Chapter 34
With a strong push of encouragement the heavy doors slowly creaked open at Matyeo's command. The inside of the building was practically as expansive the exterior. A labyrinth of staircases and doorways greeted the anxious guests, as did exquisite tapestries and other decorations. Just like with the outside, this building was swarming with care-attendants, however the population of demon faces was far greater. This fact, and the sheer number of workers present indicated to those watching that this building was an area reserved solely for guests and the servants that would tend to them.
"I hope you will find this space adequate," the dragon said after he was sure he had regained his stunned followers' attention. But before anyone could utter a comment an unknown voice sounded without warning distracting everyone's attention.
"Master!" the youthful newcomer cheered as they lept from the nearest flight of stairs and landed heavily into Matyeo's arms. "You have finally returned home to us!" The dragon nearly lost his balance as the weight struck him, but when he finally re-composed himself it was revealed the source of the call was a scrawny female wolf demon.
"Hello Merka," Matyeo greeted the young pup as she clung tightly around his neck. "I'm sorry if I made you all worry." The wolf demon, a runt with steel-gray hair and furred garments to match just smiled widely.
"Master, me keep palace safe while you away, no need for others to worry!" she proclaimed enthusiastically. Matyeo just laughed.
"Of course, how could I have forgotten?" Glancing beyond her master's shoulder Merka went to work scanning over the score of new faces. When her gaze fell on Shura however, her smile along with her lavender eyes grew unusually wide.
"Can it be? Master has finally brought female pair-bond home to join us! What a happy day this is!" Squirming from Matyeo's arms the young demon scampered to where a confused Shura was standing before flattening her body to the ground in classic canine submission.
"Greetings mistress, I am Merka a daughter of the eastern wolf tribe. Help protect you and your puppies I will. Until my last dieing breath."
Shura flushed heavily at the suggestion, but even more at the looks she was receiving from her uncle and his friends.
"It's a very kind offer…" Shura at last replied as politely as she could manage, "but I'm afraid I'm only here as a guest." Far from being discouraged, the young wolf-demon rose and shifted her submissive gestures to an almost repugnant glare.
"Your words cannot hide what your eyes show clear to me," Merka announced matter-of-factly. "You are my master's chosen bond-mate, my instincts have told me so."
"Merka! That will be quite enough," Matyeo finally interjected. Although is face didn't reflect the embarrassment as vividly as Shura's did, his suddenly flustered speech was proof enough of his humiliation. "I'll not… have you showing such disrespect!"
Seeing her master's displeasure, Merka immediately shifted her submissive cues in his direction.
"Forgive me Master. Acted with great rudeness did I. Never again will it happen, I promise."
"I would hope not," Matyeo replied, his composure slowly returning. "Now please inform the others that there will be eight new additions that need rooms and attendants." The she-wolf dipped he head.
"Yes Master," she responded dutifully. Rising to her feet the young wolf-demon swiftly disappeared into a nearby doorway, only to return moments later with four servants in toe. Three were women, and of them two were young mortal girls. The third was a mink demon with soft brown eyes and dust colored hair; though at first glance such a fact was difficult to spot. A weaselish tail was, in fact, the only feature that seemed to identify her and her husband, the darker haired forth servant, as demons at all.
After introducing themselves the four servants politely gestured for their appropriate party to follow. Kagome and Sango, much to Miroku's disappointment, were summoned by the two mortal girls and Shura by the female mink. Because Inuyasha and Miroku, in the general scheme of things would require less "maintenance" then the female members of their party, the pair of them were placed in the male demon's care. Merka, already designated as Rin's caregiver during her stay, volunteered to tend to the groups remaining members as well. And although Jaken stubbornly refused to go along with the likes of Shippo, Kirara and Rin, Shura just as stubbornly refused to let him to stay with her while she got cleaned up.
As the servants and their followers all started off in different directions Matyeo made one final announcement.
"I will start work on the protection charms while you freshen up. If you wish to join me later, I'll be in the depths of the main palace. Your attendants know the way."
That said the dragon turned and exited, leaving his guests alone to enjoy their much needed pampering.
