Chronicles of the West

Chapter Seventy Nine

Silvana stared at her singed fingertips. She'd grown impatient waiting for her rescue and decided to get the shackle off. The first few attempts she'd received only a mild jolt of purification, so she'd tried with more enthusiasm. Apparently the more you tried, the more it gave.

The last jolt had been much stronger, sending her into the black abyss of sleep for an unspecified amount of time. Her whole body ached from it, and her fingertips still burned. She growled as she licked the abused flesh. Damn it all anyway.

She stiffened when the door opened, she half expected to see Adus. It wasn't him. It was the winged thing that had attacked the west. Blue eyes followed the line of one snowy wing. "What do you want?" she demanded. Golden eyes, not unlike Ryu's stared back at her. "I came to see if you would like to leave this room. I will let you out you know." he said smoothly.

She blinked at the golden haired male before her. It had to be a trick. "Why would you let me go?" she asked him. A golden brow lifted in amusement, "I said I would let you out woman, not let you go" he pointed out. She fought the urge to growl. She tried reading him, but only met with an unending sea of black stillness. Not good, not normal. Even the truly evil had feelings.

She sighed, "Why have you taken us?" she demanded, "Is it for Alastair, Adus?". Josin smiled warmly, "Of course not. Alastair is not here anymore and Adus has met with an untimely end". He reached over and unlatched the chain from her shackle. "The band will remain on, should you attempt to escape you will be purified, although no to your death. There will be no escape of any kind. Not even in death" he told her.

Silvana rose on unsteady legs, her muscles stiff from lack of movement. Josin saw her sway and steadied her with a strong arm around her middle. She blinked up at him, somewhat surprised. She pushed away. "Why am I here?" she asked. He turned patient eyes to her, "To bear witness to the new world".

Silvana knew she had to do something. This place was strangely without scent. Was that what was causing Ryu to take his own sweet time? He couldn't track her? Her mind moved over her options. She couldn't project scent from her, she couldn't scream that loud. What did she have to use?

She was led to a dining room, where a meal was waiting. Elda was there, a shackle on her as well, but she seemed unharmed. At the table sat Alastair. She was about to call Josin a liar but she sensed that this was not the human. She blinked at him and he smiled, fangs peeking at her. Alastair was youkai.

"Won't you sit down?" he asked politely, "You must be hungry". Those deep eyes narrowed on him. "How?" she asked, "How did you lose your humanity?". Sero smiled softly at her, "I am the demon soul you sensed in the human male some time ago" he replied smoothly, "Now there is only me within this body".

She shook her head, "You stole his body?" Sero frowned, "That is such an ugly way of looking at it Silvana" he chided, "Sit. Eat". She slowly slid into the chair he was gesturing to. She shivered as she felt Josin's hand slide over her shoulder.

She fought the urge to jerk away from that hand. "You may call me Sero" he told her, sipping his wine. He let his gaze move to the other female. The wolf, sitting so quiet and pale. "Lady Elda, this wine is fro your homeland" he commented.

Silvana felt her flesh crawl at his words. He was a murdering demon, wrapped in a once human body. Yet, he sat there, as calm as could be. Talking as though he were a fine gentleman. At his urging Elda slowly lifted the glass. "We would not stoop so low as to poison you" he assured her.

Silvana growled softly, "Of course not, you wouldn't want to damage your materials". Sero's eyes fell on her and he frowned, "That is not appropriate conversation for the table" he reprimanded sharply. She wanted to fight him, and he knew it. Her muscles tensed to spring and then she cried out softly.

The holy shackle glimmering malevolently on her flesh. Sero smirked, "Wondrous little thing wouldn't you agree. You can be a free prisoner here. Your time here will not be so bad if only you would attempt to cooperate".

Silvana forced her eyes to his, "And what is it that you want from us?" she demanded. He smiled then, a cold, calculating smile. "We want your power" he said simply. Silvana grunted, "Over my dead body" she muttered. He chuckled, joined by Josin now.

"That is hardly needed" Josin told her, "No such dark measures are required". She eyed him warily. Josin smirked, "We will mate you, we need only do it once" he told her. She blinked, color draining from her face.

Josin saw her expression and smiled, a mockery of warmth. "Only once, as distasteful as it is to us to bed a female… in this case it can be overlooked". She shook her head, "I will not willingly mate you" she pointed out. Sero shrugged, "Willingness is not required. Once we begin the mating ritual, your blood will recognize us as your commander".

She shivered but lifted her chin, "I will fight you" she said quietly. Josin shrugged, "If you like, you may do so, it will only result in more pain for you. And in the death of the pretty wolfess". Elda's eyes went wide and Silvana growled. "You leave her out of this".

Josin laughed, a full rich sound. "No, the wolf will keep you in line. You may be a demoness Silvana but you are not cruel and you will not allow another to suffer or die because of you". Silvana clenched her jaw, remaining silent.

The meal progressed well enough after that, one might have though the females were merely visiting. The shackles kept that from being a reality however. When they had eaten, they were even allowed a small respite to speak to one another.

