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EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 42: The visitors
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Once upon a time, a governess loved a boy and a girl so much that she planned to steal them away from the trap they'd been born into. But she acted too late, and in the end, she could only save one.
She took the girl and fled, but without the missing half of her soul, the girl was incomplete.
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By the time she awoke, Rin was already gone.
At Cyril's behest, Octavia bathed and brushed her hair before clambering into the midnight blue robe that had been delivered to her room yesterday. It was a different style of kimono than she was used to. The fabric below the obi ballooned outwards and was embroidered with stars. The sleeves were long and cone-shaped, donning the crest of the Western Lands, and the collar appeared to have been designed to hide the tattoo on her chest. There was also a lone earring that was shaped like a crescent moon, alongside a pot of magenta eyeshadow. The outfit made her feel like a pet being groomed to match its master, until she remembered what Rin had told her before being introduced to the Western Court all those weeks ago.
Being permitted to wear Sesshoumaru-sama's crest is a huge honour. If you wear it, it proves that you're under his protection.
Maybe his intentions weren't all bad.
She opened the door and flashed Cyril a grin. "Well? How do I look?"
"Like you belong here," he said with a smile.
Her cheeks heated. She tied the Reikon Blade to her obi and stepped into her sandals, which were studded with tiny white crystals.
Cyril's smile faltered. "Should you be wearing that?" he asked. "It might send the wrong message, don't you think?"
She rolled her eyes. "Be grateful I'm not taking the Sword of the Firebird."
"Fine," he sighed. "Just make sure it stays in its sheath."
She glanced around the corridor. "Where's Sou?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama gave him the day off. You're stuck with me instead."
"I'm surprised he didn't get Jaken to do it. Then again, he's probably got his hands full with Rin. I just love how I get the exact same treatment as a literal child."
"Our lord isn't trying to belittle you, Octavia-san. Your safety is paramount. Rin-chama's, too. This place is swarming with Daiyoukai. Including the rulers of the other courts. This is the most danger you've ever been in. Sesshoumaru-sama recognises that. Everything he's done is to protect you. It may seem cruel, but believe me when I say that he has your best interests at heart."
Cyril offered her his arm. She accepted it in silence, and they walked in the direction of the Great Hall. Her nerves got the better of her as Cyril stopped to greet someone, so she slid her arm free from his and backed into a corner. The weight on her chest lifted when she thought she saw Rin on the other side of the corridor behind a gathering of servants. She hurried past them and peered around the corner, but it was empty.
She flashed a chambermaid a bashful smile and was about to reunite with Cyril, when she noticed the strange sheen to the demoness's eyes. She could have sworn that the whites of her eyes were an inky black, but when she looked again, they seemed normal enough.
Cyril wasn't where she'd left him. She reached for his youki with her magic, but the increased number of Daiyoukai in the castle made him impossible to locate. Cursing, she headed towards the Great Hall alone, hoping that their paths would cross at some point along the way.
"Are you lost, human?"
She stopped walking and peeked over her shoulder at the owner of the voice. A young man with hazel eyes and brown, shoulder-length hair stared back at her. The yellow markings on his cheeks were shaped like ivy, and his pointed ears were covered in sandy brown scales. His haori was a bright forest green and had been embroidered with a leafy pattern. Her eyes slid down to his brown and yellow obi, where an assortment of blades dangled like jewellery, before returning to his face. His tender smile caught her off guard.
"You must be the mage, am I right?"
She nodded.
He tilted his head sideways. "Can't you speak?"
"I can," she answered. "Sorry. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and offend you."
"I see. Sess-chan has trained you well."
Her brows shot up in surprise. Sess-chan?
The stranger chuckled at her reaction. "There's no need to be so tense. I won't hurt you. To be honest, I've been looking forward to meeting you." He bowed low, encouraging her to do the same. "The rumours were true. You do feel like the Shikon no Tama."
"You know about the jewel?"
"Of course. Who doesn't? It caused many problems during its life. But you probably know that already. The question is: are you here to fix those problems or make them worse?"
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered.
"I think you do," he countered. "Not innocents, per se, but something tells me that you share Sess-chan's views on justice. Even if you don't know it yet yourself. Power tends to become an addiction. The more you succumb to it, the easier it is to justify questionable decisions. It happens to the best of us. Just be careful. There are some things you can't come back from. You don't look like a killer, but your kind never does."
