Angels of Love

Daniel Thomas Andrew Daly

http://assemblyofthemosthigh.angelfire.com

http://www.myspace.com/assemblyofthemosthigh

Stories

1. The Dark Side of the Light Side

2. 52 Weeks

3. Dark Love

4. Darker Love

5. Darkest Love

6. Another 52 Weeks

7. The Light Side of the Dark Side

8. Jovius’ Day Off

9. Emma and Jovius: A Night on the Town

Angels of Love

The Dark Side of the Light Side

Daniel Thomas Andrew Daly

http://danielthomasandrewdaly.angelfire.com

Jovius was an angel of the light. But he was bent as all hell, corrupt as angels come, and savagely teetering on falling right into the centre of hell under Satan’s control. But Jovius, despite his overwhelming high amount of personal flaws, had one redeeming quality. He was still a hell of a guy.

He had a confident swagger, called all the female angels ‘Babe,’ and provided beers for all his male angel friends. He smoked at least 50 cigarettes a day, but he was always giving one out to every Tom, Dick and Harry. He sauntered down to earth often, visiting the various brothels and strip clubs and all the girls knew him well. And illicit drugs? You name it, he’s done it.

He was not exactly a responsible angel. If you left your ‘Lightmobile’ (which was an angelic vehicle) with Jovius, you could guarantee it would end up smashed into some heavenly lightpole.

But despite his many flaws, God still entrusted this particular angel to a task. The redemption of Jack Scarfel.

Jack was like Jovius in many ways – a hell of a guy. And when he felt his conscience suddenly come alive one Monday afternoon, he thought he was just in a charitable mood.

But after donating several thousand dollars of his savings to various charities, all in the name of good will, Jack was suddenly quite aware of something having changed in him. And then he said it?

‘Do I have a fucking guardian angel or something?’

Of course, Guardian Angels were under a strict code to never reveal themselves, upon pain of excommunication from the guardian angel league, but Jovius had a sense of humour.

‘What, do you think you give a fuck about Alaskan Seals?’ asked Jovius to Jack.

‘For fuck’s sake. Who the hell are you?’ asked Jack.

‘Your fucking guardian angel. Now go to church, or synagogue, or even a fucking mosque, and repent ya cunt. I have business waiting in heaven.’

And so Jack Scarfel, quite confused over being called a cunt and then being told to repent, made it over to his local Presbyterian church, did the said repentance, and was duly said ‘goodbye forever’ by his angel.

Back in heaven Jovius was brought up to the board of angelic review. He didn’t put up much of a fight, and when his status as guardian angel was revoked he didn’t complain much.

So, out of work, on the angelic unemployment line, Jovius managed to look on the light side of the dark side, and saw the good humour in life.

‘Hey, at least I still have my health,’ he muttered, standing in line for his angelic unemployment cheque.

The End

Angels of Love

52 Weeks

’Its been a heck of a year, Jack. And I have much to talk about. So lets hit the bar.’

Jack Scarfel accompanied his brother, Roger, to the local bar, and they shot the shit.

It had been a weird year for Jack. He had repented, and had kept a calendar. For 52 weeks, marking off every week as he went, he recorded all his good deeds for his church, and did his best to be a holiness person. And at the end of the year he felt weird. He felt changed.

He no longer smoked, drank very little alcohol, didn’t swear, talked politely to people, tithed to charity, attended church twice a week, prayed for lost souls and did his very best to be the best boyscout he humanly possibly could.

And he had changed.

The Holy Spirit had touched Jack on 52 special occasions, upon the request of the Angel Jovius, who had now found employment. 52 special times Jack Scarfel had been touched, and now he felt a good heart. A heart of kindness – a heart of generosity – a heart of love.

He no longer viewed people with an inherent suspicion, but thought the best of them. And he liked everyone – he could find something good to say about them all.

Yes, Jack was a changed man.

He never saw the truck coming. He was crossing the street, looked the other way, and bang, it flattened him into butchers meat.

He woke up a little while later in an all white room, which was NOT an hospital. It was heaven. The angel Jovius was on hand and greeted him.

‘We hear this all the time, you know Jack,’ said Jovius, lighting a cigarette. A neverending supply of complaints about souls being taken too soon. But you know the saying ‘Only the good die young?’

Jack nodded.

‘Well that is true. We take yous, you see. When you are being so very good in your behaviour, the big guy says ‘Well that will do,’ and brings you on home. You see, heaven really is a pretty fab place, and all your family who have died are up here, all the way back to Adam. You’ve been brought home SOONER than normal, simply because you have been so very good. We wanted you up here, you see. It is a blessing, not a curse.’

Jack nodded.

‘Anyway, I’m Jovius. Your fucking guardian angel. Shit, excuse the swearing. I have been told I have to cut it out. Like the smoking probably. Well, I will guide you around for a while, Jacky boy. There is shit loads to do here. Really, more than you can possibly imagine. We generally work in heaven as well, and sometimes people go out of employment, but the social security benefits are a lot and you can afford a quality life on them if that is all you have. Well, any questions?’

Jack nodded.

‘I just wanted to know, why did you tell me to repent?’

Jovius smiled, lit another cigarette, and looked at his ward. ‘Lets just say, Jacky boy, it was in your best interests. I mean, keep the faith and all that. And you were christened as a kid.’

‘Oh. Yeh, I was.’

‘So, I’ll let you get some sleep. But I’ll be back tomorrow, and your tour begins. And remember, keep on trucking, dude. Keep on trucking.’

Jack nodded, rolled over to get some sleep, and Jovius headed off.

Jack dreamed, of angels and light, and somehow, in his heart, he knew it was true – only the good died young. And despite him missing earth in some ways, he was glad to be home. Home in heaven, and ready to begin his new life. And at least the cigarettes smelt good.

The End

Dark Love

(A Short Vampire Story dedicated to Stephenie Meyer – Author of the ‘Twilight’ Series)

Kardos. A most unusual vampire. Young, naïve, but full of spunk. His trial should be interesting.

* * *

The Hunt was on. Kardos ran through the mansion’s extensive grounds, his senses keenly aware of the fresh blood. The blood which was pouring forth from a neck, a beautiful neck, of a specially chosen virgin maiden. He would feed well soon enough.

He came to a clearing, and sniffed the air. The child was close, and suddenly, just over by a thicket, she betrayed herself. Time for his meal.

She looked up at him, the fear on her face suddenly frozen in his mind, and suddenly he noticed her. Her dark, raven hair. He bloodred lips. Her shockingly beautiful face and physique. And the terror in her eyes – eyes gleaming at being confronted by the horror of a vampire. She was still clutching her neck in a vain attempt to prevent the bleeding his master had seen to. A small cut, but enough to bleed for the moment’s necessary enough for the chase. Kardos knew his master was watching. He knew it, every time he was. Every time. Was this a trial? Was this a test? Did his master know what this girl would do to him?

He looked at her, and his new DNA, genes which had changed and metamorphasized since becoming Vampiric, had their desired impact and a resonance came forth from his bloodsoul connecting to the young virgin. She was of a human clan which carried the bloodtype necessary for mating. Perfect mating. Yet, not of Vampire. For if she became Vampire she would die. Nay, while the offspring would indeed be Vampiric, she herself could only remain human.

He was thirsty. He needed to feed. But the beauty and temptation was too much. He looked silently around him, gathered her in his arms, and fled the mansion grounds.

Escaping to Validya’s abode, just across the meadow, he spoke with her and she gave him the keys to her wagon.

And he left the valley of ‘Darkthorn’, leaving it for he knew not how long, leaving it with his new bride and his new love. And if Darkthorn tried to claim his soul again, well he would allow, but would not suffer the capture of his bride. For he would have seed, once denied him, but now miraculously available once more. And Darkthorn would see hell before Kardos would give this child back to him.

* * *

Darkthorn smiled, seated on his throne. Kardos had acted predictably. But he was young, naïve, taking a mate simply because it was available. Naturally, he would not have denied the young lord’s desires for this bride, but running from his master taught him much. Still, he could retrieve Kardos when he needed to. He knew his scent. Best to let him have his fun and family with his new woman. Best to let him have that for now. He would retrieve him soon enough, and continue with his dark, deadly, agenda.

THE END

Dark Love II: A Death at Twilight

‘Kristen. My name is Kristen.’

Kardos nodded. She was awake now, having recovered from her fainting. They were miles away now, from Darkthorn. Lost in the wilderness, just as the day had ended. The Hunt had begun as soon as the sun had set, and the Twilight hour had been born. And now, 30 minutes into Twilight, darkness was gradually encroaching upon the land.

Suddenly a car jerked out in front of them, and a figure climbed out the driver’s window of the car. He was dressed in black, laughing madly and began shooting at them.

‘Fuck,’ said Kardos. ‘Myantea is having games.’

‘Who is Myantea?’ asked Kristen, now hiding down out of sight.

‘Someone you don’t want to know. Helgard is with him, driving by the looks of it. It looks as if Darkthorn sent him.’

Kristen nodded. She knew who Darkthorn was. She knew that one too well.

‘Hold on,’ yelled Kardos.

The wagon swerved out, and Kardos pushed the lever to the maximum. It burned power and quickly overtook the sedan. As they passed them, Myantea grinned madly and pointed the gun right at Kardos. ‘Are you ready to die?’ he yelled at Kardos. Kardos wasn’t. He pulled out a gun from his overcoat, pointed it at Myantea, and pulled the trigger. The silver bullet hit Myantea in the eye, and penetrated the brain, blood spurting all over the window of the pursuing sedan as it stopped its chase.

200 yards down the road they pulled up and looked behind them. Helgard had dragged Myantea’s body out of the sedan to the side of the road and was frantically attending to him. But it was too late. As they looked on Helgard gave a howl and they both knew Myantea was dead. And then Helgard looked at them, stood and started running towards them, but they got back into the wagon and sped away.

Kristen looked back, and then turned to Kardos. ‘You killed him, didn’t you?’

‘For a while only. Only for a while. You don’t kill a vampire that easily. But he will be dead for a few months as his body recovers.’

‘And then?’ she said.

‘He will probably be pissed off. So we will have to hide well.’

She nodded.

‘Back at the mansion. Why didn’t you take my blood. I thought that is what you were going to do.’

He looked at her, looked at her beautiful looks, and responded. ‘I have my reasons.’

Again she nodded, turned behind her to see if the sedan was following, and, her energy having been on high for so long, asked if she could get in the back of the wagon to sleep. Kardos nodded.

As they drove Kardos knew the brothers would find them, eventually. Helgard and Myantea were like that – they had a demented sense of humour. But they were Darkthorn’s pawns, and he was only intending to keep tabs on Kardos. He knew that. His father had known that. And his mother too. But that was what it was like serving Darkthorn. He had you were he wanted you, and no matter were you ran, the world was no hiding place.

But he was free for now, and thinking about the bride he had claimed, he was happy enough.

He had his plans, Darkthorn had his own evil agenda, and hopefully the two could be reconciled. Or, just perhaps, he would die trying. Only time would tell.

The End

Dark Love III: Magician’s Gambit

‘Dear Beleriand. Dear, dear Beleriand. Whatever shall we do? I do believe the game looks well beyond even the most cunning Gambit’s of the master of Magicians.’

Beleriand, dressed in crimson robes, decorated with demons and angels at war with each other, smiled fondly at Darkthorn’s oh so familiar charm.

‘Kadros. He has taken the virgin, has he not?’

Darkthorn nodded.

‘They are compatible, Darkthorn. I presume you knew this.’

Darkthorn smiled at Beleriand, yet did not comment.

‘Then this is my cunning Gambit, if you will dear Darkthorn. Let us enter a wager. And I will place ‘Goldenhorn’ as the prize versus your delightful ‘Brightfire’.

‘What, my magnificent mansion against your hovel of an abode.’

Beleriand smiled. ‘Yet, that is my offering for the wager.’

Darkthorn nodded. In truth, Goldenhorn was a magnificent abode.

‘And the wager, dear Beleriand?’

‘A testing. An ancient testing. The oldest in fact, sealed in the bloodlines of all of Adam and Eve’s children. The one which is the making of them.’

‘Mmmm. Love,’ said Darkthorn.

‘Yet, Dark Love, dear friend,’ replied Beleriand. ‘Of good and evil, light and shadow.

‘And how shall we know of the outcome?’

‘You provide the vixen, Darkthorn. And she shall tell of the love which comes forth between the two of them. And I, well I know of an old angel. Still fallen in many ways, but he will preserve the love between the two of them. Should he prove successful, and their love triumph on that day, then Brightfire is mine.’

Darkthorn nodded, and returned his gaze to the chess set.

‘It is an interesting Gambit, dear Beleriand. You will lose.’

‘We shall see, dear friend. We shall see.’

The End

Dark Love IV: Jovius’ Wicked Sense of Humour

‘Sure Beleriand, I can take the assignment. Hey, what do you get if you run over a duck? Blood and Feathers.’ Beleriand nodded. That was Jovius. Full of dark humour. But he was an angel, in the end, on the dark side of the light side. There was no changing that.

‘Love must triumph, Jovius. My abode is on the line.’

’12 Golden Sovereigns. You know, the type the Leprechaun keeps. That is my fee.’

Beleriand nodded. Jovius liked those particular Sovereigns. ‘You will have your sovereigns. But remember, Darkthorn will likely unleash Jezebel on the two of them. And that old witch has a thing for young flesh like Kadros. She will devour him if she can.’

‘Jezebel has always been like that. A queen after as much lusty flesh as she can get.’

‘But remember, she has her charms. She always has. Kadros doesn’t know of her, I would imagine. She has been reclusive for centuries now, since the death of Stalrod. She loved him much, and mourns him still. But she has numerous life debts to Darkthorn, and I doubt he will choose another vixen.’

‘Don’t sweat it. Hey, what do you get if you give cigarettes to a teenager? Friends for life.’

Beleriand nodded. It was typical Jovius sarcasm, and usually quite bad at that.

As Beleriand left purgatory, Jovius took another hit of gin from the bottle he was drinking. He looked at the bartender, Marni Bonniker, who he had been trying to get into the pants of for several decades, thought over a pickup line, but thought better of it. He had several Sovereigns now, and was anxious to work on his collection. Time to find this Kadros. Time to earn his keep.

