#5336  Penthesilea
     
     *As soon as she decently could, Penthesilea excused herself from the formalities of the Loyality Ceremony. Something was nagging at her and it didn't take long for her to figure out that it was the Castle. There was something going on that it desperately wanted her to know about. She went to her workroom and activated her scrying mirror. She hit a brick wall. Something was going on in her Castle. Something that someone wanted to hide from her. Penthesilea was not a snoop. She did not probe into the secrets held by the people who lived around her without great need. The need now was great. The Castle was all but screaming at her. Penthesilea set her jaw. Too often in the last half year things had been happening in the Castle that should not have. Things that put people in danger. The Keyholder had had enough...
     She cleared her workroom, especially her Circle and moved her usual full length mirror to the side and pulled out another. This mirror was a three foot circle of black glass mounted in an ornate wooden frame that was, in turn, mounted on a stand that could be easily moved. And move it she did, into her Circle. Then she donned the black shirt and pants she wore for serious work. An oval of black onyx set in a silver brooch rested between her breasts. She took the ornaments from her hair and shook it loose. Then she took up her knife and cast her Circle. Once done, she stood before the black mirror and again invoked vision and again...she was blocked. On your head, then, she said, and began her evocation of Hecate. She visualized the Goddess as she spoke the words and felt Her come into her body.

Hecate: What would you have of me, Granddaughter of Zeus?

Penthesilea: Someone is keeping knowledge from me, Great One, of things happening in my Castle. I would know what is being withheld and by whom.

Hecate: Give me your voice, little one, and watch! *Penthesilea surrendered control of her vocal cords. Hecate spoke the mirror spell again in the Language of Creation. The mirror cleared and Penthesilea watched the images unfold and knew the heart and mind of the one she watched.....*

     Satira looked out of her window and sighed. It had been fun while it lasted but her current relationship with Daemon was over. It didn't matter.  She would simply start over with another face, another name. She had lied about being pregnant with the demigod's son in order to hold him when she felt her control beginning to slip. Daemon had proved a pleasant enough stud once she had enslaved his soul and she really hadn't expected him to break free at all, let alone so soon. No wonder her Divine Patron had chosen him! Their child, once conceived, would be a magnificent weapon in her Divine Patron's hands. She smiled and turned back to her rooms. It served her purpose to let the Keyholder -- naive fool that she was! -- believe that she had left the Castle. Let everyone forget that these rooms existed -- few enough knew of them -- and she would rest in safety until Daemon's guard was down and she could stalk him again.  Working with sure confidence, she changed the magickal locks on her rooms so that no one, not even Penthesilea, could enter. She laid her will on the Castle, forcing it to obey her commands. When she was satisfied that all was as she wished, she banished everything from the room that could spoil or foul the air or in any way disturb the room that would serve as a tomb while she waited.
     She went to her bed and laid down, folding her arms across her chest, and then spoke the spell that put her into the deep, restorative state that had sustained her for thousands of years...

     *The image faded. Penthesilea stood very still. She should not have been surprised but she was, a little. She now had a great many more things to consider, chief of which was what she was going to do with the knowledge she had gained....*

#5338  Penthesilea
     
     *If Penthesilea thought that she would have time and space to consider her most pressing current problem, she was mistaken. She had no sooner emerged from her tower when one of Hypatia's assistants ran up to her.*

Assistant: My Lady, what do centaurs eat? *Penthesilea took a cautious breath.*

Penthesilea: Why do you ask? *The woman gulped.*

Assistant: A delegation of twenty of them is coming to recognize the new state, set up an embassy and attend the wedding.

Penthesilea: When will they be here?

Assistant: Three days. *Penthesilea ripped out a curse that caused the air in her immediate vicinity to turn blue then she grabbed the young woman's arm and they took off to handle the latest crisis....*

#5342  Penthesilea

     *The people of the Castle were becoming accustomed to their Lady's new schedule. She still sang at dawn but instead of starting her day immediately thereafter, she stayed in her tower until somewhat later in the day. There was much speculation about the reason for her delay in appearing and all of it was accurate. When she did appear each morning she was glowing with happiness and plunged into her work with a smile. There were days when the smile became strained but when she looked at her Lord, it returned.*

#5345  Penthesilea
     
     *By noon, word had reached the Castle that another settlement had been attacked by raiding vampires. Air surveillance increased and Kodiak and his Lady prepared to ride at the first sign of raiders.*

#5347   Penthesilea
     
*The day wore on and Penthesilea finally decided what she had to do. She made her way to the tower where Satira had her quarters. In the hallway outside the door, she found Satira's gremlin bodyguards milling around in confusion. They knew that Daemon had left and couldn't enter the rooms for orders. They had been on the verge of seeking her out when Penthesilea appeared.*

