The Lost One (Legion of Thieves)

The Legion of Thieves 

The Lost One

Xaro Leitz

Liana and Trystan ran ahead of me through the underground tunnel as we made our way to the atrium. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and everyone was off doing their own thing. Dawn and Pratt left early in the morning and gods only know where they went. Max was in the common room watching his "Football" game, Lissa was working on something in the library, and as far as I knew, Benedict had just woken up.

The doors to the atrium opened and I was met with sensory overload. The smells of exotic flowers, bright light from the noon-day sun, and heat from the artificial tropical climate hit me like a freight train. The atrium was one of the most beautiful places in the HQ especially on an autumn day like this one. The atrium was originally supposed to be a place just for Trystan and Liana to stay but quickly turned into a much bigger project.

My Jaguars took off into the dense tree line while I walked over to a hammock near the lazy river that wound its way around the atrium. I hopped in and stretched out, thumbing through my Sherlock Holmes novel until I found the page I had marked. I read for about an hour before I drifter off to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of Trystan and Liana roaring. I nearly flipped out of my hammock as I tried to get to my feet. I rubbed my eyes and saw my Jaguars chasing a large bird through the clearing. The bird soared to the top of a tree and I finally realized it was Max's phoenix Myriah. She looked down at Trystan and Liana who were circling the tree. I called them off and they reluctantly came over and sat down beside me.

"Xaro!" A voice called from the entrance. I looked over and saw Max jogging over in his Manchester United soccer jersey. He seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, but I quickly realized it was the three necklaces, four armbands, earrings the size of marbles and six rings.

"What's wrong?" I asked bending to pick up my  Sherlock Holmes.

"How'd you know something was wrong?" He asked as his pet phoenix landed on his shoulder.

"There are very few things that will tear you away from a Soccer game. Now what is it?" I asked again.

Max took a breath. I knew hated it when people called his favorite sport soccer, being British and all. But he was living in America now and had to get used to it. "There's a couple here who have requested to see you."

I gave him a puzzled look. "What do they want?"

"They wouldn't say. But they seemed desperate, the woman wouldn't stop crying. They're in the meeting room waiting for you."

"Alright, I'll be down to meet them momentarily. Just uhh... give me a minute to get changed." I said looking down at my shorts and tank top. Max nodded and ran through the exit as fast as he could to watch the rest of his game.

I turned back to Trystan and Liana. "Behave yourselves now, I have to go to a consultation. Shouldn't take more than five minutes." I muttered to my self.

I took the subterranean tunnel back to the main building. I had personally put up powerful wards that prevented teleportation into or out of HQ so no one could get in without walking through the front door. It also kept certain people out of certain rooms.

As I neared the meeting room I snapped my fingers causing my tank top and shorts to melt away and a black suit and tie to appear. I stopped in front of a mirror and fixed my hair. I opened the door and found two people, a man and a woman, sitting at the board room style table. The man was tall and muscular with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a rugged looking beard. The woman was maybe a head shorter than the man with blonde, shoulder length hair, and though they were red from crying I could tell they were blue also.

"Good afternoon," I said as I walked in. "I'm Xaro Leitz. You requested a meeting with me?" I asked.

"Yes thank you," The man said standing up. "My name is Matthew Williams. This is my wife Melissa." I shook hands with Matthew and placed a hand over Melissa's, Matthew and I then sat down.

"Now what is it the Legion can do for? Our mandate is to help those who cannot help themselves. If it is within our power we will do everything possible to help you." I explained.



Melissa tried to pull herself together but broke down crying again. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a black handkerchief. I handed it to her then turned to Matthew.

"Can you shed some light on your situation?" I asked hoping he could keep it together. He took a breath and silently slid a photo across the table. I took the photo and held it up. It was a black and white picture of a young boy. The boy in the photo had light brown hair and starling blue eyes.

"That's our son Michael." Matthew said quietly causing me to quickly look up. "He disappeared seven days ago and we haven't seen him since." He looked on the verge of tears himself.

"Have you gone to the police?" I asked.

"Yes!" Melissa gasped causing me to jump. "But they haven't found any sign of him!" She then broke down crying again.

WIP