"What news, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked his most faithful servant.
After leaving Rin to get ready for addressing the people, Sesshomaru had gone to his private office in the palace. Word had reached him that his servant, Jaken had returned. The growing disquiet in his heart had compelled Sesshomaru to send Jaken out to spy out the land and learn what he could. There had been no word from his servant for the past one month, but Sesshomaru was not worried. Jaken might be a weak toad demon, but he was quite proficient in magic and an expert at making people reveal secrets.
"My lord." Jaken bowed deeply. He was quite tiny and hardly reached up to Seshomaru's knees. But he made up for it by carrying a tall staff with the head of a man and a woman carved on top. It was not just for decoration though. This staff was quite powerful and was given to him by the great Inutaisho, Seshomaru's father, when he was under his service. Upon his death, he had pledged himself to the service of his only son.
The disquiet in Sesshomaru's heart increased as he took in Jaken's appearance. He looked rather worse for the wear, a mere shell of his earlier self. There was nothing wrong with him physically, but Sesshomaru sensed that he had almost depleted his strength, by trying to reach the palace. It was as if something had reached in and drained him internally. He was hanging on to his staff for support and one discreet sniff of his scent told Sesshomaru that his servant did not have long to live. Jaken himself was aware of this.
"My lord, I do not have much time left." He said in a labored voice. "I travelled far and wide in search of any enemy. I even went to the borders of the accursed land." He was affected by a racking cough as he referred to the land to the east of the Crystal Kingdom, which had been the land of the Dark King Onigumo. Jaken continued after a pause.
"Something is not right my lord. Dark things are stirring there. Monsters and demons of legend." His voice trembled. "I was captured by foul creatures. It took all of my strength to escape and come back here." Jaken wobbled and would have fallen if Sesshomaru had not caught him. He gripped his servant tightly and willed him to hang on until he told the complete story. In his mind, he started organizing a team of his best warriors to suppress this new threat.
Jaken gripped his master's sleeve as he dragged up the strength to warn him of the danger. "Spies…in the palace…the queen…" so saying he collapsed on the floor, shivering. There was a sharp flash of light and Jaken's staff crumbled to dust and toad demon disappeared. In his place, there was a small wooden doll-like figure shaped just like him.
'A puppet!', thought Sesshomaru. He remembered his masters telling him about such things in his youth. Even then, it was considered an obsolete branch of magic. What did it mean that he was actually seeing one here, now? He could not remember how such things worked but one thing was for sure: Jaken was dead. There was no other explanation. For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru knew fear… fear for his mate, the queen. For a moment he seemed frozen and a thought whispered across his mind, 'The Monk and the Seer were right… now we are too late.' His eyes bled red as he ran to the back of his office and pushed aside a painting of the old king. A secret passage was revealed, which would take him directly to the corridor in front of Rin's room. He had often used this passage while Rin was a child trying to escape from her masters. Now Sesshomaru dashed along the dark passage, his heart thumping in fear. If not for his demonic speed, he would never have made it in time.
Rin adjusted her kimono and plastered a fake smile on her face. Having Sesshomaru comfort her had eased her mind a little. But her heart was heavy as she stepped out of the room and went towards the huge balcony overlooking the palace courtyard. The last of the sun's rays had gone down and it was time to start the bonfire. Her loyal assistant, Koharu followed behind her. The balcony was at the end of the long corridor in front of her room. Just before the balcony was a huge staircase on the left, leading to the halls below. As Rin was about to reach the balcony, she heard a familiar voice yell, "Rin, get down!"
The fear evident in the voice froze Rin for a second. The next moment, something slammed into her from behind taking her down just as a barrage of arrows whizzed over her head.
Rin was frightened. Sesshomaru was holding her down. She looked to the right and saw Koharu lying motionless beside her, several arrows embedded deep in her body. Rin could not bear to look and she turned to the front. She saw someone wearing red robes walk into her line of vision, followed by a dozen men who all looked like her own soldiers. Rin's mind was a blank as she heard a huge explosion rock the very foundations of her home.
"You missed!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "I told you we should have gotten the dog on our side!"
Sesshomaru slowly got up and raised Rin to her feet. He pushed her behind him and turned to the newcomers. Somehow, he was not surprised to see who they were. His eyes were completely red now, his fangs elongated and his claws sharp. His facial markings were jagged, showing how close his demon was to the surface. It would not take much for him to convert to his true form.
