EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 4: Eighth born

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Her captor was riding on the back of a cloud.

Octavia watched him from behind, mentally devising a list of all the creatures he could be. The only one that held any weight was 'angel', but angels didn't abduct people. At least, she didn't think they did. Neither Rin nor Jaken would tell her where they were going. She hoped it was because they didn't know and not because it was the last place she'd ever see. As Sesshoumaru had yet to unfreeze her, she had no way of escaping.

A mountain popped up on the horizon. Rivers of magma oozed down the slope from the summit. The air around the mountain was thick with ash. Octavia coughed into her arm, trying not to breathe in too much of the toxic air.

"Here," Rin said, attaching a mask to her face. "We always carry a spare." She and Jaken were both wearing one, whereas Sesshoumaru and Ah-Un weren't.

They flew towards the summit.

"Totosai," Sesshoumaru called once he landed on the charred surface of the mountain. He walked towards a giant skeleton and spoke into its open mouth. "It's useless to hide. I know you're in there. Come out before I blast another hole in your roof."

A light shriek echoed from inside. "All right, you hooligan! But I'm not making you any more swords!" An old man with huge eyes and a long hammer hobbled out of the skeleton's mouth. "What do you want this time, boy?"

"The Tenseiga is acting up again."

"Is that right? What caused it this time?"

"She did."

The old man followed Sesshoumaru's gaze to Octavia, who was still frozen on Ah-Un's back. He gasped. "What is the meaning of this? Release her!"

"Was that an order?"

He paused. "Erm . . . Of course not. Who is she?"

"That is unimportant. What I wish to know is what she is."

"She looks human to me."

Sesshoumaru rolled up his sleeve and revealed the star-shaped burn on his wrist. "This is what happened when she touched me."

Totosai's eyes inflated. "Bless my soul!" he cried. "Why, that's an eight-pointed star!"

"What does it mean?"

The old man ran to Ah-Un's side and gawped at Octavia. "It's happening," he muttered to himself.

"What is?" asked Jaken.

"You can remove the seal now, my boy. It's quite safe."

Sesshoumaru seemed unconvinced. "Explain yourself."

Totosai ignored him, instead focusing his attention on Ah-Un's passengers. He shot Rin a toothy smile. "Hello again, my dear. You're getting so tall. Shooting up like bamboo."

"Thanks," she giggled through the mask.

He eyed Jaken. "You, on the other hand, look as if you've gotten smaller."

Ah-Un snorted as Jaken called the old man every name under the sun.

He shifted his attention to Octavia. "And what is your name?" She told him. "Octavia, eh? Can't say I've heard it before. Anyhow, I'm Totosai. Allow me to apologise on Sesshoumaru's behalf. He's never known how to treat a lady. Don't hold it against him."

"I would watch your mouth, Totosai," warned Sesshoumaru.

"I didn't mean to do that," Octavia said. "Burn him, I mean. I don't even know how I did it."

"Did you feel threatened at the time?"

"A little. He was about to choke me to death, after all."

"Is that so?"

Sesshoumaru looked anything but guilty. "Get to the point, you old weasel."

"Of course. Just as soon as you've released her."

Sesshoumaru surprised her by complying with Totosai's wishes. The moment the seal was lifted, Octavia slouched forwards in the saddle and buried her face in Ah-Un's mane.

Totosai smiled. "That's better." He stuck a finger into his right ear and loosened the wax there. "The girl's magic is incredibly rare. And powerful. It is the same power that formed the Shikon no Tama. Your father called it spirit magic. It sometimes manifests as an eight-pointed star. Spirit magic hasn't been used for over a century, though."

Rin and Jaken exchanged a look. Even Sesshoumaru's emotionless expression faltered.

Octavia frowned. "Did you say magic?"

Totosai nodded.

"No offence, but I think I'd know if I had powers. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

"How peculiar. The magic must have been dormant for some reason. Can you think of anything that may have awakened it?"

"Um . . ." It had all started when she fell down the well. "I got sort of . . . stranded. It's hard to explain. I'm just trying to get back to where I came from."

"And where is that?"

"Tokyo."

He rubbed his beard. "Never heard of it."

Was this a parallel universe where Tokyo didn't exist? If she found her way back to this version of the well-house, would she even be able to go back? This is all your fault, she reprimanded herself. You wanted to be remarkable. Didn't you ask for this?

