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Friday, December 31, 2010

A New Novel, Part 89 The Arm that Offends You

During the weekend, the demon visits Aksinya at her Aunt and Uncle's estate.  Every time he visits, he brings instructions to Aksinya.  What does he have in mind this time.


When the house was dark and quiet, Aksinya heard a knock on her door. She called out, “I don’t wish to speak with you demon.”


The voice behind the door was low and filled with a hiss, “But I wish to speak with you mistress. May I come in?”

“No!”

The door opened, and Asmodeus strode in, “Next time I won’t ask.”

Aksinya rolled away from him and pulled her covers around her, “I’m tired, and I don’t wish to speak to you tonight.”

“You are wide awake, and you have been longing to speak to me for days.”

“You are mistaken.”

“Why not speak to me, now. You’ve had your fun for the evening.”

“Zatknis'!” Aksinya was suddenly breathless, “You probably encourage it.”

“No, I don’t need to. You are filled with lust all on your own. So therefore I have an easy thing for you to do.”

“Don’t you feel lust?”

“Trying to turn the conversation? It won’t do you any good, Countess, but I will answer your questions. I feel great lust, but I can’t act on it. I rely on you to consummate my sin.”

“But you sin.”

“I don’t sin, Countess—you sin. I told you that before.”

“You stole the bookstand…”

“At your behest.”

“You killed all those people…”

“Because you ordered it. I am simply your tool, your arm, your eyes on the world. I am the eye that offends you. I am the arm that causes you to sin.”

“I wish I could cut you off. I would do it right now.”

“And you would die. That comes of losing an arm or an eye.”

Aksinya is still awake.  You guessed it, so did Asmodeus.  The demon is unhappy.  He is back to demanding and confronting.  Aksinya doesn't want to speak to him, but still you know she does.  The demon understands too.  The demon may not be able to read her mind, but he knows human nature and he knows her nature too well.  He taunts her with her lust, and forces a confession from her lips.  This is his technique and his trick.  Then we learn something about the demon--or how he thinks.  He believes (or lies) that he doesn't sin at all.  He is a vessel of temptation.  The target of the temptation sins, not him--he claims.
 
He says he is the tool not the sin.  Then he makes a reference to Christ's sermon on the Mount.  He claims to be the eye that offends and the arm that causes you to sin.  Christ told his followers to discard them, and the demon rightly notes, if you do, you will die.  His claim is that if Aksinya could get rid of him, she would die.  The opposite is that if you die, you will be rid of the demon.  That isn't the only reason the demon came to speak to Aksinya, but we will see the rest tomorrow.

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