6 Chapter V : A Mansion Fit for a Princess

"I have a feeling you are disappointed."

Leila, who was looking around the room, turned wide eyes at the owner of the voice. Niya, one of the two women assigned to assist her, was looking at her with a teasing smile on her face. Leila smiled sheepishly. Either her face was an open book or Niya was a very perceptive woman.

The bedroom was actually quite spacious and charming. Its walls were painted in a serene and soothing cool blue hue, complemented by an exquisite ceiling decorated with incrusted yellow lamps. A generously sized bed, adorned with crisp linen covers, beckoned her. A quaint nightstand with an intricately designed floral-patterned lamp stood beside it. The left door likely led to a bathroom, while the balcony provided a view of the courtyard.

"Well, I can imagine why. After seeing that spectacle outside, you would expect a perfectly exotic room, full of tribal decorations and accommodations." Niya remarked.

"Oh, no! I'm not really--"

"No, no, no. It's okay really. But I might as well tell you now. We are very secretive people. Anything that can be traced back to the clan must be dispensed with. If you were not a host, our princess would have never allowed you to know about us."

"Really?" Leila asked as Zara, the other woman, came in with her luggage.

"Really. Outsiders must never know about our existence. But with the way things are now, we had no choice but to make an exception." Niya answered as she pulled open the curtains of the door that led to the balcony.

"You mean the monsters?"

"Yes. Ten years ago, if you had told me I would ever see a real zombie, I would have laughed in your face!"

"A zombie?"

"Yes. Haven't you heard? All those creatures we used to tell our children about to frighten them have been seen around the world this past year."

"Oh right, Arya mentioned it. But she didn't go into details."

"Well, if you are curious, there is a--"

Niya was interrupted by a loud shriek coming from the courtyard followed by an angry voice.

Startled, Leila looked at her two companions questioningly. Niya smiled knowingly at Zara who rolled her eyes. Intrigued, Leila hurried to the balcony to investigate.

In the courtyard, Winda and Amara seemed to be engaged in a battle of wills. The woman was yelling angrily at the phoenix while the latter looked down at her condescendingly, as if she were just a squeaking mouse.

"What's going on?"

"Amara must be throwing one of her tantrums again. She's supposed to miniaturize herself and go back to her aviary but as usual, she's refusing to do it." Niya explained. "If the princess doesn't come, this could take all day."

"The princess left to take a well-deserved nap." Zara chimed in.

"Her Highness claims that eating and sleeping are her only pleasures in life. I'm sure Van Zola won't allow anyone to disturb her." Niya said.

"Van Zola? I thought Zola was her first name," Leila asked, puzzled.

"Oh, it is. Van is a title for senior warriors," Niya clarified, stepping back inside to organize the room.

"Senior warriors? Like soldiers?"

"Something like that," Niya said.

Leila wanted to ask more but since Niya said their people are secretive and she could sense her reluctance to delve deeper into the topic, she held her tongue. It would be better to direct her questions to Arya to avoid causing any trouble for Niya and Zara.

She turned back to the courtyard just in time to see Winda being blown away by a powerful gust of wind created by Amara's wings. Leila's mouth dropped open in shock. However, unlike what she expected, Winda didn't crash into the ground and break her spine. She landed flawlessly several meters away after executing a perfect somersault.

Leila almost clapped her hands but stopped when she saw the terrible scowl on Winda's face.

"She had that coming!" Zara laughed mercilessly. "She called Amara a 'damn peacock!'. To her, that's the greatest insult."

Leila couldn't help but smile, finding Zara's laughter infectious. She could feel her earlier anxiety ebbing away and thought that perhaps she would eventually feel at home in this mansion.

"Miss, we must excuse ourselves. You should take a rest while you can because when our princess wakes up, she'll... well she's--" Niya trailed off.

"Yeah, she's kind of a slave driver," Zara said.

"Zara!"

"Sorry! Slip of the tongue! Don't mind me." Zara said, raising her hands and backing toward the door. "I'm just going to go."

"Where?" Zara said, still glaring.

"Huh, the library?"

"There's a library?" Leila's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Yes, it's quite impressive. I can show you later, if you'd like."

"Now please!"

"Are you not going to sleep?"

"I can't. I'm too wound up."

Zara nodded and led Leila to the library. On the way, Leila tried not to look around too much since that would be rude. But she couldn't help but think that this really is a mansion fit for a princess.

Leila followed Zara down a corridor, her anticipation growing with each step. The air seemed to grow heavier, carrying a faint scent of old books. As they walked into the library, Leila's eyes widened in awe.

The library was a vast chamber, bathed in warm golden light streaming through large stained-glass windows. The sunlight painted vibrant hues across the rows of bookshelves that reached up to the high vaulted ceiling. The shelves were filled to the brim with leather-bound tomes, their spines glistening with intricate designs and titles written in various languages.

To one side, a cozy reading nook nestled beneath a stained-glass window, its comfortable armchairs adorned with embroidered cushions. The room was enveloped in a tranquil silence, broken only by the faint rustling of pages.

Leila looked around and saw a beautiful woman with long pink-red hair in a mohawk walk toward her with a bright smile on her face.

"Ah, Leila! I've been waiting for you for ages. Come in! Want some Boba?" she took Leila's hand and glanced at her companions. "Girls, you can go now. I'll take care of her."

Zara chirped an 'Okay' at the same time Niya said 'No can do'. Niya glared at Zara before turning to the woman.

