#182     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     The riders approached the Castle at a walk being very careful to keep their hands away from their weapons. This was wise because Penthesilea and her daughters had up taken a position in front of the Castle’s Main Gate which had been sealed behind them. They were mounted on war horses outfitted in the best nanotech armor available on the planet and the armor that they wore on their bodies was every bit as high tech. Penthesilea had left her head uncovered so that her face was exposed and her unbound hair fell free. Her armor conformed to her every curve and she was not shy about using that advantage. If I foe touched her with the intention of having his way with her, he would die without her having to lift a finger. It was the only situation in which her curse did her any good. They all wore the device of the Keyholder on their armor and that of their horses. Penthesilea had used many heraldic devices in her time, a consequence of being as old as she was and desiring to hide the fact, but at the moment, she didn’t want to use any of them. As a daughter of her father’s house, she and her own daughters could use his identification with appropriate additions. They didn’t, opting instead for wearing a small charm around their necks. They could have worn the mark of their Amazon clan, the Swordkin but did not. For the moment, being of Keyholder blood was enough.
     They’re clean magickally, Mother, Spirit reported. No magickal traps, charms, glamours or spells of any sort in operation on any of them.
     No technological booby traps on them, Mom. And the database hasn’t found a match for their IDs but it is still searching, MoonCat said.
     Well, I guess we will just have to wait for them to properly introduce themselves.
     They didn’t have long to wait. The group stopped about a hundred yards away. The man in the lead turned and spoke to the men behind him, then he and the other two armored men urged their horses forward until they were halfway between the Castle and their own men.  Penthesilea knew what was expected and she urged her horse forward with MoonCat and Spirit right behind her.  As they moved forward, Penthesilea cast a Truth Spell on the three men. Spirit’s scan had told them that the men had no protection against it and whatever questions they were asked, they would give truthful answers to.  Penthesilea would not be taking any chances.
Penth and the girls stopped at an easy speaking distance from the newcomers. The man in the lead had his head uncovered as did Penthesilea and she could get a good look at him. He was breathtaking. He had coal black hair and intense blue eyes set in a face designed by a master sculptor. Penthesilea didn’t need the inspeaking to know that her daughters were avidly wondering what he looked like without his armor -- or any other covering! Since Penthesilea was an honest woman, she knew that she would be wondering the same thing were it not for a particular circumstance that made such speculation both fruitless and painful. With a twinge of regret, she pulled her mind away from what was denied her and addressed the knight.
     “What business brings you to this land, sir knight?”
     “We seek the Lord of this Castle.”  His voice was a rich baritone that would melt any woman’s bones.
     “These lands have no Lord. They have been claimed by a daughter of the House.”
     “Then we would speak to the Lady.”
     “To what purpose?”
     Penthesilea could tell that he was reluctant to speak but the power of the spell was subtle and he had no choice.  “We have come to offer our service to the Keyholder of the Castle.”
     “Why?”
     Penthesilea could see his struggle and waited patiently. Finally, he spoke. “I cannot speak for the others,” he said slowly “but for myself, I was called. I awoke one morning weeks ago and knew that I had to come here even though I didn’t know where I was going when I started.” Behind him, his fellow knights nodded and Penthesilea smiled at them.
     “The Castle knows its own. Be welcome. I am Penthesilea, Lady Keyholder and I accept you into my service.”  The shocked looks on the men’s faces made Penthesilea chuckle. “Bring your men into the Castle. Rest and refresh yourselves and I will take your oaths of fealty in the proper manner after ThirdMeal.” 

#184     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea and Spirit had managed to get the two towers that would house the Knights and the new Castle Guard cleaned and ready for the new tenants to move into in record time. Fortunately, they each had their own bedding and clothing.  The Guardsmen would wear their own clothing on duty for a while. Penthesilea hadn’t even thought about uniforms, unit patches or anything of that sort. Lillyrose had gotten the Housekeeping staff into uniforms so you could tell who was working. Some of the more talented Smallkin women were busy making service patches using the Keyholder’s own device as the central element. Penthesilea had had no objection to that so at least the men and women in her service could be easily identified.
   