"Oh, but dogs are eternally faithful creatures," murmured Lady Kikyo, dressed in red robes as she held an arrow notched straight at the enraged Sesshomaru. Hiten stood behind her, his sword drawn and dripping blood, along with his brother Manten and a dozen of the elite soldiers of the Crown's Guard. They who were supposed to protect the queen had betrayed her.
Miroku was jostled awake by a loud explosion. Despite his lingering fatigue, he had thought to remain at the palace until after the queen had addressed the people before making his way home. Inside his office, he had only thought to rest his head on the desk, but fell asleep instead. For a moment, he looked around the darkened room wondering about the loud noise he had heard. It took him a few moments to realize that it was well past the time to light the palace bonfire. But from the view outside his window, the entire city seemed to have been plunged in darkness. But there was a strange orange glow which he could not directly see. Frowning, Miroku got up from his chair and walked to the window. He pushed aside the curtains and yawned. But the next minute he was wide awake, fatigue forgotten. The lowest levels of the city seemed to be on fire and the palace courtyard just below was littered with dead bodies. He could hear the clang of steel on steel from various parts of the castle.
'A coupe?' He thought, bemusedly. 'Are we under attack? But how…' his thoughts ground to a halt as his senses came brutally awake. The palace was under attack. Without Kagura and her power to predict the future, it was no wonder that they had missed it. But how had so many of the enemy got past the guards and Sesshomaru?
'Unless…' Miroku did not like where his thoughts were headed. His heart beat painfully as he contemplated what lay ahead of him. He was a proficient swordsman on the training ground, but he had never been in any battle, being raised by monks and generally being more interested in scrolls and women.
'Women…Oh God! The queen!'
Miroku stumbled back to his desk in his haste. He threw open a tall cupboard to the side and brought out a tall thin staff with rings hanging from the top. The shakujo jingled as he brought it out. He had not used this staff in years. He had trained with it during his apprenticeship to the monk Mushin. Although not in the league of Hisui's weapon, this staff too was embedded with holy power and could be used to deal with humans and demons alike. Miroku gripped it in his hand and took a deep breath. He grabbed a few handfuls of sacred sutras from the cupboard and stuffed it about his person. He opened his door and peeked out carefully. Seeing the place was empty, he slowly snuck out and headed towards the queen's quarters.
"Are you surprised, Your Majesty?" Manten mocked at the pale-faced Rin. She still had not uttered a word and seemed to be in shock. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching Sesshomaru's arm quite painfully. She was scared out of her wits. But if the dog demon had been in any condition to concentrate, he would have heard her heart slow its pace, he would have smelt the spike in her anger at the traitors. Thankfully, other demons' senses were not as sharp as a dog demon's, so Manten continued to boast and mock her.
'Kill!' This was the only coherent thought in Sesshomaru's brain. His beast had broken his control while he quickly tried to seek out a way for him to get Rin away from here.
'Nobody harms our mate!' For once, Sesshomaru was in complete accord with his beast. If only he could manage some sort of diversion, his demonic speed would ensure Rin's safety as he carried her back through the secret passage. He began to think furiously on how to cause a diversion, while he listened with half an ear to the traitors and his beast became more and more enraged.
"With your precious seer out of the way, it was child's play, my queen." Lord Hiten said "After all, you are not much liked in the palace." He smiled in a helpless manner, while his eyes mocked her.
Rin's eyes darted to the priestess Kikyo. She remained calm, her icy expression unruffled.
"And it seems, even our worthy priestess is not immune to the allure of power." Hiten said as he watched Rin.
The thunder demons laughed, seeing the frightened expression on Rin's face. The guards remained stony faced and silent. Suddenly, a dark shadow seemed to reach into the room. For a moment, Rin felt dizzy and she felt as if someone had reached in and clutched her brain. A wince escaped her as Sesshomaru growled and took a protective stance in front of her. The shadows seemed to melt together and separate, leaving behind a man with red eyes and flowing dark hair. He seemed to be dressed for war, with armour and a sword at his side. His pale face was quite angelic, but the cruel lilt to his eyes and the sneer on his lips gave away his intentions.
