"Cassie, meet my Jezebel, a demon returned to the Way by the word I being, who has transformed so completely as to hold my heart as well as my trust." That was plenty atypical fro the creatures here as far as I knew, and for a demon to earn an Angel's love, it would mean something miraculous had happened.

What in the world? An yet would not a demon forgiven by the lord god almighty who art in heaven live with new life, with the look of an angel once more. Yet she did not, not like Atima. So what manner of deception wuz this by one or the other?

“If you have truly asked for an found redemption can you say that god in heaven hath forgiven you. Have you bowed down at chrits own feet an asked his forgiveness? Oh I have grave doubts demon spawn for I have never known you, even now you lie. I would not have held congress with one such as yurself except to seek your redemption as the lord instructs his flock. ”

Would the demon be honest this time? It wuz not in their nature, unless she had truly given up her evil ways an come back to gods own light an path. Ohhh I had doubts, but if it wuz true, if it had happened then it wuz a glorious day indeed. One of the fallen redeemed. Me heart rose in me throat a feeling of glory coming o’er me like god himself wuz filling me with his very own blessings.

I could almost taste her fear and it made me frown. She needed to relax, "Fear not, child. One born of the Mornigstar is bound by his dark genetics, as humans bound to what you are by yours. As Celestial as we are, we are also alive, and we reproduce much like you. She can no more truly have white wings than I could red. The fact that she does not disguise herself to fit your conception of what a good messenger would appear to be proves honesty and morality," Altima waved a hand gently between her face and Cassie, "She was selected ti illustrate the power of the Divine Truth because you have history with her, even if you have repressed the memory, it is one I know, one I see."

“I have no history of congressing with demons…hey are fowl creatures of the dark an I serve the light. If she has come to the light then let us pray before all present her that god give you strength, protection, an the love that is his will. Unless of course you seek to deceive me an consort with demons….are you perhaps one yurself?... hiding in the disguise of an angel, the representation of the one true god to mere mortals. “ She had not used a single verse of the bible, not a single one of gods words. Perhaps she wuz not what she said an I had been wrong all along. ohhhh.....I clencned me fists an stood me ground. I coudl feel the tension creep across me shoulders. Hear the not so gentle hiss of me breath.

Once 'gain I looked upon the demon, feeling the way her eyes tried to seduce me every body. It wuz in the way she held her body, the way she spoke, the inflections she used as if…as if pleasure were he entire purpose upon this earth. An that could not be right. For the greatest pleasures to be had were in doing god’s own will.

"I am sent by he who is called I Am." I said with a certain indignation, "One would think that a devout worshiper such as yourself would see my sigh and know what I was, but you doubt in me, you doubt in a Herald of the Almighty." She wanted proof, which was the antithesis of faith, but I would attempt to give her what she desired, "Faith should guide you, child. Since it does not, like the Gileadites, I say Shibboleth, and you will know me."

((Damn, you guys move fast.))

"My lovely companion here sspeakss mosst trutthhfully," Jezebel replied as she gave her partner a reverential bow before turning her attention back to Cassie, "and Altima iss mosst definitely the magnificcent divine being tthhat sshhe appearss to be. I myself am, as you have sso ssuccinctly put it, I am a 'foul creature of the dark', born into Darkness by tthhe mosst evil and terrible of fiendss."

"And tthhen finally, after living in Darkness for eight tthhoussand yearss, I looked on all the workss tthhat my handss had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all wass vanity and vexation of sspirit, and tthhere wass no profit under the ssun. I turned mysself to behold wissdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometthh after the king? even that whicchh hatthh been already done. Tthhen I sssaw that wissdom exccelleth folly, ass far asss light exccelletthh darkness. The wisse man'ss eyess are in hiss head; but the fool walketthh in darkness'."

"My physsical appearance may give you the impression that I have not cchhanged, but appearanccess can be decceiving, my dear. Iss it not said, tthhough, tthhat true transformation...true enlightenment comess from witthhin one'ss sself? The honesst trutthh iss tthhat I have indeed changed inside. With the aid of Yahweh's divine messenger, I have managed to emerge from the Darkness and into the Light. I had even attempted to persuade my former Master to follow in my path towards enlightenment. For my efforts, I had been branded a traitor among my own kind and sentenced to total annihilation. He's probably got at least half of his minions hunting me down as we speak."

Jezebel pointed behind her with a sharp-nailed thumb. "You remember hearing all that noise back there just before I joined the two of you? That was me incinerating about a dozen giant hellhounds. Those things chased me here all the way from the bottom of the Great Abyss. I've just been branded a renegade and marked for execution for my actions. How's that for a change of faith?"

With a slight shrug, the 'reformed' demoness stepped foreword, moving closer to Cassie and Altima. "You want us to pray, Cassie? I have no qualms with that. Would you like to lead?"

