Returning to the last paragraph of the previous piece of Daemon.
Aksinya wasn’t sure all that was true, but her demon displayed an inability to act through a magic circle and some unwillingness or inability to move a cross. She lounged in the warm water. Many of her own, her mother’s, and her sister’s jewelry were crosses. Suddenly, Aksinya wondered if any of her jewelry made it into the demon’s chest. He wasn’t beyond lying—in fact, Aksinya was certain that he lied most of the time. She thought for a while longer and made a plan. The first step was to ask the demon to show her, her mother’s jewelry. The water was getting cool. Aksinya made the slightest sound in the back of her throat. Natalya knocked on the door, “Mistress, do you need me to warm your water?”
“I’m getting out.”
Natalya rushed through the door and helped Aksinya out of the tub. She put a towel around her and adroitly dried her and her hair. Natalya already had a silk dressing gown ready and a heavy robe. She dressed Aksinya in them and led her back into the bedroom. A large meal was arranged on the table in the room. Natalya seated Aksinya and served her. After a moment, Aksinya asked, “Have you eaten, Lady Natalya?”
Natalya colored at being addressed so personally by a countess, “Yes mistress, I have eaten breakfast and dinner in the kitchen.”
“Are you still hungry?”
“No, mistress.”
“Where is Asmodeus?”
“Your courtier?”
“Yes.”
“He has gone to make arrangements for you to travel.”
Aksinya glanced up from her meal, puzzled, “Where are we?”
“You were so tired last night, countess. Your courtier carried you here.”
“But where is here?”
“We are at a very fine inn on the vul. Kazinca near the railway station. Last night, you could barely stand, but after I dressed you for bed, you insisted in drawing these circles around our beds.” Natalya gave a broad smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
Natalya pressed her hands together, “I have never slept better. I was so excited that you took me into your household. My heart was so free that I couldn’t stand it. I thought I would never get to sleep, but I did.”
“You needn’t be afraid of me, Lady Natalya. I will not mistreat you.”
Natalya pressed her lips together, “Did you know?”
“I know.”
“I tried to hide it from everyone.”
“You must be cautious of Asmodeus.”
“Is he dangerous to…to women?”
Aksinya face twitched in a slight smiled, “He is dangerous. You must be cautious around him. You should tell me anything he says to you. You don’t need to worry about your virtue, but perhaps about other things.”
Natalya’s face turned into a frown, “Other things?”
“I don’t want you to worry about them, just be cautious of him. When you are with me you should be safe.”
Aksinya is beginning to take steps against Asmodeus. We shall see if she is successful. We will also see some delays before she can test her ideas. The question is: how much does the demon realize? We have some idea about how much Aksinya knows, but little about the knowledge of the demon. We know he can't be omniscient, but the degree of his knowledge seems great. He also seems to think out his plans to a degree that is much greater than humans can or will.
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