Chapter 10

The Amulets

"My children," The Great One began as he stood before the counsel. "Today is a day of gladness, for one of our own has returned to us." The deity indicated Dark Heart who stood directly behind him.

Flora stood, outraged. "You dare to let that heathen reenter our sacred domain! That… that… blasphemous…"

"Please, Emperor," The Great One raised his hand to calm the man. "He is repentant, let us be willing to forgive."

"And what proof do we have of his….repentance? Perhaps he is merely trying to trick us." Fauna suggested.

The Great One nodded. "That is a valid argument, my dear Empress. Dark Heart, would you care to answer this?"

Dark Heart bowed his head, to hide the smirk that he could not keep back, and stepped forward. "My last attempt to defeat your chosen ones proved unfruitful, and I realized that the very thing that attributed to my prior banishment, I had been trying to destroy. I realized that I was being a hypocrite, and I wish to beg forgiveness and to make amends." With this he reached into his pocket and produced finely crafted golden pendants, two of them. "Mighty Emperor, Generous Empress, I present to you both tokens of my highest esteem."

Both were awed by the glorious items before them. Handmade, glistening with freshly dried paint with a metallic luster caused by the gold upon which it was applied. One was shaped as a lioness, a symbol of regal strength and beauty. The other a white lily, a symbol of goodness and generosity. And though they tried, they could not hide their wonder at the gifts.

Dark Heart, however, was skilled enough to hide his emotions, or rather the ones he didn't want them to see. "I trust they meet with your satisfaction." He knew how these two were. They were stupid enough to fall for shiny beads and shallow flattery.

Fauna picked up the lioness pendant, attempting to sound demure and prim. "Well, I can see that you must truly be remorseful so as to have the ability to make lovelies such as this."

Flora took his own pendant, which was not on a chain but a lapel pin. "Very well, welcome home boy."

The Great One smiled warmly. "Than there is to be no more question about it. Dear boy, your room was kept just as you left it, perhaps the Lady Priestess would escort you there?"

Starshine nodded and stepped up and took Dark Heart's hand. It was cold and damp, probably from living in a cave for so long. She tugged upon it to draw him away towards the stairs. Once they were out of earshot, she turned a leering eyed at him. "You really are a card, you know that. You have no intention of changing your ways."

"Only because my ways are the right ways, Starshine. It is such a pity that you do not see this yet." He removed his hand from hers. "How long are you going to remain this naïve and gullible child who refuses to see that which is right in front of her nose? Did you not see the Empress and Emperor. They were all up for insisting I was wicked, blasphemous, evil, but when I begin throwing empty niceties and pretty baubles at them, they're all for my return. They don't care a lick about the world or it's people, they care only for themselves."

Starshine fought down bubbles of anger. "What is your real reason for being here? Why have you come back?" She could only feel that he had only evil intended for her home. He had not departed here on the best of terms after all.

"For revenge my dear, for revenge. I warned the Great One when I left. I warned him that I would take everything he held dear, just as they all did to me. Soon, and quite, Etheria will belong to me and so will the Great One's power, and the world." He smiled an evil smile. Yes, all would be his. Starshine gasped and looked frightened.

"You….you wouldn't harm the Great One! You wouldn't harm Etheria!"

"Then you clearly do not know me, my love." He laughed cruelly.

Starshine struggled for her voice. Her heart fought with her, her conscience telling her that it wasn't really his fault. He had clearly been driven mad. But she didn't want to believe that. For once she did, than she'd have to accept that he was unredeemable. "I…I won't let you….I'll tell them….."

He only laughed harder. "That's the best about this my dear Shooting Star." Dark Heart crooned with malice in his voice, using his pet name for her. "You won't….I know you, and I know you won't say a word." He pulled her to him. "But don't worry, I have every intention of letting you live, you and your brother. And you, you will be my queen." He placed a kiss on her lips, not a loving kiss, but more one of possession. "Together we shall mold this world into what it should be."

She fought from his grasp. He had officially frightened her to her limit. She turned and ran. Star flung open the door to her room and slammed it shut, standing with her back against it. Her heart pounded as she absorbed what had just happened. She wanted to run to the Great One, to warn him. All the time knowing that out of all the things he'd said, he'd gotten one thing right. "I….I can't tell…..not anyone…" She accepted that part of her. She still loved Dark Heart so much, she could never condemn him to certain death by revealing his plan. And he….he knew it.

Months began to pass as Horse and Bear made their way across the ocean once again. On their way they stopped at several places. Their hearts took them to first, Africa, where they acquired a tawny lion cub and a tan monkey cub. Then in Asia, they found an elephant calf who changed to a more manageable size and pink color. A stop in China actually ended up with them taking in two panda cubs, neither of whom really changed color, only size and form.

Finally they were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, returning to America. Horse was at the helm, once again enjoying the salty sea air.

"Hey you." came a sweet voice from beside him. He hadn't seen Bear coming to join him after putting the thirty-some cubs down for a nap. Something he should have been helping with, but someone had to keep a lookout for danger and there was just the two of them.

Horse looked at her. "They're asleep finally?"

She sighed. "Finally. I wonder if that's the last of them. I mean, we've nearly spanned the globe, we're nearly home."

He shrugged. "Who knows. You know, when I kept wishing for an escape from that cruel master of mine, I never dreamed that I'd end up on such an adventure. Or that I'd find someone whom I would be close to and dare I say, love." Horse kissed Bear gently, a kiss she returned gladly and with as much love as he gave her.

Suddenly a gentle tapping against the side of the ship snapped them out of their embrace. The tapping came from the starboard side, and further examination yielded a small penguin chick, sleeping on a piece of driftwood, tinted purple.

"Oh my, quick Horse, lets get that poor thing up here!" Bear pleaded, even though she knew there was no question. Of course they would get the poor dear into the ship.

Horse quickly dove in and grabbed the chick carefully from the driftwood and climbed back in. Obviously the chick was exhausted, she slept through being jostled and carried, albeit softly.

"Well, she appears to be none the worse for wear. Let's put her with the others." Horse stated after looking over the baby.

AN: Ending that chapter here. Yes Dark Heart truly appears to be wicked indeed. Wicked, cunning, and determined. What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out.