The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods

by Charity Kelly

  “What do you mean?” Charlie asked, feeling a cold prickle in his head.

  “When Chisten grows up, she’ll become my wife.” Thaster laughed at the look of horror on Charlie’s face. “It appears you were right,” he added, as he turned to go back inside. “I did need a wife.”

  “No,” Charlie gasped. He stepped forward to rush Thaster, but the slaves leapt out from where they were standing to hold him back. “Let her go! Please!”

  Charlie struggled until he could no longer hear Thaster laughing at him. Once the red Genister was gone, the slaves released him. Charlie collapsed onto the floor and groaned. It was all his fault. He’d ruined that girl’s life!

  Charlie reached out and smashed an ant that was crawling across the deck beside him with his fist. He would stop Thaster. If it was the last thing he did, he’d get that girl back.

  Standing up, Charlie marched towards his room to get dressed. He had work to do.

  Chapter 47

  Rhen and Ceceta’s Apartment – Elfin University

  Ceceta elbowed Rhen in the ribs, causing him to jump. He stared at her as she glared back at him. “Oh,” he grunted, remembering what she wanted. He placed his plate of meat onto the linoleum countertop in his kitchen and walked out into their living room. Standing by the coffee table, he cleared his throat. “Tgfhi, would you please follow me?”

  Tgfhi placed his history book onto the coffee table in front of him and rose to his feet. “Is everything okay?’

  “Yeah, follow me,” Rhen told him, walking into his bedroom.

  Tgfhi hesitated. When he glanced towards the kitchen, he saw Ceceta waving at him to go with Rhen. He figured whatever Rhen had to talk to him about couldn’t be that bad if Ceceta was telling him to go. Crossing the living room, he walked into Rhen’s bedroom.

  Rhen closed his bedroom door behind Tgfhi and pointed over towards his bed. “Have a seat.” Tgfhi sat down on the plush white comforter as Rhen sat down beside him.

  “Are you going to ask me out?” Tgfhi joked.

  Rhen gasped with surprise. “How’d you guess?”

  Tgfhi grinned and pointed at Rhen. “See! I’ve had an impact on you. The old Rhen would’ve snarled.”

  Obediently, Rhen growled.

  “There’s the Rhen I know,” Tgfhi said, sitting down beside him. “So, what’s up?” Tgfhi asked. “Why are we sitting in your bedroom when we should be studying?”

  “Do you remember when I told you I’d do something for you, if you weren’t fighting any better at the end of the semester?” Rhen asked. Tgfhi nodded. “Well, you stink. Actually, your fighting skills are worse than stinky, they down right...”

  “Suck,” Tgfhi finished for him.

  Rhen smiled and nodded his head. He was relieved Tgfhi realized how bad he was. “Sorry,” he said.

  “Don’t be. It’s not like I’m surprised to hear you say it. I know how bad I am. I guess I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

  Rhen leaned back and shook his head. “I’m not going to touch that one.”

  “I didn’t ask you to. It’s for the ladies…”

  “Tgfhi, get serious. I need to get you up to speed. You need to know how to fight. I’ll give you that ability, so when the time comes, you’ll be able to defend yourself.”

  “Is the time coming?” Tgfhi asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Rhen was glad to see that he finally seemed concerned. “Yes, I’m afraid it is.”

  “You’d mentioned the Rasacks during our last fight. Are they going to attack Tgarus?”

  “Oh, so you do listen to me occasionally,” Rhen said sarcastically. “Yes, Tgarus will be attacked by the Rasacks twice within the next year and during one of those times, I won’t be able to help you. I know Erfce told you that something bad is going to happen to me. He’s right. I can sense that something is coming. I was worried that whatever was coming might somehow hurt my friends, so I peeked into your futures. I hope you don’t mind that I did.” Tgfhi shook his head. “Just so you know, you’ll all be fine, except for the fact that the Rasacks will be attacking Tgarus, and if I don’t teach you how to fight, you’ll be in trouble. After this,” Rhen waved his hand about, “session, I guess you’d call it, you’ll be able to fight them and defeat them.”

  “Session?” Tgfhi asked. “What are you going to do to me?”

  “We’re going to kiss and...”

