Breath of Air (23 page)

“I swear the voice sounded exactly like the man from my dream, the man who by all accounts was Brock.” Capri chewed her bottom lip in thought. “But I’m probably wrong, as there is no way he could have gotten onto Euphora undetected, especially during the day. Maybe it was one of the Enforcers? Though I don’t know what they would have against me.”

Rian shook his head. “They could have just been hired by Rohan to do the dirty work, though I doubt it. They rarely come to Euphora, and if one was here someone would have said something to us. And Rohan has little to no weight when it comes to the Enforcers. They strictly work for Thea and the Furies.”

“Right…” Puzzled, Capri continued running names through her head. “We can exclude my father, and Lucian, too, as he has no reason to do any of this, and Tobias and Alastor are too young, so really that just leaves…” She paused, her eyes widening as she met his. “Rian, I don’t mean to insult you, but do you think it might have been Balgaire?”

“I’ve thought about it.” He admitted, watching her, his face unreadable. “I just can’t see him doing it. He was like a brother to my father, and he’s like a second father to me. I don’t know what his motivation would be for hurting us this way, much less you and your father.”

“Okay…” Though she chewed on the idea a little bit more, unsure whether he was right or not.

A noise from behind them had her turning around curiously. Rian was already on his feet, his hand on the pistol at his hip, his eyes scanning the dark trees, looking for the source of the sound.

“Who’s there?” He asked, his voice stern and a bit intimidating. She realized then just how much he looked like his father when he was in protective mode, and the fact that she felt no fear when she was with him had her heart skipping a beat. There was nothing to worry about when he was around. A giant man eating bear could come charging out of the forest at that very moment and she would feel absolutely no fear.

“Hello, Rian, Capri.” The youngest Fate, Alastor, appeared from within the forest, his hands held up, spread in an expression of peace. “I’m sorry to bother you both.”

Capri saw Rian’s eyes narrow in suspicion, his hand not leaving his pistol. “It’s late. You should be in bed, Alastor.”

“I know, but I saw you both walk out here, and I wanted to talk to you about your father.” Alastor moved closer, his hands still raised, his gypsy eyes on Rian.

Capri rose to stand beside Rian, watching Alastor curiously. The boy was barely fourteen years old, and small for his age at that. He had luscious black hair that curled around his thin face, and dark eyes surrounded by heavy lashes set against dusky olive toned skin. He really was the image of a gypsy, suited to the exotic faraway lands in the East.

“What about my father?” Rian asked.

“Look, you may not believe me when I tell you this, but Roarke was like a father to me.” Alastor began. His voice was quiet and shy, still in the awkward stages of adolescence, but there was a certain other worldly intelligence in his eyes that Capri would have called an ‘old soul.’

“My own father was a human, and my mother has never contacted him about me. In short, he doesn’t know I exist.” Alastor shrugged, as though pretending it didn’t bother him. “I’m not the first member of Euphora to go through that, so I know I shouldn’t feel too sorry for myself. But Roarke was always willing to listen to me when I had a problem, and I suppose he filled that void in me. I don’t believe he confessed of his own free will. In fact, I know he didn’t.”

“I know he didn’t either, but that doesn’t solve the issue of what happened.” Rian countered coldly. Capri glanced at him, unsure why he was still being so hostile. She thought that if anything Alastor was being complimentary to their cause, and offering his support.

“No, you don’t understand. I know he didn’t do those things.” Alastor repeated, eyeing Rian intently. When Rian didn’t seem to understand, Alastor elaborated. “Male Fates have powers that the female Fates do not, an anomaly that we’ve yet to discover the reason for. However, what it means is that I can see things and sense things that the others cannot.”

“Go on.” Rian still sounded suspicious, but his curiosity was peaked enough for him to want to hear more.

Capri was nearly bouncing with excitement. Her father had told her about how Alastor was supposed to develop some kind of strange powers, though she had never found out what it would be. Now, it seemed, she was finally going to get the answer.

“Since it is my duty to spin the thread of life, I, in a sense, touch every soul that enters this world. Because of this, I am connected, in a way, to every soul on this planet because they have passed through the spindle that I am bonded to by blood. Because of this, when I touch a person, I can see whether their soul is pure, or if it has been touched by another, usually evil, being.”

