Caught in the Devils' Hand

by Ruby Duvall

  Akiji, after being quiet for three weeks, quickly rebounded from his last scare and had upped his efforts in pursuing Shumei. She had expected that he would mention the day at the field when she pushed him, or rather, flung him away from her, but he never spoke of it. The only times he was free to press his suit was an hour before sunset when the workers were returning home from their fields and he usually found her as she was returning from her evening bath. He sometimes even accosted her when Oka was with her, but those confrontations were very short.

  The days began to grow warmer and it wasn’t long before the village celebrated the beginning of summer with its annual festival, from which she was always banned. Her brother, however, was always extended a special invitation, and most years, she and her mother convinced him to go and enjoy himself. This year, though, he would not be swayed, opting to remain with his sister to keep her company as she continued slaving over their fields.

  She grew more comfortable around Vallen, feeling less shy when she was nude and more playful when they were being intimate. Occasionally, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly but not even his story of falling from a tree house in Noukou to be left dangling from a rope, naked, had brought a full smile to her face.

  She felt happy though. There was a feeling of intimacy, of easy friendship, that she hadn’t thought she would have with him. There were, of course, times when his overbearing nature tried her patience, but she was all too eager to push back, as if enjoying their fights as much as their lovemaking.

  She continued to deliver herbs to the witch, though she didn’t want to. If she stopped, the witch would be suspicious and it was still a good opportunity to coax more information out of the older woman. Her efforts to learn more of the Incubus Curse without giving payment were for naught, though. The witch would not divulge anything about demons without payment, and she was no longer willing to let the witch touch her.

  As if on cue, the witch’s hut loomed to the left of the path, looking sickly in the morning fog, like a rotten tooth that had grown out crooked from the rest of the teeth. She normally felt only a mild thrill of adrenaline when passing by this house, but after learning of the terrible things Majo had done, of the power of the spell book she had locked in her home, a sickening anxiety settled in her stomach. The witch’s door was on the opposite side from where she stood, though, so she felt safe in testing herself without fear that the door would suddenly open.

  Coming to a stop, she carefully lifted her hand and hesitantly nudged the warm ball of magic inside of her. It buzzed happily, she was sure, and sent out a trickle of power that filtered up to the fingers of her raised hand. The warmth filled her arm to the very tips of her fingers, and she slowly stepped forward, hoping to feel what Vallen had said was an alarm spell surrounding Majo’s home.

  It seemed forever as she so very slowly walked toward the witch’s back wall. She made sure to keep her hand in front of her feet so that she didn’t accidentally trip the alarm with the wrong limb. She was nearly six feet from the house when a sizzle of power passed over the tips of her fingers, making her gasp with surprise. She jerked her hand back but steeled herself as she hardened her jaw. Flattening her palm against the spell’s barrier, she was amazed that the shell around the older woman’s hut was almost like the prickly surface of a cheap blanket.

  Her magic buzzed warmly in her stomach, happy to be useful as she passed by the hut without tripping the alarm. Judging by her distance from the hut, she guessed that the alarm spell was on the house rather than on a certain area, for the spell’s edges matched the dimensions of the hut. Once she was past the witch’s home, she dropped her arm and continued on her way, walking down the path with her back to Majo’s door. She was almost behind the next house as the path curved when the door of the witch’s hut creaked, catching on a piece of wood in the frame as it opened slowly.

  She felt her heart rise to her throat as the adrenaline pumped through her body, and she hovered about with indecision for a painful second before pressing herself flat against the house next to her, hiding behind the corner as she watched the door swing inward. A young girl left the witch’s home, looking around as if checking for any prying eyes, and she tightened herself even more against the wooden wall of the hut. She was grateful that the home between her and the witch’s house had a few field tools hanging against the wall because they made it difficult to see her.

  She recognized the girl, of course. In a village with only one hundred and fifty-five people left in it, everyone knew everyone else. She was the little sister of the miller’s two sons. Her hair was a lighter brown, her eyes matching her hair, and she favored wearing dark green dresses. The girl was a couple of years younger than Shumei, barely old enough to be married off by the village leader or her own parents.

  The witch leaned out of the doorway then, her generous lips curved in a knowing smile, and Shumei felt her stomach clench with disgust. She watched with great surprise as the witch kissed the young girl. It took every ounce of control she had not to gasp or move, but her mouth did drop open. The girl actually returned the kiss, and when it ended, she sighed as if happy. Shumei shuddered.

  “It was very…pleasurable, Madam Majo,” the girl complimented in her high, young voice, which allowed it to carry farther. “When can I come again?” The witch’s whispered response was too low for her to hear, but judging by the witch’s face, she was saying something dirty. The young girl giggled lightly before giving the older woman one last, short kiss and walking away. She waved over her shoulder, heading up the opposite end of the path.

  Shumei almost tsk’d aloud but stopped herself. The miller’s daughter was stupid for having such a relationship with the only woman in the village more hated and feared than herself, but then again, Shumei hadn’t known how dangerous the witch was either. She knew that the witch could just be using the girl for sexual reasons, but she doubted that was all the woman wanted with her. The witch was probably going to use the naïve girl to experiment with a new spell, if she hadn’t already, and there was actually very little that Shumei could do about it right now.

