Arcana Pt. 02: A Succubi's Desire

"Queens? There are queens in hell?" Yun raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. Power is everything and the greatest among us rule. I am one of the most powerful Succubi." Nal said with a flourish of her hair and wiggle of her chest.

The sight of it sent a bolt of heat through Yun's loins and she felt a strange pulsing in her cock. She groaned and shook her head, "What about my... My genitals? Why did you do that?"

"I did not. I cannot expend my powers in this world without the permission of my Mistress. Even zen, such precise modification of someone else's body vould be difficult to the extreme. I vouldn't attempt it lightly." Nal shook her head.

"What about the girl? Who did kill her?" Yun asked, "You must know something."

"I told you all I know already. The ritual vas constructed. The price vas paid. I vas summoned. I vas bound to you, so everything points to you having done it." Nal explained with an exasperated sigh.

Yun put her face in her hands and moaned, "No, no. I wouldn't. I couldn't have. I mean... A child! I don't even know what that ritual was, let alone being capable of it. I don't have any magic powers."

"It doesn't require magic. Zats ze point of human sacrifice. There is power in life and blood enough to fuel all manner of spells." Nal pointed out.

A deep sense of foreboding suddenly weighed upon Yun. What if she couldn't prove her innocence?

*******

CHAPTER 3 - LIEUTENANT HAIL

It took until lunch for Lieutenant Hail to come back to the holding cells. She unlocked the cage and opened the door, "Yun. Please come along. We have a lot to talk about."

Yun rose and Nal started to as well until Hail looked at her, "No. Remain here until I say."

Yun turned and smiled weakly, "Please, stay. It'll just be easier."

Nal scowled and sat back down, arms folded across her bare chest. Yun followed Hail out and they headed down towards another hallway. She led her into a sterile looking interrogation room. There was a steel table and two chairs. She gestured to one and took the other.

Yun sat down nervously and looked around. A few folders were sitting on the table, along with a bagel, some cream cheese and what smelled suspiciously like hot coffee. Her stomach growled in protest at this teasing display. Hail gave a small smile and she pushed the bagel and coffee to her, "Go on. We may be here a while."

"Thanks." Yun smiled. She quickly split the bagel and set about devouring it.

"Sun Yun-Hee. Daughter of Chinese immigrants, Sun Lu Kei and Guang Jiao. Your father and mother both came here with their parents on work Visas when they were still children in the sixties. You were born to them in nineteen ninety. Your father currently lives in Redmond, and your mother died five years ago while your father continues to own and run a small mechanic shop. This all correct?" Lieutenant Hail read out of one of the manilla folders before her.

Yun nodded and swallowed, "You aren't going to tell him all this, are you?"

"Not until there is a verdict. Katelyn, would you come in please." Hail said to nobody. There was a buzz and the door opened, admitting Katelyn and a woman that Yun didn't recognize.

Well, she didn't recognize her at first. She didn't have those reptilian eyes or the black scales, and she was nearly a foot shorter. The lack of seven foot stature cut back on her intimidation, but she still looked dangerous. She had donned soft slacks and a loose button up shirt. She still watched Yun closely though as she took a place in the far corner and crossed her arms. Her stance was that of someone confident in their strength and wanting to project that confidence to assure compliance from the rest of the room.

Yun could still feel those blazing, fury-filled eyes and she could see the flashing ivory fangs. It made her shudder to think of that fury turned upon her and how very close she had come to dying.

"Yun, over here. Caroline isn't here to attack you." Hail said, snapping her fingers softly. Her eyes went to Caroline, "Jeez, dragon, I don't think you realize what kind of a swath you cut through a room."

Caroline frowned, "I know exactly what I do. I do it because I want people to know exactly where they stand against me."

Yun put her head in her hands and tried not to cry. The memory of that innocent child's body on her kitchen floor still haunted her deeply.

"Hey. What did I say about that big bully thing you've been doing." Katelyn smacked Caroline on the arm sharply, "You and Draconis both need to cool it."