Rin's heart faltered as she looked at the newcomer. She knew that this was her true enemy and the traitors were only puppets. The pure evil emanating from the man was astounding. In fact, that is how she realized that she was not looking at an ordinary man, but at a demon. Her heart began to pound hard as she recalled with perfect clarity, the ominous prophecy that Miroku had found all those weeks ago.
'We could never have stopped this.' Rin thought 'When the prophecy was found, it had already been too late.'
"So, this is the infamous queen of the Crystal Kingdom" the demon said, in a voice which was as deadly as it was soft. He seemed to be a centre of darkness affecting everyone around him. Even his own minions were not spared. Rin saw Manten shiver and Hiten make a pained face as they moved away from him. Kikyo merely curled her lips and looked away. Rin wondered if this meant she was even more cruel than this demon.
Rin could not understand Kikyo's involvement in this. The others yes, but not the priestess who seemed the epitome of selflessness.
"This is Lord Naraku." Kikyo said as she gestured to the newcomer.
"Indeed." Naraku inclined his head towards her in a mock salutation.
'There is something going on with those two' Rin thought.
"You are but a little girl, my dear." Naraku said "You should leave important things like ruling a kingdom to grown-ups. And do try to control the rabid dog." He curled his lips at the snarling Sesshomaru.
Naraku turned to Kikyo and said, "Please do the honours, priestess" he gestured to the queen.
Rin stiffened and Sesshomaru growled a warning.
Kikyo sighed in impatience and said, "All this melodrama!" She shook her head at Naraku.
"I have waited almost 50 years for this day, priestess. Of course, there will be some melodrama." Naraku told her with a cruel smile as his dark hair flowed behind him in a ghostly wind.
Kikyo sighed again and turned to Rin, "We only want the Jewel. The one you always carry around on your neck."
Rin gasped. She could not help it. The location of the Jewel was supposed to be known only to the Keeper.
"Really, Rin." Kikyo said. "After all that has happened, this is what shocks you? Surely, you realize that I am a quite powerful priestess. Do not insult me by thinking that I cannot find the hiding place thought of by a 14 year old girl! I have always known where you kept it. Now hand it over, and no one else needs to die."
"No!" Rin cried emphatically as she hung on to Sesshomaru "It does not belong to you!"
"Oh, you think not?" Naraku sneered at her "It will take too long to go into the reasons of why the Jewel does, in fact, belong to me. What I can do, however, is give you an incentive to part with it without any of us being shredded by your dog."
So saying, Naraku gestured to the guards. They soon dragged the semi-conscious prime minister towards the queen.
"Kaede! No!" Rin's eyes filled with tears as she took in the almost dead form of the woman who had often stood in for her dead mother.
Kaede seemed to have put up a good fight before surrendering. Her left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle and her face was completely bloody. One of her eyes was swollen and shut. The numerous cuts over her body were bleeding into the carpet.
Kikyo put away her bow and took out a short knife. She pushed the point into Kaede's neck causing one more wound that began to bleed.
"No! Don't! Please…" Rin was sobbing now.
"You can stop anything from happening to her, Rin" Kikyo said calmly. "Just hand over the Jewel. I would have taken it from you, but the General was too quick for me." She admitted grudgingly.
Rin trembled. She knew that they were all going to die whether she gave up the Jewel or not. She saw it in Naraku's eyes. The only reason she was still alive was Sesshomaru, but even he would fail if all of these people attacked at once. Her heart despaired over what to do. She could not bear it if she had to watch Sesshomaru die. That was when she noticed a shadow at the end of the corridor, near the top of the stairs. Recognizing who it was, Rin found her will and strength once again, although she kept it hidden from her enemies. She reached up inside her kimono and drew out a long pale gold chain from around her neck. Attached to the end was a glowing pink jewel, the size of a marble. She lifted the chain over her head and threw it and the Jewel to Kikyo, who caught it deftly. For the first time, a triumphant gleam came into her eyes.
"At last!" Naraku said and moved to her side and reached for the Jewel. That was when all hell broke loose.
A crackling explosion shook the corridor and there was a high pitched wail. All the guards were down and even Naraku was twitching a bit although he was still standing. Hiten seemed to have been knocked unconscious, but Manten had been completely purified by the holy sutras cast at him. Kikyo was unharmed only due to her quick reaction. She had erected a shield which protected her from the attack.
"What the hell…!" Naraku snarled. He hated getting his plans interrupted.
"Miroku," Kikyou said grimly.
