EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 64: The great escape

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For the first time since Octavia had stepped through the portal, the kasbah was alive and thriving. Everywhere she looked, she saw lanterns burning, wine glasses twinkling, and people dancing.

She and Augustus stood side by side atop a risen platform, overlooking the crowd. Her brother wore a glittering gold suit that matched her dress, complete with white gloves and epaulettes. The Dressmaker had really outdone herself. Initially, the dress she'd so lovingly crafted had filled Octavia with dread, until the discovery of one very important detail: pockets. She couldn't risk wearing the Prophecy-Breaker around her neck, but the addition of pockets meant that she didn't have to worry about leaving it unguarded.

Octavia smiled to herself as her hand brushed against the necklace-shaped lump in her pocket.

Augustus noticed her smile and assumed that she was finally enjoying herself. "So?" he asked expectantly. "What do you think?"

"The masks are a bit creepy, but apart from that, it's all right."

He chuckled and took a sip of his champagne. She hadn't touched hers. As tempting as it was to get completely shit-faced, she wanted to keep a clear head. Speaking of her head, she fought the urge to fiddle with the circlet Augustus had talked her into wearing. It was horrendously uncomfortable, but he'd insisted, since it was a special occasion and all. Truthfully, she was just glad that she didn't have to wear a mask all night like everyone else did.

"Do you know what would make things even better?" Augustus asked.

She shook her head. "What?"

"Dancing."

Her insides shrivelled up at the suggestion. "Do we have to?"

"We don't have to do anything. I just thought it might be fun, since we don't have a bear for you to maul." He set his glass aside and offered a gloved hand. His pale green eyes were full of mischief as he added, "Unless you're too chicken?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not the one with two left feet."

Hope bloomed in his features. "You remember that?"

"Sort of. I get these . . . flashes sometimes. It's hard to explain."

"No, I understand. It makes sense, actually. Four years is a long time. It's only natural that a few memories escaped unscathed."

She let him take her hand and lead her down the platform steps. Her dress shimmered with every stride, standing out like a beacon in the sea of masked guests. Her body felt numb as Augustus caught her other hand and placed it on his shoulder, and her surroundings blurred as he spun her around the room, oblivious to the emptiness gnawing away at her heart.

When the time came to switch partners, she was struggling to recall her own name.

"You look miserable."

The room snapped back into focus.

"What?" she breathed.

"I said you look miserable," the stranger replied flatly.

Her new dance partner was dressed in all red, and he wore a mask that was shaped like a stag's head. Octavia stared into the stag's eyes, which were two polished rubies, and swallowed thickly.

The stranger placed his gloved hands on her waist and tugged her closer. Paranoid, she searched the crowd of dancers for Augustus, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"It's because I am," she whispered, praying that Augustus wouldn't hear. "This is my last night of freedom."

"Is that so?"

The mask muffled his voice, but it sounded strangely familiar.

"Yeah," she said. "It sucks."

He chuckled. "How unfortunate. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I doubt it. The Radiant One probably eats stags like you for breakfast."

"Fortunately, this is not my true form."

A smile pulled at her lips. "Oh, really?"

"These aren't even my clothes. I stole them on the way in."

Her smile grew. "No, you didn't."

"I assure you I did. I would never wear such a cheap shade of red."

She giggled. It surprised her more than it did him. "Okay, I believe you. Why'd you steal them?"

"I was in need of a disguise," he replied, lowering his voice. "Technically, I'm not supposed to be here. I wasn't invited, you see."

Excitement coursed through her veins as he guided her into a spin.

"This is a members-only event," she chastised. He ignored her and caught her by the waist again. Her breathing turned harsh as his hands slid down to palm her hips, his ruby eyes twinkling as he did. "I'm serious. You'll be in a world of pain if you get caught."

"Then I shall be as discreet as possible."

He spun her again.

"You should definitely dance with someone else, then."

"Why?"

"Don't you know who I am?"

His hand cupped the small of her back gently. "Yes," he said. "And I will dance only with you."

Her cheeks warmed as she whispered, "Who are you?"

Before he could answer, it was time to change partners. Every bone in her body rebelled as she suddenly found herself in a new person's arms. She looked around for his antlers, but even they were lost in the ocean of bodies that surrounded her. Trying not to let her disappointment show, she kept her gaze low and concentrated on getting the steps right. Her current partner said nothing as they moved around the room like pre-programmed robots.

They switched again.