Faith, I’d once taken it on faith that an angel had come to me. A bueatiful male angel, one that said he guarded me from all harm. One that told me it wuz ok in gods own eyes to give me self to him. That he would marry me as angels were allowed to both marry an love gods own followers. He had loved me, the kind that gave me fleeting pleasures an took from me the very thing that kept me pure in mans eyes. Swept away in a but a nights dalliance. Afterwards he had never returned. Sure I could hear whispers on the wind, but always full of excuses, of tasks that needed doing, of othere commitments. Those voices had faded till one day soon thereafter they stopped. Faith In what he said would be the truth because he wuz who he said he wuz is not sum thing I would ever do again.

“so show me in gods own word how this is a new beginning. Tell me how this demon may now sit at the raight hand of god in heaven, forgiven? By their actions they shall be known as flase prophets thus the good book says. An even the lords own prayer asks that we be not be lead unto temptation an be delivered from evil. If you are who you say you are then show me in the word so I gods own humble servent may know the truth of what you speak.”

I turned to the demon, “Did not yur own arch angel Lucifer tempt the lord in the desert by offering hism the world…sum thing he already owned. An what do you tempt me with….Lust..the pleasures of the flesh, again sum thing I already have….so do tell me in gods own word how this new scripture is supposed to work. This so I may pass judgment an know if it comes from the lord.”

Once more I stood, now firmer in me faith. They had not wished to pray with me. Had not wished to move forward as god directs us. Had not shown me evidence that they were truly of god….so what wuz left to discuss.

“thus far both of you have not answered me questions except to criticize me faith an understanding. The lord works through love, nurtures us, an shows us through his glorious deeds that we are yet on the path to salvation. I wonder what path you are on…. But pray , I will with you sister of the dark side. I shall pray for your immortal soul, but know yea have nothing to fear from the minions of hell. For the gates of heaven are open to you. You need not battle, for the heavenly host is now yours …. Or should be?” Me brow arching as I regarded her.

“I will take a leap of faith were you are concerned. “ and I held out me hand, allowing her to touch me, so that we might pray to the all merciful lord in heaven. So that she may be free of the taint of hell and the minions of the dark domain would leave off.

"Shibboleth. Judges, chapter 12." I gave Cassie a concerned stare. If she knew so much of bible and faith, why, then did she not recognize the Word of the Lord? "I have offered you the Word of the Lord. I have offered you Shibboleth, and you ignore it, and say I being not the testament of God. Know you not your Bible?" I sighed and made a motion of my hand toward Jezebel, "Perhaps this one is not willing to see or hear the message we bring, my Jezebel. May she find forgiveness in herself for the consequences of her hostility toward a Herald of the Almighty, and the opportunity she has missed."

I looked to Cassie, sure she would misunderstand my meaning, and think I had not considered God's forgiveness, "For God will forgive your trespasses, in His infinite grace. Which means, child, that the one who may not forgive you your behavior this day is you, yourself." I then gave Jezebel another significant stare, "Shibboleth." I said again, as if hammering the word into Cassie's mind, "Shibboleth, the word of identity, the word the Gileadites used to separate their kind from the Ephraimites, for they could not pronounce the word due to their dialect and instead said 'Sibboleth'. Judges, 12:5. To say I bear not Scripture in my soul is most disconcerting, especially when I offer you my Shibboleth. But what good comes from telling you what you know? Did Moses come down from Sinai with the Ten Commandments and recount not the Decalogue, but instead the tale of Genesis? In truth, you likely know he shattered the Tablets, but the point is no less valid for it. Look into my eyes, see my soul, hear and feel the truth, the Shibboleth that is my very being, and then compare me once more to a monster in a disguise, to the charming Conquest of Revelations, if you so believe it."

((Will post a response after work))

((Oh, and Cassie, Jezebel did accept the offer of prayer. Check out the final words spoken in my previous post.))

"I am not here to 'tempt' you with anytthhing, dear cchhild, "Jezebel replied, warmth in her voice and in her eyes as she smiled sweetly at the the rather stubborn, close-minded redhead, "I am merely here to sserve ass an example for tthhingss to come. You are of coursse correct in your assumption tthhat I have notthhing to fear from my enemiess, even tthhough tthhey are a vasst army of demonss witthh unimaginable power and ssupernatural sstrengtthh and I am but one renegade ssuccubus who hass been branded a traitor and marked for execution."

As Jezebel spoke, her expression hardened and her tone became bitter. She hoped that Cassie would understand that the bitterness was not directed towards her, but towards her former Master.

"While reporting to my fatthher and tthhen-Masster," the red-haired succubus explained, "I had sspoken of Altima, of our friendsshhip and of tthhe mutual trusst and resspect tthhat we two sshhare witthh one anotthher. Needless to ssay, Daddy wassn't all to pleased to hear that hiss own daughter wass fraternizzing with one of hiss grand adverssary'ss agentss. I tried to sshhare with the Sserpent King all the grand wissdom and knowledge tthhat I had recceived from the Lord tthhrough Hiss Divine Messenger, in an effort to convert tthhe arcchhfiend ass the gracceful and beautiful Altima had ssso quickly and eassily converted me, but tthhe Dark Lord refussed to lissten."

