"Satanic puppet!" came a voice, from somewhere deep within a large crowd that had gathered around Caiaphas. He was standing in town square, near the gallows. And now the Puritan pharisees had found him, and now they were about to spout their knowledge and attempt to arrest him. So it was a little late - oh well. Better late than never. "He works with demons! He drives them out in the name of Beelzebub!" Did the man even know that those words had been spoken to Jesus over a thousand years ago?

Moments before, Caiaphas had finished his exorcism and defeated an old adversary of his: Duke Mammon, third of Lucifer's deputies. The victim had been a young woman, a supposed 'witch', who was probably due to be burned soon. Luckily, he had identified the signs of possession before it was too late, and had cast the demon out. Now the Puritans were attempting to twist the situation around, and condemn him for saving her life. After all, how could a Catholic do anything right? Bah, he was almost glad that their attention was now on him. Had it been on the girl, she wouldn't have been able to defend herself.

He, on the other hand, was quite able.

"How can Satan cast out Satan?" he asked, as his mouth twisted into a wry grin. The Puritans hadn't even bothered to read the very Bible which they so adamantly defended. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. A house divided against itself can not stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come."

"Bu-... we-... I've heard enough from this papal dog!" the voice stuttered and then screamed, in a tone that suggested teenage rebellion gone terribly awry. "Leave him be, brothers in Christ! Why should we bother with dirt?" They stormed off.

The crowd quickly dispersed after them, and the woman's mother quickly picked up the girl and scurried away. She managed to fit in a quiet nod that showed her appreciation. That was all the elderly priest really needed. It was enough to keep him going on days like this. Now the square was clear, but for Caiaphas. He leaned his back against the gallows' platform and drew in a deep breath. Something told him he should stay in this town... things were getting worse, both from the Puritans and on the other side. And he would have to stop it.

He had to wonder, though. Had anyone else seen the little display in the square?

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~ "Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree."

~ "The best way to fight the devil, if not with holy scripture, is to jeer at him - for he can not stand to be scorned."

~ "An atheist is just a person God hasn't met yet."