Breath of Air (4 page)

“Serendipity has excellent taste.” Clynn remarked, watching with pleasure as his daughter lifted the sapphire blue sleeveless gown from the bed. The material was silky and flowing, like smooth water.

“It’s so beautiful.” She murmured, admiring the bare hints of silver thread that shimmered throughout the blue silk.

“Please, take your time getting ready. Liam will meet you here in an hour to escort you down to dinner.” Clynn walked towards her then, and kissed her forehead. “Welcome home, darling.”

“Thanks.” She watched as both men disappeared, closing the door behind them. Then she simply stood there, clutching the dress in her hands, feeling numb.

So this was really happening, she thought wildly. She was really standing here, in a castle. She had really just met her father. She was really about to go meet everyone else, whoever they were. Liam hadn’t mentioned being cousins or anything, so she assumed that her only blood relative was her father. So who was everyone else? Was there a Fire and Earth Dryad too? Were there more Air Dryads? She had so many questions; she didn’t even know where to begin. Maybe tonight would answer the majority of them, at least she hoped.

Setting the dress down upon the bed, she turned and noticed a door off to her right side. When she opened it, she smiled. A bathroom, perfect. With a claw foot tub and everything. It was just what she imagined a bathroom would look like in a castle: old fashioned and elegant.

She glanced in the mirror, wondering how in the world she was going to make herself look worthy of wearing that gorgeous dress. Suddenly, she remembered that she didn’t have her duffle. Whirling around, she noticed that it had been placed beside the bed. Thank you, Liam, she thought with relief as she lifted it up and reached inside for her toiletries.

Since she had an hour, she decided to indulge in a quick bath to freshen up. When she slipped into the tub filled with frothy bubbles, she felt tingles of relief and excitement run through her.

After her bath, she smudged on some makeup and tidied up her hair as best as she could. Deeming herself good enough, she padded back into the bedroom for the dress.

When she slipped into the gown, she zipped it up and turned to stare at herself in the full length mirror by the door. The sight took her breath away.

I look like a princess, she thought wistfully, her lips curving in a feminine grin. She noticed a pair of silver high heeled shoes resting beside the bed, and made a mental note to thank whoever Serendipity was for lending them to her. They were a bit small for her feet, but she was too grateful to wear them to care.

Taking a deep breath, she analyzed herself one last time in the mirror. She didn’t look perfect, but she wasn’t that bad. The dress fit beautifully on her willowy figure, and her height which had always annoyed her in the past actually added to the appeal of the gown. Feeling a little more confident, Capri opened the door to the hallway, and met Liam’s eyes as she exited.

He simply smiled. “You clean up nice.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Capri flushed, tugging at the skirt of the gown nervously. “I still don’t really feel I deserve to be wearing a dress like this, but I’ll take it.”

“It suits you.” He held out his arm gallantly, just like a prince would, and she wrapped her arm around it. To complete the image of a modern day prince, he was wearing a handsomely tailored three piece black suit with a sapphire blue tie. “Ready?”

She took a deep breath. “No, but what can I do?”

“Suck it up.” He grinned at her, then proceeded to lead her down to dinner, and what was surely going to be the most important night of her life.

“Today’s my birthday you know, you should be nice and hide me for awhile.”

“Not a chance.” They reached the bottom of the stairs and he pushed open the door for her. “Happy Birthday though.”

“Thanks.” She murmured, anxiety eating away at her. “Oh, I hate being nervous.”

“Don’t be. They’ll love you.”

His words didn’t make her feel any better, and as they walked together down the long corridor, aiming towards the large doors ahead, she began to feel a little faint.

She saw Clynn waiting for them outside the doors, his eyes filled with pride. He was also now dressed in a suit.

“Lovely.” He smiled, taking her hands in his. “You remind me of your mother.”

“Thank you.” She blushed again, unable to help it. She figured she would be consistently red this evening if this kept up. She positively hated being the center of attention.

“Everyone is inside already. They’re so excited you are home.” Her father was glowing with happiness, so much so that Capri felt a little cheerful herself just looking at him.

