EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 121: Sunbringer
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Under the cover of darkness, the storm clouds jetting over the western territories erupted, blasting the ground with a torrential downpour of ice and snow. Silver flakes whizzed by in a diagonal blur, sticking to trees and buildings alike, whilst the wind froze everything it touched. By the dawn of the following day, the stronghold and its surrounding lands were fully encased in white, and the sky had turned as pale and viscous as milk. It snowed consecutively for several days and nights before finally stopping. Even then, there was no reprieve from it. The metres of deep snow were there to stay.
Some weeks later, Octavia stood with the rest of the welcome party in front of the main entrance, watching as the procession piled in through the eastern gate in a long, orderly line. The Ether Clan's warriors were tall and regal, yet they carried themselves in a manner that was anything but pompous. Their expressions stayed cool and disciplined, and they all marched as one.
Rin elbowed her and gestured to a handsome young man near the front of the procession. They exchanged a glance before biting their tongues to keep themselves from giggling.
Four of the warriors carried between them a large golden palanquin with closed curtains and a red sphere atop its tapered roof. Octavia's eyes flickered to Sesshoumaru – who was waiting at the head of the welcome party – before returning to the palanquin. Her heart pounded as the bearers set the carriage down gently.
They were doing the right thing. She was certain of it. Even more so after hearing about Kanetsugu's encounter with Asuka. There had been a lot to unpack, and they'd understood very little of it. They needed to be ready for anything.
The palanquin door opened and two figures emerged from inside it. The first was a woman of exceptional beauty. She was golden-eyed with high cheekbones, an upturned nose, a pointed chin, and silvery-purple hair. Said cheekbones were further accentuated with dark blue stripes, and she had two teardrops tattooed under each eye in white ink.
The second figure was hidden beneath a long, red veil.
"I bid you welcome," Sesshoumaru said courteously. "I am the lord of these lands and your unassuming host. I hope the weather wasn't too much of a hindrance."
Octavia nodded along with his words. She was pleased to see him making the effort to be civil. He must have been practising.
"We thank you for your invitation," the golden-eyed woman responded with a bow. "My name is Shizuka, High Priestess and matron of the Sky Temple. I am here on behalf of our clan's matriarch, Mineru-sama, to act as an escort for Her Ladyship, Mikan Sunbringer."
Octavia's gaze shifted to the figure beside the High Priestess. The veil was opaque and thus concealed the other woman's features completely. Octavia wondered if she had chosen to wear it or if custom had merely dictated that she must.
Sesshoumaru dipped his head and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Mikan."
The veil shifted as the figure underneath leaned forwards in a bow of her own. "The pleasure is all mine, my lord."
So far so good, Octavia thought as she trailed behind the group alongside Rin and Kagome. Inuyasha walked several paces ahead, flanked by Kanetsugu and Kannika. They filtered into the Great Hall, where a banquet had been prepared for the bride and her inner circle.
The High Priestess led Mineru's daughter to a cushion at the head of the table, then sat beside her and gestured for the warriors accompanying them to do the same. There were eight of them in total – including the ambassador, Roku – and they were all men in their prime with at least half an armoury strapped to their backs.
Like Shizuka, they were all fair-haired and golden-eyed, with pointed features and thick, arching eyebrows. Octavia couldn't stop her eyes from drifting to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, then back to their guests. The resemblance was positively uncanny.
Sesshoumaru seated himself at the other end of the table and dismissed his own guards with a wave. They left the Great Hall at once, pulling the doors closed behind them.
The conversation that followed was mind-numbingly boring. The High Priestess requested to hear more about the threat to the Western Lands – they gave her a brief summary of the situation with a few omissions here and there, the most notable being Octavia's relation to Augustus – and Sesshoumaru wanted to know why the Ether Clan had agreed to ally themselves with him instead of a fellow northerner like Arashi. The answer to the latter was obvious in Octavia's opinion. Arashi was married, whereas Sesshoumaru wasn't.
