Author's Corner
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EVERYONE! *pops champagne* It's officially been three years since I started writing this and published the first chapter here. I can't believe it's gone so fast. If you've been reading this since the beginning, thank you so much for sticking with me, and if you're a new reader, then welcome to the party! I'm already pretty invested in this story on my own, but it really is thanks to all of you that I continued writing and publishing it online for people to read. A lot of sweat, laughter and tears go into making this, and I hope we have many more years together as we continue this journey. Because let's face it, I'm a slow writer and this thing is probably gonna end up being 500 chapters long (*audience screams*: enougH!) Immense thanks to every single one of you and I hope you carry on enjoying your read!
Trigger warning: blood and gore.
EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 39: The body
.
.
Her scream attracted quite the audience. Servants and nobles alike flocked to the bridge and followed her line of vision to the monstrosity in the branches. Most stood frozen in shock, whereas others gasped and covered their mouths. Through the haze that had enveloped her, Octavia thought she heard several vomiting on the grass. Not that she could blame them.
Hanging from the trees was an animal carcass that had been mutilated so violently that it was now just shredded meat. Its stomach had been cleaved open and its entrails were wrapped around the branches like snakes, still wet and glistening. A swarm of flies hovered in the air around it, buzzing loudly. The stench was overpowering. Octavia suddenly found it very difficult to breathe—
"Look at me."
She managed to tear her eyes away from the carcass and meet Koga's beautiful baby blues.
What was he doing here?
The blood continued to run down her face, coating her lips with the taste of old metal. She was already numb by the time his hand gripped her arm and gently tugged her away from the puddle so that no more could fall on her head. She trembled as his hand shifted to stroke her hair.
"Don't faint," he whispered.
"Hmm?" she slurred, swaying on her feet.
"They'll never let you forget it if you do."
Kanetsugu marched onto the bridge and examined the grisly sight before him with murder in his eyes. "Begone!" he roared, snapping open his wings and scaring away the spectators.
Octavia watched them leave in a trance. Only then did she redirect her attention to the carcass. The empty sockets where its eyes had once been ensnared her, making it impossible to look away. She could feel Koga's hand cupping her throat as Kanetsugu glared at her accusingly.
"What happened?" he barked. "You were the first one to see it. Who did this? Or was it you?"
Koga stepped between them. "Leave her alone, jackass. She obviously had nothing to do with it."
Before Kanetsugu could respond, Cyril came sprinting up the stream and joined them on the bridge. He craned his head to get a good look at the carcass and shuddered. "It can't be," he muttered, shaking his large head. "The traitors were all executed. It has to be a mistake."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Koga snapped.
"It's happening again," Cyril breathed.
"What is?" quizzed Kanetsugu.
"A little over four hundred years ago, Touga-sama received a warning from a group of insurgents called the Black Drakes. The message came in the form of a dead horse planted out in the open for all to see. It promised vengeance for their fallen brethren."
"Why a horse?" Octavia asked quietly.
"I suspect it was symbolic," replied Cyril. "Horses represent freedom and power. By killing one and desecrating its body, the Black Drakes were essentially threatening to tear down Touga-sama's empire and replace it with one of their own making . . . Or so we thought." He looked like he wanted to stop there, but he continued for their sakes. "Shortly after the horse was discovered in the stronghold, a great fire tore across the Western Lands, engulfing everything in flames. The blaze lasted for fourteen days and fourteen nights. It was a living nightmare."
"I remember my old man telling me about that," Koga mumbled. "I was just a kid when it happened. Our tribe took in a whole lotta orphans that year."
Kanetsugu was unusually quiet.
Koga scowled and crossed his arms. Octavia mourned the loss of his touch, which had been an anchor. "But if the pricks involved all got the axe, then surely this is just a scare tactic—"
"A needlessly convoluted one, no?"
Cyril squeaked and bowed his head as Sesshoumaru appeared on the bridge. "M-My lord!" he stammered, still hunched over like an old beggar woman. "Forgive us for wasting time. Allow me to inform you of what has transpired in your absence—"
"That won't be necessary," Sesshoumaru interrupted coldly. "I can see all I need to know with my own two eyes." He turned to face Kanetsugu. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"No, my lord. I swear it. On mine and Kannika's lives."
Sesshoumaru's eyes slid to Octavia's. "You were the one that found it," he stated rather than asked.
She nodded.
"Did you witness anything suspicious beforehand?"
She shook her head.
"I see. That is most unfortunate."
Before she could answer, a familiar voice carried through the gardens, demanding her full attention.
"Octavia-san!" Rin shouted, running towards the bridge. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. What are you all doing—"
"Stop."
Rin did as Sesshoumaru commanded and froze on the path. She shot him a puzzled look but kept her thoughts to herself.