#210     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea, Spirit and MoonCat appeared at ThirdMeal again richly gowned and after the meal, Penthesilea took the oaths of the Castle’s newest defenders. Some of the knights were women which pleased Penthesilea’s Amazon soul. In those lands were Amazons weren’t all that common, men tended to overlook the possibility that a woman could put up a successful fight. Penth was all for having that advantage in her favor.

#212     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penthesilea sets her air bike for silent running, not wishing to cause a stampede. She tops a low rise and looks down into the pasture where the herd was scheduled to be bedded down for the night. The pasture is empty.  Now cautious, she descends into the pasture looking for some sign of what has occurred. She sees the herders’ wagon and campfire across the pasture and begins to slowly approach it.  The grass in this meadow is high and she is alert for anything that could be hiding in it. Even so, it catches her by surprise.

#214     [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Penth breaks and runs. Escape is her only hope of survival. She has no doubt that this beast, whatever it was, would rend her body past recovery if it got its claws on her again. The beast does not immediately follow her, either believing that the prey can not escape or lethargy from its gorging is setting in.  Whatever the reason, Penth thanks the Gods for it. She can see her air bike idling ahead of her and thanks the Gods again.  She climbs onto it, activates the emergency restraint system and the ‘emergency return to base’ autopilot. She grips her sword in one hand and the handlebars with the other as the air bike begins to pull away from the scene of the carnage. The beast rouses then, sensing the prey escaping but the air bike gathers speed quickly and leaves the monster behind.

#216    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Sir Michael gathers Penthesilea in his arms and carries her to the Infirmary, bellowing for the Healers as he goes. Spirit scoops up her mother’s fallen sword and she and MoonCat follow Michael.

#218    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     In the absence of the Keyholder and her daughters, Michael sends out a heavily armed scouting party to backtrack to where Penthesilea was attacked. They return with the mutilated bodies of three herders and the report that a dozen head of cattle have been killed and partially eaten.

#220    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Sir Michael sent out more scouting parties, this time gremlins manning small, fast airsleds.  While waiting for them to return with their reports, Michael began assembling the team he would need to take down the monster. He began by closely questioning the new knights and testing them in the Training Hall. He was well aware that it was possible to overstate one’s skills and get away with it when all that would be demanded of you was ceremonial duties and the occasional tournament.  His warrior’s gut was telling him that duty at the Keyholder’s Castle was going to require more than that for all that it appeared to be an aristocratic country retreat!

#222    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     In their lab, MoonCat and Spirit unpack and set up the equipment that they need with the help of several gremlins. As soon as a piece was unpacked and powered up, it was put to use. One of the first things up and running was a communications link to the most technologically and magickally advanced city on the planet, Hidden Bay. If they needed to consult experts, they didn’t want any time wasted.

#224    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     Standing among the Knights on the first floor of their tower, Michael announced that the expedition would consist of himself, Sir Alexander, Sir Kevin, Dame Magda, Sir Rondelas, Dame Elena and a half dozen of the Guardsmen but every knight and guardsman would be on alert. They had no way to know where the monster would strike next.

#227    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     In a shadowed hollow made all the darker by their presence, the monster that had Penthesilea fought rested with her two offspring. Once she had fed again, she would birth another and a few more meals would bring her first offspring to birthing size.  There did not seem to be others of their kind here. That was good. It would be a long time before the food was exhausted and they had to eat each other. But first, they would rest....

#229    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     In their lab, Spirit and MoonCat continued their work as one compound after another is created, tested and then, discarded.

#231    [Rewritten by Penthesilea]

     The sun had set and the cattle should have been settling down for the night but they remained restless, their continuous lowing setting the nerves on the herders on edge. Their horses were catching the cattle’s nervousness. The foreman, not wishing to take chances, doubled the guard and radioed the Castle to report the odd behavior of the animals.