It had taken a lot of sneaking, but Miroku had finally reached the stairs leading to the queen's private quarters. Everything seemed eerily quiet as he softly climbed the steps. He had reached the landing on top in time to hear Kikyo introduce Naraku. What he saw almost froze his heart. But apparently, Sesshomaru was still loyal to Rin. He felt sorry for doubting him now. He waited for the perfect opportunity to strike and got ready some of the holy sutras that he had stashed on his person. He managed to catch Sesshomaru's eye as Rin handed over the Jewel. The demon blinked at him and Miroku took that as a yes to his unspoken question. And he threw the sacred sutras from behind the enemy.
The sutras were most effective against demons while the human guards simply got knocked unconscious. Naraku was too dark and evil to be affected by such a feeble attack. It merely irritated him. He turned his raging blood-red eyes to Miroku, but found himself battling the dog demon instead. Despite being a powerful demon himself, Sesshomaru was hard pressed to hold his own against Naraku. He was simply too powerful and too ancient to be defeated by one person alone. Meanwhile Miroku was engaged in battle with Kikyo. She was surprised to find the meek librarian an even match, even though her expression never betrayed her thoughts.
"Kaede!" Rin cried as she rushed to the prime minister's side. She dragged the old woman to the side of the corridor which really was not built to accommodate any battles. Rin looked about helplessly as she thought of how to help the prime minister.
"Rin, child, listen to me." Kaede was apparently not as unconscious as everyone believed. Rin yelped and turned back to her as she lay propped up on the wall. Rin crouched next to her and asked, "Are you alright? Sorry, silly question… " she wrung her hands in her agitation. Kaede caught them in her own.
"Please Kaede," Rin begged, tears streaming down her face as her hair became undone from its elegant style. "Tell me how to help you."
"Save yourself, Rin." Kaede rasped out. "That is how you can help me."
"No! I won't…" she began.
"Rin, listen to me!" Kaede said as the two battles continued around them. "You took an oath when you ascended the throne. You have a duty to the people. You must help them."
"But…"
"Do you think that Naraku is attacking only the castle?" Kaede interrupted. "The entire kingdom is being attacked, Rin. The Fountain City is burning!"
Rin was speechless. It had never occurred to her that the attack would be carried out against the people also.
"Rin," Kaede said "Naraku is evil… ancient evil. How or why, I do not know. But you must purge this world of him, lest we all descend into a second darkness."
"The prophecy…" Rin began.
Kaede nodded her head. "Indeed." She sighed. "Poor Kagura. It is indeed coming to pass, I believe."
"But you are wounded! Let me help you." Rin said
"Haven't you been listening? I am not important!" Kaede said "You must get out of here. There is a secret passage from the library that leads below the dungeons and will take you outside the city. You must go and gather allies and information. Naraku must be stopped!"
"What passage?" Rin looked bewildered.
"I am old, child." Kaede sighed in weariness "I know many things. But Miroku can find this passage. Tell him to look for the lady."
"Huh?" Rin was scared and confused. "But the battle…" she trailed off, seeing that Kaede had lost consciousness, this time for real. A blast and a cackling laugh had her turning to see Naraku throw Sesshomaru away from him.
"No!" She screamed and drew her knife Nightshade which she always carried, but Naraku was too quick for her. Miroku had disarmed Kikyo and was about to snatch the Jewel which she had hung about her neck when suddenly he was pushed aside by Naraku. The demon snatched the Jewel and disappeared in an ugly purple haze. Kikyo screamed in rage and made to follow him, but Miroku tripped her. She fell and hit her head, falling unconscious.
Rin rushed over to Sesshomaru. But she need not have worried. He was not hurt, merely irritated that his opponent got away.
"Rin." His beast calmed a little, seeing that Rin was unhurt. But she was by no means out of danger. The palace was no longer under the control of the Crown. He had to get her out of here quickly.
"We must leave." Sesshomaru said. His eyes were still red although his markings were no longer jagged.
"Kaede told me a way, but first we must help her." Rin said as she led him back to Kaede. Miroku was already bent over her, examining her injuries. He turned when he heard them approach. He was exhausted from his fight with Kikyo. But his eyes conveyed an ugly truth to Sesshomaru. Rin once again sat beside Kaede and shook her.
"Kaede, we have to leave," she said. "Let's go find this lady. Come on, wake up!"