"Now you look bored to tears. I can't decide whether it's an improvement or not."

Her head instantly shot up. "You," she said, gasping. "Where did you . . ."

"I was never far."

She smiled faintly. "I couldn't see you."

"You do now."

Her fingers traced the embroidery on his collar, whilst his hands bracketed her waist, holding her together. "If you won't tell me your name, will you at least tell me why you're here?"

His ruby eyes glittered. "Isn't it obvious? I came to see you."

She smiled wider. "I hate to break it to you, but you're not the only one."

"No? I bet our intentions are different, though."

"Why's that?"

He pulled her closer and whispered, "Mine are entirely impure."

Laughter spilled out of her like music. "You're making fun of me."

"I wouldn't dare."

He flipped her around so that her back was pressed against his chest. Her breath caught in her throat as he laid one hand flat across her stomach and used the other to interlock their fingers. Uncertainty flowered in her chest as he held onto her possessively, despite the heat that was starting to pool in her stomach.

"I shouldn't," she protested weakly. "You're not . . . I don't do that anymore."

"Do what?" he rasped.

Her cheeks burned.

Sex had never been particularly important to her. She'd lost her virginity at fourteen to a boyfriend nearly twice her age, and she'd never understood why people made such a fuss about waiting until the right moment. From her perspective, sex could be lots of things. It could be for fun, or to relieve stress, or even as a way to kill time. However, recently, she'd wondered if it could be something more.

"Never mind," she said. "Let's just keep dancing."

"As you wish."

The stranger turned her around so that they were facing each other again.

Before she could say more, the band abruptly stopped playing, halting all movement in the room. Octavia's heart thundered when she realised who was responsible for the silence.

Augustus stood on the platform with his hand raised, eyes raking across the crowd with a peculiar gleam in them. He didn't speak for quite some time, but when he did, Octavia felt the floor being pulled out from beneath her.

"There is a beast among us," he announced, alarming the guests. "Reveal yourself or we'll have no choice but to do things the hard way. Coming here was a grave mistake, youkai."

The stranger's arms tightened around Octavia's waist. "I think not," he said loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Augustus's eyes whipped over to where they were standing. Octavia's heart was still pounding. Whoever this masked stranger was, he had to be pretty powerful to be able to completely conceal his youki. Had Sesshoumaru somehow learned of her predicament and sent someone to retrieve her? It seemed unlikely after her betrayal, but why else would a youkai have come here?

"Release her," Augustus said calmly. "My sister is not a toy."

"Nor is she the obedient little pet you intend to turn her into," quipped the stranger.

Augustus's demeanour changed. "How did you find this place?" he asked coldly.

"Not easily. It's incredibly well-hidden, but so was my father's final resting place. Unlike that appalling affair, I won't be leaving here empty-handed."

He yanked Octavia flush against him and snapped his gloved fingers. Her eyes widened as two swords zipped through the air above the crowd and slotted themselves into his belt. Fur burst out of his right shoulder and flowed down his side, causing the other guests to shriek and scurry away like rats. He ripped off his mask and tossed it behind him. Octavia inhaled sharply as a waterfall of white hair spilt down his back. Youki swarmed her senses. This couldn't be real—

Sesshoumaru glanced down at her and smirked before drawing the Bakusaiga and pointing it at Augustus. His gold eyes narrowed as they observed the young man on the platform.

Asuka reached for her whip, only for Augustus to shake his head.

"Easy now," he said, raising his hands in an attempt to diffuse the tension. "Most of these people are innocent. Put down the sword and let's talk."

The Daiyoukai didn't budge. "No."

Octavia's eyes flickered between them. She had to be dreaming. There was no way he was really here. It was probably a trick Augustus had concocted to break her spirit. It won't work, she thought, glaring at him from across the room. Her skin had gotten thicker during the years she'd spent without him. If he was so set on winning, he'd have to try harder than that.

Augustus closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Have it your way. Don't say I didn't warn you, though."

His hands shone purple, and his left eye turned bloodshot. At that exact moment, pain exploded in Octavia's right eye, causing it to water. Sesshoumaru noticed and tightened his grip on her waist.

"Hold on," he said, then leapt into the upper balconies.

He didn't let go of her after they landed. In fact, he brought her even closer. Octavia locked eyes with him and had difficulty breathing. He felt so real.

"Am I going nuts?" she asked.

"You were never entirely sane to begin with."

She laughed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I told you. I came to find you."

