The white-haired onmyouji chanted in the incense-filled room, eyes closed and hands holding a fistful of yarrow stalks. Opening his hands, the yarrow stalks fell to the ground. He contemplated the pattern of the reeds then opened a worn scroll, looking for something. When he found it, he gave a snort of frustration, slammed the scroll closed, and threw it into the corner of the room.

The door slid open. The onmyouji leapt to his feet. “Minister! I had no idea you were here. If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared—”

“Sit down,” the minister barked. “I am not here for pleasantries. I want some answers.” The minister, wearing the colors and headdress of upper senior rank three, strode into the room and loomed over the onmyouji. “There are rumors all over the capital about an attack on the high priestess’ caravan on its way to Isé. Given how thoroughly incompetent the attackers seem to have been, I assume we had nothing to do with it. Correct?” He glared at the white-haired noble.

The onmyouji wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his hakama. His voice was a bit unsteady as he answered. “As it happens, the attack on the high priestess was our attempt to get the mirror. However, it failed. I have been unable to determine exactly what occurred, but I am certain my agent doesn’t have it.”

The minister sat down and leaned close, his eyes narrowing. In a very soft voice, he said, “So, despite your best efforts, the high priestess still has the mirror.”

The onmyouji fidgeted. “Well, no. That is, maybe. Actually, I don’t know. The auguries are very confused. As I said, I know for certain my agent doesn’t have it, but it appears the high priestess doesn’t have it, either.”

The minister blinked in confusion and stared at the onmyouji for a long moment. Finally, he said, “What insanity possessed you to think attacking the high priestess was a good idea? The emperor is a polarizing figure, but the high priestess is universally loved and respected. Despite the fact we have no wish to prematurely declare our opposition to the emperor, you decide to kidnap the high priestess. Yet you are telling me that not only didn’t you get the mirror but you have no idea where it is?” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Well, I am certain it is still in Isé, but I don’t think the high priestess has it.”

“How did this happen? You assured me you had a flawless plan.”

“The guards lieutenant informed me there was an imperial inspector who foiled the attempt on the high priestess and ruined everything. My other agent hasn’t reported back yet.”

The minister sat back, his eyes widened, and his face went white. “An imperial inspector? Who is he and what happened to him?”

Surprised by the question, the onmyouji answered, “I don’t know. Why is that important? I thought you were interested in the mirror?”

The minister’s face grew red and he shouted, “What good are you and your divinations if you can’t discover something simple like the location of the mirror?” He stood and strode to the door. Flinging it open, he turned and hissed. “Find the mirror. Find the inspector. When your agent returns, notify me immediately. I will be there when you meet him.”

*****

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

The onmyouji waited, but not alone this time. The minister sat at the back of the room, hidden by a movable screen. Angry footfalls announced the presence of the onmyouji’s agent long before he entered the room.

The first glimpse of the agent’s face signaled trouble. His eyes were narrowed and his lips compressed into a thin line. Without greeting or asking permission, he stepped into the room and lowered himself to the floor with a loud thump. “What do you want?” he demanded of the onmyouji.

Coolly, the onmyouji said, “We just wanted to know how things went. The lieutenant returned nine days ago, yet we have heard no word from you.”

The man snarled, “You’re damn right you’ve heard nothing from me. I’ve been trying to salvage this mess of yours.”

“Were you successful?”

“No.”

The onmyouji considered this statement for a few moments. Then he said, “There are some questions as to why you failed in your attack. The guards were drugged, the high priestess was isolated, you had plenty of men. How is it you didn’t get the mirror?”

The man yelled, “That stupid imperial inspector! All the guards would be asleep, you said. A simple in-and-out operation to kidnap the high priestess and the mirror, you said. What do I find? This imperial inspector standing in the door. He was good, too. Too good to just brush him aside. By the time I wore him down, the rest of the bushi were awake and active. We were lucky to get out without getting caught.”

“Well, then why has it taken you so long to report?”

“There was no point in returning without the mirror. I followed the caravan to see if I could obtain it by stealth. By the time we got to Isé, the high priestess no longer had it. It required the better part of a day to determine the imperial inspector had taken it. So I followed him. That night, I led a group of men to capture him, but we ran into another group trying to kill him. In the confusion, he managed to get away.”

For the first time, the minister spoke up. “I was told the imperial inspector died in the fight.”

The man eyed the minister scornfully. “The fools were taken in by a simple illusion cast by a kitsuné. The fox-spirit made everyone think the inspector was dead then spirited him away. She couldn’t completely fool me, though. But she knew I was there and covered the trail well. She wouldn’t have bothered to hide their scent so thoroughly if she thought they were only up against stupid humans. I spent days unraveling her tricks, but an untimely rain squall destroyed all traces of them before I could catch them.”

The minister shoved aside the curtain and stared at the onmyouji and his companion.

The onmyouji licked his lips, his voice slightly shaky. “Kitsuné? What kitsuné?”

“It was Kuzu-no-ha. We have been rivals for many years, and she tries to cause me trouble whenever she gets the chance. I don’t understand why she was in Isé though. She never goes down there.”

“Kuzu-no-ha? Abé-no-Seimei’s mother? She is still alive?” the minister asked.

The man gave a contemptuous laugh. “Of course she is. Kitsuné live as long as they want or until they are killed, and she is much too old and cunning to be caught by humans.”

The onmyouji stood. He shook in panic as he yelled at his agent. “What have you done? The last thing we need is a powerful animal spirit involved in our affairs!”

“You were the one who first included an animal spirit in your affairs.” The man shimmered and, in his place, a huge badger appeared. With another shimmer, the badger resumed his human guise. “I am more than a match for her. If her imperial inspector hasn’t died of his wounds, I will kill him. That will end her interference. Her power is in illusion and trickery, not battle.”

The minister sprang to his feet. He stared at them in silence, then said, “You had better be right about that. I am losing patience with your bungling efforts.”

He stalked out.

The onmyouji sat down and said, in a more normal voice, “Very well, let us decide how to salvage this situation…”