Dark Hearts
Meanwhile in a dark, damp cave, a youthful-looking man sat in a red throne. His lair was packed full of jewels and artifacts. His entire being gave off an aura of evil intentions. He had short, firey-red hair and demonic red eyes. He wored a red jumpsuit and red shoes (are you noticing a theme here?). Several minions surrounded his throne.
"My master." Wheezed one as he made his way to the foot of the throne. "The Priestess has come, my lord."
"What for?"
"To bring you warning Dark Heart!" Came a light feminine voice from the mouth of the cave. A woman in a white hooded shroud came forward. She was quite a contrast to the dark cave.
"Ah, Lady Starshine, had I known you were coming, I would've prepared a feast."
"With or without poison?" Starshine cracked.
Dark Heart laughed. "Oh you amuse me Milady." He snapped his fingers and a fine chair appeared beside his own. "Do sit down." Starshine sat. He snapped his fingers again and a table with a tray of tea sat there. "Tea, my dear? May I say, you grow more lovely everytime I see you."
"Oh you are a shameless flirt. But I didn't come here for tea or to arrange a date. I come to bring to you a message, a warning from the Great One."
"Yes yes, the Great One, and what pray tell does he, and the rest of the councel I suppose, have to say to me? As if I don't already know, they've been saying it for what, a millennium now?"
"He, and they say to stop your evil ways at once Dark Heart, as in now, not later. Or. . ."
Dark Heart interrupted with a deep and hearty laugh. "Or they'll what? They can't do anything to me."
"You don't understand Dark Heart. They can do something. Maybe not directly but they can and they will. Please don't give them reason to." Starshine begged the darkest of all hearts.
"I think you fear for me, fair maiden." Dark Heart stated with a lilt on his lips.
"As I always have, ever since you left us." Starshine confirmed.
Dark Heart sighed and looked down at his lap. "You know why I did Starshine. I could not follow those laws, they're wrong."
"I know how you feel Dark Heart," Starshine told him as she put a hand over his and grasped it. "I feel the same, but I don't want to see you hurt. Please reconcile with the Councel. Don't force them to do what they're planning to do."
"And what would that be?" Dark Heart asked.
The Priestess looked at her staff hesitantly. She wasn't supposed to tell him that, and she never, save only once, had disobeyed the Councel. But she couldn't let her love be killed. "Two from the Earth have been chosen."
"For what?"
"To be your executioners." She finished with a break in her voice.
Dakr Heart however, seemed amused and broke into uncontrollable laughter. "Is that the best they can do? They think two MORTALS can kill ME? Two HUMANS! Oh the idea is just too much!" He extended one leg. "Go ahead, pull this one too." He fell out of his chair in laughing, his demons following suit.
"It's no joke Dark Heart, and I didn't say anything about humans, did I? I just said two from the Earth." The Priestess was angry now. She was being laughed at. She struck the tip of her staff against the floor, hard. The echoing sound frightened the demons into shutting up. Dark Heart though, took a little longer.
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so funny." He stood up in midgiggle. "I'm sorry, my love, I'll listen now. Do continue."
"Ooo, I don't think I want to now. I oughta let you get what you deserve." Starshine humphed, putting her back to him.
Dark Heart responded by coming and putting his arms slowly and seductively around her shoulders. "Oh come on, my love, don't be angry with me." He whisped as he nibbled on her neck and ears. "You know I be only joking."
"You know I can't resist you when you use that sexy irish accent of yours." She panted as she turned to cup her lips around his.
"Is it working?"
"Okay okay, I'll tell you." Starshine gave in as his hands descended along her backside.
He released her from the sweet enmbrace and looked her in the eyes. "That's my girl. Now, what is the Councel planning."
"All right, listen close. The Councel has chosen both a horse and a bear and given them human-like qualities. And they will be your undoing."
Dark Heart chuckled again. "Oh now I'm insulted. I think you need to tell the Councel that it's not nice to make fun of my abilities."
"Will you take this seriously?" She scolded as she hit him in the arm several times. "I mean it. They have sent out the starbuddies, everything, even my brother. And it's not just gonna be the two of them eventually. They are destined to find thirty or so cubs. And once they do. . . Oh Dark Heart! You must reconsider."
Dark Heart put a hand to his chin in thought. "Or I could take this problem, or rather these two problems, and eliminate them personally. And uh, tell the Councel that they can stick their self-righteous warning where the sun doesn't shine."
Starshine gave up. There was no point, not when he got cocky like this. She bowed to her lover, took up her staff, and left. When she did. . .
"SUREL!" Dark Heart called.
A spindly, wild red-furred demon stepped forward. "You called Master?"
"Yes! The councel thinnks that a couple of mangy critters and their nonexistant yet destined-to-find family of cubs, can kill me. Funny isn't it?"
The demon laughed along. "Yes master, very funny indeed. No one can defeat you much less kill you."
Dark Heart silenced the minon with the raise of his hand. "But we don't want to take any unnecessary chances, now do we?"
"No, of course not, my lord."
"Then we need to get rid of them, don't we?"
"Yes sir, as you command, I will track them down and do away with them."
"NO, just bring them to me, they could prove useful."
With that the demon disappeared with a group of fellow minions. Will our heroes be able to evade this new danger? Or is this just too big a bite for them to swallow?
End Chapter