InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrificed ❯ Chapter 3

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Sacrificed
 
Chapter 3
 
Kagome tried to struggle against the solid body carrying her but it was of no use. The man was built like a stone wall. She didn't want to admit she felt comfortable and warm for the first time in her life. And with a stranger no less. Resigning herself for the moment, she snuggled into the soft linen of the man's shirt and glanced around with weary eyes.
 
At night (admittedly, even in daylight) the castle looked intimidating. High towers and shelter boughs topped the place with its shuttered windows and deep trench. The trench never contained water, at least not in Kagome's lifetime. As a child she would often take dares and creep into the castle's property, picking a pretty flower or stealing a ripe fruit from the overgrown orchards. Once, she'd had the courage to creep up to the edge of the drop, thinking that it might be a moat, but instead she found the hole filled with wickedly pointed rocks and the rusted ends of swords and spears. A plunderers graveyard. She recalled hearing a very similar cry back then when she'd stepped so close to the edge as she'd heard tonight when Lord Wolfe drew his sword against her.
 
The stone walls were covered in sleeping ivy, but a far cry from the crumbling ruin one could expect from years of neglect. Even the drawbridge looked to be in decent repair. Kagome jumped slightly and clutched at her rescuer's shoulders as he freed one hand to wind the crank and bring up the door. He gave a small chuckle.
 
“Relax, little one. You are quite safe here. Much safer than with your lord at any rate.”
 
Tilting her head, Kagome tried to get a better view of the “Demon of Red Moor.” True, he was a tall and broad as two men, and at least as strong, considering he appeared to be under no strain using one arm to man the drawbridge crank. She would see his stunning hair, too dark to be pure white, but not the gray of aging men either. Silver, the color of moonlight reflecting off the river rather than that of a coin. But there were no fangs or claws, no bestial snout or devilish horns, lest that she could see in the dim of the antechamber.
 
He lit no candles on their journey, seeming to move by memory alone, until they reached a wide staircase. `At last, with the lanterns I shall be able to see his face,” Kagome thought. She was disappointed when he stayed against the far wall, only allowing her legs and feet to fall into the soft glow provided by the candles. He paused before a door only long enough to open it, and Kagome was greeted with welcome warmth. A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace and thick pelts adorned the floors. It took her a moment to realize she was in a bedchamber.
 
“Whose room is this?”
 
“Mine. And for the time being yours.”
 
Kagome drew a breath and stepped back, reaching for the door handle, but a firm arm blocked her escape.
 
“Don't worry, little one, I have no intension of ravaging you. This is the only room that has been kept habitable, unless you'd like to sleep with my servants and I'd rather not wake them.”
 
“You have servants?”
 
He chuckled and moved to add another log to the fire. Kagome caught sight of the bed opposite and noticed the rich covers, heavy furs, and thick pillows. Exhaustion began to set in and she crept slowly over to it.
 
“Of course I have servants. What do you think became of those other women who were given to me and driven mad by my lust filled ravings?”
 
Drawing herself to full height, she faced the so called demon. “That's impossible. You are only eight and twenty and there have been no offerings whilst I have been alive.”
 
“What of my nursemaid? Or my parents servants before they were murdered?”
 
“The castle's servants fled, everyone knows that. As for the nursemaid…”
 
“She is still here under my employ. With as sharp a wit as ever. Now, remove your wet things before I have a sick child on my hands as well as an abandoned one.”
 
“But where will I sleep? I see no other beds.”
 
Again, the dark chuckle came from the shadows. Kagome wished that he would at least step into the light when he spoke to her.
 
“You'll sleep in the bed, same as I.”