EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 10: The warlock
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Octavia awoke the next morning and was surprised to find that she wasn't in the forest anymore. She was lying on top of the covers in a large bed with a wooden frame. If not for the silk curtains that hung from the posts, it would have felt like a cage. Especially since whoever had placed her there hadn't bothered to tuck her in, simply opting to set her down and leave.
Sitting up, Octavia scrubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes. They were stiff from wear and covered in grass stains, which had transferred onto the crisp white sheets. Oops.
Pushing back the curtains, she climbed out of the bed and examined her new surroundings. She was in a reasonably sized, rectangular room that had two exits. One was a single door made of cedar, whilst the other was a shoji that seemed to lead outside, judging by the sunlight streaming in through the paper. The wall behind the bed contained a detailed painting of a mountain range. The fresh greens and soft blues contrasted nicely with the otherwise warm colour palette of the room.
Octavia smiled and wandered over to the low table opposite the bed. The surface was home to powder pots, tubs of rouge and kohl, sweet-smelling glass bottles, expensive-looking jewellery, and more. She reached for a glowing blue vial and sniffed it warily. It smelled like gingerbread. Shrugging, she tapped a couple of drops onto her wrists and rubbed them together.
She marched towards the shoji and slid them open. She was greeted by a gentle gust of wind. The room opened out onto an engawa several storeys above the ground. Directly below her was a lovely little pebble garden, and beyond that was a winding stream full of brightly coloured carp. A red curved bridge had been erected over the stream, leading to a second garden that was wilder than the first, complete with statues and a hedge maze. In the distance, Octavia saw an enormous bay outside the walls of the stronghold. Ships bobbed about in the water like titans, their sails dyed orange by the sunset. Was it really that late? How long had she been asleep?
Someone knocked on the door, dragging her attention away from the scenery. She exited the engawa and paused at the door. Her hand hovered over the handle. She contemplated not opening it when the knocking grew louder, and a familiar voice echoed through the wood.
"Octavia-san? It's me, Rin. Are you awake?"
She breathed a sigh of relief and turned the handle. Rin beamed at her from the hallway. Octavia's eyes widened. She looked so different. Instead of the sullied, unkempt hair of a girl who practically lived in the woods, Rin's hair was smooth and glossy, and her ponytail no longer resembled a horn. She wore a junihitoe with a blue outer layer and a purple train. Her eyelids had been coloured magenta – just like Sesshoumaru's – and her lashes were packed with kohl.
"Wow," breathed Octavia. "You look beautiful."
Rin's cheeks turned pink. "Thanks. It feels like I'm wearing a quilt, though."
Octavia stepped aside and invited Rin into the room. She hoisted up the many kimonos she was wearing and waddled inside. Her brows quirked in surprise as she passed Octavia, before she smiled and said, "You smell like wildflowers."
"Do I?"
"Uh-huh."
I thought I smelled like gingerbread.
"Sesshoumaru-sama told me what happened," Rin said. "I'm kinda jealous, Octavia-san. I've never seen a yosei. What was it like?"
"Pretty rude, honestly," she answered.
Rin giggled.
"Where is Sesshoumaru, by the way?" asked Octavia.
"He's with Cyril-kun. He's the warlock I told you about."
Octavia's pulse quickened. "Do you think he'll be able to help me?"
"I don't know. I hope so." Rin picked up the vial of liquid that smelt of gingerbread and pulled off the lid. She grinned and poured some onto her wrists. "This is torikkusutā," she said excitedly, showing Octavia the vial. "Sango-sama told me a bit about it, but I've never come across any myself. It's a fragrance that copies your favourite scent, so it smells different to everyone."
So that's why it smelled like gingerbread. Was that really her favourite scent?
Rin returned the vial to the table and turned her head towards the engawa. "Have you been outside yet? The ocean is so pretty at this time of day."
"It really is," agreed Octavia.
"Sesshoumaru-sama is lucky to own such an incredible place, isn't he?"
"He owns all of this?"
Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Being the Lord of the Western Lands sure does have its perks."
"You can say that again."
Did that mean there were other Daiyoukai that owned vast stretches of land like Sesshoumaru? If so, how many of them were there? Was there a demon emperor, as well? Her head swam with a hundred different questions, with the most prominent being: where did Rin fit into all of this?
"Why did Sesshoumaru make you his ward, Rin?" she asked as the girl motioned for her to sit and then dragged a comb through her knotted hair. "How did you meet?"
