14Year of the Lord, 1855...
Northern India...
He was tired.
So, so, very tired.
Looking down the banks of the river Yamuna, the man sighed in silent contemplation, trying to ignore the world around him.
It was a sweltering hot day, typical of a fierce Indian summer. Not that it mattered to him, of course. Flies buzzed, distant cries sounded, the smells from nearby shops permeated the air. He ignored it all.
His name was Sebastian Alexander De Wynter, a decorated officer in Her Majesty's service. Scion of an aristocratic house, with stunning golden good looks, dressed in the latest fashion; he appeared to be the epitome of all that British society demanded of a young man.
Except, Sebastian Alexander De Wynter was not human.
And he was not, as he claimed to be, thirty and two.
No, he was much, much older.
Ignoring the suspicious looks of the locals who were clearly not used to seeing one of 'them' alone and unarmed, he continued to stare into the murky depths of the river. He knew what they saw; one of those firangis who all but controlled their fates.
Who kept their rajahs trapped, their people subjugated. And he also knew what they didn't see; who and what he truly was. Which was just as well, given his reason for being here.
There was a strange tension in the air, he noticed, one which was far more defined than the last time he had been on this part of the subcontinent.
Discontent. Danger.
He smiled humorlessly. After all, that was the reason he was here, wasn't there? Or was it?
He had been been here for a week now, but something had changed. How or when it had, he didn't know, but something had. True, he was here to track down family, and shouldn't be thinking of anything apart from that...
...so why did he feel so out of sorts? Why did he feel so strange?
What it was exactly, he didn't know. A feeling, and emotion? Or a foreboding? He had never felt this before - this strange rush of nervous anxiety.
And that wasn't the only odd thing. It was almost as if he wasn't alone at times. Ever since he had arrived in the city, he had felt...watched.
At night, he could have sworn he had felt someone shadowing him at times. Not that that was possible, given who he was.
But still...
Looking around, he sighed as he realized he had been unconsciously doing it again.
Searching, looking for someone again...
He shook his head. Maybe something was affecting his powers...or the worry was finally doing what he feared it would do one day.
Driving him insane.
That jolted his thoughts back to the main causes of his worry - and why he had been roused from his lands.
He scowled as he thought of them. The atrocious little devils.
His siblings, Marcus and Aurelia.
Who caused havoc wherever they went. Young and wild, the Wynter Terrors, as they were known, did not like to conform to traditional yokai society. Or any society, for that matter.
To his ever growing distress.
His siblings, who were, apparently...missing. He wasn't sure if they actually were - given their predilection for travel and avoiding his letters. However, even for them, half a year without a single word - telepathic or otherwise was a first. At the most, the gaps between their 'enforced' communication (as he was their guardian, after all) had never exceeded over two months.
Thus the reason he had been forced to leave the serenity of his Lands, and venture into society again. And not just society; into a foreign one at that. Only to discover that they had departed before he had arrived.
He really hoped they hadn't gotten into the trouble. Again, that is.
The two were known to get into all sorts of escapades, thinking of themselves as some sort of 'dispensers of justice' or similar nonsense, theatrics which almost always ended up with him paying up hefty compensations in the end.
The twins.
Barely of age; having just turned eighteen, and as wild as they came. Freshly graduated from St Warriors Academy, the two had announced their wish to embark on a 'world voyage' - something he had very happily consented to. And, Sebastian mulled, perhaps much too eagerly. Of course, given the messes they had caused within a mere month of their return...
He shuddered when he recalled the horrible, horrible incidents with his treasures - his carefully cultivated garden of the rare Roses of Promise. Roses, which he had spent decades on, poured his blood and sweat into - quite literally, at times. So, he had kept them secret.
He still didn't know how the two had found out about them or if they had known about them all along. He had thought them well hidden and safe - till a whole bunch went missing, that is.
And by the time he had noticed, it had been too late.
For what had followed could only be described as a series of unnatural disasters...
It had started with an elopement. A Spanish Trueblood heir eloped with his sweetheart - a darkblood princess, claiming that they were 'bound by love' with the power of the Rose. Complete and utter nonsense, but what could be done if the deed had been done?
Then during a gathering, another Rose somehow, ended up in hands of the fifteen year old Mhara heir; who had presented it to the rival Duncan Clan Head's sister...