But when he began to push open the doors, she felt her confidence shatter and nerves take over. Here we go…

The room was enormous, at least in contrast to dining rooms she had seen in her lifetime. It was long and rectangular, with a two story high ceiling covered in beautiful paintings just like the corridor, and windows entirely covering one of the walls. Outside the windows, it was dark as night. Wait, hadn’t it just been morning? she thought, her brows furrowing. Had she been in her room for that long? It just wasn’t possible…

The sudden movement of people rising to their feet had her noticing the dining table, and the two dozen people who now stood around it. They were all staring at her, and she felt her face redden with embarrassment.

Thea and Sebastian stood at the head of the table. Capri noticed that Thea looked much more relaxed now, and her face much kinder than earlier.

“Welcome home, Capri.” Thea said, her voice echoing throughout the room. She left the table and began to walk towards where they stood by the doors. When she was a few feet away, she held out both her arms in greeting.

“We have been waiting for you.” She said warmly, wrapping her arms around Capri in a hug. Capri hugged the woman back, feeling unsure. Thea pulled away, but held Capri at arms length. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself properly earlier. My name is Thea. I am Mother Earth.”

Capri smiled shakily. “Nice to meet you.”

“And this,” She turned as Sebastian appeared beside her. “Is Sebastian. Also known as Father Sky.”

“Oh,” Capri hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t that. The mother and father…creators of Earth and Sky. Yes, she had studied enough Greek mythology to have heard of both Mother Earth and Father Sky before. She couldn’t believe that they were real, and standing right in front of her.

“Welcome home, my darling.” Sebastian lifted her hand and pressed his lips to it in a soft kiss, his eyes on hers. “So lovely.”

“Yes, she is.” Thea replied. “It pleases me to have my long lost Air Dryad return. We have missed you dearly, child. You are greatly needed here.”

“Oh.” Capri’s eyes widened. Was she supposed to know how to be an Air Dryad right away? She wondered as Thea grasped her arm gently and began to lead her towards the head of the table. Then she remembered all of the people now staring at her, and the thought fell to the wayside as her nervousness flooded back.

She saw both men and women, both young and old. The youngest was a skinny boy with jet black hair who looked to be about fourteen and the oldest a man of about forty-five with long white hair and vivid blue eyes. Liam’s eyes…she realized with a shock. Was that his father?

Everyone was dressed so beautifully, and now she understood why she had needed the dress. Apparently formal wear was popular here. Even Thea was now adorned in a shimmering silver gown which spilled over onto the floor in a lovely train. Capri had to watch her step so as not to trample on it.

The extravagance of it all caught her by surprise. Though, after meeting the princely Liam, had she really expected anything less than royalty?

“Sit here, next to me, and I will make a toast. We will do the introductions later, after dinner.” Thea motioned towards a plush mahogany and gold silk chair. Capri took her seat, and Clynn sat in the chair on the other side of her. As they sat, the rest of the group took their seats as well, including Sebastian. Thea alone remained standing.

Capri stared dutifully at the white tablecloth in front of her, terrified to do anything more. All of these people were making her incredibly uncomfortable. How did anyone get used to this? At least at the orphanage she wasn’t required to socialize. She could just eat in peace, talk to someone if she pleased, and be on her way. She had a daunting feeling that she was not going to have that same luxury here.

When Thea began to speak, Capri looked up, her eyes focused on the woman she now knew to be Mother Earth.

“Fifteen years ago, our home was violated. We were attacked by our enemies, and we suffered a great and terrible loss. One of our own was killed, and another stolen from us, presumably dead. I am thrilled to, on this night, announce that what was once lost has now been found. And while the memories of the attack still plague our minds, I hope you all will take comfort in knowing that miracles do happen, and even a tiny three year old girl can have the strength and resilience to survive. Let us toast, to her return.”

At that moment, all across the table golden goblets appeared out of thin air. Capri watched as everyone reached for theirs casually, as though everyday objects commonly appeared out of nowhere, and lift the goblets in toast.

Capri reached for her own, glancing inside briefly to see deep red wine before lifting the goblet. She returned her eyes to Thea, who smiled warmly at her.

