Chapter 28
The conversation had barely ended before another interruption set the three mortals and two observing demons on alert. This time however the disturbance did not come from the surrounding thickets, but instead manifested from the near starless night sky; it was the shrill and annoying voice of a familiar imp. Sure enough, no sooner had the noise died then the massive outline of ah-uh passed overhead. The dragon landed not far from the where Sesshomaru and Shura had been placed, and seconds later the beast's two passengers scrambled from his back to the sides of their fallen comrades.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken wailed so pathetically it was almost depressing "What happened? Please! Speak to me Milord!" But the dog demon offered no reassurance. Still immersed in a deep, slumber Sesshomaru had little reason, let alone energy, to heed the whim of his servant.
Rin meanwhile had taken up a post by her demon sister and was nudging Shura lightly on her bandaged left shoulder in the hopes she would offer some kind of response. The stimulation, faint as it was, provoked the remnants of Tokijin's energy that still lingered in Shura's arm causing a faint, red, lightingbolt shaped charge of power to suddenly emerge into the surrounding air. The painful resistance of energy not only scared Rin to tears and send her scrambling backwards, it effectively dragged Shura's unwilling mind to the plain of semi-consciousness. Startled and dazed, the she-demon first reacted with a single, high-pitched yip of alarm. Then, when the agony in her arm persisted, her single note turned rapidly to whimpers, and soon after to full-out cries. The noise was a terrible blend of a canine's howl of pain and a human's plead of mercy, and it made the four mortals watching shrink in distress. Jaken practically came to the point of throwing a fit while Shippo and Kirara put forth their best effort to shield their sensitive ears from the din. Even Inuyasha, for only being semi-conscience himself groaned out in his friends direction in the hopes that they would do something to make his niece's wailing stop. Then suddenly, amidst Shura's howls, Rin's whimpers, and Jaken's uncoordinated tirade of sheer panic, a new noise sounded, and it came from a most unexpected source.
"Mm…master?" questioned Jaken when a loud growl of distress reverberated from Sesshomaru's throat. Moments later the dog lord's eyelids flickered and after what seemed like a great effort, two half-glazed golden irises greeted the anxious imp. "Master!" Jaken crooned in a mixed note of amazement and relief "You've awakened!" The little demon's observation didn't seem to interest Sesshomaru, for he was clearly focused on another voice. With slow, painful movements and even more growls, the dog lord instinctively started to inch his body in the direction of Shura's cries. The movement aggravated his wounds terribly; blood soaked clean through the bandages on his chest making Jaken's already wide eyes bulge out even further.
"Milord please stop! You shouldn't be moving!" the imp pleaded desperately. But the dog lord ignored him. Keeping a grip on the boulder that had served as his backrest for support Sesshomaru gradually edged his bleeding frame forward until he came within reach of his daughter. Then, with agonizing stiffness the dog lord stretched out his arm until he was able to rest his clawed hand gently atop Shura's forehead. A fine trail of blood ran from his fingertips down the side of his child's face, but neither Sesshomaru nor Shura seemed to take any notice. Almost immediately the she-demon's cries of pain subsided at the whim of her father's familiar touch. Then, only after Shura was completely still and calm did Sesshomaru allow himself to sink down into the soft grass next to her and cast his mind yet again into a deep, pain-numbing sleep.
Things didn't have time to quiet down after that, for no sooner had the two dogs settled another shadow passed overhead. This one boasted close to a ten-foot wingspan, making Zala cower in distress. Everyone else however showed little concern over the approaching dragon demon…except that is for Jaken. Still distraught over his master and Shura's conditions the little imp was just itching to take out his frustration on someone, and being that Matyeo was still in essence a subordinate to Sesshomaru, that made him the ideal target.
"It's about time you showed up Matyeo! Honestly the importance! Gallivanting about while Master Sesshomaru and Lady Shura are in need of care! Why I have half a mind to…" the little demon shrieked, and probably would have continued to do so for hours had the landing gust from Matyeo's wings not sent him sprawling a good five feet.
Once on the ground the dragon lord's eyes immediately fell upon the source of the imp's distress. Naturally he was rather shocked to note that by some miraculous endeavor Sesshomaru had not only managed to reopen all his wounds, but also reposition himself a good three feet away from where the dragon had first left him.
"erh… foolish hound," Matyeo grumbled under his breath while he approached the still bleeding dog lord "I told him not to move."