"What relevance does the Shikon no Tama have to her?" quizzed Sesshoumaru.

"The woman who created the jewel was more than just a priestess. She was also a seer. Her children inherited this power from her. After Midoriko's death, her daughter foresaw a great calamity. It was too awful to describe, so she spun it into a prophecy. It goes like this: 'When the shards have been scattered, de-shattered, and eventually demolished, then the true power of Shikon will be unleashed. Through the eighth born in the bloodline, the sky will rain with flames, demonkind will erupt into ashes, and darkness will fall'."

"How bleak," said Jaken.

Rin gasped. "The first part came true! The Shikon no Tama was destroyed!"

"What does the second half mean?" Sesshoumaru hissed. "Eighth born? Darkness?"

Octavia shuddered. "My name . . . It might not mean anything, but my name means 'eighth' in Latin."

Totosai stared at her with a solemn expression.

"It's probably a coincidence," said Rin.

"Probably," agreed Jaken.

Sesshoumaru's eyes slid down to his sword. "And the Tenseiga?"

"Your father was fascinated by spirit magic," Totosai replied. "Perhaps the fang is responding to her power."

Octavia picked at the sleeves of her jacket. "What should I do now? I don't want to hurt anyone else with this spirit voodoo. Is there any way I can get rid of it?"

"I'm afraid not," said Totosai. "Your best option would be to find a teacher."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"I've heard Kagome-chan has gotten pretty powerful. She might be able to show you how to control your emotions. That's the first step in becoming a great mage."

Rin beamed. "We were headed there, anyway! Isn't that great, Octavia-san?"

"I guess so." She stole a peek at Sesshoumaru, whose expression had soured at the mention of the village. "Why the long face?" she mocked. "You won't have to put up with me for much longer."

"I suppose that is one blessing," he said.

After Sesshoumaru took flight, Totosai reached out to stroke Ah-Un's two snouts. "He is not as heartless as he thinks," he murmured. "It's important that you remember that."

Ah-Un leapt into the sky before she could respond, leaving the old man on the ground.

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"How much farther?" she asked, bored of Jaken's ramblings.

"We're almost there," answered Rin.

They landed in the forest and continued on foot. At sunset, the group stopped in a clearing and set up camp. Octavia watched Rin attempt to start a fire using stones, before Jaken waved her out of the way and pointed his staff at the pile of wood. After it was lit, they settled around the fire and roasted the mushrooms Rin had picked earlier.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, rising to his feet. "Watch Rin and Ah-Un."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. But what about the woman?"

"She can do as she pleases."

Octavia watched him disappear into the trees like a wraith. "Where's he going?"

Jaken tested his mushroom before eating it. "Who knows? Milord has many duties to attend to. He doesn't have time to babysit humans."

"So that's what you are to him."

"I'm no nursemaid! I am his most trusted advisor and friend!"

"It's wrong to tell lies," Rin scolded.

"I'm not lying!"

Octavia ate her food in silence, wondering why they insisted on following someone so cruel.

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Sesshoumaru didn't return until the early hours of the morning. Octavia heard him coming back and cracked open one eye. He sat beneath a large tree with one leg folded and one straight. His eyes glowed in the dark like fireflies, whilst the rest of his face was cast in shadow. She could just about see the eight-pointed star on his wrist, stark against the rest of his pale skin. He caught her staring and tilted his head to meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry about your wrist," she whispered. "I wasn't trying to brand you, or whatever it was you said."

"Spare me your apology. I don't care whether you intended to or not."

She scowled at him. "You don't have to be rude. God, you're such a man."

His brow furrowed. "You speak such rare nonsense."

"Better than the normal kind."

"Hn."

Octavia stole a glimpse over at Rin, who was sound asleep. "Who is she to you?"

"Rin is my ward. She was an orphan when I found her."

Octavia's stomach churned. "Did you kill her family?"

"No."

"Oh." Phew. "I thought that maybe you were trying to make amends or something. Wouldn't she be better off living with her own kind?"

"I thought so too, until the village was attacked by raiders and she almost lost her life. The safest place for her was and always will be at my side."

Octavia smiled. "You care about her."

He didn't respond.

Chuckling, she rolled onto her back and peered up at the stars. "Goodnight."

Again, no response.

"I said goodnight."

"I heard you." He sounded annoyed.

Her smile widened as she closed her eyes.

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