#2942    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     With the instincts of the wild animal that she had become, Penthesilea came awake with a start, knowing that she was hunted. She pulled her exhausted body to its feet and fled into the deeper underbrush. She couldn’t outrun them. She would have to find a place to hide. Penthesilea went deeper into the undergrowth but it was too small an area to effectively hide her. The forest canopy was dense here and the sun did not reach the ground in sufficient amount to encourage lot of undergrowth.  If she had been the size of a rabbit or other small animal she would have been safe but she was not. She would have to break from cover and seek a better hiding place. She tensed and then fled. She could hear the hunters coming closer.

#2944   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     “There she is!”
     Nearly mindless with terror, Penthesilea forced her exhausted body into flight. Frantic, she looked for a place to hide, somewhere where they could not reach her but this part of the forest was devoid of such places. There were only the tall trees with branches too high to reach and saplings that provided no cover. She did not look back as she heard the thud of the hooves of the approaching riders’ mounts. Only when they began to encircle her did she see them and dimly realized that the hunters were not human. The leader pulled the whip of his saddle free and snapped it behind the terrified woman, driving her in the direction he wanted. The other riders encircling her did the same, forcing her to move as they wished. In her right mind, Penthesilea could have eluded them or fought but in the grip of Divine Madness, she could only shy from the crack of the whips and their harsh, mocking laughter.  Finally, they had her where they wanted her and they closed in on her driving their mounts into a tighter and tighter circle around her. Then one reached down from behind her, pulled Penthesilea kicking and struggling up onto his saddle and laughed as she screamed in helpless terror. 
     “Our lord will be pleased, brothers!” the leader bellowed. “Mage, open the portal so we may deliver our prize.” He looked at Penthesilea whose body was barely covered by the remains of her clothing. “Who knows, perhaps once he has taken a measure of revenge on her, our lord will be inclined to share her!” The demonriders laughed as the mage opened the portal and they rode through.
     Unnoticed by the raucous demons, Kodiak thundered into view just as the last of them rode through the portal with their helplessly screaming prize.

#2946   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Kodiak could hear sounds of struggle not too far ahead of him.  Knowing Penthesilea as well as he did, Kodiak headed toward the sound since the likelihood of her being at the center of the fray was high. Sure enough, he edged around an outcropping of rock to see Penthesilea putting up a fierce struggle with a dozen or so demonic minions.  Kodiak smiled, drew his swords and charged.
     Once she had passed out of her home reality, the Divine Madness had released its hold on Penthesilea’s mind and when her sanity had returned, she had taken strong objection to being manhandled by demons. She quickly found out that her magick was useless but that did not stop her from fighting back physically.  She lit into her captors with all of her remaining strength.  She had no idea what she would do when she escaped from them but she had always been one to take first things first. Escape first and then figure out what to do!

#2948  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penth was not immediately aware of the disturbance at the back of her crowd of captors. But the howls of the dying quickly became too loud to ignore. She managed to maneuver herself around so she could look in the direction the sound was coming from. She looked just in time to see Kodiak blow a demon’s head apart with a blast from one of his Desert Eagles even as he gutted another one with his sword. He was smiling fiercely and laying demons out like so much stove wood.
     “Get her out of here!” a demon voice ordered and Penth couldn’t avoid being grabbed by a pair of the surviving demons when a third managed to land a stunning blow to the back of her head. Dimly, she heard Kodiak’s roar of rage before everything when black.....

#2950  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea was jolted back to relative consciousness by the unpleasant sensation of being slung face down over the saddle of a fairly fast moving riding animal.  If there had been anything in her stomach, she would have thrown up. As it was she simply endured the trip while trying to grasp the fact that wherever she was, Kodiak was there as well and apparently intent on her rescue. She tried to remember what had happened immediately before her head had cleared and she had found herself in the company of demons but without success. Instead, she thought about Kodiak. While part of her was grateful for the chance to see him for what would probably be the final time, the rest of her wished with all of her heart that he was not there. She wanted him to be safe and happy and with the woman that he loved not trapped in some “Gods knew where” demon dimension with no obvious way out. A tear leaked from her eye. He should not have come for her. Not after what she had done.
     In spite of her discomfort, Penthesilea grayed out and only came back to herself when the gait of the animal changed to a walk. In short order she was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground in what she quickly realized was a demon encampment. Oh joy...

