Page 6 of Drawn into Oblivion

“Masashi was the blondie who governed Kaisui, and he…lusted after my mother. Even though Masashi’s wife was famed for her beauty, she wasn’t enough for him, and he persisted in propositioning my mother even after my parents married. He’d send love letters to her and stop my father on the street to bargain for a night with her. They endured his behavior for months, and only when he tried to abduct her did they realize they had to flee.”

Mai paused to gather her thoughts, and Shumei had to resist the urge to hold her hand. She was all too familiar with unwanted advances. Not only had her village leader propositioned her, but so had a young man named Akiji, whose desire for control over her eventually turned violent.

Such men didn’t see a person when they’d looked at her. They saw black hair. They saw something they thought they could own. No wonder Mai’s parents had fled.

“Toubou wasn’t on any major trade routes,” Mai continued. “My parents thought they’d be safe there. When Toubou’s blondie, Takuya, asked why my parents wished to live there, my father lied about their reasons and said they’d moved from Hashi, farther north. Takuya didn’t care to write to the blondies in Hashi, so he never confirmed their story.

“Then, when I was six, Takuya married a blondie from Kito, and she imagined herself in a forbidden love affair with my father. One day, Takuya caught her flirting, going so far as to drape herself all over Papa.” Mai clenched her fist hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “I was with him that day and I know he didn’t encourage her at all, and yet Takuya was furious. Not long after that, my father was dead.”

Shumei gasped. Tears shimmered in Mai’s eyes, but she held them back.

“Takuya made it look like a logging accident, but everyone knew.”

“I’m so sorry,” Shumei whispered. She had also lost her father when she was a young child, although thankfully to natural causes, but the grief had ruined her poor mother.

“I’ve told you all this so that you’ll know why neither my father nor the village leader protected my mother and me when Masashi found us.”

“No,” Shumei breathed.

“Like many cities in Stillwood, Toubou is built high in the trees. Mother saw Masashi and Takuya ascending from the ground and had only enough time to push me into the closet. She told them I wasn’t home, and they only believed her because there was plenty of sunlight left in the day.”

Mai closed her eyes and seemed to grasp for composure. Her throat convulsed as if emotion threatened to choke her.

“I couldn’t see much through the crack in the door, but I heard every word of their argument. Takuya called her and Papa deceitful. Masashi told her she had broken his heart and that she deserved to suffer. Then he hit her.” Her voice wobbled. “I wanted to help, but…”

Shumei’s heart squeezed painfully as streams of tears flowed down Mai’s cheeks. Mai somehow continued, panting through her sobs as the last of her control slipped away.

“I c-couldn’t help her when Masashi was on top of her. Mama screamed and screamed, so he h-hit her again. Then he h-held her down for Takuya, and Takuya said he’d keep hitting her unless she was quiet. I was so scared they’d find me in the closet. I wanted to help Mama, to find someone to stop it, but I-I didn’t make a sound.” Her voice dropped to a horrified whisper. “I was silent the entire time.”

Shumei pressed her trembling lips together as her own memories assailed her. Children throwing rocks, the village leader’s lusty voice in her ear, and the bruises Akiji had left on her the last time she’d seen him.

“Mama kept screaming,” Mai went on. “So Takuya hit her really hard, and I heard a strange sound. When Takuya got up, Mama didn’t move anymore. All I could think was how I didn’t want Takuya on me. I was afraid they’d hit me until I didn’t move anymore. I was very afraid of that. Then they whispered to each other about something and left. I came out to help Mama, but she… She was already…”

Her voice crumbled under the weight of her anguished sobs. Shumei cried silently, hands over her mouth.

“I was fourteen,” Mai croaked.

Shumei couldn’t hold back anymore and pulled Mai into a hug. She rubbed Mai’s shoulder and rocked her gently the way her mother once did for her. Mai curled her fingers around Shumei’s arm, cheek pressed against her shoulder.

“Did you leave Toubou after that?” Shumei asked.

“No,” Mai said. “I never saw Masashi again, and Takuya died the day after.”

Shumei stilled. “Natural causes?”

“That’s what his wife said. I don’t know for sure.” Shumei nearly sighed out loud in relief. She didn’t kill him. “When his wife made the announcement, though, she looked right at me.”

Mai would never forget his wife’s face. She had been so tragic and beautiful as she’d reported the news of Takuya’s death, but the look in her eyes when she’d gazed in Mai’s direction had been anything but sad. Instead, there was satisfaction and anger. What Mai hadn’t seen was regret for the part she’d played in what had happened to Mai’s parents.

She took a moment to compose herself and take comfort in Shumei’s gentle hands on her back. She was surprised by how relieved she was despite having shared one of the worst days of her life. Telling someone about her mother had made the pain of her loss easier to bear, as if Shumei had taken some of the burden away.

Mai lifted her head to wipe her cheeks and dab her stinging eyes. Her gaze landed on a wet towel draped over a nearby chair, and she realized the high general had left it. When she’d seen him earlier, his hair had been damp.

“Why do you let him touch you like that?” she asked. “You must feel so violated.”

“Oh, Mai. It’s very different,” Shumei said. Mai gave her a dubious look. “We love each other the same way your parents did. Yes, there are evil people—evil men—in the world, but the ones who aren’t? They’re worth a little trust.”

“I can’t,” Mai insisted, cringing.