The bride hadn't uttered a word since setting foot inside the castle. She sat at her end of the table silently, running a finger along the rim of her empty plate. This went on for the better part of an hour. She only stopped when Roku patted the back of her hand and leaned down to whisper something in her ear.
"You have a rather unique title, Mikan-sama," Cyril said, addressing her directly. "If you don't mind me asking, what does it mean?"
The veiled figure neither moved nor spoke. Was she shy or just a doormat? For her sake, Octavia hoped it was the former. Sesshoumaru had little patience for timidness, but he would be a thousand times more displeased with the latter.
"Her Ladyship was birthed during one of the worst storms our clan has ever seen," replied the High Priestess. "It raged on for over a fortnight and destroyed most of our fortress. However, Mikan-sama's first cries caused the rain clouds to finally part, allowing the sun to shine down on the mountain again. Hence, she was given the name Sunbringer." Shizuka's gold eyes flashed as she turned to Sesshoumaru and said, "I assumed you would be familiar with that story, but your expression says otherwise. Then again, your father didn't talk about his homeland much, did he?"
Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed slightly. "No, I suppose he didn't. I recall asking him about it once. He called it an ugly and desolate land that wasn't worth remembering."
She rolled her eyes. "Ever the dramatic one, that Touga. I can't say I'm surprised, though. He never did like to dwell on the past. It's why he never visited us after he left to seek his fortune. He was always ambitious like that."
"You knew him?" Inuyasha queried.
Octavia's eyes widened in realisation. "You're his mother."
Shizuka shifted her focus towards Octavia. "You're a clever one, aren't you?"
Rin and the others all gasped loudly. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha managed to remain silent, but they looked equally stunned.
"She's right," the High Priestess confirmed. "Your father was indeed born on Mount Reimei, my lords. I would know. My labours lasted for days. The pain was excruciating."
Inuyasha's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. "T-Then you're our . . ."
"Right again." She winked, seemingly relishing in his distress. "Now be a good boy and give your grandmother a kiss, why don't you?"
The hanyou scooted backwards in disgust. "Thanks but no thanks."
She howled with laughter and clapped her hands like an overexcited child. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, expressed no such amusement. "Why should we believe you?"
Her demeanour changed in the blink of an eye. "Your father had an X-shaped scar on his left shoulder blade, did he not?"
Sesshoumaru's jaw tensed. "An old wound from one of his early battles—"
"Wrong," she interrupted cheerfully. "He fell and landed on a rake as a boy. Showing off, no doubt. Anyway, it tore straight through the muscle. I stitched it myself. He bled all over my favourite rug, the little turd." Her smile turned calculated as she rested her chin on her hands. "You wanted to know why Mineru-sama chose you over the sea dragons? This is why. The other warlords are strangers – barbarians, even – but you . . . You are one of us."
Inuyasha eyed Mineru's daughter anxiously. "Does that mean she's related to us, as well?"
Octavia's heart sank. She hadn't even considered that.
Shizuka snorted. "Of course not. What do you take us for?"
The room released a collective sigh of relief.
"What about our grandfather?" Inuyasha asked eagerly. "Is he still alive and kicking or is he . . ."
The High Priestess's lips curved into a frown. "My husband died a long time ago. The day I buried him was the same day I found out that I was pregnant with his child."
The hanyou's face fell.
"We're sorry to hear that, Shizuka-sama," murmured Cyril.
Her frown morphed into a smile. "Thank you, sweet warlock. Not just for your kind words, but for all the years you spent watching over my son."
Cyril's scales darkened with contentment. "It was my honour."
Octavia saw an opening and took it. "Why didn't you go with him?"
Shizuka's vespine eyes flicked to hers and narrowed. "With whom, my dear?"
"Your son," Octavia clarified. "When he left the mountain, why didn't you leave with him?"
She seemed amused by the line of questioning. "Even if I'd wanted to, he would never have allowed it. Touga was proud and determined in his youth. And in his adult life from the sounds of it. He wanted to pave a path for himself without relying on the strength or influence of his ancestors. Though it pained me to see him reject our way of life in favour of the unknown, I respected his courage and sent him on his way with a smile. It was the least I could do. He was my everything."