The End

Dark Love V: ‘Celestevere’

‘What is this place?’ asked Kristen. ‘It is so. So……..’

‘I know,’ responded Kadros. ‘It’s ancient, ok. From a world before Christ. From a time of the ancients, when dragon’s roamed the earth. My grandfather says there dwells a dragon still, down in the depths of the cavern beneath this place. I doubted him for many years, but the things I have seen in this life now. It might be there. This place is called ‘Celestevere’. It is a haunting place. A place of darkness and dark magic. A place known to us of the underworld. These upper levels are uninhabited, which is why all the cobwebs. But we will find life further down. Down in the depths, were other vampires and werewolves and zombies and ghouls all dwell. We don’t use this upper entrance here that much. There are – other – ways of getting into Celestevere. But I have no choice with a human.’

Kristen looked at him, seriously. ‘Why am I with you, Kadros? What do you want from me?’

He looked at her, thought on answering, but remained silent.

‘Come on. Follow me. Lower down we will book into an inn, and hide there for now. I have enough finances with me to give us shelter for a while. And then I will decide what we will do.’

‘You could, you know, just let me go. I mean, if you don’t want me as a vampire, why bother holding me?’ He looked at her, looked at her beautiful face, and smiled.

‘Perhaps I have – other reasons, Kristen. I might tell you some time.’

He led them onwards, down into the strange ancient world abode, of walls covered in mosaics from ancient cultures, of statues of old world legends, and of carvings and designs from times forgotten to modern man.

The End

Dark Love VI: ‘An Intimate Encounter’

As they descended down seemingly endless stairwells, Kristen suddenly noticed they were not alone. Suddenly walking along behind them was a fowl looking creature, all ghostlike and deathly looking. The creature nodded at Kadros as it passed by them and continued on its way downwards.

‘That is a ghoul,’ said Kadros. There are many down below.’\

As they continued onwards, more and more dark creatures seemed to suddenly be alive in the place, and Kristen held back her fear, knowing that Kadros would protect her.

Soon they came into a very large hallway which opened up into an enormous room, full of all sorts of activity and what appeared ghoulish businesses.

‘Celestevere is a city – a city of the dark, Kristen. Typical things for our kind take place here, and we can find shelter. But, be careful. They don’t hate humans, but humans are useful, for many reasons, if you know what I mean,’ he said, putting his mouth to his wrist to indicate the kinds of use humans would be in such a place. Kristen shuddered, and drew closer to Kadros.

They passed all sorts of fireplaces with ghastly creatures gathered together, and the businesses seemed similar in many ways to human types, but always with a darker edge.

‘I suppose we are just like you, in the end,’ said Kadros. ‘When you fall into the dark, some things still remain the same. Those things which unite good with evil. We still eat. We still sleep. We still do stupid things like read books and watch television. We still have many of the same cravings.’

‘But usually with a darker bent, I take it,’ she responded, as they passed a fireplace with two ghoulish creatures engaged in a dice game.

‘Generally, yes. We Vampires like to claim a degree of civility amongst our kind. The werewolves generally assume they are the superior of the underworld, and we contest with them. Ghouls, goblins, zombies and the other kinds don’t really care. I think many of them are beyond caring.’

‘And how, how do they get that way?’

‘Dark choices in life. They were all human, once. But not everyone chooses the light, Kristen. Not all of us.’

‘And you? Did you choose the dark?’

‘No,’ but he said no more.

Soon they came to a large building which looked like an inn of sorts. Following Kadros, they came to the reception area and a female ghoul greeted them.

‘Is this enough?’ asked Kadros, placing a silver coin on the desk. The ghoul nodded, handed them a key, and he motioned for Kristen to follow him. As they climbed the creaking stairs, Kristen felt as if the hand of death was upon her in many ways. They were all like that – undead. Creatures fallen from grace, creatures of the dark.

They came to their room, and Kadros motioned for her to take the bed. ‘I’ll sleep on the couch. The shower probably works, but don’t rely on the water being the cleanest.’

‘I’ll pass then,’ she responded.

She sat down on the bed and he stared at her.

She looked back at him, noticing the way he stared at her figure, and suddenly became acutely aware of what it seemed he was after. He wanted her – physically.

‘It’s sex, is it? Is that all? You just want to fuck me?’

He looked at her, and his blood rose in him. And he came over, tore at her dress, and soon had her naked. She gazed at him, knowing him for what he was. A savage creature of the dark.

‘Then fuck me,’ she said.

And he did.

Later on, as she put her undergarments back on, she noticed he had fallen asleep on the bed. ‘Was this it? She thought to herself. 24, just out of university, just started a new job, and she was the bride of a Vampire. And her virginity, now gone to the one who had claimed her as his own. She could only hope to God that she wasn’t pregnant.

The End

Dark Love VII: A Friend from Heaven

‘Hey sweetie. Was he any good then?’

Kristen jerked up from her near slumber, alarmed at a voice which had spoken from the shadows. And then, coming out of the shadow, a man. A man with wings. And while she had told herself just earlier that she had seen everything, now she really had. It was an angel.

‘Are you. Are you my guardian angel?’

‘God no,’ responded Jovius. ‘Too much work in those bloody assignments. Let’s just say I am here to help for a while. You’ll get used to me. The name’s Jovius. Servant of God the Most High, Lord of Glory and all that yada yada yada.’

‘What. What do you want from me,’ she said nervously.

‘Relax, sweetie. It appears as if Kardos has taken that particular commodity of yours now anyway. I am just a friend, on assignment from a certain agent who has your best interests at heart.’

‘God sent you? Like the Blues Brothers?’

Jovius took a seat, lit a cigarette, and smiled. ‘The Blues Brothers. Now that brings back memories. You know, I knew this old nun once. Just like the lady from that movie. Anyway,’ but he paused, looking at Kristen’s perplexed look, and thought better of it.

‘Anyway, sweetie. Kardos is an ambitious young Vampire. Probably bit off more than he could chew in kidnapping you. But Darkthorn doesn’t mind that much. As long as you don’t go off and get killed his young protégé.’

‘Kardos? Darkthorn’s protégé? I don’t understand.’

‘It is a long complicated story. But suffice to say Darkthorn is now sterile after an earlier encounter with some dark fellas. His seed has all been killed and he has had to look to an old friend’s offspring to build up his house.’

‘So Kardos is to inherit Darkthorn’s wealth.’

‘And more than that, sweetie. His power, and believe me Darkthorn has a lot of power. Probably the most influential of the Vampire Lord’s in North America, still. They are caught up with old world values, sweetie. Ancient ways. Family honour. Family power. Clans of wealth and privilege, ruling seats on the council of the dark.’

‘The council of the dark?’ she queried.

‘I don’t think you want to know too much about that. The agenda of hell to cut it short. Sending the world to damnation to cut a long story short. Still, you got to admire their determinations. 17,000 years at war with Archangel Phanuel, and Satan is still at it, determined to destroy heaven if he at all can.’

‘Phanuel?’

‘Head of the 7 Archangels. Firstborn. God’s main son.’

‘Wasn’t that Jesus?’

‘Now that is a hell of a story, but we will leave theology to another time. Anyway, my job here is to protect you and Kardos until a certain point in your destiny when a certain choice will be made. These things come up all the time for children of Adam and Eve. When you make this choice, either one way or the other, a certain wager results, and either I get paid or not. My job is to see to it you make the right choice?’

‘And what choice is that?’ asked Kristen.

‘That is the thing. I can’t tell you that. We never have been able to tell any of our clients about the choice they should make on the big ones. If it isn’t one of your choices, it never pleases HIM anyway. So that much you will have to work out for yourself. But I will be here, and I have faith in you sweetie. You’ll do the right thing.’

She nodded. Whatever else, despite all the drama he was filling her head with, she had seen so much already that an Angel with a Mission from God could not really surprise her.

‘Shall I wake him?’

‘Best let him sleep, sweetie. I’ll be going now. But I’ll be watching. And remember, as corny as it may sound, keep the faith sweetie. Somebody has to.’ And then he was gone, back to the shadows, and she was alone again with her sleeping Vampire lord.

The End

Dark Love VIII: Jezebel’s Temptation

He had left her in the hotel and had travelled down to one of the lower levels of Celestevere. Draznack, his uncle, would help him – hopefully. He lived in Celestevere with his new wife and had not seen it the same way as Kardos father when they had entered into allegiance with Darkthorn. He would be only to eager to help Kardos, he hoped.

* * *

‘No, Kardos. Sure, you can stay here with me and my wife if you need to, but the clan has obligations towards Darkthorn now – wether we like it or not. Your father entered into Darkthorn’s assembly – he was fully informed of his choice. And because of that I won’t interfere. You are ultimately Darkthorn’s seed, wether you like it or not.’

‘I know,’ responded Kardos. ‘I guess there is no escaping that. But can’t you support me – give me some finances, at least. Darkthorn won’t bother with me for a long time now, I am sure. I think he knows I want children.’

‘I won’t hide you from him. But I can give you some finances. Go up north – to Canada. Have your offspring. We’ll know were you are – you can’t escape your scent.’ Draznack went to a side bookcase, brought forth a bag, and handed it to Kardos. ‘It is gold. Enough for a decade or so. When you have seed, come back. You have obligations.’

Kardos nodded. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

* * *

As he climbed upwards and walked another long hallway, suddenly, from the shadows emerged a vixen – she was unmistakable, dressed in scarlet, as their kind was want to do. ‘Kardos. Dear Kardos. Lie with me. Leave that maiden – you have had her now. You will find my sweet nectar and delight far more intoxicating.’

He looked at her, looked at her voluptuous breasts, and figure, but shook his head. ‘Begone Vixen. I’ll have nothing to do with your kind.’

‘As you wish,’ and she departed.

* * *

‘What now?’ asked Kristen.

‘We go north. We find somewere to stay.

‘And then?’

‘You give me seed.’

She looked at him and understood. She knew now what he wanted. Wed to a vampire.

The End

Dark Love IX: Getting to Know You

‘So, Kristen. What is your last name? You have never said.’

‘Stewart. But I don’t want to talk about myself. If I am going to be your bride it is only reluctantly. You will have to force me to divulge anything of myself.’

‘Relax. I am not, despite appearances, a beast.’

‘Yet you have me prisoner.’

‘Yes,’ he responded.

The wagon steadily made its way during the night hours northwards along the highway, heading for Canada and wherever they could find a suitable home.

‘So why me? Why do you want seed with me?’

‘We are compatible.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘My line – not every human is compatible for breeding. Very few. You have the right blood type – the right DNA.’

‘Oh,’ she responded.

She looked out the window and gazed at the night stars. Somehow she knew she would become familiar with them. A child of the night, now. Stranded in darkness, never to return to the light now, never to return to civilization.

She turned to him and looked at him. Strangely, and she knew she shouldn’t, but she was starting to find herself drawn to him. He was tall, dark and handsome. And she sensed him willing to protect her. To put his arms around her and call her his own. And, while she knew she should try to escape at the first opportunity, she let herself believe just briefly that she wouldn’t. That she would stay with him and be his bride of the night. After all, he had already claimed her. And that was important to her.

‘The Children. What will they be? Will they be human?’

‘Probably Vampires from birth. But not always. Maybe human. Maybe.’

She nodded, and returned her gaze to the stars. This was her destiny then, to be the bride of Dracula. Funny thing, fate. You never knew what quite to expect.

The End

Dark Love X: Home

She looked at the shack. Really, that was all you could call it – a shack. Still, Kardos had told her it had been cheap. And it was miles away from anywhere, except for a local store were they could buy what they needed.

‘There’s a lake. You can swim there in summer, if you wish. I still need food, regular food. Not as much as a human, though. Oh, and I need to feed on blood. There will probably be enough deer in the forest to satisfy that.’

‘I thought you only fed on humans.’

‘They’re a luxury. And for making more of our kind. Deer blood is tasty as well. Some animals don’t work well as food, but a lot do. The deer will satisfy me. I need to eat about once a month. Usually on a full moon.’

‘Ok,’ she said. She was starting to learn about Vampires directly. She had known something of them growing up, but mainly from the movies. Meeting one in the flesh, though – well every question she could have ever asked, she could find out now.

They came inside. It was sparsely furnished, but there was a bed with linen on it and some blankets. They would be fine for the night.

He looked at the fireplace and said ‘I will go and gather some wood for a fire. Remember, as I said, I know your scent. There is nowhere you can hide. Nowhere. So don’t run. You will be wasting your time.’

‘So it seems,’ she said.

As he left, she took the bag of groceries and took them to the side bench. Taking the cloth they had purchased, she wiped down the bench and starting making their sandwiches. It was her new beginning. Her new home. She guessed she should, if she could, get used to it. Still, as bizarre as it could be, there were possibly worse fates. Possibly.

The End

Dark Love XI: Days in Heaven

It was a time in her life when, Kristen looking back, despite the very fact that she really was in truth a prisoner, a time she could never possibly forget. Perhaps she fell in love with Kardos in those years. Perhaps. She never knew for sure, but it was certainly true later on.

It was a simple life, the first few years, living together, eating together, sleeping together. He wanted her most nights, and bemoaned the lack of children. But then it happened, late in September, as the days were getting cooler, the bump in her belly becoming obvious. She was with child.

‘What shall we name it?’ she asked, excited.

‘If it is a Vampire, I will name it. But if it is human, then I don’t mind you giving it its name.’

She smiled at that. Really, a human baby girl is what she wanted. That would be – perfect.

She spent many days at the lake and then, late one night, feeling the pains too much almost to bear, the child was born, and Kardos was relieved. It was a girl, like Kristen wanted, but Kardos could tell. He smelled the child and knew. It was of his kind.

They were a family, then, and as the child grew, looking more and more like its mother, they were possibly as happy as any normal family. Possibly. And then she fell pregnant again, and this time a boy. But human. Most definitely human, Kardos claimed. Of no real use to him, apart from being his seed in some way.

They were promised a decade and it came and went and, as Magenta turned 7 and Roary turned 5, they were as happy as Kristen supposed she could be. But darkness was to return. Darkness and dark choices, ones hoped forgotten, but always there, at the edge of the night, watching, waiting. And time for dark memories to be awakened once again to the power of the night.

