Story: Summons

This fill was inspired by a prompt from ysabetwordsmith at the January 2021 Crowdfunding Creative Jam of "Different species may prefer darkness or light" and fills the "What Fresh Hell is This?" square of my January Fresh Starts Bingo card. At 419 words it is set in the same world as my Otherworldly story snippets "End of Shift", "Provisions", and "Finder's Keepers."

Summons

Carnelle tweaked her sunglasses higher on her nose, squinting at the harsh midday sunlight streaming from the unforgiving sky. It was unnatural for a Succubus to be outside in the daylight and it felt like a blanket of moist heat had been wrapped around her, smothering her slowly, despite the relatively cool Autumn temperature.
 

Striding briskly down the crowded sidewalk she vowed to avoid being caught out under the sun for at least another decade, but today’s trip couldn’t be avoided. A summons from the Otherworldly Council, appearing as a fog on her mirror while she was reposed for the day, had made it quite clear she had until 3 p.m. to present herself before the Council in person or be Sanctioned, despite their knowledge that she’d be much more refreshed once darkness fell. They were displeased that her Hunt had gone cold three weeks ago, so this was probably, literally, meant to make her sweat. And undoubtedly, they’d heard the same reports she had; that two mornings before a brownie’s little girl had been discovered missing when her parents returned home at the end of their nightly cleaning and baking spree. Carnelle had plans to speak to the Brownies this evening to see if any leads could be found within their home tucked within the walls of a favored local bakery.
 

A scent caught the succubus’ attention briefly. Salty, warm, tempting, it turned her head like a human’s might as they passed a food truck after a long-delayed lunch break. Male lust swirled strongly around a businessman who had stopped to bark into his cell phone and look her over as her long-legged stride ate up the sidewalk despite the crush of people. She started to slow, the Allure rising, as her own hunger gnawed against her backbone.
 

Shaking her head & moving on Carnelle snarled under her breath. The damnable sun, the growing discomfort caused by a lack of recent meals, and her own disgust with the lack of progress on her Hunt left her too distractible. She felt anxiety begin to join the roiling emotional brew clawing at her the closer she got to the 4th District Library – local gateway to the hidden location of the Otherworldly Council. What new misery would they be heaping on her in a highhanded effort to “help” the Hunt reach its desired conclusion?
 

I just cannot wait to find out, crossed her mind bitchily as the beads of sweat clinging to her temples began to slide tackily down her cheeks.  

 

~~~Notes~~~

 

Carnelle - Mostly wishes humans would leave her in peace. As a succubus she has to interact with them much more than many kinds of Otherworldly beings, since they're her main food source. Drawing energy from sex and sex-adjacent activities, she misses the good old days where she could be a prostitute in peace. Unlike the human stereotype of a monster that devours a man's life force until he is a worn out husk, she only needs the energy raised by a good tussle between the sheets once or twice a week to sustain herself, more if she's planning something stressful like a prolonged Hunt in the human realm.