While reading: Listen to "Nordic/Viking Music - Fólkvangr" on YouTube. When you see this symbol, (***) start to play specific piece when written. When you see this symbol, (xxx) stop playing the music. This is not my channel nor do I have rights to the soundtracks/movie but I think it adds a great atmosphere while reading. Enjoy!
The Heart of the Nile: The Power of Atlantis
They quickly laid her on the bed and propped her head up with pillows. Kagome then began giving out orders for members of the household to summon for the high priests to join them. She also had them find some musicians who could play the drums and stringed instruments during the ceremony. She then asked for a clean bowl of water, a clean golden bowl, a washed dagger, the blood of a year old lamb, coal, newly bottled red wine, sage, golden eagle feathers, a yew plant and foxglove flowers. The moon was low in the sky so she only had 3 hours left before she would vanish and Kikyo would die.
"The high priests just arrived!" cried the servant Jaken as he made his way into the doorframe. Behind him were servants bringing the last few ingredients needed for the cleansing.
"Sorry we are late…. I heard terrible news…. that the Lady Kikyo was poisoned! We came here…. as soon as we could," said the High Priest Miroku as he was trying to catch his breath. Behind him were three other priests, two of them holding instruments asked to be used in the cleansing ceremony.
"Quick, pull the bed back away from the wall and bring it into the center of the room," said Kagome. "Try and get it into the design I drew on the floor with the lamb's blood and wine. "
Once the bed was in position Kagome washed her hands in the bowl of water. She then rubbed some of the lamb's blood and wine mixture across Kikyo's exposed stomach from the opening of her dress and on her breast near her heart. She then poured some of the water into the golden bowl and placed the coal, eagles feathers and plants into the water. She then lit the sage and walked around the room cleansing the air before dropping it into the mixer putting it out and filling the air with its smoke. In the mixture were all 4 of the elements: water, earth, fire, and air.
In the bowl was water and added to it was the coal and plants being the element of the earth, the sage bringing the fire, and the smoke and eagles feathers from the air. The wine and blood on the floor and on Kikyo's body created a cleansing barrier. The flowers, who are poisonous in nature, were the conductors of drawing out the poison already in Kikyo's system. Now they were ready to begin the ceremony. Once everyone who was not needed in the ceremony left the room Kagome positioned Miroku and his men in a cross formation around the outside of the circle of blood drawn on the floor.
(*** "Nordic/Viking Music – Fólkvangr ***)
They then began to chant and play their musical instruments as she cast her spell. She began to dance and sing around the room spinning in circles. Their chants were slow and deep in tone against her angelic voice. The drumbeats were steady in rhythm never breaking beat. Creating a haunting, hypnotic atmosphere. It seemed to last forever until a dark mass began to pull out of Kikyo's mouth. Her back arched up off of the bed as the mass continued to rise up into the air. It looked like black tar in texture and held no form like water. Kagome continued to dance and chant. As she did she burned more sage and light blue tattoos began to appear on her skin making her glow.
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the whites of her eyes showed. While she was deep in her trance Kikyo began to lift from the bed into the air. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stood in the doorway looking on helplessly as she continued to draw out the poison. The sun was little less than an hour away from breaking the surface of the horizon. They were running out of time. Then Kikyo began to lower back onto the bed as the black tar began to take form into a black ball the size of an apple. It hovered over to Kagome as she sliced her hand with the small dagger pouring her blood into the lamb and wine mixture left in the bowl and poured it over the black hovering ball making it purify.
A bright light burst in the room and Kikyo took a gasping breath as she opened her eyes looking up into the ceiling. She could not move though as her body was paralyzed at the moment. The ceremony was still not finished. Kagome continued to dance around the room glowing with her blue tattoos as she continued to sing and burn the sage in the air. Sesshomaru never took his eyes off of her as he held his brother back in the doorway. He had never witnessed anything like it and to be able to experience such raw magical power was a gift. The power of Atlantis really could be used as a weapon if given into the wrong hands. The drums and chants continued to fill the air never ceasing.