The End

Dark Love XII: Myantea’s Vengeance

‘Remember, don’t harm the girl. And if you harm the boy, well, Kardos will probably be pissed enough to kill you for good.’

Myantea ignored Helgard’s words. He wouldn’t kill the boy, but he would have his fun.

* * *

‘Who, who are you?’ asked Roary innocently at the two strange looking men at the door. ‘Is your sister here?’

Magenta wandered into view and the men came inside, pushing open the locked screen door, grabbed the children, and returned to the vehicle.

Just then Kristen returned from gathering mushrooms in the forest and noticed the men. And then she noticed they had her children and she screamed.

Kardos came running but it was too late. The car sped off and Kristen was in tears. He ran to the car, but the tires were slashed and in frustration, yelling obscenities, he kicked the car.

Looking over to his bride he came over, put his arms around her, and said, ‘You knew this day would come. They won’t harm them, ok. But this is Darkthorn’s way of telling me it is time to return. I won’t ask you to come with me, but if we are to be a family then you will know what to do.’

‘I will come,’ she said, and that was that.

He left her, going inside, and Jovius stepped out of the shadows to speak to her.

‘He has a temptation coming, Kristen,’ who was shocked to see the angel once more. ‘I can’t tell you what to do, but do the right thing, ok,’ and he was gone, back into the shadows.

Four hours later, the mechanic having been paid for replacing the tires, having been paid quite a hefty sum from his midnight work, they were away. Headed south. Headed home, in a way. Kristen looked out the window as the dawn approached she shuddered at once more coming into the presence of Darkthorn, the man who had taken her from her life and dreams. But what of Kardos’ temptation. What exactly would that be all about? She let her mind wander and gradually drifted off to sleep as Kardos stared blankly ahead, his mind on his children.

The End

Dark Love XIII: Dark Choices

They entered Brightfire, the two of them, and came into the familiar entrance hall, a number of Vampires seated around, gazing at them, nodding at the familiar scent. Shortly a Vampire came forward, indicated for them to follow him, and they came up stairs to Darkthorn’s den. And when they entered there were the children. Kristen ran forward, put her arms protectively around them, and gazed up at Darkthorn.

‘They are just getting to know their grandfather, Kristen. Don’t worry. I would never hurt them.’

‘You’re not their grandfather. You never could be,’ she hissed.

‘Oh, but I am. Isn’t that right Kardos.’

Kardos said nothing, but after a while nodded grimly.

‘I am glad you are now back with us, Kardos. And I already have your first assignment. There is a human. The daughter of a senator. I have chosen her to become one of us. She will be – useful – in our plans.’ He handed him a file, which Kardos reluctantly picked up and glanced through.

‘Have no fears, son. Your wife and children will be safe with us. This is their new home, after all. Isn’t that right, Kristen?’

She looked at Darkthorn, gripped her children tightly and looked at Kardos. And defiantly she spoke. ‘So is this it, then? You will serve him? You will voluntarily serve him?’

‘I, I have no choice. My father entered into agreement with him. Our family honour is at stake.’

She stared at him, ready to insult his honour, but realized she loved him then. She realized it looking at him, the man who had become her husband in reality. She turned to Darkthorn, hating the very face, but nodded. ‘Very well. I will stay. You will have your family, Darkthorn.’

‘A wise choice, child. Or should I say, daughter.’

And he laughed, a mild, but dark laugh. A dark, wicked laugh.

The End

Dark Love XIV: The Second Temptation

When he bit deeply into the woman’s neck and ensured the daughter of the state senator would be one of them, he sensed a spirit. A scent, familiar. And suddenly, out on the beach, Jezebel appeared. Once more. She was naked, and the girl looked at her. ‘Hey, honey, he’s taken ok.’

‘Why don’t we lie together. All three of us. We could have a wicked time.’

And she came forward and took his manhood and he was overcome. The girl was excited also, and he knew he was falling into a world of darkness, and his Vampiric blood rose in him, and he bared his teeth, and the girl screamed.

‘Take her,’ yelled Jezebel. ‘Kill her. Claim your prize.’ And the beast within Kardos succumbed, and Jezebel grinned madly. From the shadows Jovius watched on, and made a cut into a piece of wood. One each, now. The final temptation would decide the wager. He would have to keep faith in love to see his sovereigns.

The End

Dark Love XV

Darkthorn was only mildly upset, but later in the day, happy with Jezebel’s successful temptation, he decided that he could indeed use his new abode soon. Goldenhorn was such a place of delight, and boasting against Beleriand for the next millennium such a temptation, that he could wait no longer. Time to bring the testing of Kardos to completion.

* * *

They were naked. Several of them. Female, all between 16 and 20. Bloned. Lusty. Perfect. Darkthorn sat on his throne with Kristen by his side and Kardos was brought into the room. ‘What is this?’ asked Kardos, and Jezebel suddenly appeared. And then, stepping out of the light, Jovius. He looked at Darkthorn and spoke. ‘Beleriand will honour his wager. I assume you will?’ Darkthorn nodded.

Jezebel came forward and put her hand to Kardos crotch. ‘These women. Look at them. They are so young. So delectable. And your bride over there. She is surely past her youth, Kardos. She has given you seed, but what more do you need her? She is only human, nothing more. She is no mate for you, after. What can a mortal possibly offer you. So feast with me, child of darkness. Feast upon this nubile flesh, and enjoy your carnal pleasures. And we will toast hell and live for what are made. For it is our destiny, Kardos. We are Vampire, and nothing more. And to devour such flesh, well this is what we are made for, is it not.

And he nodded, and took to the floor, and grabbed one of the drugged blondes and put his mouth to her neck. But then, just then, he looked at them. He looked at the Angel, a stick and knife in his hand, waiting upon something. And he looked at Jezebel, grinning wildly, and he looked at Darkthorn, with his grim satisfaction. And finally, he looked at Kristen. He looked at the bride he had claimed and then found something within. A quiet, still, gentle voice. A voice saying ‘Why not give Love a chance.’ And finding within him love for Kristen he put the woman away from him and came over to his bride. He took her hand and cradled her in his arms. And he kissed her.

Jovius cut the marking into the piece of wood and walked over to Darkthorn. He handed the wood to him and Darkthorn looked at the cuts. 2 to 1 against him.

‘You WILL honour the wager, won’t you?’

Darkthorn looked bitterly at the angel, but his honour was everything.

‘I will need a few months to finalise things. But Beleriand will have his prize. I am, after all, a man of honour.’

‘Good to hear,’ said Jovius. He walked over to Kardos, patted him on the back and turned to Kristen. ‘Funny thing, love. Funny. It sometimes gets it right. Sometimes when you expect it the least.’

She nodded, holding her man still.

The angel took one last look at the group and turned, returning to the shadows, while Darkthorn sat upon his throne, looking ever so glum.

Eventually the dark lord spoke. ‘We are bound for Celestever, Kardos. But you are a bane to me. A bane to my life. You have your freedom. Do what you will. You are no child of mine.’

Kristen looked at Darkthorn, suddenly making sense of what he said, and turned to Kardos. ‘We. We are free. We are free.’

He pulled her close, and kissed her once more. ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘And perhaps love is enough in the end. Perhaps even Dark Love is enough.’ And she nodded.

They left Brightfire with their children and returned north. And as the years passed and they heard no more of Darkthorn, they grew to love each other. And love born of darkness, so Kristen presumed, was still love. No matter how tainted it may seem to some.

The End

Angels of Love

Darker Love

Darker Love I

The Dark has a power to it. I don’t know. You know. Really. I don’t know what to call it, but the dark has a power which has always attracted a certain type of person. The type of person who don’t exactly fit into your white picket fences and good wholesome Christian type of scene. But, hey, I am relating on human terms, aren’t I. In angelic terms the realities are a hell of a lot more severe. I’m Jovius. Angel of God, servant of the Lord of Glory, agent of the Most …….. well, you get the point. I am an older angel, now, I guess. Considering the age since Phanuel was born I am in the top half. So, what I am saying is, well, I’ve seen a lot. A lot of shit in my time. A lot of good, and a hell of a whole lot of bad. There was this recent encounter, a task I’d taken, a testing, and I made the money too. But this encounter with a couple of young lovers sort of restored my faith in the bigger picture somewhat. And they are still together, those two, living out their lives. Trying to be happy. But while that encounter showed the power of Dark Love, there is an even more grim and gritty encounter in which the bonds of the most glorious of virtues was put to a severe testing, perhaps too much for mortal man. Well, fuckit, now that I have got you interested, here is that story………….

* * * * *

‘Satan! Are you fucking kidding? No, I don’t fucking worship Satan.’

‘Watch your language Miss Jones. I’ll have you at the Principals office with words such as those. Well, some of the students are talking. They say you have been suggesting the formation of a coven for the worship of evil. I must tell you such things are firmly against school policy. We are a liberally minded High School, dear Samantha, but worship of the Devil is pushing it. Please ensure all such nonsense ceases.’

‘But I never said those..’

Mr Jenkins interrupted her. ‘Just make sure you don’t.’ He gave her one last stern look and departed.

She sat there, pissed off in the extreme that someone had blabbed and told what she was up to, but that was probably inevitable anyway. You didn’t form a coven in a British High School and expect nobody to talk.

Later on that day Samantha was walking home after school, Evanescence playing on her iPod, lost in her own little world, when Jason spied her again. He was with his friend Arthur, who hated Goth girls with a passion, but Jason was curious.

‘Why the fuck you looking at her? Don’t get messed up with that scene, Jas.’

But Jason continued staring and as Samantha walked past he smiled at her. She gave the faintest smile back and continued on.

‘She’s cute,’ said Jason.

‘You’re nuts,’ responded Arthur.

The following day at school Jason found Samantha in the playground. She sat alone, as normal, with her Raven black hair with a streak of hot pink, headphones on, looking as unwelcoming as possible. Yet, when he kicked the bottom of her shoe to introduce himself she looked up and smiled. Slowly she took off her headphones.

‘Uh, Hi Samantha,’ he said.

‘Hi. Jason, isn’t it. You’re a year ahead of me, aren’t you?’

‘Yeh. So,’ he said, looking around. ‘What you up to.’

‘Just listening to music. You know, no friends here. Nobody likes me. But I don’t care. Amy Lee loves me, and that is all the love I need.’

‘And who is she?’

‘Don’t you know?’

‘No,’ he said, shaking his head.

She smiled.

‘Sit down, Jason.’

He sat, looked at her and smiled warmly, and turned frontwards, not saying much after that.

They sat together for the rest of the lunch period. He didn’t say anything. Perhaps, she thought, he didn’t need to. It was obvious he was interested. And, so she felt, he was attractive enough for her. It would be interesting to see what would come of this.

The End of Chapter One

Darker Love II: A New Friendship

‘That,’ she said, pointing to a poster on the wall of a Raven haired beauty, surrounded by some fearsome looking men, ‘Is Amy Lee.’

‘And who is she then?’ asked Jason.

‘A Goddess. Her band is Evanescence, and they are simply divine.’

‘She looks a lot like you,’ he said.

‘Thank you,’ she purred in response.

‘So you’re into Emo, are you?’ he queried.

‘Not really sure if Emo is the best word,’ she responded. ‘I mean, I like Evanescence, but they are more of a hard rock or soft metal type of band. They have a darker image which I love, but I am not sure if they are classically Emo. But probably. Oh, and I love Vertigo comics from DC. I have thousands of them and read them all.’

‘Vertigo comics,’ huh. ‘But don’t DC do Superman and Batman and the superhero stuff?’

‘Yeh, my younger brother reads that stuff. Too juvenile for me. But they have a sub label of Vertigo comics which produces supernatural and sort of alternative kind of stuff for mature readers. It is my scene 100%.’

Jason was a bit embarrassed, as he had a whole collection of Superman comics, but said nothing.

‘So do you think it is your natural scene, this dark stuff, or do you have another side?’

She bit into an apple, offered it too him, but he said no, and finally responded.

‘Yes, I do have another side, I suppose. The more regular Samantha Jones who does her homework, and eats her dinner, and even talks to her family when they seem sane enough. But I have a scene – an identity – I suppose an alternative identity, and it is were I fit in the world. I mean, I suppose I will have to get a regular job when I get older like everyone else, and fit in, but….. Well…. I’m different, ok. I don’t fit in with the norm. I am, like, well…. Other. Perhaps not even of this earth.’

He laughed. She sounded deep. As if she had considered things of the supernatural.’

‘So, do you believe in God or the Devil?’ he asked, grinning slightly.

She said nothing but looked squarely at him. ‘BOTH!’ she responded quite firmly.

‘Cool,’ he said, not wanting to look like a dork.

They chatted on that afternoon until Samantha’s mother and father arrived home from work about the same time. They both seemed to like Jason, and Samantha could sense her mother’s approval for a more normal boy, which bothered her somewhat, but she just reminded herself that such was the way her mother way. It was a new friendship born that afternoon, one which progressed to a new level quite quickly. Quite dramatically and quickly.

Darker Love III: An Encounter with Darkness

‘Look, Samantha. Are you really sure about this. I mean, summoning the Devil is a pretty big deal. What if he shows?’

‘You’re not scared are you?’

‘Hell no.’

‘Then don’t worry. He will have to stay within the confines of the pentagram. We should be fine. The candles are anointed with holy water blessed by a catholic bishop, so we should be fine.’

‘If you say so,’ responded Jason, but the doubt in his voice was apparent.

She dimmed the lights, lit the candles at the five corners of the pentagram, and began speaking. ‘Lord of Darkness, Lord of Fowl. Lord Satan, come, do our bidding.’

Nothing happened for a moment, and Jason was about to say it didn’t work, when suddenly there was a howling wind like sound, and then a shadowy figure appeared in the centre of the pentagram.’

‘Bitch. Why the candles? Surely you trust me?’, but she knew the Devil was only trying to escape.

‘Satan. We will offer you our souls on this condition – grant us riches beyond counting, fame beyond measure, and power to rule the world.’

‘All that work just for your souls?’ queried Satan. ‘I think you are asking too much.’

Samantha did not know what to say.

‘Well, ok. Just make us rich. That will do.’

