Chapter 30
"Queen Sityra" the scouting leader dipped to one knee and spread her large, silver-feathered wings in submission before her queen "we have returned with some prey you might find very interesting."
The queen witch gave a little curious smile, giving her distinctly aged face a childish quality. With her right hand she gestured to the scout at her feet indicating that she was permitted to lead the way. The silver-winged girl nodded and quickly proceeded to do just that. The queen witch followed gracefully, her black garments and matching hair flowing with every movement.
It didn't take the pair of them long to travel the length of the small, mountain edge clearing where the silverwing witch clan of one hundred plus members had taken up refuge. At the far corner of the camp, amidst the temporary, sorcery-fashioned huts rested one of many small caves the witches had excavated into the mountainside for shelter and storage. This particular cave was designed to house prisoners before their function, be it food or breeding, was carried out. There were several holding cells hollowed out of one wall and places for further restraint on the other and in the very back. The bars and shackles however were fashioned with spells and thus appeared as brightly colored wisps of unbreakable energy.
As the queen witch followed her scout into the cavern her sapphire eyes quickly scanned over the assortment of prisoners, all of who were still unconscious. Two mortals, one dressed as a demon slayer, and the other a monk, were confined in the first cell. A second cell held another mortal wearing demon garb and a young fox cub. On the floor lay a fourth mortal, a priestess with life threatening burns to the soul. To the left of her, bound to the wall were five demons. Furthest back was a feline and an imp both secured by means of sorcery fashioned collar and chain. Next to them was a white-haired dog monarch suspended to the wall at the ankles and his one available wrist. Following him was a fine-blooded dragon ruler suspended in a similar posture, and beyond him… the witch queen's eyes settled upon the final demon.
"Is there something wrong my queen?" inquired the scout when Sityra's eyes grew narrow and focused. The queen didn't answer right away, but instead approached the incarcerated she-dog bound to the wall. There was something about this demon's aura. Carefully the witch took hold of the she-demon's chin and tilted her head gently in various directions.
"This dog," she thought secretly to herself "she appears tame enough and yet…why do I feel so unnerved?" Sityra turned her gaze to the scout waiting patiently beside her. "Bring this demon to my chamber, I want to confirm something. After that you and your party may do with the others as you please," was all the queen said before departing in the direction of her roost. The scout grinned mischievously and after taking one final glance over the handsome dragon demon she released the female dog and carried her still motionless form in the direction of Sityra's cavern lair.
"Now then dog," Sityra murmured to herself as she spread the final powered ingredients into the crystalline urn and mixed them. "Let's just see if my suspicions about you are true." As she spoke the witch turned a curious eye to the she-hound dangling from the ceiling by means of brightly glowing ropes that held her wrists. Beneath her padded feet was the circular spell inscription Sityra had drawn using the dog-demons blood, and it was onto this pattern that she dusted the light-purple powder. Wispy-pinkish vapors rose up from the mixture shrouding the demoness's frame with a slight tint of color.
Nodding in approval Sityra took hold of her staff, an elegant structure sporting at its top a red orb held securely within the jaws of a wooden-carved panther head. Resting the staff base lightly to the incantation circle Sityra felt the influx of power as it resonated from her weapon into the spell. Almost immediately the she-dog started to react. Her body writhed this way and that in a serpentine manner. Her face scrunched up tightly, and her jaws widened in discomfort. Harsh snarls and indistinguishable notes of noise reverberated from her throat and her eyes went wide with anger. Then Sityra felt it, a harsh, blasting mental note that sounded with the same rage presently etched across the she-demon's tortured face.
"Release…me!" The message was forceful and it carried with it no trace of a canine heritage. This demand was from a witch demon.
"So it's true then." Sityra noted with a slight twinge of worry "You are Mura's heir." Again the voice echoed in her mind, bringing with it a mental sting that made Sityra brace.
"Yes. Now unbind me from this canine's conscience!" Sityra almost laughed.
