The Seabird of Sanematsu (35 page)

And what month? Several times she had awakened, but did not manage to remain so. It was too painful. Now she wanted to remain aware and decide when it was and where she was.

The sun was bright for the season she recalled--there were so few sunny days mixed with the gloomy, rainy days of Kyushu’s winter. But spring had not been far off.

As her body followed her mind in waking, her legs throbbed. Other things became noticeable, too. Her wrists hurt from bindings holding them in place behind her back. Her shoulders were tight and the muscles stiff. She raised her head to see her feet.

Should not have done that!

Not only did her head begin to swim and pound, she saw her condition. The hitatare, now covered with soot and damp, was open to expose her breast, where a festering sore as large as a plum gaped open. An ache penetrated to her ribcage, with sharp pain stabbing from it. Under the charred remnants of her hakama, the skin below her knees was covered with blisters, intact and ruptured. As much as she tried, the pain in her legs could not be ignored. It radiated to her bones, and she was sure they hurt, too.

Every wound ran with yellowish-green fluid. Flies landed and crawled over her. There were maggots wriggling over the wounds.

She groaned and laid her head back, closing her eyes to shut out the horror. Her stomach churned, and she retched. Green bile spewed forth until her body was empty.

Damn!

She would not give in to the nausea. There was nothing to be gained by it. She opened her eyes. Struggling with her bonds, she hurt herself more. Although she managed to ease the strain on her shoulders a good bit, the twine remained tight. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind and focused on her anger.

She was furious! She had been jerked out of her home--for now the yashiki was her home--by a stranger and thrown like a sack of rice into a dingy hut. He left her to lie as she fell, after so many hours or days, in excrement and filth. Indignation filled her, body and soul.

“How dare you?” she screamed at the emptiness.

In response to her shouts, a short man with close-cropped hair entered. He carried a tray with two bowls and squatted next to her. His face was flat and broad, with a nose that seemed to spread from ear to ear.

The sight of the rice on the tray aggravated Aderyn’s hunger. When the man grinned at her, he revealed broken, yellowed teeth and appeared to take pleasure in her torment.

“You animal!” She was so outraged she had to insult him. She wanted to remain angry. Anger was the best defense. If she gave in to self-pity, it would kill her.

“Why? Why me? I did nothing to you!” she demanded of him.

The kidnapper sat.

“Lord Sanematsu will be here soon,” she threatened. “He will find me, and I hope he cuts your heart out!”

He picked up the rice bowl and hashi. Mutely, he poked a few grains of rice into her mouth. She spat the grains into his face with as much force as she could muster.

However, as much as she wanted to refuse his food, if she did not eat she would not survive, and survive was what she had to do.

When the bowl was emptied, he proceeded to pour cold tea into her mouth, not concerned about how much he gave her at one time. She choked and gasped as he forced too much down her throat. What she wanted most was a large cup of water, but he left without even cleaning the rice and tea from her face.

She coughed. “Go away! I do not like you either!”

The words and emotion gave her a feeling of some control. It was of little consolation.

She rubbed her cheek against her shoulder. She imagined it was Sanematsu’s hand against her skin. Cool tears stung her eyes and rolled down her hot cheeks. It was as though she was on fire.

“Oh, please, my lord Yoshi, find me soon,” she prayed in a whisper.

She slipped back into darkness.

TO BE CONTINUED…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kei Swanson was born in Dallas, Texas, on a hot July day. From there she grew to adulthood in Arlington, Texas. Obtaining a degree in nursing, she began a career in obstetrics, married and gave birth to her only child. She managed to see the world on the tails of her USAF husband, and they are now retired in North Texas indulging a soon to be very spoiled granddaughter.