"You could have fooled me."
The demoness's expression turned cold.
"Octavia," Cyril said in a warning voice.
She ignored him and carried on. "Maybe it's different for us humans, but if my only child suddenly announced that they were leaving home one day and that was that, I'd have a few things to say about it. And if they were still hellbent on going through with it even after talking things through, I'd make sure they knew that I would support them no matter what, because that's what mothers do—or at least it's what they're supposed to do."
She could feel Sesshoumaru staring at her, but she refrained from meeting his gaze and kept her focus purely on his grandmother.
"What's your excuse for not staying in touch with him after he left?" she continued. "You say he was proud, but that doesn't mean he was heartless. Surely he would have liked for his mother to meet his children? Wouldn't you have liked that, too? Or were you so blinded by your faith and priestess duties that you lost sight of what really matters?"
The warriors all glowered at her, but Shizuka merely smiled and said, "Your boldness is astonishing. Are you always this outspoken in the presence of guests?"
"No," Sesshoumaru cut in, shooting Octavia a reprimanding glare. "She isn't."
Despite his interjection, the High Priestess's terrifying eyes remained glued to hers. "Enough games, human," she said. "Speak your mind and let us be done with it already."
Octavia stood and blurted out, "Because of your indifference, Touga had no choice but to face his enemies alone. If you'd gone with him all those years ago and founded the Western Lands together, he might still be alive today. Ryukotsusei wouldn't have gotten the better of him if he'd had backup. Some mother you turned out to be. It wasn't his pride that killed him, it was you—"
One of the warriors shot up and backhanded her hard across the face. Her cheek burned where he'd slapped her, and her neck throbbed from being thrown sideways so violently.
Sesshoumaru's expression turned murderous. Before he could explode, Octavia gave the warrior a taunting look and muttered, "Is that the best you can do? I've met kids who can hit harder than that."
He raised his hand to strike her again.
Mineru's daughter suddenly leapt to her feet and ordered him to stand down. Octavia couldn't see her face through the veil, but the unwavering authority in her voice left zero room for argument.
Shizuka chuckled as the warrior lowered his hand and returned to his cushion without a word of protest. The bride, on the other hand, remained standing, looking very much like a wooden pole coated in blood.
"Forgive me, my lady," the warrior lamented. "I have broken my vows and dishonoured our clan. Choose whichever punishment you see fit and I will gladly bear it."
The bride gave a dismissive wave. "That won't be necessary. However, I do believe that an apology is in order."
"Quite right, my lady." He turned to Octavia and bent forwards in a deep bow. "Please excuse my behaviour, mage-sama. I should not have allowed my anger to influence my actions. I apologise for any pain I may have caused."
"Apology accepted," she replied smugly.
The High Priestess snorted. "You're lucky she's human, Hotaru. They're a lot more docile than we are. Were she a demon, she would have torn out your throat with her teeth, and rightfully so."
Don't tempt me, Octavia thought, imagining the scene in detail.
The bride had yet to return to her seat. She seemed to have no intention of doing so, either. Octavia didn't dare look away as the woman picked up her silks and glided around the table towards her. Roku rose from his cushion and moved to do the same, only to be halted by the bride gesturing for him to stay put with her hand.
"I would speak with the mage alone," she told her guards, then added, "With her permission, of course?"
It took Octavia a moment to realise that she was waiting for a response. "All right," she answered lamely. "I mean, yes, my lady. I am at your disposal."
The bride responded by spinning around and making a beeline for the door. She not only looked like a phantom, but moved like one, too. Octavia struggled to keep up with her. She locked eyes with Sesshoumaru before she left and gave him a reassuring nod. He still seemed tense, but his eyes had returned to normal, and the fury had subsided somewhat.
I'll explain later, she tried to convey with her eyes. In the meantime, hang in there, okay?