Octavia heard Cyril's voice echoing from the other end of the corridor. She turned to see him bounding towards her like a lion. "Where have you been!" he cried. "It's not safe for you to be wandering around on your own. What were you thinking?"
"I was just talking to—"
She gasped. The hazel-eyed Daiyoukai was gone.
"Talking to whom?" Cyril fished.
Her heart hammered in her chest. "Never mind."
They made it to their destination with seconds to spare. Cyril flung open the doors to the Great Hall and ushered her inside. The crowd ceased talking and fixed their piercing gazes on her. Swallowing, she followed Cyril to the centre of the room, where Sesshoumaru was waiting with three other Daiyoukai who were the size of giants.
The first was the sea dragon Arashi, who was Lord of the Northern Lands. He was the most graceful-looking of the three, with long ultramarine hair, a heart-shaped face, and pale grey eyes which were reminiscent of Nagisa's. He even had the same gill-like markings on his neck. Octavia stole a glimpse down at his boots and supposed his feet must be webbed, as well.
Next was Taiki of the white tigers and Lord of the Southern Lands. Unlike Arashi, Taiki was toned and muscular. He wore his hair in a thick black braid that reached his ankles, and his bronze skin was covered in black and white stripes. They were all over his arms and neck, but the ones on his face were more subdued, reminding Octavia of war paint. His eyes were a fluorescent shade of pink. He was also sporting a neat goatee. And was that a tail she could see poking out from under his robes?
Which made the third man Susumu, the Lord of the Eastern Lands. His family were tortoises, but they were nothing to laugh at. Especially in their true forms. When Susumu transformed, he was rumoured to be as large as a mountain. Looking at him now, Octavia believed it. He was built like a tank, with broad shoulders and a massive torso, and his arms were as thick as tree trunks. His face, on the other hand, was the gentlest of the three. The yellow markings on his cheekbones looked soft against his milky skin, and his earthy hair spilled down his back in loose waves.
"Is this her?" Lord Taiki asked.
"She's smaller than I expected," said Lord Susumu.
"All humans look small to you," Lord Arashi countered.
Octavia bowed and waited to be addressed.
"Good day to you all," Cyril greeted, bowing his head. "It's wonderful to see you again, my lords."
"Likewise!" Susumu boomed, smacking the warlock's shoulder. "How are you?"
"Quite well, thank you. And yourselves?"
Taiki grinned. "We're fine, Cyril. Just get on with it already."
"As you wish." His eyes slid to Octavia and shone with pride. "Allow me to introduce my apprentice, Octavia Petridis. She belonged to a clan of magicians from across the sea, who were struck down in their prime. She came here seeking my help so that she might someday enact vengeance on their killers."
"How upsetting," Susumu remarked. "You have my condolences, human."
"And mine," said Arashi.
"What do you get out of this deal, Sesshoumaru?" asked Taiki.
"Her power is unlike anything I've ever seen," Sesshoumaru replied. "In exchange for my protection, she swore an oath before my court. Her magic is mine. Her life is mine. She said so herself."
Damn it. She'd forgotten all about her promise. She had suspected at the time that he might end up using it against her later. She should've foreseen this. How could she have been so stupid?
"How does it work?" Arashi quizzed.
Sesshoumaru's eyes landed on Octavia. She blinked. Was he giving her permission to speak? Cyril cleared his throat, confirming her suspicions, then flashed her a reassuring smile. "I absorb things," she explained. "Well, sort of. It's more like borrowing, I suppose. I drag the energy into my body and my magic amplifies it. It's hard to explain."
Taiki's eyes flashed. "Could you show us?"
A sense of dread washed over her.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Cyril mumbled.
"Nonsense!" barked Susumu. "I say let her do it."
Octavia locked eyes with Sesshoumaru and shot him a pleading look. If she lost control like she had at the lake, the blast could take out every demon in the room, including him and the other warlords.
"Very well," Sesshoumaru said, closing the distance between them. The other courts watched in silence as he offered her his hand. Physical contact wasn't necessary, but she had a feeling that he wanted to put on a show for them. His eyes blazed with some unidentifiable emotion. Her lips parted in shock when she realised that he was asking her to trust him.
She took a deep breath before sliding her hand into his. Youki flowed out of him and into her, like a star hurtling towards a black hole. Her eyes flashed purple and her skin erupted with wine-coloured light, filling the Great Hall like an aurora. The other courts gasped as Sesshoumaru's youki danced around the room. Octavia didn't dare look away from him out of fear that she'd lose control. He didn't seem to share her worries, though. In fact, it was the most pleased she'd seen him in days. And was that a smile she could see pulling at his lips?
