Page 53 of Spectacle

“They were some of my favorite creatures to create. I always wondered if they could be domesticated. I look forward to seeing this sanctuary.”

“Do you mind if I tag along?” I ask, feeling shitty that I will interrupt their one-on-one time, but I don’t like the sounds of a possible break-in or worse, a breakout. I know that the two dinos from the show are back in the sanctuary until the circus leaves again. In fact, Viggy probably needs to be transferred from the sanctuary to the ship tomorrow or the next day. The circus is planning on leaving Skarr in three days. Htaed has proven to be too erratic and will be left behind. I’m not sure what that means for Lila’s cousins, Phillip and Fiona, since it was their only task in the show.

“Yes, I think that would be smart. We don’t know what we are dealing with, and animals can be unpredictable, domesticated or not,” Zeydan agrees, and I hear Lila’s sigh of relief.

“That would be great. It’s not that I doubt my or Zeydan’s skills, but I have no experience with these animals.”

I chuckle. “I seem to remember hearing all about how you wrangled Viggy back to the ship by yourself.” Xavier told me about what happened when I was feral with bloodlust and the need to bond my blood rose.

“Yes, well, he was easy. I don’t know what else we are dealing with at the sanctuary,” she replies as I grab a jacket off the hook and pull a beanie over my head. The others do the same. None of us feel the cold particularly badly, but nobody likes to get wet clothes or hair if it snows.

“I’ve been in there before. It’s fun, but I also know where the tranqs are kept if we can’t find the worker. Who did William say it was? I’ve spent some time there during rest periods when I didn’t want to return to Vilax,” I explain as we head out into the garage and jump into the vehicle. Luckily, it’s a hover style one, and we don’t have to worry about getting stuck in snow drifts. The roads out to the sanctuary probably haven’t been cleared.

“I think William said the guy’s name was Connor,” she tells me, starting the vehicle and sticking it in reverse before backing out of the garage. Once we’re clear, she puts it into drive, and we start moving down the driveway and onto the street. I’m sitting in the passenger seat, so I program the right information into the GPS.

“Cool, I like Connor, and he loves the animals and knows the sanctuary like the back of his hand. He’ll be able to tell us if anything is wrong.”

The drive out of town is uneventful. Lila tells us about the auditions she and Ghosie watched today.

“It’s going to be so hard to decide. I’m only halfway through them and already offered several jobs,” she grumbles good-naturedly. She then fills me in on the gossip regarding Magenta and Susie. She managed to grill them between acts. Apparently, things with my ex clan members have cooled off with Magenta. Hale and Velorina have decided to join my brother’s clan, which I’m not surprised to hear, but I do feel a pang of sympathy for the Skarrian. Despite her mostly fickle and promiscuous reputation, I think she truly longs to form a family group. Now that she’s parted ways with Nixie, Hale, and Velorina, it doesn’t look like it will be happening anytime soon.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Aura wants to go back to Earth. They’ve been in charge of Pleasure Inn for a very long time, and it’s familiar and comforting for them, but I can also understand Mark and Susie wanting something different. Both of them just walked into their alien heritage, and for someone raised on Earth, the prospect of space travel and discovering new cultures and worlds must be thrilling,” I say, looking out the window and watching the frosty countryside slide by, the snow glistening in the bright light of the streetlamps.

“Yeah. Mark and Susie are not sharing a suite with Aura’s family this trip. They’ve requested their own rooms. I think they just want to create some distance so when they part, it won’t hurt so much, but then I don’t really know how involved they really all were, or if it was a minor dalliance.”

“What about Ricky? What happened to him?” I ask, remembering the cyborg who had been sent as a gift to Aura from Deianira Digicon. I’m pretty sure it was a setup, but she’s denying all involvement.

“He’s opting to stay with Aura and her family. He’s quite enchanted with them, according to Susie. I think the fact that Aura protected him when Agent Smith stormed Pleasure Inn made a big impact. I get the feeling he may not have had anyone in his corner before.”

