The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods

by Charity Kelly

  “Ceceta!” Rhen said, coming to a halt beside her. “We need to go.”

  “I know.” She dropped her orange life jacket onto the stern of the boat then felt Rhen’s hand on her shoulder. A moment later, they were back in their apartment and Rhen was telling her about his conversation with Erfce.

  “This is not good,” Ceceta said. “You have to find him.”

  “I know!” Rhen barked. “Sorry,” he added, when he saw that Ceceta looked hurt. “I’m just worried about Charlie.” He sat down on their tired, blue couch and closed his eyes.

  He opened them again ten minutes later.

  From his blank expression, Ceceta couldn’t tell if he’d found Charlie or not. “Well? Is he in the Thestran’s castle?”

  Rhen shook his head. “He’s not in Universe 1. I’d need the Genisters to take me to the other Universes to search for him there but…”

  “We already know where he is,” she finished, dropping onto the chair across from him, her body sagging in defeat.

  “I think we do.”

  “Crap!” Ceceta said. “Poor Charlie. Do you think he’s still alive?”

  “He’s probably still alive, but he might not be a man anymore. I’m sure Thaster’s changed him into a slave by now.”

  “You have to go find him,” Ceceta insisted as she sat back up.

  Rhen nodded then reached out for her hand. “You know if he’s a slave, I won’t be able to tell which one he is.”

  “I know, but if by any chance he’s still a man, you can save him.”

  Rhen released Ceceta’s hand and leaned back against the couch. Placing his fingertips on his forehead, he said, “I can’t believe I trusted Kate to find Charlie. What was I thinking?” He dropped his hand down into his lap and studied the coffee table in front of him. “After everything I’ve been through, you’d think I’d know better.”

  Ceceta moved over to sit down on the couch beside Rhen. She reached out to squeeze his arm. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. It’s the Thestrans’ fault. How’s it possible that they never noticed he was missing? What’s the matter with them?”

  “I should’ve checked on him, Ceceta,” Rhen insisted. “For God’s sake, I thought I saw him in Hell. I should’ve followed up on it and found him.”

  “Henry told you Kate had seen him. How were you to know that she was mistaken?”

  “My point exactly. Why did I trust Kate? I should have double checked.”

  Ceceta needed to get Rhen to stop berating himself and act. “Then it’s my fault too. Kate left both of us on Surpen. I should have realized that her word was unreliable. I should have gone to…”

  “Ceceta, it’s not your fault,” Rhen said.

  “Then why is it yours?”

  Rhen didn’t have an answer. Ceceta had a point.

  “Go. Find Charlie. Make it right.”

  Rhen groaned and threw his head back onto the couch. “That’s the problem. I can’t just waltz into Hell. Thaster would kick me out. I have to go when he’s not there.” Rhen sighed. He needed the Genisters’ help.

  Closing his eyes, Rhen called out mentally to the Genisters. A green swirling vortex of lights appeared above their desk in the living room. A moment later, Thellis flew out of it. He crossed the room and hovered before them in front of their bookcase.

  “You called?”

  “I need you to watch Hell. Tell me when Thaster leaves,” Rhen told him.

  Thellis’ ghostly image lowered down to the floor. “Why?”

  “I believe Thaster may have kidnapped Charlie.”

  “The Thestran Prince? What would he want with him?”

  “I don’t know. I would’ve thought that he’d have ransomed him, but the Thestran Royals don’t even know he’s missing.”

  “Maybe Thaster hasn’t had the time to notify them yet?” Thellis offered.

  “Charlie’s been in Hell since the beginning of the semester.”

  “Gods,” Thellis breathed out. “That’s terrible. I’ll inform the others.” He flew up into the air, a swirling vortex of green lights appearing beside him. “We’ll let you know the minute Thaster leaves.” Pausing, he added, “You realize Charlie might not be a man anymore. He might be a slave.”

  “I know,” Rhen said. “But I still have to go look for him.”

  Thellis nodded and disappeared.

  --

  Soon after, the Genisters arrived to tell Rhen that Thaster had left Hell on his way to Rasack. Rhen pulled on his Black Angel cape and grabbed his sunglass. “Let me know the minute he turns back,” he yelled at Thamber before flying out of the room into space.

