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.
We discovered yesterday that Natalya and the demon conspired to have Aksinya make a great enchantment to change Natalya's features so she appeared like Aksinya. Natalya then visited and seduced Ernst. We also know that Natalya took the sorcery books from Ernst and brought them to Aksinya. When Ernst came to get the answer to his proposal of marriage, he received much more than he expected...
Ernst pleaded, “I love you, Aksinya. I don’t love anyone else.”
“But you slept with her,” Aksinya thrust her finger at Natalya.
Ernst put his hands over his face, “I thought it was you. I only wanted you…”
Aksinya pushed him away, “You defiled her, and you defiled yourself. Do you think I would have slept so easily with you?”
Asmodeus voice was droll, “She would have.”
Aksinya barked at him, “Shut up, demon.” She whirled toward Ernst, “Get out, Herr von Taaffe. I don’t wish to see you again. I am not damaged goods, and I will not accept damaged goods.”
Asmodeus laughed again.
Aksinya ignored the demon. She scowled at Ernst, “Leave my house. You stain my honor by remaining here.”
Ernst ducked his head, “But, I didn’t know. I still love you. I want to marry you.”
“Do you think I could love you now? Do you think that after you took the virtue of my servant I could ever think of marrying you? I am not so low. You may have had her, but you will never have me now.”
Asmodeus gave a yawn, “The Lady Natalya had no virtue remaining to give. Others took it from her long before Herr von Taaffe. He was just one of many.”
Natalya bowed her head a little lower.
Aksinya stared at Natalya then jerked her eyes back to Ernst. She didn’t look in his eyes, “Herr von Taaffe, you disgrace my house. I already told you to leave.” She motioned violently toward him.
Ernst ducked his head and bowed, “I am sorry. I will leave. May I contact you later?”
Aksinya screamed at him, “Do not try to speak to me again. I will not entertain your letters or abide your presence again.”
“Very well. I do still love you. I am sorry.” He dropped to one knee.
Aksinya kicked at him and missed, “Take your apology and get out. Now!” She pulled back her hand and this time connected with the side of his face.
Ernst stood wide-eyed. He took one other glance at Aksinya then backed out of the door into the foyer. They heard the outer door open and close. The fire rose and fell among the coals.
There are small ironies throughout this scene. Ernst still loves Aksinya. He pleads with her. Notice a small irony here. Ernst was seduced. This is obvious, but if he had managed to not fall to the temptation of Natalya and Asmodeus, he wouldn't be in the situation he is at this moment. If Aksinya had not succumbed to luxuria and become drunk on Wednesday night, if sorcery were not her skill, none of this would be a problem. Although the main actor in this entire problem is Natalya, Natalya was tempted only to help Aksinya. We will find she did everything for Aksinya's sake. Irony upon irony. There is more.
Aksinya is a product of her culture as are Ernst and Natalya. The act of sex before marriage is prohibited for good reason in this culture--it is too easy to become pregnant. Sex outside of marriage is considered a great sin. It leads to cultural and social ostracism. It leads to religious ostracism. The reaction of Aksinya is part of this, but there is much much more. Aksinya feels that she was betrayed. Although Natalya thought she was doing Aksinya a favor, that is not how she views it.
The demon adds fuel to the fire. Aksinya would have slept with Ernst. We know that, she knows that, perhaps Natalya realizes that--maybe that was part of her reasoning too. Damaged goods refers to the culture's view of those who have had sex before marriage. Aksinya turns all her anger on Ernst: "You stain my honor by remaining here.” She calls Natalya her servant. Aksinya has called Natalya her friend and confident--she rejected calling Natalya her servant before.
We know Ernst is at fault here, but there are various levels of guilt. Aksinya has been pushed past the point of control and of reason. The demon is an equal opportunity tempter and offender: “The Lady Natalya had no virtue remaining to give. Others took it from her long before Herr von Taaffe. He was just one of many.” Poor Natalya acknowledges this. She was seduced and used, abused by many men. She only wanted to be free from the pain and suffering of her previous household. That means nothing to Asmodeus.