Penthesilea: Your services as guards are no longer needed. Return to the caverns and tell the duty officer that you are available for other assignments. *The gremlins nodded, relieved, and headed out, leaving Penthesilea alone in front of the locked door. She spoke to the lock. It refused to budge. She spoke to the stone. It too did not respond. Penthesilea considered her options. The Castle was hers and she was the Castle's. There had been entirely too many instances of the Castle obeying orders other than hers. Whether from arrogance or ignorance, Satira had never seemed to get that Penthesilea was as powerful as she was and that her control of the Castle was absolute. Satira had taken entirely too many liberties with Penthesilea's domain and that would end. Now.
     Penthesilea sat crosslegged in front of the closed door and sank into deep rapport with the primitive awareness of the Castle. She asked questions and got answers. The Castle seemed almost relieved to tell her everything. "So be it," Penthesilea breathed. "She wants a tomb. She shall have one." Penthesilea became one with the stone and the stone began to flow. The windows disappeared becoming smooth unblemished wall. The access to the tower roof disappeared in a like manner. The door in front of Penthesilea was the last to disappear.
     Penthesilea opened her eyes to see a blank wall. Then a man's hand appeared before her eyes. She looked up into the face of her paternal grandfather, Zeus. She took his offered hand and rose.* Honored Grandfather.

Zeus: You have done well, child. And showed more restraint that I would have! Mar-Nek owes you and your brother and I shall see that He knows it!

Penthesilea: What of my brother? Is he all right?

Zeus: He is being watched over. When he has run out his rage his memory will be restored. I will not permit those who are of my blood to be tampered with.

Penthesilea: Thank you, Grandfather. *Zeus leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.*

Zeus: Go, child, and be happy. Leave the rest of this mess to me. *Penthesilea smiled and left. Zeus watched her go and, after a moment, sent a summons to the one He needed. He felt His summons answered and sure in the knowledge that the matter was handled, Zeus departed as well.*

#312  Penthesilea

Penthesilea & Kodiak's Suite at the Temple...

     Kodiak had a very specific destination in mind when he carried Penthesilea away. He had asked Karika to keep their suite ready at all times and he hoped that, despite the recent violation of the Temple, his wishes had been carried out. He “stepped” into the suite and was enveloped in the scent of roses. He smiled. The nest of furs was arranged in front of the fireplace which held a gently crackling blaze. There was champagne on ice -- which he fully expected his Lady to render non-alcoholic -- and a plate of meat and cheeses, cut into bite sized pieces and magickally preserved, waiting for them. Penthesilea was still kicking and thumping him on the back with her fists so, with a grin, he set her feet on the floor and snatched her into a kiss before she could protest. Stubborn little thing that she was, she thumped him on the chest a few more times before his kiss overwhelmed her single-mindedness and he felt her body soften against his. He kept kissing her for a few more minutes before he let her up for air because he knew what was going to come out of her mouth when he did. He had a very good argument planned but he wanted to stack the odds in his favor at bit first. And besides, he really enjoyed kissing her. Finally, he let her breathe and waited for the words that he knew were coming...*

Penthesilea: Kodiak, I don’t have time for this. The guest list has exploded! There is no way that we can accommodate 6,000 guests! The Lady Mayor of Crowhaven is screaming something about tariffs and I haven’t a clue as to what she is talking about. There are no less than four disputes between new landowners over boundaries and another five disputes involving merchants and customers from Castletown and they all expect me to fix everything! Four diplomatic delegations will be arriving in the next week and I have no idea where we are going to put them and we still have to go to Madridoor for the Investiture of the new Prince!

     *Kodiak looked at his Lady. Her eyes were a little wild and she was obviously babbling. He sighed and kissed her again, more passionately than before and this time when he let her breathe, she was speechless and nearly faint. He swept her up, in his arms this time, and placed her amid the furs. She tried to get up, her intention to head back to her duties obvious. Kodiak was having none of it and a wrestling match ensued that ended with Kodiak pinning his Lady to the floor with his much heavier body. She was still squirming under him which, while delightful, made it difficult for Kodiak to think so he decided to present his argument while he was still capable of rational conversation....*

Kodiak: My dear, you have people who can handle that -- the handfasting preparations at least. We are going to need a court system and a mayor in Castletown but that can wait until we are handfasted and things settle down. *The squirming slowed and stopped for which Kodiak was grateful. He was having a hard enough time thinking.* You have to take care of yourself. You are the Lady of the Castle. The Castle and its lands respond to you. When you are happy and content, the land blooms and everyone is blessed. When you are stressed, the land suffers -- or haven’t you noticed that the flowers in the gardens are less robust than they should be? *Penthesilea thought.*

Penthesilea: I haven’t been in the gardens in days. I haven’t been out of the Castle except for my morning song in a week unless you count that raid -- which I don't.