"Shayleen, I'm sorry but the princess said that--"

"Don't worry, don't worry. The princess won't mind. I'll take full responsibility." Shayleen waved away her concern.

"Well, since it's you." Niya said tightly then looked at Leila apologetically. "Leila, please take your time. If you need us for anything, just use the interphone in your room."

Leila nodded with a smile and the two women left the library.

"How do you know my name?" Leila asked, letting herself be dragged away by the tall woman.

"Everyone knows your name." Shayleen answered before winking at her, "Lei-Lei."

Leila groaned, "Please don't call me that."

"Why not? It's cute."

Leila declined to comment lest she say something uncharitable about the person who came up with the nickname. She noticed two people who appeared to be a mother and daughter sitting at a table in the corner. The daughter looked about twelve and was very pretty. She seemed very focused on what her mother was saying and Leila couldn't help but listen.

"... and the geography of the world changed a lot. After the war, a single world government was finally formed to bring about peace, but not after half the population of the world was killed..."

Leila turned to Shayleen with wide eyes. "Isn't she too young to learn about world history already?"

"Too young? Hell, no! She's already late compared to her peers since she's always travelling with her mom."

"What? But she's like twelve!"

"What are you talking about?She's obviously nine! What kind of twelve years is this small?" Then she looked Leila and shook her head. "Right. You're not Amoja."

Leila sat on the chair Shayleen pulled out for her. "Are all Amoja women tall? I haven't seen anyone that comes close to my height yet."

"Well, if I remember right, our average height is 1,85m or 6'1" whichever you use."

"Wow! That's so cool. I wish I was taller. I'm only 5'3."

"Well, I guess it's pretty fun being able to look down your nose at everyone you meet when you go shopping." Shayleen laughed as she handed Leila a blueberry boba tea.

Leila thanked her while sighing in relief that it was one of her favorite flavor. "I have another question."

"Go ahead. I'm all ears."

"Can you guys all... do you all have the power to create lightning?"

"Create lightning? We can't create lightning."

"But Arya, I mean I saw the princess and some other women controlling lightning."

"Oh, that's electrokinesis. It's a genetic trait."

Leila hesitated, "so are you guys human?"

"Hmm, I wonder what qualifies as a human. Is it someone who claims to be the dominant species while constantly questioning their own significance in the grand scheme of things?"

"What?"

"Are humans the species that prides itself on its intelligence, yet frequently falls prey to its own irrationality? Or perhaps humans are those who possess a unique ability to complicate even the simplest of matters with their intricate web of emotions and desires?"

"Huh, all of that?"

"Then, I guess we're humans."

Leila laughed and it felt good. She had laughed more in the last few hours than in the past year. She had fled to the Black Forest because she couldn't stand to live among other humans anymore. Not after her family's death. But she felt different about Arya and her people and wondered about that. Was it because they were also different from normal people and she felt a strange sort of kinship? She took a sip of her drink while pondering and was startled when Shayleen spoke to her.

"In fact, I also have questions for you. You see, I've been wanting to meet a host for a long time. I'm very curious."

"About what?" Leila asked incredulously.

"I want to see your powers in action. Show me a trick!" Then because Leila was frowning, she added, "If you don't mind of course."

"I'm not that good you know? I can only move water around."

"That's not what I heard," Shayleen said skeptically.

"Huh? You heard something about me?" Leila paled.

"Of course. Well, not exactly about you. We got reports about monster sightings in the Black Forest so I decided to look into it. Then I heard rumors online about unnatural rains, nearby surface water being frozen during summer, etc. I had a feeling it might be the water host causing all this so I told the princess about it and, here we are." Sharleen was quite proud of her contribution.

"That can't be me," Leila exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Of course it's you. You're the water spirit's host right?"

"I am but I can't cause rain or freeze water. Believe me, I've been trying for years to learn how to do that."

Sharleen frowned, surprised by what she had heard. She had never considered the possibility that it could be someone else causing these strange phenomenons. After all, from what she knows, Wardens will only start appearing after the hosts become aware of who they are so it can't be one of them. But then, who could it be?

Leila looked at Shayleen's grave face and started feeling nervous. Did she do something wrong? "Shayleen? Is there something wrong?"

Sharleen was startled and turned to Leila with an apologetic smile, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how stupid and unproductive it is that spirits are not revealing themselves to their hosts."

"I know right?" Leila sighed in relief. "It made me curious so I thought about it for a bit. Maybe it's a way for them to choose when people with powers should start appearing or something like that. But I still wish I had known earlier because it would have spared me a lot of sleepless nights."

"Sleepless nights?"

Leila smiled sadly, "Yeah. I used to stay up at night wondering why I had these powers when my parents didn't. I even thought I had been adopted."

"Yikes! Did your parents know that?"

"No. I was scared of their answer. But still--"

Leila was interrupted by someone clearing their throat from behind her. She turned around to see Zola standing there with her hands clasped behind her back. Zola glanced at Shayleen who crossed her arms and winked at her. She ignored her and spoke only to Leila, "Water host, the princess has summoned you."

Leila stood up, "Oh, please call me Lei... And she left. Okay."

She smiled at Shayleen, "Well, I guess your princess needs me for something. Will I... I mean can I come back here?"

Shayleen smirked, "You mean 'Can I come back here and talk to you whenever I want?' Yes, Lei-Lei." She looked into the other's eyes and whispered, "Yes, you can."