Page 24 of Drawn into Oblivion

Thus, nearly two hundred crows stood under the joining banners, awaiting the empress and the high general. The recently erected dais in the center of the room was a beautifully crafted stage made of coal wood. Carved, flying cranes adorned the steps leading up to both sides, and a pond scene with flowers, frogs, and more cranes decorated the stage’s front panel. A small table sitting upon the floor and draped in the ceremony’s colors held a chalice of sweet rice wine, and two sticks of willow charcoal wrapped in gold cloth.

From where she stood in the side hall, Mai could hear the din of the audience. No doubt the most popular topic was the upcoming ceremony. No one present, save Vallen and Rosuke, had ever seen the wedding tradition of the old court, and very few had knowledge of it. But of the few people she could see, everyone had worn their best, and many had attempted to wear the day’s colors. After all, attending the joining ceremony of the empress was a rare privilege.

Vallen entered first from the main doors, striking in his formal uniform. The noise level dropped, and appreciative coos filled the air like a flock of singing birds. He walked to one of the stage’s two sets of steps, and a proud smile tugged at his lips. The nearby onlookers edged closer but stayed outside the circle of golden cord strung around the stage. Rosuke entered next from the side hall where the rest of them waited, eliciting another barrage of sighs.

“Now begins the joining ceremony of Empress Shumei and High General Vallen,” he announced, voice resonating.

The empress entered, elegant and confident. Her dress glittered, the feathers in her hair fluttered, and the delicate, fan-shaped, glass hair ornament perched on the crown of her head gleamed as she glided across the hall. After the audience’s initial gasp, the stillness in the room was so complete one could hear the rustle of her dress as it dragged along the floor.

Mai followed at a respectful distance. The whispers grew, and just as the empress had predicted, several men in the audience looked at her with dawning appreciation, as if they had never seen her before. She saw the lust enter their eyes, and her skin went cold. Taking a deep breath, she tried to concentrate on the ceremony and looked to Rosuke for guidance with the next step. As she neared, he held out his elbow and gave her a small, comforting smile.

She gratefully took his arm and glanced over her shoulder at Oka, who trailed after them with slumped shoulders. She knew he looked up to Vallen and didn’t oppose his sister’s impending marriage, and he had always seemed the energetic sort, so his apparent gloom was concerning. After the ceremony, she told herself, I’ll spend some time with him.

Ahead of them, the empress had paused at the base of the steps opposite Vallen, and in perfect sync they both ascended. As Rosuke escorted Mai into the circle surrounding the stage, she couldn’t look away from the intense adoration shining from Vallen’s eyes. To him, there was no other woman in the room than Shumei. His love for her was as obvious as the sun in the sky.

“Give each of them a stick of charcoal,” Rosuke whispered as they neared the table abutting the stage.

She released his arm to do so and saw Oka from the corner of her eye, standing at the bottom of the steps behind Shumei. She picked up the charcoal sticks and held them high so Shumei and Vallen could easily reach them. When they had taken one each, she returned to Rosuke’s side.

“They will now draw interconnecting magic circles,” he whispered in her ear. “When they finish, you must hand the chalice to Vallen. He will sip the wine and then give it back. Turn the chalice so Shumei can drink from the same place and then hand it to her.”

Mai nodded, trying not to blush while Rosuke leaned so close and in front of so many people—not that anyone was looking at them, surely.

“After Shumei has taken her sip,” he continued, “place the chalice back on the table and stand next to Oka. I will stand behind Vallen.” Mai nodded again to show she understood. “Did I tell you how lovely you look?”

She shivered, and a shy but pleased smile lifted her lips despite how much she tried to suppress it. She didn’t want to look at all soft in front of any of the men here, but he had easily coaxed it out of her.

Shumei and Vallen began to draw their respective circles. When making their way to the ceremony hall, Shumei had told Mai the required pattern wasn’t difficult, but she and Vallen would have to leave enough room to stand in their own circle as well as enough room to stand together where their circles overlapped. They could not touch or even brush sleeves until the final step of the ceremony, so drawing the intersecting circles and sharing the rice wine had to be done carefully. Mistakes meant the entire ceremony had to be restarted.

Mai pulled her attention from the empress and high general to glance at the attentive audience. Everyone looked on with wistful expressions. Not at all wistful herself, she subtly touched her stomach, where a prickly feeling had started up. She wondered if she was coming down with something—perhaps the same illness as Oka—and looked to the young boy.

She barely stifled a gasp. Oka had paled considerably and looked ready to pass out. Would he last the rest of the ceremony? His tense expression was that of someone about to double over and vomit. Moreover, he was white-knuckling the handle of his sword, still in its sheath. He looked at his sister with an emotion so desperate it pulled at Mai’s heart.

“Mai,” Rosuke whispered, bringing her attention back to the ceremony.

Shumei and Vallen stood just outside their finished circles. Mai hastened forward and took the nubs of charcoal from them. As she set the charcoal on the table, Shumei and Vallen stepped into their halves of the circles, not yet entering where they overlapped.

Mai picked up the chalice and lifted it toward Vallen. He sipped the wine without taking his eyes off the empress and then handed it back. Though she was careful not to touch the lip of the chalice, her heart skipped, and she realized as she turned it that power clung to the cup. Magic had begun to flow. She passed the chalice to Shumei.

The empress touched her mouth to the brim while steadily watching Vallen. His lips parted, and the wave of desire that emanated from him was as real as a summer breeze. The magic of the ceremony seemed to be manifesting his lust. Though Mai stopped herself from sighing in reaction, many people in the audience didn’t.

After Shumei had taken her sip of wine, Mai set the chalice on the table and looked at Rosuke. He nodded toward Oka, directing her to join him, and walked toward the steps on Vallen’s side. Mai made her way to Oka, who seemed even sicker than before. Not only was he sweating, he was also panting. Mai had once seen a young, panicked woman faint after breathing as fast and hard as he did. She grasped at something to say, something to do that would help him without interrupting the ceremony.

“Jibun no jiyuuishi de shinzen ni anata to ichi karada ni naru koto wo chikau.” Shumei spoke clearly and confidently. I vow before the Divine One, of my own free will, to become one with you.

Vallen repeated the same vow, his deep voice resounding through the silent hall. Then they stepped into the overlapping area for the Kiss of Power, which would join their souls and their magic for all time. Vallen eagerly pulled Shumei into his arms, and romantic sighs rose in a wave. Mai looked at Rosuke from across the dais and found him staring back at her as though he longed to hold her as well.

Then together, already thinking as one, Shumei and Vallen said, “Eien ni.”

Forever.

They kissed, and the power that exploded from the stage pushed everyone back a step, eliciting gasps as some people nearly fell. Mai could sense the way Vallen’s magic embraced Shumei’s—as tightly as his arms did—and she could even sense their excitement. Her heart raced as fast as theirs, and her magic rolled sympathetically in her stomach. Power permeated the air, filling it with the spicy scent of Kaisuian soap. A link was being forged, one so unbreakable it would last unto eternity.

She wouldn’t have been able to tear her eyes away from their passionate embrace, but something in the corner of her eye forced her to look down, and she gasped as the fever of the moment turned into cold fear. Oka had dropped to one knee, his face twisted into a grimace so horrid it seemed as if another face had emerged. A demonic face.

Was Oka possessed?

It was the question she hadn’t known to ask herself, but one that had been in need of an answer for weeks. Knowledge flooded her mind like a river bursting from its dam, and the sensation was as disorienting as when Shumei had asked about the Damned One’s army of demons.