"Ass Chrisst had been unfairly perssecuted by the Jewss for Hiss actionss, sso to am I by my own kind. Ass Chrisst had been ssentenced to a mosst sslow and painful death, sso to was I. It iss not to ssay that I can rightly compare mysself to tthhe Messiah in any way, ssave tthhat, like him, all I wanted to do wass sspread the Word of the Lord and guide towardss tthhe Light tthhosse who had hitthherto only known Darkness...and for tthhiss I wass to meet a rather horrible end. Unlike Chist, however, tthhere would be no ressurrection for me, asss my deatthh would be mosst permanent."

"No eternal torment, no asscenssion, no wandering tthhe planess ass a losst ssoul. I would ssimply...cceassse to be. Tthhere would not be even a pile of assh to mark my end...not a ssingle being to mourn my passing. It would be ass if I had never exissted at all. But do I hold any fear in my heart for tthhose who would sso greatly dessire to bring about my demisse? No, I most ccertainly do not, for I now sserve a Masster far greater tthhan Ssamael can ever hope to be. And witthh tthhe Lord ass my sshhield and my sspear, what for sshhall I fear tthhesse misserable retchess who hunt me like a pack of houndss hunting a fleeing foxx?"

Even as Jezebel spoke, the succubus's expression quite serious, her words full of conviction the wheels in the demon's head began to turn once more as she searched for a biblical quote appropriate to the situation. It took almost no time at all until she found what she was looking for in the Book of Revelations...

"'The Lord iss my light and my salvation; whom sshall I fear? the Lord iss the sstrengtthh of my life; of whom sshhall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemiess and my foess, came upon me to eat up my flesh, tthhey sstumbled and fell. Tthhough an hosst sshhould encamp againsst me, my heart sshhall not fear: tthhough war sshhould risse againsst me, in tthhiss will I be confident'."

"Are the Gatess truly open to me at tthhiss time?" Jezebel merely shrugged, her voice calming and her expression softening as she continued. "would ccertainly hope tthhat tthhiss iss sso. 'One tthhing have I dessired of the Lord, tthhat will I sseek after; tthhat I may dwell in tthhe housse of tthhe Lord all tthhe dayss of my life, to behold tthhe beauty of tthhe Lord, and to inquire in hiss temple. For in tthhe time of trouble he sshhall hide me in hiss pavilion: in tthhe ssecret of hiss tabernacle sshhall he hide me; he sshhall sset me up upon a rock. And now sshhall mine head be lifted up above mine enemiess round about me: tthherefore will I offer in hiss tabernacle ssacrificess of joy; I will ssing, yea, I will ssing praissess unto tthhe Lord'."

Jezebel then nodded in agreement as she listened intently to Altima's words. "I would listen clossely my companion'ss wordss, cchhild, for herss are not to be taken lightly. And sshhe is most correct in ssaying tthhat tthhere iss little point in telling you tthhat whicchh you have already heard about in cchhurch and read about in tthhe Bible. Between what hass been sspoken by Altima and by myself, we have jusst quoted numerouss verssess, botthh directly and indirectly, from ssucchh Bookss asss Judgess, Pssalmss, Exoduss, and Ecclessiasstess."

Jezebel sighed as she shook her head sadly. "Any true Believer would have been able to point any of tthhem out witthhout tthhe assistancce of anotthher. If by now you sstill know not the Word of the Lord when you hear it, tthhen perhapss you are not sso devout a follower of The Almighty Lord ass you put on. It sseemss Altima iss correct in her assessment. From what I have seen this day, it appears that you are not yet ready to recceive the message tthhatwe have come to give to you. Certainly not after witnessing the misstreatment of one of Yahweh'ss archangelss. A Pity, my dear, for tthhere iss ssso mucchh you will miss out on. Altima, Perhapss it iss besst tthhat leave tthhiss one for now, in order to give her time to contemplate her own folliess, missbehavior, and ignorancce. We can alwayss return when Cassie iss more well-behaved and better prepared to recceive tthhat whicchh we have come to deliver."

(I accepted your offer an said I would pray with you)


“but dark sister, you give me warmth were I deserved none. Who wuz I to doubt one so blessed of the lord. Your words are like honey to me ears. There is but one truth an that is all I Asked to be spoken, to be given unto me so that I might now this new way. A dead word in an ancient language long since passed is meaningless to a person that speaks English an would not know if the word is spoken correctly or not. But you…the word doeth com e forth form your lips.”

I bowed to the newest of angels. A member of the heavenly host that showed god did forgive even those that had left him first so long ago.

‘god has a plan for all of us, an his plan for you was to come back to the fold. It must be his plan for me to listen. What would you have of me, how am I to spread this new word of faith to all the non believers…Are you too help me?”

Hugging the ground I lay before her feet in supplication. Never had I felt so blessed in all the world. TO be the one that would witness the return of a dark one to the heavenly fold. Oh….the end ties must be nigh for it wuz strange days indeed.

I spoke not. My time among humankind had made me far to short of patience, a byproduct of learning the way, and a weakness Jezebel did not share. "Tell her, companion," I said calmly, wings waving lightly. Jezebel had managed to gain more trust than I, which left me with little hope in Cassie's willingness to receive our Divine Word.