The figure seemed to be thinking it over, but eventually nodded. ‘Ok. Sign this.’ Suddenly a scroll came forth with a contract – they both read it, and while Jason looked apprehensive, he still signed with a pen the Devil provided.’

Satan looked over the document, smiled to himself, and said ‘And how long before you want these riches?’

‘As soon as possible,’ said Samantha.

‘Ok. I’ll see to it personally,’ and then he was gone, and the two teenage children had an intense look on their faces.

‘We just sold our souls to the Devil,’ said Jason.

‘Relax,’ said Samantha. ‘I am pretty sure he will never get them.’

‘And why is that?’ queried Jason.

‘Because we’re pretty good kids. ‘The Devil can only claim you if you have been bad enough in the end, no matter what we sign.’

‘Then you are hoping to sucker him?’

‘Pretty much. I figure its worth a try.’

Jason nodded, hoping that she was right. And then thinking on the possible riches he let himself assume she was, and got lost in fantasies of obscene wealth.

Darker Love IV: Riches Beyond Counting

Jason looked at his mother, totally shocked. ‘What did you say?’

‘We’ll never have to work again, dear Jason. We’ve won the bloody European lottery. 20 million euros. We’re rich.’

‘For fuck’s sake,’ swore Jason under his breath.

* * *

‘And why are we celebrating, dad?’ asked Samantha to her father.

‘Because the most lucrative contract in our lives has come through for our firm, sweetheart. We’ll be on easy street now, I tell you.’

‘Fuck,’ she swore under her breath.

* * *

Later on that week, both of them with ample spending money, they had booked into a hotel together to spend their lavish fortunes. The room was full of flowers and chocolates, and they were both on the bed, eating room service.

‘I could get to like this,’ said Jason.

Samantha, popping a chocolate into her mouth, responded ‘Tell me about it.’

They spent a few days together, not yet sleeping together, but drawing closer. They knew they had been blessed by the dark one’s interventions, and they knew there would be a cost, but for the moment they didn’t care. They were young, rich, and possibly in love – really, nothing else mattered. Nothing else could possibly go wrong – or could it.

Darker Love V: A Contract for Jovius

Jovius sat on his bar stool, sinking down yet another ale in a night long drinking session. Bartivael was sitting next to him, just a bit ahead in their yearly competition, swearing this year he would take Jovius. Jovius knew better.

‘You know, Jo…hic. You’re a wunnderful person.’

‘You’re slurring your speech, Barty.’

‘I knowww. I think you mite win agnnnn.’

‘You can never hold your shots after 30 rounds. Not cut out for it, I think,’ said the still looking sober Jovius.

‘You’re a hell of a guuuuuuuuuyyyyy, Jooooooooo…………,’ but he had slumped in his stool, snoring on the bar.

‘Here’s to you, Bart,’ said Jovius, taking the 3 Golden Sovereigns as the wager on the bar in front of him.

‘See you next year, friend.’ And then he was gone, out of the bar, off to his nearby hotel.

* * * * *

‘Redemption, huh?’

‘I know, Jovius. Not really your scene. But the two of them are up shit creek without a paddle, so they really could use your divine graces.’

‘What’s the score?’

‘They entered into an arrangement with the dark ones. Wealth for their souls – a typical arrangement.’

‘Will God honour the agreement?’

‘That depends on your work and results. We have certain loopholes, and in the end if they are simply not wicked enough they will make it through regardless. But Satan has a stranglehold on these souls – they trust him somewhat. You’re job is to get some common sense into them before it is too late.’

‘Right,’ responded Jovius,’ lighting another cigarette. ‘And the fee? The standard rates for a successful mission?’

‘We know you like the golden sovereigns, so give us a successful outcome in a few years of signs of repentance, and you will get a generous handout. Apart from that, full payment on the souls reaching heaven. Standard arrangement.’

‘Sound’s good. I’ll sign.’

Jovius took up the pen and signed the contract the guardian-of-souls department officer handed him. Interesting work, and potentially challenging. But hey, he was used to the grim and gritty ones as these kids seemed. Ran right up his alley, usually.

Darker Love VI: Living the High Life

4 years together, Jason and Samantha drew together, slept together and laughed together. There fortunes were good and, as they completed their schooling, they both looked forward to a life of good fortune together. Yet something, slowly, inevitably, happened to their hearts. They began to trust the darkness. They began to trust the anti-life, the ways of the underworld. They gathered together occasionally and summoned dark spirits, signing contracts for luxuries, asking for this and that, and seeking as much of the passionate and hedonistic life that they could afford. And while they never turned bitter or evil in all their lustings, slowly they were turning away from the light, into the ways of the children of the dark. Justifying more and more evil, justifying to themselves more and more excuses for their lavish ways, justifying to themselves the heir of kingship over humanity, as it were, with no true thought to the hearts of others, with no true thoughts to the feelings of the hearts of men.

And, through their summonings, and their dark wedding together, they sought political power over their nation. They both stood for elections and, with the power of the darkness growing through England, they gained support and became prominent politicians. It was a dark period for the nation, and while the economy was faring well enough, there was a spirit upon the people – a spirit of fear, of caution, of worry. A spirit, really, truly, not that holy.

* * * * *

‘These days work sucks, mate. I don’t know. It seems as if all the joy I had in younger years from doing the daily shit is gone. Nobody seems to give a crap about life these days. As if there is no point. As if it is a load of shit, going nowhere, and without any purpose or plan.’

The man, sitting next to Jovius in his human form in a bar in southern London, went on chatting about the current woes of England, the current woes of a nation drawing towards a fateful encounter with evil.

‘And to make things worse,’ continued the man, ‘my wife won’t give me any anymore. Says she wants to leave me, find another guy, play the field. No fucking loyalty in woman anymore.’

‘Not that men are that much better, huh,’ interjected Jovius.

‘Yeh, I guess,’ responded the fellow.

They continued chatting for a while and, as he left the bar, heading for a certain political couples abode to continue his mission, Jovius felt something of that spirit in the nation upon him. And while Jovius was a bit of a devil in his heart for many a long year, he could honestly say it was not the kind of spirit he really had that much of a fascination with.

* * * * *

Jason looked at the briefcase, with the angel Jovius invisible in the room, hovering above him, looking at him. Jason opened the briefcase, looked at all the cash, and smiled. Yet another bribe. Yet another shitload of money for some dirty politics. Times were good.

Jovius was used to this from the two of them. Living the high life from the wages of iniquity. So far he had used a number of tactics to try and get to them. Encourage, guilt, rebuke etc. And while he sensed at times that he might be winning the battle, he knew he would eventually have to get serious or lose his contract. Something was needed. Some grand move in this game of chess with the lives of two once innocents.

Darker Love VII: The Offer

Satan sat in hell, watching TV, smoking, looking at the news. Hell news. Depression was up in the UK at the moment, and suicide had reached epic levels. Crime was on the increase, and drunken and disorderly was rampant. ‘Excellent’, he thought to himself. ‘Time to make an offer those kids can’t refuse.’

* * * * *

‘Yes, master Jason. The top slot. We can guarantee this to you.’

‘And the trade off?’

‘Let the economy slide. Promote tension amongst foreign nations. Appoint corrupt judges. Dictate to the people whatever your heart desires.’

‘Sounds good,’ responded Jason, and signed the new contract.

4 months later he was Prime Minister, revelling in his glory, and beginning his fowl works for the dark lord.

* * * * *

It was Samantha who first noticed the fowl smell coming from the lounge room. She walked in, at 10 Downing Street, and saw a plump little red demon, smelling awful, sitting there, looking at gay pornography.

‘What the hell are you doing here? Get the hell out.’

‘Hey, bitch. We own you now. I am Satan’s main man here. Now shut the fuck up and let me read in peace.’

She stared at him, utterly annoyed, and went in to complain to her husband.

‘I don’t think there is much we can do about that now, Sammy. I signed the contract, and their presence is the pay off. We will just have to make do.

‘Fine,’ she said, completely annoyed.

Jovius was watching on. Time to try a new move.

‘There just going to get worse, you know, Jas. There just going to take more and more of your life. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. You are still not that evil, son. Just corrupt as hell. So try repentance. Try a decent lifestyle. Try connecting to
God. Try doing the right thing.’

Jason sat on his couch, listening to his apparent conscience speak these words and, while he considered them for a while, he shook them off. No. Fuck that. He had come to far. No point in turning back now. He wanted his glory, and if it took the devil to give it to him, then to hell with the world. And to hell with God and all his fucking holy angels. To hell with them all.

Darker Love IX: Fowl Times

And, so it seemed to many, a dark shadow had crept across England. A dark, cold shadow of grim evil, of lost hope, of fowl temperament. The New Prime Minister was viewed as a beacon of hope by the populace, one to save them all. But, it seemed to some, no matter what faith they placed in him, things only got worse.

* * * * *

‘Yes. It is the British Guyana. The Most valuable stamp in the world. I was at Georgetown in Guyana in South America, were they had managed to acquire the stamp for a museum display temporarily. I contacted the owners of the stamp and purchased it. I promised them it would prove a long lasting and eternal asset to the United Kingdom.’

‘And what do you intend to do with the stamp,’ queried Samantha.

Jason smiled his wicked little smile, took the stamp out of the sealed plastic box and, grinning wildly, tore it up in little pieces.

‘You are evil, aren’t you?’ said Samantha, a sick little grin on her face.

‘It taketh one to knoweth one, dear wife of mine.’

Jovius, watching on, was disappointed. Yet again they had done another fowl deed. Jason had been in the habit of collecting rare paintings and destroying them. And while the Louvre had seriously considered his daunting offer for the Mona Lisa, in the end they had refused.

‘I guess we are evil, now,’ said Samantha.

‘I guess so,’ responded Jason. ‘And what would Amy Lee think?’

‘What indeed,’ said the wife of the Prime Minister.

Dark Love X: To Usurp the Crown

‘Clearly, clearly, clearly, it is time for us as a nation to move onwards. To move forwards. To let go of such outdated and archaic viewpoints as ‘Monarchy.’ Tbe English people have had enough, I tell you. They have had enough of serving a monarch which cares not for their best interests anyway. It is time for Cromwell to be reborn, and to advance our great nation into the future and what awaits us in our destiny.’

Jason looked around the house of commons as the clapping was intense. His dark lords would be pleased.

* * * * *

in her mind with a clear understanding of both her rights, privileges and responsibilities. Indeed, from childhood such things had been an impending reality. But the end of the monarchy? That was not expected so soon. Indeed, the family had been through many recent trials and tribulations, but there had been for a while the sense that the republican push was about over with. But, no. The Prime Minister, a Liberal Democrat, was ready to push for his agenda. New Britain. Advanced Britain. It sounded good in a politically correct kind of way, naturally. Such truth the Queen of England was well familiar with. Yet she knew, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, that the Kingdom of God was established through, as the Psalms spoke of, faithful stewards over God’s Empires, serving his Messiah, paying due homage, and watching over the welfare of all God’s children. Republic. Republic. Republic. America, now, built on its presidents. Were they wise? Did their form of democracy lead to stability and an enduring nation? Or did it, inevitably, lead to a continually reforming legal system, adapting to the sins of the day, unable to find proper and due commitment to a standard of behaviour eternally perfect and acceptable for all its concerned citizens. So much grief she had, at times, to the modern epidemic of lack of respect for the priests of her church, and for the lack of commitment in the heart of the empire. Secular values. Evolutionary theory dominant. False science hailed as the god of creation. What had they become, a once proud and strong people, devoted to God, serving him in justice and truth. What had they become?

This Prime Minister. He would need looking into. He would need examining. He would need to be put to the test.

Dark Love XI: Lies

“Does not wisdom teach us of the barbarity of serving a monarch? Does not wisdom teach us of the vanity of serving man? Does not common sense tell us all that we are all responsible to each other, but in the true spirit of liberal democracy, were each of us commits to a sensible law of the land, governed by our own choices of representatives, reflecting our own personal values and beliefs. Does not common sense dictate that such a truth – the truth of true democracy – should be the cornerstone of our very existence. The Monarchy is a barbarity of nature. A cruel device in which the most arrogant and powerful usurp the rights of others, to dominate them and insist on their way of life. Monarchy is dictatorship. Surely, had we not fought valiantly in the war, even the spectre of great evil, that Hitler fellow, would have pompously crowned himself king. Surely he would have done such a great evil. That is monarchy, I declare to you. For is it not true that only in a multitude of counsel, in wisdom from many voices, that truth is declared? Is that not the truth of politics? Let us get rid of this fowl house of Windsor. Let us get rid of this barbarity of nature, this abomination of true civilization, and embrace freedom. Embrace a way of life, not dictated to us by the hypocritical and religious concerns of a bigoted old religious fuddy duddy.”

And a cynical labour backbencher said ‘Amen’ and the laugh summed it up.

* * * * *

‘They fell for it,’ said Jason. Every last word. The monarchy is about dead, dear Samantha. Our lords will be pleased.

* * * * *

Later that month, Samantha had returned from a consultative committee into the abolishment of the monarchy. It had not gone well. Not gone well at all. She had spoken things which, ultimately, were just the voices of evil. Just the words of the dark ones, intended to dominate England and bring about woe. And for so long now she had not cared, and had not loved like she had finally come to understand, from the whispering voice in the back of her mind, that she should. She had betrayed herself.

Samantha sat in her arm chair, in the upper lounge of 10 Downing street, hating herself. What had she become? What had she become to say such horrible words of untruth about monarchy, about a perfectly decent Queen, about a political system which was in truth working quite well now for people. To say such horrible lies? Really, was there any decency left in her heart? Was there any true love still in the soul of Samantha Jones? What had she become?

Dark Love XII: The Wisdom of Jovius

Jovius sat in a bar, in human form, in a pub in southern London, thinking. This looked complicated, but hope had struck him right in the face. Samantha had repented. She had come to terms with the fact she was serving evil, and that she couldn’t do it anymore. That was a plus. But Jason was still stubborn. Still refusing to leave the dark alone. Still refusing to trust the light. How would he break through to them?

He sat thinking, and a demon showed up.

