Page 1 of Spectacle

CHAPTER ONE

Lila

“Why is the goddess of life in the box instead of my grandma?” I feel sick, like everything we did to get here was a waste of time. My poor grandpas are going to be heartbroken and devastated. How did Zamala get it so wrong?

I watch as the earth god cradles the small woman against his chest like she’s the most precious thing in the world to him, and a sharp stab of jealousy burns inside me. Who is this goddess to him? He claims she is like his sister, but there is no blood relation, so maybe their relationship bloomed into something more.

He seems to be stunned into speechlessness, so I turn my attention to the others who seem just as bewildered as I am.

“None of us have been with the circus as long as she’s been missing, and I don’t remember meeting her when I was a child. I couldn’t tell you if this is her or not,” Xavier says unhelpfully. “I suggest we return to the ship and let Link assess her, and maybe then we can get to the bottom of this.”

“It’s obviously not her from his reaction.” I stab a finger in Zeydan’s direction. He is muttering under his breath, and I briefly wonder if he’s trying to wake her when I process what Xavier suggested. “Can we hide our return from my grandpas? This is going to break their hearts. They had so much hope. I could skin Zamala alive for giving them that.” The last bit comes out in a growl, and smoke wafts out of my nose as scales ripple across my arms.

“Easy,” Tirrian murmurs softly, approaching me from behind and stroking his hand over my back. “Your dragon is still new, and if you aren’t careful, she will burst out of your skin unbidden. Take a deep breath and breathe in and out slowly.”

“That’s easier said than done,” I tell him but do as he says, closing my eyes and breathing in and out a few times. When I feel more settled, I wait for Xavier’s answer.

“I think maybe we shouldn’t hide it from them. There must be a good reason why Zamala claimed your grandma was in the box. Maybe she’s wearing a glamour.”

“Xavier’s right,” Tirrian chimes in. “Zamala has never been wrong with her predictions.”

“There’s always a first time, and with our luck, this is it,” I reply stubbornly, crossing my arms to comfort myself. I’m feeling all out of sorts and slightly shaky. I think I might need some blood.

“She is not wearing a glamour. I would feel it if she was,” Zeydan says, looking up from the goddess, but then his gaze returns to the glyphs on the box. “I didn’t want to say anything before, but I recognize those glyphs. That box was created by the goddess of death, Vivax. I’m afraid she has something to do with Lilessa being in there, and if she does, then she now knows the box has been breached. We should leave now, just to be safe.” I don’t like his panicked tone. For fuck’s sake, he’s a god, so that means we really need to be concerned.

“But what about the halla harvesters?” I remind him, and he quickly shakes his head.

“They can return at another time. I will send them away. They will not question me,” he replies with an arrogance that doesn’t surprise me.

“Alright then, I’ll contact the ship and let them know we’re ready to teleport aboard.” Silac moves slightly away from us, and I watch as he uses the communicator on his wrist to radio the ship. A wave of exhaustion flows through my limbs, and I sway. Ghosie starts to put his hands up to support me but quickly drops them with a huff of frustration.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you,” he murmurs, gesturing to his fur.

Before I can reply, Tirrian wraps an arm around me. “I’ve got her,” he tells the bear, who nods with a sad look in his eyes.

“Thank you for retrieving her, even if she isn’t my grandma,” I say to Ghosie, offering him a reassuring smile. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

“Yes, thank you. Maybe once she wakes, she can shed some more light on the situation,” Zeydan chimes in as Silac waves us together into a huddle.

“Okay, Rick, we’re ready. Beam us straight to the medical bay please.”

Tirrian’s arm is tight around me as we dissolve into particles and fly through space before reforming in the medical bay on the ship.

Link is there, as is Saxon, and both are standing over a groaning Maxsim, who is lying on one of the medical beds. I look around for Echo, but I don’t see him.

“Should I get Echo?” I ask as Zeydan lays Lilessa down on one of the spare beds.

“No,” Maxsim rasps as I hurry over and take his hand. Link is sealing his wound with some kind of laser tool. There is also a line of blue blood running into his vein from a bag hanging next to the table. “I don’t want to worry him.” His eyes roll back in his head and his hand goes limp in mine as he loses consciousness,

“Lila!” Link sounds relieved. “Thank goodness, I was just trying to close the wound. He’s okay, but he lost a significant amount of blood. I thought if I closed the wound, he would be alright until you returned, but I’m having trouble sealing it.” He sounds a little panicked. Today has been a clusterfuck. Both the god and the cool-headed cyborg are panicked, so this doesn’t bode well. I feel my heart start to race as my panic joins Link’s.

“Why me?” I ask, feeling more tired than I should after my bout of sex with Brannock. I should be completely recharged, but I’m still flagging on energy.

An amused grin crosses Link’s lips, and my eyes get stuck on them for a moment. I feel my fangs descend and consider taking a bite out of him. I reach for him, but Xavier grabs me around the waist.

“Whoa, hang on. No eating the doctor until all his patients have been seen to,” he murmurs quietly into my ear, his breath brushing across the lobe.

“Can you shift into your Celestian form and heal him before we go any further?” Link pulls the tool away and gestures to the gaping wound. It’s oozing blue blood, and there’s a foul smell coming from it. Fuck, now my heart is racing even faster. I put my hand against my chest like that will slow it down, then I shake off the bloodlust and return my attention to his words about shifting to Celestian form.

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