Je suis; Je ne suis pas
Je ne suis pas le démon, méchant franchment. Je suis le feu, tempestueux mais vivant. Je ne suis pas le chevalier dans l’armure brillante. Je suis…
What He Is and Is Not
“I am not some demon,” the shaky voice plead in the darkness, “frankly evil and dark.” Scratches and huffs answered from the undergrowth, and spindly fingers…
Odio
It had never gotten this bad. The Odio was something I lived with, something I put up with. Sure, it would bother me from time to time, rasping words of…
Chess: To the Victor Go the Spoils
The demon hissed. He now saw it as plainly as I did. “Mate in four,” I declared, unnecessarily. The demon’s eyes flashed. The game was all but over. The…
Chess: Endgame
The next several moves were made in silence. White’s Bishop moved here. Black’s Knight developed there. A Pawn exchange opening a file for Black’s Rook…
Chess: No Concession
Panic clawed at my belly. A drop of sweat slid into my eye, burning fire. I blinked, rubbing my eye with the ball of my hand, then turned my attention back to…
Not Quite Subtle Enough
Deacon Jon navigated the paths of darkness with a sense of purpose. He wasn’t a deacon, he was just Deacon, last name Jon. His mother had been raised in a…
Amiable Possession
A man sits at a table, a coffee in either hand. Every so often, he sips from one or the other. In between sips, his mouth is moving. Someone observing from a…
Light, Darkness/Friends, Demons
The chill up my spine bristled my fur. Such confusion and contradiction could only mean one thing--dark magic. If the creature were friend it made no move to…
The piano playing demon.
I was hovering over the large man’s shoulder, affixed on his lanky fingers playing friskily over the keys. It was a piece by Frederic Chopan called Etude Op…
The Sword
“We have need of your sword.” “It’s not for hire to the likes of you,” I said, my gravelly voice even lower than usual; a rattlesnake’s warning of its…
Chess: Castle
The demon stared at the board for so long that I began to wish we’d set a game clock. My nerves were raw by this point, and I was getting antsy. Deliberate or…
Distraction
The Demon stood motionless, eyes fixed looking downward. I could tell he was having trouble working out what had just happened, as was the intended effect…
Chess: Calculated Move
I had unconsciously crept up on the board as I focused on the duel over the demon’s King. I sat back from it now, closing my eyes briefly as I struggled to…
Chess: Gambit
My attack was two-pronged and subtle. I had the demon’s King - my prize - backed into a corner. It was a brilliant, tactical solution. He could block check…
Enter the demon
I have never been a normal boy, I could never Hate somone except to the sick thought of murder I’ve been in this world for a couple 100 years So when i came…
Check
Gradually, a thick smoke rose and engulfed the playing field, severing the line of sight between the Demon and I. When it eventually cleared, hideous black and…
On Edge
I felt the eyes boring in to the side of my head, trying to decide how confident I really was, but I’d already moved to look upon her again, mixing my emotions…
Chess
As promised, darkness swept over the room as he appeared. He’d said every human in the room but me would die, so that we could be alone. So I was ready. I was…
The Ruins of Heaven
Tears brimmed her eyes as she surveyed the graceful spires, domes and towers of Honor, and she gripped the marble banister as dread wracked her frail form. All…