The air itself began to pulse with energy. Kagome began convulsing while standing, as the power of the spell grew stronger. Unbeknownst to them she began seeing a vision while this was all happening. Kagome's tattoos eventually began to fade away and her eyes rolled back into place. She blinked a couple times adjusting her vision before making eye contact with Miroku, nodding her head to finish the blessing before collapsing onto the floor. Sesshomaru quickly grabbed Kagome, ran out of the room and into his bedchambers just as the sun peaked over the horizon causing her to burst into pink sparkling dust. Her pink stone landed in his trembling hand. He was frightened. He did not know if she was all right.
He had never experienced anything like that before or these types of emotions and he didn't know what to do. So much had happened in the last three hours. The only thing he could do at the moment was to check on his sister-in-law, find out who was going to die for this assassination attempt and wait for the rising moon once more.
(Kagome's Vision)
Kagome closed her eyes as she began to chant around the room. She could feel the dark energy all around her. She circled around the bed with burning sage. She could feel the heat of the burning plant against her hand and its cleaning magic. She focused her energy into Kikyo's body as the poison spread out in her veins like the twigs on tree branches. She could see the beat of her heart and the small glowing blue light in her womb begin to smoother under the darkness of the poison, trying to suffocate the light. The poisonous energy glowed a dark purple in her vision and she began to pull it out towards Kikyo's mouth. This pulling made her begin to glow blue as her healing powers awoke from their slumber.
She continued to pull the darkness until it left her body and into the air. Making sure nothing was left in her system she then pulled the dark ball towards herself. Taking her hand she quickly sliced the palm, ignored the throbbing pain and poured it into the mixture. Dumping it over the darkness it purifies and the last of its strength that clung to Kikyo's body died away. She had saved them just in time. She heard Kikyo's gasping breathe but there was still lingering dark energy suspended in the air. While she was purifying the air a small particle of the darkness went into mouth and into her body trying to kill her from the inside out. While she was battling this new fight the darkness began showing her terrible things.
The city of the Nile was on fire and people were running around covered in blood and boils. Bugs, frogs, locus, and disease spread across the land. Cows, sheep, and goats were rotting along the river making the water unclean. All of the crops were destroyed from famine. She saw darkness and then heard terrible screaming and then silence before she heard the soft eerie cry of a child as it died. Her eyes snapped open as she finally put out the last of the darkness. She had used too much of her energy and was very weak. She was not used to fighting such strong dark magic like this before. She looked at Miroku, nodded her head to tell him she was finished and began to fall to the floor as her body gave out. The last thing she saw was beautiful amber colored eye staring back at her in concern before darkness consumed her.
(Back to Kikyo)
Sesshomaru returned to his brother's room to see him holding a crying Kikyo as they were hugging each other closely on the bed. Miroku and his men along with some servants were in the process of putting the room back together and cleaning the blood off of the floor. She had saved her but he was unsure of the child.
"Oh Inuyasha, I was so scared." Kikyo said through tears and sobs. "It was so dark and I felt so cold… What happened?"
"Someone poisoned you my Lady, but one of the servants who was familiar with dark magic saved you!" Miroku said with a relieved smile on his face.
He was wearing a dark blue and purple robe. His hair was dark brown and a small ponytail was tied at the base of his neck. He wore a matching purple glove over one of his hands. It was wrapped in blue jade beads that he had used during the ceremony while he chanted to the gods. On both ears he had two golden earrings and his eyes were a dark brown. As Miroku was cleaning he turned around and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen outside the bedroom door. She was kneeling by a wash bin cleaning the dishes used in the ceremony. Seeing that his men were almost ready to head back to the temple and Kikyo was on the mend he snuck out of the room and over to the mysterious maiden.
"Are you feeling all right now Kikyo?" Inuyasha said as he ran his thumb over her face wiping her tears away. She was now sitting quietly in his lap.
"Yes... I am ok. Just feeling a little tired." Kikyo said. She then placed her hand over her womb and was struck with sudden fear.
"Do you know if our child survived?" Kikyo said desperately as she grabbed hold of Inuyasha's shoulders in her hands. Inuyasha took hold of her hands before he gave her a sorrowful look.
He then said, "It was a very powerful poison, Kikyo. It would be a miracle sent from the gods if our child survived. We will just have to wait and see."