‘Well. Don’t sweat it Jovius. We supplied the fellow with plenty of good ideas. Standard Satanic democratic ideals. Just ask old Sandalphon about them. So don’t get your knickers in a knot, ok. Which is basically a way of saying, leave our kids alone. We have a fair contract. We are not violating our guidelines. We have not corrupted them sufficiently enough for you to be able to make the next move you are planning. We haven’t crossed that boundary yet.’

‘What is your point?’

‘You misunderstand us. Satan is a dedicated servant of freedom. Evil is a natural fruit of this. A normal fruit. Being alive is also about having the freedom and the right to choose evil, without being interfered with by others. I’ve gone softly with our two contractees because heaven objects so damn much, but give us a fucking break. We are only having a little fun. We won’t really, heh heh heh, insist on our contracts. We won’t. Come on, trust us. You can trust the devil, after all, can’t you? Pleaseeeee.’

Jovius looked at him, and right then, an angel born on the light side, but from the dark side, made a connection. Genesis 2. Good and evil. Fruit from that tree. Satan ate the lot. The whole bloody lot. Subtle, old and cunning. He knew this demon was using the good, but the apple, well, it was deliciously poisonous. Delicious and beautiful poison.

‘Go to hell,’ said Jovius. ‘Just go to fucking hell.’

And the demon looked at him, glared, and departed. It had lost this particular fight

Dark Love XII: Downfall

They found the child pornography and the illicit drugs in large quantities in his office. Jason had run into a door, bumped his head, and had been taken to hospital. p wardrobe to get his favourite scarf, and found the substances. There was also bestiality magazines, magazines on Satanism, and a USB drive. He put the USB drive into the PC, opened the one and only document on it which read ‘Destroying British Civilization’, which was a plan of essential evil to bring the Empire down to the ground. It didn’t seem to have a point to it. It didn’t seem to have a purpose. It seemed to be death and disorder – pure anarchy – just for the sake of it. Just for the hell of it. And the secretary then knew he served an evil Prime Minister.

* * * * *

The Prime Minister was exposed. All his sins were declared on National TV, and society was disquieted, annoyed, but silently relieved. A spirit had died in the land. A dead and decaying spirit. One which had been eating away at their decency, their chivalry of old. A spirit had made its final stand, and lost the battle. England had been saved.

* * * * *

Treason, amongst other crimes. He laid on his bed in his jail cell, staring at the ceiling. He was here for a while. He had failed. Life sucked now. Life sucked. Life sucked.

Dark Love XIV: Repentance

He was just a visitor. Just a man claiming to be a once close friend, and so they let him in. They let him, for some unknown reason, visit their fallen leader.

Jason looked at him. He seemed familiar.

Jovius spoke. ‘So what are you going to live for now? What else is there? What are you going to do with the days left to you? And what about your contract with the dark? They own you now, idiot. They own you now.’

Jason looked at him, and knew who it was. An angel of God. The one who had been speaking to him for years.

‘What is there to live for, angel? What is the fucking point? Who gives a fucking shit now.’

Jovius took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and walked around the room, pacing. He had a few things he could say now. A few things he could say. He had been thinking. He had been inspired. Something had come over him. Something about forgiveness and grace. Something about a second chance, even for the worst and most viscious of the scumbags of hell. Something about love.

He looked at Jason, took a note out of his pocket, came and put it on the table in front of him, and smiled at him.

And then he left. Nothing more to say.

It was 4 hours later, and Jason was still bored shitless. This place sucked. Man it fucking sucked. The note was sitting there. Staring at him. Insisting on itself. Insisting on itself. But then, deep in the heart of Jason, another ancient voice spoke to him. Well. Who are you really, then?

Jason stood, walked over to the jail cell door, and called for the guard.

‘Yes,’ said the wardsman.

‘I want to see my wife, ok. I want to see her.’

‘Fine,’ responded the wardsman.

He looked at the note, picked it up, and threw it in the rubbish. To hell with the angel. He was his own man. He would live by his own faith.

Dark Love XV: Salvation

Jovius sat in the bar, thinking things over. They didn’t seem to make sense. They didn’t seem right. Things were supposed to work a certain way in life, follow a certain pattern, and a certain spirit was supposed to be infallible. It was supposed to be. It was supposed to be.

And then, deep in the heart of Jovius, a little voice said to him. ‘Don’t be so fucking stupid mate.’ And that was enough said.

THE END of DARKER LOVE

Angels of Love

Darkest Love

Darkest Love I: Shaltoriana’s Justice

‘Sis. What the hell are you doing here?’ Jovius was dismayed. As an angel of God, he had numerous angelic brothers and sisters, in fact the numbers these days were quite mind boggling, but he always remembered the early crew, those born in antiquity, whom which he had developed a long relationship with. Shaltoriana the Cherubim angel was one such sister. A long time ago, when heaven was young, and the angels had done their thing, praising God with joy, and dancing around the clouds of heaven on wings of glory, singing happy alleluias to each other, full of the glory of the divine, Jovius and Shaltoriana had found each other, found love with each other, and been a tight-knit group of two angels, with the occasional third in the Seraphim Devuel, the three of them forming a friendship which had endured for a long time. And, of course, Luladiel. How could he ever forget Devuel’s twin sister Luladiel.

Shaltoriana smiled, sat down on the bar stool in a dismal looking pub in southern London, which seemed filled with the kind of lowlives who made the folk of Daigon alley look like the upper class. But that was Jovius, wasn’t it, thought Shaltoriana. Dwelling with the humble and lowly.

‘I am here, on a mission, dear brother of mine.’

Jovius smiled, indicated for the bartender, who asked Shaltoriana what her poison was, and she asked for an orange juice.

Sipping away she continued. ‘Heaven has a new mission for me. Really, in truth, an old mission. One entrusted too many who have gone before us, but one which the divine father thinks, now, is perhaps worth having another go at.’

Jovius sipped on his beer, looked straight at her, glad to see her familiar face, and bit. ‘What. What mission?’

‘Perhaps the oldest. The oldest of all. Redemption. Redemption of the master of all evil, the Lord of the fowl himself.’

Jovius nodded, took out a cigarette, lit it, and after puffing away for a few moments, spoke up. ‘Satan doesn’t give a shit, Shaltoriana. It is not his nature to in fact do so. I think, now, I am starting to understand were he is coming from. I think, now, after giving an encounter not that long ago a lot of thought, a lot of philosophy, that I am starting to understand what the hell motivates him half the time.’

Shaltoriana sipped on her orange juice, looked squarely at her brother and asked. ‘Well, what? In the wisdom of Jovius, what exactly is it that motivates the Devil. I am sure we are all anxious to find out.’

‘It’s the fucking rules, sis. God insisting upon them. Insisting on law and order, on holiness, on sanctification, on every fucker being a bloody saint, wether they actually like it or not. And, really, it aint the truth. It aint how we are made and, God forbid, he really should bloody know better.’

‘Is that what you think?’ she asked, sipping on her orange juice.

‘People get fed up with it, Shally. Being good all the bloody time. Always having to conform. Threatened with hellfire unless they are bloody perfect, like that Jesus fellow goes on about all the fucking time. For most people, Shaltoriana, we just don’t give a crap. There are more important things.’

Shaltoriana nodded. She sensed were her brother was coming from, and decided to respond in the fashion of justice which she had grown accustomed to.

‘The Rules of God ARE for our beneficence, even if we like them or not. They create a better society, a more just society, one in which people get along better in the end, by being more decent in their relations with each other. They are necessary rules to ensure we don’t end up killing each other. As simple as that.’

Jovius nodded. ‘Yep. I’ve heard all that before. I don’t buy it. Perhaps one rule, sis. Don’t fuck around with someone too much, or you’ll probably end up regretting it, is about the only rule which I think lasts in the real world. Otherwise, do whatever the hell you want, as I see it.’

‘You really are an angel from the dark side of the light side, aren’t you Jovius.’

‘You know me,’ he responded.

‘Mmm, yes I do,’ she said, sipping on her juice again. ‘Well, whatever your current theological philosophies, we have a mission for you. If you will accept the terms.’

‘Spill,’ he responded.

‘I myself have been challenged to show the dark lord that the divine one will forgive him and restore him to the heavenlies, should he at last acknowledge the sovereignty of God and the power of love. I simply need a protector and bodyguard to accompany me on my persuasions. Satan respects you, as bizarre as that may sound, and is less likely to severely bother me with you there. Payment is 1000 Golden Sovereigns, part of the Limited Edition print run produced in the 1980s to celebrate Phanuel’s birthday.’

‘Hey, there were only 5,000 of those, weren’t there?’

‘Yes. Phanuel has been holding on to about 2000 of them, and will grant them to you for this mission. They are quite valuable, now, as you probably know.’

Jovius sipped on his beer, and nodded. ‘Sounds good,’ he responded. ‘Were do I sign?’

‘A verbal contract will do fine. You have a good reputation of honouring these things.’

‘Then when do we start sweetie.’

‘Soon. I will return within a week, and then we travel to hell to engage the dark lord in a series of conversations. He is aware that I will be coming and has not objected.’

‘Then here is to the redemption of evil,’ responded Jovius, lifting his beer. Shaltoriana smiled and responded, ‘I guess I can drink to that. But don’t let it go to your head,’ she responded, tipping her glass against his, and finishing off her juice.

Later that evening, back at his hotel suite, Jovius smiled to himself. 2000 bloody Golden Sovereigns – a real boost in his collection, and valuable ones as well. He had been collecting them slowly for quite a while now, and could well and truly boast to his other collector friends about his new wealth once acquired. Yet, of course, the mission awaited. And while he could well imagine the redemption of the devil may be a popular agenda of he who was, the actual success of the task by his sister Shaltoriana he imagined was just a dream of good intentions. After all, what could possibly redeem the most evil being in existence? What indeed.

Darkest Love II: The Road to Hell

Jovius looked at the Lightmobile. It seemed like quite a new model, one he hadn’t seen before.

‘What’s with the wheels?’ he asked Shaltoriana.

‘Oh, you noticed.’ She smiled to herself. It was great when they noticed. ‘Ok, truthfully, its not mine. Its actually one of Phanuel’s. He lent it to me for this mission.’

‘Its pretty swish looking,’ responded Jovius.

‘Just wait till you drive it,’ she responded.

‘Seriously?’

‘Sure. You can drive. I know you want to.’

‘Awesome,’ responded Jovius, jumping into the driver’s seat.

Inside it was all plush looking, as if it had cost a literal fortune to produce, and when Jovius hit the ‘Engage’ button to start the thing, she seemed to hum like an angel itself.

‘It has UPS Instinctive Awareness’, said Shaltoriana.

‘Uh?’ queried Jovius.

‘Universal Positioning Service Instinctive Awareness. You tell it were you want to go, and while you are doing the driving, it will instinctively correct you if it feels it needs to.’

‘You mean its alive?’ he asked bewildered.

‘Not exactly. Just very advanced technology. James. We are going to Hell. To Satan’s residence.’

A voice spoke inside the Lightmobile. ‘Yes Miss Shaltoriana.’

‘Fuck, it speaks,’ swore Jovius. Shaltoriana almost giggled.

‘James. This is Jovius. He will be driving you today.’

‘Greetings master Jovius,’ said the Car.

‘Uh, yeh. Hi,’ responded Jovius.

‘Shall we get going then?’ the car asked.

‘If you insist,’ responded Jovius.

The Lightmobile gradually took off and, soon, Jovius had his foot on the accelerator, now invisible to other London Residents, and was making his way skywards to the nearest Jump Gate.

‘Hey, it runs bloody smoothly,’ said Jovius.

‘Considering how much it cost to produce, it better,’ responded Shaltoriana.

Soon they were well into the sky, approaching the Jump Gate of London, a place frequented quite a lot considering the cities large population of guardian angels and various devil’s who occasionally had access. Other Lightmobile's gradually came into view and soon they neared the Jump Gate.

‘Shall I access the Jump Gate?’ James asked.

‘Uh, sure,’ responded Jovius.

The Lightmobile travelled forward towards a large metallic looking circular object in the sky, which glowed inwards in a hazy fashion. Some lights flashed on the Lightmobile’s panel and James spoke again. ‘We are ready to enter.’

‘Go for it,’ said Jovius, and the Lightmobile lurched forwards and entered the Jump Gate.

Suddenly they seemed to be travelling through something akin to a wormhole, with hyperspace effects all around. The trip didn’t take long though, and about 30 seconds later they suddenly emerged through another Jump Gate into a large cavernous scape, a gloomy cloudy red hanging through the atmosphere everywhere, the sky literally a haunting scarlett in colour, with demons seen flying around even at there height, and the landscape down below the traditional hell which Jovius knew all so well.

‘We’re there,’ Jovius said to Shaltoriana.

‘I can see that,’ she responded. ‘Now to Satan’s place. He is expecting us, and while I can’t guarantee any great hospitality, he is still something of an honourable being when it is in his own best interests.

‘How are you guaranteeing that, then?’ asked Jovius.

‘We bribed him. A host of luxury goods he is not normally entitled to in Hell. Stuff which just dissolves here. Certain divine foods and drinks, and certain drugs which he will like.’

‘Bribery?’ asked Jovius suspiciously. ‘Heaven has resorted to bribing the Devil to get its way?’

‘Don’t start,’ she said flatly. ‘We have had this problem with evil for so bloody long that drastic measures are just sometimes absolutely necessary to get our job done. Phanuel’s has had enough moral dilemmas over it, but we saw no other way. Satan usually laughs at us otherwise.’

‘Right,’ said Jovius, surprised by Heaven’s new flexible policies.

They continued along, flying over the landscape and, soon, they started approaching a large city structure on the domain beneath them.

‘Hell Central,’ said James. ‘Satan’s abode is in the centre.’

‘Then guide us home,’ said Shaltoriana.

‘Yes, do,’ said Jovius, readying himself for yet another encounter with the Lord of the Dark, an old foe he knew oh so very well.

Darkest Love III: Hell’s New Paradigm

Hell has a reputation. But most people have a fair idea about that much anyway. Suffice to say that the home of the damned housed quite an array of interesting people, those with a penchant for the darkness, rebellion and things of evil in general. Having said that, it was quite ironic that Satan himself, Lord over the vast underworld dominion of the damned, ran a tight ship. Hell had something of an infrastructure of a transport system, necessary for carting things here and there, and while Lightmobile’s came at a premium for the children of evil, on the surface of hell the dark lord had long ago begun construction on vehicles, powered by various gas fuels which hell had an abundance of, which littered the roads here and there.

