EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 38: Homecoming
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'Another of Zeus's sons created the first human woman, Pandora, and she was very beautiful. Each of the gods presented her with a gift. Zeus's was curiosity and a box he commanded her never to open. He then showcased her to Epimetheus as a wife.
Even amid her happy marriage to Epimetheus and despite Zeus ordering her not to, Pandora longed to open the box. She was convinced that like all the rest, this gift would also be wonderful, so one day when Epimetheus was gone, she opened the box.
When she opened the box, out flew pain, sickness, envy, and greed. They shot out of their holding and plagued the world with misery. Pandora's screams sent Epimetheus running to her, and he quickly closed the lid of the box, but the horrors inside had already escaped.'
Greek Creation Myth pt. IIII
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The Western Stronghold was not visible to all eyes.
It was glamoured to look like a piece of empty coastland to onlookers, but if you looked closely, there was a glimmer to the air – barely visible – but undoubtedly there. Swirls of faint colour and shine. Like the surface of a giant bubble.
Ah-Un sprinted through the air after its master, and Octavia watched the glimmer shift into green and golden rooftops. She'd never gotten a bird's-eye view of it before, and it was equally as impressive as it had been from the ground.
The castle was made up of a series of smaller buildings with triangle roofs and a large multi-storey tower at the heart of them. Around it was a moat of seawater and a wall as tall as the demon maple trees that grew inside the perimeter. The watchtowers were manned with guards and each one donned a large war drum and a fire pit that was lit at night. There was a red curved bridge leading over the moat to the main gates, but that wasn't where they were landing.
The smoky smell of youki caused the hairs on Octavia's arms to stand up, and she squeezed Ah-Un's mane as they began their descent. They landed in the gardens closest to her chambers. The crimson leaves of the maple trees shone in the harsh sunlight like budding rubies, and Octavia flicked one of them with her thumb and forefinger, causing it to shake.
"Kannika will kill you if she sees you abusing one of her favourite trees," Sesshoumaru said, already making his way towards the sliding doors leading into the castle.
Octavia rolled her eyes and gave Ah-Un a well-earned petting.
"I'd like to see her try."
When he failed to respond with some sarcastic remark, she realised he had gone. She tried not to feel annoyed by the instant dismissal, but it showed on her face. Would things change between the two of them now that they were back from their secret quest? Would he treat her differently now?
She frowned at the thought and left Ah-Un to curl up into a ball in the shade of the maple trees as she went in search of Rin.
Instead, she found Kanetsugu.
"Shit," she grumbled underneath her breath.
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"Sesshoumaru-sama! You're back!"
Rin practically launched herself at him the second she saw him coming and clamped her arms around his stomach. Luckily, he had removed his armour before coming to see her, though he doubted she would have restrained herself either way.
With her height increasing nearly every month, she had butted heads with his breastplate on more than one occasion now.
"I missed you so much," she said, the words muffled against his clothes. "Where did you go? And why didn't you take Jaken-sama and I with you this time?"
"This was not a trip you could travel."
She pulled away and pouted up at him, the little ponytail in the side of her hair messy and dishevelled. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I was really worried after what happened in the gardens, but whenever I asked Cyril-kun where you and Octavia-san were, he got all flustered and refused to tell me anything."
"You need not have worried. All is well."
"Then why are you hiding something from me?"
He knew he had taught her to be far too perceptive.
Studying her carefully, he smirked. Even though she was growing into a young woman right before his eyes and insisted that she was mature and elegant now, pieces of the little girl he had met in the forest always came bleeding through. Despite himself, he was thinking of Octavia's words in the boat, and even as Rin continued tapping her foot, Sesshoumaru was not to dismiss her as he usually would.
"I required your presence here, Rin."
"But I could have helped."
"Has your faith in me weakened during these past few years?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with my faith in you, Sesshoumaru-sama. I thought you were in danger."
"I have been in danger before."
Her pout increased in intensity and she mumbled, "I know, but—"
"But nothing. Everything is fine."
"Is Octavia-san with you? Is she okay?"
"Unfortunately. I presume she will be looking for you."
Rin's pout turned into a mocking smile. "If you don't like her why did you take her with you?"
"It was unavoidable."
"Oh, well, that makes sense."
He didn't like the look on her face when she said that.
He didn't like it one bit.
Too perceptive indeed.
"I trust you have been behaving during my absence," he said, his tone turning serious.