#2952  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Before she could rise on her own, Penthesilea was hauled to her feet by obviously female demons and dragged to an area that was set aside for bathing. There were a number of large tubs of water available and the area was shaded from the sun by a canopy. What remained of her clothes were stripped off of her and she was deposited in one of the tubs. She was then scrubbed with impersonal efficiency by the she-demon attendants.  When her hair and every inch of her skin had been scrubbed clean, she was pulled out of the tub, dried and dressed, if you could call it that, in a short hip wrap in the Jagamatan style.  Penth regarded the garment dubiously. It consisted of a short rectangle of cloth that was wrapped around her hips and tied on her left side.  She was bare from the hips up and the mid thighs down.  She was also barefoot. Once her captors were satisfied with her appearance, Penth was taken to another area of the camp. She could see a much larger and more ornate canopy ahead of her and surmised that she was being taken to see the leader of the tribe. She braced herself for whatever might come. 

#2954   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea’s escorts were none too gentle as they hustled her across the expanse of hot sand toward their  destination. Penth winced as she trod on a rock. She had spent the last year wearing well fitted, well made foot wear and the calluses she normally had from going barefoot were long gone. Inwardly, she scolded herself. The things one would think of to avoid thinking about something unpleasant. And she had no doubt that whatever happened once she was escorted into the presence of whomever she was being taken to see would be unpleasant. Her treatment so far virtually guaranteed it.  She didn’t know if the demons’ interference meant that she had failed her trial or if they were actually a part of it, a circumstance that was not entirely out of the question. Memories of what had occurred during her time of madness were beginning to emerge but she pushed them aside. She had no time for them now. She needed to concentrate on the present because she suspected that she would need all her wits to survive.  The “present” arrived entirely too soon as her escorts hustled her under a large canopy that sheltered the area directly in front of a large tent. A large demon hand reached out from inside the tent and moved the flap aside. The demon that emerged was nine feet tall if he was an inch, hard muscled and all too obviously  male. That was not what held Penthesilea’s attention. Incredible as it was, she recognized him! He had been human and sitting in a hog wallow the last time she had seen him but it was unmistakably him!
     “Quamar!” She hissed. That he was alive and obviously now a demon was not a pleasant revelation and she had a very good idea of how much trouble she was in.
     “You recognize me then? Good! That will save considerable time.  We have a long overdue appointment, little bitch. My Divine Mother promised you to me as a bride. You refused that honor in a most insulting manner. One such as you does not insult Quamar of the Karthain Wastes with impunity and there can be only one punishment for such an insult.” He smiled evilly. “Bring her!”
     The guards on either side of Penthesilea grabbed her by the arms and began to drag her toward Quamar. Penthesilea began to fight with all the strength left in her but she had already been through too much and she was no match for them as they dragged her toward the grinning demon.

#2956  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Quamar laughed as Penthesilea was dragged kicking and screaming in fury towards him. He was more than ready for her  and the acidic secretions common to the demon race to which he now belonged began to ooze from his skin. When she was close enough, she lashed out with a savage kick to his inner thigh -- the crotch being the obvious and always protected target -- and he caught her leg just above the ankle and held on. In seconds, Penthesilea screamed in pain as the acid he smeared on her bare skin began to burn her. He dropped her leg and, with fresh acid on his hands, seized her breasts, leaving the impression of his massive hands burned into them. Then, laughing, he cupped her face in an obscene parody of a lover’s touch and kissed her, swallowing the sound of her screams. She was only semiconscious when he let her breathe but he brought her to wakefulness by running his hands over her, leaving the burning acid in their wake. Her screams were music to his ears and he had only just begun.

#2958   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Kodiak heard the unmistakable sound of Penthesilea’s voice raised in screaming fury and he smiled. His Lady was still alive and obviously giving someone a hard time. Then he heard her fury turn to pain and his eyes went black, the Darkness rose in him and he drew a sword and a gun without realizing it as he broke from cover and began to run toward the sound of her screams. He knew! And nothing would keep him from her side!
    He was spotted at once and warriors quickly came to engage him. Kodiak didn’t care. They were between him and Penthesilea whose screams had faded into silence and that infuriated him even more. He slaughtered them and those that came after them.  When the oily secretion on their skin splashed on him as they died, Kodiak understood why Penthesilea screamed and the cryptic remarks of the females in the supply tent. The pain of the burns only increased his fury which a sane man would not have thought possible.