Miroku gently touched her shoulders and drew her away.
"Miroku, I think she is too hurt." Rin said and turned to Sesshomaru and asked, "Will you carry her?"
Sesshomaru sighed and said, "Rin, let her rest now. She is at peace."
"What are you…" Rin trailed off as the awful truth became clear to her.
"No…No! Please, no!" She sobbed and threw herself at the dead woman, shaking her. "Kaede, please…"
Miroku bowed his head, helpless in comforting the queen. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth against his grief. Kaede had been a wise woman and the only one besides Rin who had always managed to see through his mask. He picked Rin up and began to walk towards the passage he had come through. She beat her fists at him, begging him to carry Kaede because she was too hurt. His beast became restless, picking up on his mate's distress, but Sesshomaru had to ensure her safety first. Miroku trailed behind, after saying a quick prayer for Kaede.
By the time they emerged in Sesshomaru's office, Rin had quieted down, except for the tears still streaming down her face. Miroku was also very pale, both from fatigue and the shock of recent events. Sesshomaru placed Rin in his chair and went around the desk to where the puppet that had been Jaken lay. There was a small piece of hair twisted around the figure. He examined it for a moment and put it inside his robes for future perusal. He had known Jaken from his childhood and had been the only link he had to his father, his mother having predeceased his sire. He swore to avenge his faithful retainer and turned to his mate.
Miroku sat in one of the chairs and stared blankly at nothing in particular. He was jolted out of his shock as Sesshomaru spoke.
"Rin."
The queen gave no indication that she had heard him, but Sesshomaru continued anyway.
"We must leave immediately. What is the way that Kaede spoke of?"
For a while, Rin said nothing. Then she lifted her head and said in a monotone voice, "she said there is a tunnel of some sort beneath the palace, that leads outside the city. Its entrance is in the library. She said Miroku would know and told to search for the lady."
Sesshomaru turned his demon eyes on the librarian. Miroku looked surprised.
"Well, Monk?" Sesshomaru said
"I-I don't know!" Miroku exclaimed "This is the first time I have heard of it!"
"She said for you to look for the lady." Rin said. "She didn't say that you knew, but that you would be able to find it."
"Oh…" Miroku said and suddenly he saw light. "The Lady! Of course!"
"I presume you know now?" Sesshomaru asked as Miroku jumped up from his chair.
"No, I don't. But I can find it," he said. "Let's go." He made to leave, but found his way blocked by Sesshomaru.
"How do I know that you too are not a traitor in disguise?" he demanded.
"I am many things, Sesshomaru, never a traitor." Miroku replied calmly. His expression must have been convincing, because Sesshomaru did not object.
"Come Rin." He took the queen's hand and led her to the door.
The library was in the central wing and two floors above, which meant a lot more sneaking. But they need not have bothered since the palace seemed to be empty. Rin averted her eyes from the dead bodies of soldiers, servants and nobles scattered about in various poses of disfigurement. Even the women and children had not been spared. This both angered and saddened the queen. They had taken out the entire palace without her knowledge or more importantly, Sesshomaru's knowledge. 'If Kagura had been here, this would never have happened.' Rin thought grimly and wondered how the people were doing. She remembered what Kaede had told her, but for now she was helpless. Her heart still grieved for the dead Prime Minister, but she was a queen first and foremost, and she had an obligation to her people.
There was a foul stench permeating the palace. Sesshomaru led the way and Miroku brought up the rear. Rin had drawn her knife and all of them felt the presence of the evil aura that seemed to be choking the castle.
"What happened to Naraku?" Miroku asked
"He simply disappeared." Rin told him and her face set in grim determination.
"He took the Jewel, right?" Miroku said and sighed. "So much power in his evil hands…how can we stop this?"
Sesshomaru looked back at Rin, but she remained silent.
'Naraku…I will not let you hurt my people!' Rin thought fiercely.
They reached the library without further mishap. Miroku took the lead now and opened the door to his sanctuary. He quickly hurried around the shelves and tables piled high with scrolls. He led them through the huge room towards one end.
"Are we going to search through the whole thing, Monk?" Sesshomaru demanded from behind. He had placed Rin in front of him and had drawn Bakusaiga. His senses were on full alert for any movement between the dusty shelves. He did not fancy a search of the entire royal library, which was quite vast, to say the least.
