RHEN

by Charity Kelly

  Chapter 18

  Thestran Royal Palace – James’ Office

  Reed ran into his brother’s office and yelled, “He’s back.”

  James lifted his head from the papers he was working on at his desk. “Seriously?”

  Rhen and Ceceta had gone back to Surpen for their first school vacation and James had been worried that Andres wouldn’t let them return.

  “Yes,” Reed confirmed. He sat down in the chair opposite James’ desk and stretched out his legs. “He returned just a few minutes ago.”

  “Thank the Genisters.”

  “It’s odd, don’t you think?” Reed asked, reaching up to scratch his nose.

  “Very,” James said. “I’m shocked Andres let Rhen return. It just doesn’t add up. We know he wants to attack us, so why would he allow his son to be here? It’s not to spy. Unless Rhen is providing Andres with false reports, but that doesn’t seem like him. No, something is going on with Surpen. I just wish I knew what it was.”

  “Is there any possibility that Andres let Rhen return, because Rhen’s having fun? He’s been very active with his friend group. He was nasty to them at first, but that’s all changed. He even attends the BAC meetings.”

  “He goes to the BAC meetings?” James asked. “From what I hear, the Surpen race seems to ignore the Black Angel.”

  “According to Charlie, Ceceta is dragging Rhen there. Rhen was angry with her at first, but now he just sleeps in a chair in the back of the balcony during the meetings.”

  “Charlie,” James murmured at the mention of their little brother. He shook his head.

  “Come on, our little brother has been very helpful,” Reed told James, reaching for some of the papers on James’ desk to see what he was working on. “Not only is he keeping Rhen busy by having Rhen save him from his stupid pranks over and over again, but his jump off Death Rock into the school’s lake provided us with the knowledge that Rhen has healing powers. If he hadn’t of missed the water and landed on those rocks, we never would have known that Rhen had the power to heal people.”

  “You’re right,” James said. “Charlie has gotten us more information on Rhen than anyone else has, in a round a bout way. Even Dad, who swings by to check in on Rhen once a month, barely speaks to him. From what Lilly told me they usually sit in silence and watch one of the school’s games. By the way, I’ve asked the Elfin Royals to invite Rhen to their events. Maybe we can make a connection with him on the elfin front.”

  “Did they object to it?”

  “No,” James told his brother, rising to his feet. “They were overjoyed with the idea of showing Rhen their new armies. Naci is still angry with him over that challenge at lunch.”

  “Yeah,” Reed said, following James to the door. “Are you heading to dinner?”

  “Yes.” They stepped out into the hallway and James asked, “Who’s on Rhen duty tonight?”

  “Lilly. She has a crush on Professor DiGrego, so she sits at his table. She doesn’t seem to mind being on Rhen duty.”

  “DiGrego? He wasn’t there when I was a student.”

  “He’s new. He’s also an elf,” Reed told James as they reached the family’s dining room.

  James frowned. “Oh, Lilly.” He turned to look at Reed. “Is there any chance he’ll date someone who isn’t an elf?” Reed shook his head. “Lilly and her crushes,” James said with a sigh. They walked into the dining room, but James paused and held up his hand to stop Reed. “Can Lilly hear Rhen from the teacher’s table in the student dining hall? Isn’t that too far away from his table?” Reed shrugged. “I’ll talk to her later,” James said, turning to greet his wife.

  “Hey, Ceceta. Rhen.” Lilly heard Latsoh call out as Rhen and Ceceta arrived at their usual table in the dining hall. “How was your vacation?” Latsoh asked them. Lilly turned back to the teachers around her. Everything looked fine in ‘Rhen World’. Now, where was her favorite math teacher?

  “Terrible,” Ceceta grumbled, taking the seat between Latsoh and Crystam on the bench. She arranged her light green robes, so they wouldn’t hit the floor.

  “Why?” Crystam asked.

  “First of all, I forgot that I had to bow to everyone, and my first day back, I was punished for not dropping to the floor to honor some stupid Surpen merchant; and secondly, we almost didn’t get to return. When we got back to Surpen, Andres informed us that we wouldn’t be returning, because the Thestrans might corrupt us. Fortunately, his advisor talked him into letting us come back, but it was a tense couple of days while we waited to see how the situation would resolve itself.”

