Author's Corner

Sorry for the wait! I started uni in September so I've been drowning in coursework and assignments. I'll try to post a few extra chapters over the Christmas break to make up for it. Enjoy!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 129: An audience with the moon princess

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A leaning tower loomed in the distance, silhouetted against the unrelenting night sky.

Rin gazed at the impossible structure from afar. The distance between her and it seemed to shrink with each passing second, as if it were chasing her across the sand dunes.

She turned to flee, but her path was blocked by a man at least twice her height. With his features illuminated by starlight, she almost mistook him for Lord Sesshoumaru. The stranger's gold eyes and platinum hair gleamed like polished coins, and he even had a navy crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. He was clad in white robes with blue accents, and he wore a sparkling silver crown atop his head.

His pupils glowed as his hands shot out and cupped her face. The sand beneath their feet transformed into moonlit snow, and there was now a huge frozen lake where the base of the tower had been. The stranger vanished before she could ask where he'd taken her, leaving behind a trail of footprints in the snow.

She followed his tracks to the edge of the lake. There, she observed a swarm of eels swimming beneath the ice, their white skin glimmering like frost. The largest of the bunch was a cross between mahogany and cinnabar red.

The man reappeared beside her without warning. Rin's chest tightened as he stepped onto the ice and walked towards the centre of the lake. The white eels mirrored his careful strides, skirting along the underside of the ice sheet, whilst the red one raced ahead.

A shadow swept over the moon, reducing it to a mere crescent. In the darkness, a white hare with a hint of green in its coat crept out of the foliage and nosed the ground at Rin's feet. Aside from its unusual colouring, it seemed mostly unimportant, until it shuffled towards the edge of the bank and pawed at the ice.

She screamed when the ice fractured and the stranger fell straight through. The last thing she saw was the sky darkening as the red eel coiled around his body underwater.

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Rin's consciousness returned in waves.

Octavia cleaned the sweat from her brow with a flannel and waited for her to catch her breath. "What did you see this time?"

Rin described the vision in detail. The tower in the desert was a recurring feature, as was the peculiar being that dwelled there. His alleged resemblance to Sesshoumaru was disturbing, to say the least.

"Did you recognise the lake?"

"No," Rin muttered. "It could have been anywhere. If it even exists."

Octavia ran her fingers across Rin's forehead. She had yet to tell her about her own inner turmoil.

Every night, Octavia dreamed that she was in the forest where her brother and his troops had set up camp. She had been under the impression that it was the same dream repeating itself, but she couldn't have been further from the truth. The treehouses were fully built now, and the grass around the tents was thin and patchy. Augustus still seemed startled whenever he laid eyes on her, but his reactions were becoming less overt, as if he'd grown accustomed to her visits and daresay looked forward to them.

"Can I ask you something?"

Rin peered up at her with drooping eyelids. "What is it?"

". . . It's about you and Koga."

She lurched awake, jolting upright and demanding, "How do you know about that?"

"How do you think?"

Her expression turned hostile. "Sesshoumaru-sama had no right to tell you that."

"I know, but I'm glad he did." Octavia sat up and gave her a searching look. "Why didn't you come to me about it?"

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Rin murmured. "When you told me that story about you and that man, you meant it as a cautionary tale, but instead of learning from it, I used your past experiences as justification for my own." Her voice cracked at the end. "I didn't mean to let you down. I'm so sorry—"

"Don't you dare apologise. You don't owe me an explanation. And you haven't disappointed me. Not now. Not ever."

Octavia's chest contorted with guilt at the sight of Rin's tears. The dreams weren't the only secrets she'd been keeping.

"I have to tell you something," she started. "I've wanted to tell you for months, but I wasn't sure what your reaction would be. I didn't want to disappoint you, either." She fidgeted with her hands. "Sesshoumaru and I . . . We've been through a lot together . . . I should probably preface this by mentioning—"

"Stop," Rin said. She looked like she was fighting back a smile. "Everything you're about to say, I already know."

"You do?"

She nodded. "I figured it out a while ago. To be honest, I think a part of me always knew."

"And you're not angry?"

"Are you kidding?" Rin reached over and squeezed her arm. "I couldn't be happier."

Beaming, Octavia pulled her into a hug. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. I know it seems crazy. He'd probably be better off with someone like Mikan, but in the meantime, I'll do my best to take care of him. If anyone even tries to hurt him, I'll kill them – gods and demons alike."

