Page 14 of Drawn into Oblivion

Mai gratefully stepped into the baths, which were empty at this late hour. She had only just finished her final meeting of the day. Her list of duties was longer than ever, and she worried she soon wouldn’t have enough hours in the day to see to everything that needed her attention.

In addition to organizing her house—now over eight hundred souls—she also had to oversee meetings with the other four Spring elders and attend her combat lessons with the high general. The questions, disputes, and complaints from within her house alone could fill the day.

She winced remembering her combat training earlier that morning. She had tried to adjust her technique, knowing now just how poor her defense was against a superior fighter, but her sparring partner had taken advantage of her awkward, ill-planned move and had struck the inside of her arm quite hard. The bruise that had blossomed there looked wicked but would heal quickly thanks to her magic.

The quiet solitude of the baths was a welcome respite. The light fragrance of the palace’s cherry-blossom soap lingered in the air, and the warm water eased her aches. She rested her head against the towel she’d placed on the brim of the pool, having carefully twisted her long hair into spools after washing it and combing the tangles out of it, a laborious process she’d dreaded after her long day, yet she could never bring herself to cut it.

Closing her eyes, she let go of her troublesome thoughts. Dozens of remembered voices, all asking for her help, sank into the echoes of the baths. But the peaceful moment didn’t last long. A vision appeared in front of her mind’s eye of ocean-blue eyes over flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

“Rosuke,” she whispered.

Their midmorning duel had been only three days ago. After the kiss they had shared, one that had turned every part of her soft and warm, Rosuke had abruptly released her, picked up his sword, and left. She had been just as confused as Oka had looked.

She’d always expected to be repulsed by any man kissing her, but Rosuke’s mouth had been so gentle and coaxing. Nothing about his kiss or the way he’d held her had felt wrong. In fact, she wanted to feel his lips again. Going further than that, though? Just imagining it made her feel so many different things—excited, ashamed, aroused, anxious—that they all tangled up into one big ball of confusion.

In the days since their sparring match, her schedule had become packed. During another private audience with Shumei the same day as her kiss with Rosuke, she’d shared her news of the Divine One’s gifts, which had landed her even more work. After the upcoming joining ceremony between the empress and the high general, Mai was to give lectures on the types of demons and their weaknesses to the upper ranks of the military. Those officers would in turn pass the knowledge down.

Preparing and scheduling the lectures, the mere thought of which put knots in her stomach, was another headache, and working with the empress’s aides was taking hours of her spare time. Moreover, she had doubted whether she could even give any lectures. She had still felt as clueless about demons and their maker as before the Divine One had visited her, and had no proof of the knowledge he’d gifted. However, the empress had shown her just how wrong she was.

“What are the most common types of demons in the Damned One’s army?” Shumei had asked.

Mai had been unable to stop the flow of words from her lips. She had spoken as if reading from a book, so perfect and complete was the knowledge.

“The infantry is composed of armored dog soldiers, bone soldiers, and the rarer large-type demons that take more material and time to create, such as spider demons, bear demons, and ogres,” she’d begun, blinking rapidly with shock. “The larger body of troops is often flanked by lines of skirmishers, which will consist of lightly armed dog soldiers. If artillery is used, it is operated by humanoid demons such as bone soldiers, or by wicked humans who pledged their allegiance to the Damned One and became demons.”

She had slapped her hands over her mouth a moment later when her involuntary speech had ended. The subsequent silence had filled the space of a moment as she’d digested just how knowledgeable she had become. She hadn’t known some of the information that had left her mouth.

“The knowledge comes when you need it. It is his way,” Shumei had explained.

A few days after the empress and high general’s ceremony, Mai would also perform the spell the Divine One had granted her. Accompanied by a handful of people, she would ascend to the highest roof of the palace complex, draw the circle of power using animal blood as ink, and recite an invocation. What the result of her spell would be, however, was still a mystery, and Mai dreaded performing such a powerful spell for the first time.

Her worries weighed heavily on her, and they were difficult to put down. She wondered if Rosuke’s schedule had become as busy as hers, for she no longer had the time to learn it. She hadn’t seen him even once in the past seventy-two hours and fretted over how to react the next time they met. She supposed her actions would depend on his, and the uncertainty of whether or not he’d be glad to see her only added to the stew of emotions bubbling inside her.

She felt a movement in the water next to her, and her eyes snapped open in surprise. For a split second, she loathed herself for dropping her guard and thinking herself safe in the hot springs.

“It is I, dear Mai. I regret alarming you,” a deep voice soothed. To her left, the Divine One sat chest-deep in the water. and his long, heavy, white robe was soaked. His closest arm rested on the lip of the bath, and his fingertips kissed the surface of the water.

“Am I asleep, then?” she asked, relaxing.

“Worry not. You are resting peacefully and will not slip into the water,” he assured her. Though his face was turned to her, she could barely discern the outline of his features within the dark shadow of his hood.

“Thank you,” she said with a nod. The Divine One turned his hand palm up and held it out toward her.

“Take my hand,” he commanded. She obediently laid her fingers on his palm and sighed as the usual feelings of safety and love filled her. “Tonight I shall give you the third gift. But first, a warning.”

“About the gift?”

The Divine One shook his head. “I had said the enemy was attempting to find its way close to Shumei,” he reminded her. She nodded. “They are close now. Protect the empress.” Despite the reassuring touch of his hand, her stomach churned with worry. “Use the knowledge I gave you. Watch those around her. He is desperate to end her life.”

“I won’t let it happen,” she emphatically promised.

The Divine One squeezed her hand. “I know you won’t, though I’ve done all I can. I trust you.” She teared up, overwhelmed by his confidence in her. “The gift I’ll now grant you may not seem a gift, but it is what you need.” He released her hand.

“I don’t understand,” she said, knitting her eyebrows. The Divine One shifted closer to her, and his knee touched her thigh before he rose above her and straddled her legs.

“Your confusion prevents you from taking the next step, but my gift will help. It is good timing as well,” he said, his meaning as clear as coal.

Apprehension stirred in her chest. The Divine One leaned over her, and she fought against the impulse to cower from him.