  Rhen passed through the black dimensional door that would take him into Hell. The portal looked more like a large sheet of black paper than a doorway to a different dimension. He skimmed across the desolate countryside full of rotting palaces, then flew over Thaster’s stone wall, built, he presumed, to keep the slaves in place. Hovering over Thaster’s largest lawn, he scanned the palace for Charlie.

  His older brother wasn’t in the gardens, nor was he by the stables or pools. Rhen flew over the tennis courts and was on his way to the lake when he noticed something dangling on the side of one of the palace’s peaks. Doing a 360, Rhen headed back to investigate. He found Charlie scaling one of the palace’s walls. It appeared his brother was trying to make his way up to one of the higher floors.

  Rhen breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Charlie’s tousled dirty blond hair and thin, pale arms. His brother was still human. He didn’t know why Thaster hadn’t changed Charlie into a slave, but he wasn’t going to hang around and ask. Dropping down towards the slate roof shingles, Rhen skimmed along the edge of the curved roof until he reached his brother. He looped his arm around Charlie’s waist then pulled him up off the palace wall.

  Charlie screamed and jerked his arms and legs about trying to catch onto the palace’s pink stones when he felt himself flying off the wall. His panic at falling turned to fear when he realized he wasn’t dropping towards the ground, but rising up instead. He lowered his gaze to see what was wrapped around his waist. A man, wearing a black Genister coat, had secured his arm just below Charlie’s ribcage. Crap! Charlie thought. Thaster had caught him.

  Holding tight to the black coated arm around his waist, Charlie said, “Now, Thaster. Before you get all upset, you should know that I wasn’t going into your private section of the palace. I was simply going to look at the eagles that have perched…” Charlie gasped for breath as the arm tightened around his waist. He noticed they were flying higher. Why? Why would Thaster take him higher? Was the red Genister going to toss him to his death?

  Struggling, Charlie turned to try to face Thaster. Perhaps, if he looked him in the eye, maybe he could reason with the red Genister.

  When Charlie saw that the man carrying him away from the palace had covered his face with a black scarf and sunglasses, he realized that he wasn’t in Thaster’s arms, but the Black Angel’s. The Angel had come back to save him. Relief exploded within him and he began to cry as his body went limp.

  Rhen felt a sharp jump in the weight he was carrying. He glanced down to find Charlie dangling limply in his left arm. Charlie’s mouth was open in a deep sob and tears streamed from his eyes. Although his brother looked okay physically, Rhen was sure he’d be suffering from some mental problems after having been stuck in Hell for so long.

  Rhen thought Charlie might feel better if he had someone close to him to talk to at this moment. He was about to confess to being the Black Angel when Charlie’s body jerked upright and he screamed. Rhen’s first reaction was to drop him, but he held himself together and tightened his grip.

  “No! Wait!” Charlie shouted, flinging his hands and feet about as he struggled in Rhen’s grasp. “There’s someone else. We have to save her!”

  Rhen slowed down. Charlie was wiggling so much that he was having trouble holding onto him.

  “There’s a girl! We have to go back!” Charlie yelled.
<
br />   Rhen stopped short. A girl? Could it be that Charlie was talking about the same girl he’d tried to save the very first time he’d become the Black Angel again?

  “We have to go back!” Charlie yelled. “She’s too young to be here!”

  Rhen glanced towards the black dimensional doorway that was above them. He hadn’t heard anything from the Genisters yet, which meant that Thaster was probably still occupied on Rasack. He had time. He could rescue the girl he’d wanted to save earlier along with Charlie.

  Jerking about, Rhen shot back towards the palace. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Charlie told him repeatedly with every mile they passed.

  As they neared the top peaks on the left side of Thaster’s palace, a ball of red energy soared past them, exploding against the slate tiles to their right. Bits of rock and mortar struck their legs as Rhen dropped to evade the worst of the shrapnel from the explosion. Gods damn those Genisters! he cursed to himself. Why the Hell hadn’t they warned him that Thaster was on his way back? There was no way he could save the girl now. He’d be lucky to get out of here alive. He wasn’t sure how he was going to manage it carrying Charlie.

