The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods

by Charity Kelly

  “Not at all,” Rhen told her as he walked her back to her seat. He bowed to Chara to thank her then turned to look for his wife. Queen Chara's outburst had upset him and he needed some comfort. As Rhen walked over towards Ceceta, a new song filled the air. He grabbed Ceceta up into his arms and danced about the room with her.

  Orpel moved over to sit down next to Chara. “You knew? You knew you could touch him?” she asked sternly, as Crystam and the others leaned forward to hear Chara’s answer.

  “I… I thought I might be able to. I’ve noticed during his concerts that his powers have some of the same qualities as mine,” Chara admitted. “I had hoped that our powers would cancel each other out so we might be able to touch.”

  “I can’t believe you,” Orpel hissed. “First of all, you took a chance with his life. If he had touched you and your powers hadn’t canceled each other’s out, you could’ve put him in a coma, and secondly, it has now become quite clear to me that you’ve been spending time with me for the sole purpose of trying to meet my son. You’ve been stalking him, waiting for a chance to practice your 'theory.'”

  “Yes,” Chara admitted. “I took a chance with his life, and yes, you’re right, I became your friend so I could meet Rhen, but that was only in the beginning. After I got to know you, I realized that we had a lot in common. I hope that we can remain friends, Orpel.”

  Instead of answering, Orpel stood up and left the room. Tgonar chased after her, feeling a tad guilty himself. Like Chara, he’d become friends with Orpel in order to get closer to Rhen. He’d been surprised to find that he liked Orpel’s companionship and he hoped their weekend gatherings would continue.

  “I can’t believe you, mother!” Crystam snapped.

  Chara stood up and smoothed out her dress. Her hands were still tingling from the sensation of touch. She wanted to go somewhere quiet so she could continue to cherish the moment. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever get to touch Rhen again. She wanted to lock away her feelings, so she’d always be able to remember them.

  “Don’t be so quick to judge, Crystam,” she told her daughter softly, while turning to go. “It’s really quite horrible to spend your life without the ability to touch anyone. You can’t honestly believe that I enjoy this power, do you?” She left before Crystam could respond.

  Crystam felt Tgfhi’s arm tighten around her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said softly.

  “I feel sorry for your mom,” Latsoh said from her spot at the table.

  “I do too,” Crystam said. “I’d always thought that she enjoyed her powers.”

  “Why did Rhen touch your mom?” Erfce asked. “Didn’t he know that he was going to pass out?”

  “Have you ever told him that he couldn’t touch Chara?” Bosternd asked from his seat at the table, while sipping a glass of blood. “Ventar’s not one of our planets, so he knows very little about it. He wouldn’t have read about her powers in the news. He knows Chara makes people faint, but when would he have learned that he couldn’t touch her?”

  Tgfhi watched Rhen dance with Ceceta. “Don’t get mad, but I have an idea," he whispered to Crystam. "Perhaps we could talk Ceceta into pimping Rhen out to your mom? Maybe, if she touched someone a little more regularly, she wouldn’t feel so sad and bitter all the time?”

  Despite herself, Crystam chuckled. “Pimp out Rhen?” she asked. She shook her head, but in the back of her mind, she thought it was a fantastic idea.

  Chapter 42

  Surpen Palace

  When King Tgonar joined the others at breakfast the next morning, he announced that Orpel and Chara had made up.

  Ceceta was about to ask what they’d been fighting over when Erfce brought up the Vivists’ latest conquest and the conversation turned to Universal politics.

  Tgfhi stared down the table at his father and wondered where Tgonar had spent the night. How far would his Dad go to gain favor with Rhen?

  Later that day, when they’d returned to the University, Rhen and his friends sat at the bottom of the hill outside the teacher’s residence hall enjoying the sunshine, while they studied.

  “Are you ready, Rhen?”

  Rhen squinted against the glare of the sun as he glanced up at his biological father from where he was lying on the grass beside Ceceta. He’d forgotten that Reed had mentioned Henry would be stopping by. "Sure,” he said, climbing to his feet. He liked Henry. The man had always treated him with respect.

