-- Lilith POV, Skyview Monastery --

  It was still morning, John and herself sat across the desk of superior Martins, both of them looking at him expectantly. She had kept the chair with the backrest at her back to make a better impression, even if this was uncomfortable with her tail. Through the open window she could see a bit of overcast sky and the roof of the monastery, but her attention soon returned to superior Martins.

  "Lilith, this is difficult", superior Martins began, holding a sheet of paper in his hands. "The King has accepted John Smith's request to transfer you to his workshop in Laketown, so that John and you can continue your work for the praetorian guard under better conditions. If I had a say in this, I'd put a new geas on you, which binds you to John's command, but John won't accept this."

  She looked at John who nodded, and then she sat just quietly for another while, waiting for superior Martins' next words. "Instead John has proposed a different solution, which, actually, is not uncommon for people on probation. You'll live at John Smith's workshop and report daily to Laketown guards that you are still in town. So either John or the guards will notice within a day if you are missing, for whatever reason and can take action as deemed necessary."

  He looked at Lilith, "Will you accept this?"

  She nodded swiftly, "Yes for sure. That sounds all good to me."

  "Good." Superior Martins concluded, "Thus I will hereby lift the geas that binds you to Skyview Monastery and the obligation to work for the brotherhood of the sky. Instead you will be living at John Smith's place and required to report to Laketown guards daily, but this is by civil law and not a geas anymore."

  John smiled and gave her a gentle punch to the shoulder, "See! Now you're actually a person and they can't just do shit to you anymore."

  She smiled at him and returned a gentle punch likewise, "Finally!", then nodded to superior Martins, "Thank you."

  Then superior Martins spoke up again, directed at John, "John, before she can travel though you need to get Lilith a new set of clothing. The clothes that she is wearing belong to the monastery and have to stay here."

  She stared at the man. Unbelievable! Freedom had been so close, and now superior Martins found yet another reason to confine her here.

  John frowned, directed at superior Martins "Alright, I'll get her new clothes so you can keep yours." Then he nodded to her, "Don't worry. I'll be back in a week at most."

  She tried a fresh smile towards John, "Thank you. I'll wait for your return."

  -- Lilith POV, Skyview Monastery --

  The room with the forge had gone quiet and cold. Ash in the forge, some tools scattered about the room. She already missed the work that John and herself had been doing here, but soon they would travel to Laketown where John had his workshop. The room almost felt dead to her this way.

  She didn't have much to pack, in fact, nothing at all. Even the clothes she was wearing belonged to the monastery and had to stay here, which meant that right now John was traveling to Laketown to get her some outfit which she could wear during the travel and the first days after their arrival.

  John had been a quite grumpy that he once more had to do the trip, but found some comfort in the idea that is was better if she looked like the average town person, instead of wearing a monk outfit. To appear as much like a normal person as possible with horns and tail.

  Meanwhile she was packing John's tools and the materials that he had brought. The sacks and crates were still there in which he had brought them, so she just had to put the things back in whatever container they had been delivered here. Unfortunately, in most cases she could only guess what should go where, because she had not been around when John had unpacked his equipment.

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  She looked out of the large window for a moment. Green hills, patches of forest. She wondered how Laketown looked like, and the surrounding area. There had to be a lake, if the town was called Laketown, right? Was there farmland around it? Forest? In about a week she would see. For a moment she wondered if she could swim. Another thing she couldn't remember. Maybe she should ask John to go swimming with her if there was a lake near Laketown, and if she couldn't swim, to teach her. Could John swim?

  With some effort she tore her eye from the window and picked up a crate which was already filled with tools. John had parked the wagon at the foot of the spire, just where the stairs ended. She already dreaded the idea of carrying all the crates down the stairs. The stairs were narrow and steep, and even that she had good hooves, she definitely was no mountain goat. Grassland and plains were more her thing.

  The way from the workshop to the gate was short, a mere fifteen paces. The inner gate was open, and at the closed outer gate brother Otto was standing watch. Since the kidnapper has snuck in unseen, they always kept someone at the gate.

  "Hey Lilith, I see you started packing?" Brother Otto asked her

  She smiled at him and nodded, "Yes. John expects everything to be on the wagon once he's back, so we can start moving right away."

  She was quite eager to make that happen. She was not willing to stay a single day longer here than needed, even if all the monks had been friendly to her. She just wanted to be free, finally.

  "I see. Be careful with the stairs", brother Otto reminded her and opened the outer gate for her.

  It felt weird how easily she stepped through the gate. Like it wasn't there at all. That gate that had been closed for her so long. Not only closed but even out of reach. And now it was open. She just had to take a step. And another. And one more. Then she was through.

  Even that she knew the view from the windows, it was a different thing to stand outside the monastery. No walls around, no roof over her head. Just herself and the wide open land in front of her. The sight from top of the spire was breathtaking. She stopped for a moment just outside the gate.

  She noticed some birds circling even further above. The spire sure was tall, and the birds flew even higher. Were those crows? Yes, their cawing pretty much sounded like that, and they didn't seem to be big enough to be ravens. Black they were for sure.

  With deliberate steps she carried the crate over the little plateau towards the stairs. She never had walked down these stairs before. Only up. And only once. Careful she took a step. Then another.

  Her hooves worked better than expected on the stairs, at least in this direction. Thousand and how many steps? She didn't even want to count.

  Three times she had to stop, set down the crate and take a break. It was pretty obvious why John had refused to work any more in Skyview Monastery. Everything they needed had to be brought up these stairs, and everything they produced had the be brought down.

  Finally down, she shove the crate onto the back of the cart, then pushed it further all the way to the drivers seat. John had brought a lot of equipment. Eventually the cart would be full of crates and sacks. She had to use the space well.

  Now she had about a week now to carry everything from the workshop down to the wagon. "No pain no gain", oh yes. First she'd been training with the holy books in the library to build up more resistance, now she would pay in pain for freedom. Crate by crate, down the stairs. John would not be disappointed.

  -- Superior Martins POV, Skyview Monastery --

  He was looking out the window of his office but didn't actually perceive any of the sight, deep in thought.

  He hardly could believe it. His world was returning to normal. The King had agreed to bring Lilith to Laketown where she was supposed to work with John Smith and under his surveillance. The argument was sound, better working conditions, easier supply and delivery. Higher quality even, than what they could produce in their provisional forge here in the monastery.

  Lilith tirelessly packed and carried all the tools and materials that the blacksmith had brought to the monastery back down to the waiting wagon. He barely saw her anymore, only during the common meals. In between she packed and carried, and after the evening meal she went right to sleep, to draw new strength for another day of packing and carrying.

  Not even a week, he assumed, and John Smith and Lilith would be gone. Neither of them wanted to stay any longer than necessary, and he could understand them. Freedom for Lilith. Back at home for John.

  His place would return to normal. Well, with the exception of one room with an extra large window, the room John had used as workshop. The normal days that he had missed so much the past weeks. He had almost lost faith that they would ever return.

  If he would meet John and Lilith again? He had a slight feeling he'd miss the two. But he also wanted his days back to normal. The routine. Work and pray. Normal days.

  He turned around to take seat at his desk. There was paperwork to do.