The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods

by Charity Kelly

  “Just some politics,” James told him briefly. “It’s over.”

  Henry had noticed James’ eye gesture. He felt himself getting angry, but then he remembered the secret Rhen had told him. He didn’t need to beg James to include him. He had information that was more valuable than anything James had to say.

  James sighed and rose to his feet. “It’s time for dinner. Everyone out of the pool,” he called to his children.

  Henry wrapped a towel around Reed’s son then turned to wrap one around James’ little girl. “I’m good, Gran’pa,” the girl said, brushing him off. She dried herself off then asked her father if he’d considered her request.

  “Not yet,” James told her.

  As Henry walked with them towards the exit, he asked his granddaughter, “What was your request? Maybe I can help you.”

  Henry stopped in his tracks when his granddaughter rolled her eyes at him. He was too stunned to move. A moment later, she said, “Don’t worry Gran’pa. It’s nothing important.”

  James called out to her and she ran forward to take his hand as they left the pool.

  Henry could do nothing but watch them leave. Except for the pool’s skimmer, the room was silent after his family had left. He felt like screaming. His own grandchildren were now treating him as if he were useless. They’d been watching their parents’ behavior and were emulating it. How did this happen? he thought.

  A part of him wanted to leave. He’d go to Crithnians and spend his retirement on the beaches. It’d be nice to relax in a tropical paradise. He was tired of listening to the Delegates’ politics, everyone was always out to get something. Henry wondered if his family would even notice if he was missing.

  No, he thought. I won’t leave. It’d be childish for me to run away. He was bigger than that. He’d stay on Thestran and make the most of it.

  Henry walked towards the exit and threw open the door to the pool. He jogged down the steps towards the dining hall, running straight into Rachel, who’d turned unexpectedly on the landing to go back up the stairs. Their collision caused Rachel to drop the papers she was carrying.

  “Oh, honey,” Henry said, bending down to help her retrieve her notes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

  “Not your fault, Dad. It was me. I walked right into you.”

  Henry noticed Rachel’s papers contained graphs on the elfin castles. “What’s all this?”

  Rachel sat back on her heels. “I’ve been curious about the elves’ castles. They don’t make sense. Something is missing. The elfin population was eight times what it currently is during Themrock’s days, yet their castles can’t accommodate that many people, so I’ve been wondering: Where did all those elves live? Did they have homes around the main castles? If they did, why aren’t there any remains of them?” She shrugged. “It’s just my newest project while I wait for the results of some tests.”

  Henry realized she was right. Where had all the elves lived? They certainly hadn’t been in the human population or there would be some record of it. He wondered if Rachel’s work would help them prepare for Themrock’s return. It certainly couldn’t hurt. “I’d like to help you with your project.”

  “No, that’s okay Dad. It’s not that impor…”

  Rachel stopped speaking when Henry took her hands in his. “I’m helping you. You don’t have a choice. I was there when Kate restored the elves’ castles. Most of them had fallen into such disrepair that they weren’t even recognizable. I remember what they looked like before she fixed them. I’ll comb through your data and try to show you the changes. Perhaps by comparing what they were like before with how they are now, we can piece together where the rest of the elves lived.”

  Rachel had never seen her dad looking so energized. “That’s a good idea. Thanks, Dad.”

  Henry nodded. He was looking forward to it. He’d enjoyed helping Kate when she’d restored the elves’ castles. The two of them had worked together to put the elves back on their feet. If he could help the elves even more, he’d be helping Themrock.

  Chapter 48

  Fire Elf Castle

  Latsoh knocked twice rapidly on the door to her parent’s study before walking in. Her mother was sitting at her desk working on the Fire Elves’ books while her father sat knitting a sweater by the heater. Both of her parents were dressed in multiple layers of clothing to keep warm.

  “Hi,” Latsoh said, closing the door behind her to keep the hallway’s breeze from entering the room.