The average citizen of hell could, in fact, be potentially quite evil and nasty if they wanted to. But, in many respects, the human members of hell were still representative of the human race to a degree – their essential nature hadn’t really changed terribly, despite being found sentenced to the underworld for eternity upon their judgement.

Thus, as strange as it may sound, there was an organized factor in hell, were people still lived lives, albeit usually quite depressing and maddened by the other inhabitants, but pastimes had become popular, things they could do with the material hell had to offer, and lives were still, ultimately, lived. Even the damned, in God’s divine plan, still had some privileges.

Water was a fearsomely scarce commodity, and while it was now rationed to end the endless arguments, the supply which God provided for the citizens of hell was still quite minimal. You now had enough to drink, as a citizen of hell, to keep you hydrated. Phanuel had finally agreed, not that long ago, that in their eternal sufferings, mercy still had a place for those who showed some care, even in their damned state. Thus people were given just enough to drink each day, and perhaps wash their bodies every other day. The rationing had become necessary as, while many an evil demon or human would happily kill another resident of hell, should their spirits be able to be killed, the sheer endless squabbling had forced Satan to ensure things were run smoothly. Former public servants had been put in charge of this job.

Also, vehicles were made for people to get here and there, and a whole assortment of various buildings had shot up in the last few hundred years with the increasing population and simple fact that some of the damned cared enough about themselves – still – to work for a decent place to at least rest in their miseries.

In the old days you sat on a plain, avoiding the lava pits, occasionally suffering a demon’s attack. Those were the old days. Strangel and ironically things had progressed.

It was not that Satan wanted order – he was the father of evil after all – it was just that Satan’s age long melancholy was not simply based on evil, but on rejection of actually giving a damn. And so malaised had he become in this that, in recent centuries, he didn’t even care that much if someone in hell wanted to push a positive agenda. He just didn’t really care either way. Not so much evil as the opposite of good, but apathy now. Who gives a damn had become the philosophy of the devil – actual promotion of evil just took too much damn effort.

And so order had entered hell, ironically, and in charge of all this were some of the ancient damned souls who, seemingly, had finally started getting over some of their wickedness, desiring a better quality of life, and bothered enough now to work for it.

This, of course, was some of the motivating factor behind Shaltoriana’s mission here, so she had been explaining to Jovius. If Satan no longer gave a damn, perhaps, just perhaps, he could be persuaded to choose more goodness simply because it didn’t really matter to him either way anyway. That was the current logic of heaven.

The Lightmobile neared 666 Hellfire Avenue, Satan’s monstrous abode, settled down out the front in the parking lot, which was strangely neatly organised and Jovius, carrying a special weapon with him, suitable for his purposes here, motioned for Shaltoriana to get out.

‘Well, we are here,’ he said.

‘Yes, we are,’ she responded. ‘Now, when we are admitted into his presence I am pretty sure you won’t need to say or do anything, really. Just watch him and those around him. But I doubt he will say much to you. He has agreed – in principle – to a series of debates, providing we supply the delicacies he specified. So we are here for one week and, hopefully, we can present the case of heaven to, maybe, a more receptive old devil.’

‘I don’t fancy your chances,’ stated Jovius honestly. ‘But you never know these days.’

‘No you don’t,’ responded the female Cherubim, ready for her bravest hour.

Darkest Love IV: The Mockery of the Devil

Jovius gazed upon the dark Lord. Really, he hadn’t changed that much. Same old horns which were more prominent the further into hell you found him, and here was the centre so they were looking terribly magnificent indeed. He was a rich red in skin colour, and sat on a fierce and proud looking throne, embellished with spikes and gargoyle heads and features of other fowl creatures, truly looking darkly impressive. Hey, he was the old Devil – he had a reputation to maintain.

The devil motioned for Shaltoriana to sit on the seat provided for her by a demonic servant who had been in the throneroom since they entered, and Jovius stood at the back of the room, eying the devil, watching over his client.

‘Satan,’ began Shaltoriana. ‘We know, so well, you are the lord of darkness. That you have chosen rebellion against the divine Lord as your way of life, and that in all eternity, since your fall, this has not changed.’

Satan eyed the angel, but did not respond. He motioned for the servant to fill his mug and, drinking whatever fowl concoction passed for alcohol in hell, he waved his hand signalling that Shaltoriana should continue.

‘We are aware, Satan, that you have become less bothered, in recent centuries, about your former viewpoints. That evil, as a way of life, no longer has the pull it once had on your being. That you no longer crave such fowl malevolence as you did in the heights of your youth.’

‘You bore me, Shaltoriana,’ responded the Devil. ‘Do you not have anything of real interest to say?’

Shaltoriana took that in her stride. What else could you expect from the dark one.

‘To cut it short then, as you so desire, we are aware that you are no longer of the way of life – the way of evil – as you once represented. That, now, things are perhaps, how shall we put it, negotiable.’

The devil stood, drew up his robes, and laughed. ‘Goodness me, the wisdom of Shaltoriana, angel of God. She thinks things have changed because of a slack period. That the Devil has lost his charms. That he, dare they hope I say it, has repented. What say you to that, citizens of hell?’

Around the room, in dark cubicles, dark voices laughed and mocked, but soon fell silent as soon as Satan signalled for it.

The fowl one gazed at Shaltoriana. ‘Things have not changed, angel of God. Things will never change. I am in a malaise, that is all. One day I shall indeed recover, and heaven best beware my wrath.’ He gazed at her, but there was something in his expression, an expression of faint despair, the expression of one who had, after an eternity of evil, reached a breaking point. An expression of a desire for a touch of light.

Shaltoriana noted that expression, and continued, carefully.

‘Heaven has much to offer those who choose repentance. It always has.’

The devil did not comment, but continued glaring at her.

‘These delicacies which we shall provide for you at the conclusion of our discussions are just a shadow of the greater realities. The greater realities of God’s love.’

Again, the devil did not comment.

‘For in heaven, you shall find, at last, the peace of mind that eludes your soul. Only in heaven’s embrace can this be found. This you know. This your former glory still understands.

The devil looked at her, and finally spoke. ‘Is that it then? An offer of truce?’

Shaltoriana said nothing.

The devil looked at her, thought on speaking a word, but thought better of it. Then he stood. ‘We shall speak again tomorrow. I have a headache. Now go, be gone. Find your accommodation in the city somewhere – I do not want you around when I sleep.’

‘As you wish,’ responded Shaltoriana, who withdrew, backing away, and signalled for Jovius to accompany her.

‘That didn’t exactly go to plan I guess,’ said Jovius.

‘It’s a start,’ responded Shaltoriana. ‘Perhaps tomorrow we may make better progress.’

‘You are a hopeful one,’ responded Jovius, but he did have his doubts.

Darkest Love V: The Problem of Evil

Jovius sat in the corner of the dimly lit room, a room which seemed to smell of evil. But that was hell in general – it reeked of wickedness. He was seated upon a quite grand looking old chair, made of a solid rock like substance, with a meshy plastic covering to soften the rock base. That was hell in general – just the stuff they could manufacture, usually, out of basic dirt. Dirt – the Serpents food – he didn’t have much else in the end to work with. Apparently the plastic-like products were developed by an expert scientist in the field, who had been sentenced to hell for liking little boys private parts just a little too much. He found certain rock substances which he could derive the plastics from, which could be fashioned into a soft mesh like substance with some effort, which passed for most of the clothes these days in hell, which people seemed to have fallen back into wearing, unlike the hell days of old.

He sat there, looking at the ‘Truly Satanic Bible’ as it was now called, not the one from earth by the Church of Satan, but Satan’s own developed work for the citizens of hell, for everyone to more fully understand and appreciate the joys of the dark side. It was certainly a page turner.

Shaltoriana was on the bed, sitting there, occasionally sipping on water, thinking. They had left Satan earlier on, eaten a ration of food and water made available to them as honoured guests, and gotten a place to stay the night not that far from the Lord Satan’s address.

‘He is flexible. I can tell.’

‘You need an angle,’ responded Jovius, not looking up from his text.

‘Any suggestions?’ she asked.

He looked directly at her, and nodded. ‘Some ideas. From this monstrosity. He is of the standard view if ‘It feels good, do it. Exploit that.’

‘How?’

‘The good feelings – the noble feelings – of practicing righteousness. He will call it fools game, but honestly explain why you serve. Why you choose goodness. He may have been confronted in the past but, then, he didn’t care. He might now. Even I can see that in the old boy. He is looking for something – something new – a way out of an old contract. A new life.’

‘Then offer him a new life?’ she queried.

‘With all the trimmings,’ finished Jovius, and Shaltoriana nodded.

They sat there in silence for a while, and eventually she showered and then him, and they shared the bed for the night. When he felt the hand on his crotch early in the wee hours he was not surprised. Shally had liked him for a long time, and they’d done stuff before. And, well, when in hell!

Darkest Love VI: I Love New York

‘I Love New Yooo-oooorrr-ooork. I love New York.’

Shaltoriana smiled at Satan as he bopped away on the iPod she had brought with her for him as a present, listening to and singing a song which he knew from the brief time hell had been permitted the listening of the song. It was a Madonna track.

‘New York aint for little pussies,’ said Satan, smiling at Shaltoriana. ‘The Bitch kicks ass. She has got what it takes to be a first class demoness.’

‘She is into Kabbalah,’ responded Shaltoriana.

‘Mmm. Pity. I suppose the Most High must have liked her spunk. She has so much energy.’

‘Perhaps the Most High might like your own spunk, dark lord. Have you ever considered that?’

‘My spunk? I master on evil. No practical use to the lord of holiness.’

‘You may be surprised by his mercies. He does have a thing for passion, when it is controlled within reason. When it does not go haywire, doing stupid things. Doing EVIL things.’

‘Yet that is what I specialise in,’ he responded firmly.

‘Yes,’ she said.

She stood there, before his throne for a few moments, not saying anything, while he put his earplugs back in and listened for a while.

Eventually he took off his earplugs and stared at her. ‘What exactly, then, is it that you want of me, Shaltoriana? You have made constant allusions to a repentance of sorts, but no direct statement of desire? Has the most high lost his commanding abilities.’

She did not bite at that statement, but decided to answer his question.

‘If you want back into heaven, putting it very, very, very bluntly, there are conditions. In the end, it is as simple as that. Meet the conditions, the angels have agreed to tolerate you.’

He glared at her, and an old spirit of pride fired up in him, ready to insult her but as he stood, glaring evilly at her, something in him, again, softened. Something which, in his spirit, said the simple truth – haven’t we been down this road far, far too many times. And so he softened in his look, sat back down, and waved his hand at her. ‘I have had my fill for today. Go. Begone. Come again tomorrow. Perhaps I will hear your terms then.’

‘As you wish,’ Lord Satan, she responded, and departed with Jovius in tow.

As they left the building Jovius spoke. ‘Progress, I think. As bizarre as that may sound. He is almost, almost, ready to talk. Ready to finally tackle the issue of getting over his age long rebellion. Facing up to it.’

Shaltoriana said nothing in response, but similar thoughts were in her head. They would need to be careful, now, as they had much to gain, and a lot more to lose. Tact. Careful actions. And, in the end, the simplest of the oldest moves of God to be made. The simplest thing, in the end. The simplest thing.

Darkest Love VII: Satan’s Demands

‘I want quality food. And regularly. I mean, sure, every day.’

‘That demand is not hard to satisfy,’ responded Shaltoriana.

‘And something nice to drink. Even more than just water.’

‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’

He nodded, thinking over the things he could possibly enjoy.

‘Oh. Music. I want access to music. I formerly enjoyed such things. I want access to music.’

‘Satan. There are many freedoms in heaven which will be made available for you to purchase.’

‘Purchase?’

‘We have an economy now.’

‘Oh. And how do I get finance, then, dear woman.’

‘Your original ranking will be somewhat restored, should you agree to the terms.’

‘Which means?’ he asked, suddenly quite pleased of his former glories.

‘An allowance. A divine Archangel has a fair bit of an allowance from the heavenly father. It is his or her base money for eternity. What they always get, despite other wealths they may achieve.’

‘And this income will be enough for me to acquire what I want?’

‘That and a great deal more,’ she assured him.

He stared at her. And then shouted. ‘Ha. Do you think I can be bought so cheaply. I was humouring you, foolish Shaltoriana.’

This brought an applause from the court, but she didn’t flinch.

He stared at her, and yet again softened. ‘Mmm. But this is what you are prepared to offer me, for certain terms. Access to these things?’

‘Keep it decent enough, obey the basic rules we give you, and that will suffice. You can do your own thing then. You can even have quite a number of hard rock and heavy metal bands which God approves of. The Kosher kind, though. None of the extreme death metal we know you like.’

‘Iron Maiden? Metallica? Dio?’

‘You like Dio,’ she queried. ‘You are aware it means ‘God’, aren’t you.

‘I care not for the name, but his music has appeal,’ he responded indifferent to her statement.

‘Well, let me see. Yes, yes those artists have licences to produce most of their works in heaven. Morally tolerable at time on a number of songs, from what I recall of discussions on the issue.’

He was clearly thinking about it. She knew it.

‘Very well. I have heard your offer. Speak to me the terms, tomorrow. If they are reasonable, I will consider them. You have something to offer me.’

‘As you wish,’ she responded.

Darkest Love VIII: But Why?

Satan looked over the terms. He was not surprised. He had a way out – he could return to hell if he needed to practice evil for a while, but would need to amend his attitude severely when he desired to return to heaven. Apparently, in the pit of evil, God left you to your own devices.

Shaltoriana stood there nervously. If he accepted, that would be that. But if he rejected, this would not likely work again – at least not any time soon. Heaven had, obviously, much to gain. A redeemed Devil would do great things for Heaven PR concerns, putting it bluntly.

‘I don’t know. Giving up my freedoms. Conforming, once again, to HIS will. Doing it HIS way. It is not what I am made of. I know myself to well by now.’

‘I could only hope to persuade you of the wisdom of God, dear Satan, but I fear the lecture would perchance take eternity, and that time I have not at the moment.’

