RHEN

by Charity Kelly

  Before Kate or James could answer any of their questions, the King of Milow, his entire family and his advisors and lords, popped into the center of the Council Chamber. They were kneeling with their heads bent forward and their eyes closed.

  “Your highness?” James asked with surprise as a silence fell over the room. The Milowian King lifted his head. His brown eyes filled with relief at the sight of the Thestrans. “What happened?” James asked. “We saw Rhen decapitate you.”

  Rising to his feet, the Milowian King approached Reed with a note. “He asked me to give this to you first,” he told Reed.

  Reed took the note and read it aloud. “You did me a favor once. I’ve released the Milowians as a gift to you Reed. I hope you’ll consider my debt to you paid in full. Rhen.”

  “What does that mean?” someone asked.

  “Whatever you did for him,” the Milowian King said. “Thank you for doing it. Thank you for our lives.”

  “Yes, thank you,” the other Milowians called out.

  “Please,” James said. “Will you tell us what happened? We saw you decapitated.”

  The Milowian King cleared his throat. “I thought my head had been cut off. I felt Rhen’s sword pass through my neck, but when there was no pain, I opened my eyes to see Rhen holding a cow’s head above me as he spoke to his father. He did the same thing with each of us.”

  “Does that mean Rhen was fooling his own soldiers as well as his father?” James asked.

  “Yes. The only people, who knew what he was doing, were two soldiers named Bosternd and Nk. They helped Rhen carry us to a separate tent after our ‘beheading’ so Rhen could send us to you.” He pointed at the note in Reed’s hands. “Bosternd wrote that while Rhen healed our injuries and Nk kept watch to make sure that no one knew what they were doing, but, unfortunately, another soldier named Aul found out about us right before Rhen sent us here.”

  James shuddered at the thought of Aul having damaging information on Rhen. “We need to move you. Quickly! In case Aul tells Andres.” Turning, James motioned for Rachel. “Take them to our private residence.” Rachel gestured for the Milowians to follow her. “Delegates,” James announced, “It appears we’ve had some success with Rhen after all. Now, let’s discuss our defenses.”

  The next day, the Thestran Council waited in its Chamber with trepidation. According to Ceceta, Rhen turned eighteen that morning, and according to the oracles, he would also turn into the Surpen God of War. The Thestrans wondered if Surpen would attack them right away or if they would wait a few days. Would Rhen succumb to Andres or would he oppose him? Ceceta was now living in the castle. She’d agreed to leave the Elfin University for her own protection.

  That afternoon, one of the Council’s portals flashed to life and twenty Surpen soldiers marched through it. James stood up and yelled at them to ‘Halt’, but the soldiers ignored him. They focused their attention on Ceceta, who was standing beside Reed and Lilly, on the far side of the room.

  Just as James was raising his hand to tell his men to attack, a soldier from the back of the Surpen’s line broke file and ran past the others, placing himself in front of the lead men. “Stop,” he yelled.

  The Commander, in charge of Andres’ private guard, ordered his men to stop, then stepped forward, to see who was blocking their path. “Jet. I knew we had a traitor among us. I was hoping it was going to be you.”

  “In the name of the true Surpen King, I command you to stop. You will not touch the true King’s wife,” Jet said. There was a rustling in the room as some of the Delegates ran for safety, while others grabbed their translating devices.

  The Surpen Commander motioned for his men to circle Jet. “What are you going to do? There’s no way you can beat all of us.”

  Watching them, Jet widened his stance as he pulled two daggers from his belt. “I am one of Rhen’s elite guards. You don’t stand a chance against me and you know it. Surrender or die.”

  The Surpen soldiers chuckled at his bravado and raised their swords. Suddenly, Jet threw the daggers he was holding into the necks of the soldiers in front of him then flipped into the air, pulling his swords from his belt. He dropped to the floor and spun to his right, lashing through the legs of the soldiers on that side before rolling out of reach of the men behind him. James’ soldiers formed a blockade around Ceceta to protect her as Jet jumped to his feet and plunged his swords into two more soldiers.

  Jet jumped back to avoid being gutted and sliced through the necks of the soldiers on either side of him but didn’t move fast enough to evade getting stabbed in the back by the Surpen Commander.