Rin giggled against her shoulder. "Wow. You've got it bad, huh?"

"I'm just trying to keep him alive. If that constitutes obsession, then we're all as bad as each other."

"Sure we are," Rin teased, pulling away and wiggling her eyebrows. "You looove him."

Octavia rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

She waited until Rin had drifted off to sleep again before sneaking out of her chambers and making her way towards Megumi's. Sesshoumaru's mother seemed to understand the urgency of her visit because she invited her inside without putting up a fight. In turn, Octavia told her all about Rin's recent visions over a pot of tea, specifically the ones involving the man with the silver crown and crescent moon on his forehead.

Her suspicions were all but confirmed when Megumi drained her cup and said, "No one was there to witness my father's suicide. I didn't find his body until after the ice had thawed and it floated to the surface." She wrinkled her nose. "It wasn't pretty."

Octavia sipped her tea in silence.

"You believe there is a reason behind this particular vision?" Megumi guessed.

"Maybe, maybe not." Octavia set her cup down on the table and poured herself another drink. She tried to show Megumi the same courtesy, but the demoness draped a hand over her cup to prevent her from doing so.

Cyril's words echoed in her ears. If Rin-chama possesses even a sliver of spirit magic, then it means her blood is the same as ours. Heavily diluted, mind you, but blood is blood.

"My uncle thinks that Rin's ancestors were star mages, hence the visions. Midoriko's daughter was a seer, and she made loads of predictions that eventually came true."

"He may be right," Megumi mused aloud. "They say the miko who created the Shikon no Tama was born on the slopes of Mount Fuji almost a thousand years ago. My son's ward hails from Suruga, which just so happens to be one of the provinces that the Fuji River flows through."

"So, you agree? You think she has star blood, too?"

"I wouldn't rule it out."

Octavia watched as Megumi stood and glided over to her dressing table. It had been redecorated since Octavia had last seen it, the once varnished surface now painted silver. The rest of the furniture had all received a similar treatment, including the bed frame, which shone in direct sunlight like the surface of a blade.

Octavia felt her eyes being drawn to the gilded wakizashi on the wall above the vanity. The Sword of the Firebird had served her well during their journey to the city of crystal tears, but she was no swordsman. It had been mounted to the wall ever since, alongside a series of ink paintings depicting various landscapes from the aforementioned trip, such as the twin mountains flanking the city of Ebisu, and the waterfalls on Namida to name a few. She wondered why Megumi hadn't taken them down yet.

"What will you do if it is true?" the demoness asked, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "As a foundling of the Western Lands, the girl belongs to Sesshoumaru, not you. Unless you plan on challenging his claim?"

Octavia frowned as Megumi raked a comb through her hair. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I would." She put the comb away and began colouring her lips with rouge. "If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't allow anyone to stand between me and my kin."

"Sesshoumaru is my family, too."

"Not by blood he isn't." Megumi's painted lips arched into a smile. "The only way to remedy that would be to bind yourselves together in matrimony, or if you were to bear him a child—neither of which are applicable given your circumstances."

"You don't have to marry someone or have children with them to be a family."

"You do if you want to avoid being labelled a whore for the rest of your life."

"Izayoi bore Touga a son and everyone still called her one," Octavia pointed out. "Anyway, I don't care what they call me. I have more important things to worry about."

"Like murdering your brother?"

"If I have to."

Megumi's smile faded. "Most humans would baulk at the idea of slaughtering a family member, but you seem oddly content with it. I miss the young woman who broke into my home and lectured me on the importance of protecting one's own flesh and blood."

"So will our enemies." Octavia finished her tea and stacked the empty cups on top of one another. "I was easier to kill back then."

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Inuyasha stormed into the Great Hall and tripped at the sight of his friends being interrogated by Sesshoumaru's mother. The court hadn't been called to session, so it was just her and them, but the tension in the room was as thick as fog.

Sango and Miroku both turned and met his disbelieving stare. The twins and Hisui did the same, the three of them peering out from behind Hachiemon's back with haunted expressions. Inuyasha didn't understand why they were looking at him like that, until he smelled traces of blood on their clothes.

It was youkai blood. The scent was even stronger on Sango. Hiraikotsu reeked of guts and bone marrow.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why are you all here? And where the hell is Sesshoumaru?"

"Gone," Megumi replied. "He and the mage left for Moon Country this morning. In his absence, I am the ruler of the Western Lands by proxy. Therefore, it is my duty to receive and evaluate refugees on my son's behalf. We cannot allow just anyone to enter the stronghold. For all we know, they could be cutthroats or thieves."