‘Then why? Why? Why should I suffer humiliation at my sworn enemy?’

Darkest Love IX: Love

She looked at him, and dared it. She came forward, and he did not deter her, and she put her hand on his shoulder. And then she embraced him, and kissed his cheek, and smiled at him.

And, the man who rejected intimacy, broke. A part of his broke down, a part that would not weep, but a part which felt it. An old feeling. An ancient feeling. A forgotten feeling. The feeling of concern.

‘Lucifer. Don’t you remember your glories?’ she asked him, with the voice, indeed, of an angel.

He stared at her and, then, at that moment in eternity, at that moment in infinity, a battle which had raged for ages beyond reckoning, suffered its final, mortal, blow. He repented.

‘Very well. You have your demands,’ he said, head bowed downwards, not willing to look at her. ‘I will go through formal procedures here, and in time turn things over to a deputy. I will rejoin you in purgatory at the agreed on date.’

She nodded softly, and took his head in her hands, and raised it, looking right into his soul. ‘And it’s about time, dear brother. It’s about time.’

Epilogue

‘The More things change, the more they stay the same. It’s a saying, you know. Constancy. Life has its moments, but things never really change in the end, do they? Do they?’

‘I saw change, recently. A change I almost thought was impossible. Hey, life worked a certain way in the end after all. But it was a change, I think, for the better. It was a hard heart – now soft. It was a defiant soul – now obedient. It was the epitome of hate – and finally got over it.’

‘Perhaps things don’t change, that much, in the end. But when they do, well. Well, it’s a story worth writing home about. Don’t you think?’

‘I’m Jovius. Angel of Glory. Servant of the Most High. Protector of the legions of……. Well, you get the point. I suppose other stories will come along in time, and they inevitably do. Life goes on, as they say. But this one is finished, and I am off to claim my sovereigns. Looking forward to that. Oh, and I need a beer. And a shit. And a working girl wouldn’t go astray. But hey, that’s me in the end, aint it. An angel from the dark side of the light side. And you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you? Huh? Huh? Huh? No. I didn’t think so.’

The End

Angels of Love

Another 52 Weeks

‘So it’s made out of Eternya, is it Jack?’ asked Jovius the angel to Jack Scarfel.

Jack nodded. ‘Yep. The Belgariad. The Malloreon. The Elenium. The Tamuli. The Rivan Codex. Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. All made out of Eternya – eternal copies. They cost me – literally – a fortune. An absolute fortune. I am in debt to a bank with no interest above inflation, but a final fee of 25% addition on top of the loan – apart from that the loan is indexed. So I will be able to pay it off eventually.’

‘How long?’ asked Jovius, lighting up another cigarette.

‘Approximately 7 Billion years at this stage. The amount it cost me to have those books produced in Eternya was mind boggling – but, it will be paid off eventually.’

‘Yeh. Eternya costs a shitload,’ said Jovius casually. ‘Every fucker wants the stuff – no fucker can afford the stuff.’

‘The cost of eternity,’ nodded Jack Scarfel.

God made Eternya. It was material – matter – which did just that. Lasted forever. All sorts of things were made out of Eternya. CDs. Books. Record Albums. DVDs, Video Cassettes and Blu Rays. Mainly those things had been the huge initial demand for the stuff, as people wanted eternal copies of a favourite album, movie or story. But Lightmobiles and all sorts of things were gradually appearing now, all made out of Eternya. All guaranteed by God Almighty to last – indeed – forever. You just had to be able to afford the bloody stuff.

* * *

Jovius looked through the window of the coin store, in a plush upper class market, in the 5^th heaven. The Golden Sovereigns on Display – Official Phanuel Collection Sovereigns of very limited stock – were made of Eternya. Gold Eternya, perhaps the most expensive of products made out of Eternya, as God kept it rare. Boy, with the date stamp on them, they looked bloody good to him as a collector of such things. Boy, they looked bloody valuable.

He thought on it and thought on it, for 52 weeks he went through the motions and, finally, sighing, he rocked up to an Edlins coin store in the 3^rd heaven, produced his bag full of his rarest Golden Sovereigns – over 500 of them – and asked a certain price. He got his money.

Drifting up to the 5^th heaven in his Lightmobile, he had the funds from the coins he had sold, plus a security note from a bank willing to loan him so much money. He wanted those Sovereigns – he HAD to have them.

The store owner brought them out and showed Jack, and Jack confirmed the price with him. The owner took the promissory note as security, along with a bank transfer from Jovius’ account, and that was that. The coins were his.

The damn problem was, though, he was now in debt. For about as much as Jack had going for him, Jovius was now also facing similar time to pay off the wretched things. But he had them now, and truly believed he would never regret the investment. They were rare, early Eternya coins. They would one day be worth an absolute bloody fortune – even more so.

He displayed his coins up on his bookcase, sitting them so that they could be seen every time he entered the room. There were 12 of them, each a different design and they were the prettiest damn things. In the end, really, he probably wouldn’t even sell them, no matter what offers came along. He liked coins too much to wish to part with them too often, and these were real beauties. Something to show the kids one day, should he ever finally get around to having any.

He went out the back, sat down on his porch, looked out over the city of Joniquay in the First Heaven, lit a cigarette, and smiled. Today was a good day. 52 weeks of umming and ahhing, but it was worth it in the end. But he would be slaving for a while – a bloody long while. And as the phone rang inside, perhaps with another contract for himself, Jovius sighed but didn’t really mind anyway. Life, as they say, went on. And at least he was 12 eternal sovereigns the better.

The End

The Light Side of the Dark Side

‘You know, Jokiel. Sometimes I really wonder about you. I mean, you’re a demon, descended from Satan himself, and you’re pathetic. Really pathetic. Half the time when the powers assign you a possession or a frightening you come home defeated with the client laughing that a tryhard demon had a go and got its arse kicked in the Christ’s name. I mean, come on. We assign you babies in that religion and they are too tough a match for you. And send you to a Catholic Priest? He won’t even need one bloody hail mary to exorcise you. You are pathetic.’

Jokiel, upset that Davradiel was interrupting his session of listening to ‘The Best of Wham’, took it on the chin. Hey, he knew what he was. A tryhard demon at best. But such was the way the Almighty one had made him, and so be it.

‘Sorry, Dav. I know I can’t live up to your truly demonic reputation.’

‘I should think not,’ retorted the demon Davradiel.

‘But it is just not in me, in the end. Scaring people. I mean, first of all, I kind of like most of them. They really are nice people once you get to know them.’

‘Nice people? I can not believe I am hearing this. Friend, in our age long war with heaven there are certain protocols which just MUST be upheld. And calling our enemies NICE people is not exactly what we want to hear.’

‘Sorry.’

‘And for fuck’s sake, demons never fucking apologize.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Christ Almighty,’ said Davradiel, storming out of the room.

Being on the Light side of the Dark side was not the best of things for young Jokiel to have found himself brought up being. But, really, he couldn’t help himself. For starter’s, his demonic father always had kept him at arms distance, almost disowning him from his earliest memories, as if there was something different about him. Jokiel never really understood this, or why he was so different from his other demonic friends. He just was. And, while he tried his best to scare the clients he was sent to, he just couldn’t find it in him. Instead all he found was love. Quiet, gentle love. Certainly the last thing for a demon from the dark to be caught up with. Still, that was the way he was made, and he was used to it now. No point in pretending otherwise. He was what he was, God love him.

* * * * *

The Lord of Evil, Satan the Master of Darkness, looked at his PC, examining the profile of his servant Jokiel. A difficult case. Not given to evil. He was concerned. He had a contract with God on Jokiel. They had exchanged young children, his own Son Jovius being sent to Heaven, and one of God’s theophanies own children, young Jokiel being given to him. If Satan could crack Jokiel, he would gain the Angel’s soul for a long period of torment, as well as certain other demonic rights over mankind for a while. If God could convert Jovius to the good side after a long time, Satan would limit his practices and attend assembly in heaven, singing beloved Alleluias. A millennium was the time period for the contract. The best result at the end of 1000 years, to be judged by an impartial angel they had both selected, would win the wager.

So far he had sent Jokiel out on standard demonic duties. But something more was needed. Something more. Perhaps, of all things, a meeting with Jovius himself. A pre-arranged meeting in which Jokiel would be told to provoke Jovius and, knowing the heart of his dear son, the inevitable fall down to hell. Yes, that would be perfect.

He typed down a few notes, hit send on the email, and grinned a little at his perpetually sadistic objectives.

* * * * *

Davradiel handed him the assignment, told him to ‘fucking get to it son,’ and gave him a kick up the arse.

Smarting from the thud, Jokiel read the sheet, sighed glumly to himself, and said ‘Yes Sir’ to the departing Davradiel. He sat on his bed, looked at the note and thought ‘Well, here we go again. Jovius. Corrupting of another angel. Oh, God. Why do I get assignments like this.

* * * * *

‘Jovius, angel of….. oh, well, Just Jovius, ok. My name is just Jovius.’

Jokiel nodded. ‘Good to meet you. And do you have a home here in purgatory?’

‘Yep. Down in Moses. The southern side of town.’

‘Mmmn,’ nodded Jovius new acquaintance, an angel by the name of Jokiel.

‘So, tell me,’ said Jokiel. ‘Do you ever consider taking a ride on the wild side?’

‘I live for the thrill, mate,’ responded Jovius, lighting another cigarette, staring out the front window of the bar at the street traffic, a look of casual disinterest, perhaps, on his face at the hurly burly of it all.

‘You seem…. You seem as if life isn’t doing it for you,’ said Jokiel. ‘As if there is not much point. That you don’t have any real direction.’

‘Fuck,’ said Jovius. ‘Life’s a party, aint it. A Fucking party. But, no mate. Not really. Not much point. I live for the thrills in many a way, surprised at God bothering to take an interest in me personally. Really, I aint much of an angel.’

‘It don’t matter, does it,’ said Jokiel. ‘Does it. Serving God. A waste of time.’

‘What do you suggest, then? For this wild ride?’

Jokiel looked at him, smiled at his little victory, and said. ‘Lets go down to hell. Party with some demon friends of mine. Get high, play pool, shoot the shit. You know. Not give a damn.’

‘Sure, why not,’ responded Jovius.

* * * * *

The party was the usual shit. Jovius was enjoying the attention from a demon hooker, with cute tattoos and lovely pointed horns. A real babe, all in dark red.

‘This is the life, isn’t it,’ said Jokiel. ‘Here, have another go at the dope,’ and handed him a blunt.

‘Thanks,’ said Jovius.

Jokiel smiled, looking at his new friend. ‘Yeh, this is the life, aint it,’ said Jokiel.

‘Yeh, I guess,’ responded the angel of God.

* * * * *

4 months later they had been hanging together regularly, and while Jovius usually wanted to spend his time in purgatory, Jokiel seemed to inevitably have a way of dragging him down to hell to party.

Jokiel got a lecture from Davradiel that results were important, and to get Jovius as drunk as possible. Jokiel nodded obediently and returned to his task.

‘Hey, Jovius? Wanna go up to earth? We could cause some accidents?’

‘Uh, I’m not really sure if I am into that.’

‘Come on, lets go anyway.’ And with other such words he attempted to persuade him, to the point they ended up on Brooklyn Bridge, looking over the traffic.

‘What shall we do?’ said Jokiel. ‘Cause an accident?’

‘You are not serious, are you?’ responded Jovius. ‘I mean, sure, we shoot the shit together, but. Well. Well I’m a fucking angel, Jokiel. I sort of have responsibilities to God and all that crap.’

Jokiel looked at him. He looked straight at him and said. ‘Well. Well are you going to obey the God you don’t really give a damn about forever anyway? Wouldn’t you rather have your own freedom? Wouldn’t you rather do your own thing?’

‘Probably,’ said Jovius. ‘Probably. I mean, true, my life sucks a lot in Purgatory, and God doesn’t let me back in heaven much. And its like there is this dark and mean streak in my soul, which never goes away. And the shit I have been through in trying to teach people the right way, and seeing them fuck up so often. But, well….’ He left off speaking. ‘Well, there have been a few kids who I have seen go through some shit. A hell of a lot of shit. And, well. Well they pulled through in the end and it sort of restored my faith. I mean, I don’t really give much of a shit about godliness and love and all that bullshit. But I do get a kick out of life, and usually, for me now, it is found in being a friendly enough guy when I need to be, bumming around, just being cool. I mean, I aint fucking holy. I don’t want to be fucking holy. It just aint me. But I’m not a devil anymore, Jokiel. I aint a devil.’

Jokiel looked at him for a few moments, considering the point. ‘Yeh. Well, whatever. I suppose I get the point.’

He paused, looking down over the traffic, looking at all the people. ‘I suppose it would be kind of wrong for me to cause so much chaos for those innocent people. I mean, they go about their lives, trusting in good things to happen to them. And, in truth, I don’t really want to. I just feel compelled to by those who I hang around.’

‘Then why hang around them,’ responded Jovius. ‘Come up to purgatory. Hang around with me. I mean, hell is a great place to rock and roll, but it gets you down with all the negativity after a while. Purgatory is a brighter scene, bloke.’

An angel on the Light side of the Dark Side, should, in truth, have fallen if the temptations were severe enough. And despite being a child of the theophany, the freedom of life and sin are such fowl vices that even the best of souls can fall. But something shone through in Jokiel and as he nodded at Jovius request, realizing there would be hell to pay in hell, literally, a little light shone in his heart saying, you didn’t really give that much of a fuck about evil in the end, anyway.

‘Sure,’ said Jokiel. ‘Sure. Purgatory will do me fine.’

‘Then lets go party,’ said Jovius. ‘Oh, and you don’t have any Golden Sovereigns do you? I collect those fuckers.’

‘No, but I have a collection of teddy bears. Are they any good?’

Jovius smiled, shook his head, and as they returned to their divine homes, chuckled a little at the way life sometimes works out. And he was also dying for a piss.

The End

Jovius’ Day Off

‘Jovius, Jovius, Jovius. You are still a schmuck of an angel.’

‘Pay up,’ said Jovius to the defeated Satan. Satan handed over the 70 golden sovereigns they had wagered upon and said ‘Y0u were lucky, punk. A hand like that comes around once in a lifetime.’