Removing her hand from his she placed it back over her womb before leaning into him with her head resting on his chest as the tears began to fall again and sobs shock her body. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close as she cried. Sesshomaru left his brother and wife to grieve together over the possible loss of their firstborn. He then made his way to Rin's room to check on her. In all of the commotion she had been left with one of her nannies and he wanted to make sure she was all right and to let her know her Aunt was ok.
(Sango and Miroku)
Sango had been called from the kitchens to help clean up after the ceremony. She had heard of the terrible incident and rushed over to help. When she heard Rin had been involved her heart dropped into her stomach. It was such a terrible thing to witness. She was sure Rin would suffer from nightmares for weeks.
"Why, oh why did it have to be Rin! And on her birthday too!" she said to herself out loud.
Just then she felt something rubbing along her backside. Turning around she was greeted by a priest who was kneeling behind her but was staring off into the distance... as if unaware of what he was doing. She was livid! How dare he!
"PERVERT!" she screamed! A loud smack was heard and a bright red handprint graced his face.
"My dear lady….." he said while waving his hand in a circle as the other hand rubbed his now tender cheek.
"Sango." She said angrily. Her face was beat red and she had her hands crossed over her chest as she stood up and stared dangerously down at him. She was still wearing the servants' attire from the party and he could tell she was a strong, voluptuous, healthy woman. She would do nicely.
"What a woman…" he thought to himself as he stood up.
He then continued by saying, "Sango… beautiful. I must apologize for my behavior... You see my hand here is cursed and has a mind of its own."
His voice was smooth and she could tell his excuse was well practiced. Sango just stared at him with her arms still crossed over her chest. She raised an eyebrow at him unimpressed.
He then surprised her by taking hold of both of her hand in his, leaned forward and stared into her brown eyes as he said, "I must ask you a question my dear Sango... Will you bear my children?" he said in all seriousness.
Sango was in shock. She didn't know what to say. This complete stranger just asked her to marry him. What a strange man. Sango didn't even bother answering him. She pulled her hands out of his, picked up her clean bowls and walked out of the room leaving Miroku standing there with no answer.
"Hey wait! Don't go! You didn't give me your answer," he shouted as he watched her leave the room.
"I take that was another no…" one of his priests said behind him jokingly.
"She didn't answer, so who knows!" Miroku said as they made their way out the door and back to the temple.
(Sesshomaru and Rin)
As Sesshomaru approached Rin's room he could hear her soft cries echoing in the hallway. Rin was lying on her stomach on her bed. Her nannie was rubbing her back as she sat on the edge of the bed whispering soft encouraging words into her ears. When the nannie saw Pharaoh enter the room she bowed to him before leaving. After she left Sesshomaru walked over to the bed and picked up his daughter. Holding her tenderly in his lap his strong fatherly arms hugged her tight making her sobbing slow down to soft hiccups.
"Is Aunt Kiko... ok?" she said after she calmed down.
She had seen everything. She saw her Aunt take a sip and begin to choke on her drink before she fell back onto the floor. She remembered seeing her father, uncle and a pretty lady run towards her. She remembered hearing her uncle's cry as the word "poison" was said. She wasn't sure what that word meant but she knew it wasn't good. The last thing she remembered was her nannie taking her away as she saw them run through the doors towards her uncle's room.
"Your Aunt is fine. She is resting in her room. Are you ok little Princess? Your father apologizes the event ruined your birthday." Sesshomaru said while continuing to hold her tightly and run his fingers through her hair making her sleepy.
"Yes, I'm ok now that I know Aunt Kikyo is better. Thank you for the birthday party. It was fun until Aunt Kikyo got sick." she said before yawning.
"Before you fall asleep Rin, do you remember who gave your Aunt the cup she was drinking from?" Sesshomaru asked.
Rin sat in his lap for a while before she replied, "I think it was a manservant. I had never seen him before. He had long baggy white pants like the other manservants but he had a weird picture painted on his chest. It looked like a black snake wrapped around a stick and a sword. It was painted right over his heart daddy. I though it look scary."
Rin then began to fall asleep in her father's arms. Standing back up he laid Rin on the bed, pulled the sheets up and under her chin and kissed her goodnight before finding the servant to watch over here again. He needed to go and talk with Kikyo after she rested and see if this man with the snake tattoo over his heart was what she remembered as well. Nighttime could not come fast enough.