  She backed herself around the corner of the home she was hiding behind, making herself as invisible as possible. Peeking around the corner, she waited until the witch closed the door to her hut and then allowed herself to breathe a bit more heavily. She decided to wait another couple of minutes before going on her way and made sure that she escaped without showing herself to the closed door, putting several houses between her and the witch before stepping onto the path again.

  Vallen watched from the safety of the trees as Shumei returned to her hut. Whenever he had nothing else to do, he watched over her house and had been waiting for her return from what he assumed to be a house call. Her face seemed a bit strained though as she ducked into her hut and he faintly heard her voice as she called her little brother’s name.

  He made a mental note to ask her about what had upset her.

  Lately, he had been feeling new emotions stirring in him, things he hadn’t even felt when he was human. He wanted more than ever to have Shumei for his own, but not to own her, if that made any sense in his head. He also felt the warm flare of hope, and despite being afraid of it, he embraced this new hope, wondering when there might be an opportunity to filch the Devil’s Hand from the witch’s fortified home.

  His thoughts continued to swirl inside his head as he watched the sun rising above the shoulder of the mountain, cutting into the cloud of mist that had settled over the village.

  Though she hadn’t said anything, he knew that the man named Akiji had been bothering her a lot lately. He could feel her distress every time and it was always the same kind of dread mixed with anger and frustration. He was somewhat grateful that the young man hadn’t given up though. Despite the underhandedness of it, he hoped that Akiji successfully stole a kiss so that he could have Shumei exactly the way he wanted her. The thought of Akiji getting that kiss made him incredibly angry though, especially if she ever ga
ve it to him freely. He wanted their deal to be broken but not that way.

  However, it was virtually the only shot he had at breaking their deal, and he was sure that it was just a matter of time before Akiji succeeded.

  Just a matter of time…

  Chapter Seventeen

  It was nearly a week later, two days before her next appointment with Vallen. She knelt on the wooden floor of her hut at midday, scrubbing the dirty floor, while Oka was outside next to the clothesline, hitting their sleeping mats with his wooden sword to chase the dust away. She had done well to keep up with the medicine field and had earned a day at home, though about half of it had been spent cleaning. She and Oka were almost finished though, and she would be able to have her bath and spend the rest of the afternoon playing with her little brother.

  With her thoughts turning to Vallen as usual, she wrung out the cloth in a fresh bowl of water, already half-finished with the floor since it wasn’t that large an area. She had always hungered for the pleasure he brought her, but lately, she was growing increasingly restless to be in his arms again. She found herself wishing impossible things, or things that she was afraid to admit even to herself. One recent morning, she had even contemplated calling out for him on a day when they weren’t scheduled to meet so that she could quench her carnal needs. She had become addicted to him.

  Not a good sign.

  “Sister!” she heard Oka call, a bit frantically. She was jerked out of her distracted thoughts and turned to look at the reed door just as someone pushed it aside to walk in.

  Unfortunately, it was neither Oka nor Vallen.

  “Master Akiji, you are not allowed in my home without permission,” she said, sighing like a mother with a troublesome child. Akiji slanted a smirk at her, his eyes roaming over her body as if she were his to look at.

  “What a thing to say to your future husband,” he chided, his eyes lighting with mirth as he stared overly long at her breasts.

  “I am not marrying you, Master Akiji!” she said, her exasperation showing. “How many times do I have to hurt you by saying so?” She didn’t know what she was doing wrong. Nothing she said seemed to deter him and despite all the frustration and fear he had instilled within her, the strongest emotion she now felt was guilt, for she knew that what she was doing to him hurt more than anything his father had ever done.

  She was the least respected person in the village…and she wouldn’t accept him. It was a blow to his pride, to his very self-esteem and she hated having to continually pummel his wounded dignity.

  “That you worry about my feelings shows you care, my beloved,” he cooed, finally making eye contact. She tensed, seeing something in the way he held his body that frightened her. His eyes, his face and his voice… They were all mild and kind—deceptive, but his body was tight, like he was barely under control. The magic inside her swelled slightly in reaction to her fear. Her brother came into the hut then, quickly running to his sister’s side and wrapping his arms around her waist as he sat next to her on the half-clean floor of their hut.

  “She doesn’t want you here, Akiji,” Oka said, his voice unhappy.

  “Do not fret, my young blond-haired master,” he said calmingly, but with condescension. She could feel the frown on her brother’s face. “I merely bring news this day. A warning,” he began. She felt a tickle at the back of her neck. “It seems that last night, the miller’s daughter went missing.” The tickle suddenly became a drop of cold fear running down her spine and she knew her expression showed it.

  “The rumor is that a sex demon stole her away to feed off her until she perishes, the poor girl,” Akiji said carefully, crossing his arms as he stared intently at her.

  She was very proud of herself for not showing the reaction that came to her instinctively. Of all the feelings she’d had to hide lately, this had been the hardest. She had to physically stop herself from surging to a stand in shock, but allowed herself a small gasp to show that the news was a surprise. After all, having no reaction to such dire news would be even more damning.