  “That’s horrible,” Latsoh commiserated. She wondered what ‘punishment’ Ceceta might have been given but didn’t feel right asking her about it.

  “Bowing is such an annoying practice,” Ceceta grumbled. Rhen glared at her. “I hate it,” she admitted. “Surpens can be so backwards.”

  “Ceceta,” Rhen barked, from his seat across the table. “Do not disgrace your people.”

  Ceceta sneered at him. Furious, Rhen threw his napkin down and rose. He gave her a look, but when Ceceta stuck her tongue out at him, he turned and marched from the room.

  “Don’t worry about him,” she reassured her friends, when she noticed they were still staring after Rhen. “He’s just in a bad mood. Andres won’t let us near each other, so he spent the entire week living in the barracks with his soldiers, running countless drills. He never got any sleep. In a few nights, he’ll be back to normal. I’ll give him a backrub tonight, which should start to improve his mood.”

  “Why won’t the Surpen King let you be together?” Crystam asked.

  Ceceta gave Crystam a wicked smile. “Because he thinks I’m a bad influence,” she laughed out then added, “He’s kept us apart, on and off, for years. Now, tell me about your vacations.”

  After dinner, Ceceta left to check on Rhen. As the others made their way down the brick pathway to their dorms, Erfce stepped around a puddle and his fingers brushed against Latsoh’s by accident. A vision of his future life with her appeared in his mind. “I can’t wait,” he said.

  “What?” Latsoh asked, stopping to look at him.

  Erfce blushed and turned away. Sometimes their future was so clear, he had trouble remembering that he had to wait for Latsoh to fall in love with him first. Looking for a reason to explain his words, Erfce jumped back to his vacation story. “You know when I told you my parents don’t want me to be friends with Rhen, because they’re scared of him? Well, in the future, we will spend a lot of time on Surpen.”

  “With Rhen?” Crystam asked. “I can’t see myself on Surpen. Its culture is too rigid for me. I don’t think I would ever feel comfortable there.”

  Erfce shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t see anything about his future. It’s completely blocked from me. But, if we’re spending time on Surpen, don’t you think he’s probably there.”

  “So, you can’t wait to spend time on Surpen?” Latsoh asked him.

  “Yes, I guess. I mean… I don’t know… I,” he was floundering here.

  As luck would have it, Tgfhi interrupted. “My Dad is happy that I’m friends with Rhen.”

  “You’re the only one,” Crystam told him.

  “It makes sense,” Tgfhi said. “He’s our Surpen Prince. He’s very powerful. Even though Surpen rules Tgarus, we don’t know a lot about Rhen. My Dad thinks it can only help us, if I get to know the future king.”

  “Obviously,” Latsoh snorted, before walking off towards her dorm room with Crystam and Tgfhi in tow.

  “I can’t wait,” Erfce said, watching Latsoh’s retreating ass. He sighed again before heading towards his own dorm.

  Later that night, Kate leaned back in her plush reading chair, propped her slippered feet onto the leather ottoman and took a sip from her cappuccino. “Excuse me, your highness,” a servant said, approaching her. “Queen Chara’s on the screen in your office. She would like to speak with you.”

  The servant watched as Kate�
�s eyebrows rose. “Chara? What on Themrock would she want with me?”

  “She didn’t mention a topic,” the servant replied.

  “Okay,” Kate said, with hesitation. She rose to go to her office. Sitting down before the viewing screen on her desk, Kate placed her cappuccino on the table and took a moment to straighten her hair before telling the screen to commence. A moment later, Queen Chara of Ventar appeared before her. “Your majesty,” Kate greeted her. She was careful to keep her eyes to the right of Chara’s face lest she succumb to Chara’s beauty.

  “Your Royal Highness,” Chara said, looking perturbed. “I’ll be brief, since I know you’re busy. I heard from Erfce’s parents that James has assured them the Surpen Prince is harmless, so I won’t question you on that point. Certainly, if Erfce is in no danger then Crystam isn’t either.”

  Kate racked her brain. Who were Erfce and Crystam?

  “Regarding Crystam, though, I feel I need to touch base with you on the fact that I think she might be falling in love with said prince. I don’t want to mention the subject to James – as you know, he has enough on his mind these days – so I thought I might touch base with you, to see if I should worry about Crystam and this Surpen Prince.”

