Breath of Air (2 page)

Perhaps it was chance, or fate, she would never really find out which, that at that very moment brought her someone who did actually know why she had this strange gift. And as he walked along the cement pathway a couple of yards away from her, his eyes watching the little black bird do tricks no bird should know how to do, two likely explanations passed through his mind.

Either this girl was the first person in the history of mankind to teach a bird to do back flips, or she was the Air Dryad.

He figured it was worth five minutes of his time to find out.

“Hey there.” He called out, waving a hand at her in greeting. He watched the girl jolt at the sound of his voice, and then freeze with her hauntingly lovely gray eyes wide on his. Jumpy little thing, he thought as his eyes followed the bird as it flew up into the tree.

“Hello.” She managed, feeling her face redden in embarrassment. For the first time in her life, she had been caught red-handed. And to think, she had actually been wishing for this to happen just seconds ago.

“I’m sorry to bother you. I was just curious how you trained the bird to do tricks.”

Capri studied the man for a moment, arguing inwardly with herself over whether or not she should run or stay and try and make conversation. He looked harmless, she thought warily. Only a year or two older than herself. Actually, she thought he looked kind of like a prince.

He had full black hair that curled around a handsome face with a softly clefted chin. His eyes were a startling shade of blue, almost too bright to be natural, flanked by generous lashes and dark brows that arched beautifully. With looks like that, he should be wearing a suit of armor and riding around on a white horse, she thought wistfully. Not wearing simple gray slacks and a plain black coat.

“Um…what bird?” Was all she could think to say in response. She saw the humor in his eyes, and felt like digging a hole and crawling into the ground to die of embarrassment. Of course he had seen the stupid bird; it was pointless to feign ignorance at this point. “I wasn’t doing anything; it was doing that stuff on its own. Weird, huh?”

“Definitely.” The man replied, his face kind. “I’m Liam.” He stretched out his hand to her, and she took it in her own where she sat.

“Capri.”

His face split into a radiant smile as he shook her hand. “Of course you are.”

“Excuse me?” She stammered, fear beating its way into her heart when she realized he wasn’t going to let go of her hand.

“Please, stand up. Let me look at you.” Liam pulled her to her feet without waiting for her consent, and proceeded to stare at her face, her hair, her body. She felt ridiculously exposed.

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what you’re planning to do to me, but if I scream that cop over there is going to come running over, and you’ll go to jail. So back off. Please.” She added with embarrassment when he simply continued to look at her.

“I apologize, perhaps I should explain myself.” He laughed, running a hand casually through his hair and grinning sheepishly at her. “It’s just that I can’t believe you’re here, after all this time.”

“You’re surprised that I’m in the park?”

“No, I’m surprised that you’re alive!”

“I’m going to scream now.” Capri bolted to the right to escape him, her mouth opening to scream, when he grabbed her arm and held her back.

“Please, don’t go! I’m sorry I’ve frightened you.” He had surprising strength as he held her in place in front of him, and she would have fought tooth and nail to run away if it hadn’t been for the unshakable kindness in his eyes. She felt compelled to trust him, despite what her survival instinct was telling her. Something about him was…familiar, but she couldn’t place what it was.

“Let me start over. My name is Liam, and I come from a place called Euphora. I am a Water Dryad.”

“A what?” Her eyes darted towards the cop, and she was relieved to see him still standing there. Just in case this lunatic was dangerous, she had protection.

“Water Dryad.” He repeated, smiling at her again. “And you are an Air Dryad.”

“Excuse me?”

“You have the power to control birds, do you not?”

“Yeah, but-“

“And let me guess, you can also move the wind, cause it to shift directions?”

“I did it once, but-“

“Then you are an Air Dryad.”

She didn’t know what to say. It was a better explanation then she had ever come up with for her gift, but it also sounded ridiculously crazy.

“Look, I’m sorry, but that’s just not possible. I mean, I’m just an orphan library page with less than thirty bucks to my name, not some Dryad thing.”

“Orphaned…” He murmured, sadness clouding his handsome features. “I’m sorry. It must have been hard on you.”

