For Amalie's Love
Author's Note: this one is a bit boring, but I'll make it up to you, it explains a lot though.
Chapter 4: History Lesson
Amalie
"Let's see it was in the year 1309, about six hundred and ninety-seven years ago. In the Islamic kingdom of Granada, now a part of Spain where the Rock of Gibraltar lies, there where a wild mountain people living in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range who worshipped animal gods. These gods where vicious, monstrous and malevolent, some of them where very involved in the daily lives of their worshipers, demanding blood sacrifices and raping many of their followers. They ruled over the humans with cruelty and ruthlessness. Many half Demons where born to human women and these abominations where either quickly destroyed or killed their mothers in child birth.
"Later it was discovered that Demons where plentiful, but well hidden, all over the world. They survived by feeding off of the corpses on battle fields, or devouring the souls of the fallen. Many ate and drank the flesh and blood of both the living, and the dead. They often joined fighting bands or even national armies to be closer to the bloodshed. It was a bloody and atrocious time for mankind, Brittan was desperately trying to pull itself apart between war lords, the Ottoman Empire had just started to emerge as a world power and the seat of the Catholic Church was moved from Rome to Avigon France, upsetting their long held control in the southern regions of Europe.
"Spain was still quite loyal to the church and King Ferdinand IV was campaigning to remove the last two Islamic kingdoms from the shores of his land. He had laid siege to the port town of Algeciras and, learning of a weaknesses in the fort at Gibraltar, he sent Alonso Perez de Guzman to capture it. On this campaign where four men, Knights of the Eternal Flame, they where holy warriors of the church who's spiritual powers where said to be so strong they could fell whole armies by just voicing a prayer.
"These men became separated from their party in the Spanish Sierra Nevada Mountain Range during an unseasonable, terrible, snow storm, later it was discovered the storm had been caused intentionally by a Demon to obtain a large supply of food, but I digress.
"The knights stumbled upon the mountain inhabitants and learned of their terrible gods. They where all fierce warriors yet they also had their own unique traits. Andrius Vercon was an alchemist studying the properties of certain minerals and elemental compounds and their links to the divine. Darien Hadrian was as a holy mage of great power focusing his tremendous spiritual might with words and rites that could make whole armies disappear in a night. Mathew Fengrelie was a scholar and linguist, his joy was the understanding of different peoples and their peculiar ways in oorder to best bring them to God, and Broderick Ingram was their leader, a powerful lord in King Ferdinand's court, he had amassed a large fortune of his own he was always eager to accumulate more power and wealth. Demon Killer lore tells us these were noble men of high moral fiber and virtuous ideals. Ingram being the most noble of it all looking for nothing more than to free the enslaved Demon molested people of there oppressors.
"They gathered many of the young half Demons together in the guise of helping, and turning them into more human creatures. Many a mother turned over their abominations to the knights. The Halflings where kept in a dungeon and tortured for the knights' experiments trying to understand the weaknesses of the Halflings immortal parents.
"Andrius stumbled upon the unique properties of a local stone, that when used with the life line of one of the half Demons, suppressed their Demonic power. Mathew learned of a story that said a Demons power could be stolen and bestowed upon a human if a piece of the Demon's living bone was obtained, and with much practice and study he and Darien perfected the ritual to do so, imbuing items with Demonic power. They also discovered in their experiments that only those with spiritual power like their own could wield these Demonic items without becoming mindless monsters themselves.
"Yet, with all these new breakthroughs it was Broderick Ingram who decided what must be done with them. With the help of his fellow knights and followers they had gathered in their campaign, they set off to rid the human world of the Demon scourge. Ingram said that it was a mission from on high, a test from the almighty, and that when the last Demon was removed from this plane of existence, God would bid us entry to Eden and we would revel in eternal life and paradise on earth, God's chosen people.
"Ingram was also the one that suggested that since God had given us the knowledge to imbue items with Demonic power it was our right to take this power and used it to eliminate the Demons, and so the Brotherhood of Demon Killers was born.
"Years passed, the knight killed many of the Demons, their own power growing with each kill, but as the decades passed and they continued to age they looked for a way to pass their power, their traditions, and their knowledge onto their children, and so the Lineage of the Demon Killers was founded. A council was created consisting of the eight strongest of their children and the four original knights, its purpose was to send Demon Killers on missions to gather powerful Demons for the ritual, determine those worthy of receiving power from the rite, and to keep the lineage of the clans strong with spiritual power. Pure of any Demonic taint, and thus their holy mission was continued.