Caroline growled at her, literally. She bared her teeth and basso rumbling issued from her chest. Katelyn barked a sharp laugh in her face and kissed her full on the lips. That got her attention and surprise lit her face, leaving her looking much less intimidating for just a few moments. Katelyn turned to Yun and put a hand on her shoulder, "I know how it is being thrown into this world you've never known about. I was pretty startled months ago when it all happened to me. My big, scaly butthead of a wife over there isn't really helping. But when it comes to children being hurt, she's utterly irrational. Good reasons for it, but she still is. Don't let her rattle you too much. I'll kick her in the butt if I have to. I trust the Lieutenant's word if she says you didn't do it. You don't strike me as a killer much either."

Yun gave a weak smile and she really did feel better at those words. The Lieutenant coughed and said, "Alright. Well, Kate. Lets talk about whats going on right now. First, let's assume she is innocent. Hundred percent, she didn't do it. What are your thoughts about everything?"

"Well, someone has gone to some lengths to stage all this. That ritual didn't look like amateur work, especially considering what it summoned. If Yun is innocent then this just got a lot more complex than a child going missing and the remnants of a dark spell lingering about her house. Someone set her up for a reason and we don't have any clues. Whats more concerning is that, from what I understand of summoning that I've read from my predecessor's books, only two outcomes are possible if the summoning succeeds. One, the summoner lets the creature loose and it obeys nobody's will..." Katelyn looked concerned down at Yun.

"Or?" Hail asked impatiently.

"Or they bind it entirely to themselves. This winds the very life force of the two beings together. The summoner is given inalienable control over the summoned being. It's a contract of sorts, when the being agrees to be summoned, it agrees to the possibility of this binding. Likewise, the summoner agrees that, if bound, they will be attached to them until one of them dies. There are some edge cases of this binding changing hosts, but it didn't specify anything. In most cases like elementals or small demons, this just means that they stay here and under control until they run out if power and are sucked back to where they came from." Katelyn said, tapping a finger nervously on her arm.

"Which means what?" Caroline growled.

"A being like this Succubus is much more difficult to summon and they can gather power while they're here. They won't just fade away over time and they can break loose of the bindings. Also in Yun's case, due to this magical contract, it means she wanted this to happen." Katelyn's voice trailed off weakly.

"No I didn't! I didn't do it! I don't want to summon demons!" Yun squealed.

Hail waved at her with a sigh, "And she believes it. Not a false word among them. So theories?"

"Its impossible. As far as I know, one summoner cannot summon up a being and then bind it to another person unless they agree to it. It cannot be done. Best case, you force the connection with them and you get two beings tied together but not bound. At least that's what I think." Katelyn shook her head.

"Okay. So we know all that. What if she isn't innocent? What if she did do it? How is it possible that she is telling me truthfully that she didn't? Mind magic?" Hail asked her.

Yun's heart skipped and flopped, bringing cold sweat to her hands. She stared at the half empty mug in her hand and clenched her eyes shut. This wasn't a train of thought she wanted to ride.

Katelyn looked at Caroline and then back at Hail, Possible, but difficult. If she did it and then changed her own memory, its would explain it. But changing anything huge like weeks or months would be devastatingly painful and leave irreparable damage to the psyche. I doubt she was some evil warlock and changed her entire personality and memories. She'd be more unstable. There would be signs. I would be able to sense that much psychic trauma."

"Any other ways it could be possible? If she had to agree to this, then I presume she had to be conscious. Someone couldn't just knock her out and slit the girl's throat with her hand." Hail sighed.

There was silence for a minute and then Yun spoke up, "If... Even if I could do these things... I wouldn't kill a child. Never."

"Well, you can't use magic so none of this matters anyway. Someone else did this, somehow we're not seeing. We have to figure it out, but time is not on our side. I am sorry about this. You're under arrest for the murder of Holly Stephenson. You need to come with me." Hail said, standing and taking Yun's arm.

"What?" Yun squeaked.

She walked the stunned Yun from the room and spoke in hushed tones, "Now, as an officer of the law, I must officially advise against any escape attempts. Such an attempt would only serve to delay our investigation and give us more time to find more facts. It would be especially difficult for us if you could command a demon of hell to whisk you away with magic. If that happened, then the SPD would be verklempt over their neatly wrapped murder suspect and might be forced to accept other evidence."

They stopped before her previous cell and Hail put her in before locking it and walking away. Nal looked up from the bench. She had pulled her robe back up and her verdant gaze was intent on Yun. She spoke quietly, "What happened?"

