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"The great city that does not act toward its neighbors in an arrogant way has the good will of the smaller cities, and they willingly join the greater. The small city that does not resent its lower station enjoys the benefits of being united with the greater one. In the face of an enemy anyone can ally with the strong, but to ally with the weak takes true courage.

"With ten people, three seek long life because they fear death. Three seek an early death because they are reckless. Three find death because they seek to live their short life to the fullest. Only one neither fears death, nor hates life, nor worries that life is too fleeting. The yan who embraces Bat-El does not grasp life, so how can life be taken from her grasp?

"When hellberries flourish it is impossible to walk through them. When they store their juices for winter the way becomes clear again. Flourishing is not eternal, retreating is not eternal, but flourishing and retreating, taken together, are eternal. From the beginning the generations have come and gone in good order.

"Use honesty to rule a city but use deception to fight a battle. The skillful commander pretends he is incompetent. He makes his brigades appear to be divisions to demoralize the enemy and cause him to quit the field without fighting.

"When peace negotiations fail the skillful commander mourns as though he as already failed. When he obtains victory he does not gloat. The commander who is thrilled at the prospect of bloodshed can never enlist the willingness of his forces to endure hardship."

Lilith was a scrubby urchin who rose to the very top of the Fallen Angels gang because no matter what trouble she got into, she never seemed to actually get into trouble. This was a matter of her connections. Lilith was, after all, the daughter of a cherub, King Melchiyahu. In the hierarchy of Kemen Lilith held the rank of Ophan. Had she been male or born in other lands Lilith would have ruled a city or commanded an entire army.

In the country around Salem Michael when he began preaching to the angels he confirmed the authority of his teachings by healing many of their infirmities. Soon he began to draw crowds wherever he went, and the Fallen Angels in turn were drawn by the opportunity to steal from them. But even Lilith and her streetwise pickpockets grew captivated by Michael's words. Michael promised no paradise to come in the future, and he assigned no blame for the errors of the past.