  Kate was silent. It took Chara a moment to realize why.

  “Kate, my daughter, ‘Crystam’,” she annunciated. “Is good friends with your son, ‘Max’, at the University. I believe she has also fallen in love with him. Is this going to be a problem?”

  “Ohh,” Kate said, putting two and two together. Crystam and Erfce were friends of Rhen’s. Lilly had mentioned that to her. “No, Chara. There’s no need to be concerned. Rhen is completely in love with his wife. I’m sure Crystam will respect that bond.”

  “I’m not so sure about that Kate. Crystam is beginning to inherit some of my powers. She may use them to woo this prince and I can’t have that. We are members of Thestran. Ventar will never join the Convention.”

  “Chara, I promise you. Crystam’s infatuation will fade. She will not bring a Surpen boy home to meet you.”

  “Do I have your word on that?”

  “Yes, your majesty.”

  “Very well. Thank you for your time.”

  “You’re welcome and thank you for allowing your daughter to become friends with my son. We need him to make connections to Thestrans.”

  “I’d heard as much. It’s not like I could stop her anyway. If I told her she was forbidden from being friends with the boy, I’m sure she would act very much like Latsoh is.” Kate appeared confused and Chara found herself growing tired of their conversation. “Good night,” she bid Kate before signing off. The screen went black.

  “What on Thestran was she talking about?” Kate wondered, taking a sip from her now lukewarm cappuccino.

  A week later, King Tgonar of Tgarus sent a note to the Surpen King, informing him that he was going to visit his son, Tgfhi, at the Elfin University, and would Andres like Tgonar to check in on Rhen while he was there. “My lord,” Tgonar exclaimed, when he read Andres’ response. He stopped walking and glanced up at his aides, who had followed him into the Royal Atrium. Holding up the monitor he had been reading, he shook it at them for emphasis, saying, “It appears King Andres and Prince Rhen might not communicate very well. I’ve been instructed to gather an enormous amount of information on Prince Rhen while I’m at the University.”

  “King Andres will owe you, if you are successful,” one of his aides told him.

  “Indeed,” Tgonar said, sounding thoughtful. “Indeed, he will.” He glanced up at a rare green humming bird that hovered near a yellow flower above his head. “This could be good for Tgarus,” he told them before turning to walk back to his office.

  The next morning, King Tgonar’s spacejet arrived at the Elfin University. He spent the first few hours of his day enjoying his son’s company. At lunchtime, he asked Tgfhi if he could join him for lunch in the school’s dining hall.

  “That’d be great Dad,” Tgfhi said. He grabbed his father’s hand and tugged him towards the student dining hall.

  Tgonar smiled and nodded to hide his disgust at the disturbing colored foods Tgfhi picked out for him. They didn’t look at all appetizing, but Tgfhi assured him they were quite good. After they had gotten their meals, they entered the main dining hall. Tgfhi pointed towards a table on the far side of the room. “That’s where I sit with my friends.”

  Glancing towards the table, it wasn’t hard for Tgonar to identify the Surpen Prince. He was taller than everyone else at the table, and he was wearing a traditional Surpen tunic. Tgonar was instantly impressed by the sight of Rhen. The boy looked strong and formidable, which wasn’t surprising. They walked over to the table, and Tgfhi sat down on the bench next to Rhen, gesturing for his Dad to sit across from him by the female students.

  “Hey everyone. My Dad came to visit me today, and he wanted to try out our cafeteria food.”

  “That’s right,” Tgonar said, taking the seat on the bench across from Rhen. Rhen glanced up at him with a blank stare that Tgonar found exhilarating. He liked this boy. He liked him a lot. Tgfhi had yet to learn how to control himself around others, how to intimidate others with a look. Rhen could teach Tgfhi a great deal.

  “These are my friends, Crystam, Erfce, Ceceta and Latsoh,” Tgfhi told his father, gesturing around the table. “And this,” he said, reaching up to pat Rhen’s shoulder. “Is my savior, Rhen. He’s the one I was telling you so much about. Rhen, this is my Dad Tgonar.”

