Chapter 26

"Wha' 'appened?" a groggy Lion-O asked later that day. Wizz-Ra chuckled a little bit as the nurses checked over the King. They had left the lights off, afraid that his eyes would not handle them. The nurses got him some water and checked over his vitals, noting that he seemed to be in the same boat as his daughter.

"It's a long story. How are you feeling?" The ancient wizard wanted to know.

"Like I got ran over by the ThunderTank," the lion admitted.

"Not surprising and almost the same thing your daughter said," Wizz-Ra commented.

"How is she?" Lion-O wondered.

"She's resting and on the road to recovery and so are you but it may take a bit. There was a lot of magic and body-hopping involved," the Egyptian said.

"That sounds about right. Does Lea have the Sword?" The lion asked.

"She does. She's assumed command until you are back on your feet. There are bigger fish to fry and she's using Mandora and Pali for help in finding them," Wizz-Ra explained.

"How is it possible that Ratilla escaped the Astral Plane? How did he manage to find Kiaan?" More questions from the intrepid leader of Third Earth and New Thundera.

"While you were sleeping and before he and his crew were shipped to the Penal Planet, I used my talents to discover that Kiaan was hiding out in space with his crew of space misfits when they ran into an abandoned space ship. Figuring they could salvage metal and other materials, they boarded it. Kiaan's memory gets foggy after that so I had to interrogate his remaining crew to see what they had to say. Most of them noticed a change in his behavior but they didn't question it. They figured it was a big raid to pillage and plunder," Wizz-Ra told him.

"And that Electroshock guy?" Lion-O could barely keep his eyes open at this point. Much like Sahara, he needed more rest.

"Kiaan said they broke him out because he owed them money. The original intention for him was to help Kiaan get his money. Right up until they stumbled onto that ship, then things changed," the wizard explained.

"Then that makes sense. So who freed Ratilla and why?" The lion wanted to know.

"If I had a piece of silver for every time someone asked me that," Wizz-Ra teased. Lion-O chuckled before saying,

"Perhaps the Sword has more answers."

"Perhaps it does. Rest now young Lion-O. I will take things from here," the wizard smiled and then left the room to visit Sahara. He found the litah and her boyfriend sitting on her bed, talking and holding one another. The lights were on, which meant that Sahara was recovering a little bit faster than he father.

"Pardon my intrusion, young Princess, Master Lakshmana," the wizard said. The two separated and smiled at him.

"Nothing so formal, Wizz-Ra, Lak will do just fine," the pumiger slipped out of the bed and extended a hand for the ancient Egyptian to shake.

"I think that will do for now, though I imagine the next time I visit, things will be different," the man said, shaking his hand.

"How do you mean?" Sahara gave him a look, unsure of where he was going with that comment.

"I cannot reveal what the Gods have told me. I can only pray they come true. That aside, I have need of your sixth sense, if you are up to it, Sahara," Wizz-Ra changed the subject. She gave him a look before asking,

"Do you think I can, given how much I feel like I was hit by a bus?"

"Oh I do believe you can. The Sword will only respond to you and it will know what you felt when Jaga needed to step forward and help you. I believe this to be the only way to catch whom we seek," he said.

"Then fetch my aunt and we will begin," Sahara smiled slightly.

To Be Continued…