...While serenading her and all the guests with an truely atrocious love ballad. And to top off the frightful evening, the arrogant young buck had proceeded to announce his intent to 'court' her.
That might not have been as bad - had the lady in question been close to his age. Which, unfortunately, was not the case. As, the gathering was a celebration to mark the lady's completion of her Duarza - her second cycle. Or, more simply put; her two hundredth birthday.
Oh the horror...
Never had Sebastian witnessed a birthyear celebration turn so violent, so fast. He, thankfully had managed to haul the lovelorn swain out of danger in the nick of time - before the irate brother could 'lop his bluidy head off' as he'd vowed.
However that wasn't even the worst part. The fact the lady had somehow ended up touching the rose [which signified acceptance] meant that in the eyes of society at least, the courtship was legitimate. And hence, real.
For that was the power of the Rose, after all.
The touch of the sender signified intent. The touch of the receiver indicated acceptance. It mattered not if the latter was accidental - even a mere graze sufficed as acceptance. Once done, it represented a social bond; one seeped in literally Ages of tradition, never to be taken lightly. When presented in anger it meant the breaking of relations, the declaration of a Clan war.
But if presented in peace?
The most ardent declaration of love. The desire to initiate courtship...
And also, the highest way to honor a future mate...
And given the myths which abounded around it, it was one foolproof way to ensure a form of compliance...for a better choice of words. Even if your affianced was two centuries your junior.
Then, yet another one had again, somehow up with his old enemy, Lord Cyrus, one of the singularly most unpleasant yokai he'd ever had the misfortune to know. His rival in business, in Polo, and even in the waltz! And one who, Sebastian had realized much later - he'd had a rather nasty run-in with shortly after his siblings had returned home.
And then, Lord Cyrus suddenly disappeared.
This one, he heard through the rumor mills. Lord Cyrus, it seemed, had suddenly decided to travel far, far away from his beloved motherland for reasons unknown.
Or, rather, too well known.
The same Lord Cyrus, the rumors claimed, had been caught being running away from a young man. A young man who had often professed his desire [of the carnal variety] for him over the years. And the same young man, who, had somehow, suddenly managed to acquire a Yokai rose. Needless to say, Lord Cyrus would not be coming back for a long, long time - if ever, that is.
If only that had been the end of it...but alas, it hadn't. No, there had been more such 'incidences' - the memories of which either made him wince, or break out in a cold, cold sweat. Even though not all had involved a Rose of Promise, they had nevertheless been no less disturbing. Setting the infamous Hellfire Club on well...fire, engaging the services of a banished necromancer for a human house party...
...and on the list went. And when the suspicions, (though unproven) had come to light...Needless to say, everything had gone from rather bad, to much, much worse.
London had almost burnt down.
He had almost burned, especially when it was discovered to who the roses had belonged to exactly. Death threats, letters with language too obscene to be read had been burned by the piles for weeks. Not that he even attempted to confront the Twins; he neither had the time nor the inclination while he dealt with the horrifically expensive aftermath of their activities.
And another voice had spoken to him. About how how different they were now. Yes, they were his precious younger siblings...but he had to admit, their actions did seem rather...
....extreme.
He'd known they had done this for 'fun', things they hardly considered 'serious' - if that was to be believed. Which, he unfortunately did.
And if they did this for pleasure...then just what could they be capable of if well and truly angered? That, he decided, he did not want to find out. Not this soon, when he had no idea what to do.
Maybe he should have read all those Disciplinary Letters from the Academy instead of tossing them aside. Wasn't there a crate full of them somewhere in storage?
It was safe to say, that was one task he was not looking forward to. Especially given his new doubts that his siblings were exactly what everyone had been saying they were - Terrors, he had a feeling he would have to.
He hadn't been thinking clearly back then. It had all seemed to like bad luck, to be honest and all he had cared about was getting his beloved solitude back.
So yes, when they had professed their desire to travel, he had almost cried with relief.
He'd even let them go to war, if they'd said so.
But that didn't mean that he had washed his hands off them. Of course not. He had raised them since they were babes, so they were more like his children than his siblings.
Their actions reflected their...enthusiasm, he'd reckoned after they had left. It wasn't unexpected, especially after leaving a set way of life behind.
Fresh from school, he had figured they needed time to see the world, and enjoy themselves - and hopefully learn and mature along the way.
