“Screw what?” Rhen asked.
“They want me to convince you to overthrow your father, but you won’t,” Bosternd told him. “So, screw it. There’s no point in talking about it.”
Rhen blinked at Bosternd. He smiled, barring his teeth. “You’re funny,” he said. Rolling over onto his side, he added, “We always had a lot of fun together.” He scratched at his neck with his claws, pushing his collar back and forth.
Bosternd noticed open sores on Rhen’s neck. The collar had inner metal spikes that dug through his thick hide. “I miss you Bosternd,” Rhen said. “I’ll be happy when Dad is finally satisfied, and I can hang out with you and the others again.”
“We’ll have to change our headquarters,” Bosternd said. “You’ll never fit through the doorway. Perhaps I should ask Nk to begin enlarging it today?”
“No,” Rhen said. “Don’t bother. I… I…” He rolled away from Bosternd and said, “Leave now.”
Bosternd watched Rhen for a moment. It was time to go. Standing up, he patted his friend on the neck. “I’ll try to sneak in tomorrow to visit you again, if you want,” Bosternd said. As he was turning towards the door, he saw Rhen nod his head. Well, he thought. It’s a start.
--
Several weeks later, Nk asked Bosternd, “Did you learn anything today, when you talked to Rhen?” The two men were walking into the General Meeting Room in Surpen’s military bunker. Now that they’d been spending time with Rhen, talking to him, they were beginning to understand his reluctance in overthrowing Andres.
Rhen had told them that he was tired of the wars. He felt his father should be satisfied with Surpen’s current territory and he was angry with Loreth for convincing his father to chain him to the floor of the Throne Room, but he also felt fiercely loyal to Andres.
“He told me a story about Andres taking him to Zorthan for a picnic when he was little,” Bosternd said.
Nk shook his head. None of them had realized before how much time Andres had spent with Rhen in his early years. Rhen had cherished their time together and he often thought about it. Andres had been the first adult to show any interest in Rhen and he loved him for it.
“How do we get him to give up the past? He needs to see that Andres isn’t the man he used to be. He’s mean and manipulative.”
“He was like that when we were younger too. It’s just that Rhen didn’t realize it.”
“So, we’re fighting against a memory a young boy has of his father’s love?” Nk asked.
“Yes.”
Nk shook his head. How could they possibly get Rhen to see that Andres had changed. The man he remembered didn’t exist anymore.
“We just have to keep trying,” Bosternd told him. “Eventually we’ll get through to him.”
“Or Andres will do something that makes Rhen so angry he’ll act,” Nk added, picking up Aul’s latest orders from the top of the table.
Chapter 31
Surpen Palace
“Here,” Loreth said, handing Andres a loaded shot.
“I still have one week,” Andres said, taking the needle from Loreth.
“You haven’t had any success yet. Why would you think a week would matter?”
Andres shrugged in response, causing Loreth to strike him on the head. Andres stumbled but caught himself. “Careful,” Loreth said as he watched the Surpen King. “If you drop that syringe, I’ll have to make up a new batch of serum and I don’t have anyone left to test it out on.” He grinned before floating up into the air and disappearing.
Andres placed the syringe on his desk. He had one week to convince his son to conquer the Thestrans before he’d have to kill him.
--
“It’s the last day of the month,” Nk told Bosternd while Bosternd was stretching on the training grounds. “Do you think Andres and Loreth will succeed in getting Rhen to attack Thestran or do you think they’ll resort to poisoning him to get him to obey? And, if they do try to poison him, do you think we can stop them?”
“By God, I hope we can stop them,” Bosternd told him. He finished his exercises and the two of them walked towards Surpen’s castle. Seeing Ngi, Bosternd asked, “Where’s Rhen?”
“Andres released him after breakfast for good behavior. He immediately made his way down to the private courtyard, where he climbed into that fountain that he likes. He’s still there now, sleeping under the water.”