#2960   [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Kodiak regarded his foe coldly as he drew his second sword. He had not needed to be present to know why Penthesilea’s screams of rage had suddenly turned to screams of pain that had faded into silence. He did not need to see her to know how badly contact with the demon’s acid secretions had burned her. He bore a few such burns himself having fought his way to this point. He had no desire to fight his way out again and as if on cue, a thunderous explosion rent the air and a column of smoke and fire reached for the heavens as the small, powerful incendiary grenade that Kodiak had left in the demons’ storage area ticked down to zero and went off. 
     Quamar was startled by the explosion but Kodiak was not and he sprang to the attack, his swords flashing and dripping with the blood of the already slain. Quamar was slow to block and Kodiak drew first blood with the sword in his right hand, gouging a furrow across the demon’s belly. Quamar howled and Kodiak grinned, the Darkness high and hot in him. He wanted the demon dead but first, he wanted him to suffer and to know that he was going to die at the hands of Penthesilea’s champion.  Quamar had been a warrior before becoming a demon but he had always depended on his superior size and strength to win his battles. He had only the basic understanding of sword work and tactics. He responded to Kodiak’s attack with a flurry of heavy handed blows that would normally beat his opponent down until he could no longer continue. Kodiak did not care to play that game. He evaded when he could and when he could not, he blocked in such a way that Quamar’s sword slid away without doing any damage. Kodiak let this play go on long enough for the demon to realize that he faced a superior foe. When the first trace of panic appeared in Quamar’s eyes, Kodiak went to work.

#2962  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     With a savage upward thrust, Kodiak eviscerated the already dead demon and yanked his swords free with the intention of gaining Penthesilea’s side. He sheathed one sword but kept the other at the ready.  He looked for her and spotted her some yards away but before he could take more than a step in her direction the enraged Goddess of the Sand blocked his way.  She had heard her son’s death scream and had come to avenge him.  Kodiak didn’t care.  The Darkness still had him in its grip and he welcomed it. The dead thing behind him had violated the woman that was not only Kodiak’s sworn Lady but also his friend. The “goddess” blocking his path had not only permitted that violation, she had been the source of the curse that had caused Penthesilea centuries of pain, suffering and loneliness. That was all the motivation that Kodiak needed. He leaped to the attack even as the Goddess of the Sand fired energy blasts at him. Combat was not in the Goddess’s realm of influence while it was Kodiak’s lifeblood. He dodged her blasts easily and closed on Her in seconds. She had just enough time to realize that She was going to die and a scream began to rise in Her throat as Kodiak swung his sword two handed with all of the power of his magnificent body and outraged soul. His sword struck Her at the neck and Her head fell to the ground, Her mouth open in a soundless scream. It remained there for a handful of seconds then it began to decompose with frightening speed. Kodiak watched dispassionately, alert for any sign that She was still able to fight. He watched as Her skull dissolved to dust along with Her body. So passed the Goddess of the Sand....

#2964  [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Even as he cradled his Lady, Kodiak turned his mind to escape. The Goddess of the Sand was dead but that didn’t mean that they were out of the woods just yet. They were still trapped in a demon dimension and he was going to have to find a way home for them. Penthesilea needed medical attention -- her injuries would have long since been fatal to a mortal woman -- as well as a safe place to recover from her ordeal.  Even as he began to search his mind for a solution, a small tremor shook the ground under them. He looked up and saw the distant hills disappear with a rumble. He realized to his horror that with the goddess who ruled it dead, her home dimension was breaking up into nonexistence. Penthesilea stirred in his arms and he looked down at her. He saw it in her eyes. She knew what was happening but she was not afraid.
     “Kodiak,” she whispered as the tremors grew stronger and the screams of the Goddess’s doomed minions began to fill the air. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I did. I never meant to hurt you.” Tears slid from her eyes as another, stronger shock wave hit and Kodiak reached for his sword while he supported her with this left arm. With his sword back in his hand, he pulled her even closer. He didn’t know what was going to happen. Would they cease to exist? Would they fall to some hideous death when the ground underneath them disappeared? Would they fall forever?  Kodiak had no answers but one thing he did know. Whatever happened he would meet it with his sword in his hand and his Lady safe in his arms.  There was only one remaining thing he could do for her. He looked deeply into her beautiful eyes.
     “I forgive you, my Lady. I forgive you.” The light of gratitude in her eyes warmed his soul and he smiled at her. Then, as the onrushing edge of dissolution reached them, he bent his head and kissed her and then the ground was gone and they began to fall...