Breath of Air (13 page)

“It?” Capri managed, really worried now.

Blythe had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she spoke. “The edge of the island, of course.”

“Oh boy.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t push you over or anything.”

“What?” Capri’s face paled as she looked back and forth between Blythe and Liam, who both looked incredibly amused.

Liam cracked first, laying a hand over hers. “We’re just joking with you. We won’t push you over the edge.”

“I don’t like heights.” She pouted, pulling her hand away and pushing her oatmeal around in her bowl anxiously. “I’ll go see it, but if I don’t want to stay you can’t make fun of me, okay?”

“Scouts honor.” Blythe pledged, holding a hand over her heart and grinning.

If Capri had any mental picture of what it would look like to see the edge of a floating island, it didn’t even come close to what she felt when she actually witnessed it.

Blythe and Liam had led her out of the front gates and through the meadow, the soft morning sunlight shining mistily around them. Then they had trekked through the trees, walking for several minutes through the dense forest with moss growing up the massive trunks and the sky almost completely blocked out by the leaves. She even saw a deer eyeing her curiously in the distance, standing almost still as a statue.

Suddenly, she had noticed a break in the trees ahead, and she could see the most vividly blue sky she had ever seen. As they approached, the opening grew larger and larger until they were emerging from the forest and standing in tall grass with wildflowers that were blowing carelessly in the wind. About twenty feet in front of them, the ground simply dropped off into nothing.

Capri walked cautiously forward, eyeing the drop off point apprehensively. When she was roughly two feet away, which was as close as she dared to get, she leaned forward and peered down over the edge.

Nearly a half a mile down she could see the blue waters of the Pacific, glistening like diamonds in the sun as the waves churned and shifted. The horizon was a straight line of sky meeting sea, and there was no other land in sight.

“So, what do you think?” Liam asked, watching her stare nervously down at the sea below.

Capri backed up a few more steps, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. “That’s a big drop.”

Blythe snorted. “That’s nothing. You should try sky diving.”

Color fled from Capri’s cheeks, her eyes huge. “You’ve skydived before?”

“Hell yeah I have!” Blythe replied, looking excited. “It’s the best adrenaline rush there is. I told you that humans know how to have more fun. They have all kinds of exciting ways to get the heart pumping and the adrenaline racing.”

“I don’t even like rollercoasters…” Capri shuddered, the very thought of it making her nervous.

“You‘re telling me you lived with humans your whole life and you never did any of the fun stuff?” Blythe looked astonished, and Liam patted her on the back consolingly.

“Not everyone is a daredevil like you, Blythe.” He reminded her, smiling at Capri. “Some people enjoy hobbies that don’t require their feet leaving the safety of the ground.”

Instinctively, Capri dug her heels into the grass beneath her feet, as though ensuring she was indeed still safe. “I’m just scared of a lot of things.” She admitted, feeling foolish. “I would never have the courage to do half the stuff you guys have probably done.”

“Hey, I never said I was a daredevil.” Liam held his hands up defensively. “I hate rollercoasters just like any other sane person.”

“Ugh, you guys are so boring.” Blythe rolled her eyes and walked over to the edge, her feet literally hanging half off of it as she stood looking out at the sea. She held her arms out and leaned back slightly, letting the wind from the sea blow around her like she was flying.

Despite how free Blythe looked, Capri felt sick to her stomach just watching it. “Oh, God, please don’t do that.” She managed, covering her eyes.

Blythe laughed and backed away from the edge. She wrapped her arms around Capri and pulled her into a hug. “You’re so cute.”

“I’m timid.”

“And the sweetest person ever.”

“I worry too much.”

“Oh, shut up and take the compliment.” Blythe grinned as she pulled away from Capri. “Wanna go sit down? You still look a little sick.”

“That would be nice.”

They walked over to the left a ways towards a wooden bench that sat facing the ocean. As they sat down, Capri watched the horizon in the distance, feeling as though she was so far away from the world she once knew.