“He’s not to be left alone,” Bosternd reminded Ngi and Nk. “Someone must keep an eye on him at all times.”
“We know,” Nk told him. “Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to keep him safe. We love him as much as you do.”
Around mid-morning, Ngi wandered into the Surpen Castle’s inner courtyard, where Rhen was located. He walked over towards Bosternd, who was doing some paperwork, and said, “Seems our boy likes his fountains.”
“I’m glad he’s finally getting some relief,” Bosternd said, glancing towards Rhen, who was still submerged. “The flies have been doing a number on his neck wounds. I bet the water makes them feel better.”
“Yes,” Nk said, from his spot by the pillar. He had been cleaning swords in the courtyard all day. “I tried to knock them off yesterday, but as soon as I got them off, they would swarm around a different wound. It must have itched like…” Nk hesitated, when he saw Andres enter the courtyard. He snapped to attention with the other soldiers in the area and watched as the King ignored them and approached Rhen.
Stopping by the edge of the fountain, Andres stared down into the water, where Rhen was resting. After a few minutes, he lifted the controlling device and pushed the button on it. They heard a muffled, zapping sound a second before Rhen jumped up in the fountain howling, an enormous steam cloud rising around him.
Snarling, Rhen said, “You didn’t have to do that. I was awake.”
“Really?” Andres said. “Then why didn’t you get up when I arrived.”
“I deemed it unnecessary,” Rhen snapped. He blew a short blast of steam out of his nose into the air.
“I am your King,” Andres stated.
Rhen was quiet for a moment. “Funny,” he said. “I thought you were my Dad.”
“Of course,” Andres said. “But first and foremost, I am your King.”
“No,” Rhen said, shaking his head. “First, you are my Dad. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
“First, I am your King,” Andres told Rhen with conviction, misunderstanding his son’s needs.
Rhen stared at Andres with his red eyes. The tip of his tail began to quiver. It was clear to everyone watching that something was up.
Andres began to worry that he might have gone too far. Rhen’s tail only quivered, when he was about to do mischief. As Andres lifted his foot to step backwards, Rhen lashed out with his talons, grabbing the controlling device out of his hand and throwing it to the bottom of the fountain, where he stepped on it, smashing it to pieces.
Bosternd heard Nk gasp. Had Rhen made a decision? Was he finally going to stand up to his father?
“First, you will be my Dad. Take this damn collar off me,” Rhen growled. He lifted his front feet up onto the edge of the stone fountain. “I’m not an animal. Stop treating me like one.”
“No,” Andres said, his right hand disappearing into his pocket. He grasped the metal syringe that Loreth had given him. Rhen was out of control. As soon as he had an opportunity, he would inject Rhen with the poison to make him obey.
“Loreth told you to put it on me, now I’m telling you, if you love me, take it off,” Rhen yelled at his father.
Andres waited for Rhen to turn his head. If he could jab the syringe into Rhen’s neck, he could inject the potion before Rhen could retaliate.
Instead of turning away from his father, Rhen leaned back into the fountain and sat down on his back haunches. He grabbed the collar around his neck with his front claws and pulled on it, scratching at the skin around his neck. Try as he might, Rhen couldn’t remove the collar.
“We ha
ve a war to fight. You need to mobilize our army now. We’re attacking Thestran within the hour,” Andres told Rhen. He felt something brush against his tunic and looked to his left to find Loreth watching.
“No. Take this collar off me, Dad,” Rhen growled. He struggled to remove the collar, falling over sideways in the fountain, then lunging upward, in an attempt to remove the collar from around his neck.
“Stop,” Loreth ordered.
Rhen hadn’t realized that Loreth was present. As soon as he heard his father’s advisor, he turned in Loreth’s direction. Seeing that he had Rhen’s attention, Loreth said, “Your ‘father’ has just given you an order. Move out.”
Rhen barred his fangs. “Go to Hell!”