Lowering himself to a crouch Matyeo swiftly split open his mentor's bandages with a ready claw so that he might inspect the damage Sesshomaru had done to himself. All three of the monstrous gashes along his chest were oozing blood and the tissue around them had become raw and inflamed. Frowning the dragon reached into a small pocket hidden on the inside of his shirt and extracted from it an assortment of seeds. Then with his thumb and forefinger he plucked one from the pile. A slight jolt of elemental energy was all it took to start the seed germinating. Then after replacing the other seeds back safely in his shirt the dragon used his free hand to dig a shallow pit in the earth, into which he promptly buried the flourishing seedling. Placing his palm overtop the patch of dirt Matyeo intensified his demonic influence until a healthy, full grown and rather large leafed sprig wound its way up through the soil. The herb was a potent hemostat, effective for stubborn wounds but little else. Delicately the dragon plucked some of the bigger leaves and after splitting them open set them across Sesshomaru's wounds. A faint fizzing, and a decrease in the smell of fresh flowing blood rapidly informed Matyeo the remedy was working. Now all that remained was to blend a salve that would cool and sooth the remainder then apply a fresh set of bandages.
Rising wearily the dragon scanned the area in search of ah-un, or more specifically, the buckskin satchel full of healing recopies, tools and linens Shura kept strong across the demon's twin necks for safe keeping. What he found instead however, was the unfamiliar face of a young mortal woman sitting nervously among Sango and Miroku's gathering. At present the raven-haired newcomer was blending some rather potent smelling herbs in a large bowl until they formed a creamy substance that mimicked the color and texture of pasticcio pudding.
"I see we have a guest," remarked the dragon in a friendly tone. The woman's brown eyes flashed with momentary panic.
"You'll need to forgive me honorable demon…." she squeaked as she tried, rather unsuccessfully to conceal herself further behind the observing Miroku. "I came only to bring some herbs for the injured she-hound, but the monk insisted I stay."
"Is that a fact," mused Matyeo calmly "Well then dear lady, consider yourself in safe company." His remark, Matyeo sensed had eased the woman slightly, but her tensely coiled mind revealed she was still apt to remain cautious. Though considering her circumstances…the dragon could clearly understand why.
Fanning his ears lightly as a stress release, the dragon quickly turned his focus back to the dog monarch, still sleeping peacefully by his feet. Now that they had stopped bleeding his wounds looked better, nevertheless Matyeo was glad Sesshomaru wasn't perceiving pain.
"Ah-un," the dragon chirped in his own tongue so that he might gain the beasts attention faster. A duel set of grunts sounded simultaneously from the mount, who in his hunger had traveled beyond the shrouded thicket to graze on tender saplings "come." Matyeo's command was simple, as they needed to be for labor-bred demons.
"We come," Replied the beast. Sure enough within a minute the horse-sized demon lumbered through the foliage.
"Good." Matyeo made sure to offer his praise when greeting the creature. Then after slipping the healers satchel from around Ah-un's two necks Matyeo bid him to continue his grazing. The beast, always eager to please, left without question. Though it was obvious from his slower-then-normal gate he was worried for his master and Shura, ah-un also recognized that such was not the time for him to be getting in the way.
Digging through his friend's menagerie of artifacts, the dragon eventually found several clean rags, and fresh bandages. All he needed now was to convince the newcomer to share some of her herbal mix…
"Here," sounded a small voice suddenly from seemingly out of nowhere. Matyeo glanced down to see Shippo holding a small bowl of mint-green gel at arms length. The fox cub's face was plastered with a half-repulsed, half drunken grimace, and his cheeks were unusually flushed. "Zala told me to give this to you…. but you might want to be careful…it stinks really bad…." Matyeo nodded, and took the bowl, only to realize seconds later the truth to the fox's words. The herb mix, for its rather harmless looking exterior, landed a powerful kick to the senses. The fumes in essence, had the same intoxicating potential as catnip did for felines, however said nip was not nearly as species selective or as pleasing to the nose.
"Wow, these are some strong demon herbs," the dragon mumbled to himself after quickly covering his nose with a sleeve to avoid falling over. "They should work real well…tell Miss Zala I said thank you." Not wanting to prolong his exposure to the vapors Matyeo ended the conversation there and quickly set to work applying the salve/demonic-nip to Sesshomaru's wounds. The herb's effect was amazing. Matyeo could see improvements even in the short span it took him to place the bandages. And at that kind of pace, the dragon surmised, Sesshomaru would probably be up and moving within the next few hours.