After an hour of digging through his ancestors' research Matyeo set to work on the painstaking process he had indebted himself to. The procedure was precise and tedious: first the ingredients had to be finely ground, and then the contents simmered in the blood Sityra had granted at a completely uniform and constant temperature until the moisture evaporated. Then, without contaminating the remains, the resulting black, doughy substance had to be super-heated with dragon fire, and then chilled almost immediately. Following these steps the base be handled and crafted into shapes one could wear, but there were still rituals needed to make them complete. The objects had to be further adapted so they would bind to their specific owner.
But despite a seemingly endless list of potential errors, the rewards for a job done correctly were well worth the trouble. For the duration of their magical life, beyond shielding one's mind from unwonted telepathic intrusion, the magic-resistant charms would also grant the holder immunity to even the most powerful curses and spells. It was a desire for this temporary invincibility against sorcery-users that had driven Matyeo's ancestors to create such detailed records, and thankfully for the dragon lord, this was one of the few forging projects his father had been able to teach him as an adolescent, before betrayal left him an orphan.
By midday, Matyeo had finished the job. Nine condensed, quarter-shaped, charms the color of soot and around a half-inch thick rested atop the polished cooling stone, each infused with their future owners' unique signature via a single strand of their hair. Thus far, six of the objects would be granted to Inuyasha and his party, leaving three unaccounted for. As a courtesy, the dragon decided that Sesshomaru should also receive one, even if the dog lord would probably refuse to use it on principle. Shura, naturally, was also on his list, but for reasons extending beyond a token gesture. As for the eighth and final piece Matyeo strategically opted to craft that one for himself, so that if the need arose, he could protect Sesshomaru and his daughter from the witches that conspired against them.
As he leaned over the cooling stone and took a final glance at the finished results of his hard work a familiar half-demon's voice sounded suddenly from behind.
"So here you are," sure enough when the dragon glanced up, Inuyasha's golden-eyed countenance was visible just beyond the arch-shaped doorframe. Behind him, the dragon could also vaguely see to more figures, which he quickly identified as Miroku and the two gentlemen's mink escort.
"The charms are finished, but they will require many more hours to cool and solidify," the dragon informed wearily and without even thinking. It was difficult to tell from his expression if the news pleased or annoyed Inuyasha, but from Miroku, there was no question.
"Thank you for your help Matyeo," the monk responded politely. "We really appreciate all the work you've done."
"Compared to the quest you and your friends have undertaken, my work is trivial at best," Matyeo politely reminded. "I only wish I could do more."
"For now I think, you've done enough," Miroku replied with a courteous smile. "You should go and rest yourself." Matyeo smiled wearily at the suggestion of sleep, but it was a fleeting gesture.
"There will be no rest for me tonight I'm afraid," the dragon chuffed with a bit of humor to try and mask the reasoning. But Miroku caught on.
"Why is that?" pressed the monk. Caught in a corner, Matyeo let out a heavy sigh of defeat.
"Well I didn't want to say anything earlier…but tonight is the annual gathering of the dragon clans. In theory the leaders and their kin come so that they may honor my assent to power. But there's been a lot of growing tension among the clans so I hope to use the evening for other purposes."
The dragon paused and massaged between his tired eyes. The thought of the impending gathering was already giving him a headache. Every year for the past twenty things had been the same. His four alliances would support his efforts, whilst the remaining four less-cohesive clans would chastise them. The lot of them would disagree with one another's reasoning, arguments would break out, and the clans would depart even more divided then before.
"In any case," the dragon went on, turning his gaze back to the trio of listeners, "you may attend if you wish Inuyasha and Miroku, seeing as how you and your friends are my guests. But I must warn you to be mindful. Not all of the dragon clans agree with my affiliations with…." The dragon paused as if searching for the right word. "Other clans," he finally finished hesitantly.
"Well I see no harm in coming," Miroku put in before Inuyasha could say otherwise. "But we should discuss the matter further with Sango and Kagome first."
"Fine," huffed Inuyasha, his hope of avoiding the upcoming event waning by the second. "And as long as we're back that way we'll tell Shura too."
"Oh She already knows," Matyeo interrupted once again without thinking. Only after he had spoken did the dragon cringe. Despite the fact that, if there was one good thing to say about the evening, it was that he wouldn't have to travel to seek refuge in Shura's company as he was typically accustomed, inquiring minds didn't need to know that little detail.