True, they were a more than a little wild...but they weren't innately bad. They just needed to...calm down a bit, that was all. Or so he had thought. For he wasn't so sure anymore.
Hence his worry.
He had been uneasy since their last, vaguely worded letter, and the feeling had only deepened with every rumor of insurrection against the British East India Company. They had written of it in the most unflattering of terms - The company which, with it's extortionist policies and heavy corruption - had driven the native people - yokai and mortals alike, to the end of their tether. He had dismissed his suspicions, determined to wait till their next letter.
But, no letter had arrived. And when he tried to reach them telepathically, he'd encountered only silence.
He had been right to come. All the signs were there.
War was coming.
It wasn't as apparent on this seemingly idyllic if not overly hot day. Yet, there was a feeling in the air. Palpable, like a charge, impossible to ignore. Clear to one such as him.
Dark haired children splashed about, yelling in delight as they swam and frolicked. A few women washed their laundry by the river bank, under the watchful gaze of sharp eyed young men who strolled by. Dark eyes, more often than not flickered towards him.
Unease. Danger...
He could sense in in the air, as well as malevolence.
How had things gotten this bad?
His smile faded as he looked around. If it wasn't for what was going on, he would never have come to hunt for those two. Still, this was not the usual situation. And it had everything to do with the destabilizing Yokai relations on the subcontinent, in a way which had never happened before. Maybe, it had been inevitable. There was only so much to be tolerated, after all.
The Company had overplayed its card. Taken too much, too soon.
The power-thirsty Indian B levels were on the verge of declaring war against the East India Company. The pure-bloods, sated with their power and influence, were content to sit back and observe as usual.
The situation in the North was no better. If anything, it as worse.
The Chinese pure-bloods had already declared war over the opium debacle, the nobles rallying around them in furious fervor. The ruling Centrals - the Clan of Long was barely holding them in check - barely. Just how long they could hold the rising fury back, he did not want to think too deeply about.
Both India and China were just a hair's breadth away from open revolt.
The British pure-bloods were in a precarious situation indeed; and this was not counting the various other ongoing violent inter-clan skirmishes which were already affecting the entire subcontinent.
And hadn't the twins been writing about the accursed Opium trade before he had abruptly lost connection with them?
By the gods, surely even they wouldn't be stupid enough to have gotten involved between that deadly trifecta. Given what had been done to both countries; it was a precarious situation for any and every white person...
The whole place was a Beasts damned power keg; and it was only a matter of time before the fuse was lit. And so, he had come.
Enough was enough. Even if they were involved, it would all end now.
He could sense it, just as he had sensed in in many, many other situations over the many, many wars he had fought in.
The proverbial ax was about to fall.
And he no intention of letting his barely-of-age siblings still be here, of all places, when it most eventually would. He had been far too lenient already.
And he had lost far too much already...
He stilled as he sensed a presence. A very strange presence.
Another yokai...
One who wasn't even trying to block their presence from him.
He turned, his keen silver eyes narrowing as he saw him, a few hundred meters away.
Sloe eyed and wild haired, the slender youth was dressed in street rags - not that it served any purpose. As, from the uncloaked yoki emanating from his slight figure, he was clearly a pure-blood. Arched brows and insolent black eyes met his even as a lip curled. And, as he stared into the dark eyes, something else happened.
Something which looked remarkably like pure shock flit across the youth's face.
A look of recognition?
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. Before he took take a step, the expression vanished as fast as it had appeared.
The boy's mouth opened, and the saw it; the flash of ivory white fangs, as clear as the startling wave of aggression directed towards him. Before he could even react, he heard his thoughts - his uncloaked thoughts, as clear as day.
You look just like those two fools. Acha hua unhe raste se hata diya...
It barely took half a second; and then he was gone.
Sebastian would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued. This was the first time one of them had openly revealed themselves to him. Of course, they were everywhere, but the Indian yaksha clans liked to stay within their own carefully guarded territories. Assassination attempts, murder plots, and outright wars were common, but revealing themselves openly?
And leaving behind a trail of yoki to follow? It was faint, but not impossible to trace.
You look just like those two fools...
And he knew enough hindi to knew what the yokai had just said. It's good that those two were removed from the path...
The phrase, as it was meant to be, did not mean anything good. When used in this manner; indicated 'removal' of the permanent kind.
Sebastian felt the first stirrings of true worry flicker through him. He hadn't been as anxious - he knew they were alive...