The air outside was cold and bracing. She tightened her obi before following Mineru's daughter away from the castle and into the wintry wilderness that was the gardens. The low temperature amplified the pain in her cheek, and her teeth chattered violently as she strode across the crunchy, wet snow.
The bride must have heard the muffled gnashing because she ceased walking and waited for her to catch up. When Octavia finally bridged the gap between them, the demoness looped an arm through hers and tugged her along amicably.
"Touga didn't found the Western Lands, you know."
Octavia blinked. "What?"
"He wasn't the original founder," the bride explained. "He inherited them from the lord that came before him. When Touga first arrived in the Western Lands, he joined the imperial army and worked his way up through its ranks. As the years went by, his skills and prowess on the battlefield caught the attention of none other than the lord himself.
"The old lord had no kin, you see, so he treated the young general like a son. And when he died, everything he owned was given to Touga, including the Western Lands themselves. The other courts are all too young to remember that far back, but not us. Our clan always remembers."
Octavia wondered if Sesshoumaru knew about that particular chapter of his father's history. She doubted Touga would have told him, seeing as he had neglected to mention that he'd been born on Mount Reimei. Unless Shizuka had lied about that. The resemblance was undeniably there, but how trustworthy was the High Priestess, really?
"What an interesting story," she answered diplomatically. The last thing she wanted to do was offend the woman. "Thank you for sharing it with me, my lady."
"Don't call me that," the bride whispered, sounding vaguely irritated. "It's one thing to address me like that in front of everyone else, but there's no need for it in private. Please just call me Mikan. It is my name, after all."
They strolled in silence for a while, until they happened upon a small hut buried under a thick pile of snow. Octavia had never seen it before, but the bride seemed to know exactly where the entrance was and managed to force the door open. Octavia followed her inside and was surprised by how warm it was.
It's a shrine, she realised upon entry. There was an altar at the far end of the room that housed a bronze statue flanked by two wooden pillars. The red paint was cracked and peeling, and despite the fresh snow outside, the place smelled damp and fusty.
The bride approached the altar and knelt before the statue, prostrating herself on the rotting floorboards. Octavia held her breath as the demoness sat upright and lifted her veil so that it resembled a red halo around her head. She tiptoed closer, not wishing to startle the woman away from her worship.
Her eyes widened when she saw the bride's face for the very first time. She was without a doubt the most gorgeous woman Octavia had ever seen.
In true Ether Clan fashion, she had pale skin and conventionally attractive features, but her cheeks were a lot fuller than Shizuka's, and she had a flat, round nose. Furthermore, her hair was a soft pink, like the colour of roses or a cloudy dawn sky. Her lips and eyelids were painted a dusty red, and she had four pearly-white teardrops tattooed under each eye, bringing the total up to eight.
She wore a myriad of sun memorabilia, mostly in the form of jewellery—the most obvious example being the gold, sun-shaped earrings dangling from her earlobes. However, her fingers were adorned with rings depicting various weather symbols such as rainclouds, snowflakes, and lightning bolts.
Octavia's face heated when the bride suddenly opened her eyes and tilted her head sideways. There was no shortage of light inside the shrine, yet her gaze seemed strangely unfocused. It didn't take long for Octavia to understand why. The bride's pupils were completely white, and her irises looked similarly foggy.
"I hear you're something of a Sunbringer yourself." She waited for Octavia to kneel beside her before continuing. "They say you destroyed an entire army of those shadow creatures with a snap of your fingers."
Octavia blushed harder. "Who told you that?"
"Did you think we were entirely cut off from the rest of the world?" A smile pulled at Mikan's rouge-covered lips. "Recounts of that day differ depending on who's telling it, but the ending is always the same. The battle culminates with you unleashing the power of the sun on your enemies and taking back what was stolen from you."
"I didn't do it alone," Octavia felt the need to clarify. "Sesshoumaru's the one who killed Tsunayoshi, not me. If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead."