The three of them sat in silence for awhile, relaxing and enjoying the view. Blythe had her head back and her eyes closed, the sunlight warming her face. Liam had his arms up on the back of the bench and his right ankle resting on his left knee, looking utterly casual while still managing to look like royalty. Capri sat between them both, and for a few moments she truly felt as though she belonged there with them.

“I don’t mean to bother either of you with this…but it’s been on my mind all week, and I just have to ask. If you don’t want to answer me, I understand.” Capri stammered suddenly, breaking the silence.

Both Blythe and Liam looked at her, each with concern in their eyes.

“What is it?” Blythe asked.

“You can ask us anything.”

“Okay…well, the night I was taken…do either of you remember anything? If you don’t, it’s okay, it’s just that I really want to find out more, you know?” She looked down at her hands that had clutched together in her lap, feeling awkward.

For a moment, neither of them said anything, and Capri thought for sure that she had insulted them in some way. She glanced up at Liam, worried his kind eyes would be filled with anger, but instead he was smiling down at her with understanding.

“None of us really remember much from the actual night, but we all remember the aftermath.” He said quietly, his eyes shifting back to the horizon. Capri followed his gaze, and listened quietly as he continued. “I was six years old that year, and all I remember from that night is playing this bubble game with my dad, where we would try and stick as many bubbles together in the air as possible without bursting them. Then someone rushed into the room, shouting and screaming, and the bubbles popped and I started to cry. My dad was so distracted he didn’t even realize what happened, and he just grabbed me up into his arms and handed me off to my mother, who took me and the other children away to one of the towers. We were locked in there for what seemed like forever, and then finally my dad came to get me and explained to me that you and your mother were gone. I don’t think I really understood what he meant at the time, I just thought the two of you had gone on vacation or something. It wasn’t until your mother’s funeral that it really sank in that everything would be different from then on.”

“Everything was different.” Blythe commented, her eyes on Capri, irritation in her voice. “All I remember is my whore of a mother yelling at me about how my father ruined everything, that it was his fault her life was now in pieces. She even threw some of the blame my way. In her twisted reality, it was my fault my father turned to demons and waged war against Thea and Sebastian. That if I hadn’t been born and spun my evil web around him, she could have kept him on track and stopped him before it got to that point. Mind you, I was only four years old.” Blythe sneered as she stared off at the sea, looking bitter. “After the demons were killed and the raid was over, the Furies gathered the evidence against my father and he was banished and forbidden to use his powers ever again. I barely even remember his face, though I guess it’s for the best. He was a real bastard, far as I can tell. Then after all that, good ol’ mommy decided to disown me, and Lucian took me in.”

“Your own mother disowned you?” Capri asked, looking shocked.

Blythe nodded. “You’ve met her. Nyxa, the third Fate.”

Capri’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise. “Nyxa is your mother?”

“Yup. And within two weeks of my dad being gone, she was shacked up with Balgaire, marriage plans on the horizon and a new bun in the oven. Brogan is my step brother and Nova is my half sister, not that either of them want anything to do with me.”

“They don’t even speak to you?”

Blythe shrugged. “We’re polite enough, I suppose, but they pretend we’re not related, by blood or otherwise. It’s for the best though, as I can’t stand Balgaire and any offspring of his can go to hell as far as I’m concerned.”

“Why don’t you like Balgaire? He doesn’t seem all bad…”

“Because he’s a Fury, and you can never trust the Furies.” Blythe replied, her eyes meeting Capri’s. “They may be good at what they do, but they’re heartless people. You pretty much have to be if you’re gonna be around demons all the time. Demons can sense weak emotions and will latch onto you if you’re not careful, and the Furies hunt them down and kill them for a living. Ergo, emotionless killing machines are not to be trusted. I would just stay away from them if I were you.”

Capri had the sudden memory of the display wall with row up on row of deadly weapons, and the efficient way Rian had fired off rounds without even a moment’s hesitation. With a jolt, she also remembered Rian when he’d said the words: you wouldn’t have wanted to be my friend. Was this what he had meant? Did he think himself incapable of friendship?

“I don’t know…Roarke didn’t seem that way. He was very polite and generous to me.” Capri countered defensively.

