23 Harpies
"The harpies aren't hard to find, but finding one who will help might be more difficult," Uzo said quietly, his mood pensive since the argument and near incident with the demon.
"I had a thought on that," Etani said gently, only able to help with the basic tasks as Daemon adamantly refused to release the magic that bound her wrists.
"Oh, here we go..." Daemon said sourly and she glared at him.
"We capture one and threaten her, magic or death,"
Glancing around at the men, she found mostly thoughtful looks, Uzo didn't seem to be listening.
"That would actually be the best idea. The harpies aren't exactly the nicest creatures in the world, threats might be the only thing that will work," the Fae said finally.
"Do you think they would take surrender over death?" Kai asked, his efforts to help clear up limited to what he could do around her without moving further than a few steps from her side.
"From what I remember, they will take just about anything over death, pride be damned," Jaia said, throwing a glance in her direction but she was ignoring his attempts to start a conversation.
"Well, the only other question is, how do you catch a harpy?" Daemon asked.
"How did you do it last time?" Kai asked.
"Pretty much just threw Rosa at him. She was a sweet girl and Digne took a keen interest," Daemon said.
"How do you remember their names?" Etani asked, fascinated.
"I remember them all. When you have to live with them for a thousand or more years, you remember their names easily.
"So how do we catch one?" Kai asked.
"Well, there is an easy attempt we can try. We only need to find a Harpy, not a male. So we throw a pretty boy at it and wait," Daemon said and then studied the faces of the men around him.
The moment was rather awkward, but she was finding it rather amusing. She was thinking Kai for his sweetness but the name chosen had her stomach clenching in an emotion she didn't fully understand.
"Jaia, you're going to be our test subject. If that doesn't work, we'll send out Kai," Daemon announced.
Uzo had been watching her and she did her best to cover the flash of... what was that emotion? She wanted to dig her nails into him and scream at anyone who dared try and come near him, especially if that someone was another female.
Blinking at the sudden surge of emotion, she glanced at Uzo and immediately wiped her face clear, but he was watching her with a sly smile on his face.
"Why not Uzo?" Versalis asked.
"They can sense the Fae, but I don't think the vampires have enough magic to sense," Daemon said.
"So where is our best bet?" she asked, putting down the map.
"We aren't going to be able to get there on foot," Daemon said and all eyes turned to him.
"Why not?" Etani asked immediately, dreading another sea voyage.
"It would take months. We'll have to go my way."
Fear ripped through her and he had been watching her to see her reaction. That feeling of being ripped apart, every cell screaming in agonised protest.
"No, Uzo can take us," she said, her voice wavering slightly.
"No darling, I don't know where to go and it could take months to get the right location," Uzo had come to her side, taking her hands and smiling into her pale face. "You're not what you were, it should be okay."
She didn't believe him, but what other choice did they have? They out voted her and she sat sourly, dreading the coming trip. Her dread was unwarranted and much to her surprise, the rip in reality that they passed through felt like nothing at all. Stepping out into a world she had never seen before, it was humid and warm, with a sky so perfectly blue she was certain she had never seen the likes before. The sound of crashing waves came from behind her and she spun, eyes wide as the colour and size of the ocean.
Ignoring the men who called out to her, she ran for the water and shed her shoes as she went. The water was deliciously warm on her feet and she gasped, staring down at the warm, perfectly clear liquid.
The others had come down to join her and she turned, grinning widely.
"Like the ocean, do you?" Daemon asked sourly.
"I've only seen it once, go look for the harpies with Jaia, I won't be long."
Dismissing them, she returned her attention to the ocean and crouched down to dig her pale fingers into the sand.
Scooping it up, she watched the wet clumps splash back down and she ran her fingers through the water to clear them. Turning, she searched for a shell and went for it, scooping it up and examining the pretty pink and purple fan shape of it.
Turning, she found them all watching her and she grinned. Uzo saw it coming first and jumped away, just being missed by the spray of water she kicked at them, and then she ran as a soaked Kai glared and bolted after her.
He caught her easily and she shrieked as they both went down into the water, his arms tight around her waist. Meeting his eyes, she smiled at him and kissed his cheek before shoving him away and kicking off the soft bottom to the surface.
He popped up beside her and they waded back to the shore, dripping but happy and she was still clutched her shell.
Giving them all time to get used to their new surroundings, they devised a plan that would involve Versalis and Jaia going into the surrounding mountains and hills, then Jaia would go on alone. He had been given two days to find himself a Harpy and then ask her to come with him.
If successful, they would ambush her and threaten her with her life. Etani would then get the magic and she would be released without harm.
Versalis seemed doubtful that it would go that well, but that was their best bet for the time being. Etani was having her doubts, but she kept them to herself and instead focused on rinsing out hers and Kai's clothes in a clean stream before setting them out to dry under the hot sun.
She had been given the generous liberty of having her hands parted, but at most she could move them six inches from each other. It was enough to work, but would limit her escaping in that terrain.
When darkness fell, the two vampires set off, Versalis after giving her a tight hug and kiss on the cheek, Jaia only getting a glare and he slunk off into the night.
Turning back, she saw Kai's expression and decided to go check on their clothes, a gentle crunching behind her leading her to think the vampire had followed to scold her.
Pulling the dried clothes from the rock and feeling them for dampness, she felt his presence before he started speaking.
"You're in love with him," Uzo said gently and she turned just enough to see him over her shoulder.
"What makes you think that?" she asked defensively, handing him Kai's clothes and flicking out her own to get any residual sand and stiffness out of them.
"You were jealous when it was recommended that Jaia go out to seduce the harpies."
"You're mistaken. I don't love anyone," she snapped, pulling on her pants and tying them into place.
"There's nothing wrong with being in love Etani," he said gently and moved forward to catch her hands, holding her still to look up at him.
"Monsters don't love Uzo, and love gets you killed. It will always get you killed. I died for my sisters, my sisters died for me, my father died for us both and my mother died for us all. Being in love is a dangerous curse granted only to those who are stupid enough to fall for it," his brows had risen and he frowned at her anger but she wasn't done. "Don't try and say he loves me either, because he doesn't. It's all a lie the stories tell you so you remain content in your life. Love is for the humans and their fleeting existence. It is not for the immortals."