EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 3: The mark

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Octavia had always had a high tolerance for fear. As a child, she had convinced herself that she'd have to be brave when her parents revealed themselves and came to take her away. Cowering wouldn't do her any good if any of the stories she'd made up about them came true, like the one where they were secret agents, or the one where they were a king and queen from outer space, and she was an alien princess. Aliens weren't supposed to be scared. They were supposed to be scary. And so, Octavia transformed herself.

There had been a time when she'd been proud of the number of schools she'd been expelled from, until she realised no one wanted to foster a child with behavioural problems. Your reputation precedes you, social workers she'd only just met often said when she asked them how they knew her. She hadn't wanted to be a problem child. All she'd wanted was to stand out. She wanted to be remarkable, like the heroes she read about and watched on TV. In reality, she was nothing more than a brat with a big imagination.

"What are we looking for?" Rin asked as they walked through the forest.

"The well-house," Octavia answered. "It's a little building made of wood with a well inside."

"I know that place! Inuyasha-sama and the others built it last spring. Do you live there or something?"

"Of course not."

"Then where do you live?"

"Cardiff, at the moment. But I spent most of my life in London."

"I don't recognise those names. Are they far away?"

That depended on where she was now.

Jaken chimed in then. "If you paid attention to any of the things I say, you would know all about distant places like Cardeef and Lundong!"

"It's you that needs to pay closer attention, Jaken-sama. That's not what she said at all."

The two-headed horse, which was actually a dragon named Ah-Un, snorted in apparent amusement.

"Silence, you dumb mule!" Jaken screeched. "I know more about the world than you!"

The dragon stuck out a foot and tripped him, causing him to shout more profanities.

"How did you get here?" Rin asked.

Octavia racked her brain for an answer. I fell down a well I was told to stay away from and found myself here. Wherever here is. That or she was in a coma.

"I'm not sure," she confessed. "To be honest, I don't even know where I am. This is Japan, right?"

"What's Jah-pan?"

Not a good sign. "Which country are we in again?"

"Nihon. But surely you knew that already?"

"I can see why you would think that, but . . . I was in Tokyo yesterday. I was right in the middle of Tokyo. This forest should be a sprawling metropolis. And where is everyone?"

Rin's eyes brightened. "If it's crowds you want, we should go to Kaede-sama's village."

"Whose village?"

"Not the old bat!" Jaken whined.

"Don't be rude, Jaken-sama," Rin chided. "She's a wise old priestess. I lived with her for a while. We're overdue a visit, anyway. And if you still want to go to the well-house, Kagome-sama will take you. She's the one who suggested building it."

Octavia's brow pinched. "Kagome?" she said.

"She's a priestess, too. Come to think of it, she came from somewhere far away, as well. Do you know her?"

Sota's sister was called Kagome. It wasn't unheard of for two people to have the same name, but it was strange that both Kagomes were connected to the well. Sota's sister had lived next to it, and this Kagome had been responsible for building the well-house in the forest. Could they be one and the same? Even if they weren't, she might as well check it out.

"No," replied Octavia. "I was thinking of someone else."

"Sesshoumaru-sama will be angry if we run into Inuyasha," Jaken said to Rin. "Let's be rid of her already."

Rin shook Ah-Un's reins. "I'm sure he won't mind. Besides, don't you want to tell Miroku-sama and Sango-sama's kids about the time you fought off that demon monkey?"

He rubbed his chin. "It is an exciting story . . . Oh, all right!"

Rin caught Octavia's eye and winked. It was clear who was in charge here.

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Running into a troll on the way to the village had not been a part of the plan. It was enormous, with razor-sharp teeth and horns jutting out of its head. Chunks of dry blood clung to its thick, black beard, matching the natural crimson of its skin.

Octavia screamed and bolted, but the others remained where they were.

Jaken held up his staff with both hands and yelled, "Feel the rage of the Nintoujou!"

One of the staff's heads came to life and opened its mouth to spew fire. The troll roared as flames engulfed its body, scorching its skin. Octavia stopped running and turned to watch. The heat was uncomfortable even from a distance, but somehow, it wasn't enough to kill the beast.

Rin climbed out of the saddle and patted Ah-Un's side. The dragon pounced, knocking the troll over and squeezing its neck with a large paw. The troll wheezed, struggling to breathe, and Ah-Un used the opportunity to charge its claws with lightning. Octavia shivered as the lightning reduced the troll to dust.

A second troll materialised behind her and wrapped its meaty fist around her. She struggled in its hold, but it was like trying to break out of a straitjacket. "Put me down, you prick!" she screamed, punching the troll's hand as hard as she could. The troll squeezed her harder and she cried out in pain, feeling like her bones were about to shatter.

"Do something, Jaken-sama!" Rin shouted. "Use the Nintoujou again!"

"She'll be burned alive, you stupid girl!"

Octavia saw Ah-Un lunging for the troll's legs before her vision turned black. Before she lost consciousness, she heard Rin's voice and a wet, fleshy squelch.