"So you can take over the Mura's throne and return to slaughter me and the silverwings? I think not." Now the she-demon was truly growing angry, for when the voice replied it came not only through a mental link, but also strait from the demoness's parted fangs.
"You had better obey my demands…or else…" Sityra snorted and her eyes flashed with power.
"Or else indeed! You won't be so easily harping threats once I'm through with you." Sityra proclaimed. Then with eyes blazing she tapped deep into her staff's power and focused that energy on condensing the dark witch's soul that berated her. The she-demon roared in response. Her body thrashed violently in resistance while Sityra's spell continued, but in the end she was no match. The essence of her darkness, the witch's soul within her caved to the binding spell. When the enchantment was concluded all traces of Shura's blackwing heritage were sealed tightly and secured in the furthest regions of her mind, in the place where unwonted memories, fears and other undesirable things resided.
Satisfied with her work Sityra let out a little sigh and allowed her power levels to return to normal. Afterwards she cast tired eyes upon the she-dog still suspended from her ceiling. The demoness had gone limp and quiet, her ravaged body just barely able to withstand the strain. A pang of guilt raged in Sityra's chest at the sight. Mura's heir though she was, it didn't make hurting her any easier. Especially considering…
"Pappa…" a faint echo of a thought brushed against Sityra's psyche catching her attention "Uncle…Matyeo…Kagome…" the list went on, and with each name spoken came a clear mental picture of whom the name represented. Sityra recognized them as the group of prisoners. "I hope you're alright…" a final worried note from the she-hound faded from Sityra's mind. The witch queen's gaze turned soft, and in a rare moment of compassion she answered the girl telepathically.
"Don't worry, they're safe."
Zzzzching! Zzzching! The unpleasant sound of a solid mass slamming against a defensive barrier reverberated through Sesshomaru's ears, rousing his mind. Zzzching! Sesshomaru's nose twitched. The smell of his brother's blood and burned flesh filled his sinuses. Cracking open his eyes Sesshomaru's vision came to focus on a set of glowing-neon bars behind which stood a mortal Inuyasha. His brother was panting heavily. The fabric of his fire-rat shirt hanging in shreds about his blistering left shoulder. Behind him, close to tears, was the young fox. He was whining loudly, begging Inuyasha to stop. But Inuyasha didn't listen. Again and again he threw himself at the cage-bars, and each time they would spike with a terrible energy, throwing him backwards.
Opening his eyes wider Sesshomaru strained to move. A sharp jolt of pain in the wrist informed that he too was being held captive. Leering the dog lord shifted his gaze to get a better look at his surroundings. Matyeo was suspended to the wall close by with glowing restraints tied round wrists and ankles. The dragon's face was filled with suppressed worry.
"Don't try to move master," Matyeo warned him quietly after he noticed the silent observation, "the bonds will hurt more if you struggle." With all his effort Sesshomaru worked to relax his body until the biting in his wrist eased to a dull reminder. Then he quickly resumed his observations. Inuyasha was still charging his cage-bars, his mortal eyes ablaze with anger and dread.
"Please stop it Inuyasha!" cried the young fox "you're still hurt!"
"He's right Inuyasha, you kill yourself if you keep it up!" came the voice of the observant monk from a neighboring cell. Inuyasha just shook his head violently, causing his ebony locks to sway in all directions.
"They took Kagome!" he snapped almost rabidly "I've got to get out! I've got to save her!" Another body slam, and another charge of resistant energy from the bars sent Inuyasha crashing into the back of his cell's wall and from there the floor. This time he couldn't get himself to rise.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in disgust. It was repulsive enough seeing his brother fully mortal, but witnessing one of his human-born tantrums of emotion…it made his very skin crawl.
"Ah, so I see you've all awakened," an eerie female voice reverberated off the walls making everyone freeze. A winged, feminine outline stood in the cavern entryway. With sinuous movements she stepped inside. The light from everyone's glowing restraints bathed over her shoulder length silver hair and matching colored garments and wings, emphasizing her already seductive allure.
"A silverwing witch," Matyeo noted quietly "I though your clan was wiped out from the territory decades ago." the female demon's eyes flickered mischievously but only Sesshomaru seemed to notice.