  Flying in a zigzag pattern, with Thaster chasing along behind him, Rhen struggled to hold onto Charlie, who had begun to holler that they had to return for the girl. Rhen wanted to scream at Charlie to hold still or neither of them would make it out alive, but he didn’t want Thaster to know who he was.

  Rhen ducked into one of Thaster’s decaying palaces, hoping to lose the red Genister long enough that he could make his way directly underneath the dimensional door. If he could get under the door, he might be able to rocket himself and Charlie up and out of Hell before Thaster caught them. He flew through the corridors of the palace he’d entered towards the decaying palace on the opposite side. Glancing behind him, he noticed that Thaster hadn’t followed them into the building.

  “Stop!” Charlie shouted. “We have to go back!”

  Rhen gritted his teeth and used his powers to put Charlie to sleep. He couldn’t fight Charlie and Thaster at the same time. He didn’t want Charlie to alert Thaster to the fact that he was making his way towards the dimensional doorway.

  “What a coincidence.” Thaster’s voice echoed throughout Hell as Rhen flew into the next palace. “I was just looking for you. I have a surprise for you.”

  Rhen ignored Thaster as he flew straight through the palace to the next decrepit building.

  “I think you’re going to like my surprise,” Thaster told him.

  Rhen ducked under a fallen staircase and flew into the next palace.

  “You don’t have to hide.” Thaster’s voice boomed into the ballroom Rhen was crossing as he made his way to the next building.

  “Seriously,” Thaster announced. “I want you to leave Hell. I have a surprise for you on Universe One.”

  Rhen flew into the next palace and almost lost Charlie on a steel girder that had fallen crosswise in the window he’d chosen. He hoisted Charlie higher and flew into the next broken-down palace.

  When Rhen entered the next building, he hesitated. He was almost to the dimensional door. Although Thaster’s voice was loud, he could tell that the red Genister was still hovering beside the first palace he’d entered.

  Rhen flew up out of a broken turret in the roof of the palace he was in.

  Thaster was sitting on the stone wall that surrounded his palace. When he spotted Rhen, he waved. “There you are. Bravo! You made good time getting through all those palaces. I don’t think I would’ve been able to maneuver around the debris within them as fast as you did.”

  Rhen tightened his arm around Charlie’s waist as he flew higher towards the dimensional door.

  “Go!” Thaster called after him. “I’ve no intention of stopping you. Take the idiot and go.”

  Rhen frowned. What was going on? Why was Thaster letting him leave with Charlie? Something had to be wrong. What had Thaster said? He had a surprise for him?

  Fear filled Rhen’s heart and he bolted for the dimensional doorway. Ceceta! He was terrified that Thaster had figured out he was the Black Angel. Had Thaster gone after Ceceta while he’d been in Hell? It’d be the only explanation for why he hadn’t heard from the Genisters. Thaster must’ve fought them and defeated them as they protected Ceceta. His heart beating wildly, Rhen flew faster than he’d ever flown before, rocketing through the dimensional doorway into Universe One.

  Once he entered the open space of Universe One, Rhen stopped short. Closing his eyes, he scanned the Elfin University for his wife. Rhen breathed a sigh of relief. Ceceta was fine. She was sitting in the living room of their apartment waiting for him. Rhen rolled his shoulders back, hoping to release the tension that had built up inside him. Pointing himself towards Thestran, he flew off towards the Thestran Royal Palace to drop off Charlie.

  As he flew, Rhen considered Thaster’s words. What surprise did Thaster have planned for him? The Genisters had told him that Thaster had left Hell to visit Rasack. So whatever surprise Thaster had planned, Rhen knew it had to involve the Rasacks.

  Rhen flew down through the roof of the Thestran Royal Palace into the Council Chamber. Unfortunately, a Council meeting was in session so all of the Delegates were present. Just my luck, he thought, as the Delegates’ cries of surprise echoed throughout the room. I guess I’m back.

  He placed Charlie down onto the Royal Family’s crescent desk, used his powers to wake his brother then flew up out of the room.

  Once he was back in open space, Rhen paused to check on the Rasacks. “Gods!” he shouted.

  The Rasacks were attacking Tgarus. They’d already decimated the Capital City, killing most of his soldiers. Bosternd hadn’t sent any reinforcements, because he still didn’t know.