Elda begged her to resist and not give in to them. Her life didn't matter in the face of such utter devastation. Silvana had slapped her hard across the cheek. "Get a hold of yourself. You cannot simply give up" she'd snapped. Elda had nodded, unsure of what the future would bring. She only knew it would involve pain and suffering.

Josin led them away a few hours later and back to their chambers. Settling them for the night. He had the nerve to stroke his fingers along her jaw as he departed. She wanted to move away from him, slap his face. She did neither, apparently the shackles did more than prevent escape. Silvana stared out the window, wishing that time would hurry and pass. She was frightened now. Why did they bother to be kind? Why didn't they just kill them? "Ryu" she whispered.

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Ryu jolted upright. He hadn't been sleeping, but laying in his bed, wondering where she might be. When he felt her. The barest hint of her power. Elemental power. He rose and moved to the window. The pull was stronger to the east. "Tell me where you are Silvana" he whispered into the night.

There was nothing, nothing but the soft night breeze and a few errant fireflies swirling about. The ebb of power faded and was gone. No trace it had ever been there. Ryu wondered if he'd felt it at all. He sniffed the air, eager to catch a scent, but that way lie folly for there was none.

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Daishi was tired of speaking through doors. Satoru had to stop this at once. She made her way down the hall to stand before the doors. Still, holy ki crackled around them. Wasn't he exhausted yet? "Satoru" she called. The familiar growl reached her ears. So they would play this game again. Hopefully, he'd snap to in time.

She gripped a large tome tightly, "Satoru, I may have found an answer" she told him. The holy energy didn't waver. "Satoru" she said loudly, "Either you open this door, or I will". From within a faint grunt. Satoru knew she couldn't open the doors.

He felt her aura come closer to the holy barrier. She was getting very close. His breathing slowed. Daishi swallowed and reached her hand out slowly. "I am reaching for the handle" she told him, "I will open this door if it kills me. The choice is yours Satoru". Shippo appeared from the side and shook his head. She ignored him

He felt the barrier crackle against her youkai. "Stop it Daishi" he snapped. She refused to listen and he could tell by the barrier that she was in danger now. Shippo moved forward but she threw her arm out, focusing enough youki to throw him clear. Her other hand made contact with the barrier. Her fingers burned and she whimpered in pain. Suddenly the barrier snapped and she fell against the door weakly. Her body aching from her close brush with purification.

The door opened and she tumbled forward, caught against Satoru's chest. "Damn stubborn woman" he growled. His tone filled with worry. Her small body shivered with her exposure to holy power. "What were you thinking?" Shippo demanded, "She might have been killed".

Satoru growled softly at his bother, "No she might not have been" he snapped, "She knew I'd drop the barrier if she pushed enough". Daishi lifted her eyes to meet his. "Why did you lock yourself away?" she demanded. Her voice making his guilt multiply. She'd endured the pain, her trust in him unwavering.

Satoru sighed, "Because I have no answers Daishi" he replied, his voice cold. She stared at her hands, the palms red and burned. Satoru sighed seeing them. He stepped backwards into the library carrying her to the table. He set her on it and studied her hands. "What if I hadn't been paying attention?" he asked her.

She shrugged, knowing that would never happen, "I suppose I would have been purified to a painful death then" she quipped. Shippo growled angrily, "That is bullshit" he yelled, using one of his mother's favorite words, "This is a demon house. How could put up a barrier like that? Knowing the danger it posed?" he asked.

Daishi turned soft eyes to her mate, "Because he was doing more than locking us out". Her eyes went back to her friend and mentor, "He was locking himself in" she told him. Anger faded gradually to be replaced with understanding. If he'd tried to leave in a demon's rage, he'd have died himself. So, rather than hurt anyone else, he'd taken drastic measures. Shippo couldn't help but think he'd done so before.

Satoru turned his attention back to his books, "What is it that you think you have found Daishi?" he asked. She lifted the book to him, pointing to the marked page. "The void" she told him. Satoru took the book and read carefully. The void was the dark place where souls went. Some found their way to eternity, some found their way back.

Some remained in the dark and became twisted. A sense of insanity in the afterlife. The sorrow and darkness seeping into them, turning them into resentful spirits. "Reny would not have sought vengeance" she said softly, "He knew you, he understood what was happening when he approached you. He made that choice.".

Satoru looked away, "But it was Reny" he told her. She nibbled her lower lip, "Yes and no" she replied. He cocked a brow at her. "Look the soul that came back from the void is Reny's" she admitted, "But it isn't Reny anymore. It's changed, corrupted. What began as his soul might have been taken over by another!".

Satoru growled softly. "Whatever he is, I made him so" he spat. Daishi felt her eyes well at his words. "No you didn't" she insisted, "You took his human life. You didn't resurrect him, you didn't make him the thing he is now". Satoru spun away from her, folding his arms across his chest, "Yes, but I sent him there" he said, his voice whisper soft, "To the void. So you see… I made him".

Shippo and Daishi were silent, unsure of what they could say that would ease the inu. Nothing came to mind. Daishi ached for him, the pain was deep seated. She'd been so glad for Victor, but now, what would happen? "I did this" he muttered to himself, "I shall fix it".