“In layman’s terms, please.” Rian asked impatiently.

“By touching someone, I can tell whether they have been possessed or not. I can also tell if two or more people have been possessed by the same demon, because of the signature that is left behind on the soul.”

For a moment the three of them were silent. Capri could hear the sounds of night creatures in the forest, could hear her own heart beat. She could also, quite definitely, feel the chill that ran across her spine as understanding reached her.

“Roarke was possessed by a demon.” She mumbled, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Alastor shifted and met her gaze as he nodded.

“And I believe the demon left his body the moment before he was shot, thereby only killing Roarke and not himself.” Alastor added, anger and sorrow flashing in his sober eyes. “I can only hope that Roarke was too disoriented to realize what was happening, and that he didn’t suffer while he lay there dying through the night.”

“And you think that the demon who possessed my father might be the same one who possessed Capri?”

“Actually, I do, which is why I wanted to come and see you.” Alastor replied, his eyes still on Capri. “Will you let me touch you? Just on the arm is fine, but this way I can do what little I can to help you both find those responsible for killing off the only father I ever knew.”

“Of course.” Capri stammered, watching as Alastor walked around the bench towards her. Rian watched him over Capri’s shoulder, a clear warning in his eyes.

“Is this going to hurt her?” Rian asked before Alastor could touch her.

“No, she won’t feel a thing.” Alastor reassured him. He reached out and lightly laid his hand on Capri’s right forearm, and closed his eyes. His hand felt cool against her skin, and she could feel a light tingling sensation as he seemed to penetrate through to her soul.

He took a deep breath, and moments later his eyes flew open. “The signature is the same.” He withdrew his hand, watching them both. “There is something else you should know.”

“What is it?” Capri asked, rubbing her arm where he had touched it.

“The signature that both you and Roarke have on your souls…it’s not only a demon signature.”

“What do you mean?” Rian rested his hand on Capri’s shoulder protectively, drawing himself closer to her.

“Well, and I honestly don’t know how this is possible, but the signature is both demon and Dryad.”

“Excuse me?” Capri’s breath caught in her throat as she tried to process what he had said.

“Demons have been known to have very strange powers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew how to jointly possess someone, but I’ve never heard of it so I can’t be sure. And if that’s not what it is, then maybe we’re dealing with some kind of demon/Dryad hybrid being.”

“That isn’t possible.” Rian countered, bristling behind Capri. “You must be mistaken.”

Alastor shrugged. “Do what you will with the information; I just wanted to tell you both before I go to Thea tomorrow and let her know. In case she orders me to be silent about it, I will have already told you.”

With that, he nodded at the two of them and turned, heading back into the dark forest. When he was gone, Capri turned around to face Rian.

“So your father really is innocent.” Her hands twisted in front of her anxiously, understanding in her eyes as she felt more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. “I have a new theory.”

“Let’s hear it.” Rian’s voice had a slightly dangerous edge to it, and she could tell he was attempting to curb the anger he felt.

“I think that Brock was framed. That would explain why the voice from my dream matches the voice of the man from the library that we are almost positive could not have been Brock. I also think that the person who framed Brock has now done the same thing to your father. Whoever it is, they are behind everything, but they made scapegoats out of both your father and Brock.”

Rian’s eyes sharpened and he gritted his teeth as he turned away from her, pacing again. He was silent for a moment, clearly thinking over her new theory, working out the angles for himself. When he stopped and faced her again, he looked suspicious.

“Even if we assume there is someone on Euphora framing decent men for crimes they didn’t commit, that doesn’t explain why Brock’s mother was in your dream.”

“Unless she wanted revenge for him for staying behind on Euphora while she was banished.” Capri put in.

“It’s possible.” Rian agreed thoughtfully, running a hand through his hair restlessly. “But the Dryad signature on your soul? I just can’t wrap my mind around that, there’s just no way.”

“Alastor said that demons have been known to have strange powers. Maybe the one we’re dealing with has the ability bring someone else with them when they possess someone.”

“That part I could maybe understand, though I still think it’s highly unlikely. I’ve been studying demons my entire life and I have never heard of anything like that.” Rian told her, pacing again. “But the part that I really cannot believe is that there is some half demon, half Dryad running around.”