Embarrassed by his slip the dragon quickly added "but you might as well inform Jaken, so that he may relay the invitation to Master Sesshomaru when he returns."
"I think it sounds fun!" Kagome voiced with a note of excitement when Miroku relayed the invitation announcement. "Don't you Inuyasha?" The girl looked hopefully in the half demon's direction from between her long strands of still drying hair. Inuyasha and Miroku were both sitting in the adjoining half of Kagome and Sango's suit-style room. But even from that distance the girl could see Inuyasha turn up his nose in disapproval.
"Please. Like I'd really want to hang out with a bunch of snooty dragons," came his unenthusiastic reply. Kagome frowned in annoyance and crossed her arms making the clean white fabric of her tunic-style robe stretch as taught as her face.
"Oh come on! It's not like we have anything better to do until the charms are done!" she protested. "Besides, I think we could all use a chance to relax." Nearby, also draped in a robe with hair unbound and dripping, Sango nodded in eager concurrence.
"I agree with Kagome," she put in. Still, the half demon remained unconvinced leaving it up to Miroku to shift the tides—which of course the festivity-loving monk was more then happy to do.
"In any case, Inuyasha," Miroku added as he changed to a guaranteed Inuyasha-proof strategy. "With so many dragons coming from different areas, its possible that one of them might know where to find Naraku, or some more jewel fragments." That fact sent Inuyasha into grumbling.
"I suppose," he finally mumbled reluctantly after a long moment of debate with himself.
"Then it's settled!" Kagome cheered happily as she stood "Lets go tell Matyeo." As the girl and her friends gradually filed towards the doorway a timid voice spoke out.
"Once you've returned, we'll help you with your garments and hair," Kagome's young servant offered politely from nearby. Kagome giggled a little with embarrassment.
"Oh yea, I guess we will need to dress nicely won't we," she mused more to herself then anyone. "Okay then, that sounds good," the girl called behind her to the servant as she, Sango and the boys left the room and headed towards the exit.
Before long they had reached the outside and from there started in the direction of Matyeo's main stronghold. All four friends were surprised, however, when another familiar face crossed their path. Descending noisily from the sky was a three-eyed bull, and resting atop his back was the smart-mouthed old swordsmith to whom the animal belonged.
"It's Totosai," Kagome noted aloud as the steer reached the ground nearby.
"What does he want?" questioned Inuyasha.
Hopping from his mount the old man paused when he too recognized the approaching company.
"Well hello Inuyasha. I wasn't expecting to see you here," the swordsmith commented "How's the Tetsusaiga handling?"
"Fine I guess," the half demon replied for lack of a better answer. "I finally got the power to break through barriers."
"Ah, that's good." The old man praised.
"So, what brings you all the way out here Totosai?" Miroku was next to inquire.
"Well actually," the swordsmith started to respond, but a distant voice interrupted.
"Well now, if it isn't Totosai. Its good to see you again." The call was Matyeo's and sure enough moments later the dragon ruler strode into view.
"Hello Matyeo," Totosai returned cheerfully. "I'm glad to see you're still alive after so many battles." The dragon smiled broadly.
"Alive and well thank you," he replied. "But you have come an awful long distance. Tell me, what business compelled you to travel so far?"
"I have a delivery here for you," the swordsmith informed. As he spoke Totosai reached for a sword resting across his steer's back. The blade was tucked in an elegant black scabbard embroidered with silver threads that looked a lot like demon hair. Matyeo meanwhile just stared in confusion.
"I think you are mistaken Totosai, I commissioned no sword from you," the dragon offered as politely as he could.
"Don't see how you could have, considering this was made as a gift." The swordsmith returned a bit smugly as he held out the weapon for the dragon to inspect.
"A gift?" Matyeo questioned curiously. "From who?"
"She didn't give a name," responded Totosai whilst the dragon lifted the blade from his hands "All I can tell you is she was a very elegant demoness and she gave me specific instructions that I craft a sword from her fangs and present it to you exactly on this date."
At once Matyeo's eyes softened and the bewilderment of before seemed to melt from his face.