"No," Miroku replied. "What we are looking is near here."
The trio rounded a tall shelf and was met with one wall of the library on which hung a few paintings. Miroku lead them onwards, towards the painting of a beautiful woman, dressed in a deep blue kimono in the style of a bygone century.
"I used to call this painting The Lady." Miroku said gesturing to the painting. "Kaede often joked with me about it," he ended sadly.
"So, the passage is behind it?" asked Sesshomaru
"I guess…" Miroku said and tried to move it, but it would not budge. Sesshomaru also tried and failed. This brought a scowl to his face as he thought about what to do.
Rin, meanwhile, was looking around at the nearby shelves. She wondered if she would ever see this room again. She also wondered how she was supposed to defeat a demon as powerful as Naraku. She sighed as she thought of Kaede and Koharu, both dead because of him and his hunger for power. She turned to find that the men had had no luck in finding the passage and were now discussing alternate routes to leave the castle undetected.
'The Lady…' Rin mused as she stood in front of the painting. It was life-size and very life-like. She wondered who the woman in the painting was and why she seemed to have a mysterious look in her expression. It was a beautiful painting, the colours vibrant and the artist obviously skilled. Rin reached out with her left hand, her right still gripping Nightshade, and stroked the hand of the woman in the painting. She had expected a rough canvas, but the surface beneath her hand felt as smooth as silk. Intrigued she stepped closer and stood almost nose-to-nose with the woman. She blinked, and for a moment she swore that the woman in the painting had smiled at her. The next minute, she jumped back, her mouth open in shock.
"Rin!" Sesshomaru called, hearing her gasp of surprise. He raised his sword, ready to annihilate anything that had harmed Rin. Miroku too raised his staff and rushed to the queen's side. Soon all three of them were staring in shock at the painting that had swung open like a door. The beginning of a flight of stairs leading down into darkness could be seen.
"How did you do that?" Miroku exclaimed at the queen.
"I didn't do anything!" she replied. "It opened on its own."
Sesshomaru moved past them and stood at the top of the stairs. His enhanced senses confirmed that there was no one immediately below, hidden in the darkness. If the musty smell was anything to go by, this passage had remained unused for many years. He wondered how Kaede had first come across it. But its history could wait. They needed to get out of the palace, and soon.
"Let's go, Rin." Sesshomaru gestured for the other two to follow as he led the way down the stairs. Rin took one last look at the library and plunged after her mate, into the darkness. Miroku brought up the rear, but paused on the second step.
"What if someone comes this way and sees the open passage?" He asked. "How can we close it?"
The other two had paused at his voice, but no sooner had he spoken than the painting swung shut on its own, plunging them into complete darkness.
"W-what kind of mechanism was that, do you think?" Miroku asked, as he tried to hurry to the others without tripping and falling.
"Not mechanism." Rin said thoughtfully. "I think it was magic."
Silence greeted her words as the other two thought about this.
Rin sighed in frustration as she tried to see anything. She could not even see in front of her face. How were they supposed to get out of here now?
"I can't see a thing!" she said.
Sesshomaru was pondering the same problem. Even with his demon senses, he could not see anything. And his companions were both human. That was when he felt it, a pulse from the sword at his side. He still gripped Bakusaiga in his hand. His other sword, Tenseiga, was merely kept around for sentimental reasons. It had no use as far as he knew. There it was again. If he was not hallucinating, which he was pretty certain he was not, Tenseiga was pulsing where it lay against his hip. Sesshomaru felt a strange feeling come over him, a compulsion to draw Tenseiga. For a moment he did nothing. After all, he was a great lord and nobody commanded him, not even the queen. But Tenseiga pulsed again and he felt that the sword was admonishing him for disobedience. Scowling again, Sesshomaru sheathed Bakusaiga and withdrew Tenseiga instead. The sword was glowing with a strange blue light that seemed to be pulsating around it. His companions gasped as they saw this.
"Sesshomaru…?" Rin asked in awe. She had heard Sesshomaru withdraw his other sword, a sword which he refused to withdraw, the sword for which he had no use. Apparently, he did.
"Well, we can see now," he decreed in his icy tone. For the millionth time in his life, he wondered about the hidden powers of this sword.
Sesshomaru held up the sword so that its pale light cast a glow in front of him. He slowly began to descend the stairs and the others followed.
