The early April night was unseasonably warm and slightly humid; not enough to drive true discomfort, but enough that Hortense felt plenty ready to remove her dress and shift as the ritual would soon demand. She surveyed the castle rooftop upon which the conspiracy's, and indeed the province's, destiny was to be made. Torches ringed the rooftop, nestled neatly in brackets within sturdy crenellations. Six braziers, filled with some kind of scented oil, were placed precisely at equidistant vertices between a great circle and the spokes and semicircle flourishes which defined the ritual site. Painted in a full red, more horn-like half circles bounced off of radiating circles along the spokes of the wheel- like inscription in the stone. The center held a round dias carved in unusual runes which made Hortense a little bit uncomfortable.
How quickly things had escalated for the so-recently normal Vicomtess! Mere days ago, the auburn-haired lioness had sat in her parlour, dreading another dull social engagement, exciting only as a break from her husband's lukewarm marital embrace. Now she stood proud, if fearful of the professional army camped outside, her erstwhile allies preparing to launch great stones against the curtain wall.
It was lucky indeed that the Duke, several days march away, had chosen to refrain from immediate decision and action on the Seneschal's accusations. He alone reserved the right to train flying cavalry within the province, a lance of which would spell immediate ruin for this rooftop ritual.
Hortense made steadying eye contact, first with her new Dominess, her once subject, Lady Vivienne, and then with the five other women of the circle. Elise had assured the women that seven was the most auspicious number for a ritual of this sort, and so the conspiracy had recruited several of the women most enthralled by the orgy of the previous night. Raven haired, blue eyed Anais, looking surprised but pleased to be treated as equal by her powerful co-conspirators. Loyal Lisette, the dexterous brunette who had been unfastening Hortense's outfits for years now. The competitive Brielle, a fiery redhead who had dared to grab a guardsman's cock right out of Lady Sama's hand. Each wore a matching white linen wrap, and a matching expression of determination. Only Vivienne's outfit differed, a crown of antler resting upon her regal brow, no linen covering her nudity. Elise wore a hooded sackcloth robe of brown, covered but for her face, as she wove around the rooftop, making slight adjustments to the preparations.
The twang of ballistae could be heard in the distance. The soldiers would be on a rotating schedule; they were required both for the ritual and for the defense of the keep. It was the answering boom that drove Hortense to anxiety.
It was immediately obvious that the Baron Geravian had thought ahead and had a powerful enchantment cast upon his trebuchet. The rumble of stone on stone shook Hortense's teeth, and the curtain wall, proof against days of normal bombardment, shuddered in agony. Hopefully it would last through the ritual.
Aware of the urgency, Vivienne signaled, and each woman took her assigned circle, each standing a few feet behind a brazier, and drums began to beat behind them, slow and steady. Each woman took a silver knife, and cut their clothing open to the beat of the drums. Vivienne and Elise began to chant in turn, speaking in a harsh gutteral language, though Hortense found herself understanding their intent as clearly as her own native tongue.
Twice, Vivienne implored the eyes of the Great Prince, and Hortense felt a stirring presence; a languid mind oozing sensuality, causally watching her with a voyeuristic energy equal to any she had so recently felt. She unconsciously widened her stance just a little, opening her bare legs to the obscene gaze.
As one the six women surrounding the Dominess plunged their white linens into the scented oil braziers in front of them. They had received no instruction on the particulars of this part of the ritual, but the obscene presence within them knew what was expected, and seemed not to mind her access of the knowledge. Each dipped fingers into the oil and began tracing sigils with it upon their bare flesh, each stroke timed to the slightly accelerating drum beat. Twice more Vivienne called upon the Prince, and the presence within Hortense woke up further. Sleepy sensuality was replaced with a rude interest and amusement at the new playthings being offered to this dark god. The sensation of being watched intensified, and Hortense held her breath, just a little.
Elise moved from the outermost circle to the middle, as she continue pacing around the ritual space, now carrying a torch. Beginning with Aurelie, she lit one brazier alight.
The flame was like none Hortense had ever seen. Less like a smoky hearth, and more like glowing honey. Aurelie responded to the lit brazier with a low moan, and began caressing herself impatiently. Hortense watched the blonde shudder and circle her sex with delicate fingers, slowly working toward frenzy, as Elise slowly paced the circle, lighting each brazier in turn. Lisette, Brielle, Sama, and Anais slowly followed Aurelie into her trance of lust, as two more calls to the dark god from Vivienne made the paint of the ritual circle start to glow a dull purple. At last, similar purple eyes bore into Hortense, as the torch touched to the brazier in front of her.
Bathed in the warm honey light, the first thing Hortense noticed was scent. More pleasurable than any herb a priest had ever placed in censer, and more alluring than a feast to the famished, it overwhelmed the Vicomtess. Her manicured nails traced sharp pathways into her naked, goosebumped flesh while she reveled in raw sensation. The watchful presence within her became an expectant audience, and Hortense wanted to show off; she would describe her performance as pornographic, had she been familiar with the word. She caressed, pinched, and gyrated for beat after beat, until she lost track of time
At some point, the drums settled into a steady beat, and Hortense's awareness surfaced just enough from the trance of lust to realize that she was on all fours, waggling her sex enticingly towards the outskirts of the circle, and she looked briefly around, to see her compatriots all in identical poses. The ample chests of Anais and Sama swung in hypnotic counterweight to the swaying beat of their hips, as the faces of all six women began to reflect entranced anticipation. Hortense noticed the first group of men lining up behind the other women, and her wanton sex stirred at the idea of the man behind her watching the dancing vulva he was about to claim.
Some distant part of Hortense's mind registered the booming thud of another enchanted stone against the abused curtain wall, but the rest of her consciousness was subsumed as Vivienne cried out the seventh and final call to the Prince. The dull purple of the circle lines flared to a bright glowing pink, flecked with the richer dark gold of the glowing braziers. The presence within her engorged to full attention and delicious focus, as all conscious thought gave way to indiscriminate lust. Elise threw off his cloak and lay on the dias, as the illusion of a purple-eyed woman dispelled to reveal a white-furred beastman of wiry strength, grippable handle-like horns, and a thick, knotted erection. Vivienne seemed unsurprised, and positioned herself above the beast, shouting one final, triumphant incantation before impaling her dripping sex.