  “What!” Tgfhi said, while standing up and walking towards the door. He turned the door handle and pulled, but he couldn’t open the door.

  “Tgfhi. You can’t leave. If I don’t take care of this, Ceceta will go into one of her fits. You need to know how to fight.”

  Tgfhi leaned his head against the door and groaned. “Seriously? We have to kiss?”

  “Yes.”

  Turning, Tgfhi marched back to the bed and stuck his finger in Rhen’s face. “Fine. But if you ever tell anyone we did this, I’ll kill you with your own skills.”

  Rhen laughed. “Got you,” he sang out, watching Tgfhi’s eyes widen with surprise.

  Tgfhi slapped a hand to his forehead. “Oh, Gods, I thought you were serious. You looked like you really meant it.”

  “You deserved it for your earlier comment.”

  Tgfhi bowed and apologized. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all good,” Rhen said. He patted the bed beside him. He was ready to start. “Sit.”

  Tgfhi wasn’t sure if he was joking again. “What?”

  “Sit. I need to be close to you when I give you my powers.”

  Tgfhi sat down and Rhen leaned in towards him. “Whoa!” Tgfhi threw up a hand to push him away. “What are you doing?”

  Rhen sighed. “I’m going to get close to you. My mouth will be open, as will yours, and then I’m going to force my powers into your body through your mouth. Once you have them, you’ll know how to fight.”

  Rhen leaned forward again and Tgfhi pushed him back. “Do we have to do it this way? Can't you just zap me you’re your powers?”

  “No, Tgfhi. If I could I would, but this is different. I’m going to give you a part of my powers. They will be yours forever. I’m going to bring forth everything that I’ve ever leaned about how to fight and how to control the liquid powers that we both possess, and I’m going to transfer my knowledge and a part of my power into you. You will own what I give you. Do you understand?”

  “I guess so. But how can you give me your powers? Isn’t that impossible?”

  “Nothing’s impossible,” Rhen replied dismissively. “Any more questions?”

  “Well, is your breath bad?” Tgfhi asked hesitantly.

  “It probably smells like old meat.”

  Tgfhi made a face and started to get up again.

  “Gods damn it!” Rhen barked. “Stop acting like such a child and sit still so I can give you this amazing gift.” Tgfhi heard the change in Rhen’s voice and settled down at once. “Lean forward please.” Tgfhi did as he was told until their faces were a hand’s width apart. “Open your mouth,” Rhen said.

  “Do I close my eyes?” Tgfhi asked.

  “I don’t care,” Rhen answered tightly. “I have to, so I can sort through my memories properly and give you the right powers, but you don’t have to.”

  “Can you give me the ability to fly? I really want to be able to fly.”

  “No!” Rhen snapped. “Open your mouth and stop talking. If you talk during our session, you might drop one of my powers and then I’ll think your safe but you won’t be.”

  Tgfhi realized that Rhen was really worried about him. The situation was more serious than he’d thought. He swallowed and opened his mouth. Rhen leaned in closer then opened his mouth and closed his eyes.

  At first, Tgfhi felt a tickling sensation in his mouth. It bounced around and then entered his brain. He felt a cool, tingling feeling in his skull as whatever it was that Rhen had given him moved about before settling down. Curious to see what was happening, Tgfhi glanced at the mirror to his left. From the
reflection, he could see white wisps of power flowing out of Rhen’s mouth into his. The wisps danced about, swirling and diving in the air, before plunging into his mouth. Tgfhi’s instant reaction was to close his mouth in disgust, but he forced himself to keep his mouth open as the powers flowed out of Rhen and into him.

  When the wisps of light began to fade, Rhen closed his mouth and flopped backwards onto the bed, placing his hands on his forehead. “I’ve never done that for anyone before. I must like you a lot.”

  Tgfhi closed his mouth and swallowed. His throat felt dry. “Thanks,” he told Rhen. Although, he wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen now. He didn’t feel any different.

  “You’re welcome,” Rhen mumbled.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I just feel drained, that’s all.”

  Tgfhi got up and walked over towards the bedroom door. He knew he was supposed to say something profound at that moment, but he couldn’t think of anything.

