Beneath the willow tree

Chapter sixteen

The freezing morning wended its way into a chill afternoon. The barrier encasing the castle was consuming what little warmth there was, and the air grew steadily colder and colder as time moved on.

Kikyo and Sesshomaru had fruitlessly scoured the inside perimeter of their prison, searching for a way out. Round and round they had walked, but they saw no joining point, no weak areas that could become a possible way of escape.

Kikyo's silent machinations were watched anxiously by the castle demons, hope of liberation flashing in their strange and varied eyes. Even Lord Sesshomaru was like a silver shadow, following behind the priestess closely. Their watchfulness was not lost on Kikyo, who felt the burden of solving this trap weighing heavily on her shoulders.

Kikyo closed her eyes and sighed. "It is no use, there is no join or weakness that I can find. The barrier is perfectly whole, unfortunately for us", Kikyo confirmed quietly to Sesshomaru, so that the resident demons could not hear her words.

They both look up at the glaucous sphere enveloping them, wondering what action to take.

"So what is your plan? You do not wish for me to use my Bakusaiga, I assume you have another idea?" Sesshomaru said waspishly.

Kikyo turned to look at Sesshomaru, her doe brown eyes thoughtful. "I don't understand. Whenever I have come across a demonic barrier, I have been able to break it with my spiritual powers. Although my arrows can pierce through, they make little difference as the barrier quickly seals itself...almost like it's being repaired somehow...", Kikyo trailed off and approached the edge of the barrier for the hundreth time. In an instant the priestess had globed herself in a spiritual barrier of her own that sparkled like waves from the sea, making her look like some other-worldly water nymph. Sesshomaru watched her intently.

Kikyo attempted to push through the barrier by force of her own spiritual abilities, a fierce look of determination on her face as she tried to muscle herself through. On contact the two barriers began to vibrate violently, muted blue rippling against glittering azure. Kikyo pushed harder to force her way through, until the clash between the two barriers bubbled outward to affect half of the globe surrounding them, and a strange, strained humming sound attacked their ears. Kikyo struggled on, creating a bulge on the barrier. Her teeth were clenched and her eyes were screwed up shut with the effort she was exerting.

"Do not push yourself too far Lady Kikyo," Sesshomaru said, casting a concerned eye her way.

Kikyo's hands began to shake uncontrollably as her barrier pushed against their prison. "But I'm...so close," she puffed. Losing strength, the priestess slumped forward to her knees, and her spiritual barrier flickered, then went out. The encasing globe sprang back into its orb-like form. Kikyo's attack had not made a dent in it or changed the barrier in any lasting way.

Sesshomaru's warm claws slipped gently under Kikyo's arms, slowly pulling her upright. Despite her ominous predicament, being so physically close to the dog demon made her head swim and her heart flutter. Kikyo shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. They were in deep trouble, and she needed to concentrate.

"No, it can't be," Kikyo moaned in frustration, as Sesshomaru dragged her back to a place of safety. The castle demons edged closer to their master in jittery clumps, watching closely.

They had discovered that morning, rather unfortunately, that as the castle had never been besieged before in such a way as it was now, no major stores of food had been kept. Sesshomaru, who did not need to eat and only did so at formal occasions, had never bothered to ensure the stores were filled with non-perishable supplies. They had a few days worth of food at the most. Those demons that had a specific diet, such as blood or bone marrow, were already feeling hunger pangs edged with desperation.