Aksinya loves Natalya. She doesn't love Ernst. Ernst is easy for her to reject and remove. Watch the techniques I use to escalate the situation. Aksinya is screaming now. She is gesticulating wildly. When Ernst falls to a knee, Aksinya kicks at him. Aksinya has been almost completely unphysical in the past. She has not reacted with physical attacks before. She is past the point of control. She finally connects Ernst's face with her hand. Ernst can't take anymore. He isn't a coward, but he isn't good with confrontation--don't you remember the incident in front of the tavern.
The buildup in this scene is important--I worked on it for a long time to try to get the exact strength and measured increase. It will likely take more work to make perfect. The end detail relates to the demon and to the times: The fire rose and fell among the coals. We will eventually see how important an incident this is, but for now, Ernst is gone and tomorrow, Aksinya turns her ire on Natalya.
Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A New Novel, Part 168 I Won't Fear for My Virtue
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.
Now we are getting down to business. Everything in the novel before was a setup for what will happen in the next two chapters. This is the beginning of the climax of the novel...
On Wednesday, Ernst escorted Aksinya to dinner and the opera. He greeted Aksinya at her house with a bouquet of roses. He explained the extravagance, “Because I am working for him, my father increased my remittance.” At each place they visited, Aksinya thought she spotted Asmodeus. She caught a glimpse of him in the mirror at the Palais Coburg Hotel Residenz, and in the grand foyer of the Wien State Opera. A strong whiff of sulfur came to her in both places. When the Champagne and caviar came at the intermission for Tristan und Isolde, Aksinya thought she saw Asmodeus sneaking in the corridor just outside their box seats. Warned by his potential presence, she intended to drink less because of it, but ended up drinking more than she planned.
Before the beginning of the second act, Natalya prepared a blemis with caviar and handed it to Aksinya. Aksinya took the flat piece of bread, “Thank you, Lady Natalya.”
Natalya smiled oddly at her, “Would you care for another glass of Champagne?”
Aksinya cocked her head and grinned back, “Please, as long as you are pouring, Lady Natalya, I won’t fear for my virtue.”
Natalya filled Aksinya’s flute and continued to hand her another blemis with caviar. Natalya wasn’t certain how many times Natalya refilled her glass that evening, but by the end of the opera, she couldn’t stand on her own. Natalya and Ernst had to both help her to Ernst’s landau and then back into her house.
Ernst didn’t kiss Aksinya that evening, at least she had no recollection that he kissed her. She wished he had. She didn’t remember much at all. In the morning, she woke with a splitting headache. A strange whiff of incense and sulfur touched her nose. Someone was opening the shutters of her windows. Aksinya didn’t open her eyes, “Don’t let the sun in Nata. I’ve told you so many times.”
The transition from the buildup of the plot to the climax is just like any transition, but this one isn't just a transition in space or time, it is a transition in action. Within the form of this novel, you might not notice this short transition as the transition to the climax except that I point it out to you. That's all right, I don't expect my readers to deconstruct my novels, but in this commentary, I want you to note these very important points both for your elucidation and so you can see the power of story, plot, and theme all together.
We see a simple continuance of Ernst's wooing and affection. There are changes. We know there are changes in the thoughts of the characters. Aksinya has a decision to make. Ernst has made his decisions, but he is awaiting and still wooing. By the end of this scene, it will be obvious that Natalya has made some decision of her own. Watch closely, I'll point it out to you. The demon, Asmodeus, has obviously made some decision (or the culmination of a decision)--something is afoot.
A whole bouquet of roses from Ernst. He is working for his father now. Ernst is making more money. They visit their favorite places. Notice that none of these places were chosen by Aksinya--they are Ernst's favorites. Plus the places haven't changed--they are the same. I didn't point this out until now--hope you noticed. I did it on purpose to indicate to you that Ernst is pleasing himself, not necessarily Aksinya. There is a metaphor in this--remember Aksinya pleases herself too. Aksinya is too happy with the luxuria to notice, but she hasn't been wooed before.
