The Inquisitor

When the princess emerged from her bath, she found the Inquisitor waiting impatiently by her bed.

"By the Gods, woman! Where have you been?' he snapped. "The hour grows late!" Seeing her, he caught himself and softened his tone.

"Were you successful, my princess? Did you find what you searched for?

A slight bow, her hair still dripping from her bath in shining droplets down her smooth back. "Yes, my Lord. I believe I did!"

"A great many questions have I found answers to." she continued. "I know now what evil lurks inside our Queen, and I may have uncovered a way to defeat her."

The Inquisitor listened to all she had discovered in the Library of the Dragon-Hold. Some of here tale, he knew already, and much he had guessed. But as to weapons he might devise, he listened intently.

"What we seek lies here... in this castle! The old man, Syr Va'ahl hid it here in a secret place known only to him, before the Queen banished him.

"Here? In the Castle? But where?" he asked. "I well recall the writings of the King, and there is no hiding place mentioned.

"That's just it, my Lord." She explained. "The King would never have known it. He was already cursed and locked away by the time Syr Va'ahl hid it."

"It was on the day the Queen and I went walking on the battlements, before she sent us to the outlander's camp." continued the princess. "The Queen let it slip, but I knew not its meaning then.

"We were walking along, and she was fuming about the outlanders, and what to do with them. And she mentioned the setting of the sun, and the golden strands and ribbons which entwined about the castle walls."

"Yes." said he. "The magick blessings and talismans the sisters laid into the walls at their rebuilding."

"The very ones, my Lord!" She exclaimed. "But they also hide a secret. I think that at the setting of the sun, they reveal a secret hiding place here in the castle, where the old wizard hid what we seek."

The Inquisitor looked as if he'd been physically struck.

"Of course." said He. "The old dog! Of course he would have wrought some secret place within the walls. How could I have not seen it sooner? The way the castle is aligned, how the setting of the sun on the day of the High Moon... its rays pass directly through the arched tunnel, don't they?

"By the Gods!" he exclaimed, and dashed from the room.

- - -

The princess was left alone once again. She stood dripping still wet from her bath, thick towel wrapped round her warmly.

She dried her self, and brushed her long dark hair until it was the sheerest silk. From the beautifully carved dresser, she found a gown of the deepest green. It had belonged to her lost love, and she found it fitting to wear it on such an occasion.

The slipped into the gown, and laced its golden laces across her bare chest. Her breasts strained at the lacings, and as she caught sight of herself in the looking-glass, she smiled a wicked smile. Her blue bond-stone shone brightly against the smooth skin of her graceful neck.

She perfumed her skin from the many bottles and trinkets, selecting at last a hint of orange blossom. She softly brushed shimmery powders over her cheeks and forehead, and her face shone with light. Her lips she rouged with strawberries, until they were sweet to taste.

Satisfied with her reflection, she laced on soft slippers with ribbons that wound round her soft calves up to her knees, and left her chambers.

- - -

As she passed into the antechambers and through the Inquisitor's Chamber of Delights, she noticed first the noise. Deep rumblings, clankings and hissings were all around. Everywhere gears and wheels turned with clunks and groans. The great bellows worked up and down, fanning the roaring flames within the furnace to white hot.

As she passed through, she saw a small door she had never noticed before. In truth, most times she'd been in these chambers, she'd been occupied by the machines or too overwhelmed by pleasure to notice anything else.

Within the small door lay another room, a small workshop. Through the open door, she could see her master pass hurriedly back and forth, bringing different objects to a worktable. Over the din of the rumbling machines, she could hear the clink and tinkle of glass bottles and tins.

She approached slowly, and risked a peek inside the workshop. All around the walls were shelves lined with all sorts of bottles, chests, boxes and sacks. Large and small, reds and greens and blues and browns and black, containers of all sorts and sizes filled every space on the shelves and tables throughout the workshop. Every measure of wall space was covered with parchments and papers. Mechanical drawings of every sort, devices she could not even fathom, some for torture, some for war, some for agriculture, and a great many that even the princess could divine were for pleasure.

"My Lord...?" she said softly, as he bustled about in the workshop. He paid her no heed as he added this powder and that into a large stone mortal and pestle. Though she could not be certain, his form and shape appeared fuzzy and indistinct again. The princess told herself it must be a trick of the dim light. "Is there anything I might do to help you, my Lord?" she asked at last, his frenetic pace dizzying.

He stopped for a moment, as if unsure what step to take next, and he turned to regard the princess. Distractedly he murmured some response, and the princess turned to go.

"Ah, wait a moment. There is something." He said, regaining his thoughts. "You look most becoming, my dear. Chrysanthemum's gown is quite lovely on you."