  Instead of succumbing to his injury, Jet dropped to the floor and swung his swords around him, cutting down more of the Surpens before he kicked himself up into the air, in another flip to spear another solider.

  The Thestran soldiers protecting Ceceta engaged in a blaster fight against three Surpen soldiers who tried to rush past them.

  Jet ducked under the Commander’s swinging sword, pulled another dagger from his belt and plunged it into the Commander’s chest. He turned to check on Ceceta. The Surpens, who had tried to reach her, were dead. Panting, Jet crouched over but kept his eyes on the two remaining soldiers. He coughed up blood and wiped it onto his sleeve. When the soldiers saw the blood, they lunged at Jet, confident that they could defeat him. Jet spun his body out of range, then lunged forward with his swords, impaling them. As the soldiers fell to the ground, Jet coughed again and spat out more blood. He tumbled to his knees, clutching his stomach.

  Throwing Surpen protocol out the window, Ceceta rushed to him. “Jet,” she cried as Jet fell to the floor. She bent down over him. Rhen was always telling her stories about Jet, and although she’d only seen him from afar, she felt as if she knew him. “Jet,” she repeated, tears welled up in her eyes. “Come on Jet. You can’t die.”

  Lilly appeared beside them. She reached out to unbuckle Jet’s armor.

  “My Queen,” Jet breathed out. “I die honorably today. I have saved you.”

  Lilly chuckled at Jet’s Surpen stoicism as she reached under his bloody tunic to touch his chest. “Nobody’s going to die today,” she told him. When her fingers touched Jet’s body, he jerked with surprise. Surpen law forbade men and women from touching each other, unless they were married. Jet had never been touched by a woman other than his mother before. He felt a coolness pass from Lilly’s fingers into his stomach. Jet inhaled as a tingling sensation passed over him. He recognized the feeling at once. It was the same way he felt, when Rhen healed him after battles.

  “You can heal? Like Rhen?” he asked Lilly in Thestran. He looked down at his body to find his wounds were gone.

  Lilly smiled, surprised that he could speak Thestran. “It’s one of my two powers,” she told him, removing her hand from his tunic.

  Jet rolled over onto his knees and bowed before her. “Will you marry me, my lady?”

  For a minute, everyone was confused by his proposal, but then Ceceta laughed. “Jet, she’s from Thestran. On this planet, men and women are allowed to touch each other, even if they aren’t married. You don’t need to marry Lilly to restore her honor.”

  Jet glanced up at Lilly’s blue eyes and heart-shaped face. He felt something stir within him as he watched a lock of her medium-length brown hair fall forward over her face. He didn’t know what it was, but he did know that Lilly was beautiful, and he would be honored, to have her as his wife. Pulling off his military helmet and bowing down before her, Jet said, “I wish to marry you, if you will have me.”

  Lilly thought the young Surpen soldier bowing before her was the cutest thing she’d seen in a long time. The fact that he wanted to marry her to restore her honor was endearing. She gazed at his short, brown hair and smiled as she remembered the look he had given her before he had proposed again. Jet’s smooth, tan skin on the back of his neck looked enticing and Lilly wanted to reach out and touch it. Something about Jet called out to her. She couldn’t quite fathom what it was
, but for some reason, Jet appeared familiar.

  Ceceta broke the silence. “She’s Rhen’s sister. Her name is Lilly.”

  Jet fell flat onto the floor with his hands raised above his head. “I beg your pardon your highness. I didn’t realize you were a part of the Royal Family. Forgive me for my impudence. Of course, if I had known your station, I never would have insulted you by asking you for your hand in marriage.” He kept his face pressed into the ground as he waited for his punishment for insulting a member of the Royal Family.

  “Jet,” Ceceta told him. “You’re on Thestran. It’s okay. You haven’t insulted Lilly. You aren’t going to be punished. You can stand up.”

  As Ceceta spoke, Lilly realized why Jet looked familiar. He was the man she’d seen in her dreams. He was her future husband, the father of her three children. Lilly gasped and dropped down onto the floor beside him. “Yes! I’ll marry you,” she said, taking his hands in hers. Kate opened her mouth to object, but Henry gave her a look, telling her to be silent.