...but still.
What on Earth had those two done this time?
Stopping at the spot where the mysterious boy standing, he knew he had to make up his mind. And fast.
He tracked the energy carefully, relentlessly, taking in whatever clues he could gather. Apart from a strange exotic perfume which lingered in the air, there wasn't much of a scent; the youth had fled in a hurry, after all. And neither was there was there much left to sense, be it chi or yoki. From what little he could, it seemed like he was young, perhaps around his sibling's age. And from the looks of it, wholly untutored in the ways of controlling his yoki.
This was new.
This was suspicious.
This was...not that bad?
It was decided, and his mind was made up. He was going to follow.
As he gave chase, Sebastian wondered what exactly he was doing. Hadn't he always warned his siblings never to follow unknown yokai?
But deep down, in his gut, he knew something was different this time.
Call it intuition, or even his power...
There was something about that yoki. He didn't know what it was, but he did. The mysterious youth clearly knew his siblings, or had at least run into them at some point.
Who was he? How did he know them?
The chase drew him up into the north of the country, taking almost a whole day and into the early hours of the night. It was deep in the Lower Himalayas, in desolate Shivalik valley when, finally he sensed his quarry start to falter. Sebastian smiled. After running so fast so fast, he must finally be at the end of this tether...
He was close. So, so close. Got you, my lad. Got you.
And when he was certain, he leapt.
So confident he was of his victory, he never saw the attack coming. One moment he was airborne, leaping towards his prey, and the next instant he was roaring as soul searing pain slammed into him.
Agony exploded. scorching his insides. And for the first time in centuries, his inner beast broke free. rising to his counterpart's defense.
But it was too late.
Mindless with pain, he fell, even as shadowy forms suddenly materialized all around him; forms illuminated by a ghostly purple light.
A very familiar purple light...
Rakshasa Yoki.
No!
Shimmering grayish walls manifested around him, effectively caging him.
He didn't long for how long that horrendous pain wracked his body, or even how long his Inner Beast raged, trying to break free of the he knew was that in the first time in centuries, he had lost control.
He could hear voices, some angry, other concerned.
One was louder than the others, strangely musical even in its anger. They were speaking in another tongue, Sanskrit; a language of old.
" - out of control..."
"A true-blood like the other two..."
"- might not work on him for long..."
"Then deal with him!"
"He is in a thrall, your highness. We cannot do -"
Then, suddenly, there was blessed darkness.
He could smell something sweet, something he had never smelt before. A strange, strange scent. What was it?
It was such a sweet, fragrant aroma...
It wasn't just affecting him - His Inner Beast hadn't retreated either. He was on edge, was close to , he as too weak, and that strange scent seemed to be was seeping into him...
When he finally came to, and he was still inside the cage, and apart from the throbbing in his temples, uninjured. He looked around, and his jaw dropping open as he took in what had been hidden before. What had been very well hidden before.
Where before, there had only been a a few hills and rather unremarkable, desolate valley - was something else entirely.
It was night, but not dark. The fully moon was light in the sky, illuminating everything with its silvery sheen.
Beautiful, yet strange looking structures lined the valley, and powerful magic thrummed in the sweet, sweet air. He leapt to his feet, looking around. He was undoubtedly in the middle of what looked like a large town square, expect that it was circular in shape, and which was surrounded by pools of water. Close by his cage, numerous statues of strange deities abounded, with flowers at their feet.
Everything was exquisite, wondrous, something out of the ancient myths.
This couldn't be. He knew of every known Yokai Fiefdom; and never had he heard of one present here.
What was this place?
Though he saw no one, he knew he was not alone. He could clearly hear hushed whispers, soft laughter close by. The place was resonating with powerful yoki. There was something about the energy...
Which was making him tense.
And suddenly, the back of his neck prickled.
"Welcome, Lord De Wynter." The words were cool, the cadence flawless.
He turned, eyes narrowing as he spotted his quarry. Gone were the rags he had been sporting, the youth was dressed in the manner of a royal princling, though a relatively modest one at that - given his unadorned head.
He was fair of face, with honey toned skin, smoothly slanting eyes and long dark hair which seemed to shimmer with a strange dark glow. Dressed in robes of white and gold, he wore the simplest of gold ornaments.
Sebastian jerked, caught by surprise. Unlike before, the youth's power was shielded.