"As the centuries passed the council became more and more corrupt by their power, more guarded and jealous of their positions. Many of them looked to find a way to not only trap a Demon's power, but to steal their immortality as well. They went after the strongest of Demons and spread into parts of the world they had never been to before looking for answers in the lore of others and their Demons, China and Japan where two of these.
"It was discovered that many Demons kept their own extensive libraries and some even wrote of their lives in diaries. Those of us who where chosen to study these texts and interrogate Demonic prisoners where given special privileges and segregated in our own place, as was fitting of our status. We where proven to be the strongest warriors and the most loyal to the council. These attributes where necessary for this task so that our minds and bodies would not be twisted by the knowledge we obtained, nor by the Demon's lies, we where Huntsman, not just Killers." I paused remembering the joy and pride I'd felt when I had obtained that title, and the day five years later when I'd become Lead Huntsman, the day before I interrogated the foreign wolf Demon Hiroshi, the first yokai I had ever met. The day before my world changed forever.
My story told, I realized that I had had my eyes closed my head resting against the wall, I'd been seeing the whole story in my minds eye as I told it. The tale had taken hours to tell, it was nearing two in the morning when I finished and I was exhausted, maybe I didn't tell it, maybe I was a sleep and I dreamed I'd told it. I had been so lost in my tale I did not realized when the yokai relaxed into a cross-legged position diagonally from me. The hand that had been resting on my shoulder was now on my bare knee and he held my braceleted wrist almost gently in his lap.
"You are one of these Huntsmen?" Well if this where a dream, I definitely would have thought of something sexier for him to say.
"I was the Lead Huntsman, once. Now I am just an abomination with a day job." I chuckled bitterly at my words, Oh how the mighty have fallen, or rather thrown themselves out of an eighteen story building.
"Because of your stolen power." His tone made it impossible for me to decide if it was a statement, an accusation, or a question, I opened my eyes and studied him. He had a look of bemusement on his face, what can he possibly be thinking? I responded deciding it was a question.
"No, because I befriended a yokai I was interrogating, helped him and his family to escape, and irrevocably cut all my ties to the Demon Killers in the process. He bestowed upon me with the power I wield now, I suppose as a gift. He bestowed them during a battle for our lives, though there where other options open to him at the time. I don't understand his reasoning; maybe he wished to compensate me for the loss of my family and loved ones. No matter the reasons, the outcome is the same. If I went back to my home now, I would most assuredly be hunted and killed myself. Hell, I already am. By none other than my own twin sister and my betrothed of all people." Memories of my time with Hiroshi where very bitter sweet, mostly bitter, but the accompanying thought of how easily it was for my own loved ones to turn on me and sentence me to death reassured me that if my path was not the right one, it was at least the one I had to irrevocably follow.
"And where is that, this place you speak of?"
If he wants to know where the council seat his why doesn't he just ask for it? Knowing the name of my home town doesn't fucking matter to him, why can't he just ask what he wants? "Its carved into the cliffs of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range out side of La Peza, Spain."
"That can't be, you are an American." Thank you captain obvious! Again, statement, question, his tone was ambiguous. I just want to get some sleep now.
"Ah, sorry, my home is in New Fork, Wyoming. I just assumed you wanted to know where to find the bastards responsible for your attempted murder. I won't jump to anymore-obvious conclusions from now on, do you need to know the name of my first dog next, it was Cathmor, or do you want more relevant answers? Just so you know I'm cold, it's getting early, and I'm exhausted and I can't very well use this evening as an excuse to get out of either work or spending time with a five year old. So, if we could hurry this along and get to were you either kill me or you get the hell out of my apartment, I would appreciate it."
"This Sesshomaru is not finish, ningen; I wish to know how you came to steal the power of a yokai." His grip tightened painfully on my wrist. Ah, how it must hurt his yokai pride to be faced with a human that could hurt him in a fight, how presumptuous of me. Fucker, if I could take it all back I would gladly! And I still want to get some fucking sleep tonight!
Exhaustion wore at me and making me hostile and blurry headed. Combined with the nearness of his body and the feelings his smooth hand on my skin produced made me want to vent my long suppressed sexual frustration somehow, and since fucking him was out of the question grousing seemed the next logical step.