Rin's cheery expression faltered. "I lost my family when I was very young. I lived alone in a village that wanted nothing to do with me. Not that I could really blame them. I was a menace and a thief. It wasn't the beatings that bothered me, though. What bothered me was how insignificant I was. No one would've missed me if I died. No one cared."
Octavia could feel a lump forming in her throat.
"I first encountered Sesshoumaru-sama in the forest next to the village," she continued. "He was badly injured, so I tried to help him, but he refused to eat the food I brought him. At first, I wondered if he was even real. Anyway. One day, the village was attacked by wolves. I tried to get away, but some of them chased me into the forest. I ran so fast . . . But the wolves were faster than I was . . . When Sesshoumaru-sama found me later, it was too late."
Octavia's eyes bulged. "You mean you were—"
"Dead? Yes, I was dead."
"Then how are you . . ."
She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Fortunately, Rin understood what she was asking. "Sesshoumaru-sama saved me," she whispered gently. "He brought me back to life. He has a sword that can resurrect the dead. It can only be used once, though. After he revived me, we started travelling together. That was about six years ago. He's been protecting me ever since."
Octavia's heart pounded furiously. So that was why the Reikon Blade had been drawn to it. A sword that could resurrect the dead . . .
She tilted her head and met Rin's detached gaze. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."
"Do you have a family, Octavia-san?"
"I used to. I got separated from them when I was a little girl. I wish I knew what happened."
"Who took care of you after the separation?"
"Lots of couples did. None stuck around, though. I have that effect on people."
"I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to leave you."
Her vision blurred with tears. Why am I crying? I'm not the one who was mauled to death by wolves. Rin saw the tears through the mirror and wrapped her arms around Octavia from behind. Neither of them spoke. Octavia laid a hand over Rin's and closed her eyes, causing warm tears to spill down her cheeks and dampen her collar.
"Wow. You're an ugly crier," said Rin.
A broken laugh flew out of Octavia's throat.
Rin smiled. "That's better." She released her from the embrace and carried on combing her hair, which was matted and dull. "Let's get you cleaned up. You can't meet Cyril-kun with snot running down your face. And these clothes will have to go. They're a mess and they smell."
"They can't be as bad as your feet."
Rin feigned offence. "You're cold, Octavia-san."
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Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh as he stalked through the castle silently.
Cyril had agreed to meet with the human in order to deduce whether she was worthy of being taken under his wing or not. Sesshoumaru doubted that Cyril would refuse her, but if he did, Sesshoumaru would not force him to train her. That was precisely why he was waiting to introduce her to his court. There was no reason to stir them all into a frenzy if she wouldn't be staying.
He waited until dark to retrieve her from his mother's old quarters. On the way, he passed through a courtyard and stopped by a fountain. The night sky was reflected in the rushing water, reminding him of the mystical rivers from his mother's homeland. He could count the times he'd been to Moon Country on one hand, but he'd never forgotten the rivers of liquid night.
A breeze danced in from the sea and made his hair sway like tall grass. His eyes slid closed as it twirled around him. The wind was an old friend. It had been three years since Kagura's death, and he resented his inability to save her just as much as he had then. At least if he was ever killed in battle, he could count on the wind to avenge his death as he'd avenged hers.
The human was drawing closer. When he opened his eyes, she was standing on the other side of the fountain. She hadn't noticed him. He gazed at her through the water and saw that she was wearing his mother's layered turquoise kimono. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of large round spectacles with tinted lenses. This wasn't the first time he'd seen her in them, yet he hadn't been able to figure out what their purpose was. She'd said they were called sunglasses, but nothing about them reminded him of the sun. If anything, they were like a starless sky.
"You look ridiculous in those," he said.
Her hand shot to the dagger but slowed when she realised who he was. She scowled at him through the water. "I thought they'd make me seem less conspicuous."
"They do not. Rid yourself of them at once."
She huffed and secured the spectacles to the folds of her kimono. "You never let me have any fun," she grumbled, walking around the fountain to stand beside him.
The scent of rain clung to her, despite it not having rained in days. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant change from her normal human stench. He wondered what she'd done to make it so.
"I don't recall giving you permission to leave your quarters," he remarked.
"I got sick of waiting for you."
"What if someone had seen you?"
"Relax. You would have gotten to me before anything bad happened. I'm quite the screamer, you see." She winked.
His eyes narrowed at the lewd implication.
"So, am I meeting this warlock or not?"
He bit back a sigh and said, "Follow me."