  “Tgfhi,” Rhen called after him.

  “Yeah?”

  “You won’t feel anything until later tonight. When you do, please wake me. I need to show you how to channel your new powers so you don’t explode.”

  “That sounds pleasant,” Tgfhi laughed. He hesitated then asked, in a teasing voice, “Will you be wearing pajamas tonight?”

  “For you… no.”

  “Great!” Tgfhi said with mock excitement. He opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living room. Everyone had left except for Crystam. Tgfhi checked the clock on the wall and was surprised to see how late it was. He’d thought that he’d only been with Rhen for a little while.

  “Did he do it?” Ceceta asked, standing up. Her dark eyes looked worried.

  “Yes,” Tgfhi said. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. That’s what friends are for. I explained the situation to Crystam while you were in there.”

  “Thanks,” Tgfhi said, although he wondered what she’d explained to Crystam.

  Crystam rushed over and hugged him. “Even with his powers inside of you, I’m still worried when I think that you’ll be fighting alone against so many Rasacks with just a few Tgarian soldiers.”

  Hell! Tgfhi thought. Alone? He hadn’t realized just how desperate the situation was going to be.

  He threw his arm around Crystam and walked her across the hallway to their apartment.

  --

  Just before dawn, Tgfhi woke up sweating and scared. His body was on fire and he wasn’t sure where he was. Pain surged across his skull and down his spine. “Oh, God,” he moaned.

  Crystam was awake. She’d been watching Tgfhi twitch in his sleep for hours. “It’s time,” she said, pulling on his arm. “You need to go to Rhen now.”

  “Oh, God,” Tgfhi repeated. He tried to move, but couldn’t. The pain was so intense that he started to cry.

  Crystam jumped out of bed. “I’ll get him, sweetie. Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”

  Tgfhi had never felt this horrible before in his life. The pain was unbearable. Why would powers cause you pain? What the hell was going on? It seemed to take forever, before Rhen rushed into Tgfhi’s bedroom with Ceceta and Crystam behind him. Tgfhi tried to talk, but Rhen shook his head. “Just relax. It’ll be less painful.” Tgfhi couldn’t relax. He hurt too much. Rhen sat down beside him and placed his hands on either side of Tgfhi’s head.

  Tgfhi felt Rhen’s fingers press into the sides of his head and slowly, way back in his skull, he could feel cool waters flowing. He felt them being guided around, inside his head, as the pain began to ease. Tgfhi looked up at Rhen to find his eyes glowing bright white. Rhen’s hands were glowing white as well. The calm, cooling water ran down Tgfhi’s spine and out into his arms and legs. Tgfhi felt Rhen jerk his body and then he understood; years and years of fierce battle training fell into place. He understood all of it. He was the greatest warrior of all time.

  But that wasn’t all. He could feel himself gaining an understanding of his own powers. Tgfhi could change his finger, his head, his chest, his leg, anything he wanted into water and still maintain the rest of his bodily form. He laughed inside. He could even change just one hair on his head into water if he wanted to. Tgfhi was shocked as more and more knowledge filled his brain, fitting itself into place like a jigsaw puzzle. He’d never felt so whole, so complete, before in his life.

  Rhen leaned back and rose to his feet, his shoulders sagging with fatigue.

  “Thank you!” Tgfhi said, feeling it in every cell of his body. “Oh, Themrock, thank you! How did you do that? How did you know how? I feel amazing! I know everything! I… I… thank you so much.”

  Rhen smiled at Tgfhi as he backed away. “Now you mean it. Before you didn’t.”

  Tgfhi nodded. Rhen was right. Before, he hadn't understood the gift that Rhen had given him.

  --

  The next morning at breakfast, Tgfhi was showing off his new skills for Erfce and Latsoh. He turned his finger into a mini-swirling tornado and then he turned it into ice. He astonished them by shooting tiny, ice daggers out of his hand at his plate.

  Lilly walked into the dining hall with her tray and sat down next to Latsoh. “Where’s Jet?” Latsoh asked.

  “Rhen’s not feeling well this morning, so Jet’s staying with him until he can move about. He must feel terrible, because Jet even had to teach his fight class for him.” She glanced up to see the others leaving. “What’d I say?”