  Instead of speaking, Rhen gave Tgonar a quick nod in greeting. Tgonar wasn’t sure what to make of the gesture. Even the King of Surpen would’ve said something to him. He wouldn’t have just nodded. But a few seconds later, Tgfhi said, “Dad, Rhen’s awesome, but it takes him a while to warm up to people. You’ll see. In no time, the two of you will be talking about battles and showing each other your scars.” He laughed at the idea, his big blue eyes looking hopeful. It appeared his son wanted him to like the Surpen Prince. Tgonar watched Rhen nudge Tgfhi with his elbow over his last comment. The gesture was meant in kindness, but it knocked Tgfhi into the pale-skinned, large eyed boy next to him named Erfce, who spilled his drink onto the table. The two of them laughed and threw their napkins onto the spill; Rhen ignored them and rubbed at the back of his head.

  “I’m sure we will,” Tgonar said with a smile. Rhen’s gesture towards Tgfhi proved to Tgonar that Rhen did indeed like his son. It wasn’t a one-sided relationship.

  Tgonar glanced over at the woman named Crystam on his left. She had to be the daughter of the Queen of Ventar. She was breathtaking. Something about the color of her eyes and the smoothness of her pale skin was intoxicating. Tgonar wondered if she was as cold as her mother was rumored to be. He also wondered if the rumors about Crystam’s Dad were true. He had been told that Crystam’s Dad had died the night he had married and made love to her mother. Presumably, no one could survive making love to the Goddess of Love. What a way to go, he thought to himself.

  Tgonar turned his head back towards his meal and found Rhen staring at him. “You know my father,” Rhen said. It wasn’t a question, but Tgonar treated it like one.

  “Yes, we’re friends. I like your father. He’s a good king. He cares a lot about his people and Surpen,” Tgonar lied. Rhen nodded in response and looked down at his meal.

  Following his glance, Tgonar saw that Rhen was eating typical Surpen food—uncooked animal body parts. The woman sitting on Tgonar’s right was also eating the same meal. Tgonar looked over at her. What had his son called her? Ceta? Cesta? Ceceta? That was it. Ceceta. She must be Rhen’s wife. She had been talking to the red-headed woman next to her, when he had arrived at the table, but now she was a vision of the perfect Surpen woman. She was waiting for her husband to finish eating before eating herself. Her eyes were cast downward, and she was very still. Although he had never liked Surpen women, Tgonar could appreciate their self-control. He wondered why Rhen and Ceceta hadn’t had any children yet. Surpens were
known for their large families. By now, Rhen and his wife should have had at least three children, if not four. Tgonar shook his head, dismissing the thought and stared down at his own distasteful meal.

  Tgfhi chatted throughout their lunch. He seemed oblivious to the fact that none of the other people at the table were saying much. Crystam, and the woman named Latsoh, kept watching Ceceta, who hadn’t spoken or moved since Tgonar had sat down, and Erfce kept glancing over at Rhen, who was also very still. Tgonar realized his presence at the table had changed the usual dynamic of how the friends interacted.

  “Who do we have here?” Tgonar heard someone say behind him.

  He glanced up to see Thestran’s Prince Reed and Princess Lilly walking up to the table. Tgonar hadn’t realized there would be members of the Thestran Royal Family at the University. This must have been the reason why Andres wanted him to check up on Rhen. It seemed obvious the Thestrans were watching the Surpen Prince. Andres was not going to like it. Out of politeness, Tgonar rose from his seat and bowed to Reed and Lilly in greeting. The Thestran Royals meant nothing to him, his King was Andres, but there was no reason for him to be rude.

  “This is my Dad,” Tgfhi told the Thestran Royals.

  “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today your majesty?” Reed asked, taking in Tgonar’s broad shoulders, sharp jaw, graying hair and warm, brown eyes. He pulled down on his princely Wood Elf jacket of green and brown to make sure Tgonar noticed his status.

  Tgonar smiled to himself. Of course, they wanted to know why he was there. He had never visited the University last year, when Tgfhi had taken some pre-University classes. The Thestrans must have figured out that he was there to check up on Rhen. Tgonar was happy to have the perfect excuse, one they couldn’t question. Pointing to Tgfhi, he said, “Well, I came to visit my son.” He laughed to himself at the irony, adding, “We had so much fun on vacation that I wanted to see him again right away.”

  Reed and Lilly showed their emotions on their faces. Lilly believed his answer and Reed seemed to want to believe him. Tgonar glanced over at Rhen and caught sight of him hiding his smile as he brought his glass to his mouth. Rhen knew he was lying.