Loreth bared his teeth in response. “I already have. Get the troops ready. We eliminate Thestran today.”
“No,” Rhen told him. “I don’t feel like it today. Ask me tomorrow.”
Loreth’s face began to turn red and his eyes started glowing purple.
Hoping to get his son to see reason, Andres said, “Rhen, we’re attacking them today to surprise them. It will give us the advantage we need to easily win the war.”
“Tomorrow sounds better to me,” Rhen said dismissively. He dropped back down onto four legs and turned his back on his father and Loreth. Rhen took two steps away from them, then settled down into the remaining water in the fountain.
Loreth nodded to Andres. The Surpen King pulled the syringe out of his pocket. It was time.
As the Surpen generals advanced around them, Loreth flicked his hand forward and the electronic controlling device that Rhen had smashed, flew into the palm of his hand in one piece. He pushed the ‘punishment’ button, causing Rhen to howl in pain. “Move it,” Loreth yelled at Andres. The Surpen King leapt forward, plunging the syringe into the wound on Rhen’s neck.
Nk reached the King first. He wrenched Andres’ hand off of Rhen’s neck, pulling out the syringe, then wrestled Andres to gain control of it. Andres screamed and tried to strike Nk, but Loreth beat him to it. He blasted Nk in the chest with a purple power ball, sending him flying backwards across the courtyard. Nk crashed into the far wall and fell to the ground dead.
Andres turned on the rest of his generals with his swords drawn. Bosternd and the others hesitated before falling back. There was nothing more they could do. Andres had succeeded in poisoning Rhen. Their attempt to save their friend had failed.
“No!” Rhen shouted, when he saw Nk’s collapsed form. He jumped from the fountain but fell on the gravel path with a thud. He was dizzy and had trouble controlling his legs. Crawling, Rhen got part way to Nk then lay still. Before Rhen fell unconscious, they heard him say in a faint voice, “You want me to kill them? Ask me tomorrow.”
“Is he dead?” Andres asked, when Rhen stopped moving.
“No,” Loreth said. “He’s absorbing my little mixture. He’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” Loreth tossed the controlling device into the fountain. “You won’t need that anymore. He’ll obey your every command. He won’t have any thoughts of his own.”
Bosternd walked over to Nk and knelt down beside him to feel for a pulse. Nothing. He motioned for some soldiers to approach. With care, he looped Nk’s arms over his chest, so the soldiers could remove him. When Bosternd moved Nk’s right hand, he found the syringe held tightly in Nk’s grasp. There was still about a quarter of the potion remaining. Nk had succeeded in stopping Andres from injecting the entire dose into Rhen. Bosternd felt a glimmer of hope. Could Nk have saved them? Would Rhen survive? Leaning over, he kissed Nk on the head, pulling the syringe from his hand and sliding it into his pocket. “Thank you, my friend,” he whispered.
Chapter 32
Thestran Council Chamber
James was expecting Surpen to attack at any minute. He had ordered his Council Delegates to supply him with additional soldiers and had brought Ceceta and her friends to the castle, hoping their presence might stop Rhen.
“I’m not sure if I can get my soldiers to…” James held up his hand to silence the Delegate in front of him. “I don’t care if you have to go home and drag your soldiers here one by one,” he told the man. “If your army isn’t here before the Surpens arrive, I’ll personally kick you out of the Council.” The Delegate had the decency to look afraid, before rushing through the portal to get his army.
Reed walked into the Council Chamber. He was dressed for battle like the rest of them and had three knives in his belt. “The Convention Members are gone.”
James sighed and picked up the blaster on his desk. “That’s not surprising. Surpen is after us. If they’re caught defending us, Surpen will turn on them. They’d rather not risk their ‘friendship’ with Surpen.”
“Idiots,” William snapped, sitting down on a chair beside Henry.
Henry had two blasters in his hands, so he offered one of them to William.