So in my best crabby no-nonsense voice, "Look, I've just about had enough of this big bad yokai captive crap and that particular story isn't really important to any revenge you may be plotting in that sexy, little, yokai head of yours. So here's the deal, come by the Mamoru's, not tonight, since is technically Tuesday now, but tomorrow night, and I'll tell ya the whole sordid mess. Unless you really feel the need to kill me, then get it over with, I really need to get to sleep." I declared, closed my eyes I waited for either sleep or demonic death to claim me, being too tired to care which got there first. Did the word sexy just come out of my mouth? God I must be exhausted, but it's been a long day. What with going to the park with Rinee, work, dragging customers around by their shirts, being stalked by a demon; then ending it with an ambush and a rousing game of Mexican stand off, I think I could use another drink. I don't know when he left, but my next memory was of morning light through my window, warm blankets wrapped around my still sitting form and the insistent banging on my door.
"What?!" I yelled from my cocoon.
"Aunt Amalie, breakfast time. Hurry up this is the last day and you promised!" An indignant child's voice penetrated my daze, time for chocolate chip pancakes with, chocolate chip mint ice cream and chocolate syrup.
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Sesshomaru
Her account was long in it's telling and her exhaustion was evident. Sometime during her tale his anger towards her had mellowed with the sound of her soft hypnotic voice and her peaceful countenance. He relaxed into a sitting position. Her story explained much and she had been honest about the charms effects on him. He rested his hand upon her knee and was momentarily distracted by the warm smooth flesh. He caught himself running his fingers idly a crossed it and stilled quickly focusing on her narrative, but he could not bring himself to remove his hand from her knee.
When she neared the end he noticed the change in pronouns, them and they became we and our. She never denied that she had been one of the lunatics, but she now told him what she had done. She admitted to torturing others of his kind and her voice did not show remorse, but pride that she was not just a killer but an inquisitor as well. "You are one of these Huntsmen?" He asked.
"I was the Lead Huntsman, once. Now I am just an abomination with a day job." Amalie did not bother to hide her bitterness, she was far to tired of it all to continue games now. An abomination with a day job. Her resentful words disturbed him. She has gained a distinctive title in this group, she has been granted power and honor for her place and yet she now kills her own kind. Why? For what purpose did she choose such a useless path? Did she crave the power of those she tortured to much? Was she not granted one of the items of power herself? Did she envy her prisoners, or is it some weaker ningen emotion? An abomination with a day job. Baka she obviously longs to be an ordinary week ningen! Abomination, I can readily agree to that, she cannot handle the power she traded her world for!
"Because of your stolen power." He made it a statement not expecting an answer and the one he received was not one he would have anticipated. She had turned her back on her whole world and the power she had obtained to befriend one of her sworn enemies and save not only his life but that of his family as well and was not even promised the powers she now abuse. Sesshomaru found his thoughts spiraling into deeper question of her motivation, her character, for the first time that night he wondered about the hanyou in the other room, what is her relationship to that creature, why is the child even here instead of with the deviants that spawned it?
He was bothered more by his craving to know her thoughts and personality further than his yearnings for her flesh; he could at least justify momentary lust. Why would I care, this is pointless. This Sesshomaru must focus on the important task, this ningen is nothing more than a distraction. She had mentioned the place she came from, a place presumably full of DK's and he asked her it's location. Mountains off of the coast of Spain startled him, from her manner and accent he would have sworn she was an American. But her pale, silky skin was not Spanish. He had meant to phrase it into a reasonable question, but the confusion in his mind that this woman created was like a miasma to his thoughts and he just blurted out, "That can't be, you are an American."
Her annoyed response to his poorly worded statement embarrassed and aggravated him, he had intended on leaving her to her bed, she was obviously near the end of her body's resources. His hand tightened on her bracelet, if I removed this bracelet her exhaustion would surely be alleviated by her yokai, the thought flickered a crossed his mind for an instant before being dismissed by more pertinent one. How, if she did not want the power in the first place, did the uppity bitch obtained it? He would have that answer from her. "This Sesshomaru is not finish, ningen; I wish to know how you came to steal the power of a yokai."
Her defiant response startled and angered him, he wanted nothing more than to beat the impudence out of her. He contemplated giving into his strange lustful urges, after all I promised I would leave the child alive, but I could easily fuck her to death and leave the corpse for the kid to find. She called me sexy... No, killing her now would just be unwise, she may yet prove to be useful in destroying the Demon Killers. She knows their lair and their ways. Pulling himself from his contemplation, his captive's slow, even breathing signal to him that his prisoner was fast asleep.
Gazing down at her still form he resisted the urge to shake her awake. Instead he took her comforter and wrapped it around her shivering form before leaving the way he had come. Wednesday night would have to be soon enough.