  “Latsoh?” her mother asked. “What are you doing home from school? Is everything alright?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine.” Latsoh paused. She’d come home to tell her parents that she was dating Erfce. The other day she’d overheard some of the elfin students at the school talking about ‘teaching’ Erfce a lesson for holding Latsoh’s hand. Latsoh knew that she couldn’t protect Erfce from the elves’ prejudice, but if she could get her parents’ blessing, then maybe the Fire Elves, at least, would leave him alone. “Can I talk to you guys about something?”

  “Of course, dear,” Naci said, his eyes glued to his rows.

  Latsoh walked over to the desk where her mother was balancing their castle’s ledgers. Her mother had been doing the books for Naci since before they were married. Her father was terrible with numbers.

  “I have…” Latsoh hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to tell them. It was probably best to just come out and say it. “I’m dating Erfce.”

  Latsoh watched her father’s needles still. She glanced at her mother and found she was staring at her father too. Latsoh’s mother didn’t appear surprised by her confession. She seemed more concerned as she stared at the back of her husband’s head. Latsoh wondered if that meant that her parents had already discussed the possibility that she might date Erfce. If that was true, was it possible that they might approve of him?

  “No,” her father said.

  Latsoh groaned inside. It looked like they were going to fight. “No, what, Dad?”

  “No, you may not date Erfce.” He began to knit again, his eyes on his work.

  Latsoh swung about to look at her mother pleadingly.

  Reman hesitated. “It would be best for you to set a good example by dating an elf. You are the Fire Elf Princess. You need to act as a role model for our people. Think of Themrock’s wife, Layla. Would she have dated a human?”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Latsoh said. “Of course, she wouldn’t have dated a human. She had Themrock. If Themrock had any interest in me, then I’d certainly date him, but since he’s not around, I’m going to date Erfce.”

  “No,” Naci said on the other side of the room.

  Reman glanced at her husband. He was still working on his sweater. She reached out for Latsoh’s hand. “Please, Latsoh. Don’t date Erfce. Our cultures are so different. It’s not a good match. I don’t want you to be unhappy when you’re older.”

  Latsoh hesitated. She hated it when her mom said things like that. “I’m dating Erfce and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “No!” Naci shouted. He rose to his feet, his hands clutching his knitting needles so tightly that his knuckles were white. “You are our daughter. You will not date a human. I forbid it.”

  “It’s my life, Dad. I’ll date whoever I want to.”

  “I’m paying for your life, so you’ll date who I tell you to.”

  “No, you’re not,” Latsoh yelled, her anger clouding her judgement. “I’m paying for all of us right now with my picture of Thamber. If you’d asked the Thestrans for aid before, like the other kings did, you might have a say, but since it’s my inheritance that’s keeping us afloat right now, I’ll do what I want to with my life.”

  “How dare you!” Naci bellowed. “You think I haven’t lost things that were precious to me? You think you’re the only one to have to sacrifice to keep our people going? I’ll have you know, young lady, that I’ve lost everything my parents gave me. It’s all been sold to…”

  “
Naci!” Latsoh’s mother barked. “This isn’t a discussion about who’s sacrificed more for our people. We’re talking about Latsoh dating a human.”

  Naci sighed and lifted his eyes skyward. “No, you will not date Erfce. He’s a nice boy from a good family, but he’s not an elf. You must date an elf.”

  “I won’t,” Latsoh told him. “I’m in love with Erfce and I plan on marrying him when he asks.”

  Latsoh felt a prickle of dread. Why had she said that? From the stunned look on her parent’s faces they hadn’t even considered that her relationship with Erfce might end in marriage.

  Reman clasped her hands. “Has Erfce asked you to marry him?”

  Latsoh debated lying to her parents, but she’d never been very good at it. They could usually tell when she lied. “He hasn’t. Not yet. But he’s an oracle and I believe he’s had visions of us being married. I know Erfce well enough to know that he wouldn’t have asked me out if he hadn’t of seen a future between us.”