Asmodeus is everywhere. This should be an indicator. I gave you little hints and little glimpses of the demon before. This time, in a single paragraph, I give you Asmodeus in person and scent. I show you him through Aksinya's eyes. The reason I pack the Asmodeus sightings into a single paragraph is so you won't miss them. Because of her sightings, Aksinya intends to drink less--so she can keep a steady head, but look what happens... Natalya begins to pour the Champagne for Aksinya. This is indeed a change. Usually it is Ernst and Natalya tries to keep some check on Aksinya. Now, Natalya is providing luxuria to Aksinya. Aksinya will not reject it from Natalya's hands because, “...as long as you are pouring, Lady Natalya, I won’t fear for my virtue.” It is not perhaps Aksinya's virtue we should worry about--or is it?
This was the decision of Natalya that I mentioned before. We can see that at some point in the evening or before, Natalya made a decision to get Aksinya drunk. The purpose, we don't know. The result we shall see. Aksinya intended to not become drunk tonight, but she could not reject the temptation from Natalya's hands.
Look at this, the demon has not been in control of anyone at all through the entire novel. He has only placed ideas in the minds of the characters. With Aksinya, the ideas have been from subtle to overt. He has worked subtly through others to tempt or to get them to tempt. In any case, Aksinya is too drunk to stand, but still awake when Natalya and Ernst take her home.
This scene flows intentionally into the next. It is a direct continuation that I don't want you to miss. Therefore the physical transition is set in a single paragraph. Look closely at the details. The focus is Aksinya--she didn't get a kiss. She didn't remember the evening after her return to the house. She has a hangover. Her room has the scent of sulfur and incense. The sulfur and incense are very important here. I know that most of the time, as we read, we might just miss some of these simple details. This is a critical detail, so I underplay it a little. If you think back through the novel, you know the scent of sulfur is the demon. Asmodeus has been in Aksinya's room. He was there long enough and late enough for the scent to still be there. Second, the scent of incense in this novel has only been used in a single context. I won't tell you. If you remember, you might guess. Tomorrow, I'll give you more hints. We'll start from this last paragraph. Reread today's transition scene. See that it is simple and downplayed--that is the point.
Now we are getting down to business. Everything in the novel before was a setup for what will happen in the next two chapters. This is the beginning of the climax of the novel...
On Wednesday, Ernst escorted Aksinya to dinner and the opera. He greeted Aksinya at her house with a bouquet of roses. He explained the extravagance, “Because I am working for him, my father increased my remittance.” At each place they visited, Aksinya thought she spotted Asmodeus. She caught a glimpse of him in the mirror at the Palais Coburg Hotel Residenz, and in the grand foyer of the Wien State Opera. A strong whiff of sulfur came to her in both places. When the Champagne and caviar came at the intermission for Tristan und Isolde, Aksinya thought she saw Asmodeus sneaking in the corridor just outside their box seats. Warned by his potential presence, she intended to drink less because of it, but ended up drinking more than she planned.
Before the beginning of the second act, Natalya prepared a blemis with caviar and handed it to Aksinya. Aksinya took the flat piece of bread, “Thank you, Lady Natalya.”
Natalya smiled oddly at her, “Would you care for another glass of Champagne?”
Aksinya cocked her head and grinned back, “Please, as long as you are pouring, Lady Natalya, I won’t fear for my virtue.”
Natalya filled Aksinya’s flute and continued to hand her another blemis with caviar. Natalya wasn’t certain how many times Natalya refilled her glass that evening, but by the end of the opera, she couldn’t stand on her own. Natalya and Ernst had to both help her to Ernst’s landau and then back into her house.
Ernst didn’t kiss Aksinya that evening, at least she had no recollection that he kissed her. She wished he had. She didn’t remember much at all. In the morning, she woke with a splitting headache. A strange whiff of incense and sulfur touched her nose. Someone was opening the shutters of her windows. Aksinya didn’t open her eyes, “Don’t let the sun in Nata. I’ve told you so many times.”
The transition from the buildup of the plot to the climax is just like any transition, but this one isn't just a transition in space or time, it is a transition in action. Within the form of this novel, you might not notice this short transition as the transition to the climax except that I point it out to you. That's all right, I don't expect my readers to deconstruct my novels, but in this commentary, I want you to note these very important points both for your elucidation and so you can see the power of story, plot, and theme all together.
We see a simple continuance of Ernst's wooing and affection. There are changes. We know there are changes in the thoughts of the characters. Aksinya has a decision to make. Ernst has made his decisions, but he is awaiting and still wooing. By the end of this scene, it will be obvious that Natalya has made some decision of her own. Watch closely, I'll point it out to you. The demon, Asmodeus, has obviously made some decision (or the culmination of a decision)--something is afoot.
