"I do not think this will end well for you," Keira said as she raised the goblet of sparkling wine to her lips. "Perhaps you have forgotten we are a secret society which aims to depose kings? Do you expect us to merely wish you a fond farewell?"
"I will not interfere with the Lodge, I will swear to that," Triss said firmly. Keira met this declaration with silence. "And we have all known each other for ages, haven't we?"
"Yes, I do suppose there is that," Keira sipped her wine. It was clear she did not think much of the argument.
"I should never have joined in the first place." Triss looked at her pleadingly. "Please, Keira, aid me. I am sure you can persuade the rest of them."
"I might," Keira said and the haughty smile she always wore seemed to get sharper. "But what shall you give me in return?"
"What would you like?"
"In point of fact," Keira breezily put down her wine on the nightstand beside her, "there is something I would like, but I fear it may prove too much for you."
"Anything, Keira. I must leave the Lodge."
"Well, then," Keira said, comfortably reclining back in her armchair, "if that is so, I would much prefer us to continue this conversation with you in the nude."
Triss looked at her with surprised indignation. There had always been rumors that Keira freely enjoyed the company of women as well as men. In truth, she considered, letting Keira have her way now was a small price to pay. The Lodge would not survive long. Her fellow sorceresses thought themselves far too clever and little understood the games they were playing at; she was certain they would be exposed in time. She had to disassociate herself, the sooner the better.
She raised her arms, her mind made up, about to cast the spell of evanescence of her clothes, when Keira shook her head.
"No, dear, why don't you use your hands?"
Hesitatingly, Triss brought her hands down and began to unbutton. The two of them had been colleagues for ages, sometimes rivals and sometimes friends, and now she was standing in front of Keira undressing herself. It did not help that Keira seemed altogether too satisfied to sit there and watch her disrobe, the expression on her face even more overbearing than usual.
The shoes came first, followed by her pants and then her tunic. The whole process took longer than she thought, for unlike Keira, who always seemed to wear pretty, floral-patterned summer dresses, Triss preferred a more functional manner of attire. She could not help blushing when she stood before her rival in only her bra and panties.
"Everything, my dear."
She turned crimson as she slipped off her bra, her hands seeming to resist as if they posessed their own will. This was to be more difficult than she thought. She had faced down great dangers in the past without flinching, and now the simple act of disrobing to the pleasure of a fully-dressed Keira was proving incapacitatingly humiliating. She took a deep breath and slid down her panties, carelessly tossing them to the side with a feigned insouciance. But she suddenly felt embarrassed at her nudity and could not help but cover herself up with her hands.
"Now, my dear, I will cast my voice in favor of your request with the Lodge. In return, you have to satisfy my whims tonight, you understand?"