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"She's waking up!"

Octavia moaned and rolled onto her side. Her body felt sore and she had the worst headache in the history of headaches. "Am I dead?" she murmured.

"Don't be so dramatic!" snapped Jaken. "Now, hurry up and thank Sesshoumaru-sama for bothering to help a worthless human such as yourself."

She opened her eyes and saw the imp leaning over her with a frown. "What happened?"

Rin laid a cool hand over her forehead. "Sesshoumaru-sama saved you. Wasn't that nice of him?"

Octavia spotted the silver-haired man from last night standing beside Ah-Un with his back to them. She pushed herself up and waited for him to speak, but he seemed content to ignore her. "Why would he do that?" she asked Rin.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is kind and brave. He wouldn't just let someone get killed."

"But he'd leave them to wander the woods at night and die of exposure? How considerate of him. Not."

Jaken's jaw dropped. "Show some respect, wench!"

"Bite me."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head and met her gaze. "It was unrealistic of you to expect a degenerate like her to have manners, Jaken," he said. "She was obviously deprived of a proper upbringing."

Octavia glared at him. "And that's my fault, is it?"

"I don't have time to argue with you, human."

"Then make time."

His brows rose.

Rin's eyes flitted between the two of them. She seemed more curious than concerned, whilst Jaken looked horrified. Ah-Un inclined its two heads toward Sesshoumaru and waited for its master's reaction.

"Your scent is very unusual," he said.

Octavia scowled. "My what?"

"What manner of apparition are you?"

"I'm not an apparition. I'm a person. You're the weird one. Why were you sniffing me?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama's sense of smell is stronger than ours," explained Rin. "He doesn't have to get close to something like we do."

"So he is a werewolf."

"I am not a wolf," he corrected. "The question is, what are you?"

"I told you. I'm just me."

"And who are you?"

"My name's Octavia. I'm nothing special."

"Clearly."

"Hey, fuck you—"

Sesshoumaru grabbed her throat, stopping her mid-sentence. "Be careful," he warned her. "I am not known for my leniency."

"Clearly," she hissed, shooting him a poisonous look.

Rin and Jaken shared an anxious glance.

His grip tightened. It wasn't painful, but she wasn't stupid enough to think she could escape. She considered her options. She supposed she could apologise, but she wasn't the one in the wrong. Whatever he was, he was dangerous, but she wasn't going to let him scare her into being a doormat. "You're not gonna kill me. Not in front of her, anyway."

Red blossomed in the whites of his eyes and his teeth grew longer, poking out of his mouth. The stripes on his cheeks turned jagged, like shards of broken glass, and she felt the tips of his claws pressing against her skin. "You think you know me," he whispered. "But you don't. A human like you never could."

"You're wrong. I know exactly what you are."

"And what is that?"

Her mouth curved into a bitter smile. "Only a coward would go to such extreme lengths to appear tough. Why else would you feel the need to threaten a defenceless woman? Eat shit, you arse."

The whites of his eyes were wholly red now, and his irises had changed from gold to blue. "You must have a death wish," he said, tightening his fingers around her neck.

A claw pierced her skin and a thin trail of blood trickled down the column of her throat, pooling in the dip where her clavicle was. Wincing, Octavia reached up and grabbed his wrist. Uncertainty flashed in his eyes as she held his gaze, followed by shock. He snatched his hand out of her grasp and stumbled backwards. Eyes wide, he examined the part of his wrist that had been in contact with her hand. It was smoking slightly.

"What is it, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken cried. "What did she do?"

"Nothing!" she said. "I didn't do anything."

The accusation in Sesshoumaru's eyes was staggering. "Do you take me for a fool?" He showed her his wrist, which sported a scorch mark shaped like a star. "You dare brand me?"

She glanced down at her hands. "I don't understand. I've never—"

One of Sesshoumaru's swords rattled in its scabbard. Octavia had never seen an object move by itself before. She backed away. Rin took her hand and squeezed it whilst the group watched the sword thrash about in its sheath. The red seeped out of Sesshoumaru's eyes and his irises turned golden again. His brow furrowed as he regarded his weapon with a wary expression. A few seconds later, the sword ceased shaking and returned to its normal state.

"You're coming with us," Sesshoumaru said.

Octavia's jaw dropped. "What! Why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"A pity." He raised two fingers and his skin began to emit a faint green glow. She soon realised what he'd done. She tried to move, but the compulsion was too strong. She was completely immobilised. "There. Now you can inflict no further harm."

"What are you gonna do to me?" she asked, locked in place by the strange green light.

"That has yet to be decided."

Rin shot her an apologetic look as she and Jaken lifted her onto Ah-Un's back. Sesshoumaru hid the mark with his sleeve before leaping into the sky. The dragon followed him.

Damn it, Octavia thought as she tried to fight the compulsion. Me and my big fat mouth.

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Author's Corner

Nihon = Japan