Orchid

Really, Air? A Guest?

We arrive at Airillia's a few minutes later, and Zuzuni is there to greet us. His hair is slicked back and he's wearing a black-and-white butler's suit, and carrying a platter of cookies.

 "Hi, Zuzu." Hero crashes on a couch.

 She landed on the floor in her spirit-travel, and I landed on top of a table, empty, thank goodness. I have a vague memory of landing in cake, and I still see a speck of frosting on my sleeve. Maeve cleaned me off, presumably.

 "Leader Hero." Zuzu bends his head to acknowledge her. "Leader Kyonnes and Leader Solara is here." His excitement makes his plate of cookies float in the air as he rubs his hands together in glee. "We must be very lucky to host four leaders. We are only missing Tsukune." He lowers his voice. "Don't ever tell Tsukune I ever said this, but I like to call his a meatball. He'll have my head if he knows I said that!" He turns pale and slaps his hand over his face.

 "O-okay." Hero steps away, plucks a cookie from the platter, and delicately eats it, face lighting up instantly. "Is this chocolate-chip? Yum."

 "My own recipe." Airillia's son fidgets with his butler's suit and his clean, unspotted, white shirt underneath the black tuxedo.

 "Hero? Orchid? You here?" Kyo sticks her head into our room, bright eyes glowing. "Airillia wants ya guys." Her eyes fall on Zuzu. "Oh! Your shirt is so clean."

 Zuzuni beams. "I scrubbed it hard myself."

 "Food fight, then!" Kyo unleashes a bolt of flame and it scorches his shirt, leaving a deep black mark on it. 

 "What did you just do?" Zuzu wails, touching his burnt shirt gingerly. "You're paying my clothing insurance bills!"

 "Right." Kyo rolls her eyes.

 "Did you say food fight?" Hero grabs another cookie from the floating platter(seriously, if I had my camera then, I would soo take a pic) and smashes it into his shirt. "What a waste." Hero tries to adapt a sorrowful voice. "That was a waste of a cookie, but it was worth it! Zuzu boy, ain't nobody gonna pay your insurance bills!"

 "What? I'm going to--" Zuzu looks truly upset at the chocolate and fire stains. "Can you help me wash my clothes?"

 "Ain't nobody got time for that." Hero saunters out, waving her fingers teasingly in the air.

  "Imitating Sweet Brown much?" I join her by the door.

 Hero shrugs, sticking her tongue out and popping a stick of gum in her mouth. "I don't really care. Annoying Zuzu is one of mah favorite hobbies."

 "What?" I tense as I hear an unfamiliar voice.

  I raise my head, meeting the gaze of clear eyes.

 "Who the hell are you?" I blurt out.

 "Is that the way you treat a guest?" The young man, about Shira's age, smirks and flips me off. 

 "Sorry. I invited someone over." Airillia rushes over. "Mr. Terrarien, these are the Warriors, Hero Vividian and Orchid Evergreen."

 "Ah!" Mr. Terrarien's face crinkles in recognition. "These girls are...special." He runs a hand through his crisp hair, electric blue eyes twinkling. "Wouldn't want to interrupt you, Ms. Jackson. I better go."

 "No...I want you to stay." Airillia's voice is sharp as she rubs her chin in thought.

 Startled, Mr. Terrarien nods, his lips forming a brief smile. "I'll wait for you with the other elementalists."

 I study him as he strides out of the room. What is so familiar about him? I put it to rest, though. There are many people I have seen before.

 "I have news." Airillia glances at me. "One, Lillian Burke has gone to the Water Kingdom to fetch Zetah." 

 "She lost her element," Hero says.

 "I know." Airillia raises a hand to dismiss the subject. "But that's not as important as the other news I carry. But now it's your turn for now. Where is my son?"

 "We had the Yang orb," I say slowly. "But Xander captured us to Lycaeon's palace, and I escaped after losing one of my lives. I flew and passed out at the Tree of Protection."

 "In Kc's kingdom?" Airillia nods. "Go on."

 "I was brought to Kc and then Xander stormed the palace with an army of Dark elves. I--I saw Anastasia," I stutter. Airillia never mentioned she had a daughter before.

 "Anastasia?" Airillia's dark eyes bore into me. "Does she have hazel eyes and brown hair?"

 "Yes. She told me that Xander was possessed by Set and I touched the Yang orb to him. He was good for a while and even saved a Light elf's life."

 "Stop." Airillia widens her eyes. "You've obviously been tricked. My only daughter is Kc, half-sister to Zuzuni and Alexander. Kc was my child--with a mortal man. The man kept her. I wanted her to be raised as a human, but the queen of the elves then stole her away, interested by the elementalist blood in her veins, and replaced her with the ugliest of elf babies."

 "Then who's Anastasia?" Hero asks.

 "Anastasia Daerkt is Powerrmaster Daerkt's younger sister." Airillia sets her jaw. "They both work for her. Damn it! She turned my son into a more eviler version of himself."

 "What?"

 "Exposing yourself to the Yang orb doesn't turn you good," Airillia whispers. "It just turns you more powerful."

 "But he was good!" I protest. Well, there goes my ideas of seeping the light of the orb into him.

 "Yeah, he was good, but that was temporary."

  "I used to know Xander," I say carefully, staring at my shoes. "Like, when his eyes weren't blue."

 "His eyes were either hazel or green--depending on his sadness or happiness." Airillia pricks her ears in interest. "Go on."

 "And he was so kind to me," I say.

 "That was before he turned sixteen--the coming of age for elementalists, and usually the age where they are most powerful." Airillia chews her nail. "He changed after that--in some way." She lowers her head in shame. "I have something to tell you, Hero and Orchid."

 "What?" we say at the same time.

 "You're not the only two Warriors of our time. Xander is a Spirit Elementalist."