  Latsoh had sensed that Erfce was going to be her husband, but it wasn’t until this moment, when she had explained it to her parents, that she finally realized the truth in her words. Erfce had always been exceptionally shy around her. He must have known that Latsoh was going to be his wife from the moment when they first met freshman year. Latsoh wondered why she’d never realized it before. She laughed, thinking of Erfce. That little sneak. He’d never told her. He’d let her come to the realization that she wanted to marry him on her own. She shook her head and looked up at her parents.

  Latsoh’s father had turned away from her.

  “Go,” her mother said. She leaned closer to Latsoh and whispered. “Let me talk to your father.”

  Latsoh nodded and left the room as quickly as she could.

  Once she was in the hallway, she wanted to shout with joy. She was going to marry Erfce. She didn’t care if her mother convinced her father to give them his blessing or not. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to change her mind.

  As Latsoh walked to the portal room to return to school, she debated whether she should throw protocol out the window and ask Erfce to marry her first. That would shock him. Latsoh hesitated. What was she thinking? Erfce was an oracle. He probably already knew she was going to ask him.

  --

  When Latsoh stepped through the portal into the University, she found Erfce waiting for her. He was dressed in formal clothing and he was carrying a bouquet of summer flowers.

  He smiled impishly at her as she stopped in front of him.

  “Do I ask you or do you ask me?” Latsoh asked softly.

  Erfce took a breath then knelt to lay the flowers evenly on the floor before Latsoh’s feet. When he stood up, his large brown eyes gleamed with anticipation.

  “I, Erfce, Prince of Ponto, ask you, Latsoh, Princess of the Fire Elves, to become my universally recognized mate, from now until our essences reunite in the Time After. Will you join with me?”

  Latsoh had never heard a marriage proposal like that before. It had to be a Pontoian tradition. Her mother’s concern over the differences between them flashed in her mind.

  Erfce waited patiently for Latsoh to decide. He knew they’d have a great marriage, but he wanted Latsoh to make the decision without being influenced by him.

  Latsoh glanced down at the flowers. “What do I do to accept your offer?” she asked, feeling shy.

  “Step onto the flowers to signify the beauty of our future together and kiss me.”

  Latsoh placed her feet gently on the flowers before her then leaned down to kiss her fiancé.

  They kissed until they both started laughing. They were engaged! Neither of them could believe it.

  Latsoh reached out to touch Erfce’s face. “Your eyes are glowing. They match your skin.”

  Erfce lowered his head. “It’s a family trait. It happens when we are… there’s no exact word for it in Thestran, but it’s like content and overjoyed and fulfilled all in one.”

  “It’s pretty. I like it.”

  “You do?” Erfce asked, lifting his head. He felt relieved when she nodded. He reached out for her hand. He knew she was worried about her parents and the challenges they would face coming from different cultures. “No worries, Latsoh. We’re going to be great together.”

  Latsoh smiled. She liked being engaged to an oracle.

  --

  Yfetb walked into his father’s office. Te had been furious with the Council for refusing his petition to take over Ventar’s trade routes. Yfetb had thought that his father would blame Ceceta for his failure, but instead his dad had been oddly quiet.

  Loreth hadn’t been by to visit Te since the vote. Yfetb hoped that was the end of his father’s advisor, but he knew better. The man was probably off torturing kittens. He’d return when he was done.

  Feeling somewhat vindictive, Yfetb couldn’t help himself from asking, “Where’s your advisor these days? He hasn’t given up on you, has he?” Te glared at him. “I hope he returns soon. He’s been so very helpful with all his empty promises.”

  Te glanced down at the papers on his desk. He picked up a folder and opened it.

  Yfetb continued, “We should be happy, I guess. Loreth helped us break new ground in the Council. For the first time ever, one of the Council’s planets has made a proclamation refusing to trade with another Council planet.” Ventar had taken revenge on Neptian for Neptian’s attempt to take over their trade routes. Queen Chara had passed a law banning Neptian from trading with Ventar. “For what it’s worth, I think the Council made the right decision. We didn’t own enough trade ships to handle Ventar’s routes. It would have been hard for us to meet their deadlines.”