"Ah, so you've heard of us then dragon," she mused, "how refreshing." Matyeo raised his eyebrows, uncertainty beginning to tug at his lips. The witch had started to come very close to him, much closer then he ever expected. And it was obvious that he didn't approve.
Sesshomaru kept his eyes steady when Matyeo glanced nervously in his direction.
"Don't panic," the dog lord thought as loudly as he could manage in the hopes the dragon might telepathically pick up on his vibrations. A coy smile had worked its way across the silverwing's face. With slow, deliberate movements she reached up and set her palm on the dragon's left cheek.
"Queen Sityra said I could do as I please with you…" she mewed "and now I think I will." Matyeo gulped hard. His body had gone rigid; every muscle coiled for flight, but there was nowhere he could run. All the while the witch pressed herself closer pinning him against the cavern wall. For a brief moment her sapphire eyes flickered revealing a hint of telepathic power. Then with cold insistence the witch pushed at Matyeo's mind trying to work past his elaborate mental barriers and influence his will to return her lustful affections.
Fear welled on the dragon's face. His eyes went wide, pupils fully dilated, and his ears pressed tightly to his head. Despite Sesshomaru's instruction the witch's physical and mental provoking had him on the verge of panic.
"No! Wrong! Help me!" Sesshomaru heard the dragon's anguished thoughts as they telepathically reached him. But to no avail. In his current fix he could do nothing to help his ward. Nothing except…
"Release him!" Sesshomaru barked a command that came not only from his throat but also through a stinging telepathic link to the distracted silverwing's unguarded mind. The effort was draining; especially since the dog lord's acquired clairvoyance was so limited. But it produced the desired outcome. The witch recoiled in surprise leaving Matyeo able to counter. Jerking his head sharply the dragon let out a horrendous snarl and lashed pointed fangs across the she-demon's palm that still rested on his cheek.
A horrible shriek sounded from the witch along with a flood of profanity. Angrily she clutched her bleeding hand and backed swiftly away from the still snarling dragon. Then with a hateful snear she averted her attention to the source of the disruption.
"Damn dog! I'll teach you!" she hissed. With blazing eyes and fangs bared the silverwing advanced ready to kill Sesshomaru where he stood. But before she could carry through another female voice sounded from the cavern entrance.
"Yanta!" The silverwing turned glaring.
"What?" she snapped, only to realize seconds later to whom she was speaking "oh…Queen Sityra… I didn't mean…" the queen witch made a gesture to the exit.
"Leave us," she ordered.
"Yes…of course…" Yanta stammered awkwardly before departing. Moments later the new witch stepped forward from the shrouded exterior revealing features that made Sesshomaru's eyes narrow. To the untrained eye she seemed as normal as any other witch. But for Sesshomaru this demon queen carried a face and manner that was hauntingly reminiscent. Had it not been for the distinct markings of age around the eyes and more civil choice of black-velvet attire the dog lord would have pegged her as Mura.
"Aren't you a bit far from home…blackwing," the dog inquired with a low grumble of distrust. The witch queen retorted with a smirk.
"I see your charming demeanor proceeds you, Lord Sesshomaru,"
In the background the still mortal Inuyasha had since abandoned his tactic of hurling himself at the cage bars and exchanged it for a long, angry tirade of demands, which he was presently yelling at the witch queen.
"What have you done with Kagome? Did you hear me? You'd better let me out of here…"
Annoyed at being interrupted Sityra set her sapphire gaze to the nagging mortal.
"Silence halfling!" she ordered, all the while making the slightest gesture with her left hand. In an instant Inuyasha's body went rigid, his jaws frozen in the midst of a yell. Naturally, Shippo was horrified by the scene.
"What did you do to him?" bawled the fox cub as he lept to his frozen friend's shoulder and tried to initiate a response.