"Ah I see. Well thank you Totosai for honoring her request." Smiling warmly the dragon gripped the sword's handle and pulled the blade smoothly from its protective case. The single-edged sword was long and elegant, similar to those used by samurai, but with a slightly wider blade. The weapon's surface, though mostly silver, also carried faint traces of iridescent blue's, teals and purples, as if the colors had been worked into the metal and fang. The surface where the fang met the handle was round and flat, as expected for the sword's style, but it carried a small trim of silver fur, not unlike Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. Finally, tied securely both above and below the hilt it in a decorative fashion was two thin strips of black leather, each sporting a silver and black tipped feather at the end. Overall the piece was exquisitely detailed and it was obvious that Matyeo reveled in the idea that the weapon was now his.
"It's a beautiful blade," the dragon cooed as he took one last glance over the sword's surface before replacing it in its case.
"Mm hmm. That it is." Totosai nodded in agreement and scratched his chin. "You know this is just my opinion," the swordsmith went on a bit suggestively, "but…such a gift usually isn't given lightly."
Matyeo, who had taken to tying the scabbard to his belt glanced up momentarily at the comment and offered a light laugh of amusement.
"Don't look too much into it fang crafter," he mused. "The demoness who ordered this sword's creation is my respected companion," the dragon went on before adding quietly and with a distinct hint of sadness "…nothing more." To that, the old man took a bold step forward, and in typical Totosai fashion started another one of his blatantly critical ranting sessions.
"Well of course! And with an attitude like that it's no surprise!"
Far from being used to the old man's frank attitude Matyeo was left a bit befuddled and somewhat embarrassed.
"I don't see how its your concern," he at last managed to respond sternly enough. But it was to late. Totosai had already deemed it necessary to make a point, and no force, demon or otherwise would stop him.
"You dimwit dragon!" the old man barked. "Opportunity practically bangs down your door and all you do is complain about the noise!"
Matyeo took in a deep breath, his patience with the old man obviously waning.
"What exactly are you suggesting I do then swordsmith? Seeing as how you're so knowledgeable," the dragon inquired in an effort to turn the tides of attention. Unfortunately the question was left unanswered.
At what had to be the worst possible moment, a familiar demon lord's voice sounded out, interrupting the swordsmith's chance to reply.
"I'd suggest you watch how you answer Totosai, that is my daughter you speak of." Sure enough, when gazes fell in the voice's direction, there was Sesshomaru. The demon lord was leading Ah-Un along the foyer in the group's general direction, but he paused to cast a suspicious eye on both Totosai and Matyeo.
"Da..daughter!" the old man stammered, his budging eyes growing even wider. Matyeo nodded slowly his body stiffening with each pace Sesshomaru took towards them.
"Pappa? Is that you?" Shura's call sounded suddenly from her upper story bedroom window breaking her father's tension just before things turned ugly. Moments later her robed silhouette appeared within the open window frame. At present she toweling out the bathwater from her hair and ears, but she quickly shifted focus when she saw the rather large audience returning her stare. "Uh, did I miss something?" As she spoke the she-demon scanned over the assortment of demons and humans. When she came to Totosai, however, Shura immediately cringed with dread.
"Oh… master Totosai er..uh…what a pleasant surprise…" she tried to correct innocently, but to no avail. Her little family secret was out. And judging from the swordsmith's gaping jaw, her lineage would make business dealings with him a lot more tedious. "Well, it looks like I've blown my own cover," she observed with a huff. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my relations earlier Totosai, but as you might have guessed my father's reputation has a tendency to speak before I get the chance." Shura paused momentarily when a metallic glint caught her eye. A blade was resting across Totosai's steer, and thought she couldn't see it entirely it was too familiar to ignore. "Is that my sword?"
Totosai took a few steps backwards until he was within an arms length of the blade in question. Then he scowled bitterly.
"Nice try but you can forget it! I won't responsible for the damage! Eahh…" the old man shuddered heavily, "gives me the willies just thinking about it! What a sword like this could do in the hands of a demon that shares Sesshomaru's blood…" To that, Shura rolled her eyes and tossed up her hands in annoyance.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about." The exasperation in Shura's voice was obvious and it made Matyeo leer slightly at the swordsmith. The blade, after all, was one of his original creations, not Totosai's. The dragon was about to politely bring up the overlooked detail when a small voice distracted him. In the balcony, Shura's attention shifted also as Rin bounded into her room with arms outstretched in greeting.