Kodiak: Exactly my point. And there is something else. Listen.            
     *Penthesilea listened. The music and chanting was faint but audible in their suite and Penthesilea knew what it was. The Temple had been invaded by a malevolent entity in recent days. No one knew if it had been a vampire or an incubus or some obscene combination of the two. Whatever it was, it had been driven away and had vanished, leaving behind a polluted and violated Temple. The Sisters were chanting purification prayers. Penthesilea frowned slightly and did a tiny spell to check the progress of the purifications.*

Penthesilea: The prayers are barely making a dent in it. What was that thing?

Kodiak: I don’t know but if it ever shows up again when I’m around, MoonCat and SpiritFire will have it to dissect.

      *Penthesilea saw his eyes glow and agreed with him. Then he looked at her and that glow faded as was replaced by a glow of another sort.* That thing came here to do something foul and its intention polluted the whole temple area even the Cathedral where we are to be handfasted is affected. There is only one thing that is powerful enough to counter that -- the blessing of the Lady of the Castle and her chosen Lord. *He kissed her again and she kissed him back with a passion that took his breath away. When he could speak, he made his final argument.* Let others worry about Guest Lists and boundaries and merchant squabbles. This is something that only we can do, my Lady. We need to bless this place as we did on Ostara.

     *For her answer, Penthesilea pulled her hands in between then and began to unbutton his shirt. Kodiak let her up and once she had slipped his shirt from his shoulders, he began to undress her. When her shirt slipped away, he kissed her shoulder and then kissed his way to her neck and then up her neck. He nibbled there, a bit and with his human teeth, before he went on to her ear. Penthesilea giggled and Kodiak knew that she was beginning to relax. He stopped and poured drinks for them and as expected, Penthesilea changed hers but Kodiak didn’t mind. His Lady sober was enough of a handful, he did not want to contemplate her drunk! He concentrated instead on making her laugh. They fed each other from the plate of meat and cheese and when they had put it off as long as they could stand to, they set everything aside and lost themselves in each other....*

#314  Penthesilea

     It took two hours of dedicated work on Kodiak’s part to reduce his Lady’s stress to an acceptable level. They still had a long way to go but they had made a decent start and he was content, for the moment, to watch her doze snuggled in the nest of furs. She looked so beautiful -- pale skin against dark fur with light from the fireplace flickering over her body. The signs of strain on her face were fading and she wore a tiny satisfied smile in her sleep that made him smile. He took a strand of her hair and began to play with it. He didn’t dare touch her just yet. Let her sleep a little more....
     He liked this suite. It had no windows and no matter what time it was outside, it was always midnight inside and night was when his power as a Darklord was strongest. Of all the women he had known, and he had known more than his share, she was the only one who had never been afraid of him. His temper didn’t frighten her and warriors who feared nothing had been cowed by his rage. She stood her ground and gave him blow for blow. She wouldn’t give an inch if she believed she was right and while he might not agree with her position, he respected and admired her for standing up to him. Few people, male or female, could. The vampirism didn’t frighten her. His physical need for blood was gone but he was still a half vampire with all the instincts and benefits that came with the condition. He had known women who, upon learning what he was, had fled from him as if he were some sort of monster, fervent declarations of love notwithstanding. To Penthesilea, it didn’t matter, it never had, and her need to share her lifeforce with him was as powerful a drive as he had ever seen. The fact of it humbled him. The Darkness didn’t frighten her either. She saw it rise in him on the battlefield, saw what he was capable of doing while in its grip and what it drove him to do when the battles were done. A daughter of Ares, she had her own version of the Darkness. It was not the same as his but it was close enough that she understood it and him better than any woman ever had. And she could match him, on the battlefield or off of it.
     Kodiak was drawn from his thoughts by a small sound. He looked. His Lady’s eyes were open and she was looking at him with a sly gleam that told him that the time for thought was over and the time for action had come again. He smiled back, dropped the curl of her hair that he held and came to her. Their lips met and the world receded....

#322  Penthesilea

Penthesilea & Kodiak's Suite at the Temple...

Still later....

Kodiak: What the hell are you doing?

Penthesilea: I'm refining my manual dexerity and fine motor skills. You like? *Kodiak's response is non verbal and affirmative.*

#324  Penthesilea
     
Penthesilea & Kodiak's Suite at the Temple...