"You still treat me like a baby, Sesshoumaru-sama. Yes, I behaved. I finished all of my reading and listened to everything Kannika-san's handmaids said, which you should be impressed by because they talk a lot."
"Rin."
"Sorry. They do, though. They gossip so much! I'll make a brilliant lady someday with all the practice I've been getting being forced to listen to all that rubbish. Soon, you won't be able to tell me apart from all the noble-borns!"
"Perhaps Jaken was right and you do need a stricter education."
"No! I do take things seriously. Everyone else just takes things too seriously. If they relaxed a bit and stopped being so dramatic, it wouldn't be so fun making a mess occasionally."
He resisted the urge to shake his head.
Rin hadn't been here long, but already she had been labelled unteachable by every private tutor he had hired for her. They always ended up getting more than they had bargained for with her. She was hardly a rowdy or disobedient child, but there was a wild streak to her that she couldn't seem to shake, and every so often, the mutinous village girl inside her came out and drove her superiors mad. Jaken had been tasked with trying to tame her wild side for years. Unsuccessfully, mind you.
Honestly, he didn't mind watching people lose their heads over her.
In fact, he found it rather amusing.
She wants to stay with you forever. So, promise me. Promise me you won't let anything happen to her. Ever. She's your responsibility. You have to keep her safe, no matter what. And never, ever, abandon her. Don't leave her and never come back.
He reached out and smoothed the knots in her ponytail.
"Go and find Octavia," he said, "I have things I must attend to."
She nodded quickly and then darted down the hallway and around the corner. At first, he thought that was the end of it, and turned to make his way in the other direction, when she leaned around the corner and flashed a toothy grin.
"You said her name!" she yelled, then disappeared for real.
He couldn't bring himself to frown at that. Rin was fond of the girl, that he knew, but it didn't bother him as much as it had initially. He wondered if that should concern him, given the allure of her magic, but . . . No, it couldn't affect him.
He was far too powerful to be seduced by a silly piece of spellcraft.
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Octavia fought to keep her feet firmly rooted to the ground where she stood, even with Kanetsugu looming over her like a mountain. An angry mountain, that's for sure, she thought despite the tautness of the encounter.
He was scarier than she remembered.
His dark eyes narrowed as he stared at her, and the rich indigo of his hair reminded her of a starless night-time sky. No one would see her in trouble and come to her aid in such darkness.
The runes on his skin reminded her of Mamoru's shadows, and she bit her tongue to hold in any stupid words that might try slip out. She didn't need Sesshoumaru to tell her not to speak of the things they'd encountered on their trip.
"My," he said, a wicked smile creeping onto his face, "If it isn't Sesshoumaru-sama's plaything. It's been a while, has it not?"
"Hello, Kanetsugu," she said, "Again, still not a concubine."
He assessed her, taking in her appearance and causing her to squirm with displeasure.
"Your earlobe is disfigured."
She reached to cover the long tear where her earring had been ripped out by the oni. "The price of being clumsy. I'm okay, though, in case you cared."
"Hmm," he hummed, obviously not convinced by the lie.
His wings shifted behind him. Pitch black and roped with muscle. She wondered how easily just one of those could kill her, how effortless it would be for him to sweep them down her spine and snap her body in two.
Positive thoughts, Octavia. You could probably turn those wings to ash the second he even dared to try.
"Where have you been, little mouse?" he asked, "Do tell. I haven't seen you or my lord since the troublesome occurrence in the gardens. Rumours have been running rampant."
"We were following up on a lead."
"What kind of lead?"
He knew she was lying, but he couldn't prove it.
As long as she didn't say anything incriminating, she would be on her merry way with her head still pleasantly attached to her shoulders. Sesshoumaru had forbidden any harm to come to her, but she was sure that rule could be swayed if it was staged as an accident.
Angling her head upwards so she was looking him directly in the eye, she smiled and said, "Sorry, I can't tell you. That information is classified. The Lord's orders."
When she moved to walk past him, he grabbed her wrist rather forcefully and held her in place. His eyes were like dark jewels and burned into her, causing her to freeze up.
"I can sense your deceit," he hissed, "Hell, even a newborn could. I demand the truth, and I demand to have it now."
For a moment, she was sure her composure would slip and she would run her mouth. The Octavia that first came into this world would have. But that wasn't her anymore. She didn't squawk like an untrained parakeet, and she didn't cower or cry either. She could split mountains in half and set forests alight if she wanted to. She could make volcanoes erupt.
What sway did small men like Kanetsugu hold over her now?