  “Get out,” Te said.

  Yfetb considered saying more, but his father looked so beaten that he took pity on him. He walked to the door and opened it to leave, but turned when he heard his father say, “This is all your fault. If you had married Ceceta, like I had arranged, none of this would have happened.”

  Yfetb was stunned. He couldn’t believe his father’s gaul. “It was your idea, not mine, that I abandon her. I liked Ceceta. We would have made a fine match.”

  “I never told you to leave the girl. It was your decision. You didn’t want to get married so I said you didn’t have to.”

  Yfetb felt like screaming. He hated how his father rewrote the facts to his own advantage. He stepped out into the hallway and heard his father call out, “You can still make it up to me. If you marry Crystam, you’ll repair the damage you did.”

  “Sure, Dad,” Yfetb told him. “I’ll get right on it.”

  As Yfetb closed the door to his father’s study, he wondered whether his father might be mentally unstable.

  Chapter 49

  Elfin University

  “Hey, Erfce,” Rhen said as they walked down towards the school’s lake to meet the others for class. Their teacher had decided to hold his class on the school’s sailboat. “How much did you end up paying for that picture you wanted?” Erfce had told Rhen that he’d given Latsoh a gift to mark their engagement. Rhen had assumed he’d given Latsoh her Genister portrait, the one Charlie had bought.

  “What picture?”

  “The one Charlie sold you?”

  Erfce frowned and glanced over at Rhen looking confused. “What are you talking about? I didn’t buy any pictures form Charlie.”

  “What? I thought he had a picture you wanted to buy for Latsoh.”

  “He does, but I still haven’t seen him, so I haven’t been able to ask him how much he wants for it.”

  Rhen stopped walking. Erfce kept going, but when Rhen didn’t catch up, he turned back to look at him. Rhen was staring out across the lake, his mouth was open and his skin seemed pale. “Are you okay?” Erfce asked. When Rhen didn’t answer him right away. Erfce walked back to his side. “Rhen? Is something wrong?”

  Swallowing, Rhen asked, “By any chance, did Kate contact you about Charlie’s picture?”

  “No. I haven’t heard
from either one of them.”

  “Gods,” Rhen swore under his breath while closing his eyes and dropping his shoulders. He’d thought everything was okay. Henry had told him that Kate had seen Charlie. Rhen rubbed his hands against his face.

  “What’s the matter?” Erfce could see that something was wrong, but he had no idea what it could be.

  Instead of answering, Rhen brushed past Erfce as he started to walk down to the lake again. Erfce found he had to jog to keep up. After they’d gone about twenty yards, Rhen explained, “I asked Henry to make sure Charlie contacted you about the picture. He told me Kate was going to tell Charlie, since she’d seen him. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

  “Thanks for that,” Erfce said, jogging along behind him. “I’m sure Charlie got the message. He’ll probably be by soon. I’ll let you know when he contacts me.”

  “Great,” Rhen whispered distractedly. He knew Charlie wasn’t going to contact Erfce, because he’d asked Henry to have him do it at the beginning of the semester. Charlie should’ve already been in touch with him. Clearly, something was wrong. He prayed it wasn’t what he thought.

  “Ceceta!” Rhen called out. He was walking as fast as he could down to the dock to catch her before she climbed onto the University’s sailboat.

  “Hey!” Ceceta shouted. She waved back at him with a big smile on her face. She was looking forward to today’s class. “Hurry up. You’re late.” Ceceta was about to step onto the boat when she noticed Rhen wasn’t acting like himself. He was scowling and his gait seemed hurried. She paused to watch him as he rushed down the wooden dock in her direction. When she noticed Erfce sprinting along behind him, she groaned. “Oh, crap. Something’s wrong.”

  “What?” Tgfhi asked. He was holding one of the lines, waiting for Erfce and Rhen so he could release the boat.

  “Can you take notes for us, Tgfhi?” Ceceta asked, undoing her life jacket. “Rhen and I can’t go. It looks like something’s come up. Will you tell the others?”