The Surpen King_Part 1_Return of the Gods Read online

  The Surpen King

  Part One: Return of the Gods

  By

  Charity W. Kelly

  Copyright © 2018 Charity W. Kelly

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and actions are all products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or events, etc. is purely coincidental.

  This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. Please respect all of the time and energy the author put into this story.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Appendix

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  Chapter 1

  Uninhabited Planet

  Thellis flew down through the planet’s surface towards the screaming below. He’d been patrolling the nearby solar system when he’d heard someone yelling. At first, he had thought that a mortal was in trouble, but when he’d gotten closer to the uninhabited planet from which the noise was emitting, he’d recognized the voice.

  “Loreth,” Thellis hissed as his green, ethereal body passed through a layer of quartz. He flew into the planet’s middle core then passed through another layer of rock into an underground chamber. The cavern looked more like an apartment than a cave deep within the planet’s core. There was a bedroom, kitchen area with table and chairs, and living room. Everything was lit by candles that glowed a faint purple color.

  Loreth was standing a few yards away. His back was to Thellis as he screamed with rage towards his kitchen.

  Thellis wanted to laugh. Loreth had disappeared four months ago after having been defeated in battle. He was glad Loreth was upset; the idiot had tried to take over the Universe. Genisters were supposed to be above that sort of thing.

  “Screaming isn’t going to work,” Thellis said.

  Loreth whipped about, his hands rising to chest level as his powers flowed to his fingertips, lighting them with a purple light.

  “Just do them already,” Thellis said, pointing behind Loreth.

  Turning, Loreth saw Thellis was indicating the dishes he’d left in his sink. “Go to hell,” Loreth said. He dropped his hands down, extinguishing his powers. He’d killed Thellis’ mortal body ages ago. The ghostly green Genister hovering in the air above him was of no threat.

  “You first,” Thellis spat.

  “What do you want?” Loreth asked.

  Floating backwards, Thellis said, “I came to tell you to shut up. Nobody wants to hear you whining.”

  Thellis dropped through the floor of the chamber to evade the purple powerball Loreth threw at him. When the vibrations from the explosion above quieted down, he rose back up into Loreth’s hideout.

  Through a cloud of dust, Thellis watched Loreth curse and brush debris off his clothes. “I had hoped that Rhen had killed you during your battle on Thestran. How did you escape?”

  Ignoring Thellis’s question, Loreth swung his hand in a circle, using his powers to eliminate the dirt that had come from the explosion. Unlike a mortal, whose powers appeared as a faint mirage, a Genister’s powers were either invisible or their trademark color, which in Loreth’s case was purple.

  “You must have formed a vortex right before Rhen’s powerball exploded,” Thellis said. It was the only thing Thellis could think of that might have allowed Loreth to escape. He studied Loreth, hoping to find some injury, but the Genister seemed fine. Shaking his head, he added, “You’re fast. None of us saw you escape. Pity. It would have been better for all of us if you had died.”

  Loreth ignored him, making his way over to his kitchen. He picked up a glass and drank the contents.

  “You’re going to be in a lot of trouble when Themrock returns,” Thellis said. “After everything you’ve done to Rhen…”

  Loreth slammed his glass on the table beside him at the mention of Themrock. He hated Themrock. “I haven’t done anything to Rhen,” he said, interrupting Thellis.

  Thellis chuckled. “Right. You didn’t have a hand in his being abandoned by his birth family, adopted by the Surpens, then tortured on Punishment Island until he was forced to release his powers, at which point you didn’t happen to convince his adoptive father to turn on him, forcing him to conquer the Universe so that you could rule it.”

  “Correct,” Loreth said. He lifted his hand into the air and Thellis winced. Loreth smiled at Thellis’ show of weakness.

  Thellis snapped, “You broke the rules. The Genister Code Book clearly states that you can’t interfere when a Genister is reliving their life as a mortal.”

  “Again,” Loreth said, placing his hand on the back of the chair in front of him, “I didn’t interfere. You did.”

  “What?” Thellis asked. “You’re being ridiculous. I haven’t…”

  “I never would have found Rhen if it hadn’t of been for you and you know it.”

  Thellis flared a darker green. “You’re just angry that Rhen almost beat you, not Themrock. It proves that you’re not as strong as you used to be. Themrock’s going to slaughter you when he returns.”

  Loreth threw another powerball at Thellis’s head, but the green Genister disappeared before it hit him. The blast struck the rock ceiling and exploded, raining down a fresh layer of debris. “Damn,” Loreth growled. He could hear Thellis laughing above him as the green Genister flew off.