A whole bouquet of roses from Ernst. He is working for his father now. Ernst is making more money. They visit their favorite places. Notice that none of these places were chosen by Aksinya--they are Ernst's favorites. Plus the places haven't changed--they are the same. I didn't point this out until now--hope you noticed. I did it on purpose to indicate to you that Ernst is pleasing himself, not necessarily Aksinya. There is a metaphor in this--remember Aksinya pleases herself too. Aksinya is too happy with the luxuria to notice, but she hasn't been wooed before.
Asmodeus is everywhere. This should be an indicator. I gave you little hints and little glimpses of the demon before. This time, in a single paragraph, I give you Asmodeus in person and scent. I show you him through Aksinya's eyes. The reason I pack the Asmodeus sightings into a single paragraph is so you won't miss them. Because of her sightings, Aksinya intends to drink less--so she can keep a steady head, but look what happens... Natalya begins to pour the Champagne for Aksinya. This is indeed a change. Usually it is Ernst and Natalya tries to keep some check on Aksinya. Now, Natalya is providing luxuria to Aksinya. Aksinya will not reject it from Natalya's hands because, “...as long as you are pouring, Lady Natalya, I won’t fear for my virtue.” It is not perhaps Aksinya's virtue we should worry about--or is it?
This was the decision of Natalya that I mentioned before. We can see that at some point in the evening or before, Natalya made a decision to get Aksinya drunk. The purpose, we don't know. The result we shall see. Aksinya intended to not become drunk tonight, but she could not reject the temptation from Natalya's hands.
Look at this, the demon has not been in control of anyone at all through the entire novel. He has only placed ideas in the minds of the characters. With Aksinya, the ideas have been from subtle to overt. He has worked subtly through others to tempt or to get them to tempt. In any case, Aksinya is too drunk to stand, but still awake when Natalya and Ernst take her home.
This scene flows intentionally into the next. It is a direct continuation that I don't want you to miss. Therefore the physical transition is set in a single paragraph. Look closely at the details. The focus is Aksinya--she didn't get a kiss. She didn't remember the evening after her return to the house. She has a hangover. Her room has the scent of sulfur and incense. The sulfur and incense are very important here. I know that most of the time, as we read, we might just miss some of these simple details. This is a critical detail, so I underplay it a little. If you think back through the novel, you know the scent of sulfur is the demon. Asmodeus has been in Aksinya's room. He was there long enough and late enough for the scent to still be there. Second, the scent of incense in this novel has only been used in a single context. I won't tell you. If you remember, you might guess. Tomorrow, I'll give you more hints. We'll start from this last paragraph. Reread today's transition scene. See that it is simple and downplayed--that is the point.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A New Novel, Part 100 Attempted Rape
The demon grabbed Aksinya and pulled her away from the coming action at the tavern. Now they are observing the events there. The demon set this up and is the cause of it.
Natalya screamed. One of the men pushed her to the ground. He lifted her skirt and called to the others, “Here’s a beautiful girl to take.”
Aksinya yelled, “Stop. Stop right now.”
The demon’s smile widened, “Do you wish to bring their attention to you. They would gladly rape you even though you are homely and unwomanly. Look they have Sister Margarethe on the ground now.”
The men eyed Natalya’s body. She twisted left and right and tried to push her dress back over her thighs, but the held it up and another man stepped behind her and grabbed her arms. Sister Margarethe lay on the ground now and one of the men had raised her skirts. Another pulled off her habit.
The demon laughed again, “Now they will rape them. The only thing you can do to help them is to use sorcery to stop them. You know how too.”
“You stop them. Stop them, I demand it.”
“Those men are mostly innocent. I can only stop them after they have raped the lady and the nun. Then I will be able to act in your name. I will torture and kill them for you. That will be on your soul. If you wish, you can kill them now. Then your actions will clearly be murder.”
“Murder in the protection of their virtue. To prevent rape.”
“Do it now. I’ll encourage you. I can’t forget how you hate the cold along with your false modesty.” The demon made a motion as if he pulled something from the air.
