Bonus scene
ATTENTION
If this is your first time reading the Galaxy Circus, I would suggest skipping this scene until you have read it in its entirety because it may contain spoilers for future books.
If you have already experienced this wild ride, then please continue.
Hopefully these new scenes add another layer of enjoyment to the experience
Xavier
Having Lila drink from my vein before we enter the cave puts me in a good mood as we move slowly through the tunnel system.
The opalescent gems shimmer brightly, and I see the dragon eyeing them avariciously, but he’s a good boy and keeps his hands to himself.
The dragon and snake have vexed me to no end on this trip.
We all know they are just being stubborn and are inevitably going to end up with Lila.
They are just making it more difficult than it has to be, and I feel no small amount of resentment toward them, but for my phoeall’s sake, I keep my mouth shut and my snarky comments to myself.
The ball of light I conjured bounces jauntily ahead of us, illuminating the way.
I have been on high alert, but so far, nothing out of the ordinary has happened except for that first test where it read Lila’s blood.
Zala’s words implied that the cave is sentient, and I do feel an unusual power buzzing around me, but that could be coming from the gems themselves.
Lila turns around and walks backwards, grinning at us. “I’m not sure what you were all so worried about. This has been easy.”
I flinch as a burst of power pulses, and I watch in horror as Lila stumbles. I jump forward to steady her, but I smash up against an invisible wall.
“Lila!” I shout, banging on the invisible wall. Her smile drops as she rights herself and hurries forward, her hands out as she feels around for a way to remove it with no success. She turns her attention to the rock walls on either side of us, searching for a way out.
“Look for a switch or a latch or something,” I order them and activate my teleporting magic, hoping I can at least get to my intimate. The minute my body starts to dematerialize, a pressure wave of magic flows over me, stopping me in my tracks.
“Fuck!” I shout, scrubbing a hand through my hair in frustration.
“Tirrian, can you burn the barrier?” I ask, and he pushes his way forward, smoke pouring out of his nose as his wings burst free from his back, his eyes change to elongated pupils, and his teeth grow sharper as he shifts to half form.
“Stand back,” he orders, and we move out of the way just in case there’s blow back. With a roar, he bellows a stream of fire at the invisible barrier, but it does nothing except skip across it before dissipating.
“The cave has spoken. She’s on her own,” Zala says solemnly.
“What now?” Silac asks, and I shake my head.
“I don’t know. Can you shift into your smallest form and find a crack to slither through?” I ask him, but before he can answer, the floor drops away, and we fall like stones.
“Agh!” An undignified scream leaves my mouth as I start to slip and slide out of control.
I’m moving at a rapid rate, and I can’t get my bearings.
Looking around, I try to latch onto something to stop my descent, but there’s nothing and no one.
I can’t see any of the others, and when I try to use my magic, I find a wall between it and me.
This cave must be cutting it off somehow.
All I can do is hang on and pray that when I finally stop, I can make my way back to Lila.
I’m not sure how long I slide for, but after a while, there is finally a dim light at the end of the tunnel. When I crash to the ground, I look around and find myself back where we started in the large cavern entrance to the mine.
I scramble to my feet and brush myself off, taking stock to make sure I’m not injured. After ascertaining that I am not harmed, I spin around when I hear an unladylike curse and find Zala not far from me in a crumpled heap, like she, too, was ejected from the wild ride we just undertook.
I hurry over, holding out a hand, which she takes, and I help her to her feet. “Are you okay? What just happened? Where are the others?” I fire the questions at her, and she scowls while she tries to get her bearings, looking as disheveled as I feel.
“I told you the cave has a mind of its own. It obviously decided Lila needed to continue this journey alone,” she mutters, brushing off her body.
“Tirrian and Silac haven’t appeared either,” I say, searching the dark walls to see if they were knocked unconscious or worse, but there is no sign of either the dragon or the snake.
“Maybe they were ejected somewhere else, or maybe they were allowed to continue with Lila. The ways of the cavern are a mystery to all,” Zala says, and I glare at her and her vague words.
“That is bullshit. My warlock powers should not be smothered. I have nothing. I can’t access them at all,” I tell her, my frustration causing my words to come out harsh and angry.
“I’ve never been powerless in my life, not even as a young warlock.
” My fear is making me snippy, and unfortunately, Zala is receiving my ire.
“I don’t know what to tell you. They will either return or they won’t,” Zala states bluntly, and I ball my hands into fists.
“I will not be defeated. Maybe if I try to teleport from outside the cave, that might work.” I spin around, storm out the jagged entrance, and stalk around the craggy rock formation, but no matter which way I go, my power is still blocked when I try to use it against the cave.
Teleporting doesn’t work, and when I start to fling balls of power at it in hopes I can create my own tunnel to get my intimate, they just rebound, causing me to yelp and duck.
“Are you done with your temper tantrum now?” Zala asks dryly from behind me. “Xavier, it is no use, the cave is impenetrable.”
I drop to my knees and howl my frustration into the air.
I’m not sure how long we’ve been here for, but I can feel my power draining.
I was able to feed deeply in the larnuk markets, but if I’m not careful, I will get dangerously low and will not be able to protect myself and the snake on the return journey.
“What is going on here?” I groan in frustration when I hear Zilla’s voice. Great, just what we need, Zala’s annoying sister. “Did you get the flower?”
