#2912   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Jasmine had taken the better part of two hours selecting clothing, scents and having her hair arranged in anticipation of her next liaison with Kodiak so she was prepared when one of her servant/spies brought word that Kodiak had returned to the Castle some time before and was in his quarters. Misting on one last breath of scent, Jasmine headed for his rooms.

#2914    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]
     
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkLord Kodiak
*Still contemplating his sword laying on the ground. Stares in silence.*

     Jasmine lets herself into Kodiak’s quarters and sees him sitting with his sword at his feet. Quickly, she touches him through the bloodbond. She feels both his resolve and his near suicidal despair. She realizes that she must act quickly. Whatever Kodiak is planning, it cannot be allowed to interfere with her father’s plans for him! She rushes forward and throws  herself at this feet. 
     “No, my love! Do not even think it! We can get through this. I love you with all my heart and soul and if you raise your sword against yourself you must raise it against me as well! I cannot live without you, my love, and I will not!” Her powers augmented by the scents she wore, Jasmine exerted her will against Kodiak’s and in his despair he did not have the will to resist her. The fumes filled his head and his resolve slipped away.

#2916  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Jasmine stands before him and slips the straps of her gown from her shoulders. With hypnotic intensity, she unfastens the dress and lets it fall to the floor, revealing her body to his gaze. She moves into his embrace and begins at his chest, licking and nibbling her way to his neck as her long hair brushes his skin. Finally, she takes his mouth in a devouring kiss that takes his breath away. “We are as one, my love. We have shared blood. No one can part us now!”

#2918  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Totally spellbound by Jasmine’s magick, Kodiak forgets about Penthesilea and falls upon Jasmine like a starving man, making violent love to her until they are both too exhausted to move.  As Kodiak dozes in the aftermath, Jasmine murmurs the spell that her father sent to her, further subverting Kodiak’s will to her own.

#2925  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Jasmine, satisfied that she has regained control of Kodiak, feels the need to show off her conquest. He is no more than a trophy to her and what good is a trophy if you don’t show it off? “Why don’t we visit your club, my love? It has been some time since we have been there.”  Kodiak feels something important nagging at him but Jasmine’s control over him is such that he can’t put his finger on it. He shrugs the feeling away.

#2928  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Jasmine casts the spell that takes them to Kodiak’s nightclub.  Once there, she flaunts her relationship with the owner shamelessly and shows him off like a prized stud. After a couple of hours of drinking and dancing, her concentration begins to weaken and Kodiak begins to feel restless. He should not be there. There is something else he should be doing. As he struggles to remember, one of the servers brings him a letter. It is short and to the point. He is needed at the Castle. Without telling Jasmine that he’s leaving, he slips out of the Club and uses the magickal transport provided by the Club to return to the Castle.

#2930 [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

    Daemon is nowhere to be found and the Castle is awash with rumors about Penthesilea and what might have happened to her. Satira was holding forth in the Great Hall about the darkness that had overtaken the Keyholder and how all such influences needed to rooted out and destroyed. Kodiak listened for a time then went to his quarters.  Once he had left Jasmine, his head had begun to clear and he remembered what had occurred in the forest when he had found Penthesilea.  The guilt that he had felt earlier returned to eat at him.

