6
Aihi
Beneath the bundle of gold and azure blankets rested Aihi’s mother, Furahau Mika. Her face was gaunt, with splotchy, grey skin and patches that were black and shrivelled from the slow drain of energy by Lacotl’s dark ki.
Aihi knelt beside the futon, pressing her head to the floor. Not just out of respect for her mother, the shōgun, or as an attempt to apologize for the sins that had led to her mother’s sickness, but because she could not bear to look at Mika for long.
“Mother... I made another mistake.” Aihi twisted her silver ring, a gift from Mika. “Every time I try to step into your shoes, to honour your position as Shōgun, to lead... I stumble, and I fall, and I get up again, as you taught me. But Mother, there are times where I... where I cannot bear to stand up again, to k