"I think... Hail intends for us to escape and head back for clues. She and her friends think I'm innocent but they have no other suspects. If we escape, it buys time for investigation to prove my innocence. Do you have some way we could get out without being seen?" Yun asked in a whisper, "We need to get back to my apartment."

Nal smirked a crooked smile that could've made men cum on the spot. Yun felt herself growing erect and she stamped down the emotions as best she could. Her voice came out in a purr, "But if course, my Mistress. Let us be off."

She stood and raised her hands, purple runes and sigils gathering around her wrists. The light touched Yun and gentle wind gathered around them. There was an intangible pressure and then suddenly, Yun felt herself melt. Well, sort of. One second she was standing there, the next she just kind of oozed into an incoherent blue cloud. It was a fantastic sensation that made her feel like she was drifting weightless on the breeze.

In front of her, Nal had become a jade cloud. It swirled forward and gathered up Yun's intangible body. They whisked off down the hall together and out a tiny crack of the nearest window. In the blink of an eye, they raced off across the city. They cleared buildings and blocks, quite literally as fast as the wind. It took mere moments to reach Yun's apartment in blinding speed and there was a powerful whoosh of sensation.

Yun stood sold again, rocking gently, on the cement before her apartment door. Police tape had been spread over the shattered doorframe but no officers were in sight. Yun remembered all at once to breathe and she gasped in a deep lungful of sweet air. She exhaled loudly and shook her head, "What a rush! How did you even do that?"

"Transmogging our bodies temporarily into smoke is a simple trick. But very useful. Shall ve go inside?" Nal said, gesturing to the tape.

Yun nodded and ducked between the hung tape. She tried to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to see. Her feet felt numb as she strode towards the kitchen.

A thin white sheet had been tucked neatly around the girl's body. It didn't make the room any less morbid, but Yun didn't immediately lose her bagels and coffee.

"What can you tell me, Nal?" Yun asked, tiptoeing carefully around the bloody pentagram.

"It's a basic demon summoning circle. Blood vas used to draw it, as is tradition. A human sacrifice vas made and ze blood given vas drawn down into hell. It's power fueled my summoning here." Nal said simply.

Yun shuddered, "So if someone just... Just drew this and killed someone on it, it would summon you?"

"No, of course not. There are vords to be spoken, chants to call down to hell. My attention is not easily gathered. Whoever did zis succeeded though, as I have not been summoned in centuries." Nal shook her head, "Not to mention, it takes more than zis piddly ritual."

"Are you saying there was more rituals or what?" Yun looked up at her, "More... Sacrifices?"

"No, no. But in order to command ze power, mortals need implements. Candles. Incense. Sounds. All to focus your spirit and control so much power. Whoever did this vas a powerful practitioner if they did not use such things." Nal said, gesturing around at the lack of other ritual things in the kitchen. Besides the four foot circle on the floor, everything was perfectly in order.

Yun rubbed her brow and groaned, "I thought these rituals had to be done right? Perfect?"

"For the greatest chance of success, yes. But in theory, a mortal vith enough power could, vithout any circle or sacrifice at all, reach into hell and call me." Nal said, "It's never been done because it's needlessly difficult, but any and all steps of a ritual can be omitted at ze summoner's peril."

"So we know they did this with only a simple circle and... And the girl..." Yun looked out the kitchen window, willing her roiling stomach to calm down.

"Indeed. But you have not asked ze important question yet. Vhy? Vhy do it here and vhy frame you? Who are you?" Nal asked, squatting down and looking under the sheet. Her tail flicked about from beneath the robe.

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm a Chinese girl working as a secretary just trying to pay off her student loans. There's nothing special about me at all. I didn't even believe in demons and magic until today. It all still seems like such nonsense but there you are anyway." Yun turned and she flinched, "Oh God, put that sheet down. Leave the girl alone until the cops can take her away."

"There's something under here though." Nal said, lifting the girl's corpse. She moved it to the side of the pentagram and looked down, "Huh."

Yun looked down and her nausea was surprised by what was written there. Traditional Chinese lettering on the floor tile where the girl's body had prevented the blood from spreading. She read it out loud, "Sh? s? S?nw�k?ng."