“Because we are forbidden to have children with demons, right?” Capri asked, remembering what Blythe and Liam had told her.

“Exactly.” Rian stopped and sat down on the bench, gesturing for her to sit beside him. When she did, he turned to her. “Apparently this is a lot bigger than I originally thought.” He admitted, frustration clear on his face. “I will leave telling Thea about this up to Alastor, and hopefully we can be sure it’s not Sebastian who’s behind it all. I want to tell Balgaire, but it could just as easily be him. It could even be Lucian, or Rohan, or any of them. I just don’t know anymore, and the not knowing is starting to really get to me.”

“It’s getting to me too.” Capri agreed, reaching out for his hand. “Maybe we should take some time away from this, clear our heads a bit. And as we do so, we will watch, and observe, and eventually this person is going to slip up somehow, or more information will come out, and then we will know. And once we know, then we can figure out what we’re going to do about it.”

Rian watched her quietly, his blue eyes as serious and steady as always, but she could feel the adrenaline and the emotion he felt pumping through from his hand to hers.

After a moment, he finally spoke, and his voice was much softer, much more level than before.

“I have never needed a friend, Capri.” He told her, watching her in that way he had. “Until now.”

She squeezed his hand, her lips curving slowly. “Do you think if I hadn’t been taken that we would have been friends growing up?”

His lips twitched into a cynical smile. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“I think we would have found a way.” She watched him thoughtfully as she shifted closer, leaning against him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and kept her hand linked with his between them. She felt his head turn and his cheek brush against her hair softly, sending welcome shivers down her spine.

They sat together in silence, hands joined, neither sure exactly where their feelings for each other fit in with the madness that threatened to consume their world.

♦ ♦ ♦

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Thousands of years in existence was bound to give a person insight into the nature of things. For example, it only took one or two bloody and vicious wars to see the fundamental cause and effect, and to see the signs when another one was brewing in the hearts and minds of men. History was always bound to repeat itself, unless it was tactfully and dutifully observed. Even in the case of vast, powerful empires, it was always obvious that they couldn’t possibly stay in control for long. They always crumbled, often costing thousands of lives, because of undeniable greed and an unholy sense of human superiority.

It was because of this uncanny sense of predicting outcomes that Thea mentally patted herself on the back over her latest prediction. From the moment she had seen Capri again, spoken with her, acknowledged her wants and needs, she had recognized another who would ultimately need her just as badly as she would need him.

And so, as she strolled along the cobblestone pathway in the courtyard, morning sunlight highlighting the rich chocolate in her hair, she spotted the two of them, and the sight of it warmed her heart.

She had never considered herself a hopeless romantic. Being an immortal and living for as long as she had thus far had long since dried out her inner sense of romance. But she could appreciate the image of young love as well as the next person. She certainly wasn’t heartless, after all. She loved Sebastian with a deep, powerful devotion that could never be comprehended by anyone other than him, and him alone. Their love went beyond the normal, and he was as much a part of her as her own eyes, ears, and mouth.

But in the case of her youngest Dryad and her most promising Fury, it appeared that she had been spot on in encouraging that they get to know each other. It had all started when she had asked Rian to bring Capri down to dinner the night after she had first relived her dream. She had noticed the hesitation in his eyes, but he had followed her orders obediently regardless, and now look at how happy they both were. She was always right in her predictions. Well, almost always.

They were currently sitting beneath one of the largest and oldest trees in the courtyard, seated on the soft green grass at its base. Rian was leaning against the tree, his legs folded casually, his arms resting on his knees. He looked more relaxed than Thea had ever seen him look before, and it only made her more sure that this was good for him. The boy needed to lighten up, especially now that things were only going to get harder for him. He had always been a serious child, never playing with the other children, keeping to himself, following his father around like a faithful, obedient puppy. Perhaps Roarke had been too hard on his son, encouraging him to work all hours of the day, and rarely giving him a chance to experience the innocence of youth. But no one could question just how much he loved his son, and how much his son loved him. It was sheer and unshakable devotion on both sides, and Thea had to admire the two of them for that.