  Loreth figured Thellis was going to run off and tell Rhen about him. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter what Thellis did. He could do whatever he wanted to to Rhen’s or any other Genister’s mortal body. Themrock would never enforce the Code Book’s rules. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  Chapter 2

  City of Surpen

  Rhen was having trouble negotiating the racks in the rug store he’d entered – his dragon-shaped body kept knocking into things. The owner of the store was being a good sport about it, but Rhen could tell the man wanted him to leave. Fortunately, his wife was just finishing their purchase. She thank
ed the store owner and waved for Rhen to go, since she couldn’t fit past his body.

  Rhen stepped out through the open double doors onto the city’s cobblestone street. The afternoon sun hit his face, tickling his nose. He dropped his head down, hoping it would keep him from sneezing. A warm hand touched his hind quarters.

  “Are you okay?” Ceceta asked. She had noticed his frustration inside the store and wasn’t sure what had been bothering him.

  “Just a sne…” Rhen sneezed, blowing an 8-foot-long jet of flames across the street. “Crap,” he swore, raising his head to make sure he hadn’t fried anyone into ash. Fortunately, there weren’t any people around them. It was mid-afternoon, so most Surpens were inside, avoiding the sun during its strongest time of the day.

  “You really need to go to Thestran for that antidote,” Ceceta told him. “As much as I love being married to the Emperor of Surpen, I could do without his current dragon form.” She tapped Rhen lightly on the shoulder before leaning forward and whispering in his ear. “I miss your elfin body.”

  Rhen grinned, showing a row of five-inch-long fangs. “It misses you too.” He tried to whisper seductively, but his words came out sounding like a growl.

  Ceceta stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t believe he’d just growled at her. “What?”

  “Sorry,” Rhen said, dropping his shoulders. “I was trying to whisper to you that I miss you too.”

  His expression was so sad that Ceceta leaned over to kiss him. “Let’s go back,” she said, walking down the street towards the Surpen Palace.

  They passed a few restaurants with open patio doors. Ceceta waved to the Surpens who greeted them. The mid-day meal was in full swing. She would’ve suggested that they stop to eat, but they’d already told Rhen’s mother that they’d return to the palace in time to eat with her.

  A light breeze caught the red and black Surpen flags that hung over the doorways above their heads. Rhen plodded along beside Ceceta, flexing his claws as he placed his feet on the hot stones. The skin on the underside of his feet was so thick that the boiling stones simply felt warm to the touch. He had half a mind to stop and roll on the stones to massage his back, but he decided against it. He already looked like an animal. It was probably better if he didn’t act like one too.

  “I like the rug you bought for our bathroom. It’ll look nice there,” he told Ceceta. “When will it be delivered?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again for coming with me. I really needed your input. I know it’s hard for you to find free time, but I couldn’t decide between the midnight blue or the lilac.” She swung her bag beside her as she thought about changing their towels to match their new rug.

  Rhen felt like laughing. Ceceta hadn’t needed him at all. He hadn’t said one word while they’d been in the shop—Ceceta had done all the talking. It’d been fun watching her haggle with the store owner. He missed spending time with her. “I have good news,” he said. Rhen bit at a fly that was buzzing around his ear then shook his head, before adding, “I should have more free time now. Most of the issues that needed to be resolved from my taking over as Emperor have finally been settled. We should be able to spend our evenings and meals together, maybe even a few afternoons.”

  Ceceta paused under the awning for a leather shop. She’d been waiting forever for things to settle down. The two of them hadn’t spent any quality time together, not since Rhen had taken over as ruler of Surpen. “Really?”

  “Yes. Our newest planets are pleased with the generals we’ve assigned to them, Bosternd and Nk are making the changes we talked about to Surpen’s society, and General Authe’s group has worked out our new trade routes.” Rhen took a breath and his nostrils curled. “Would you mind if we continued on towards the palace?”

  “Wait,” Ceceta said, when Rhen turned away. “I’m not done…”

  “It smells here,” Rhen interrupted. He snorted to clear his nostrils, blowing a cloud of steam into the air.

  Ceceta turned to look behind her. Leather belts, shoes, purses and saddles filled the open stands of the store in front of her. “What are you talking about? You love the smell of leather.”

  “You’re right. I do like the smell of leather, but my nose is picking up the smell of the workshop out back. That I could do without.” He walked off down the street.

  “Oh.” Ceceta stepped quickly to catch up to him. “You wouldn’t be able to smell the tanning process if you were a man again.”

  “I know,” Rhen mumbled. He knew what she was going to say next.

  They walked in silence for a block. When Ceceta felt as if she’d waited long enough, she said, “Rhen, you said you were ready to go to Thestran for the antidote to the virus that turned you into a dragon last month. Remember?”

