A New Novel, Part 312 Not Innocent, Only Forgiven

12 August 2011, A New Novel, Part 312 Not Innocent, Only Forgiven

For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.

Dobrushin and Aksinya married.  They came to the room Dobrushin took in the hotel near the center of Wien.  The demon, Asmodeus, has appeared... 

The demon took a sniff.  He glanced around, “Your surety.”  He stared at the heart-shaped necklace in the incense and his eye twitched.  Already the flames licked around it.  Already it blackened and glowed.  Aksinya could detect a smell unlike the frankincense.  It was a smell like fresh caviar, but sweeter.  It was the sweetest scent Aksinya had ever known.

Asmodeus cried out, “I haven’t much time.”  He snarled again and took a step toward Dobrushin, “You, man, shall die.”  He raised his arm and rushed at Dobrushin.  Dobrushin stuck out his arms to protect himself.

At the last moment, Aksinya grabbed for the demon.  She jumped forward and interposed her body between the demon and the man.  Asmodeus claws bit deeply into her.  They cut across her thin body and through her dress, through her skin, through her bones.

A veil of blood rose in the air between the demon and the girl.  Aksinya gave a single gurgling scream and collapsed to the floor.  The demon cringed back.  He leapt again to the side of the fireplace.

Dobrushin cried out.  He knelt beside Aksinya and lifted her head and shoulders in his arms.

Her lips trembled.  Her face contorted in pain, “There, demon, you are in default.  You cannot harm me, yet you have murdered me.”

Asmodeus brought his hands to his face.  His features displayed an appearance that had never been there before.  He glanced all around.

Aksinya’s breath came in whispers, “You must return my surety.  You must release me.  I am truly God’s now and not yours.”

The demon shrieked and was suddenly gone.  The incense sputtered then flared up.  The charm within it fell to ashes.  Aksinya’s hair suddenly became a single long braid down her back.

Dobrushin clasped her in his arms.

Aksinya weakly lifted her hand to the side of his face, “You need not shed tears for me, my beloved, because you released me from the demon.”

Dobrushin held her more tightly, “I can’t let you go so easily.”

“Don’t let go of me, just hold me until I breathe my last.  I’m cold already.”

Dobrushin put his face next to hers and sobbed into her hair, “Please God, don’t take this wonderful woman from me yet.  She is the only one of her kind on your earth.  She was innocent and betrayed by a creature of darkness.”

“Not innocent,” Aksinya coughed, “Only forgiven.”  Blood trickled from her lips down the side of her face.

“Please, dear God, she was forgiven.  She is your child.”

Many pieces in the novel suddenly come together in this part of this scene.  The surety is about to be devoured by the incense.  This is the means to force the demon away Dobrushin determined from his understanding of Aksinya's situation and the Book of Tobit.  The demon does seem to be affected by the destruction of the surety.  He sees it is burning and states: “I haven’t much time.”  Then he attacks Dobrushin.  The point is that Dobrushin was right, the destruction of the surety could force the demon away.  The problem is that the surety has not been consumed entirely yet.

The demon attacks Dobrushin, but Aksinya gets in the way.  In this moment, we see the resolution of one of the subthemes in the novel.  Do you remember that Aksinya was unwilling to give her life for her family.  She couldn't give her life for her friends.  The demon taunted her with this more than once and more than once, Aksinya acknowledged that she couldn't give her life for her friends or family.  In this moment, Aksinya offered her life for Dobrushin's.  She did gain the courage to put her own life on the line for another.  It is significant that he is her husband in name, but not in reality.  They are but friends and she offers herself for him. 

There is much more to this event.  The demon harmed Aksinya.  We saw before that he could torment her, but he could not let her come to harm--that was in the contract.  That was why he was so careful before.  He could not let her die or kill her.  He was very careful each time.  This time, the demon launched a killing blow against Dobrushin and hit Aksinya.  He has murdered her.  This was a direct breach of the contract--thus his reaction.

Aksinya realizes this herself and responds:  “There, demon, you are in default.  You cannot harm me, yet you have murdered me.”  Again, the demon reacts.  He realizes he has made a great mistake.  The moment Aksinya makes her claims, her surety falls to dust and the demon is gone. 

Her hair returns to her head.  This is the main evidence of the contract being broken that could be given.  I don't need to tell you what happened--I showed you what happened.  The contract is obviously at this point void and everything is back to the way it was at the beginning of the book--wait, nothing is the way it was.  The demon carved a great path through the lives of many many people.  He did it because Aksinya called him and because she was tempted.  She lies dying even now.  She will shortly breath her last.  This is the just punishment for her actions.