  Tgfhi and the others entered Rhen’s apartment to find Ceceta and Jet sitting on the couch in the living room area talking. “Hey,” Jet said to Tgfhi. “Ceceta told me that Rhen gave you the ability to use your powers last night. That’s wonderful!”

  Tgfhi ignored Jet and focused in on Ceceta. “Is he okay? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, Tgfhi,” Rhen said from the doorway to his bedroom. He was leaning against the door jamb looking pale. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “I’m just feeling a little worn out. That’s all. Go back to breakfast. I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

  “You didn’t sleep long enough,” Ceceta complained, when Rhen sat down beside her on the couch. She reached over to stroke his hair. He gave her a weak smile and lowered his head back onto the couch to rest.

  “I think we’ll stay until you feel better,” Tgfhi said. He sat down in a chair across from Rhen.

  “No, really, I’m fine,” Rhen protested. “You should go to class. Bosternd will be here soon to talk business. You can’t stay while he’s here."

  “Can we get you anything?” Crystam asked.

  “He’s fine,” Ceceta reassured her. “Go, take notes for us, so we don’t miss anything. I promise, Rhen and I will join you for lunch. By then, he'll be back to his old snarling self.”

  Latsoh rose to go and the others followed. They bumped into Bosternd and Nk as they were closing Rhen’s apartment door behind them.

  “Why the somber faces?’ Bosternd asked.

  “Rhen gave me some of his powers last night and now he’s feeling drained,” Tgfhi explained.

  Bosternd’s eyes narrowed and he rushed into Rhen’s apartment.

  “You better hope he’s okay,” Nk hissed.

  “It’s not my fault. I didn’t make him do it,” Tgfhi cried out in his defense.

  “Nk!” Rhen called out from inside the apartment. “Leave Tgfhi alone. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me. It was my choice.”

  Nk brushed past Tgfhi and stepped into Rhen’s apartment, closing the door in Tgfhi’s face.

  Tgfhi looked horrified.

  “Don’t worry. Rhen will explain it to them,” Crystam told him. “They won’t blame you.”

  “I hope not,” Tgfhi mumbled, feeling guilty as he and the others headed off to class.

  --

  “What the hell were you thinking?!” Bosternd bellowed at Rhen as he paced back and forth in front of him. “You should never weaken yourself. I don’t
care if Tgfhi’s your best friend. It’s not worth it.”

  Nk nodded his head vigorously as he stood behind one of the plush beige chairs watching.

  “Bosternd,” Rhen said. He waited for Bosternd to stop pacing. “The Convention members haven’t attacked anyone in a long time. Everything’s calm.”

  “That’s the problem!” Bosternd barked. “It’s been too long. They’re bound to rise up again soon. You can’t believe that they’re satisfied with what they’ve got. Any minute now, they’re going to start attacking again. We need you strong.”

  “I’ll be fine by lunch time. There’s no way they’re going to decimate the Universe by then.”

  Bosternd grunted. The Convention members had been quiet for too long. Their inaction was making him nervous. It wasn’t like them. If the Black Angel was flying about saving people, then he could understand their hesitancy at attacking other planets, but the Black Angel had yet to be seen. Rhen hadn’t done it again since his trip to Hell to fight Thaster.

  Bosternd took a seat across from Rhen and opened his laptop. Something was going on with the Convention members. He wished he knew what it was.

  --

  “Have you spoken to Chara since the vote?” Reed asked James as they sat by the pool watching their children play.

  “No, but I could tell she was stunned that Te would even consider taking over the trade routes she’d worked so hard to set up. Thank the Gods a majority of the Delegates had the good sense to vote against Te.”

  “It was nothing more than a power play,” Reed said. Even so, he’d been disturbed to see how many Delegates had sided with Te. They would have to meet with the dissenters in private to bring them back into the fold.

  “What was a power play?” Henry asked, sitting down beside them with extra towels for the children.

  “Nothing, Dad,” James told him dismissively. He reached for the towels.

  “No, tell me,” Henry said. “I’d like to know.”

  Reed turned away smiling when James rolled his eyes at him. Their Dad was always trying to participate in their conversations.