The hem of Aksinya’s dress and heavy cloak rose an inch but then settled back.
The demon stood awestruck, “What have you done? There are crosses everywhere on it.”
Aksinya forced a laugh, “You can’t take my clothing so easily this time.”
“Then I must encourage you in a different way. Look around, Countess. No one except you will come help them. Observe that gentleman there.” The demon pointed to the alleyway across from them. A handsome young man stood at the edge of it and watched the others as they held the women to the ground, and as yet, gaped at them and groped them. He trembled, about to move to stop them, but obviously fearful, so he didn’t do anything.
Aksinya screamed at him, “Stop them. Stop them, please. Help my friend.”
The young man walked out of the alleyway toward the men, then halted. One of them pulled a knife and pointed it at him, “It isn’t worth your life is it?”
The young man stepped cautiously toward the men again. His voice was hesitant, “It may be worth my life.”
Asmodeus cackled, “He’ll be killed, you know. Killed or raped himself if they are of that mind. Perhaps both. It isn’t that uncommon after I have touched their hearts.”
The men at the tavern have been excited by the demon to a fever pitch. They attack the nun and Natalya. They prepare to rape them. Aksinya tries to do something, but the demon warns her that the men will turn on her and attack her too. The demon gets a dig at her, and I use the demon's words to tell you what is happening at the tavern--this is a writing technique.
Then the demon tells Aksinya what he expects her to do--use sorcery to stop the men. There is a problem with the demon's demand. I haven't told you much about sorcery, but you may have guessed it. Aksinya had to make a protective circle to do "big" sorcery. What exactly is big sorcery? You might have discovered it from the evidence trail I left, but if you didn't that's still good--I purposely didn't leave enough direct crumbs. "Small" sorcery is sorcery that basically doesn't change the world. "Big" sorcery changes the world (calls demons, changes appearance, heals, makes real changes in the world). Again, "little" sorcery doesn't change the world. The demon asks Aksinya to potentially do "big" sorcery, and she knows it. That's why she demands that the demon stop what is going on.
Asmodeus' response is what we should have expected. He claims he can't act until the women are raped. At that point, the demon can torture and kill the perpetrators. The demon wants Aksinya to do "big" sorcery and murder the men. He has tried to get her to do this before, but not so directly. His desire is obvious--then Aksinya would have committed murder. The actuality is not obvious, but it can be discovered, the demon doesn't want Aksinya to act at all. If she doesn't, the women will be raped, the men will be guilty, Aksinya will likely ask the demon to revenge them, that will result in murder of the men and their torture. This is exactly what happened to Aksinya's family. The demon's plans are not obvious, but they are very specific. If I don't lay it all out like this, many readers might not figure it out, but that isn't important. All the details aren't critical to the novel. The reader will understand many of the reasons and motivations without any explanation.
Aksinya's point is well taken: “Murder in the protection of their virtue. To prevent rape.” She is correct. If she could kill the men, that might be a completely ethical and moral position. The demon seems to agree with her, then he tries some of the motivational force he used before. The demon attempts to strip her of her clothing in the street, and finally, Aksinya has a tiny victory.
The demon thinks of everything. He didn't imagine that Aksinya would be able to resist or successfully plot against him. The demon is surprised, but he has more plans within plans. He points out a young gentleman who is across the street. You might imagine that if the demon set up everything else, he set up this too. The gentleman is somewhat a coward, but Aksinya encourages him. The man has a choice to make--he might give his life to help the women and it might not do any good anyway. The demon makes this obvious. That is a direct discouragement against the man and Aksinya. The demon has backed Aksinya into a corner--the question is what will she do about it?
Natalya screamed. One of the men pushed her to the ground. He lifted her skirt and called to the others, “Here’s a beautiful girl to take.”
Aksinya yelled, “Stop. Stop right now.”
The demon’s smile widened, “Do you wish to bring their attention to you. They would gladly rape you even though you are homely and unwomanly. Look they have Sister Margarethe on the ground now.”
The men eyed Natalya’s body. She twisted left and right and tried to push her dress back over her thighs, but the held it up and another man stepped behind her and grabbed her arms. Sister Margarethe lay on the ground now and one of the men had raised her skirts. Another pulled off her habit.