“Do we know how the Surpens are going to attack?” a Delegate asked James.
“No,” James said. “They attack differently every time. They change their tactics with each planet.”
“Should we seal our portals?”
James considered it then shook his head. “They’ve never used the portals to attack before. I doubt they’ll do so this time. Let’s leave them open.” He didn’t add that he wanted to keep them open as an escape route. The man nodded and walked off to join his waiting army. James wished he had some information to give his Delegates. He also wished someone from Surpen’s Opposition Force would let him know if they’d been successful.
Half an hour later, he was talking to one of his aides when there was an explosion outside the castle that shook the ground. “What the hell was that?” he asked, running towards the jetport exit. James ran outside and gasped. He felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. The Surpens had arrived. Rhen had used his powers to place his troops by James’ main artillery bunkers. Huge black clouds of smoke billowed up out of the bunkers which had been disguised as jetport hangars. The Surpens had destroyed their ammunition. There was nothing left. His soldiers had whatever they were carrying to fight with and nothing more.
“How did he know?” Reed asked softly. “They look just like the other hangars.”
James didn’t bother answering. He reached for the aide beside him. “Alert the others. Rhen’s at the jetport.” He was about to run down to fight, when Reed grabbed his arm.
“No,” Reed snapped. “We talked about this. Let the others fight. You need to direct the battle.”
James swore then turned to the aide holding his monitor. He reached out and enlarged the above ground view. Rhen’s soldiers had already pushed his troops back a hundred yards. He contacted Chara, “How far out are you?”
“I’m coming around the Fifth Point,” Chara hollered as she ran.
“Damn,” James swore. He beeped Kate. “Are you close?”
“Just pulling up behind him. We’ll attack his rear.”
“Chara will be another ten minutes,” James told her, wishing for the first time in his life that Themrock hadn’t built his castle in the shape of a star.
“Not to worry,” Kate told him.
James glanced up from his monitor. The Surpens were getting too close to the castle. He contacted two other Delegates, “Bring your forces through the building. Come out at the jetport.”
“I’m here,” William yelled racing out of the building with soldiers from two other Council planets.
James wanted to kiss him. “Keep them from getting any closer. Mom is attacking their rear and Chara will be on their left side in seven minutes.”
William ran down the stairs towards the fighting. James watched as his brother threw power balls at the Surpens. The blasts exploded against their shields, pushing them backwards. In the distance, he could see his mother’s shimmering power balls as she flew above the Surpen army, dropping them on their heads.
“Where’s Rhen?” Reed asked.
“I don’t know, but as long as he’s missing, we h
ave a chance.” The extra soldiers he had asked for came streaming out of the glass doors behind him. Rachel was with them. “Help William. Focus your blasts on the Surpens closest to us. Try to break their line.”
James watched Rachel add her power blasts to William’s. “Come on, come on,” he chanted as he watched the Surpen troops fight to hold their advance. A moment later, Kate threw a blast behind the line that William and Rachel had been attacking. “Yes,” James shouted when the Surpen’s front line broke in two. Chara arrived at that moment. James could see her army opening up in front of her as she sent waves of love towards the Surpens’ left flank. The Surpen soldiers fell to their knees before her, helpless to defend themselves as Chara’s troops cut them down.
“It’s working,” James said. The left side of Rhen’s troops were being shredded by Chara while Kate and the others were starting to make holes within the Surpen’s right flank.
Suddenly, there was a roar deep within the weapons hangars. Rhen. It had to be Rhen.
“What the hell was he doing in there?” James asked, fear crawling up his spine. The bunkers had underground tunnels that led to the Second Wing of the castle. Turning to his monitor, James smacked the screen until he could see the interior of the castle at the Central Fountain. Smoke billowed out of the Second Wing of the castle, James rotated the cameras for a closer look. The entire Second Wing of the castle had collapsed. “Themrock,” James swore. He hoped the people who’d been in that wing had escaped in time.
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