  They walked up to the top of the hill near the start of the Wood Elf Forest to sit down and watch the clouds.

  “Reed told me you went home to visit your Mom,” Henry said. Rhen nodded. “Did you have a nice visit?”

  “Yes, very much so. Thanks for asking.”

  “How are you feeling?” Henry asked. “Are there any lingering side effects from that virus you had?”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.” Henry nodded.

  Rhen realized it was his turn to say something. “And you? How are you feeling?”

  “Good. Very good. Thank you.”

  “Any troubles with your palace since the war?”

  “No, everything’s fine.

  “I’m sorry that I blew most of it up,” Rhen said, feeling guilty.

  “It’s fine,” Henry repeated. “You fixed what you broke. No harm done.”

  While they talked, Rhen’s friends, who were sitting down below them, realized they could hear their conversation perfectly. Something about the acoustics of the hill made it sound as if Rhen and his father were sitting beside them. Latsoh and Crystam giggled at the awkwardness between the two men.

  After discussing a few more minor issues, Henry and Rhen smiled at each other and nodded. Neither of them could think of anything else to say, so they sat in a companionable silence until the sun started to set. Finally, Rhen turned to Henry, and without thinking, said in Surpen, “Well, it’s been fun, Henry, but I really should be going now.”

  Clueless, Henry nodded and smiled.

  Rhen chuckled when he realized what he’d done and Henry laughed along with him. “You’re like Charlie, aren’t you?” Rhen said in Surpen as Henry laughed along politely. “Now I know where he gets it.”

  “Charlie,” Henry repeated. He had recognized Charlie’s name among the Surpen words that Rhen had just spoken. “Do you like your brother Charlie? He’s very nice, although we worry about how much he drinks. He’s been done with school for quite some time now and he still doesn’t seem to have any focus.”

  “Charlie’s hanging out in the palace? That’s good. I’m sorry he drinks so much. Maybe you could give him a job?”

  “In the palace? Give Charlie a job?” Henry asked, sounding thoughtful. Rhen could see something was on his mind, so he waited.

  “You know,” Henry said, “I actually haven’t seen Charlie in a while, but when I do, I’ll talk to him about getting a job. Although… I fear he’s going to be like me. You see, no one has any faith in me. Just because my powers aren’t as strong as theirs, they assume I’m simple. They don’t trust me with their secrets. I find it very upsetting. With all of the attacks by the Convention members lately, I’ve been trying to stay more involved. I want to help, but James and the others whisper when I’m around. If I ask them to explain things, they smile and in a condescending tone of voice, tell me not to worry.” Henry stole a glance at Rhen. “I’m not stupid, but they act as if I am because my powers are weak. Charlie will probably have the same problem. I wish they’d believe in us. I wish they’d tell us their secrets. I feel like such an outsider in my own home.” He dropped his head down to stare at an anthill on the ground.

  Rhen had never seen Henry look so sad before. His heart went out to him. He knew just what it was like to have your family dismiss you. When his Dad had been alive, he’d kept secrets from Rhen. He’d confided in Loreth, instead. Rhen had hated it. He’d begged his Dad to include him but Andres hadn’t taken him seriously. “Secrets aren’t that great,” Rhen told Henry. “I know many secrets and n
one of them are particularly enjoyable to me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Henry raised his head to give Rhen an encouraging smile.

  “Don’t be. I’ve gotten used to them.” Rhen laughed a sad sort of laugh and looked up at a spacejet that was flying overhead. “To tell you the truth, one of my secrets has taken on a life of its own. It started out small but now it’s huge. At times, I’m not really sure what to do about it. It’s become a monster.”

  “If you told me your secret, I promise I’d try to help you with your ‘monster.’”

  “No. I’m not going to tell you that secret. But, I will tell you another secret.” Henry looked up at Rhen expectantly as Rhen leaned in closer to him. “You need to realize that this secret is dangerous. You must never tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

  Henry nodded. His face looking earnest. “I promise.”