The demon laughed again, “Now they will rape them. The only thing you can do to help them is to use sorcery to stop them. You know how too.”
“You stop them. Stop them, I demand it.”
“Those men are mostly innocent. I can only stop them after they have raped the lady and the nun. Then I will be able to act in your name. I will torture and kill them for you. That will be on your soul. If you wish, you can kill them now. Then your actions will clearly be murder.”
“Murder in the protection of their virtue. To prevent rape.”
“Do it now. I’ll encourage you. I can’t forget how you hate the cold along with your false modesty.” The demon made a motion as if he pulled something from the air.
The hem of Aksinya’s dress and heavy cloak rose an inch but then settled back.
The demon stood awestruck, “What have you done? There are crosses everywhere on it.”
Aksinya forced a laugh, “You can’t take my clothing so easily this time.”
“Then I must encourage you in a different way. Look around, Countess. No one except you will come help them. Observe that gentleman there.” The demon pointed to the alleyway across from them. A handsome young man stood at the edge of it and watched the others as they held the women to the ground, and as yet, gaped at them and groped them. He trembled, about to move to stop them, but obviously fearful, so he didn’t do anything.
Aksinya screamed at him, “Stop them. Stop them, please. Help my friend.”
The young man walked out of the alleyway toward the men, then halted. One of them pulled a knife and pointed it at him, “It isn’t worth your life is it?”
The young man stepped cautiously toward the men again. His voice was hesitant, “It may be worth my life.”
Asmodeus cackled, “He’ll be killed, you know. Killed or raped himself if they are of that mind. Perhaps both. It isn’t that uncommon after I have touched their hearts.”
The men at the tavern have been excited by the demon to a fever pitch. They attack the nun and Natalya. They prepare to rape them. Aksinya tries to do something, but the demon warns her that the men will turn on her and attack her too. The demon gets a dig at her, and I use the demon's words to tell you what is happening at the tavern--this is a writing technique.
Then the demon tells Aksinya what he expects her to do--use sorcery to stop the men. There is a problem with the demon's demand. I haven't told you much about sorcery, but you may have guessed it. Aksinya had to make a protective circle to do "big" sorcery. What exactly is big sorcery? You might have discovered it from the evidence trail I left, but if you didn't that's still good--I purposely didn't leave enough direct crumbs. "Small" sorcery is sorcery that basically doesn't change the world. "Big" sorcery changes the world (calls demons, changes appearance, heals, makes real changes in the world). Again, "little" sorcery doesn't change the world. The demon asks Aksinya to potentially do "big" sorcery, and she knows it. That's why she demands that the demon stop what is going on.
Asmodeus' response is what we should have expected. He claims he can't act until the women are raped. At that point, the demon can torture and kill the perpetrators. The demon wants Aksinya to do "big" sorcery and murder the men. He has tried to get her to do this before, but not so directly. His desire is obvious--then Aksinya would have committed murder. The actuality is not obvious, but it can be discovered, the demon doesn't want Aksinya to act at all. If she doesn't, the women will be raped, the men will be guilty, Aksinya will likely ask the demon to revenge them, that will result in murder of the men and their torture. This is exactly what happened to Aksinya's family. The demon's plans are not obvious, but they are very specific. If I don't lay it all out like this, many readers might not figure it out, but that isn't important. All the details aren't critical to the novel. The reader will understand many of the reasons and motivations without any explanation.
Aksinya's point is well taken: “Murder in the protection of their virtue. To prevent rape.” She is correct. If she could kill the men, that might be a completely ethical and moral position. The demon seems to agree with her, then he tries some of the motivational force he used before. The demon attempts to strip her of her clothing in the street, and finally, Aksinya has a tiny victory.
The demon thinks of everything. He didn't imagine that Aksinya would be able to resist or successfully plot against him. The demon is surprised, but he has more plans within plans. He points out a young gentleman who is across the street. You might imagine that if the demon set up everything else, he set up this too. The gentleman is somewhat a coward, but Aksinya encourages him. The man has a choice to make--he might give his life to help the women and it might not do any good anyway. The demon makes this obvious. That is a direct discouragement against the man and Aksinya. The demon has backed Aksinya into a corner--the question is what will she do about it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)