"Yay Shura! You're back!" the girl's elated, girlish squeal reached Shura just as swiftly as her zooming eight-year old body. The young girl's charge nearly toppled Shura to the floor.
"Woah careful!" Shura warned, having to brace to catch her balance. Then with a graceful scoop, the she-demon hoisted the child to her hip so that she too was visible to those watching. Rin had been dressed that morning in a silky white Kimono with elegant red poinsettias patterns decorating the fabric. A matching red belt held the outfit in place.
It was a cute look for her, but not as cute as her happy smile.
"I missed you sooooo much!" the child exclaimed as she threw her arms around Shura's neck and squeezed tightly. Shura's face paled for a second before her throat gave way to a series of muffled coughs.
"Akh…easy now," she reprimanded, forcing Rin to loosen her grip. "I've only been gone for little over a day." The little girl nuzzled Shura's striped cheek, ignoring the wet strands of silver hair that fell in her face.
"It seemed like forever," she informed. Shura laughed lightly nosing the child on the forehead before turning back towards the window.
"Look there Rin," the she demon directed the girl's eyes to the crowd below. "Pappa's returned as well." Rin's face lit up happily when she saw the dog monarch and she waved to him in greeting.
"Hi lord Sesshomaru!" she called loudly making Shura pin her ears from the noise.
"Shall we go and greet him?" the she-demon asked quietly. Rin nodded vigorously. Smiling, Shura ducked from the window with Rin still in her arms and disappeared from view.
Meanwhile on the ground, Totosai's open-mouthed gape had stiffened to a genuine look of curiously and thought. His mind was no longer on Shura's sword; that thought had fleeted the instant he discovered whose heir she was. Rather it was her mannerisms, which had the fang crafter so intrigued. They were strangely reminiscent of the clan's former ruler; the great dog who had requested he fashion Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. Just from the look of her, and the type of weapon she had brought for him to fix, she was most likely a powerful nemesis. Yet her heart showed kindness and respect to fragile creatures….
A light tap on the skull roused Totosai from his thoughts and the swordsmith suddenly became aware of a fist pressing against his crown. Glancing over Totosai found Matyeo poised for striking him over the head, but unlike Inuyasha, the dragon hadn't followed through quite so viciously.
"There now you see," the dragon chided, "shame on you for being so rude!" Totosai hung his head in defeat. At about that time the doors leading to the foyer creaked open a little and Shura slipped out, Rin still on her hip. A scrambling Jaken padded near her ankles anxious to beat Shura's stride and reach his master.
The she-demon passed and flitted a curious stare to each face before slipping into the gathering. Her gaze lingered for a long moment on a mysterious bundle wrapped in a brown animal hide resting atop Ah-un's haunches, but before she could inquire about it Totosai cleared his throat to gain her attention.
"I beg your pardon miss," the old man apologized, "here's the sword you asked me to repair." While he spoke Totsai pulled Shura's sword from the back of his steer and presented it to her. He paused as she set down the child in her arms, and then added, "I hope it is acceptable."
Shura took the weapon from Totosai and inspected it with a critical eye. The old man had been kind enough to make her a better holder, she noted, her gaze falling first to the sturdy, black dragon-hide piece which hugged a majority of the blade. It would fit comfortably across her back once she adjusted the matching shoulder straps. Holding tight to the hide with one hand Shura gracefully pulled her sword free with the other and held it aloft. Immediately, she noticed the blade had been reshaped to suit its new power source. Although still reaching about the same length as Inuyasha's empowered Tetsusaiga, Shura's sword no longer had the steep bowl shaped curve towards the tip. Instead the blade was straighter, sporting only a slight incline 3/4 of the way up from the base on lower cutting edge, and a small pointed ridge directly parallel on the blunt, upper edge. The angle directed the lower edge of the sword upward around 15 degrees giving the tip an especially thin and sharpened surface. The top edge of the blade had been adorned with a fine gold trim that fanned small, curly, tendrils through the metal on either side, giving the illusion of a flame. The handle was gold also— cross-shaped with hooked edges that followed the curve of the sword—with a black grip. Embedded in the center of the hilt just under where the blade joined, was the rainbow crystal Shura had given as a source of dragon power.