"It is time..." he continued. "for you to join the Queen for the Games. I need you to distract her, my princess. It is imperative! You must keep her occupied this evening at sundown. If we are to have any chance of success, I must have the objects Syr Va'ahl has left behind in the secret vault. Without them, all hope is lost, and it will be another twenty and five years before we can try again!"

The princess opened her mouth to put forth questions, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand.

"No, my princess. There is no time. You must go. I must finish this ... fear not, I shall bring it to thee before the Rite. Remember all you have learned, trust in me, and perhaps all will be right. Now hurry!"

With that, he turned his back and delved once again into his powders and potions. The princess hurried from the chamber and up the long, winding stair. As she reached the courtyard, she could hear trumpetings and cheers not too far away. She followed the sounds and made her way through the crowds, until at last she reached the tournament grounds.

There had been constructed a large viewing stand, ranging along the Field of Games. It was not terribly high, but long and narrow, and constructed of step-like teirs. These were crammed full with spectators, nobles and commoners alike, all waving banners and cheering.

In the very center of the gallery, stood a higher balcony, with wide stairs climbing to it. The princess could only assume it to be the Queen's viewing box, and she began to climb up. As she climbed, she overheard several evil hisses as she passed some of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. One of them even stuck out a foot to trip her, but the princess saw it coming, and quickly side-stepped it.

As she reached the top, she found the Queen, resplendent in her radiant gown, seated upon a large comfortable throne of dark wood. Seated next to it was a smaller, yet soft looking chair, and next to it, another throne, not nearly as ornate and richly carved, but beautiful nonetheless.

The Queen looked up at her as she reached the box. "Ah. There you are, my dear. I was beginning to think you might miss the festivities,"

The princess leaned forward and gave the Queen a very passionate kiss on the lips. "Oh no, my Queen. I would not disobey your command." Her face was flushed and pink.

"I must admit I had to hurry to make it on time... My master... he had me... to attend to an errand for him. Please forgive the late hour."

"Ah, think nothing of it my dear." said the Queen with an airy wave of her hand. The Queen seemed in high spirits, and her smile was radiant and stunning. Slowly, her pink tongue slid along her lips seductively as she tasted the princess' kiss.

"Mmm." she said. "Strawberries... delightful!" She gestured toward the smaller seat next to her.

"Please be seated, my dear." She said. Again she tasted her lips as the princess sat, eyeing her body as she did. "Indeed, you must have been attending the Inquisitor... I can still taste him on you." She whispered to the princess as she composed her skirts about her upon the little chair.

Leaning closer, the Queen whispered to the princess' ear. "I'm sure he had you attending to your lessons, did he not?"

"Yes, my Queen... he did."

"Ah, very good, and an apt pupil you are." whispered the Queen, her lips very close to the princess' ear and neck. She could feel the hot breath of the Queen on her neck, and quivered in spite of herself. "Perhaps I shall give you a lesson as well,,, your master introduced me to a wonderful new contraption today. I think you might enjoy it."

"Ooo." purred the princess. "I would like that very much, my Queen."

The Queen continued to whisper sweet nothings to the ear of the princess, her long graceful hands sliding along the princess' legs, down her back, across her bosom, her fingertips lingering on her hardening nipples, giving the slightest tweak before continuing along their soft journey of touches. Thought the princess loathed the Queen, her body felt an irresistible pull towards her, a nearly overpowering desire to ravage her there in front of the entire assembly.

At last, she shook her head to clear away the swoon. "My goodness." sighed the princess. "My Queen, you have excited my greatly."

"That is good, my dear. I am most pleased." said the Queen.

"I've a thought..." she continued. "You shall accompany me this night and serve me in the Rite of the High Moon. I choose you as my consort, and you shall pleasure me in the Rite."

"Yes, my Queen. I would be most honored." cooed the princess. Leaning closer to the Queen's ear, she said softly. "I had greatly hoped you would choose me. My master told me he is constructing a grand implement for me to pleasure you with, should you choose me as your consort."

To this the Queen was greatly surprised. "I am most pleased to hear it, my young beauty." said She. "A new device... I am most anxious... his contraptions always feel so good." she said, giving the princess a knowing wink.

Just then, a new blast of trumpets filled the air strident tones, and from the long end of the Tournament grounds rode the great chieftain and his company of outlanders and champions. On the far side of the ground ran another long grandstand, crammed with commoners and peasants.

As they rode in, the Queen leaned over to the princess once again, and said very softly, "Before the sun rises, those beautiful men down there will all know my power. Not one of them shall see another moon... and I shall eat them up!"