"A mild curse," replied Sityra calmly, her concentration much improved without the incessant background noise "I'll remove it soon enough, young fox." That said the witch queen turned her attention back to Sesshomaru. Though she continued to gaze at him intently, her expression stayed tame, as did her posture. "Now then Sesshomaru, I don't know why you and your company have traveled so far, but be assured that as long as you refrain from harming my clan, yours will receive the same respect from us as long as you're here." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.
"I have no reason to trust a blackwing's assurance," he retorted frankly. To that Sityra's gaze grew stern, almost to a point that it mimicked Sesshomaru's.
"Don't be so sure," she replied firmly. Then for emphasis the witch motioned toward the cave entrance with her eyes indicating that said reason was, in fact, in her clan's nest grounds. A twinge of unease shone for a brief instant across Sesshomaru's face as the witch queen's implication settled in the pit of his stomach.
"What have you done with my daughter?" The dog lord growled dangerously.
"Agree to my armistice and I'll let you see for yourself," was all the witch said, making Sesshomaru's concern and anger grow. Beside him Matyeo was beginning to fidget, an indication that he too was genuinely worried.
After a long moment of stillness Sesshomaru finally relented. As much as it disgusted him, as much as he hated being bossed around, stubbornly refusing Sityra's contract wouldn't get him released any faster, nor would it help in finding Shura.
"Very well witch," the dog lord responded. Then, not even trying to mask his suspicion he added "but if any harm has befallen Shura…no spell in existence will keep me from taking your head." Sityra gave a nod.
"Fair enough," she agreed confidently. Then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers loudly. Immediately, the sorcery bonds holding Sesshomaru, Matyeo, Jaken and Kirara disappeared, as did the bars that trapped Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha. In the same instant the half-demon's curse also faded, leaving him a bit disoriented but otherwise unchanged.
"Inuyasha…are you okay?" muttered a still worried Shippo, but the fox's concern was brushed aside by the half-demon's still flaring temper. Sesshomaru might have agreed to a temporary truce but convincing him to do the same was an entirely different matter. Kagome was still missing.
"Listen witch, I don't care what kind of tricks and spells you know, I'll slit you're throat right here and now unless you tell me what you've done with Kagome!"
"Inuyasha?" a familiar, feminine voice sounded almost on cue catching everyone off guard. Sityra stepped aside revealing two new figures that had just entered the cavern behind her. The first figure was a large and rather handsome black panther with elegant wings and piercing yellow eyes. Atop his back rested the second figure, a fatigued but nonetheless healed Kagome.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha's eyes went wide and his jaw nearly hit the floor "You're okay!" Kagome slid from the animal's back and ran over to embrace Inuyasha and her comrades. The panther meanwhile, pushed against Sityra and let out an affectionate purr.
"Good work Kuromaru" the witch praised. The panther's body enveloped in blue flames for a brief moment revealing the demon's smaller, casual form; a black tabby with a lean frame, long legs, small narrow head and a "y" fork at the tip of its tail. Gracefully the cat leapt to Sityra's shoulder where he was praised further with a scratch under the chin. "Now then, " the queen addressed back to the group observing "if there are no further complaints, let us move along," Sityra made a point to place emphasis on the remainder of her sentence as she made an "after you" gesture towards the exit with her hands. Wary glances were exchanged amongst the Inuyasha group, and after a silent consensus Miroku stepped forward.
"If I may…" the monk inquired as politely as he could "I'm still finding it hard to understand. From what I hear, witches are always opportunistic when it comes to captives. So why exactly are you being so generous to us?" To that Sityra turned up her nose slightly.
"You intend to forge protection charms then take on the blackwing tribe am I right?" she asked, or rather stated. Again there was an exchange of glances. Though they were well aware that Sityra and the other witches had the ability to scan their minds, the thought of them actually doing it was still unnerving. Uneasily the monk nodded in confirmation on behalf of his friends. "Then it would be foolish of me to act otherwise considering we share a common enemy," the witch queen concluded. That said she turned slowly around towards the exit. To everyone's surprise her wings, though unnoticeable before while she had been facing them, had been savagely cropped at the ends. "And in any case…" the witch added softly "I promised my niece you'd be safe."