Keeping a tight grip on the sword Shura raised the blade higher and swept it gracefully through the air in a diagonal cut. A metallic whoosh and the rush of air played like a malady in her ears.
"It's perfect!" she exclaimed, beaming. Totosai harrumphed to himself, a smug smile tugging at his lips. Shura raised her sword and cast her eyes along the blade once more. A spark of mischief welled in her and an instant later she lunged at Matyeo.
Springing backwards Matyeo drew his own sword and countered Shura's strike with surprising reflex. The two blades growled as their surfaces collided, but neither demon wavered.
"I see you got my present," Shura noted with an impish smile as she came within a few inches of Matyeo's face. "So what do you think?"
The dragon smirked. Then with a ripple of strength shoved his weapon forward sending Shura staggering back a few paces. Stabbing swiftly Matyeo landed his sword along the curve of Shura's neck and left shoulder, the razor-edge just barely touching her exposed skin. Arching her head, Shura observed the blade carefully with her left eye but didn't dare move any further. After a few seconds Matyeo flashed a friendly grin at her and recoiled his sword.
"Its exquisite," he answered, replacing the sword in its case "thank you." Shura tossed back her hair playfully before sheathing her own sword.
"You're welcome."
In the background, Totosai cleared his throat loudly suddenly catching both demons' attention.
"I don't mean to be a bother, but it's usually customary for swords of my craftsmanship to receive titles…"
Both Shura and Matyeo smiled at the suggestion.
"Good idea," the she-demon agreed. Considering her sword had undergone such a drastic transformation it was only fitting that it receive a new name. But what to call it?
Beside her Matyeo was having the same dilemma. After a few moments of thought he finally proclaimed, "I think I'll call mine Anor." Shura smiled approvingly at the elegant sounding dragon-title— until that is, she remembered seconds later that the name was the dragon word for "beauty."
Blushing lightly, Shura made herself focus on trying to name her own sword. But nothing came to mind. Hard as she tried nothing seemed to sound right. Tossing her head from side to side Shura at let out a frustrated groan.
"I can't think of anything!" she admitted. Matyeo tapped his chin lightly.
"How about Duroza," he offered. It was another dragon word, one Shura didn't quite recognize with her still limited knowledge of the language. From what she could guess the translation was something to the extent of "by dragon" or "of dragon"—a little vague for a meaning— but it had a nice ring.
"Duroza," she repeated the name as if mulling over how it felt to say, "I like it."
"Well, if everything's all settled then, I'm afraid I must be on my way." Totosai interrupted.
Matyeo cast the old man a friendly eye as he hopped onto his mount.
"The gathering of the clans is tonight. You're welcome to stay if you like." The remark jolted a reminder into Kagome.
"Yeah! That's right! We're all going to be there too." The girl announced.
Totosai shook his head wearily.
"Thanks but no thanks. I know a few of those beasts who would sooner serve me on a platter then welcome me at their table. Besides, I have a long way to travel." Matyeo nodded in understanding.
"Very well then. Travel swiftly and safely." Nodding, Totosai urged his mount into the sky and gradually the pair of them drifted out of sight.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Matyeo shifted his attention to Sesshomaru.
"My invitation is extended to you and your kin as well, Master." The dragon relayed politely. Sesshomaru eyed him, but didn't answer. His thoughts seemed to be focused elsewhere, to some deeper recess in his psyche.
"Well I'll be there," Shura piped up, not even waiting for her father's approval, "and I'm not leaving Rin cooped up inside." Matyeo smiled and nodded with approval, but Shura didn't seem satisfied. "Pappa, I think you should come too," she informed with a faint hint of daughterly insistence.
At Sesshomaru's side Rin nodded in eager agreement and Jaken paused to ponder the idea.
When Sesshomaru finally spoke his words were distant. His gaze staring beyond where his eyes were focused—past Shura and Matyeo's faces to the scenery beyond.
"I see no harm in attending," he muttered quietly.