-- John Smith, Praetors Office --

  Demonforged runeblades. His life's goal. Forge a runeblade as good as these. But he could not. No man could touch glowing steel. Well, not regularly.

  Still he had made it to the top. He was forging weapons for the praetorian guard. The best of the best. Paid for by the kings treasury.

  And that was just where he had heard of the demon first. The clerks had been making jokes about the king when he had come to receive the payment for his latest delivery. The king had tried to sell his soul and the demon just had said, "No. Old and smelly king soul. You can keep. I want better souls."

  A demon!

  Now he was in the praetors office and looked at the smaller man who was sitting in his chair behind a rather large desk, covered with military insignia, ledgers, and lose papers.

  "Praetor, I want this demon as assistant."

  He tried to make his voice sound friendly, but firm. He had went from Pontius to Pilate, just to be told again and again there is no demon. But he had found witnesses in Sunnyvale. Soldiers. Prison guards. Even villagers who saw the demon through the barracks fire. The demon was real, but they had her brought elsewhere. She was not in Sunnyvale anymore.

  The smaller person behind the desk sighed and threw up his hands, "How many times do you have asked already? You know I can't have her brought here. The king has exiled her. If I bring her here, the king will have my head. And if this wasn't enough, she actually can't come here, because the brotherhood of the sky has put a geas on her that binds her to that rock. I can't have them my enemy, if I sent kidnappers to bring the demon. And they will never let her go. Otherwise the king will have their heads."

  "I still want the demon as assistant. I forge blades for the king. With her I can forge even better blades. As good as demonforged runeblades. Because they will be demonforged runeblades. Tell that to the king. I need her, and it's for his benefit." He pointed to the smaller man, even if it was said to be bad manners, pointing at people. He had to get this point through, and pointing had helped in the past.

  "It's not possible. Even mentioning the demon to the king can cost one's head. She hurt his pride and he didn't take that kindly." The smaller man was almost squirming in his chair.

  "If she cannot come here. I'll go there." He didn't want to give up so easily.

  "They don't have a forge in skyview monastery. You can't work there." The praetor tried to put another obstacle in his way. But at least there was no argument about the demon this time.

  "I can have one built. I have the money and the materials."

  The praetor took a deep breath and showed a pained grin, "Honestly, I also want these demon forged runeblades. Because my men will wield them. I'll try to do it without the king. I'll send message to skyview monastery. Not asking, but requiring them to propose a date for you to come and have an audience with the superior. Then it's on you to negotiate the rest. If they will have you. If you can build a forge there. And if they will allow the demon to work with you."

  The praetor looked at his desk for a moment, "I think the last point won't be a problem actually if you tell she will work for the king. Hard to decline someone working for the king. That is a move against the king himself."

  John nodded with a grim expression, "I'll push that point. Thank you for the help, Praetor."

  The praetor held up a hand, "John, before you leave. You have my support, but we get first pick on everything that you forge with her help. Is that understood?"

  "That will be alright. You already get my best work."

  Then something came to his mind, "Praetor, the demon loves fire, right? Promise her fire if she works with me. A lot of fire. Good fire. I'm a blacksmith. I know fire. I'll make her the best fire."

  -- Lilith POV, Skyview Monastery --

  She was on library duty once again with brother Sam, sorting the books that the brothers had returned to the library and putting them back to where they belonged. She just had looked up the location of the latest book from the catalog and she was now standing in front of the shelf to put the book back when she noticed the next higher shelf had a collection of board games.

  "Brother Sam, I didn't know the library has games, too."

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  No one else but them two was here right now, so she could speak loud enough for him to hear her. He was hidden from her sight behind some other shelf.

  "It has. Winter evenings can be long. Most brothers prefer to read though. Games aren't seen as a good pastime." His voice sounded a bit dampened but easy enough to understand.

  She laughed, "Yeah, games are not so holy. More something I'd like to do."