“As if such a thing could be easy?” She wondered, more to herself than to him.

“You don’t belong here, Capri. You belong on Euphora, with your family.”

“My family?” Her brows furrowed in confusion. “But I don’t have a family.”

“Yes, you do.” Liam let go of her arms then, confident that she wasn’t going to run away. “We thought we had lost you fifteen years ago, that you had been killed.”

“Killed?”

“Yes, you disappeared the night Euphora was raided by demons. We thought one of them had taken you and killed you.”

“Demons?” Wow, how much more ludicrous was this going to get? Capri pinched her right arm, positive now that she must be dreaming. She must have fallen asleep while reading, and now she was imagining this ridiculously handsome stranger stating that he knew her family.

“It’s not a dream.” His voice was soft, comforting. Despite it, Capri felt completely mystified.

“There’s no way this is real.” She managed, clutching her arms around her body defensively. How did he know she had been at the orphanage for fifteen years? Had she mentioned it? “Please, just leave me alone.”

“Capri.” Liam led her back to her blanket and helped her sit down before sitting beside her. “This is going to be a lot to take in, but you must trust me. I can take you home.”

“Home?”

“Euphora. That is your home.”

“I don’t know…” She felt tears welling up in her eyes again, and tried to will them away. She wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that she had a home, had a family. Had something.

“Would it help if I showed you what I can do? Would that make it more real for you?” He asked gently, motioning with his arms to the pond.

Capri nodded, despite her better judgment. Then she watched in amazement as he pointed at the water, and it rose in a funnel out of the pond. The water spun and whirled seemingly on its own, sparkling in the last dying golden rays of the sun, and she turned to watch his deep blue eyes concentrating on the movement. He’s controlling the water, she thought with wonder. Just like I can control air.

“But…how?” She whispered, watching as the funnel spun itself back into the pond. Within seconds the water was still again.

“It’s kind of complicated…it might be too much for you to understand right now.” He paused, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry; I just don’t think that I’m the best one to explain it all to you. You’d be better off talking to Thea.”

“Thea?”

“Mother Earth.”

Capri snorted. “You’re telling me that Mother Earth exists?”

“Of course she does.” He patted her on the shoulder gently. “Come with me, and I promise you that everything will make sense soon.”

“But…where is this Euphora place?”

“Again, it’s a bit complicated to explain…”

“So how do you get there?”

He grinned. “By tree, of course.”

It took her several moments to realize that he wasn’t joking.

“Tree?”

“Yes, follow me.” He stood up gracefully and reached out for her hand. She took it hesitantly, still not sure she was making the right decision in trusting him.

He folded up her blanket and tucked it inside her duffle, then swung the bag effortlessly over his shoulder. Taking her hand in his, he led her towards a different section of the park.

“What was wrong with the tree we were standing under?”

“Too many people around. Can’t have someone see.”

“Right…well, I hope you’re not some sadistic serial killer and I’ve just fallen for the most ridiculous line in the book.”

He laughed and smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’m a horrible liar. You’d be able to tell.”

“So, if you’re from this Euphora place, what are you doing in Richmond?” Capri asked as she walked beside him.

“You know, it’s actually a funny story. I’ve been particularly moody these past few weeks, and so I consulted the Muses. They told me I’d find peace of mind if I came here. Guess what they really meant was that I’d find you.”

“Oh.” She didn’t really know what else to say to him. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea that Muses lead him to find her. She must not have heard him right…

They stopped in front of a large pine tree in a denser area of the park. Capri could see a couple of people jogging off in the distance, but otherwise they were completely alone.

“Place your hand on the tree.” Liam instructed, doing the same with his own hand. He watched patiently while she cautiously lifted her hand and laid it against the rough bark. Her eyes flashed to his, watching him with uncertainty. She was still braced to run, just in case.

He simply smiled and turned back to the tree. He was so close to it that his forehead was nearly touching the bark, and his eyes were closed. When he began to speak, the words had an almost musical and otherworldly quality to them.

“Mother, I seek to return to you. Grant me entrance, and I will always be true.”

