-- Lilith POV, Sunnyvale civil prison --

  Another emissary of the king, once more sat across of her, just past the iron bars of her new cell. She looked at him incredulously.

  "The king has decreed what?", she needed to hear that again.

  "After your decision to decline the king's offer of his soul and chose not become his soul-bound servant, the king decreed that you'll be given into the custody of the church", the emissary repeated with his ever stoic expression. The two soldiers who had come with him also remained frozen in their stiff poses.

  She gave him a stern look but softened up, once he started to scream, "Sorry, didn't mean to. But seriously, do you think it is a good idea to make the church house a demon? They already tried to kill me and failed. Now the church is mourning the loss of their holy spear which they cannot replace and I am still here. Also either the kings people or the church people burned down the barracks just because of me. People were hurt."

  He gasped once the effect of her stare faded but soon regained his stoic demeanor, "Frankly, it doesn't matter. The king wants to be rid of you, if you do not grant him your power. He tried to have you killed, but you survived. A failed public execution attempt would only make matters worse. So he is making you the church's problem instead of his problem. From now on if you do evil things, the church will be to blame for failing to contain you and the king can keep his face."

  She huffed and gave him a sour look, "All I ever did since I was called into this world was to report a case of murder and sit in prison cells. You can hardly call that evil."

  "You cheat at playing cards and rolling dice", the emissary tried to defend the point.

  "You humans do that all the time too. I'm just better at it", she crossed her arms and looked at the wall to his left.

  He shrugged, "Anyways. The decision has been made. Tomorrow the church will send some priests to gather you and bring you to a safe place to keep you."

  "Safe?", she eyed him sideways, "Safer than your prisons? In here every few days someone has tried to kill me. I'm pretty sure half of them were sent by the king himself, once he had failed to sway me."

  "Safe as in protecting the world from you."

  "Who ever burned down the barracks already hurt more people than I did since I was summoned", she raised an eyebrow at him.

  "If your words are true, the gods might have mercy. There is no other way for you though but to accept being exiled to a distant monastery, unless you want to put up a fight. The kings decree is binding even to the church, and they are ordered to keep you safe." The guys expression never betrayed any emotion to what he was saying.

  "Brave new world. Ohhh these idiots who summoned me!" she grimaced, "I'd really like to have some talk with them, but you've already executed them."

  The emissary kept looking at her.

  "Fine", she relented, "I'll let them bring me to this safe place. Don't want to be hunted with pitchforks or what the people out there usually do with demons. At least the church has sent only one assassin so far and he was cute."

  -- Lilith POV, Sunnyvale civil prison --

  "Miss Lilith?", a call woke her up, straw tangling from her horns into her face from this oh-so-uncomfortable pile of straw that was custom to sleep on in this prison. She yawned, then woke up for real as she noticed the robed figures beside the guard, "Oh, the holy guys are here!"

  One of them stepped forward, "Yes, we are. We'll bring you to a safe place. Please comply and do not fight. We carry holy water."

  She sat up and stretched, "I thought you guys already figured your holy stuff does nothing to me. But fine. I promise not to bite and scratch. Not much."

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  He flinched. She felt pleased.

  The prison guard lifted the key ring and looked through it to find the right key for her cell, "Lilith you know the drill. Stand back while I open the door. Well, actually, don't move at all, just keep sitting there."

  She nodded to him and tried to stay exactly as she was now, not even moving her hands, "Calm and easy. Good man."

  She never had done anything to them. Why were they all still so scared of her? On the other hand, it didn't really matter. She already sat here, and could stay sitting till he was done with the lock and opened the door, which responded with a protesting shriek after being closed for weeks.

  "Stay there!" One of the priests pointed and yelled at her when she stood up once the door was open. She raised her hands placatingly, "I'm just standing up." Then she pointed at the one who seemed to carry a jar or jug, "Is that the holy water? Give me some of it. Just to prevent misunderstandings that might lead to accidents later."

  The priest who just had yelled at her suddenly lost all confidence and stammered, "You, you want some of the holy water?"

  "Yes. You won't believe my words, so it's better I'll just demonstrate it. You don't want me to move, so maybe one of you can come here and give me some of the holy water? I'll even say thank you." She curtsied.

  The apparent leader of the group gestured to the one with the jug, who paled considerably, but dutifully stepped forward. She smiled at him, "You know I can smell fear? Smells real good on you! Delicious even." She beamed at him to show her fangs and he froze mid step, "Ah come on. Don't be shy. Give me some of the holy water."

  He took one step. Then another.

  "Just hand me the jug. Makes it easier and you can stay at arms length, that's safer for you", she encouraged him and held out a hand.

  The priest looked back to the leader of their group who gave a nod and then picked the jug from his belt and handed it to her, "It will burn you ...", it was barely more than a whisper.

  She took the jug and nodded to him, "Thank you". If the church was as corrupted as she expected, it would be safe. If not? Well, she would feel it. She poured some of it into an open hand. It tickled and stung some. There was some power in it. Not a lot. She could handle it.

  She held out the hand with the not-so-holy water, "Everyone see it?" She waited a moment to let it sink in then splashed it on the floor. "Does nothing." They stared at her. She tried to appear friendly.

  With a smile she offered the jug to the frightened priest in front of her to take it again, "Thank you. You can go back now. It's safe."

  The lead priest was pale now too when she looked at him again, "So, how do we move on from here?"

  He seemed to recover some determination, "We'll put you in chains and load you onto a covered wagon, then bring you to the monastery."

  "Chains?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

  "Chains." He confirmed.

  She pointed to the floor in front of her feet, "I stay here and you bring the chains?"

  At this pace they would still be here tomorrow.

  "Turn around, present your back to us and put your hands behind your back."

  Some promise of progress came with this.

  She turned and did as instructed, "Like this?"

  "Yes. Stay there. Don't move", he ordered.

  "I'll stay", she confirmed. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. There was some commotion behind her, and soon she heard the clinking of chains and felt cold metal on her wrists and ankles. She looked down. A chain, but with some length, so she could walk but not run. Well, that was what they thought, she assumed.

  "Turn around", the lead priest ordered again.

  She did so and the chains dropped from her, ringing as link by link hit the ground, "Oops", she tried to show her most innocent expression.

  "Wh ... what?" the lead priest stammered.

  "The chains fell off", she stated the obvious and pointed a black claw to the ground.

  "But ... how?" He was still stammering.

  She gave him a stern look, "You're church guys, right? Educated, holy and that? Man, see, chains are demon stuff. They obey me more than they obey you. I'm even playing nice and let you know before some accident happens."

  He grimaced like in pain.

  Eventually they settled for rope and she was helped onto the wagon where they made her sit in the middle, three of them left of her, three of them right of her, a tarp covering them all from curious looks from outside. She decided not to demonstrate that her claws can cut rope.

  "I hope you have better straw heaps to sleep than the prison", she let them know. None bothered to answer, but the wagon started with a jolt as the driver gave the horses a shout.