Note, I show you that Dobrushin is crying, but I don't tell you he is crying (advanced writing technique).  Dobrushin's response is a poignant prayer.  Can't you imagine the power of his prayer.  He now knows the truth that Aksinya gifted him.  He has seen a demon, therefore there must be a God.  Also, Aksinya's acknowledgement: “You need not shed tears for me, my beloved, because you released me from the demon.”

Them I give you the reconciliation of another subtheme in the novel.  Dobrushin cries: "She was innocent and betrayed by a creature of darkness.”  Aksinya's response: “Not innocent,” Aksinya coughed, “Only forgiven.”  That is an ultimate point.  No one is innocent or perfect--they can only be forgiven.  Thus with the threat of Aksinya's death, we have to wait until tomorrow to see what happens to her.

A New Novel, Part 309 Kiss Me, I Want You to Kiss Me

9 August 2011, A New Novel, Part 309 Kiss Me, I Want You to Kiss Me 
For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.

Dobrushin and Aksinya married--this is part of the plan Dobrushin believes will rid Aksinya of the demon.  For better or worse, they are bound together in this.  We are not sure of the outcome.  They have come to the room Dobrushin took in the hotel near the center of Wien... 

Dobrushin pointed to the door on the left in the room, “There is the bath.  It has a toilet.”

Aksinya nodded.

At the last, Dobrushin took an open container of incense and placed it before the fireplace.  He lit it with the taper then fished in his vest pocket for Aksinya’s surety.  He glanced at her and then placed the necklace and locket on the smoking incense.  Aksinya could already smell the gentle bite of frankincense.  Dobrushin returned to the door.  He returned the taper to its holder.

Dobrushin took her hand and blushed, “I’m sorry.  I forgot to get you any nightclothes.”

Aksinya trembled, “I won’t need any.”  She raised her face to his, “Kiss me.  I want you to kiss me.”

Dobrushin took her in his arms and put his lips on hers.  Aksinya threw her arms around his neck, “I don’t understand what this kind of love is, but I want to know it with you tonight.”  She pressed her lips to his and wouldn’t stop kissing him.

Finally Dobrushin finally disentangled her arms from his neck.  His face was red, “Come, my love, we need to ask God to show us mercy and keep us in safety.”

Aksinya’s breath released in gentle pants.  She nodded.

They knelt at the side of the bed, he took her hand, and Dobrushin prayed, “We praise you God of our fathers.  We praise your name forever and ever.  Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.  You made Adam and also Eve his wife, who was to be his partner and support; and those two were the parents of all human beings.  This was your word: ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us provide a partner suited to him.’  So now I take this my beloved to wife, not out of lust but in true marriage.  Grant that she and I may find mercy and grow old together.  Amen.”

“Amen,” Aksinya replied, “Do you love me?”

“I love you.  I married you.”

“Help me take off my clothes.”

Aksinya stood before him expectantly.  Dobrushin took off his coat and unbuttoned his shirt.  Aksinya reached up and fumbled with his buttons.  She smiled, “I’m not very good with buttons.”  She undid one after the other.  A golden cross lay against his chest.  It depended from a necklace.

Dobrushin pulled her to him and kissed her again.

Dobrushin gets out the details that are very important to a woman first--perhaps he was coached by Ekaterina.  Then he prepares the protection against the demon.  Do you remember, in Tobit, Tobias burned the part of the fish in the incense?  Now, Dobrushin burns Aksinya's surety in the incense.  I use some advanced writing techniques to bring in all your senses. 

Once the incense is burning, they take the next step--they are going to bed.  Do you sense the usually well prepared and mature Dobrushin's nervousness and inexperience.  He forgot nightclothes.  Aksinya doesn't care--she may be inexperienced, but she understands what is supposed to go on (or at least she imagines she knows).  She demands to be kissed.  That's when I get to make a statement through her about love.  This is one of the major sibthemes.

Dobrushin is getting worked up too.  Aksinya is just too cute.  She is filled with desire.  He knows what must be done, however, do you remember the scene in the restaurant?  They must complete each step like in the book of Tobit.  The next step is the prayer from Tobit.  If you will note, this prayer is whole in the Orthodox marriage ceremony.  It is a simple prayer.  The prayer, like the Book of Tobit is a turning point in Hebrew thought about the nature of God.  The God of Tobit listens to the cries of his people and answers their prayer.  If you look closely in the Old Testament, the prayers are almost always generic and not directed.  There are a few examples that are, but most are not.  In the Apocrypha, we see prayers to God that are direct and answered directly.  These are very much like the prayers we find in the New Testament.