Meanwhile as all this was going on Sango suddenly became struck with a thought, which she promptly voiced out, to the dragon while he worked.
"Hey Matyeo, you come from the northlands right?"
"Mmm hmmm," muttered the dragon with a nod while he placed the final bandage.
"So have you ever heard of a settlement that fosters humans and demons together?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere and it caught Matyeo a little by surprise.
"Yes, actually I have," the dragon replied at last after he had finished repositioning and covering Sesshomaru.
"Really? You have!" Zala's voice rang out suddenly with surprising enthusiasm. The dragon offered a smile.
"It fringes my palace," was all he said, but ever-perceptive Miroku was quick to figure him out.
"So what you're saying…is that you built it."
"I did." the dragon confessed, trying hard to mask a note of pride. Now Zala's eyes widened. No doubt, had she not been days away from delivery, the woman probably would have thrown herself at Matyeo's feet.
"Please…noble demon…" the girl begged with as much of a bow as she could safely manage "will you permit me to stay there?"
"You and your child are most welcome Zala," replied the dragon warmly in a tone that almost seemed to say, "Though you really didn't need to ask."
Elated, but not eager to press her luck, Zala managed to compress her expressions of thanks into a single nod and a tender smile.
"umm…milord…" an unsure squeak from Rin made the dragon shift his focus. The little girl, practically invisible amongst the barrage of scents and other distractions was still kneeling alongside Shura. "I think she's waking up," informed the girl quietly. Taking cautious steps the dragon maneuvered over to where Rin was sitting and lowered himself into a crouch. He had been prepared to tap the she-dogs mind and push her back to sleep, but a quick glance over his friend abruptly changed his plan.
Shura was flushed in the cheeks and her breaths were starting to come in pants. Resting a hand to his friend's forehead Matyeo felt his palm burn from an abnormal heat.
"Teo…" the dragon heard Shura mutter weakly. At least she was aware enough to recognize his scent "I'm so cold…" the dragon frowned. As he suspected a fever had ravaged his friend's mind as well as her body, leaving her psyche too frail and unsteady for telepathic therapy.
"It's just the poison Shur," he replied gently "It's making you think you're cold, but you're getting overheated."
At about that point Zala and Sango started to come near, the bowl of mint-colored slave at the ready. The dragon found himself forced yet again to cover his nose with a ready sleeve for fear of keeling over.
"Here, use this," Zala insisted, "I added in a fever reducer,"
"That's…very kind of you milady," came Matyeo's somewhat stifled reply, then the dragon turned once more to his friend, who had fixed him with an almost desperate stare "did you hear that Shura? Sango and Zala brought you some medicine." As he spoke Matyeo started to back away, not wanting to remain near the herbal concoction that was screwing with his head or in plain sight of Shura while she received treatment. But he didn't get far. The instant Shura realized he was beginning to retreat she gave an incredible lurch and seized hold of his sleeve with her uninjured hand.
"Please," the she demons voice was shrill and almost to the point of panic "please…don't leave me!"
Matyeo, now quite beside himself, hesitated nervously. Politeness dedicated that he leave, but Shura sounded so agitated…
"As you wish," the dragon relented with a sigh. Taking a seat on the ground Matyeo had thought he positioned himself at a safe distance to avoid any…awkwardness. But apparently he hadn't anticipated Shura would go to such great lengths just to be near him…. what her fever-bound mind saw as her only source of safety and comfort. After a few brief moments of oh- crap-now-what-do-I-do-syndrome Matyeo eventually settled into a quiet sit, the she-demon resting rather contently in his lap with belly exposed and head nestled ageist his abdomen. Sango and Zala didn't seem to care, seeing as how Shura's wounds were still accessible and she was staying calm, they had no reason to disapprove. Still, throughout the procedure the dragon tried with all his might not to breathe in the sensory-numbing herbal vapors or let his eyes start to wonder to places they shouldn't…but in the end, though the act was subtle, he found himself unable to resist on either count.
As they had with Sesshomaru, Zala's herbs acted with incredible swiftness. Shura's fever dropped before the she-demon herself even fell back asleep, which happened not five minutes into the treatment process. Even Matyeo for all his efforts, eventually became slave to the herb's intoxicating effect. By the time Sango and Zala were finished with Shura the dragon was snoring just as heavily as the she-dog in his arms.
