Page 178 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“I knew it,” Link mutters. “But if you have the orb, then why don’t you use that to heal John?”

I jump to my feet. “Holy shit, Link’s right. We can heal him right now.”

Eric and William shake their heads, their faces grave.

“Unfortunately if we use the orb to heal John, it will give off a pulse that will call every person who has ever wanted world domination directly to our doorstep. The thing can’t be destroyed, and it can’t be used unless we want to advertise its location. It’s basically useless. Our ancestors promised the Una’s that we wouldn’t use it unless we had explored all other options. In the end, if we need to use it to heal John, we will, because if he dies, then the orb becomes unprotected unless we hand its protection over to you.”

“It’s been a long time since the war, and the orb has basically faded into memory, so most people won’t even remember its existence,” Xavier argues, and Eric shrugs.

“Yes, but the ones who do are the ones we need to worry about. John’s illness is too suspicious not to worry us. What better motivation than to kill one of us so that the orb is no longer protected?”

“But the suspect list is short. Apart from us, Lila’s parents, and now Lila, no one else knows we have the orb.”

“But Lila’s parents are dead, so they wouldn’t have told anyone,” Caspian points out, and Xavier stiffens.

“Hang on. What if that’s what they told my parents during the secret conversation they had in the memory hidden in Lila’s brain?”

Eric and William exchange another loaded glance before William nods. “Yes, we have considered it, but Alina and Marcus would not have told Cronus and Xylene unless they trusted themwithout a doubt. They entrusted their only child’s well-being to them. No, we don’t believe they are involved at all.”

“What about your wife?” Saxon asks carefully. “She disappeared without a trace and no body has ever been recovered.”

I wince at the suggestion and at the devastated looks on my grandfathers’ faces, but they don’t get angry.

Eric sags in his seat. “Yes, it is something we have considered as well. Liliana never reappeared, and although she could have been lost to the vastness of space, none of us have felt the bond break. It’s why we have never given up looking for her or moved on with another woman, but we also have to accept that she may have been tortured or coerced into giving up the information.”

The room falls into a heavy silence as we all take in the troubling information.

Before anything else can be said, the communication screen on their wall lights up. William reaches over and presses a button, and Bubby’s face appears on the screen.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Lila

“Go ahead, Broderick,” William orders the captain.

“Good evening, sir. Sorry to interrupt. The circus pod has docked with the ship, and we are now ready to make the leap into hyperspace. I have set a direct course for Celestia.”

“Actually, we need to change that. Iceen is on this side of Celestia, and from what Xavier and Saxon tell me, it would be best if we stopped there first before going to Celestia. We can’t be carting that she beast around in the brig all over the galaxy.”

“Certainly, sir. I will make the changes.” We see Bubby moving, and I guess he’s changing what he needs to. “It will take us approximately fifty-five Earth hours before we are in Iceen’s orbit. I will ensure that we have the necessary clearance to dock at their space station and for you to beam down to the planet.”

“Excellent, and I will advise the matriarch that we are returning her wayward daughter, as well as informing her of our endorsement of the Astrea streak as the next matriarchal family. I’m sure she will not step down easily and there will be a fight, but that may all be over with by the time we arrive. Maxsimwould have informed his mother of our support by now, and hopefully she will have taken steps to ensure that insufferable female has been removed from power.”

“Excellent, sir.” Bubby nods. “I will sound the ten-minute alarm for the hyper leap.” The screen clears, and seconds later, a siren similar to the one in the circus pod starts to play over speakers in the room. Everyone stands up, but I stay seated. I will be finishing my glass of wine before anything else happens.

“We will continue this conversation about the orb once John is back to normal, but we thought it would be best that you all knew. I trust you will keep it to yourselves, but think about what I said. You may notice other strange things that have been happening,” William says as Xavier removes the sound barrier.

“Come on, Lila, you need to strap in for the jump.”

Link tries to pull me to my feet, but I stubbornly hold my place on the sofa. “Oh no. The last time this happened, I ended up mated and pregnant.”

Caspian chuckles and ruefully runs a hand through his hair, having the grace to look a little embarrassed. I mean, it took two of us to tango, so the blame doesn’t lie solely in his court, but when I jumped into that pod with him, I was expecting nothing, and it got wild, weird, and wonderful.

“It’s not like that. You literally stay strapped in for five minutes, and there are seats all over the ship. You can even bring your wine if you want,” he coaxes, but he hit the magic words, so I stand up and drain my glass before going to the replicator to order another.

“Fine, but if I find myself naked and pregnant with another mate that isn’t one of the four here, then I am holding you responsible.” I think about what I just said and frown at the glass I just emptied. “That’s pretty strong stuff, isn’t it?” I ask as I pull the fresh one out of the replicator.

Xavier wraps an arm around my shoulders and escorts me out of the suite. When we get to the corridor, I blink in surprise. Seats have popped out of the wall all along the hallway, and everyone has strapped themselves into one. My warlock leads me to one, helps me down, and assists me with the straps.