Darkheart walked past Jeremy noting that the kid looked alright but very shaken. 

"Ed subetra falim sol." 

He patted Jeremy on the head.  Jeremy stared at him, ignoring the compliment. 

"Va solbet raf dal, Darkheart?" 

"I'm here because of what Kari did to our people, son." 

Darkheart saw the pleading in the Ferret kid's eyes but said nothing.  He felt really sorry for this kid who seemed doomed to play the role of a victim.  He stopped when he was about 3 feet from Kari and a dozen feet in front of Jeremy, Zargo, and Biff. 

"So you are Kari, the Goddess of Destruction." 

  "Goddess like Hell!  I just want to get on with my life without you damn Barovians interfering!   Haven't you done enough already?" 

"Done?  Done?!?  I  worked in an office Dear Lady.  I published papers.  I killed no one.  There is no blood on my paws.  I am not responsible for the suffering of thousands!" 

"What are you talking about?", demanded Kari. 

"You think your little act of retribution had no repercussions? You think that you aren't partially to blame for the Civil War, and the bloody Purges?  Malik's death was the domino that set all the others in motion." 

"I didn't kill him on purpose, it was an accident!  Even so,I suppose you would prefer that he get away with rape and murder then!" 

"Of course it was.  These things are always 'accidents'.  But your anger is justified, he was a monster and he deserved to die.  But did you ever even stop to consider what would happen if you killed him?  Who would be made to pay the price for that?  Who would have to suffer for your one act of vengeance?" 

"Then you should have stopped him, gotten rid of him!" 

"We could not.  We were gripped by the fears that we'd get someone *worse*.  and now our fears are justified." 

By this point they were practically nose to nose. 

"You're just a liar paid to cover up for him, Silvertongue!  You're just as bad as Malik!  You're all a bunch of savage Barovian bastards!!" 

Kari screamed and drove her knee up into his groin.  Instead of seeing him keel over she felt the thud of metal.  He was wearing a codpiece!  He started to laugh so she socked him in the gut instead! 

"Oooof!", said Darkheart as he lost both his cigar and his breath. 

"Maybe we should just let them kill each other.", suggested Biff helpfully.
 
 

Chapter 10: Know Where Your Skeletons are Buried

Freedom's Run 12757, 12:29 AM 

Darkheart stumbled backwards, struggling to regain his balance. Kari used this opportunity to trip him, making him land rather ungracefully in a rosebed. 

"You're a bloodsucker Darkheart, stealing the blood of the innocent!", barked Kari. 

Darkheart emerged from the bed, looking furious. 

"There are no innocents in war!  Everyone has blood on their teeth, and only the dead can be absolved of blame!" 

"You liar!  You're trying to justify your sick twisted country!" 

"I didn't start a civil war.  I didn't put my people down! " 

"I didn't do that; your stupid King did!" 

"You gave him a reason to!  That's all that's required in his mind! What are you going to do now Freelander bitch?!?" 

"Asshole!", Kari roared, punching Darkheart in the jaw, "Give me my Ray back! *POW*  give me Rebecca back! *SOCK* 

Darkheart caught her third punch then slapped her. Once -twice, both times hard. 

"Give me back Epiphany! *SLAP*  My parents!  My Cecilia! *SLAP* 

"Er, people...", said Biff, looking worried. 

By this time, Kari had tackled Darkheart and was busy throttling him.  Darkheart was trying to pull out his knife when they both heard Jeremy. 

"Kari!  Minister! Please not kill each other!" 

They both looked up at the barrel of Biff's machine gun. 

"Play time's over kids." 

Kari and Darkheart were standing side by side, both looking bloody and battered.  Kari's tied back hair was now unbound, looking tangled. Darkheart's slicked back hair was now falling in front of his eyes.  They exchanged hostile glances as Zargo paced back and forth in front of them. 

"Look, you've had your say, Silvertongue.  Now we have to kill Kari; and then we kill you.  You understand?" 

"Perfectly.  My only regret is that I cannot kill her myself." 

"I'd like to see you try!" 

"Moot point Miss Kari, isn't it?  Now we'll both die.  And it's all your fault.  You destroyed my life and countless other Barovian's lives in revenge for Malik destroying yours." 

Jeremy was openly sobbing by this point, and could not speak coherently.  Darkheart looked at Jeremy and patted him consolingly. 

"Verma sol Jeremy." 

Darkheart took out another cigar and clamped it in his small pointy teeth.  He held the cigarette lighter and *CLICK* lit it. 

Zargo looked impatient. 

"Silvertongue, I don't have time for thi-" 

Zargo was cut off by the sound of Darkheart pressing the scarab on the side of the gold plated gun *CLICK* causing a second trigger to drop. Darkheart pointed the gun and fired straight at Zargo *BLAM* 

Zargo was simply too surprised to react, as the force of the bullet drove him backwards into the glass wall of the greenhouse, shattering it. 

Biff returned fire as Darkheart ducked sideways to avoid getting hit.  He almost made it.  Instead, he got a glancing blow off his right eye.  He crumpled up in pain, dropping the gold gun. 

