Chapter 3: The Storm Breaks

Yui and her attendants went to enjoy a walk in the palace gardens one afternoon a few days after Yui's attempt to curse Miaka when they stumbled across Miaka and her attendants having a picnic. They turned to go, but Miaka insisted they join them. "The more the merrier, especially when you have something to celebrate. We just learned this morning that Hotohori is going to be a father," she said as she extended the invitation.

Hotohori was the leader of Miaka's guards; he came from an aristocratic family in the capital, and had just been informed earlier that day that his wife Houki was with child. Her other attendants included Tamahome, the eldest son of an impoverished provincial merchant, Tasuki, a former bandit pardoned and now working in the royal service, Nuriko and Chiriko, the sons of government ministers, and Mitsukake, a court physician Miaka had met and befriended in her relief efforts during the plague last winter.

Having determined that she would try to put aside her jealousy of Miaka and try to befriend her, Yui accepted her invitation. "And we have Her Eminence's appointment to celebrate," said Nuriko. Miaka shook her head.

"No, this celebration is about Hotohori, not me," she said firmly. But Yui quickly felt her old jealousy beginning to flare up as she saw the looks exchanged between Miaka's attendants, wordlessly praising her for her selflessness. She especially noticed the flirting looks between Miaka and Tamahome with pain; Yui had harbored feelings of her own for Tamahome ever since the day he had saved her from a runaway horse several years ago.

After the picnic, the two groups went their separate ways. Yui returned to her apartments for her lessons with her music teacher to pass the time before she had to join the imperial family for dinner. All through the meal she had to watch yet again the servants paying more deference to Miaka.

On her way back from dinner, Yui decided to walk around the palace to clear her head. She walked by what she thought was an empty room, when she heard people talking. Leaning in to see just a little better, she saw it was Miaka and Tamahome. "But Miaka, why not?" he was asking.

"You know why I can't accept your proposal, however much I want to; my mother and brother would never allow it," Miaka said sternly. "If I could marry you, I would, but I'm not in a position to just do whatever I want! My mother's already got someone else in mind."

"Miaka… I've spent years serving the royal family, and I've made my fortune in the imperial service. Your brother is planning to ennoble me, give me a title. Surely that will be enough for them to allow us to marry."

"It might…" Miaka said doubtfully.

"It will, you'll see," Tamahome said gently. Yui's face contorted in pain as she watched him kiss her. Though she had known that she and Tamahome could never be, due to her engagement to Keisuke and Tamahome's common status, she couldn't just forget about him. She had tried to be content with just admiring him from afar and dreaming of him in secret, but it was no use. But now in this, as everything else in their lives, Miaka had won.

She could already see how it would play out; Miaka would plead their case to her brother, and Keisuke would eventually grant his assent to the marriage. This wasn't Sairou, the western kingdom, where the clergy were sworn to celibacy. But why should Miaka always get what she wanted? Keisuke might be won over by Miaka's entreaties, but their mother most definitely would not. Though her plans for Miaka marrying the crown prince of Hokkan were dashed, surely she would be trying to work out another arrangement; the alliance created by Miaka's marriage was too vital to be passed up by letting her marry a man from her own country, even one of its highest-ranking nobles.

Yui headed straight to the Dowager Empress's apartments, making sure to seem as distressed and concerned as possible. "My Lady, I must speak with you at once, in private," she cried breathlessly as she was led into the room.

"Leave us," the Empress Dowager ordered, dismissing her attendants. Once the room was empty save for the two women, Yui began her tale.

"It's about Miaka. I just saw her… with Tamahome, her guard. I believe they have been conducting an affair, and I heard them say they intend to marry."

"What?!" the Empress Dowager cried, standing up so fast it knocked her chair over.

"I'm afraid so, milady. I heard them talking; he hopes to use his recent increases in fortune and status to convince the Emperor to grant his assent to their marriage."

"He most certainly will not! It's bad enough that the negotiations for her marriage to the prince of Hokkan fell through after Miaka's appointment as High Priestess. It took me days, but I finally was able to convince the ambassadors to consider changing the arrangements to one of the lesser royals not likely to inherit so that she can stay here and fulfill her duties. We've worked too hard and spent too much time on this for it all to come to nothing, especially for the sake a mere commoner! The alliance her marriage will bring is too important!"

"What should be done about it, then?"

"We have no choice. Tamahome must be eliminated."

"If I may, there's no telling what Miaka's reaction would be if any harm comes to him."

"You're right… we can't risk that. We'll have to try another tactic to remove him. Your attendants… some of them are sorcerers, are they not? Could they divert his affections to another, one of the palace maids, perhaps? Make him marry elsewhere?"

"They could, certainly, and that would solve the problem, but I think that's letting him off too easy. They shouldn't just be separated. This is an insufferable presumption on Tamahome's part, his daring to raise his eyes to Miaka. That commoner must be punished and made to suffer for it."

"Can it be done?"

"Leave it to me," Yui said, nodding.

"Good. Of course, no one must ever know the truth, and we will never speak of this again. Remember, in Konan, the punishment for witchcraft is death."

Yui returned to her chambers following the conference with her future mother-in-law. Once alone, she called Soi, Miboshi, and Tomo to her and sent Nakago and the twins away to get her feathers from a freshly slaughtered fowl before explaining her plans. Using their magic, they enchanted the looms Yui and Soi used for weaving to weave seven blankets. For Yui had decided to curse more than just Tamahome. No, in her conversation with the Dowager Empress she hadfinally hit on the perfect way to hurt Miaka the most, by taking away those closest to her.

After being finished, the blankets were laid out in a circle around Yui. The blankets were made out of red cotton with designs of gold phoenixes. Soi placed the feathers on the blankets. "Let those who wear these blankets fly, fly as great birds without a voice," Yui chanted. The feathers began to glow, and then disappeared into the blankets. Yui and her attendants quickly folded up the blankets.

"So now what happens?" Soi asked.

"Miaka's guards are leaving for a hunting trip in the morning. Make sure that they have these blankets with them," Yui ordered, handing the blankets over to Suboshi and Amiboshi.

The next morning, Yui watched as Miaka's guards rode out on their hunting trip. She smirked in satisfaction as she saw they had the enchanted blankets with them. Oh, she couldn't wait to watch that spoiled little brat Miaka suffer when Tamahome and her other loyal hangers-on never returned.

*End Chapter*