"So I've heard." The bride reached into her salmon-pink robes and pulled out a small gold coin with a square hole in its centre. Octavia watched as she placed it on the altar next to the other tributes. "Are there any other offerings besides mine?"
Octavia told her about the small wooden box full of dusty coins and the lone, sparkling hairpin that looked like it had been left there recently.
"Are you religious at all?" questioned Mikan.
"Not really. My parents were, though. And my brother is very . . ." She was going to say dedicated, but it didn't seem like the right word to use given her history with him. "I think it's ignorant to outright deny the existence of gods and deities, but I disagree with the whole 'do-as-you're-bid-or-else-your-soul-will-be-forever-damned' angle. You should be able to criticise certain aspects of a religion without being berated for it. You're supposed to learn from the past, not make excuses for it. And you're definitely not supposed to use your faith as an excuse to commit atrocities against strangers and loved ones alike."
"I agree with you on that front," Mikan said. "I too have been a victim of religious warfare. It's how I lost my sight."
"You weren't always blind?"
"I might as well have been. I was only a few months old when it happened. A rival clan hired an assassin to murder me in my crib. Their leader called us heathens because we worship a Shinto goddess instead of a Daiyoukai one. He threatened to wipe us out if we didn't convert. When my mother refused to give in to his demands, their tribe staged an invasion whilst the assassin snuck into the nursery and attacked me. Although my father killed him before he could finish the job, I was badly injured. Our healers managed to repair most of the damage, but my eyes were beyond saving."
Octavia's throat felt tight. "That's horrible."
"It was," Mikan agreed. "But I've made my peace with it. My mother made sure that their leader suffered a suitable fate." She chuckled darkly. "I still have the two shuttlecocks that she made using his eyes. She was really into hanetsuki back then, and they were about the same size as soapberries, so she figured, why not?"
Octavia bit back a smile. She's no doormat, I'll give her that.
"How'd you know where to find this place? You know, since you're . . ."
"Blind?" Giggling, the demoness reached for her hand and threaded their fingers together. "I have my ways. A Daiyoukai's senses are already hyper-sensitive, but losing one of them amplifies the others even more. Being blind made me listen more, smell more, taste more, touch more." Octavia glanced down at their joined hands in realisation. "And then there's my youki," Mikan continued. "I use that to 'see' my surroundings. Trees, rivers, canyons, other people. All the usual hazards. It's not perfect, but I have a rough idea of where things are in relation to myself."
Octavia's eyes widened in amazement. So that was how she moved around so effortlessly by herself. It still didn't explain how she'd known about the shrine's existence, though.
"Actually," she started. "I meant here specifically. As in this shrine. You've never been to the stronghold before, so how'd you know it was here?"
"The yosei told me."
Octavia's heart started beating faster. "The what?"
"Yosei," she repeated. "You know, fairies? There are thousands of them on Mount Reimei. They live in the garden on the roof of the Sky Temple."
"They do?"
Mikan nodded. "They like to lounge around in the sun, and what better place to do that than in Amaterasu's garden?"
Octavia furrowed her brow. "My uncle told me that there used to be yosei living in the gardens here, until Sesshoumaru's father kicked them out. He wouldn't tell me why, but I'm guessing they had a disagreement about something."
It was the only explanation for why Breena loathed Sesshoumaru so much, and vice versa.
"That's an understatement," Mikan said. "After Touga left, some of the yosei decided to follow him to the Western Lands. One day, they shared a prophecy with him. No one knows what it was, but it apparently made him so angry that he banished them from the stronghold and told them never to return. Some chose to stay in the forests around the stronghold, but most of them flew home to Mount Reimei."
Octavia's frown deepened. She knew exactly which prophecy the bride was referring to. So that was how Touga had found out about the legend of the Star Queen. No wonder he'd banished them. If someone had told her that her son was destined to be murdered by a tyrannical and blood-thirsty star, she would have done the same.
Luckily, she and Rin had destroyed that prophecy months ago. Or rewritten it, rather. Instead of killing the king who lived on the moon, the star had developed feelings for him.
