the rock wall beside him. “It was an improvement.”
“Indeed,” Sinter agreed.
“Unfortunately, it appears the Surpen Emperor will once again become a man.”
“Sir,” Sinter began with care. “The Surpens are Convention members. They support you, as do all of the Convention members, was there a reason why you turned their Prince into a dragon?”
Therol frowned. He hadn’t realized he’d slipped up. It was difficult leading two lives.
On seeing Therol’s scowl, Sinter quickly added, “Not that I minded his animal form, as you know. There are too many humans in this Universe as it is. We need more creatures like...”
“It doesn’t matter why I did it,” Therol snapped, interrupting the Rasack King. “That’s not the rea
son for my visit. I’m here to let you know that I’m formulating a new plan to attack Thestran using people on the inside. You will be called upon, should I need to intimidate any humans into action. Until that time, Thestran is off limits. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Sinter replied.
“Good. I will contact you if I need you. In the meantime, I expect you to keep my visits a secret from the other Convention members.”
“Always,” Sinter agreed.
Therol grunted and flicked his hand, making a vortex of purple, swirling lights appear in the air beside him. Without another word, he flew through the center of it and disappeared.
Sinter waited until the vortex had winked out, before hissing and stomping his hoof. What did Therol want from him? He’d just yelled at Sinter for not warring against other planets, while the Universe’s savior, the Black Angel, was missing, yet he’d also told Sinter to refrain from attacking Thestran. Of all the planets in the Universe, the one that Sinter wanted to conquer the most was Thestran. Why was Therol making him wait? It irked Sinter to think that he was being used simply as muscle for Therol’s next mission.
The sound of hoofbeats on the dried, mud floor of the hallway echoed into Sinter’s study. Sinter swished his tail as his Second-in-Command trotted into the room. He lifted his nose, his eyes scanning the strength of his second. Sinter’s eyes roamed down Second's long, scaly neck noting the three locations where it’d been scarred from the fights he’d won in order to gain his position. Second’s head was flatter and more diamond-shaped than most Rasacks. It served him well, for it concealed more teeth than the average Rasack could boast. The purple tip on Second’s tail flared as he raised his head to greet his King.
"What?" Sinter demanded.
"I heard Therol was here."
Sinter snorted.
"What did he want?" Second asked when Sinter didn’t respond.
"Not that it's any of your business," Sinter replied, "but he has a plan to attack the Thestrans from the inside and he may need us to convince his pawns to act.”
The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods Page 3