Capri was so focused on his face that she almost didn’t notice the bark beneath their hands begin to glow with vivid gold light.

“Oh, my God.” She whispered. She would have yanked her hand away, but it appeared to be stuck to the tree by an invisible force. She sent a panicked look at Liam, who just grinned and winked at her.

Suddenly, the gold light flashed, and the park around them dimmed, shadowed by a thick fog. Capri glanced around wildly, trying to make out something, anything in the mist. For a moment, all she could see was the tree in front of her, glowing gold, and Liam beside her.

Then, as if it had never existed, the fog faded away. There was still a tree in front of them, no longer glowing. Only, it wasn’t the same tree, and they weren’t in the park anymore. They probably weren’t even in Virginia anymore. Instead, they were in a glorious meadow, filled with wildflowers and misty sunlight, and flanked on three sides by enormous trees. Ahead of them rose a wall made entirely of pewter colored stone. A wrought iron gate with intricately woven patterns was settled amidst all the rock.

Beyond the wrought iron Capri could see a castle. Not just any castle, she thought with an astonished laugh as she pulled her now free hand away from the bark of the tree. The castle. The one she’d convinced herself she had imagined all this time.

“Almost there.” Liam said quietly beside her. He steered her gently over towards the gate, and placed his hand upon the wrought iron. It melted away at his touch as though it hadn’t even been there.

“What’s the point in the gate if it just disappears?”

“It knows my touch, and yours too, actually, and will allow only those who call Euphora home to enter.”

“Oh, well that makes sense.” Capri said dryly. She blushed when he looked at her and laughed.

He led her inside what appeared to be a massive courtyard, overflowing with trees and plants and flowers. She saw birds fluttering in and out of the dappled light of the trees, and she swore she even saw a rabbit dart beneath a bush to her left.

The castle rose like a god, massive and beautiful, at the far end of the courtyard, a cobblestone path leading the way to its doors. It certainly looked like something out of a fairytale, she thought wildly, with its glittering windows and roaming ivy. Towers grew like limbs out of the magnificent base, rising high up into the sky. A pale blue sky that was dotted with puffy white clouds, and graced by a soft and misty sun, as if it were morning. Was it morning here? She wondered, confused as she continued to look at the sky. Where in the world had he taken her?

“I need to let Thea know that you are here.” Liam said suddenly as he stopped walking, his hands held out in front of his face, palms cupped. What looked like a shimmering silver bubble began to form in his hands, and Capri watched with astonishment as he began to speak quietly to the bubble. It seemed to grow in size as his lips moved, until it was roughly the size of a softball. He held it out in front of him, then blew it towards the castle. It flew with surprising speed, disappearing into one of the many windows.

“What did you just do?” She asked despite herself.

“It’s much quicker for me to get a message to her that way then for us to go searching the whole castle for her.”

“Oh.” Capri bit her lip, feeling extremely out of place in this fantasy world.

They stood there for a few moments, and then suddenly a man and woman appeared out of the castle doors.

As they approached, Capri felt completely awestruck. They were both so beautiful, and so undeniably different.

The woman was tall and generously built, with wildly dark curly hair that nearly reached her waist. Her skin was olive toned, and her face that of a gypsy. Her eyes were a deep, dark brown like rich soil, and were by far the most intense eyes Capri had ever seen. She seemed to radiate power with every movement, her body draped in a flowing off the shoulder white gown.

The man, by contrast to this dark gypsy woman, was light and pale, oozing elegance and class in crisp white linen slacks and matching long sleeved shirt. He was tall as well, only inches above the woman, and his corn silk hair fell generously to the middle of his back. His eyes were pale gray, like the fog that settles over a lake at sunrise. When he smiled, she could see that his intensity, while cooler and smoother than that of the earthy woman, was just as potent.

Liam bowed his head at the couple. “Thea, Sebastian.”

“Glad to see you home safely, Liam.” The woman said tenderly. Her voice was sultry and thick, with a touch of rasp that only served to enhance her power. When she turned to look at Capri, her eyes were stern. “You tell me that this is Capri?”