She grasped the hand that was gripping her wrist and looked at him with a face full of fire. Shock appeared in his features as she sent a fraction of magic into the palm of the hand she was touching him with. Not enough to leave a mark as she had on Sesshoumaru, but enough to know that she wasn't a pushover.
He flinched at the sting of her flesh on his and she leaned in closer. "If you have a problem, I suggest that you take it up with Sesshoumaru. Though I doubt he'll tell you anything different to what I've already said."
He was startled, she could tell, and it only fuelled her adrenaline more.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" he snarled.
"Yes. But I wouldn't have cared anyway."
She wouldn't be treated as less than she was.
She tore her wrist out of his hand and stormed past him down the corridor, leaving him there to take in what had happened.
The sun was bright and shone in through the paper screens. She walked through the castle and didn't suppress the roguish smile which painted her lips. Continuing her search for Rin, she trekked through a series of empty rooms, opened many sliding doors, and crossed a total of four different courtyards. She passed many variations of youkai as she did, from hawks to baboons, and none the same class or station. She thought she recognised some of the servants hauling bundles of laundry down the hallways, but they paid her little to no attention save for a few wary glances. She contemplated if what they thought of her was the same as Kanetsugu. She had no official title in the castle except for trainee mage. If she could prove to them that she was worthy of standing beside creatures like Sesshoumaru and Koga, they would not look at her so.
"Greetings, Lady," came a voice from seemingly nowhere, "It is a pleasure to see you looking so well."
She scanned the corridor for the owner of the voice but found no one. A chuckle sounded at her confusion, just as something sharp pricked the side of her neck.
She slapped the spot quickly and saw the squished shape of a flea on the centre of her palm.
"Ouch," Myoga moaned, and she blinked in surprise.
"Oh!" she gasped, "Sorry, Myoga. I didn't know it was you."
"That's okay. It's been a while since our last encounter. I take it your quest was a success?"
Her eyes flashed purple momentarily and he applauded.
"Excellent! Simply excellent! I knew that the island was the genuine attraction."
"How did you know about it, by the way? I never asked."
"I have lived for centuries, Octavia-san. The depths of my knowledge extend far beyond shallow waters. I was an advisor to Sesshoumaru's father before him, don't you forget."
"Then," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper, "Have you ever heard of something called the Iwa Faction?"
He crossed his legs and rubbed his chin. "Hmm. I have not. Although something rings familiar about the name . . . Why do you ask?"
"Sesshoumaru will fill you in later. It wasn't exactly a stress-free journey."
"I see. How troublesome. I take it you're both all right?"
"We're as well as we can be, but we have to find out more about them. Do you think you could look into it? In secret?"
"Of course. You have my word."
"Thank you, Myoga. It means a lot to have you on our side."
His cheeks turned rosy and he twirled a whisker around his fingers. "Oh, you flatter me, Lady."
She smiled shyly. "Why do you call me that? I'm not a noblewoman."
"No, but you are powerful. And power demands respect, regardless of its origin."
She nodded contemplatively. She supposed respect could translate to both love and fear. Power didn't always inspire devotion, but it generally encouraged obedience. Awful people could be great rulers. Not because they had the head and heart required for leading their people, but because they were strong enough to take what they wanted and expand their empires.
What did that make Sesshoumaru?
"I've been looking for Rin," she told Myoga, "Have you seen her?"
He tapped his chin again. "The last time I saw her, she was in her room."
"I checked there first. She wasn't in."
"Then I am afraid I do not know. Although she could be with Kannika or Cyril. Try the east wing of the castle. She likes the hedge maze out in the gardens that way."
"Great. A literal maze. Thanks, anyway."
"Think nothing of it. Until next time!"
He leapt out of her hands and disappeared through an open doorway. He ought to be more careful if he wanted to reduce his chances of being crushed.
Only so much knowledge could save you from a giant's boot.
Taking his advice, she entered the gardens east of the castle and walked across the small bridge leading over a stream. Fish swam with the current, their rainbow scales shining when they caught the sun. The trees were full of pink and orange plums.
She was about to reach out and pick one when a droplet of something warm dripped down from up in the trees and rolled down her forehead. Gathering some of it onto her thumb, she brought it down to examine and frowned at the dark red colouring of it. She thought it might be juice from the fruit, but when she lifted it to her nostrils and smelled it, the scent was more like iron. When more drops fell and painted her sleeves red, she slowly tilted her head up and stared into the branches.
When she saw what was hanging in the web of wooden arms, all mangled and bloody, she screamed.
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