Completely shielded, his yoki, which had been so clear before, was now barely discernible. This was not possible, unless...
...it had been on purpose.
"Who are you?"
As he watched the man-child come closer, he froze as he took in his scent. His true, unadulterated scent - the same which had been affecting him.
No.
Her scent. The mysterious youth, in all his manly arraignments, was a woman.
What the -?!
"The devil are you -"
He didn't even have the time to react as the Yaksha before him stopped. And dropped his shields. As he felt the first lick of her power - her true power, Sebastian felt his Inner Beast suddenly still, its aggression suddenly receding in the face of the power.
The full extent of her power.
He had been so, very wrong...
This was no ordinary yokai.
"Impossible." He gasped as she approached him. The closer she got, the more the air seemed to vibrate. She looked barely sixteen, yet her eyes were older. "This is not possible!"
At his words, her eyes changed color, the pupils changing from onyx to swirling shades of violet. At the same time the scent seemed to strengthen, permeating the air, and making him dizzy.
"Impossible?" She looked amused. "You think just because you call these lands yours, they actually belong to you?" Her words were cold. "No, my lord. They do not, and neither do their treasures."
He stared at her.
Who was she?
Despite her power, she was clearly young, not even ascended - though close it. Like his siblings. And that wasn't all.
Something about the way she spoke made him alert. He thought rapidly. His capture, to some extent was clearly premeditated. There had to be a reason. And if he was right...
"Was something stolen from you?"
Was this why he was here?
The girl's expression changed - irritation flashing across her face, which only helped confirm his suspicion. Now, would she try to deny it?
"Yes."
Lifting a hand, she motioned to someone. Almost immediately, white robed attendants powered from the shadows, carrying a plethora of items. Items, which he immediately recognized.
There was a sheathed sword embossed with the face of a snarling wolf; the seal of the De Wynter family. The sword he had had forged for his brother upon his admission to St Warriors Academy.
Another was a blue and white oriental fan; twin to one back in his room. An enchanted fan, which always produced a cool breeze. And then there was a familiar silver locket; one of two identical lockets which he himself had had created.
If that wasn't enough to convince him, the faint familiar scents which lingered in the objects did.
"I think you know these?"
He looked into impassive face. Only the emotion in the swirling violet eyes betrayed the fact that the girl before him was very, very angry.
None of this boded well for him.
What, in the name of the scared Beasts had those two done?
The girl waved; and the attendants disappeared once again. Facing him, she smiled. It was not a very nice smile. He waited, knowing all too well something unpleasant was coming.
"A few weeks ago, something was stolen from these Lands."
Sebastian stilled, eyes narrowing at her next words.
"On the night of the last crescent moon, two golden haired young ones - who looked similar to you and carried the same scent as you, appeared on our borders."
Her tone changed with the next sentence.
"They grievously hurt, seeking refuge. They claimed they were being chased and their their lives were in great danger." She spoke, her voice clipped. "Although our ways are old, and we do not prefer to engage in external conflicts, I decided to allow them entry."
Sebastian's feeling of unease deepened. "Were they badly injured?" The twins like to cause trouble, but being involved in something actually life threatening?
"Did you do something to them?"
Her eyes suddenly flashed, and he felt a thrum of yoki, full of menace start filling the air.
Ascended she was not, but she was powerful nevertheless. And angry. Very angry.
"We took care of their wounds. Ensured they recovered." She started to pace around his energy cage, her hair seeming to glitter in the darkness. "And how did they repay us? By stealing from us."
Sebastian didn't even bother to ask what the object was. It could have been a Clan heirloom or even a plain old rock, and the matter would still be the same. The Yokai here killed over the basest of insults. Stealing from a host? Had those two gone insane?
And if he was here, and alive, and relatively unharmed...
...whatever they had stolen was clearly of great value to the girl before him. Otherwise, his circumstances would doubtless have been much, much more serious.
"Where are they?"
"They disappeared into the night like the thieving cowards they were." She hissed. "Taking an ancient, priceless relic along with them. We gave chase, but they still managed to escape."
Oh no.
"Is that why I'm here?"
She glowered at him. "Honor demands I track them down and kill them in the most agonizing way, and I would. If not for the fact that -"
"You want your relic back." He could understand that, at least. "So, you decided to capture me instead."