"You called for me my queen?" a young voice rang out in Mura's expansive chamber, distracting the queen from her work. Shying only a glance in acknowledgement the lead blackwing pressed on with her current task, gazing keenly into a hovering viewing portal she had just fashioned and adjusting its power so that it might reveal the target she desired.
"Kusoa," the witch queen spoke without even moving "how long has it been?"
"My lady?" questioned the fair-faced young blackwing with a bit of confusion.
"Since I began your training," to that Kusoa could offer a confident reply.
"Ten years milady,"
"And in that time you've become almost a daughter to me…" Mura cooed, almost manically. It was a tone young Kusoa had long come to recognize.
"What is it you would have me do my queen?" inquired the girl with a dutiful edge and a submissive bow. Now Mura turned from her spell and gazed down at her most astute and loyal apprentice. The girl was still little more then a juvenal in body, but in mind and talent she was truly one of the gifted; a prodigy to her rank.
"There is a band of travelers, mortals and demons, journeying toward the north dragon's castle. Among them is a demoness, fare in features, with the talents of a sorceress and the soul of a hound."
"Aye," the young witch nodded in understanding.
"I want you to destroy her, use any means necessary," Mura informed with an unwavering expression.
"As you wish," Kusoa replied with another dip of her head "I will go at once," that said the young witchling rose and swiftly departed to carry out her mistress's orders. Mura just watched as she left. It was almost disappointing…having to sacrifice such a tenacious and well-trained fighter. But for her effort to work, to lure her daughter's latent darkness into full potency, the girl would need to be weak in body and unguarded in spirit. And for that, Mura had no choice but to send a pawn that would be strong enough to endure the she-hounds wrath until that point could come. Kosoa's defeat was inevitable, but it was a loss Mura was more then willing to endure if it meant gaining the loyalty and power of her true heir.
Glancing back into her portal Mura refocused her energy and continued to scan for the mental signature she desired.
"Ah, there you are," the witch cooed at last when the familiar energy echoed across her iridescent window. The trace was faint, dissolved in heavy sleep, but not so much it could elude her keen mind. "Sesshomaru. Since my powers are ineffective against our young whelp's mind, I'll just to lean her greatest fear from yours instead, " the witch crooned deviously, all the while scanning until she found the tag he had left in his psyche so many years ago-on that fated night. The spot was faint, nothing more then a pinprick of her energy embedded within the caverns of his mind, but it was all the opening Mura needed. With her keen talents even such a tiny infusion was enough to provide an unguarded passage into the great dog's psyche. And with him sleeping so heavily, Sesshomaru would perceive her telepathic tapping as nothing more then a dream…or more appropriately a nightmare.
"Let us see what haunting memories you have tried to lock away," Mura mused with a slight cackle as she slipped past Sesshomaru's mental barricades and into his most hidden memories. The first of many images appeared across Mura's spell-portal- a juvenal Sesshomaru with a pained expression standing quietly by in the shadows as his father departed to visit his mortal lover, then later wearing the same expression as he stood over his father's grave- no, that was to early. Mura scanned swifter, unable to resist a smirk when a twenty-year younger version of herself popped briefly into view. Still not there…
"Pappa! Help me!" The witch queen froze when a childish voice cascaded from the portal. It was the cry of her daughter- a horrendous sound she still despised. Sneering the witch queen watched closer as the next, painful memory from Sesshomaru's past unfolded before her eyes. Her child was a toddler in this one, appearing around three or so. A band of demon trappers had bound her with snares and were struggling to keep her from escaping. "Please! Help!" the young girl continued to cry, but with no response. Mura's eyes widened a bit. As the memory continued to play she caught the briefest glimpse of Sesshomaru. He was standing concealed in nearby foliage watching the entire event with clenched fists, but that was all. He was letting the girl be captured!
"ha! Sesshomaru you stupid mutt, you've made this too easy," declared the witch in utter delight. A quick tap to the luminescent memory mirror broke the spell, and her secret link with Sesshomaru simultaneously, and soon after the witch broke into a fit of maniacal laughter.
It would only take one spell to coax her daughter's mind into darkness, but timing was critical. Not until Cusoa weakened her child could she put her strategy into effect. Until then, there was nothing more she could do but wait…