Meanwhile, Kari dove for gold gun, raised it and fired at Biff, hitting him square in the chest, knocking him backwards into the pillar Jeremy was tied to.  Jeremy whimpered as he watched Biff slowly slide down the pillar. 

It was all over in ten seconds. 

Darkheart fumbled for a handkerchief and covered his wounded eye, if there was anything left of it.  Looking up he saw the barrel of his own gun in Kari's hand. 

"Go on.  I've nothing left anyway." 

Kari looked hesitant, seeing his open sadness. He looked almost as if he was weeping blood. 

"Come on, shoot me Kari!  Exact your revenge!  Kill me for those you have lost!  I deserve it!  It's enough that I'm a Barovian, isn't it?!?" 

Kari's paw trembled and she lowered the gun slowly. 

"No.  No it's not enough." 

Behind her Larry Muskytail, Sylvia and a dozen assorted furs burst in. 

"Mr Muskytail!" called out Jeremy, between sobs. 

"Stop calling me Mr Muskytail."
 
 

Chapter 11: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

Freedom's Run 12757, 6:51 AM 

Darkheart and Kari walked side by side along the dock.  He was now wearing an eyepatch, which made him look vaguely piratelike.  She was wearing his overcoat.  She kept insisting she didn't need it, although she suspected he had offered it more to do with her dress or lack thereof as opposed to treating her shock.  Jeremy trailed behind them, keeping a respectful distance.  Both of them felt tired, drained of their years of repressed hatred.  It was still there but it didn't burn as brightly now. 

"I'm sorry about your eye Darkheart." 

"It is nothing." 

Kari wondered if he always put on this rakish charm or if it was all an act. 

"You may call me Constantine.  My mother always liked that name." 

"She died in the purges?" 

"Almost all my family, except for a great uncle of mine were punished for my laxity.  He's alive and well in exile in the clock making business," 

Kari looked horrified and nodded mutely. 

"I didn't consider when I went out to kill Malik that it would have all these consequences.  All I saw was blind rage." 

"What else could you have seen?",  he offered not unkindly 

"I'm sorry for the things I said.  The people of Barovia are not monsters, just mainly the rulers." 

"For what's it's worth I'm sorry too.  After all these years I started to believe in my own PR, including about you.  I expected some Goddess of destruction.  You are much more than that." 

"Why did you save my life?" 

"It's your punishment.  What could be worse than to owe your life to a Barovian?" 

Darkheart grinned toothily at that. 

 "Are we still enemies?" 

"No but we are not friends either.  We are somewhere in between. But I must go back to Barovia now and undo some of the damage that has been done." 

Kari looked surprised. 

"They'll kill you if they catch you." 

"So they won't catch me.  Might I add that I find your concern touching." 

Kari whacked him on the shoulder for that.  He gave her a false wounded expression.  They reached the end of the dock where the passenger seaplane was docked.  Darkheart turned to Kari suddenly. 

"May I have that gun back?" 

Kari nodded, feeling kind of sick to just be touching something of Malik's.  She handed the gun to him, handle first. 

"Thank you." 

He unloaded it, then with a mighty heave threw the gun out into the bay, where in glinted in the predawn light and was gone with barely a ripple. 

"I'm tired of the gifts that Malik bestows." 

"Me too.", added Kari. 

She turned to Darkheart. 

"I know you know who Rebecca and Ray were.  Tell me who Cecilia was." 

Darkheart got a distant sad look that she recognized in herself. 

"She was my female.  I loved her very much." 

Kari bristled at that. She knew how the Barovians treated their females. 

"You mean your concubine." 

"No, my female.  I wanted to marry her but she wouldn't hear of it. And I could never say no to her.  She was very different from you though. Very quiet and passive.  None of that spunkiness that gets you through life's scrapes.  She was among the first to die in the Purges.   Through no fault of her own.  I wish I could have saved her." 

Darkheart sighed at this. 

"It's been several years now, but I still think of her every day." 

They stood there quietly for a long time. 

"What about Epiphany?" 

"My little secret.  You can come out of hiding Jeremy!" 

Jeremy meekly came forward. 

"Yes, Minister?" 

"I want to to have this for being such a brave lad." 

Jeremy was handed the statue of the Triad.  He looked very awed by it. 

"Th-thank you Minister!" 

"Don't call me Minister.  I haven't been a Minister for more than 6 years now." 

Darkheart looked more amused than insulted.  He turned to go into the plane but looked back at Kari and spoke softly and earnestly in Barovian. 

"Kari, beccla dah semelat devut." 

And he disappeared inside. 

After the plane took off and was heading out back towards the borderlands and Barovia, Kari turned to Jeremy.

"Jeremy, did he just tell me he wanted to keep me a prisoner?" 

Jeremy wondered how to handle this.  What Darkheart had said literally meant: "If you were my female I would lock you away where no one could see you."  which was the Barovian way of professing love.  Seeing her expression, he decided against it. 

"Yeah that what he say Lady." 

Kari looked out to the sky. 

"Why do I get the dreaded feeling that he'll be back." 

Jeremy merely nodded and pocketed the precious Triad.
 

 -FIN-