  Jet pulled his hands from Lilly’s grasp. He had no land and no inheritance to his name. He was the third son of a poor Surpen farmer. Why would a princess marry him?

  Ceceta laughed in misunderstanding at his gesture. “Jet, you can hold Lilly’s hand. You’re on Thestran. Congratulations, both of you, on your engagement.” Jet’s mouth dropped open. “Really, Jet, it’s fine. You’re engaged now.”

  With wide, disbelieving eyes, Jet rose to his feet. Lilly could see that he was uncomfortable, so she did her best to be encouraging, by giving him her warmest smile. With hesitation, Jet returned the smile. He held out his hand to her and Lilly took it in hers. Once they touched, Jet relaxed and his smile broadened as his shoulders straightened.

  Jet couldn’t believe it. He was going to marry the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he was also going to be related to Rhen, his best friend and the true King of Surpen. Life couldn’t get any better. Jet’s smile was infectious and soon everyone in the room was laughing and congratulating the young couple. Lilly seemed the happiest of all. As soon as Jet’s face had filled with joy, she had known, without a doubt, that Jet was her man. She had seen that same smile on his face a thousand times before in her dreams and it had always brought her happiness.

  When the room quieted down, Ceceta asked Jet, “How’s Rhen?”

  Dropping Lilly’s hand, Jet returned to soldier mode, standing erect and surveying the progress the Thestran soldiers were making in removing the dead. “He’s not feeling well, my Queen.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He has started to transform into… something,” Jet wasn’t sure what to tell Ceceta. As part of the King’s Guard, he knew all about their work to transform Rhen into the Surpen God of War. He wasn’t sure what Ceceta and the others knew of the situation.

  “He’s transforming into the God of War?” Rachel asked.

  Jet stared at Rachel, nodding once to confirm her words. Several people in the Chamber gasped as others talked about the upcoming destruction of the Universe. James rang the bell and told everyone to be quiet.

  “Is he in pain?” Ceceta asked in a whisper.

  James was just bringing the room to order, when Jet said, “He’s coping.”

  “Why is he transforming?” James asked. “How is the King getting him to transform?”

  “While Andres was here visiting Rhen on Thestran, Rhen was tired, I think?” Jet said. James nodded, remembering how tired Rhen had been during Andres’ visits with him at the University. “Well,” Jet said, “Rhen would fall asleep while Andres was with him. When he did, Andres would give Rhen shots of a virus that his advisor created. The virus was designed to change Rhen’s body. There’s this drink…”

  “The drink that Andres is giving Rhen?” Ceceta asked with growing dread.

  “Yes,” Jet said. “The drink is somehow helping the virus, causing Rhen to change.”

  “Oh, Themrock,” Sage swore. “Andres was doing it right under our noses.”

  James agreed. “All our efforts to connect with Rhen meant nothing. Andres mocked us by causing the most damage to him while he was here on our planet. Andres must have been laughing at us every time he stepped onto Thestran.”

  “But, if it’s a manufactured virus, then certainly we can find a way to get rid of it,” Rachel told them. “All we need is a sample of the virus to find a cure. If I could get a copy the virus, I could make an antidote.”

  “The virus would be in his blood,” Jet said. “Do you have any of Rhen’s blood?”

  “We don’t,” Reed said, sounding defeated. The situation was hopeless.

  “Ceceta,” Jet asked. “Did Rhen bring you one of those Surpen fertility charms from the last Warrior Holiday? I know all of the married men were making them that night because of the moon’s perfect location.”

  Ceceta flinched as Jet asked her about the fertility charm. “Yes, he did,” she said. She reached into her robes and pulled out a blue vial attached to a silver chain that was hanging around her neck.

  “There’s your blood,” Jet told Rachel. “It’s recent, so the virus will be found within it.”

  Rachel waited with impatience while Ceceta fumbled to unhook the chain from around her neck. The minute that Rachel had the vial in her hand, she called for her assistants and rushed off to her laboratory.

  “What’s the Surpen fertility charm?” Reed asked Ceceta. Instead of answering him, she kept her eyes on the floor.