  She paused, thinking, "Brother Sam, would you, if I ask friendly and promise to play as fair as I can, would you play games with me some day? Nothing with dice or cards. Can't keep myself from bewitching those. But the games where one puts pieces on a board should be safe. I think."

  He came over to her, and they both looked at the collection of games. Then he looked at her and she looked back at him. Hopefully she didn't scare him right now.

  "You're a demon trickster, right?"

  She sighed internally. Her bane. No one wanted to play games with a demon trickster.

  "Maybe?" She wanted to be honest, but also keep her chance at playing a game, "In the prison the guards used to say I'm a trickster, because I bewitch the dice and can see their cards. Even if they hold them covered."

  He picked a box, "If we are quick with the books we can play a game of morris before it's time for the evening prayer and meal. Maybe two. No dice there, no cards. And the rules are simple to learn."

  She beamed, "Sounds perfect. I'll be quick!"

  Now they sat, the game board between them, and she was losing. The game had turned out to be more tricky than she had expected, and there was now a black piece on the board where she really, really needed a white one if she didn't want to lose.

  She racked her brains about a solution. How could she turn the game around to her favor. Nothing. This one black piece. She had missed to take the spot in time. Now there was nothing she could do about it.

  Brother Sam had been watching the board as intently, but now that time was ticking and she could not decide on a move, he looked up from the board to look at her face, about to speak up.

  Then she felt it. The black piece was unguarded. A chance! It felt a bit like the dice ... but different. She didn't need to move a hand. She wished, and the piece turned white.

  "Lilith, make your move. Or accept that you have lost. We must get ready for the evening prayer."

  She could only stare at the now white stone. She had done it again. Who would ever want play a game with her if they knew she could cheat like that? She had not even known that she could do it!

  "Brother Sam ...", she started very carefully and pointed to the board.

  "Brother Sam, look at the board, please."

  "Hmm, why? Wanna trick me?"

  ".. no?" How to explain this.

  He looked down, disbelief on his face, "How?"

  "I don't know. You looked away from the board and the piece turned white. Because I wanted a white piece there. I felt it the moment you looked away."

  She was about to cry and covered her eyes with her hands.

  "Brother Sam. Never look away from the board if you play with me. I beg you."

  He looked at her and demanded, "Change that piece back to black!"

  She removed her hands and looked at the board again. The piece was guarded.

  "I think, I can't while you pay attention to it. There is guard over it. You must must be distracted, I think."

  There was an idea. She raised a hand, "Quick! Brother Sam, how many claws are this?"

  "What?" Apparently confused, he looked at her hand.

  The piece turned black.

  "Five .. oh."

  He had looked back at the board. "Oh!"

  She tried a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Piece 's back to black. Lets pack up and get ready for the evening meal." She didn't want to mention the prayer.

  "Lilith, that was now bad two times."

  She shrugged briefly but continued putting the game pieces back into the box and folded the board. carefully not to scratch it with her claws. "I know. But you wanted the piece back to black, and the only way was to get your attention elsewhere. Also can't box the game while the one side is lacking a piece and the other has one extra."

  "Fair enough. But I want to say you're a real trickster, Lilith. Mundane and magic."

  "Yeah ...", she admitted with a small voice, "Don't want to be one though. No one will play with me this way. And I told you right away when it happened. I have not actually tricked you."

  He thought about it for a while, "Yes you have told me. But as you just said, people won't trust you to always tell them. You wanted to win this game so badly that you turned the piece white."

  Now she got some energy back. "You can't expect me not wanting to win!"

  He tilted his head left and right, weighing some thought, "Not winning. That gives me idea. There aren't many of such games, but in some, two or more people play together. To solve a puzzle. Or build something. You don't play to win, but to create."

  A smile returned to her face, "That sounds good. Let's try that some day. Build a house of cards or a tower of game pieces."

  He laughed, "Bet you can make cards float in thin air, if it helps your house of cards."

  She almost froze for a moment, then had to laugh about her own reaction, "Brother Sam, now I am tempted to find out if I can do that."