Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Six

Kagome awoke with a start. Her heart was thudding noisily. For a moment, she thought that Souta had cried out, but even as she leapt from bed to check on him, she was almost certain that it was she herself who had made a sound.

Souta and Shippou were sleeping peacefully, burrowed deep into the thick quilts. After listening to their slow, even breathing for a few moments, she returned to her own bed. She felt strange, still half-caught on the edge of an unremembered dream, or an almost-remembered dream.

Then, knowing that she wouldn't find sleep again quickly, she got out of bed again, drawing the thick quilt around her to ward off the night chill. The little cottage was sturdily built, but the fire had never been her chore, and she hadn't thought to add more logs before she went to bed.

Now she saw that there were no more logs. Bringing in the firewood had been Souta's chore but it seemed that neither of them had yet gotten into the old domestic habits or established new ones.

The wood was in a box just outside the kitchen door. She undid the bolt and pulled open the door, then stopped as a blast of cold air struck her. Clutching the quilt clumsily around her she hurried out to get the wood- then stopped again.

The snow had ended and the cold night air was very clear. High up on its hill, the great keep was looming menace in the darkness. Here and there in the upper reaches of its vastness, lights burned, and she could see small fires along the outer wall, no doubt to warm the sentries.

But it was the dark tower that commanded her attention. She stared at it, paying no head to the cold that was numbing her fingers and face. A sudden wave of longing engulfed her, a feeling so intense that she actually cried out.

Then suddenly, a pale, flickering light came on in the tower, far up near the roof. She remembered seeing narrow slits in the stone walls and guessed that the eerie light must be coming from them. But what could make such a light? It wasn't the golden glow of oil lamps or the ordinary fire, but rather a ghostly white, tinged perhaps with blue.

That inchoate sense of longing grew ever stronger, and before she even knew what she was doing, Kagome had started across the small yard. Only when she reached the outer wall of the tavern property did she stop and come to her senses.

Then she ran back to the cottage, pausing only to grab an armful of wood before hurrying inside. But before she closed the door behind her, she lifted her head to stare up at the tower again. And this time, she saw nothing. The light was gone.

)O(

Inuyasha heard the story the next morning, when the sergeant for the guard came to make his routine report.

"I light in the tower?" he queried between forkfuls of thick ham.

"Yes, m'lord. The men say it was a strange light. Blue-white is how they described it. They dinna know what to do, so they came and woke me, but by the time I got outside, it was gone."

"Hmmpphh!" Inuyasha snorted. "More than likely, they were seeing things through the bottom of a bottle. I know they need something to keep them warm on cold nights, but if there are any more stories like this, they'll have to do without."

"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but these are good men. They mighta had a wee dram or two- but that's all."

Inuyasha stared at him. He wasn't affronted by the sergeant's words; he encouraged his men to speak up- even to him. Furthermore, he knew they were good me; otherwise, they wouldn't be there. He wasn't one to suffer fools and drunkards. The truth was that he was feeling somewhat out of sorts this morning. He had the vaguest sense that his sleep had been disturbed by something- and hearing that a light had been seen in the tower certainly didn't improve his state of mind.

"What about the guards on the city walls? Did they report seeing anything?"

"I don't know yet," the sergeant admitted. "Shall I check on that and let you know?"

Inuyasha nodded and waved him away, then continued to eat his breakfast without his usual pleasure. Damn it all to hell! He didn't want anyone getting interested in that tower. The story had been put out long ago that the tower was in disrepair and was kept under locked for that reason.

The sergeant returned just as he was finishing his second mug of strong tea in an attempt to clear the remaining cobwebs from his brain. He reported that two of the guards on the city wall had also seen a light in the tower, but it had vanished quickly, leaving them uncertain that they'd seen anything in the first place.

"A trick of the moonlight or starlight, no doubt." Inuyasha told the man. "There's nothing up there."

And then, as soon as the sergeant had gone, Inuyasha took the key to the tower door and left his apartment, pausing long enough to be sure that no one was about before hurriedly unlocking the sturdy padlock, hauling open the heavy door, and then pulling it shut behind him and bolting it again from the inside.

Everything seemed just as it had always been. The only footprints in the thick dust were his own. The obelisk was as inscrutable as ever, bathed at the moment in a shaft of sunlight that poured in through the slits in the walls.

And yet, he felt something, some minute change of atmosphere inn the chill of the room. The light hairs on the backs of his hands and the hair at the nape of shi neck rose. In the silence, he had the faint, but very real, impression of a humming sound just below the range of his exceptional hearing.

He put out his hand and touched the obelisk, expecting to find it cool to the touch. But it felt surprisingly warm instead. He withdrew his hand quickly and stared at it, frowning.

Reason argued with tales of dark magic in his brain as he stood there. Even if there had once been magical powers locked inside the obelisk, why should they be awakening now?

The Ceadda had been gone for more than a hundred years.

He went back down the stairs, dismissing the whole thing. The damned thing was warm because the sun had been shining on it and he had let his imagination run wild for a moment because he wasn't feeling quite himself this morning. Probable it had been the result of the cook's overzealous hand with spices. Or maybe it was time for him to consider finding a mate.

)O(

Well, another chapter done. giggles I soo love this story so far. They are sooo much fun to play with. rubs Inu's ears See! Anyways, don't forget to review. Thanks!

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999