Aksinya's question to Dobrushin: “Do you love me?”  Then with his answer, she wants to get down to business.  Do you remember that Aksinya seldom took off her own clothing or dressed herself.  She asks for help for more than reasons of sensuality.  Dobrushin doesn't care.  Aksinya begins to help him unbutton his shirt.  Do you remember, she has problems with buttons?  With these writing techniques, I want to build the tension and the excitement but for another reason--you will see why tomorrow.

A New Novel, Part 125 He Has My Book

In the evening following dinner, Aksinya and Natalya return to Aksinya's house across the street.  They are greeted in the most gentle manner and Aksinya and Natalya go up to Aksinya's bedroom.  Aksinya has some explaining to do...

Natalya and Aksinya returned to their house across the street. When they left the dining room, Sister Margarethe joined them at the door. Aksinya didn’t acknowledge the nun, but Natalya gave her a greeting in German.


They went across the street and Natalya unlocked the door. The house was warm. A coal fire burned in the fireplace. Two novice nuns, dressed in black and white, came to the foyer to greet them. They removed Aksinya, Natalya, and Sister Margarethe’s cloaks and saw them up to their rooms. They made sure the coal fires and the gaslights were lit, then curtsied and returned to the lower floor. At her door, Aksinya took Natalya’s arm, “Sister Margarethe, would you please bring us tea?”

“Yes, Countess.”

Aksinya glanced at the nun then pulled Natalya into her room and closed the door. Aksinya placed Natalya in front of an overstuffed chair in the sitting room. She moved hurriedly to the other chair before Natalya could move and pulled it close. She sat quickly knowing Natalya would only sit after her. Natalya sat almost as quickly and leaned expectantly toward Aksinya. Aksinya sucked on her lower lip, “Nata, I do apologize that you were not the first to know about Ernst von Taaffe.”

Natalya smiled, “I realize you did not purposefully keep the information from me.”

Aksinya held the sides of her head, “I was in no condition last night to explain anything to anyone.”

“Tell me about him.” Natalya reached out her hands.

Aksinya grasped them, “He was an interesting man.” Her brow creased, “And he has my book.”

Natalya’s eyes widened, “He has your book.” Natalya sat up a little, “Does he…does he…?”

“Yes, he knows it all. He was the one who tried to help at the Golden Adler.”

“Then he was the gentleman who carried you back to the house?”

“The same.”

“Did he see you…you know, did he see you…?”

“He saw me make the great enchantment.”

Natalya hung her head, “I didn’t get to see it—I wish I had.”

“Hush, don’t say such things. It always embarrasses me. It is not something I am proud of.”

“I am proud of you, Countess…Aksinya.”

Aksinya glanced down, “No one else would be.”

“What about this young man?”

Aksinya made a face, “He praised me for it.”

Natalya tried to hide her smile, “Then, like me, he would be proud of you too.”

“He did, but I don’t want that. He wants to court me. He said he was infatuated with me.”

“For a man to appreciate you for who and what you are seems a very great thing to me. Will you allow him to court you?”

“He won’t give me back my book until I do.”

Natalya laughed, “Then you will only allow him to court you because he has your book?”

Aksinya glanced down, “He promised me another book too.”

Natalya was incredulous, “The only reason you will court him is for a couple of books?”

Aksinya turned her a foul look.

Natalya and Aksinya retire to Aksinya's rooms.  They have coal fires and the house is warm which indicates Aksinya's wealth and how much is being spent on the house across the street (hint).  Aksinya needs to talk to Natalya.  They send Sister Margarethe away.  Aksinya treats Natalya as an equal--a fact that is not lost on Natalya.  Aksinya is concerned that Natalya, as her confidant, was not the first to know about Ernst.  Natalya wants to know about the young man.  Aksinya tells her little except that he has her book.
 
The conversation quickly turns to sorcery.  The stepping off point allows Natalya to tell Aksinya that Ernst is like Natalya in his admiration of Aksinya's sorcery.  Indeed, Aksinya tells Natalya that Ernst is infatuated with her. 
 