“To Capri.” She bellowed powerfully, and all around the table the group repeated the phrase, resounding like a deep echo. Capri blushed again, unable to look at all of the people who were toasting in her honor. She felt her father pat her gently on the arm in comfort.

Everyone around her began to drink, so she lifted the goblet to her lips and sampled the wine. It was smooth and woodsy, with mellow cherry and vanilla undertones. Impressed, she took another sip, wondering if they got to drink wine like this every night.

She set the goblet down on the table, just in time to notice that it had been suddenly populated by gold rimmed plates and more food than she had ever seen in her life. Stunned, she simply stared while everyone around her began reaching for the food and filling their plates.

Sensing her discomfort, Clynn lifted her plate and began placing a few slices of turkey breast and some steamed vegetables on its surface. He added a buttered roll and set it down in front of her.

When he saw the look on her face, he looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, did you not want turkey? You used to love it before…” The sadness in his eyes broke her heart.

“No, I still love turkey. I’m just overwhelmed, that’s all.” She smiled at him, hoping she could mask most of the anxiety. The fact was, she did like turkey, but the thought of eating anything right now was enormously sickening. Despite it, she forked up a bite of turkey and began to eat. It wasn’t until she had a few pieces that she realized just how good it was, so juicy and tender, that within minutes her entire plate was cleared. Clynn looked extremely pleased when he noticed.

“After dinner, everyone will head into the parlor, and I’ll introduce you.” Her father said softly as he leaned in towards her.

“Are they all Dryads?” Capri asked, her eyes briefly glancing around at the group, noting how easily they socialized with one another. They were like a family, she thought curiously. And she was one of them. It was going to take a long time for her to get used to that fact.

“No, they are not all Dryads.” Clynn replied, his eyes kind. “Some of them are Muses, others are Fates and Furies.”

“Um…” Capri’s eyebrows raised in bewilderment. So she had heard Liam right about the Muses…they did exist…

He patted his daughter’s hand gently. “Don’t worry; they don’t all expect you to remember their names and titles right off. Just get through tonight, and we’ll take it one day at a time. You have a lot of training to catch up on.”

“Right…” The idea of taking everything one day at a time made her feel slightly better, despite the fact that even more questions were racing through her mind now. Muses? Fates? Furies? Sure, she had heard of them from her basic research of Greek mythology. But she had never believed in them. Though, knowing now that Mother Earth and Father Sky existed, she supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised about the others. Might as well believe it all now, Capri, she thought as she took another swig of wine. It couldn’t get much crazier than this.

Oh, how wrong she was.

♦ ♦ ♦

By the time everyone finished eating both dinner and dessert (a lavish array of fancy candies, cakes, and pies the likes of which she had never before seen), Capri was starting to feel the anxiety skitter up her spine once again. She had been relaxing, enjoying herself really, while she had sat and listened to the conversations around her. She’d been brave enough to actually look around at all of the faces, and as she did so, she silently made observations.

There were several young people, most of them within a few years of herself. Among them was a girl with wine-red hair that fell in curly waves cut inches above her shoulders. She had tawny brown eyes that looked almost like liquid amber, and a husky laugh that carried throughout the room. Capri could tell without meeting her that this girl was the most extroverted of the group, and easily the most vibrant.

Another girl sat serenely across from Capri, a classic beauty with dark coco hair that fell straight down her back and wise sage green eyes. She had an air of intelligence about her, and of quiet superiority.

There were two young men sitting at the table also, and they both looked to be about Liam’s age, one older and one younger. They both sat quietly, neither one engaging in much conversation. One of them, the younger of the two, had wavy black hair and dark, melancholy eyes. The other one seemed harder, stricter maybe, almost like a soldier who’s about to head into battle. He sat rigid in his chair and ate politely, but she watched with intrigue as his eyes continually scanned the table, watching everyone and everything. He had dark blonde hair that was cut relatively short, and sharp blue eyes. Capri’s first thought as she watched him was that he was a cop. She brushed the thought away, however, because as far as she knew, there were no cops on Euphora.