"Good. Now close your eyes," he said.
Rin frowned but obeyed without complaining. Octavia breathed a sigh of relief. Koga's nostrils flared and he sighed for a completely different reason as a figure came scuttling after her.
"Wait for me!" cried Jaken. "You're a wicked girl, Rin! Why won't you slow . . ."
His voice trailed off when he noticed her standing as still as a statue with her eyes scrunched shut. Thoroughly perplexed, he poked her with his staff and called her name experimentally. Koga cleared his throat, alerting the little imp to their presence on the bridge. When Jaken saw Sesshoumaru, his worries melted away and he stood taller, holding the Nintoujou proudly.
It took him longer than it should have to notice the ribbons of meat in the branches above them.
"Eeeek!" he screeched, falling onto his backside. "W-What is that!"
No one wanted to answer now that Rin was in earshot.
Gagging, Jaken dropped his staff and clamped a hand over his mouth. "How revolting," he groaned, choking on the stench. "Who w-would do such an awful thing? And why put it there?"
"Why do you think?" replied Koga. "To get a reaction."
"W-Well, they've certainly succeeded."
"What shall we do?" Kanetsugu asked Sesshoumaru.
His gold eyes narrowed as he stared up at the carcass. "Dispose of it before anyone else sees," he answered harshly. "Find whoever is responsible and bring me their heads."
"You think there's more than one culprit?"
"The job is definitely big enough to warrant help."
Kanetsugu nodded in agreement. "True. I'll ask the servants if they saw anything unusual."
He caught Octavia's eye before he left and shot her a hateful glower. Koga saw and bared his teeth at him, but Sesshoumaru intervened before things could get out of hand.
"I suggest that you take a bath, human," he told her, gesturing to her face. "You look and smell terrible."
Oh, fuck you.
"Can I open my eyes now?" asked Rin.
"Yes," he said. "But turn around and start walking first."
She nodded and did as she was told. Jaken and Cyril remained on the bridge with Sesshoumaru, whereas Octavia darted after Rin without even saying goodbye. Koga bowed his head in farewell before following the two humans inside, planning to escort them to their rooms.
.
.
Sesshoumaru didn't speak as Jaken and Cyril wheeled the carcass away in a large iron cart to be incinerated.
He'd spent the last four centuries trying to forget the weeks he'd spent underground whilst the surface had been burning. He'd been a child at the time – just eighty years old – but he remembered everything so clearly. He remembered the packed tunnels and the smells that had filled them. He remembered the moaning and the sobbing that had kept him awake at night. And he remembered how his mother used to pull him close and sing to him like a real mother would. She hadn't been herself when they'd been trapped down there. If she had, she would have left him to toss and turn in his corner alone, whilst she closed her eyes and dreamed of freedom.
But her singing hadn't been enough to block out the horrors he'd seen in the dark. There were times he'd longed for death, like when he'd thought he might be forced to spend the rest of his life underground. The fear had remained long after his father had declared it safe to return to the surface, although he'd never been foolish enough to admit it out loud . . . Until recently.
His mother's singing voice was slowly being replaced by the song about the orange tree.
You're not alone.
What difference did it make whether he was alone or not?
Death didn't care if you had company.
.
.
Rin was silent as Koga kindly escorted them both to Octavia's room. She walked several paces ahead, avoiding conversation altogether. Koga didn't seem to mind, but Octavia found Rin's behaviour strange. She was usually so bright and bubbly. Had something happened whilst they'd been away? Or was she angry about being left behind?
Octavia decided to wait until they were alone to ask and shifted her attention to Koga. "I didn't expect us to meet again so soon," she said casually. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd come and see how you were getting on," he answered. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you weren't here. Since I was feeling considerate, I decided to stick around and keep an eye on things until you got back. Where were you, anyway?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it sometime."
"I ain't got nothing else to do."
She smiled sarcastically. "Clearly. Your poor tribe have probably forgotten what you look like."
"I doubt that. You don't forget a face like mine in just a few short weeks."
"You keep telling yourself that."
He grinned. "Well, shit. No need to be mean. Luckily for you, though, I'm feeling pretty magnanimous today."
"That's a big word. Do you know what it means?"
"I sure do."
"Impressive. Do you know any more?"
"Resplendent is probably my favourite."
"Really? And what does that mean?"
"Why don't you take a look at your eyes in a mirror and let me know?"
She howled with laughter, which pleased him immensely. "You're ridiculous," she said, enjoying how his irises lit up in response.
Rin rolled her eyes and opened the door to Octavia's room. She slipped inside without saying a word to either of them, but left the door open a crack.
Octavia flashed Koga an apologetic smile and automatically bowed her head. However, before she could leave, he reached out and captured her elbow.
"Don't do that," he said. "I ain't no lord or nobleman."