Aksinya doesn't get the whole point of this infatuation.  This young woman who is so sexually charged can't imagine a normal relationship between a man and a woman.  She understands the relationship as the exchange of a book for a favor.  Natalya realizes much more in Ernst's words.  Then Natalya's admonition in a question:  “The only reason you will court him is for a couple of books?”  Aksinya didn't like that, but she isn't prepared for a man in her life.  She is innocent of this part of humanity.  We will find that this is an area of weakness for Aksinya--an area of great temptation and danger.  Tomorrow, more of this conversation.

A New Novel, Part 52 The Sitting Room and First Bedroom

The world is where people live.  That may seem to be an obvious idea, but in history, people did not live like they do today.  I tried to show this to you with the outdoor toilets at Aksinya's family estate.  I also wanted you to see that most bathrooms outside (and even in Russian) large cities didn't have toilets--they had bathtubs and stoves to heat the water.  In this period, gas lights are ubiquitous and electric lights slowly moving into the world.  The same is true of other living spaces like bedrooms and sitting rooms.  At Sacré Coeur we find very modern facilities.  I want you to see them first hand.

They all followed Frau Drescher to the end door on the right that also happened to be directly above her office. She pulled out an old key with an attached heavy bob like those from a gasthouse and unlocked the door, “Usually, the doors are kept unlocked while the students are away from them. They may be locked when a student is inside, but I don’t recommend that.”


Frau Drescher pushed open the door and exposed a small sitting room. The wallpaper, flooring, and floor covering were all similar to the corridor. The entire suite was comparably decorated. In the center of the sitting room sat a short tea table, a small sofa, and two chairs with padded seats. A couple of curtained windows lay behind the sofa on either side. A gas lamp hung next to the door to the corridor and next to another door on the right. In the right hand corner built into a cabinet was a gas burner. A fine tea service sat on the cabinet. The room was simple, but still elegant.

Frau Drescher allowed them to look around for a few moments, “You can see there is provision for preparing tea in the room. The water is available from the bath that I will presently show you. Please, follow me into the bedrooms.” The door on the right opened into a very short corridor. Within the corridor, were a door at the left, one right before them, and a door on the right. The entire corridor was less than six feet long.

Frau Drescher opened the door on the left. It let them into a very bright bedroom. Its decor was similar to the sitting room. The room was somewhat “L” shaped. The door opened toward the outside wall which was also the back wall of the sitting room and looked down into an alleyway. About five feet separated the door from the outside wall. A turn to the right revealed the rest of the bedroom. It was small. The bed rested against the right hand wall and the street side of the building. The bed was almost entirely concealed from the door. They had to take a step and turn the corner for the bed to become entirely visible. At the head of the bed was a high curtained window. To the left was a bedside table, a desk, and a chair with a padded seat. Another high curtained window lay behind the bedside table.

At the foot of the bed was a large ornately carved schrank for storage of clothing. Behind the desk on the other wall were two matching high curtained windows like those in the sitting room. The room was very bright from the winter daylight that came through the windows. A gas lamp hung on the wall between each set of windows. That provided light for the desk and for the bed.

Without using too many words or too much space in the writing, I tried to give you a short but detailed description of the rooms in which Aksinya and Natalya will reside.  These rooms will be important for a while, but the detail, like I explained, lets you see the private areas where people live.  This is the most important idea I want to convey.
 
The first description is the sitting room.  I want you to know the area is decorated similarly to the upper corridor.  As I mentioned, the red rose motif indicates romance in the culture (perhaps not the idea Frau Drescher wants to convey).  The furniture is not spartain, but not crowded.  The fixtures are gas lamps and a gas burner.  These are obviously very important to the people of the time.  Note, the burner is for tea preperation and there is a tea service for the room.  This is how important the preparation of tea is.  This indicates the lack of sufficient heating.  Tea helps heat the body and the soul.  I likely need to add in a bit about the heating--it would be steam radiators.
 
The second description is the first bedroom.  In the description, I give you a sense of the placement of the rooms (the location of the street) so you can understand the environment outside to a degree.  The furniture here is very important.  Note, the rooms are small and the bedrooms are cramped and utilitarian.  There are no closets--this is true in Germany and Austria today.  They have schranks which are large standing closet furniture to store clothing.
 
Gas lamps don't provide much light--note they are above the bed and the desk.  This should hopefully produce enough light for reading and study.  Is it a wonder that houses were dark inside until the acceptance and integration of electrical lights and electricity.  I'll try to convey some of this in the future chapters.