She nodded. "What they stole must be returned. Safely. Then," She smiled, her blood lust lighting up her face. "I'll personally punish them."
Lovely.
"So, I'm here as a ransom?"
If they were long gone, this, if history had anything to say about it, would take a while.
Still he had to give them the benefit of the doubt. But stealing an ancient relic? That was insane, even by the twin's dubious (at times) moral standards.
And why on Earth would they even do that? Yes, they loved to travel, and collect the occasional odd items, (at times even dangerous) but outright thievery from others - especially someone who had helped them - was not their way.
It made no sense.
His siblings might be unconventional, but it was too early to judge why they had done this. Not to mention, there were too many missing pieces. Their broken communication. Their closed mind-link, which he had sensed had been done on purpose.
The two were involved in something dangerous, and clearly did not want him finding out. Well, too bad they were going to be very, very disappointed.
Perhaps, getting captured like this was a blessing in disguise.
"What were their wounds like?"
She stopped, eyes narrowing. "What?"
He held up both his hands, the universal sign on peace.
"I need to understand what exactly happened. And I swear it on my honor; I mean you and yours no harm." Stepping as close to the energy barrier as he could, he looked into the now dark eyes.
"Avaaqta k'aal. Avaaqta m'ahal. "
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. He had surprised her.
Whatever she had been expecting, this hadn't been it. He had just spoke the words of promise - words which meant that he was her guest, he meant no harm - and hence was putting his life in her hands. Just as by offering him shelter, she was placing her trust in him. If he broke his word, she had the right to exact retribution, any way she liked. And he was guessing, it was something his siblings hadn't said.
"Strange." She hardly looked any happier. If anything, she sounded even more upset.
He wasn't sure if it as that; but the scent seemed to get get even stronger.
"I see no harm in telling you, seeing you won't be going anywhere. What do you wish to know? "
He almost sighed in relief, his questions coming out.
"Did they say anything about who was after them? If so, why?"
"They didn't say so openly, but I know on reliable counsel, that the ones chasing them were Crisna assassins. That was the reason I allowed them sanctuary in the first place."
"Assassins?" His voice came out sharp.
Her lip curled. "Yes, and from what I discovered, heavily involved with that heinous opium trade. As were, your illustrious siblings."
He cursed. Loudly. Getting between the yokai factions in that particular trade was no small matter. It was certainly not something his siblings, especially Aurelia, who was far too zealous about the 'evils' of the trade already - should even be close to.
"That was the reason I allowed them sanctuary. Their wounds were...considerable." She frowned. "Whoever was after them did their best to finish the job."
"And did they say where they were going? Or planned to go?"
She snorted. "No, but they were heard talking of the Opium triangle. As well as how 'bleeding mad' their 'stuffy' older brother was going to be if he ever found out what they were up to."
Oh just wait till he got his hands on them...
"Anything more?"
"Then they laughed about the improbability of that even happening." She shot him an annoyed look. "Apparently, you couldn't give 'two figs' about what they did as long as they stayed out of your way?"
He kept his face impassive, ignoring the rare pang of guilt which her words invoked. It was true he preferred his solitude, but it wasn't like he went out to actively avoid them. She was trying to provoke him, he knew that much. His siblings may be carefree and fun loving, but they were by no means dim-witted. They certainly wouldn't do anything to 'implicate' themselves - they were far too clever for that. And discussing anything personal in their dire circumstances? Not a chance.
"This information...I presume you learn this through your 'reliable counsel' again?"
Counsel, right. Her spies must have been on them from the start.
He mentally swore when he saw a tiny, tiny smirk appear on that expressionless face. "Of course."
"Then how come your 'counsel' didn't spot them when they made off with your relic?"
Meaning, if you did keep spies on their tail, how did they succeed?
Her smirk vanished, now replaced by a full blown glower. Which, he suddenly realized, made her look even more beautiful.
I must be mad, Sebastian thought. I must be raving mad.
When she spoke next, her voice was low.
"That is beside the issue, as there is much more at stake here."
"Oh?"
"This was clearly not by accident. It appears, injured or not, they did not come upon my lands by chance. They stole from me, and hence they owe me a blood-debt." She pointed at him, eyes glowing like violets again. "And given that they went North, you better hope they haven't fled into China."
Given that he couldn't even feel them here anymore, he was hoping the same thing. And given they were already in the western Himalayas...
It was very, very possible.