She peeked up at the statue of Amaterasu cautiously. Whilst that explained why there had been yosei living in the castle's gardens and the surrounding forests, it didn't explain why there'd been so many on Namida. She recalled Nagisa telling them that the first yosei had been born on an island called Horaijima before making the crossing to Namida.
Octavia's head spun. Where was Horaijima, anyway? It wasn't on any of the maps, but then again, neither was Namida. And if it was their home, what made them leave?
"Your thoughts are so loud," Mikan laughed.
Octavia smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I've enjoyed your company. Your voice is very pleasing to the ear."
She felt flustered again. "Oh. Thank you."
The bride grinned. "You're welcome. I would compliment you on your beauty, but I have no idea what you look like."
They both laughed that time.
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There was snow in his boots.
Sesshoumaru had been sitting on the engawa for nearly two hours. Once the banquet had concluded, the High Priestess had retired to her rooms. She didn't seem concerned that the clan leader's daughter was missing, or that she was alone in the presence of a notoriously bad-tempered mage.
Four of the eight warriors had accompanied Shizuka to her quarters, whilst the other four had stayed behind to wait for the Lady Mikan. Fortunately, the one who had struck Octavia wasn't among them. She might have forgiven him, but Sesshoumaru certainly hadn't.
They were easy enough to tune out, except for the ambassador, Roku, who paced back and forth along the snow-trodden path. Every so often, he would glance at the gardens expectantly. He was obviously enamoured with the woman. Sesshoumaru wondered if the feeling was mutual or not. Would she have agreed to come if it was?
He heard Roku's pulse quicken and followed his gaze to the two figures exiting the gardens. Relief coursed through him like a wave as he stood and waited for them to complete their approach.
Octavia's face was flushed pink from the cold, and her hair had snow in it. She smiled at him from across the courtyard as she escorted the veiled figure to Roku's side.
After saying their goodbyes, the women unlinked arms and went their separate ways. The bride headed inside with her guards whilst Octavia meandered over to where Sesshoumaru was standing. His mood soured when he noticed the ghost of a bruise on her right cheek. He could tell that it was going to be a bad one.
"Am I a sight for sore eyes or what?"
He sighed, exasperated. "What were you thinking? People have been killed for less—"
"Relax. I got what I needed."
He froze.
Her purple eye seemed to twinkle. "Oh, come on. You didn't think I'd let you marry a total pushover, did you?"
"You were testing her," he realised.
"Obviously. She passed with flying colours, by the way."
Sesshoumaru was speechless. How could she be so sure in such a short time frame?
"Well? Don't you want to know what we talked about? She's quite witty for a noblewoman. And her face—"
"She showed you her face?"
Her smile stretched all the way to her ears.
"It's not good?" he guessed.
"No, it's good. Your hot grandmother looks like a troll in comparison to her."
He sighed again. "Don't remind me."
She giggled. It had been a while since he'd seen her this happy. Her joy was infectious. He wanted nothing more than to bury his hands in her snowy hair and kiss her senseless, but the courtyard was far too exposed for that.
"Have you made up your mind yet?" she asked.
"About what?"
"About their offer." His stomach sank. "They'll be wanting an answer soon."
"I know."
"And you'll give them one?"
She sounded hopeful. Why was this so much harder for him than it was for her?
"I will reveal my decision first thing tomorrow," he said.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, then—"
"No."
She looked hurt. "You don't want me there?"
"I do," he clarified.
"Then what are you—"
He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I will see you before if you allow me to."
Although they had reconciled weeks ago, they were still sleeping separately. Sesshoumaru had been waiting for the right time to remedy it, but he understood now that there was no such thing.
Octavia smiled and whispered back, "Not if I see you first."
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Author's Corner
If you want to see a beta design of Mikan, check out my Instagram page (magadraws). I didn't originally plan for her to be blind, but I thought it would give her character some extra depth and make her feel more unique, so I made some tweaks before finalising her design. I'm hoping to post an updated version soon, but don't count on it lol.