“That’s what he wanted you to feel and think. Why do you think he’s so successful? Why do you think he’s the leader? He knows how to make you feel as though you’re his best friend, while at the same time he’s plotting ways to destroy you. Well, not you in particular, as he would never hurt you, but that’s how he plays these demons. He goes in, convinces them to trust him, and then Balgaire sweeps in and takes em out.”

“Wow.” Capri managed, turning to Liam. “Do you not trust the Furies either?”

Liam shook his head. “Not really, no. I mean, like Blythe said, they are excellent at what they do, taking down demons and all, but I would ere on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with them.”

“Do you think they would tell me what they know about the demon who took me?”

Liam’s brows lifted. “You really want to figure this out, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” Capri retorted, standing up suddenly and staring down at the two of them. “Wouldn’t you if it had happened to you instead of me?”

“Of course I would.” Blythe declared, tilting her head up and grinning.

Liam chuckled at Blythe and turned to look up at Capri. “Definitely.”

“Okay then.” Capri mumbled, feeling foolish about her sudden outburst. She took her seat again awkwardly, chewing on her lip as she considered. “I just need more information. Someone here must have seen something…”

“If you must, you could try asking the Furies.” Liam suggested. “Just know that they might not like you meddling in a case that they never solved.”

“But it’s my mother; they can’t expect me to just let this go.” Capri argued, feeling frustrated.

“It doesn’t hurt to go ask.” Blythe said as she sat back against bench and rested her head in her hands.

Capri sat back against the bench as well, sighing deeply and watching the horizon again. She really hoped that the Furies could help her…they hadn’t seemed so bad when she’d talked with them before. And if they could, then she would be that much closer to discovering the identity of the demon responsible for her mother’s death…

“Do you think that if my mother hadn’t been human, if she’d had some kind of powers, that maybe she wouldn’t have died?” Capri asked suddenly, her eyes locked straight ahead on the horizon, her voice soft.

Liam slid his arm around her, pulling her close. “Just because we have powers doesn’t mean we can’t be fooled. Your mother had no reason not to trust Brock, and any one of us could have fallen for the same trick.”

“Yeah, and she’s not the first human to live on Euphora.” Blythe put in, stretching her arms behind her head. “Though she has been the last so far.”

“My father said it was uncommon for members of the Council to be with humans.” Capri told her, looking puzzled. “But you say others have lived here too?”

“Occasionally. I mean, all of us have to produce an heir to carry on our duties, otherwise Thea has to start over and she hates doing that, seeing as it’s kind of complicated.” Blythe shrugged, looking complacent. “Sometimes I think it would be better to just start over with some of the idiots around here, but they keep reproducing anyway.”

“What Blythe is trying to say is that we are permitted to have children with others on Euphora or with humans. Sometimes the humans choose to live on Euphora, sometimes they don’t. The Muses have had to alter their fair share of memories when trying to explain what we are to the human doesn’t really pan out the way we want it to. But, sometimes, like in your father’s case, the human accepts what we are and chooses this life.”

“I see…” Capri murmured, silently hoping that whoever she chose to love and have a child with would accept her for what she was…

“The absolute only exception to the rule is that we are forbidden to procreate with a human possessed by a demon.” Liam added seriously.

“Pssh, like anyone would want to.” Blythe snorted, laughing.

“Other than the obvious…” Capri began, eyeing Blythe tentatively before turning back to Liam. “Can I ask why it’s so forbidden?”

Liam thought for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t really know the specific reason. I assume it’s just because they are dangerous.”

“And disgusting.” Blythe added with a grin.

Capri nodded with a sigh, silently wondering what she was going to do if she ever came face to face with the demon who took her, and whether she would be strong enough to even stand a chance at surviving.

♦ ♦ ♦

Later that night at dinner, Capri planned out what she was going to say when she approached the Furies. She’d spent the rest of the afternoon thinking over the whole situation, trying to gather what she knew about that night and piecing everything together. And still she had come to the realization that she just wasn’t going to get any further unless she talked to the Furies and found out what they knew.