"You're the leader of the Eastern Wolf Tribe," she countered. "That's more important than half of the people here."
"And you're the first ever human to be named an ally of the Lord of the Western Lands. They should be bowing to you."
Warmth crept into her cheeks and she smiled wider. "Thanks. I'll try to remember that."
"Well, if you ever need reminding, come find me. Okay?" His hand travelled down to her wrist and lifted her knuckles to his lips, which felt soft and supple against her calloused skin. "See you around . . . Octavia. I can call you Octavia, can't I? It's not too inappropriate?"
With eyes like those, he could call her anything he wanted.
"Octavia is fine," she said. "Say hi to your tribe for me. You'll have to bring them along next time."
He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."
As he sauntered away, the saying 'hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave' came to mind. There was no way that his hips did that on their own. He had to be doing it on purpose. Banishing the dirty thoughts, she turned the door handle and entered her room.
Rin was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed and her eyes full of judgement.
"Are you okay?" Octavia asked, meandering in the doorway awkwardly.
"Why him?" Rin snapped, rising from the bed. "This place has plenty of other handsome men to choose from. What does he have that they don't?"
Octavia blinked. "It's not like that. We were just messing around—"
"Oh, really? Did you tell him that? Because demons think a little bit differently than we do. Especially wolves. I don't want you to get hurt, Octavia-san."
"I won't. Koga's harmless."
"Is that what you think? Did you know that his tribe used to eat humans?"
She flinched. "No. But if he was in love with Kagome, then surely that's all in the past?"
"It's in the past, all right. It's just not far enough away."
Octavia's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Rin's eyes blazed. "Do you remember when I told you that I was mauled by wolves?"
Octavia nodded.
"Who do you think let them loose in my village?"
Octavia's heart stopped for a moment. "You mean he . . ."
"Yes," confirmed Rin. "It's his fault I died."
"Does Sesshoumaru know?"
"He knows. But since the Tenseiga brought me back to life and their tribe abdicated from eating humans, he decided to let the wolves live. Which I'm happy about. I don't want their blood on my hands. But it doesn't mean I have to like them. They did kill me, after all."
That's why she was so quiet. She hasn't forgiven them for what they did to her. And why should she? If it were me, I'm not sure I could forgive them, either.
Octavia suddenly felt incredibly guilty for being blind to Rin's feelings. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Rin perched on the end of her bed and patted the spot beside her. "You don't have to apologise. I was just worried that you'd get into trouble. You do seem to have a knack for it."
Octavia smiled and joined her on the bed.
Rin studied the dried blood on her face and scrunched up her nose at the smell. "Sesshoumaru-sama was right. You do need a bath. What is that stuff, anyway?"
"Uh . . ."
"It looks like blood. It's not yours, is it?"
"No. It's animal blood."
Rin arched an eyebrow. "Why are you covered in animal blood?"
"Trust me, you really don't wanna know."
"I'm used to everyone else treating me like a dumb little kid, but I didn't expect it from you."
Octavia's chest tightened. "That's not what I—"
"Sesshoumaru-sama got into your head, didn't he? He means well, but he still treats me like I'm eight. I know how it feels to suffer. I've seen my share of horrors. I don't need sheltering from them anymore. I'm not as weak as you all think I am. I'm stronger than I look."
"I know you are."
"Then why does everyone keep hiding things from me?"
Rin's eyes shone with tears and her voice cracked.
Octavia reached out and took her hands. She threaded their fingers together and said, "When I was young, people hid things from me all the time, and I hated it, too. But looking back, I'm glad they did. They made the right choice. It didn't matter how strong I thought I was. They weren't doing it because they thought I was weak. They hid things from me because they were protecting me. I was no stranger to suffering, either, but that didn't mean I needed to suffer more. I didn't understand it at the time, but I do now, and I'm grateful for it."
A tear rolled down Rin's cheek and landed in their intertwined fingers.
"So what if Sesshoumaru coddles you a bit too much sometimes?" she continued. "He's not doing it to belittle you. He's doing it because he cares about you. He can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to you. Neither can I . . . I missed you so much."
Rin smiled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve without letting go of Octavia's hands. "You're an idiot," she sniffed. "I missed you, too."
"Of course you did. I'm amazing."
Giggling, Rin kicked her in the leg. "What you are is smelly. Did you ever bathe during your trip?"
"We had more important things to worry about."
"I'll bet you did. How long have the two of you been on a first-name basis?"
"Not long. It doesn't mean anything, though."
Rin blinked the rest of her tears away and shook her head in disbelief. "You really are an idiot."
Octavia grinned. "At least I'm consistent."
.
.
Author's Corner
Writing Octavia's interactions with Koga is always a nightmare because they're both shameless flirts who can't keep it in their pants. Thanks for reading, anyway!