  Rhen couldn’t seem to locate Tgfhi’s father, which meant he had to get Tgfhi. Once he removed the Rasacks from Tgarus, his friend could take control.

  Dropping downward, Rhen zoomed off towards the Elfin University.

  Chapter 50

  Elfin University

  Tgfhi and the others were walking up from the docks after class. They’d had a lot of fun on the University’s boat and wanted to tell Rhen and Ceceta all about it.

  “Look,” Erfce said, giving Latsoh’s hand a squeeze before pointing up the hill, “Ceceta’s coming this way.”

  Ceceta was marching down the path towards them. Her face was tight and she was frowning. A few of the students she passed called out to her, but she ignored them.

  “I wonder what’s wrong,” Latsoh said.

  “I hope it’s nothing big,” Crystam added.

  As they walked up the hill to join Ceceta, they heard some of the students shouting and pointing at something behind them.

  Turning, they saw the Black Angel flying towards them at such a high rate of speed that flames were burning around his form.

  “Oh, no!” Erfce exclaimed. “Tgfhi, I’m sorry! I should’ve che…”

  Before Erfce could finish his sentence, the Black Angel snatched Tgfhi into his arms and phased away. The students around them were cheering with excitement over the Black Angel’s return, but Tgfhi’s friends were terrified.

  Crystam clutched Erfce’s shirt and shook him. “It’s Tgarus! What’s happened? Tell me!”

  “Erfce, what’s going on?” Ceceta demanded, running up alongside them.

  Erfce closed his eyes, his cold powers enveloping his mind, as he pulled at the image he’d seen when the Black Angel had appeared above them. “The Rasacks are attacking Tgarus. King Tgonar is dead. The Capital has fallen.”

  “No,” Crystam gasped. She broke down into tears.

  Ceceta pulled Crystam into her arms. “Crystam, you don’t have to worry. What did Rhen tell you? Remember his words? Rhen told us that Tgarus would be attacked by the Rasacks twice. The first time, he would be there to help, but the second time, he wouldn’t. Since this is the first attack, we know Tgfhi will live through it, otherwise Rhen wouldn’t have given him the
ability to fight the Rasacks during their second invasion."

  Ceceta stilled as the meaning behind her words hit home.

  “Oh, Ceceta,” Crystam breathed out, as Ceceta’s arms went limp.

  “What?” Latsoh asked.

  Crystam threw her arms around Ceceta and pulled her into a tight embrace as Erfce whispered to Latsoh, “It’s Rhen who’s in danger, not Tgfhi.”

  “Will he be okay?” Latsoh asked.

  Erfce closed his eyes and focused his powers on Rhen, but try as he might, he couldn’t see what was happening on Tgarus, he couldn’t find Rhen’s thread of life anywhere. “I don’t know,” he told her, opening his eyes.

  Crystam glared at Erfce then pulled Ceceta up the path towards the Teacher’s Residence Hall. “He’ll be alright. I know it,” she told Ceceta.

  --

  It took less than a second for the Black Angel to phase Tgfhi and himself to Tgarus. As Rhen had seen in his scan, the Capital City was in ruins. People were screaming and running everywhere. Most of the buildings were on fire. There were dead bodies strewn about the streets, and the Surpen soldiers who’d been stationed on Tgarus were dead.

  The Black Angel released Tgfhi as he landed. Tgfhi was overwhelmed by the destruction around him. Trying to keep himself from losing it, he turned his gaze towards the Black Angel and noticed that the Angel’s right pant leg had gotten caught in his boot. A bright, orange sock peeked out over the top of his boot. Rhen must’ve gotten dressed in a hurry, Tgfhi thought as he bent over and tugged down on Rhen’s pants so they fell into place, hiding his telltale socks.

  The Black Angel grabbed Tgfhi’s arm and phased the two of them into Tgonar’s throne room in the palace. Once inside, they were attacked by a group of Rasacks. The Black Angel swung his hand out and the Rasacks froze in mid-motion. He made a pushing movement and flung them out of the throne room into the hallway, then walked along behind them as he used his powers to push them down the hall and out a large window by the main staircase. The Black Angel tossed the Rasacks out the window over towards their spacejets, which could be seen on the lawn in the distance. He then jumped out through the broken window himself and hovered over the main driveway leading up to the palace.