  “Good,” Rhen said, leaning even closer. “The secret is… your fly is open.” Rhen laughed as Henry glanced down at his pants to see if his fly was open. Down on the lawn, Ceceta and the others giggled at Rhen’s ‘secret.’ Ceceta had been worried that Rhen was going to say something else. She was relieved, when he only teased Henry.

  “That wasn’t funny,” Henry snapped, pulling up his fly. “Now I’m a joke to you too?” He stood up to leave, but Rhen reached out and grabbed his arm.

  “No, you’re not a joke to me,” Rhen told Henry in a stern voice, stopping Henry in his tracks. Rhen studied Henry’s eyes, searching for some sign that he wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. When he saw what he was looking for, he added, “I was really going to tell you that Themrock has escaped from his prison. He will return to this Universe during our lifetime.”

  Ceceta blanched. The others smiled over at her, thinking Rhen was joking, but the minute they saw her face, they realized Rhen was telling the truth. Latsoh fainted. Erfce picked her up in his arms and stared at Ceceta with such a complicated look that she had to turn away.

  “That’s not funny,” Henry snapped. He jerked his arm free from Rhen’s grasp. “I thought you were different, Rhen. I thought you’d understand. I’m leaving. I’ve had enough jokes for the day.”

  “I’m serious, Henry,” Rhen said, rising to his feet. “Thellis told me that Themrock has escaped. I will meet him during my lifetime.”

  “Thellis?” Henry asked.

  “Yeah, you know, Themrock’s brother, Thellis.” When Henry appeared confused, Rhen threw his head back in annoyance. “Don’t you people know anything about your Gods?” Henry gave Rhen a weak smile, and Rhen realized he’d have to explain. “The Genisters are all related. Thaster is the oldest and Themrock is the youngest. You have your evil Genister on one side and your good Genister on the other. Thaster’s and Themrock’s powers are stronger than the others’, so they follow them around. Obviously, they all favor Themrock. He was the one who created our Universe...”

  Rhen was getting off the subject, so he stopped talking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was telling Henry more than he needed to know. “You know who Themrock is?” Henry nodded. “And you know who Thaster is?”

  “Yes. Thaster rules Hell.”

  “And by now you’ve heard that I met a Genister who gave me a special tattoo?”

  “Yes.” Henry glanced down towards Rhen’s left leg. “Reed told us that if you put your hand next to your tattoo, a dagger will appear in your palm. You will always have a weapon at your disposal.”

  “Right,” Rhen said with a nod, recognizing the words he’d used to describe his tattoo to Reed. “Okay. Now, here’s the secret part. I lied to everyone. I told them that I’d only met Thellis once, but in reality, he’s kind of taken me on as a… friend, if you can have a Genister for a friend. They’re usually so temperamental and bossy that I’d almost prefer it if I’d never met any of them.” Rhen laughed and shook his head. Henry appeared to be in shock. With a shrug, he continued. “I’ve actually met most of the Genisters. They seem to like to annoy me. They’re always popping in and out of my life. I went home this weekend and two of them were waiting for me in my palace. Thamber wears way too much makeup and…” he paused, “Sorry, I keep getting off track. What I need to explain to you, so that you’ll believe me, is that Thellis told me I’m supposed to meet Themrock in my lifetime. He’s returning to our Universe and I’m supposed to become his friend. I think that’s why the Genisters are always checking in on me. That’s definitely why Layla is living in my body.”

  Henry had a blank expression, so Rhen asked, “You did see Ceceta’s memory last year of when Layla met me and entered my body giving me my powers, right?”

  "Oh, yes," Henry said with a nod. "And I apologize again for Kate's taking that incident too far. What she did to Ceceta was inapp…"

  Rhen waved his hand, interrupting Henry. "Don't worry about it. I brought it up to explain that Themrock’s wife is riding around inside me, allowing me to use her powers, because she’s waiting for me to find her husband. Themrock is back but the Genisters don’t know where he is. The only thing they’ve been able to foresee is that I’m going to be the first one to meet him. That’s why they keep hanging around me. They want to be there when I find Themrock.”