‘Just lucky, yes, I suppose,’ responded Jovius.

‘Yeh, lucky,’ said Satan. ‘Well, same time next week? Give me a chance to win them back?’

‘Sure,’ said Jovius, lighting a cigarette. ‘And thanks for the hospitality, devil. Your graces know no end of favour these days.’

Satan said nothing, but nodded shortly. Yes, for now it seemed, he had been redeemed. A citizen of heaven, once more, playing by the rules. So far, anyway.

‘So, you’ve never even been married?’ Satan asked Jovius.

‘I haven’t found the right girl yet,’ responded Jovius.

‘Aren’t there enough of them?’ Satan asked out of curiousity. ‘How fussy are you?’

‘Not fussy. Well, I guess, yes, I suppose that is a word for it. I just need the girl who is right for me.’

‘Don’t we all,’ said Satan, looking longingly at the Sovereigns he had just lost. ‘Well, stay cool, dude. And see you next week.’ Satan put his fist out, and Jovius pumped his own fist onto it in farewell.

* * *

‘Emma, Emma, Emma,’ said Melanie B. ‘Will you never be satisfied? 400 boyfriends, or there abouts, and you still can’t bloody settle.’

‘I just need the right guy,’ responded the Spice Power girl, Emma Bunton.

‘And you haven’t met him yet? Sheesh,’ responded Melanie B.

‘Oh, leave her alone,’ said Geri. ‘Sometimes it takes a while. Especially for Emma. She can NEVER make up her mind on anything.’

‘That’s not true,’ said Emma. ‘Well, at least I don’t think it is true.’

‘Exactly,’ said Geri, shaking her head.

‘Emma just needs the guy who is right for her,’ said Melanie C. ‘She’ll find him. You never know. She could bump into him tomorrow.’

‘Or into a garbage can,’ said Victoria, making a joke.

‘Let’s just hope it isn’t both,’ responded Geri.

Emma said nothing.

* * *

Jovius had a day off – instead of adding his new sovereigns to his collection, he had sold half of them at a local coin store he did a lot of business with, deposited a fair sum of it into his account for paying back his loan of a prior set of special Eternya Sovereigns, and decided to take a day off, and hit the town.

Jovius lived, for the most part these days, in heaven in the city of Joniquay, the main city of heaven. Joniquay was pronounced in many different ways, often with a hard ‘J’ or a soft ‘Y’ sound to start it off and often ending with a ‘Kay’ or ‘Quay’ sound or a ‘Key’ sound. Initially, when Phanuel had named the city aeons ago at the foundation of heaven and earth, he had written down the name, showed it to the early angels, and they had started pronouncing it in differing ways. Thus there was established the tradition that it had no officially correct pronunciation for the word.

Phanuel was the oldest of all the angels of Heaven, firstborn of the 7 Archangels. They were, in order of birth and ranking, 1) Phanuel, 2) Saruviel, 3) Michael, 4) Gabriel, 5) Raphael, 6) Uriel & 7) Raguel.

These 7 Archangels sat on the Council of Power, and administered ultimate justice and authority over heaven on behalf of God Almighty, who it was said inhabited a Theophanic form from time to time to speak with people directly and occasionally give physical comfort to one of his children who needed him desperately.

The Council of Power sat in Zaphon, the heart of Joniquay, on the central island of heaven which was called ‘Zaphora’. It was approximately circular in shape, Zaphora, but there were a host of other island bodies – usually now called Continents – strewn all over the eternal plain of heaven. On the continent of ‘Israel’, as it was called, the city of ‘Moses’ occupied most of the continent now, and it was the main business centre of heaven, as opposed to Joniquay which was a more ancient seat, and more traditional in its outlook of life. But ‘Moses’, named after the lawgiver, was the real centre of heaven in a sense when it came to business matters, and the usual high party life which Jovius was all to well known for. Council sat in Joniquay, and Government for heaven was run from Zaphora, but Israel was the action centre of heaven in most other respects.

Of course, Israel was an adjacent continent to Zaphora, and Jovius, with some free time, decided he would trip over to ‘Moses’ in his Lightmobile, spend some cash, and have a bloody good time. Perhaps get pissed, high on some fine cocaine and a lady of the night to end the day. A perfect way to spend his free time.

* * *

Emma was out on the town. Getting a little drunk, with her other friend ‘Jane’ who was a personal friend in a different way to the spicies. More of Emma’s own entourage, were egos didn’t clash quite as much, which was inevitable with Girl Power.

Jane and her had been glancing at all the pretty boys all night in ‘Jake’s’ bark, in a hot city centre of ‘Moses’, not the least little bit relying on Emma’s fame, hoping to perhaps get lucky, but, when Jane found a guy, leaving Emma sitting in the bar late, around 3, a lot of the traffic having gone home, she sat there, almost glumly. Perhaps it was the booze. ‘Was this life?’ Emma thought to herself. ‘Was this what it was all about?’ She had risen to fame as a member of Spice Power, the all girl British pop sensation, which had ruled the charts for a while. And then, funnily enough being the youngest, and also the youngest to finally pass, and then find the other 4 girls incredibly famous in heaven, she rejoined them, and they were ‘Spice Power’ again, in incredible demand for more songs, more live shows, more everything spice. And that, then, had become her life. But what else, really, could she ever expect? Geri was philosophical about it all. ‘We still have to bring home the bacon in the end anyway, girls. So why fight it?’ And they all, even though with questioning about it all, still nevertheless saw Geri’s fundamental point. It was a living, and you had to have one of those in the end.

Of course, being a member of Spice meant, without them always confessing it to the public, quite a number of boyfriends. In fact, an endless supply. There were a few, some of the earlier ones, which she kept in contact with, but the real grasp on her heart had yet to completely happen. Nobody had managed to snag Baby Spice permanently. Not yet, anyway.

She sat there, looked around the bar, and saying ‘This is Jack’, paid her bill, walked to the exit, and thought she would need to get a taxi.

Walking down the street a little, going towards the main thoroughfare, she was looking in her handbag for her purse, not looking were she was going, when she suddenly bumped into a stranger. A stranger, in a long overcoat, looking mildly intoxicated himself.

‘Fuck! Watch it babe. Didn’t you see me?’

‘You should have watched it,’ she rebuked him. ‘You ran right into me.’

‘Easy, lady.’ He responded, and looked a little more closely at her. ‘Do I know you?’ he asked. ‘You look kind of familiar.’

Emma decided to play dumb. ‘Oh, I get that a lot. Familiar face, apparently.’

‘Right,’ he said, taking a cigarette out of his pocket. ‘Want one sweetie,’ he said offering one to her.

She looked at the cigarette, and looked into the eyes of this stranger. Just another guy, really. Another fella, could be anybody really. But did that matter in the end anyway? Did it?’

‘Sure,’ she said, making up her mind, and taking the cigarette. He lit it for her, and they stood there, saying nothing, smoking away.

‘Wanna go to Jake’s?’ he asked her.

‘Sure,’ she replied, after some thought.

‘Oh, by the way, my name is Jovius?’ he said.

‘Oh. Emma,’ she responded. ‘Emma Bunton.’

‘Good to meet you Emma Bunton,’ he said, offering his hand, which she shook.

* * *

‘So, I said to the Devil,’ continued Jovius, ‘It’s my arse or yours.’

‘And what did he say?’ asked Emma, on the edge of the seat.

‘Well, this is the funny bit. In the old days he would have laughed, but he agreed to sacrifice himself, and Phanuel plunged him into the shit as the token of the wager between the groups. It was the first act of humility I had ever seen in him, but I think he likes me. Said he didn’t mind.’

Emma laughed for a while, for the tale of a wager between Satan and a group known as the ‘Bad Boys’ and Phanuel and the rest of the 7 Archangels had resulted in one of the Bad Boys having to be plunged into the shit as they had lost the wager.

‘Oh, Jovius,’ you are a funny old fella,’ said Emma, putting her hand on his shoulder. She was, to say the least, mildly intoxicated. Jovius decided to try a move.

‘Say, babe. Wanna scratch this place. Find some hot space to do some funky things.’ Emma nodded tipsily. She was his for the taking.

They walked a few blocks to a familiar hotel were Jovius stayed a lot, booked a room, and entertained themselves with a bottle of plonk for half an hour. And then Emma went into the bedroom, called for him, and she started undressing. She was in her bra and knickers, looking at him, and she said ‘I’m all yours, big boy.’ He started undressing as she lay down on the bed.

Getting in next to her he nudged her, but then noticed an irony – she was dozing and had fallen asleep. ‘Fuck,’ he swore. ‘Looks like I’m not getting any tonight.’ So, switching on the box, putting it down low, he gazed at her legs for a while, thought of touching them, but then reminded himself he was supposed to be a gentleman, and turned to the box, watching into the wee hours, before finally falling asleep.

* * *

It was 3 weeks later. He had an email from a girl calling herself Emma Bunton. In it she explained that she had woken before him, looked in his wallet for his ID, found one of his business cards with his email on it, and taken that, and then left. But she still liked him, and if he wanted to catch up some time, for another good time, she was all for it.

He emailed her back, said it sounded great, and was happy the rest of the day. And then, later that night, switching the box on to a Video Music station, just for the heck of it, which he didn’t normally do, as he was mostly into metal, a ‘Spice Power’ video came on and then, lo and behold, there she was. Emma Bunton – Baby Spice – in the flesh. ‘Fucking hell,’ he swore. He had landed a Spice Girl. Shit like that just didn’t happen everyday.

And so, for the next few weeks, he got back to his regular routine, picked up some work from the ‘Archangels Guardian Angels guild,’ which often gave him assignments, and as life steadily went on, his mind was filled with thoughts of Emma and, perhaps, finding a good friend to fill in some time. I mean, a Spice Girl? What could match that.

And so he did his usual work, dreamed of Emma a lot, continued on with his everyday shit and life, as they say it, went on.

The End

Angels of Love

Emma and Jovius: A Night on the Town

Jovius. Angel of God. Man on a mission. Lay a spice girl. Oh boy.

* * *

‘Sure babe. You know our kind. Love you and leave you. But hey, Em. I mean, I don’t say this to all the babes. Fuck, if I really need a shag, I know plenty daughters of the devil who will do a number of things for the cold hard cash. But your special babe.’

Emma, looking at him through drunken eyes, smiled. ‘Your luvverly, Jo. Just my type. Give me another one.’

Jovius poured a drink, a double scotch, and Emma scoffed the lot.

‘Now, babe. I aint the marrying kind. I never have been and, for some strange reason, I have often thought I never really would find the lady, but a part of me always did hope. You’re the one for me. I’ll cut out the years of bullshit, the dates, the rings, and all the fucking crap. Shag me. Marry me. We’ll spit out a few of the sproglings, and retire forever. I have a sound income provided by Phanuel for my labours, especially in some recent successes with the dark lord, so you’ll never have to a fucking thing again.’

Emma smiled again. She was even drunker. ‘Sure, I’ll shag you joe. Your just my type. Hic.’

It was getting nowhere. She wouldn’t remember in the morning.

They got back to Jovius’ place, he put her in his bed, and went off to sit on his couch. It was the end. He knew it. It was finished. Something had clicked, there was nothing left in the tank, and it was time to chose a chick, no longer play the field, and finally retire to a pleasant way of doing not very much at all.

In the morning Emma was making bacon and eggs. Jovius smiled.

‘Ok, jo. Ok.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’ll grab my stuff later on today. You’ll do.’

‘Oh.’

* *

Jovius had one child. A girl. Phanuel paid him his retirement payout, and he was given access to the autoprocessing industry of robotic made goods. This meant he didn’t have to work again. He had a small income for purchashing the occasional new item, but food, electricity, and other ongoings were covered with his wage. His supply of Eternya products to which he was entitled could be ordered from a large catalogue now provided to him, and he had a limit of 1000 items. They told him to choose carefully. He ran over a little, but they allowed it.

He chose.

100 Eternya CDs

200 Eternya Books

50 Eternya Magazines

50 Eternya Comic Trade Paperbacks

50 Jigsaws

50 Assorted Board Games

100 Clothing items including shoeware

100 assorted tools

50 pieces of sporting equipment

25 pieces of artwork

50 pieces of cutlery

50 pieces of pottery

5 Stereos

5 TVs

5 Ipods

5 CD Walkmans

10 Assorted Rubiks games

20 Jigsaw Puzzles

10 Assorted Puzzle Games

5 Game Consoles with joypads

For each Game Console 1 of the standard Multi Pack Cartridges which each had 1,000,000 Beginner to Advanced Games on them

1 Ebook reader with 1,000,000 ebooks on it

1 USB with 1,000,000 of the Public Domain songs on it

3 Lightmobiles

1 Caravan

1 Boat

1 Trampoline

1 Trailer

1 Lawnmower

1 Washing Machine

1 Microwave

1 Dishwasher

1 Kettle

1 Toaster

1 Waffle Maker

1 Coffee Machine

3 Standard Photograph Album Transfer agreements of 200 photos each album

3 Beds

2 Sofas

1 Dining Table and Chairs set

1 Wardrobe Set

1 Den Table

2 Bookcases

1 Divan

1 Beanbag

1 Toothbrush

2 Schoolbags

5 Suitcases

3 Clocks

2 Standard Computer Office Deals with Chair, Computer, Printer, Screen, Scanner, Copier, Internet Access Devices, Keyboard, Mouse and cords and other minor items

4 Standards Sets of Curtains

3 Doonas

5 Sets of Sheets

5 Washing baskets

1 Everyday Household Miscellaneous stuff pack, which had about 100 various items of various sizes which covered all his necessities.

That was the end of it. He had been encouraged to be quite comprehensive, but not completely exhaustive, as it was discussed with him that in retirement people still liked to fuss around a little, and having the occasional item to purchase, such as paper for printing and writing pads and pens and so forth was all that was really necessary, apart from a bit of food shopping if you wanted to do it, but it could all be arranged through auto delivery.

Jovius and Emma were happy.

Eternity was joyful.

The rest finally came.

Later on, when they were returned to heaven in their final rest, all they had purchased was returned to them, and they lived, as they say, happily ever after.

The End