“Are your friends going to stay with the circus for a while? I remember when the Celestian heir was kidnapped. It sent shockwaves through the galaxy, and I even heard about it despite being isolated on Husadavia. I can’t imagine his parents are ready to let him go when he’s only just been returned to them,” Zeydan says from the backseat.

I turn my body so I’m angled toward Lila and look at the soft-spoken god. He’s nothing like I assumed the gods would be like. I expected them to be loud, arrogant, and outspoken. Maybe they were once, but having diminished power and losing both the goddess of death and life made them more cautious. Zeydan is always watching and taking everything in, and I bet there isn’t much he misses. I could tell how frustrated he was that he couldn’t help Ghosie or Brannock, and I don’t think compassion and empathy are something that comes naturally to him, but I also saw his interaction with our children, and he is mildly fascinated with them and in no small way enchanted. I really don’t think he means any of us any harm, but I will still keep a close eye on him until I know better.

Lila looks at him in the rearview mirror. “I think they would like to. Susie mentioned that she and Mark were going to talk to Link about joining the medical crew, which isn’t a bad thing now that we have the children and are possibly adding a few more acts.”

The god nods, turning his attention to his window. “That would probably be smart. It would free up Link more often for our family too. The children are going to need to start their schooling soon, and he would be an excellent tutor with his wide database of knowledge. From our conversations, I think it would be something he would enjoy as well. I would be happy to assist him in educating our offspring.”

Lila does a double take at his statement, and I just smirk. Oh, so she noticed how he used the words “our family” and “our offspring.” I guess the god’s all in, and he just has to work on convincing my wife.

“Oh, ah, yes. I guess I hadn’t considered that, but they are growing rapidly. Starting their education, even if it’s the basic stuff, is probably a smart idea,” she agrees, turning her attention back to the road, but I continue to stare at him. His head swivels very slowly so he’s looking at me again, and he gives me a slow wink, one side of his mouth ticking up in a smirk.

Oh yeah, he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s playing the long game. I give him a small nod of acceptance and turn my attention back to where we’re going. The navigation system tells Lila to turn into the sanctuary, and we park in the few public spaces that are available.

There’s one car here, but apart from that, the lot is empty. When we get out, a shrill alarm is blaring, and a blue light flashes over the entry of the sanctuary.

I frown and reopen my door, reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out the laser pistol in there. “William never said there was a break-in?” I frown at Lila, who is biting her lip and stomping her feet, trying to keep warm in the cold. Her breath mists in front of her.

“No, just a disturbance. I assumed there was a problem with one of the animals,” she replies as I move toward the entrance, gesturing for them to stay behind me.

“Wait,” Zeydan calls, and we freeze while he releases his tails, sending them ahead of us to scope out the problem. It sure is handy that he can see through their eyes. His irises and pupils turn white as he concentrates on what information the nine creatures are feeding him. I hold the door open for them to stream through, but I stiffen when the smell of blood registers in my nostrils. It’s only seconds before Zeydan also gains that knowledge from his creatures.

“Someone is injured, but they still have a heartbeat. It’s the only one in that building, but it is behind a closed door.” He gestures in front of us.

“Let’s go.” Zeydan grabs Lila’s hand and tugs her forward. I can sense her hesitation in our bond, but at the touch of his hand, she relaxes. I’m grateful he can do that for her as I take the lead, my gun up and ready.

The front part of the sanctuary is the ticket kiosk and gift shop. It is open to the public and school groups a couple of times a week. You can wander through it and see all the animals from Reccedea that they raise for use in the circus. They also house animals that have been seized from illegal traders that can no longer be returned to their home planets for whatever reason.

There’s also an administration and security office, and that’s the place that has Zeydan’s creatures on alert. They yip and whine, scratching at a closed door to get in. I turn the handle and push it open before stepping back and waiting for their assessment.

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