  “Oh, Gods!” Henry exclaimed. Everything made sense now. They’d been wondering why Layla had entered Rhen’s body. It was because she was waiting for Rhen to take her to Themrock. “You can’t expect me to keep a secret like this, Rhen! The Universe needs to know. Our God, our creator, is returning. We need to prepare ourselves for his return. The elves must be told immediately.”

  “No,” Rhen said. “It’s a secret, remember?”

  “But it’s too much of a secret to keep quiet,” Henry protested. “Do you have any idea what this means to our people? This will change everything.”

  “I know, Henry. It’ll be huge. Thellis told that there will be Universal peace. I can’t even imagine what that would be like, but you can’t tell anyone. If you do, I may never find Themrock. The Genisters have no idea when or where I’m going to bump into him. We can’t risk letting anyone find out because it could change the future.”

  “I have to tell the elfin royals,” Henry protested.

  “No!” Rhen insisted. Henry was having trouble coping with the news. Rhen was starting to worry that he’d made a mistake. He shouldn’t have told Henry.

  “But I have to,” Henry said. “You don’t understand, Rhen. They need to prepare.”

  “And you’re not listening to me. If people know Themrock’s returning, it could change the future and we might not find Themrock.”

  “We’ll tell our family. They can secretly help the elves prepare.” Henry started to pace back and forth in front of Rhen as he talked about the different ways they could help the elves.

  “No!” Rhen snapped.

  Henry stopped to look at Rhen. “Well, at least let me tell James and your mother.”

  “Orpel?”

  “No… Kate,” Henry clarified. “We can tell Kate and she can…”

  “No!” Rhen said. “Please, Henry. You can’t tell anyone.”

  “What if we told…”

  “Dad!” Rhen barked.

  Henry stopped in his tracks and looked at Rhen, his brown eyes filling with tears. It was the first time that Rhen had called him ‘Dad’ since they’d left him on Surpen.

  “Please, Dad,” Rhen said. “You can’t tell anyone. I know it’s going to be difficult, but you can’t.” Rhen was relieved when Henry nodded and reached up to wipe away the tears that had formed in his eyes. “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. Not only will it keep the future from changing, but you’ve also saved me from a beating. I told Ceceta this secret and when Thellis found out he… he was very angry.”

  Henry shuddered at the thought of a Genister hurting his boy. He put his hand over his heart. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”

  Rhen sighed with relief. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you. The others are fools not to trust yo
u.” He reached out and placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Now you have a secret that’s ten times more important than theirs.”

  Henry laughed and wiped at his eyes again. “Ten times more important? Try a trillion times more important.” He laughed again, sounding incredulous. “So, when Themrock comes back, how will you recognize him?”

  “I don’t know. The Genisters don’t know which mortal form he’s chosen to relive his life in. All they’ve been able to see is that I’ll become friends with him and I’ll help him fight against Therol.”

  Henry nodded. He remembered hearing about Therol when they’d spent time with the Convention members. Therol was the Genister God the Convention members worshiped. They believed he was superior to Themrock. “Rhen, I don’t want you to fight Therol. I don’t want to lose you. Go somewhere and live a peaceful, quiet life. Let the Genisters take care of Themrock, please?”

  “That sounds lovely,” Rhen said. “But what makes you think Themrock won’t be the farm boy that I settle down next to? No,” he said, shaking his head, “I will continue on as I am. When I meet Themrock, I will befriend him, and I will do what I must to save him.”

  “Will you and Themrock be able to defeat Therol?”

  Rhen shrugged. “I sure hope so.”

  “Gods save you, my son,” Henry whispered.

  Rhen didn’t hear him, because he was looking down the hill at Ceceta and the others. Latsoh and Erfce were getting up to leave. Crystam and Tgfhi were lying on the ground gazing up at the sky and Ceceta was staring right at him. “I need to return to my wife. Thanks for visiting Henry.”

  “No, Rhen. Thank you. Thank you very, very much.”

  Rhen started down the hill. He paused halfway down. “Henry?” When Henry turned towards him, he asked, “Would you please make it a point to find Charlie? I know Erfce’s been waiting for him to answer a question of his for quite some time. It’d be nice if the Prince of Ponto didn’t have to wait any longer.”