     *The sight that greeted Kodiak when he opened his eyes was one to stir his blood. Penthesilea sat with her back to him, the smooth, creamy expanse of it a perfect background for the fiery hair that tumbled to her waist. She was a vision and he took a moment to appreciate the view before he sat up beside her and pulled her into his embrace. They kissed, long and passionately, and when he looked into her eyes, he could see that she was troubled.*

Kodiak: What is it, my dear? *Penthesilea looked up at him from her resting place against his chest.*

Penthesilea: I was remembering the night I fell in love with you. I looked into your eyes, fell in and have never been able to climb out -- even when you said you loved someone else. Now I love you so much, it scares me. If you ever left me, I don’t know how I could go on.

Kodiak: I will never leave you, my Lady. *Hastily, she pressed her fingers to his mouth.*

Penthesilea: Don’t say that! It is tempting fate! *Gently, he took her hand in his and kissed her palm, sending shivers through her.*

Kodiak: I don’t believe in fate. I believe in us. I see you still need to work on listening to your heart, my dear. Perhaps I can help you make the voice of your heart stronger. Believe me, my little one, I will be by your side forever. *He began to kiss her then, softly, tenderly, and after a while, he laid her back down amid the furs and began to assure his Lady with all the powers at his command that she was his one true love and that they would be together forever....*

#326  Penthesilea
     
     *Reluctantly, Penthesilea pushed herself up off of Kodiak's chest far enough so that she could look him in the eyes.*

Penthesilea: Pleasant as this is, my love, we have to get back.

Kodiak: No we don't. *He immediately wrapped his arms around his lady's waist to prevent her from moving.* We still have purifications to do.

Penthesilea: Glutton! The Temple is as purified as it can get! The Cathedral is too. It will be dawn soon and I have to sing. *Kodiak pulled her down and began nibbling at her ear.* Kodiak.... *The Darklord subsided reluctantly.*

Kodiak: All right. But you have to promise not to vaporize the Lady Mayor of Crowhaven. *Penthesilea sat up indignantly, effectively pinning Kodiak to the floor and feigned a pout.*

Penthesilea: I was not going to vaporize her! I was going to turn her into a cockroach! Redundant, I admit but that's not my fault! *Kodiak tried to suppress a grin and failed. The Lady Mayor got on his nerves too. Penthesilea grinned back.* Very well, my Lord. I promise. Thank you for getting me out of there. I was about to lose it.

Kodiak: Any time, my Lady. And now, *With a twist of his muscular body, Kodiak dislodged his Lady from her seat and promptly pinned her to the floor. He grinned down at her...* how about "one for the road?" *and kissed her before she could reply.*

#329  Penthesilea

     *It actually turned out to be "two for the road" before Kodiak would permit their return to the Castle. He cherished the time that they spent in the Temple away from the demands of the Castle and its people. He found himself frequently thinking back to the days when they were simply Kodiak and Penth, who lived in an isolated Castle in the middle of nowhere and whose problems were few and small. They had not been lovers then but simply friends and he did not care to return to that state of affairs! But the peace and quiet of their lives then... That he missed.*

#5361  Penthesilea
     
     *As soon as his mysterious errand was done, Kodiak reported to the seamstresses for the final fittings of his formal wardrobe which he was shortly to need as the Keyholder's Consort. He endured the fussing of the ladies with good humor and when he left them, they were all remarking how very lucky their Lady was to have such a man in love with her.
     Kodiak's next stop was a conference with Lord Cujon and Sir Michael with the topic of discussion being the new embassy. Kodiak knew the mansion well -- but not so well that he would permit his Lady to sleep there before the place had been searched from top to bottom, scanned for any hidden devices and generally gone over with a fine toothed comb at least twice! After the conference, Kodiak had lunch with his Lady and prepared to leave. He had no intention of leaving her safety in the hands of others. He would go ahead, secure the mansion and the grounds and be there waiting for her when she arrived. As for Penthesilea, the new Prince had asked that she sing at a private party after his Investiture and she had, of course, consented. Suitable music had to be chosen and rehearsals started. And she had wardrobe to be fitted as well and other wedding details to take care of. All of the couriers had been dispatched and the responses were coming in. They would soon know just how many guests to expect. Consequently, the lovers had no time to fret over their separation. It would be short and soon they would be together forever.*

#5364  Penthesilea
     
     *As soon as she was back in her public office, Penthesilea sent a message to the Temple, requesting the presence of High Priestess Karika at her earliest convenience. Penthesilea smiled. This honor was well deserved and too long in coming....*