She let go of his youki and snatched her hand back. He seemed disappointed, but the display had been more than enough for their audience.
"Astounding," breathed Taiki.
"No wonder Touga was so obsessed," Susumu muttered.
Octavia smiled and bowed her head in gratitude.
"Are you out of your minds?"
Every pair of eyes in the room whipped to the speaker, who belonged to Taiki's court. The Lord of the Southern Lands frowned and said, "What's wrong, my son?"
The prince glared at Octavia. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Father, but she can't be trusted. Think of what she could do with something as powerful as your youki. We'd all be destroyed. Did you forget what happened with Ryukotsusei?"
"That was different," Arashi said.
"Was it?"
"Don't be rude, Hiroto," his father chastised. "The human is on our side."
Octavia's eyes widened as she stared at the prince. He was the spitting image of his father, except his braid wasn't quite as long, and he was a whole head shorter than the Lord of the Southern Lands. She looked away when he caught her staring. Cyril had warned her about his kind. Unlike normal tigers, which were less likely to attack if you maintained eye contact whilst backing away, tiger youkai found it insulting if anyone below them dared to look them in the eye for too long, and Taiki's family were known for their brutality. She could feel the weight of Prince Hiroto's gaze and suppressed a shudder. No wonder Nagisa hadn't returned his feelings.
Before the eldest prince could argue his point further, the doors opened and a familiar face sauntered into the room. "Apologies for being late. I lost track of time. What have I missed?"
Octavia's jaw slackened as he walked towards the Lord of the Eastern Lands. His eyes danced with amusement when he saw the shocked expression on her face. The resemblance between him and the eastern lord was uncanny.
Susumu planted his hand on the young man's shoulder. "This is my firstborn, Yuudai. Son, this is Cyril's human apprentice. Her name is Octavia."
Prince Yuudai bowed. "How delightful. Was that your power I sensed just now?"
"Yes, sir."
"That won't be necessary," he chuckled. "Feel free to call us by our names. I hear you foreigners struggle with honorifics, so don't worry about those, either."
"That's very gracious of you, my prince."
She thought she saw the corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth twitch.
"Since we're on the subject of introductions," Susumu began. "I'd like you to meet the rest of my court." He waved his family closer and began listing off names. "This is my wife, the Lady Noemi; my mistress, Ouka; and our daughters – Ahmya, Chiaki, Kazane and Doi. Aren't they darlings? Say hello, my princesses."
Octavia blushed as the demonesses took turns cupping her cheeks and rubbing their noses against hers. Princess Kazane, the oldest and most beautiful of the four, took it upon herself to kiss her on the lips, which made her blush harder.
"Allow me to introduce mine," said Taiki, gesturing to his own court. "My wife is the Lady Konami, and these are our sons – Toshiyuki, Kosuke, Rafu and Hiroto. We're all very pleased to meet you."
Not all of you, she thought, trying not to look at Hiroto.
Arashi stepped forwards and bowed his head. When he raised his hand, a woman emerged from the crowd of royal attendants and joined him at his side. Octavia's throat closed up when she gazed into the woman's kind grey eyes, which were identical to Nagisa's. "It's just the two of us, I'm afraid," Arashi said. "My wife and I lost our only daughter many years ago."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Octavia choked.
"Thank you, child," said the Lady of the Northern Lands. "My name is Maiha. Your power is extraordinary. I hope we can be friends."
"Dibs!" Princess Chiaki yelled, looping her arms around Octavia's neck.
"Don't be greedy, onee-chan!" shouted Princess Doi. "I wanted to be her friend first!"
"Let her go, you freaks," Prince Kosuke grumbled. "We southerners make for better company, anyway."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
Sesshoumaru released the quietest of sighs as Susumu cleared his throat, prompting his daughters to glance his way. One stern look from her father was all it took for Chiaki to unloop her arms from around Octavia's neck and take a couple of steps backwards. "I'm sorry, Father," she muttered.
"It's not fair, though," Kazane whined. "Why should Sesshoumaru-kun get her all to himself?"
"Because he is the Lord of the Western Lands," Susumu answered. "The mage is his property, not ours. You know better than to touch things that don't belong to you, my dears."
The princesses pouted. "Yes, Father," they said in unison.
Whilst they were distracted, Octavia shot Sesshoumaru a look that made it clear she was anything but his property. She might be under his command, but that didn't mean she had to act like another one of his mindless puppets.
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