  “It’s an ancient Surpen custom,” Jet told Reed. “If a couple can’t have children, the man cuts himself during the Spring Warrior Holiday and a spell is said over his blood. The blood is then worn by the woman to increase their fertility.”

  “You were trying to get pregnant?” Lilly asked Ceceta.

  “Aren’t you a little young to be having children?” Kate said.

  Realizing his mistake, Jet dropped to the ground to bow before Ceceta. “Forgive me my Queen. I thought the Thestrans knew, since it’s known on Surpen. I will gladly accept any punishment you feel is appropriate for the lack of respect that I have shown you.”

  “Get up, Jet,” Ceceta told him. She sounded weary. “And stop calling me your Queen. I am not your Queen.” Ceceta turned to Lilly. “Rhen and I have been trying to have a child for years. We can’t. All of Surpen knows about it, so I guess it doesn’t matter if you know too. I mean, it was only a matter of time before—”

  “Time!” Jet yelled as the last of the Surpen soldiers were hauled out of the room. “Quick, bring them back,” he hollered, racing after them. “Andres will be expecting his report. I’m late. Bring them back. Andres will be checking in on the situation at any moment, we’ve run out of time…”

  Realizing what Jet was implying, the Thestrans raced to bring the dead Surpen soldiers back into the room before Andres discovered that Jet had double crossed him. Jet ordered them about, placing the soldiers and Thestrans into position, so it would appear to Andres as if a major battle had taken place in the Council Chamber.

  As James was lying down to hide on the far side of the room, he asked Jet, “Won’t it hurt Rhen even more if he thinks that Ceceta is dead? It could further his transformation.”

  “He’s already transforming. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Andres is in control of the situation right now. He’s too powerful for our Opposition Force to stop. We need to wait until the proper moment to strike. We need to keep Ceceta safe. She will help us more, if we use her at the appropriate time. We must maneuver properly to win this battle. We will act when our leader tells us to act.” It sounded like Jet was repeating what he had been told.

  “You have an organized opposition force?” James asked. That was news.

  “Yes,” Jet told him. “They had me learn Thestran for this very moment. Please, let’s hurry. My orders were to keep Ceceta safe and to trick Andres into believing we had killed her.” Jet seemed to know what he was talking about, so the Thestrans finished preparing the room. Most of t
he Delegates left the Chamber. Those who stayed, disguised themselves, so they appeared to be murdered. Ceceta hid behind one of the tables in the back of the room.

  Jet jogged over to Ceceta’s location. “Your life necklace, please.”

  “No,” Ceceta said.

  “I need it,” Jet told her. “It’s the only way I can prove to Andres that you’re dead.”

  “I… I can’t,” Ceceta croaked. “It’s too cruel. If Rhen were to receive it, he would think that I’m dead.”

  “My Queen,” Jet said. “Andres is playing a game with Rhen that will take him to death’s door. If we’re to save him, we need to play along until we’re strong enough to stop him.” Jet held out his hand. “Your life necklace, please.”

  Slowly, Ceceta reached up to her neck to unhook a thin golden necklace. With care, she handed it to Jet. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “We can’t beat the bastard yet. We need to play along until we’re strong enough to strike. It’s our only chance.” He took the necklace and moved over towards the portals. Jet pulled a dagger out of his weapons belt and slashed his cheek and arms just as one of the portals began to shimmer and open.

  Sage leaned over to Ceceta and whispered, “What’s a life necklace?”

  “When you’re born, you’re given a life necklace. When you die, it’s taken by your loved ones. No one ever takes off their life necklace. It’s just… bad luck.”

  “Bad luck? That’s not what we need right now,” Lilly said quietly behind them.

  A moment later, Andres stepped out of the glowing portal. He took in the remains of the battle and turned to Jet. “Well, is it done?”

  “Yes, your majesty,” Jet said with a bow.

  “What took so long?”

  “The Thestrans put up a fight,” Jet said, his head remaining lowered.

  “Of course, they did,” Andres snapped. “You didn’t expect them to just hand her over, did you? I thought you were going to kill the Thestran King, too.” He glanced at the ‘deceased’ Thestrans finding only William, Sage and Charlie lying ‘dead’ on the floor.