"But they're not!" Inuyasha argued. "I know them. Sesshoumaru knows them. This is ridiculous—"

"It's all right, my friend," Miroku assured him. "Megumi-sama is merely following protocol. I would have done the same if I were in her position."

Sesshoumaru's mother seemed pleased with his response. "The monk's patience is admirable." She tossed a disapproving look in Inuyasha's direction. "The same cannot be said for you, half-breed."

His ears flattened as Kagome sprinted into the Great Hall, slick with sweat and gasping for breath. "I said . . . slow down," she panted. "Gods, I'm out of shape . . ." She froze when she realised that everyone in the room was staring at her. "Sango-chan? And Miroku-sama? What are you guys doing here?"

Their faces darkened.

She called them refugees, Inuyasha remembered. But why?

"There's good news and bad news," Megumi answered for them. "The good news is that your friends will be staying here indefinitely, so you'll have plenty of time to get reacquainted with one another. However, the bad news is that they can never go home again."

"Why not?" asked Kagome.

"Because their home is no more."

Inuyasha felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

Kagome's expression indicated that she felt the same. "W-What did you say?"

Sesshoumaru's mother turned to Miroku and said, "Tell them what you told me. Start from the beginning."

"Please, my lady," Sango interjected. "Our children have been through enough. They've already had to relive it once. To make them do so a second time would be cruel. My husband and I are happy to oblige, but I implore you to let them rest."

Megumi narrowed her eyes, but she agreed to Sango's terms and allowed Hachiemon to lead the three children away. Hisui wailed in protest as the tanuki scooped him up and carried him out of the room. The twins – being older and more aware of what was happening – trailed after Hachiemon obediently.

Miroku waited for their footsteps to fade away before speaking. "Musashi is breaking apart at the seams," he said in a grave voice. "The cracks multiplied after your departure and have since spread all the way to the southern border. There are reports that some have even made it as far south as Sagami and Izu, but we haven't been able to verify that information."

Sango picked up where he'd left off. "A week ago, one of the cracks above the Tree of Ages tripled in size, and a horde of man-eating demons came pouring out. There were too many of them to fight, so Miroku erected a barrier around the village to keep them at bay. We figured they would grow weary of attacking sooner or later, but they never did. The onslaught lasted for days."

"How did you escape?" Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha saw Miroku's throat bob. "The barrier collapsed on the fourth day. I tried to keep it intact for longer, but there were so many of them, and without the Kazaana . . . Anyway, with the barrier gone, the demons tore their way through the village, devouring everything in their path." He closed his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth, "I couldn't save Master Mushin. I couldn't save anyone."

Sango clasped his hand. "You saved us."

"No, I didn't. That was all you, my love."

Inuyasha couldn't breathe. How could the village be gone? It had survived worse ordeals. The old bat would never have permitted it to fall—

He choked on a breath. "Where's Kaede?"

Miroku's blue eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry."

Kagome covered her mouth with her hands.

Inuyasha felt numb. "How?"

"She went down fighting," Sango muttered. "Kikyo would have been proud."

He nodded mutely.

The sound of Kagome's muffled sobs broke him out of his trance. He reached for her without thinking and folded his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and cried harder, her tears wetting the juncture where throat met shoulder.

Megumi's gaze shifted back to Sango and Miroku. "Do not expect special treatment from us," she said. "Your children are too young to be put to work, but the two of you will be expected to earn your keep. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not at all," replied Sango. "What would you have us do, my lady?"

"That depends on what you're good at."

"I've been a renowned youkai taijiya for over a decade."

"And yet you failed to prevent your village from being overrun by the very creatures you were bred to destroy. Perhaps a change of career is in order?"

Inuyasha felt Kagome stiffen in his arms.

Sango's smile failed to reach her eyes. "I've mastered all the forms and techniques. I'll teach your soldiers how to counter them in exchange for food and lodgings."

Megumi inspected her claws. "I don't think you can."

"Put a katana in my hand and I'll make you the finest army in all of Nihon."

As proof of her credentials, Sango threw a knife at the demoness's head. It zipped through the air in a straight line, slicing off a few strands of Megumi's hair before hitting the wall behind her with a deafening thwack.

Megumi's eyes blazed with obvious excitement as her hair floated to the floor like threads from a spider web. "Tell me more, taijiya."

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