#2880  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     “Darkness is not evil, Darklord.” Kodiak turns to find Penthesilea’s father standing behind him. “Do not make the mistake of thinking it is. Darkness is as necessary as the Light and as for being a half-breed vampire, it is the condition of your soul that determines whether you are good or evil. Many times you have faced the choice between good and evil. Sometimes the evils were large, sometimes they were small but whenever you had a choice, you chose good. Penthesilea needs help and I am forbidden to help her. You are her only chance. Will you help her?”
     Kodiak didn’t hesitate. “What do I do?”  Ares smiled.
     “She is in the grip of Divine Madness but the trial has gone on too long. She is strong but she wasn’t recovered from the vampire’s attack and the madness that followed when she consented to the trial. Her body is giving out. If she could truly rest it could help but the Hunger will drive her until she collapses. When she can no longer obtain the life she needs, her body will consume itself. She is immortal and can’t die that way but after a certain point she will not be able to recover physically or mentally. When that happens the only mercy left for her would be death.” Inwardly, Kodiak shuttered in denial. Penthesilea dead was a reality that he would NOT accept. Ares continued. “ You have to find her, Kodiak, and kiss her -- as unpleasant as that will seem at the time -- because that is the only thing that will free her.”  Kodiak recalled how Penthesilea had looked the last time he had found her and the thought of kissing her in that condition was not pleasant. But then he thought of the alternatives, of taking her head to end her torment, of seeing her lying cold and lifeless at this feet just before he plunged his dagger into his own heart and he found those alternatives intolerable. If there was the slightest chance to save her, he would take it.
     “How do I find her?”
     “The Jackal Spirit that Anubis has charged to accompany you is presently following Penthesilea. I will send you to His immediate vicinity and you will be able to track them from there.” Kodiak nodded. “Arm yourself. No one can predict what will try to keep you from her.” Ares glowered. “I suspect that there is more going on here that we know. The family will get to the bottom of it but right now the only thing I’m concerned with is Penthesilea’s safety.” Kodiak listened with only half an ear. He was at his weapons locker quickly selecting the weapons he would take with him: his twin swords, several knives of various sizes, a few small hand grenades of various types, a selection of items useful in working those spells he was accomplished in, his pair of .50 caliber Desert Eagles with as much ammo as he could comfortably carry along with concentrated rations and water packs. With practiced efficiency, loaded it all into a combat vest which he quickly donned. The swords and guns were strapped on last and Kodiak turned to Ares, his handsome face set in grim determination.
     “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

#2932  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Jasmine appeared in her quarters and immediately went in search of Kodiak. The first servant she encountered told her that Kodiak could be found in the Castle Pub. Jasmine hurried off to find him while the disguised Aphrodite smiled behind her.
     Even as Jasmine began her wild goose chase, Kodiak and Ares were slipping out of the Castle through the South Gate next to the Kitchen. The stables were some distance from the Castle proper but they reached them quickly. Kodiak’s favorite warhorse was quickly saddled as was Ares’ horse and the two of them rode out. Once they were safely away from the Castle and any prying eyes that might be watching, Ares would transport Kodiak into Penthesilea’s vicinity. The secrecy was as much to protect Ares’ identity as Lord Duncan as anything else. Duncan, Lord of Aragorn was an accomplished sorcerer but what he would have to do to get Kodiak where he needed to be would leave a power signature entirely too powerful for a mere sorcerer.  Ares had spent considerable time and effort in establishing his identity as the immortal sorcerer lord of Aragorn and Hidden Bay and he wasn’t about to lose it through carelessness.

#2934   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     In Paradise Valley, Lord Stephan kept up his own search for the Keyholder. His sources told him that entirely too many individuals were interested in the afflicted woman and he’d decided to move up his timetable of rescue. The sooner that she was safely captured and confined under his care the better.  Convincing her brother and daughters to let him keep Penthesilea in his custody might be a bit of a problem but he would work on that problem while hunting down the Keyholder.

#2936   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]
   
     In the Pub, Daemon is almost drunk enough to sleep. He rises from his table, takes a fresh half gallon bottle with him and heads for his quarters. Dimly, he hopes to dull the pain. He has lost so much already. He cannot bear to lose his sister as well.

#2938  Penthesilea
     
The Forest

*The night is chill. A giant jackal comes and lays beside Penthesilea as she sleeps. She moves closer to it, is warmed and finds peace in her sleep....*

#2940   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Ares was able to transport Kodiak and his mount to within a couple of miles of Penthesilea’s location. Within moments, Kodiak’s jackal companion appeared to him in spirit form and began to lead him to where Penthesilea huddled under a tree sound asleep.