A burst of purple energy broke through the balcony floor. Sesshoumaru grabbed her hand and ran. He used the Bakusaiga to smash through a wall, and they jumped down into a grove of orange trees. The thick leaves hid them from view, allowing Octavia to catch her breath. She checked that the Prophecy-Breaker was still in her pocket, which it was, and tied it around her neck.

Sesshoumaru squeezed her arm, his claws popping out of his gloves as he did.

She smiled and reached for him. "Is it really you?"

"I said that I wasn't a stag."

Another laugh escaped her lips. She took in the details of his stolen antique jacket, with its lace sleeves and gold buttons, which contrasted nicely against the harsh red. It clung to his figure in a way she wasn't used to. "You look different," she muttered, heat creeping into her cheeks.

"Speak for yourself. That's a scandalous amount of skin you're showing."

"Down boy."

He opened his mouth to say something, only to be silenced by her palm.

She could see Augustus through the trees. He was with Asuka and a few of the older cadets, who were each armed with weapons made from Shikonstone. The Reikon Blade hung from Augustus's belt, glowing brightly as he walked. Octavia could feel her heart beating in her throat. She couldn't draw marks without the dagger, and without those, she'd have no choice but to use Sesshoumaru's youki, which would weaken him immensely if she drained too much of it. Augustus was already a formidable foe. Without the Reikon Blade, neither she nor Sesshoumaru stood a chance against him.

She removed her hand. "I think they're gone."

"You never told me that you had a brother," Sesshoumaru whispered.

"It was news to me, too. I'll tell you about it later. First, we have to get out of here."

"Agreed."

They left the safety of the grove and sprinted under a stone arch. The entire kasbah was on high alert, so there were soldiers everywhere. Some of them looked as young as ten. Octavia tried not to think about the ethics of leaving them behind whilst she fled to safety. They were just kids. They shouldn't be fighting anyone's war, let alone one motivated by hatred. They should be laughing with their friends, and staying up late, and making fools of themselves in front of people they were trying to impress. She felt awful abandoning them, but what choice did she have?

The entrance to the schism wasn't quite how she'd remembered it. It looked . . . unstable. Like it would disappear if anyone touched it. They approached it with caution, unsure of what would happen if they moved too quickly.

The Tenseiga started pulsating, causing the crack to sway slightly.

"Time is bleeding."

Octavia turned to see the Dressmaker standing behind them with her hood up. Sesshoumaru lifted the Bakusaiga and pointed it at her, but the action hardly fazed her. Octavia followed her gaze and saw that it was fixed on the blue light flowing out of the crack.

"He's dying," the Dressmaker murmured softly. "Finally. It's what he deserves."

Octavia stared into the schism. "What do you mean? Who's dying?"

"The bastard who stole my name. I tried to warn him, but he didn't listen, and now, the boundaries between worlds are collapsing. Cracks are appearing all throughout history. If this continues, the ngea will be able to travel wherever they please."

"What's causing it?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"There was only supposed to be one." Her eyes moved to Octavia and narrowed. "When you were born, everything splintered. Erem's Vessel is singular for a reason. Your parents understood the risks of having two at the same time, so they tried to fix things before they spiralled."

"Augustus said they performed the Banishing because they were jealous of us."

"People are complicated. In my experience, you humans are neither good nor evil."

Asuka burst into the room and glared at the Dressmaker's back. When she realised that the hatchling had no intention of stopping them, she cracked her whip against the ground, sending tremors through the sandstone.

Octavia locked eyes with the Dressmaker, who hadn't moved an inch, and remembered her words.

You're more powerful than you think.

It suddenly dawned on her what the Dressmaker wanted her to do. Octavia shot her a pleading look, but the Dressmaker shook her head, standing firm. Octavia's eyes flooded with tears.

Asuka rushed forwards, preparing to swing her whip, but Octavia was faster.

Pushing aside all of her doubts, she lifted her hand and drew the symbol for 'fire' with her index finger. If Augustus could do it, so could she.

Asuka's eyes widened in panic as the air in front of Octavia ignited. The room was soon swallowed up by ravenous violet flames. Not wanting to hear the Dressmaker's dying screams, Octavia grabbed Sesshoumaru's hand and hauled him into the schism, leaving the desert world forever.

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Author's Corner

[Prince Zuko voice] Did the Dressmaker just... die?

On a happier note, they've finally been reunited! But at what cost? Don't forget to review!