“We are not sure. Xavier and I were ejected from the cave,” Zala explains, and Zilla chuckles.
“Yeah, that’s happened to me a few times too. Hurts, doesn’t it?”
“How often have you tried to get in?” Zala asks her suspiciously.
“You don’t own the cave, Zala. Anyone is allowed to try to bond with the larnuk herd,” Zilla sneers.
“No, but we do protect the flower, remember? That is why this cave is off-limits to everyone, including you,” Zala reminds her pointedly, and I look up to find the two of them glaring aggressively. Zilla’s arms are folded over her chest, and she has a stubborn set to her chin.
“When the larnuk herd moved to this cave, it became fair game for anyone who would like to try. You know that,” Zilla argues, but Zala shakes her head.
“No, it didn’t. This is the one cave that is off-limits. Does Father know you’ve been trying to get in to bond with the herd?”
“It’s none of his damn business what I do, and you will keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you,” Zilla threatens, but I’ve had enough of their drama.
“Stop, none of that is important. We need to get to Lila.” I get to my feet, annoyed at the squabbling sisters, and brush off my clothes. Now that I’m not so frantic, I start to plan. “What about your father? Can he get in?”
Zala returns her attention to me but keeps an eye on her sister. “No. If the cave will not allow me in, then I don’t think he would have any better luck. The only thing we can do now is wait.”
I feel a bead of sweat roll down my face, and I grimace, looking up and shielding my eyes from the glare of the two suns. “It’s only going to get hotter. I say we go back into the cave and wait. If they don’t come out in a few hours, then I will use more drastic means to get to them.”
“Drastic?” Zala asks as we walk toward the entrance.
I am thankful this whole area is a limestone ridge that keeps the sandworms away, otherwise there’s a good chance we would have already been attacked.
With my powers acting up and all the larnuks back at the oasis, we are basically sitting ducks.
Zala doesn’t even have her sahmeit blades with her.
“Yeah, more mechanical means. I will conjure up some explosives and blow a hole so big, the cave will wish it never got on my bad side,” I growl as we reach the entrance and enter, the temperature instantly dropping to more manageable levels.
I heave a sigh of relief and look around, going over to the dais and looking for the place Lila put her hand, but it has disappeared. The cave truly is doing everything it can to keep me from finding my intimate.
“Fuck, this is useless,” I grumble, sliding to the ground and leaning against a wall, panting with exhaustion.
Zala joins me and pats my knee. “Do not be alarmed. I am sure everything will work out. I have a feeling,” she says softly. “At least Lila has Tirrian and Silac with her. Between the two of them, they should be able to help her through whatever trials that are before her.”
“Yeah, and Tirrian said she can drink from him, so at least there is that,” I mutter quietly, hoping that Zilla doesn’t hear me, but I am completely out of luck.
“What? Why would she need to drink from Tirrian?” she shrieks.
“Lila is the blood rose of General Saxon of Vilax, and as such, she needs blood herself. She usually gets it from her mates, but with only Xavier here, Tirrian kindly offered his vein,” Zala explains, and I am so pissed off, I feel petty.
“Yes, and it is quite the experience. I’m sure once Tirrian has felt the pleasure that Lila can inject with her fangs, he’ll beg to feel them over and over again,” I tell her with a wicked grin.
Her eyes widen with horror, and she screeches. “Tirrian wouldn’t lower himself to be a blood bag for a leech. He is a prince, and one day, he will be king. She is nothing but a slutty Skarrian whore.”
God, I am sick of people calling my intimate a slutty Skarrian whore.
I scowl at the jealous bitch. “Oh, trust me, as a future king myself, I am eager and willing to offer up a vein to that female anytime she wants it. There is nothing like the feeling of her venom coursing through my veins. The orgasm it creates is out of this world.” If I had my powers, I would remind her exactly who I am and why no one gets away with calling my Lila a leech or a whore.
For now, though, I will bide my time, but if she is not careful, Chief Zana will find himself one daughter less.
“Be quiet, Zilla. Lila is the heir to the Galaxy Circus, and as such, she deserves more respect than you are giving her. Do not dishonor our family by disrespecting her,” Zala snaps, scowling at her sister.
Zilla scoffs and turns her back on us, pacing back and forth across the cave.
“I will stay here to ensure he returns, and when he does, I will make sure he is not under some kind of spell by that whore. I have not given up on having him, and I will not let her take him from me,” she mutters under her breath, but it carries in the quiet cave, and I raise an eyebrow at Zala as if to ask, “Is she for real?”
She shakes her head sadly. “She’s never gotten over his rejection. It’s made her bitter and twisted, and I’d watch out for Lila when she returns, because I have no doubt they will,” she tells me quietly, and I appreciate her confidence.
I lean my head back and close my eyes to rest for a moment, trusting Zala will watch my back.
We’ve been friends since she joined the circus a few years ago, and although she prefers the company of her larnuks to the rest of the crew, she occasionally hangs out with me and the others.
She would be a good friend for Lila once all the drama settles down, and I hope nothing that happens today will make it difficult for that to occur.
I’ll give them until the sun goes down, and then the cave better watch out, because I am getting my Lila back, and nothing is going to stand in my way, even if it means killing the chief’s daughter if she poses a threat to my intimate.