  Bingo! He’d guessed right. He didn’t mind that she was bringing it up again. Now that he had time, he was more than willing to go to Thestran for the antidote, but he wanted Ceceta to feel like she’d convinced him, since he’d had to turn her down so many times before. Lowering his red, glowing eyes to Ceceta’s face, he said, “I remember. I would’ve gone then, Ceceta, but as you know I had too much to deal with getting everything settled and, on top of that, the Convention members decided to call a meeting. You know I can’t miss any of the Convention meetings.”

  “I know,” Ceceta said softly. The other planets in the Convention were hard to deal with. Surpen had just finished a major war. Rhen didn’t want to start any new ones.

  Ceceta lifted her long skirts a few inches and swung them back and forth to cool her legs as they walked. “So,” she said, when they reached the end of the street, “are there any more Convention meetings coming up?”

  “No,” Rhen said. He worked to keep himself from smiling. She was going to be happy with his response this time.

  “And you just told me that things here on Surpen are finally going well,” Ceceta said, dropping her skirts back down to the ground after they’d crossed the street to the fountain in the center of the intersection.

  “Correct.”

  Ceceta reached out to place her hand on Rhen’s long, scaly neck. He stopped to look at her. “So?” she asked. “What do you think? Will you go to Thestran for the antidote? I’d really like you to be a man again.”

  “Yes,” Rhen told her. “I’ll go tomorrow morning.” Ceceta shouted and threw her arms around him.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I can’t wait until you’re back to your old self again.” She squeezed him as hard as she could, hoping he could feel her embrace through his thick hide.

  Rhen grunted. She wasn’t the only one.

  “Emperor?”

  Rhen rotated his neck to the left, keeping his body still so he wouldn’t break Ceceta’s hug. A Surpen soldier was standing at attention four feet away. His red and black knee-length tunic was crisply pressed, his polished black boots gleamed in the sunlight, and his three swords hung straight down from his weapons belt. “Lieutenant?” Rhen asked, checking the bars on the man’s sleeve for his rank.

  “General Bosternd has a message for you.”

  Rhen sighed. Ever since his body had changed into the form of a dragon, he had stopped carrying a communication device. There was no point to it, since he couldn’t operate it with his taloned feet. Bosternd had been using messengers to contact him whenever there was something he couldn’t handle, which meant that General Bosternd’s ‘message’ was a request for his presence.

  “Where is General Bosternd?”

  “In his office.”

  “Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I finish accompanying my wife to the palace.”

  “Yes, sir.” The soldier saluted Rhen then marched off to their right, down a stone path towards a guarded metal door in the side of an earthen mound in the distance.

  Ceceta pushed herself off Rhen’s shoulder and pulled down on her long green robes to straighten them. She had thought that they’d be able to spend the afternoon together, especially since Rhen had j
ust told her that things were finally under control, but it seemed she’d been wrong. “You should go,” she told him, trying not to sound upset. “I’m fine. I can get back to the palace on my own. I’ll let your mom know that something came up.”

  Rhen glanced down to see if she meant what she’d said. He found her wiggling her fingers in his direction, excusing him. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner?” he asked. Ceceta nodded, but she didn’t look happy. “And we’ll discuss what we need to bring to Thestran tomorrow morning?”

  Ceceta’s face lit up. Her pale blue skin blushed indigo and her dark eyes sparkled with delight. “That’d be great!”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Rhen said, giving her a gentle nudge with his snout.

  Ceceta laughed. “Do you want to tell James that we’re coming, or shall I?”

  “Why don’t…” Rhen hesitated. He’d thought that he’d caught the scent of a Genister God. He searched the area around the fountain then glanced towards the manicured gardens that led to Surpen’s palace.

  “Is something wrong?” Ceceta asked.

  “I thought I smelled a Genister.”

  “Damn,” Ceceta said, turning to look behind her towards the city.

  “Is that any way to greet one of your Gods?” a voice said from above them.

  Glancing up, Rhen and Ceceta saw the shimmering, ghostly, green image of the Genister God Thellis. He was standing on the top of the statue of Rhen’s father, King Andres, in the center of the fountain.

  Thellis jumped off Andres’ head and flew down to hover over the ground beside them.

  “Aren’t you afraid of being seen?” Rhen asked. He was surprised to see the Genister in public. Usually they only visited him in the palace.

  “No,” he said, waving his translucent, green hand. “I made myself invisible to the mortals.”

  “Not all mortals,” Ceceta mumbled under her breath, making Rhen laugh.

  Thellis shook his finger at her. “Now, now, Ceceta. You should be nice to me. I was very helpful at the end of the war.”