  Her mind was processing the news at blinding speeds. Did Vallen steal that girl? He already had access to her body. Was she not enough? What had she done wrong? Didn’t he believe that she could cure him?

  Was the rumor even true? Was Vallen being framed? If so, who had found out about their affair? If not, was it all just a coincidence? Was it another sex demon? She immediately thought of Rosuke, but suddenly her mind stopped.

  The miller’s daughter.

  She and Majo had been together, alone, in the witch’s hut. The witch liked to experiment on others. She had the Devil’s Hand. She was the only one to whom Shumei had spoken about sex demons.

  Majo had done something terrible.

  “What will the village elders do?” she asked, putting a bit of her real fear into her voice. She clutched Oka close, trying to act the tremulous and naïve maiden, but she wasn’t sure if she had really fooled him or not. His face gave away nothing.

  “Even now, the village elders, with the help of Leader Kimen, are organizing a search party.” He looked around her hut, perusing it as he spoke. “We have half a day to find the girl before the setting sun drives us back to our homes.”

  “We?” she asked, wondering the obvious.

  “Yes, I am going with the search party. I’m young and fast. Those with slower legs will be in the fields today,” he explained, touching his well-defined legs for emphasis.

  “Then why have you come to me? Daylight is wasting, Master Akiji.” She was glad that there was a reason for him to be gone the rest of the day, but worry settled in her stomach for the miller’s daughter. The girl was stupid, this was true, but she was also innocent. She didn’t know what she was dealing with when she decided to take the witch as a lover.

  At least, she hoped the girl hadn’t known.

  “Because I love you, Shumei.” He said it as if that were more than enough explanation. His eyebrows were upturned and she could see hurt on his face. “I wished to warn you of this demon’s presence. If it ever touched you…” he swallowed, his hands fisting and his eyes closing. The tension in his body doubled. She held her brother closer, watching the man before them. She could see it, an intense jealousy sealed somewhere deep inside, but it was leaking onto his face, into his voice.

  “If it ever touched you, I think I would go mad,” he ground out, his hands starting to shake. His eyes were shut tightly, his shoulders stiff. She wondered to herself if he hadn’t already passed that barrier.

  “I shall be alert, Master Akiji. Please go,” she whispered, sensing the violence within him. She could feel her brother trembling.

  Just as quickly as the anger had come, it fled, draining from his body like a pierced water pouch. His muscles slowly relaxed and his hands hung limply at his sides. When his eyes opened again they were calm and composed.

  “Yes, I should go. That demon must have a daytime resting place. If we find it, we’ll destroy it. I’ll protect you,” he said, backing up a step. She remained silent, hoping that he would leave on his own. She didn’t know if what she chose to say would hurry or delay him.

  “Stay safe, my love,” he professed, one hand raised slightly toward her. Then he was gone, the reed door swaying slightly to show his passing. She watched the door swing softly on its two flimsy hinges above the doorframe and felt the ball of magic inside her shivering as if it were afraid for her sake.

  She needed to warn Vallen. Perhaps he already knew and perhaps he could take care of himself, but if warning him helped at all, she would do it.

  “Sister, what’s wrong?” her brother asked softly, his head tilting up a bit to look at her. “Your face is pale. What are you not telling me?” Even if she had managed to fool Akiji into thinking that the presence of a sex demon was news to her, she wasn’t so sure about Oka. She hadn’t told him what kind of demon Vallen was, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t suspect the truth.

  “Oka, please finish cleaning. I…I’ll be b
ack in an hour.” She spoke softly and evenly, but she couldn’t bring herself to slough the expression of worry on her face as she disengaged from the tight circle of her brother’s arms.

  “Where are you going, sister?” Oka asked, his voice a little tremulous. His hand was still clinging to her sleeve.

  “Don’t worry for me, Oka. Worry for the miller’s daughter. I’ll be back soon,” she said with a shake of her head. She dislodged his fingers but bent to kiss his cheek before following where Akiji had gone.

  The day was beautiful, clear and breezy, but something terrible had happened to a young girl and the village was very quiet. The wind tugged gently on the tangled ends of her hair and the sun warmed the side of her face as she stealthily crept between huts. The occasional snap of a field tool whacking at a weed sounded muted.

  From behind the corner of a hut a few doors away from her own, she looked to the center of the village. There was a raised, wooden stage in the middle of the fields where festivals and occasional town meetings were centered. She first spotted Kimen, who was directing a large group of young men. She then saw Akiji, the miller’s two sullen-looking sons and counted about ten other men, all with grim faces. She couldn’t hear a word of what Kimen was saying since their group was standing about a hundred yards away, but suddenly small groups broke out of the larger, each moving in a different direction.

  Each pair of men would probably search a slice of forest, moving fast, but not faster than she could run down the path. If she started now, it would be easy to gain a large lead on the pair going in her intended direction. They would have to sweep the surrounding forest for a girl’s body, but she could simply run flat out.

  Deciding on her course of action, she turned and made for the path leading toward the medicine field. In the same manner as she had done for Oka’s sake only a couple of months ago, she clambered up hills and skidded down the other sides, for Vallen’s sake this time.