Xtabay pouted while watching her brothers and their soldiers march off to battle. "It's not fair!" She yelled, stomping her foot and cracking the stone walkway underneath it. Mul sat against a wall nearby, his master Yitoyo decided to leave him behind as well. "You know if you were stronger than your mother you wouldn't have to listen to her." He teased as he picked at a scab on his arm. "You be quiet!" Xtabay snapped. "No one asked you." She turned and stomped her way back into the palace. Mul chuckled to himself before following behind her. Their trek up the palace steps was halted by the loud cawing of a crow. "Why is that thing so loud?" Xtabay asked annoyed, embers falling from her clenched fist as she prepared to eviscerate the bird. The crow landed between them facing Mul. "Boy. Journey northwest and seek the Raven. Climb the pyramid and embrace Freedom. Caw." After the bird finished speaking it flew away. "Did that thing speak?" Xtabay asked. But Mul didn't listen, he just watched the bird shrink as it flew further away. The doors to the palace flew open and Queen Xochi stepped through the threshold. "Xtabay, what just happened? What was that presence I felt?" She asked. Xtabay pointed to a speck in the distance that was the crow. "That crow just spoke mother. It told Mul to find some free pyramid or something." "Crow?" The queen mumbled to herself before tossing a glare at Mul that made him take a step further away from her. He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword in anticipation of the wrath that was clearly directed towards him. A sudden gust of wind blew the pink petals of the palace trees between them. Xochi noticed Xtabay's confusion at the sudden tension between herself and Mul. So she took a deep breath and relaxed. "Forgive me Mul, that crow's intense presence had me on edge." She turned and began to walk back into the palace. "The table is being set for dinner, I suggest you two wash up before the food is ready." "Yes Mother." Xtabay replied, turning to Mul who was covered in sweat. "Mul." She called him. Her voice calmed him and he let go of his weapon causing the wind to die down and the petals to fall upon the palace steps. "Let's go." Xtabay said in an uncharacteristically kind tone. She then took his hand and led him inside.

Queen Xochi made her way to her study and closed the door behind her. She sat in the chair near the fireplace, closed her eyes and waited for her nerves to calm while a memory leaked into the forefront of her thoughts.

Bloom 789: Night of King Taivero's Funeral.

Xochi slammed the door to her bedroom and opened the doors to her balcony to let the moonlight in. The princess pulled her Katana from around her waist and placed it down on the bed. She sat at the side of her bed and pulled out her hairpin letting her jet black hair fall on her shoulders. She sat in silence, the pale glow of the moonlight washed over her as she ran through the events of the day in her mind. "Aaarrrraaahhh!" She screamed, hurling her hairpin into the large mirror resting in the dark corner of her room, shattering it to pieces. "Now now now, that's no way for a princess to behave." The voice came from the shadows near the now shattered mirror. Xochi stood, grabbed her weapon and took stance. "Well I suppose you're a Queen now right?" The feminine voice was now behind her. She whirled around and drew Notus from its sheath but no one was there. The wind blew hard causing the curtains that adorned the entrance to her balcony to dance. "There's no need for that dear, I'm not here to harm you." This time the voice came from the balcony but the curtains obstructed Xochi's view so she sheathed her sword causing the wind to stop. "That's one of those Anemoi blades isn't it?" The woman asked, the tone of her voice was very sly and sultry. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Xochi demanded, slowly approaching the balcony. The woman chuckled. Her unsettling laugh made the birds that were nesting in the trees outside Xochi's room fly off into the night. It also made Xochi stop her approach. "My names Piasa, dear and the Chaos of your thoughts brought me here." Xochi pulled the curtains out of the way but the Piasa was gone. "You know I can ease that stress your feeling dear. It wouldn't be hard at all." Xochi turned around to find the tall woman sitting on her bed where she had sat just moments before. "What do you want?" Xochi asked. She couldn't make out Piasa's face in the dimly lit room. "Only a simple deal my dear. You secure a vessel for my father to use and I will provide you with the power to defeat your enemies and rule your kingdom better than your father ever could." Xochi never took her eyes off her but somehow all of a sudden Piasa was behind her playing with her hair. "How would I even do that?" Xochi asked. "Now..." Piasa started. "With this mark I let flow through you the Chaotic magic of my father." Piasa placed her palm on Xochi's back, in between her neck and shoulder and burned the image of a serpent coiled around a T shaped staff into her skin. "It's much more potent than that third rate celestial magic some of the people on this planet use, trust me." Xochi winced at the pain. "But I never agreed." She said pulling away from the woman who was no longer standing behind her as Xochi turned around. "Don't worry dear if you use the magic then I'll know you accepted. So if you decline, just don't use it, you'll know what I mean when the time comes." Piasa was now holding open Xochi's bedroom door. "I'm hoping to hear from you soon dear, don't keep me waiting. Good luck with the dead father and kingdom at war and all that." With that Piasa closed the door behind her leaving Xochi standing in her room alone.

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