They walked towards Cyril's working quarters in silence. Sesshoumaru concentrated on extending his youki to subdue the human's scent. He didn't want anyone waking up and smelling her.
"So," she started, breaking the silence. "How much does this Cyril know?"
"He knows enough."
"You might have to clue me in a bit more than that if you want me to lie for you."
"Why would I need you to lie?"
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked. "I thought it was Rin who'd convinced you to let me tag along with you guys, but she says you decided that on your own. I know it's not because of the prophecy. You don't strike me as someone who buys into that bullshit. The most consistent thing you've done since we met is ignore me. So, what could you possibly want from me?"
She was cleverer than she looked.
"Well?"
"If Cyril agrees to tutor you, you will use your powers to serve me."
"Like hell I will."
"Then I will take you back to my brother's village." She tensed behind him, no doubt remembering the eight-pointed stars Inuyasha now bore because of her. "That's what I thought," he said smugly. "I am doing you a favour, human. You should be on your knees thanking me."
"You'll never see me on my knees," she hissed.
He prayed that Cyril would send her away.
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Octavia cringed as the warlock circled her like a vulture.
He wasn't at all what she'd expected. Cyril was nine feet tall and resembled a saltwater crocodile, only he stood on his hind legs and had hands that looked almost human. His snout was longer than Octavia's entire arm, and his mouth was lined with rows of pointed teeth. He wore a long black kimono with a pale blue haori and navy hakama underneath. His tail was like a whip, lashing back and forth as he looped around her slowly.
"She's a strange little thing," he said to Sesshoumaru, who was standing by a bookcase. "You say you ran into her purely by chance?"
Sesshoumaru nodded.
Cyril lowered his head so that his eyes were level with Octavia's. "It is as you said, my lord. This is undoubtedly spirit magic. But there is something abnormal about her. It is difficult to explain. It sounds mad, but it's as if she's—"
"Incomplete?" Octavia finished, remembering Nidawi's words.
"Exactly," he said. "Why is that, human?"
"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with my memories. My parents disappeared when I was four. I can't remember anything about them, or the life we had together. I think . . . I think something bad happened to them. And potentially to me, as well."
Cyril's eyes darkened.
"So, can you help me?"
"That depends. I would have to know what you're capable of."
She stuck out her hand and looked at him pleadingly. "I'm like a sponge," she explained. "When I'm near strong sources of power, it's like I absorb them. I've already burned two people, and I almost completely drained someone's youki. Please help me. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. There has to be some way to stop the magic from acting out by itself."
Cyril gazed at her hand cautiously before taking it in his. He sent a small amount of youki into her fingers, which caused them to tingle. Her magic stirred and latched onto the youki, pulling it into her body. She gasped as Cyril's grip tightened around her hand. He didn't let go. Not even when his palm began to sizzle, and a pillar of smoke wafted up from where her flesh touched his.
When he finally released her hand, she saw an eight-pointed star in the centre of his palm. She opened her mouth to apologise, but he beat her to it.
"Amazing," he whispered, mesmerised by the burn. "So this is what it feels like. If only Touga-sama were here." He turned to Sesshoumaru and quickly bowed his head. "I'll do it, my lord. I'll train her. I have never had a human apprentice, but I won't let it hinder our progress."
Octavia's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" she squeaked, still reeling from the interaction.
"It would be my honour," he replied.
She flashed him a dazzling smile. It seemed to catch him by surprise because his scales turned a shade darker and he suddenly couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze.
"Thank you," she said earnestly. "I'll try not to let you down."
He scratched the tip of his snout. "The pleasure is all mine," he muttered. ". . . Octavia-san."
Her cheeks flushed with pride.
She said goodbye and followed Sesshoumaru back to her room. They didn't speak. It took the duration of the walk for Octavia to realise that he was moping. As they arrived at her door, she spun around to face him and said, "You were hoping he wouldn't agree to do it, weren't you?"
His lips pressed into a hard line. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"You could at least pretend not to hate me."
"My opinion of you is irrelevant."
"Then why can't you look me in the eye for more than a few seconds at a time?"
"Because you are repulsive," he answered instantly.
Her eyes blazed. "At least I don't dress like Cruella de Vil. Actually, you know what? You're not worth it. Goodbye, Sesshoumaru. I hope the bedbugs bite you so hard you can't walk tomorrow."
He didn't respond.
Embarrassed by her childish behaviour, she stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her. She threw her sunglasses onto the bed and kicked off her sandals. Her chest felt like it was on fire. The Sesshoumaru that Rin had met as a child was clearly a different person.
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