"And if they already have?"
She stared at him like he was not right in the head. "And why do you think I went to the trouble of leading you here?"
"So you were watching me this whole time?"
Was it her he had sensed? Somehow, the thought didn't exactly...anger him. If anything...
"Of course. We were watching you every step of the way."
Well, well!
"So, My lord De Wynter, " She stressed slowly. "Unless you want me to track your brother and sister down and kill them in the most slowest, most painful way possible, you are going to help me. You, are going to stay be my side till my relic has been returned, to its rightful place."
He couldn't help, but admire her resolve. She may be powerful, but he was far older than her. No lord of such a small land could possibly hope to keep him here for long.
And to the Yokai, age meant power.
"Really?"
"You are going to help me track them down." Even as he stepped closer, she stepped back. "And get my relic back." She pursed her lips. "And if I am able to, I might contrive to be lenient in my dealings with those two." Her tone, he noted, implied the exact opposite.
"And if I don't agree?" He crossed his arms. "You may be strong, child, but I have centuries on you." He smiled. "You cannot keep me here." He waved his arm outside. "My lands are far, far greater than yours. That means, my power is far greater than your."
To his surprise, her expression didn't change. "I wouldn't be too sure just yet my lord."
Her eyes flashed. And the air began to thrum. With power,
With so, so much power.
Gold gleamed. Silver flashed. He froze.
The hills in the horizon vanished, the sky lightened to a pale, pale blue, though there was no Sun in sight. What had been a valley was a valley no more. For, it had never been a valley in the first place.
Wherever he was, it was far greater than he had expected. These Lands were not the small territory as he had assumed. The place he was at hadn't changed much, except for the fact the circle was much much larger than before, and clearly some sort of mound.
For below him, in the near distance lay what could only be a city. Beautiful in shades of silver and gold, he could see wondrous structures, and delightful sights, for as far as he could see. And what he could sense - was much, much more.
This was no small fiefdom. No, this was much, much greater. This was a kingdom.
"What is this place?"
Forms started to manifest, many many forms, behind the girl. He could hear voices now, hundred and hundreds of them, from all over the city - which was what it was.
Most were dark-haired, with varying shades of pale to golden skin, all dressed in pale shades. Young, old and even children.
They were powerful, some even older than him.
And all were kneeling, with their heads down to the girl-woman before him. Each and every one of them a rakshasa-yokai.
"Who are you?" He whispered.
She smiled. "I am the Prathama, and a Raj-Kumari of these Lands."
His breath caught. The title of Prathama... no wonder...
"I will have your answer now. Will you pay back your kin's blood debt to me? Help me recover my relic?"
Glittering onyx eyes met cool silver ones. There was a moment of absolute silence.
"I agree to your terms," He paused. "One one condition. May I state it?"
She inclined her head, a strange expression flitting across her face again. Doubt, perhaps?
"Who are you?"
She stared at him. "I am the Prathama, the -"
He shook his head, feeling a smile break out at her confusion. "Your name. What is your name?"
She blinked. "And why would you want to know that?"
"You know mine, and you have power over me." He pointed out gently. "And I am willing to work with you. I just want to know your name. Or is that too much?"
Her eyes flashed - but only for an instant. As she stepped back, her face was expressionless again.
"Very well. You may call me...Sihani."
And in a swirl of midnight black hair, and a swish of robes, she was suddenly gone. All that remained behind of her was that strange, sweet scent...
Firangi [term commonly used for an outsider/foreigner]
Avaaqta k'aal. Avaaqta m'ahal [translates to "timeless and great is/be your house" - a greeting of respect and honor among pure-bloods.]
Prathama [Translates to 'always first'. A rare title, which indicates she is either the Heir or the most powerful Princeps. Essentially, the future Clan Head.]
Raj-Kumari [translates to 'Princess'.]
A/N: Hey guys!
What did you think about Sebastian's meeting with Sihani?
Tiny clues in this chapter! Some of you might catch on, but don't worry if you don't. Since I am technically a history major, I can't stop myself, it seems.
Seriously though, the stories in Asura Shots will answer/clear up some details which I haven't been able to address in GSW, and will give an overview about the Yokai world as well. As I said before this is going to be a collection of one-shots [mainly] - but I might do a 2-4 chapter side story too, if the need comes up.
The main story has to be paced out, along with side stories with this as well. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up both the series!