"I'm ancient but I don't know all of your mortal languages." Nal said, laying the girl's covered body back where it was.

"Kill the Monkey King. Well, not specifically but when written like that, its meaning is obvious. The last bit doesn't actually mean Monkey King but it was the name of the Monkey King." Yun said, crossing her arms.

Nal stood upright and looked at her, "What does that mean? Does it mean something you you?"

Yun nodded, "I'll tell you on the way. Let's get out of here before the cops get back."

*******

CHAPTER 4 - DOM'S FORESIGHT

Dom lazed about Hail's house until lunchtime. She knew from looking into the futures of that day that she wouldn't return until late that evening. It had been almost a year since Hail had invited her over for a romp and her house had barely changed. She couldn't resist a snoop through Hail's closet and her underwear. It was as disappointing as ever; Hail only ever wore athletic underwear. She didn't own anything sexy or naughty at all. Still, it was sexy in it's own way, thinking about that gorgeous muscular legs wearing a tight little pair of grey sports bottoms.

She decided to get dressed after swiping a sandwich from her fridge. She held it in one hand and waved her free hand in a circle before her. There was a quiet hum of magic and a wavering dark circle appeared in the kitchen. It solidified and air flowed through it, opening a portal to Hail's office down at SI. She stepped through and it snapped shut behind her.

"Finally get your lazy butt up?" Hail asked as she clicked on her keyboard. She didn't glance away from the monitor as Dom took a bite of the sandwich. There was a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, "Enjoy raiding my food?"

"Oh it's one sandwich every few months. Maybe if you had me over more..." Dom teased, sitting down at the desk.

Hail rolled her eyes and glanced at her, "Last night was wonderful, but you know that I have responsibilities. Give me six months to get wound up and stressed out again. Then I'll buy some beer and invite you over again. Assuming we're still here. By the way, how is the future looking? We found the girl and a demon summoning circle. there was a succubus bound to the woman there but it was imposed by a third party, we believe."

"Such things are possible. All you'd have to do is mind control the victim, do the ritual, and force them to accept the binding. I haven't seen much fluctuations in the future, but it'd take me more than a few minutes to see any small changes. I get the feeling you are moving in the right direction though." Dom explained.

"Good. I let the woman escape an hour ago to delay the investigation. Hope she's smart enough to come back secretly to ease the headaches I'm going to get from higher up for this. I need you to go back to her house and see what you can dig up. Look into the past and see what happened there." Hail told her.

Dom raised an eyebrow, "Really? Commanding me? I'm not on your little Rolodex of soldiers."

Hail leveled a flat stare on her, "I will break you over my knee, little girl. You want to stop this destruction just like I do."

"Fair point. I'll go take a look. What's the address?" Dom sighed and stood up, finishing her sandwich. Hail scribbled on a sticky note and passed it to her. She nodded her thanks and stepped through another portal.

*******

The police had come and gone by the time Dom got there a few minutes later. She slipped through the taped door and into the apartment. It was a quaint little number with a cozy living room, a plush couch, and a nice kitchen. There was still a summoning circle painted on the floor but the body was gone. Domm knelt down near it and closed her eyes.

Her magical senses reached out to the threads of time around her and she took ahold of them. She followed them back into the past, reaching for events that had already past. The kitchen shifted around her and light raced past. Time rolled back and she saw the body reappear. She saw police dash about at increased speeds in reverse. They passed and Hail reappeared with her comrades. There was a fight that didn't last long at all. Dom kept reaching further back into the past. The woman, Yun, was clearly sickened by the body. She dashed about and flopped on the couch. The succubus gave her a rather vigorous blowjob and she fell asleep, all of this the reverse of what happened.

Then it got interesting.

The succubus was idly walking around the house, clearly waiting for Yun to wake up. Then another person came back from the door and joined her, a person in a dark robe. Dom forced time back another hour and then watched it happen in real time, letting the sound in as well. Dom got to her feet and looked around the apartment. Yun was asleep in her bed and she had an obviously thinner body. Something had changed her between now and the present.

Across the apartment, there was a rattling at the door and a flash of black magic. The door creaked open and the cloaked figure entered. The succubus followed behind, her tail snapping impatiently. The succubus had a naked girl's corpse slung over her shoulder and she shut the door.