Princil's Magic Ch. 10 Pt. 01 Festival

Chapter 10: Festival At Bricas

(Part 1)

The Great Sorceror Valdark sent a magical summons to the sorcerer Aribor. "Where are you wizard. You have had your days of rest!" He imagined, from past performance that the wizard, having been deprived of one who had so much resided within his mind, would have found some other conquered women to amuse himself with. Valdark knew Aribor could be motivated by the lust for women. The lure of access and control over women had been one of the main attractions for Aribor to become and to remain a sorcerer. The occupation of sorcerer of the dark had provided Aribor with many women over the years, to do with as he liked once the dark magic had been created for his King. Aribor's lusts and appetites had made him a great sorcerer, very useful to his King and to his leader Valdark. Other wizards with lesser motivations had produced magic of far less complete effectiveness.

Valdark had sent soldiers to look in the camps and accommodations of the Grumandrians, and other wizards. Again Aribor appeared to have gone to ground. So now Valdark sent a summons. There was no immediate reply, so the Great Sorceror had the good sense to give Aribor more time. Doubtless Aribor was still upset by the Great Sorceror's intrusion and his confiscation of the beauty. Valdark hoped his sorcerer had not been too deeply upset by Valdark's actions, for the Great Sorceror realised he needed all his sorcerors for the next stage of Guthelm's campaign.

In fact Aribor had not been with the conquered women of Cromilil, or not in the sense Valdark expected. He had not taken any more women for his own purpose. He had observed the Goblins using their new slavewomen and had found some pleasure in watching the degradation of the women by the Goblins. He had relieved himself by his own hand occasionally when he needed to relieve his own frustrations, but had felt no desire to involve himself more closely. His thoughts remained of Remzain's beauty, of his bitterness at Valdark's confiscation, of the danger the Great Sorceror had put the beauty in. He had contemplated with sadness the sack of Remzain's city and the cruelties he had seen. He felt no great desire to use his sorcery now. He had slept and awoken, taken food from the Goblins, and contemplated the lack of purpose which he now found in his occupation, after many years of being motivated and enjoying the strange work, which had been his life. Inescapably he had to admit to himself that his viewpoint had changed. Things would never be the same again for him. The shift in his perceptions had occurred but it was too early for him to understand what he should now do with himself. He felt empty and at a loss to know where to begin. It was into this limbo that Valdark's summons came. He knew Valdark wanted him for the use of his skills, and figured it might well be about the next stage of the invasion. When he was ready he would reply and return to his leader.

Aribor entered Bricas with the other sorcerors, in disguise. He had tidied himself up, or more correctly been tidied up by servants back in Cromilil. His matted long hair had for once been washed and cut tidily. It was not short, which was suitable for Shalirion, and he had been given a Shalirionite hairpiece to cover the bald and receded sections of his head. They had persuaded him to allow his moustache to be shaved off, in keeping with the normal style of Shalirion. He wore new clothing, clean and soft. He did feel quite smart and quite presentable for the first time in a long time. He travelled as a merchant. They had found out about merchants and learned enough to act as one. That would get them easily into the ancient city of Bricas without too much suspicion. Spells supplemented their language abilities making any differences appear smaller to listeners. In some of their carts travelled the powders which would help to explode some of the most famous buildings of this leading city of the Empire of Shalirion.

They parted to discover the city they intended to bring such chaos to. Aribor chose to go on his own to view the city. Lately he did not care so much for the company of his fellow sorcerors. Once they would have shared escapades and competed in stories of magic and war making., but since his time with Remzain all those masculine competitions seemed to fade into a murky past which predated his reawakening. He had experienced a sexual heaven which made all other matters appear petty and unimportant. All other matters were now questionable in their importance. Even his position as a sorcerer now seemed questionable. If there had been any other way of living open to him he might well have considered it. But this was what he knew, he could do nothing other than continue it.

Bricas contained ancient walls, from the times when men had fought in Shalirion and before the Empire had been formed, but they fell within the city boundaries of these modern times. As there was no army of Animar outside this city yet there was no purpose in trying to flatten these walls just yet. That could precede the actual invasion of this city. As a traveller Aribor walked along the walls, unmanned at this time. Shalirion's rulers evidently did not see an immediate purpose in guarding these walls. To them the Animarian invasion was still a long way away.

Bricas was a thriving and well populated city. He could see mountains to the west in the distance, but it lay in the centre of a plain. A river ran through its centre, and small hills were the site for its Palaces and places of worship. There were communal palaces as well as the Empress's. (She always had to be a woman - no man could assume the throne, he was told by citizens of Bricas when he asked, because she must be a messenger of the Goddess. This feminine focus was one reason for Shalirion's relative dislike of warfare.) These Palaces he thought might be the object of their terror.

Valdark had said, "Guthelm wants to put fear into Shalirion. That is the best way to bring it down. In Bricas we must cause incidents which frighten the population. Then when our armies do approach they may more likely surrender." Aribor shuddered at the scale of death which they contemplated, but with no army at the gates he did not see the immediate purpose of all this. To spread terror on its own seemed pointless, but those were the orders. He would have welcomed such a fresh canvas before Cromilil, but he was seeing little purpose in this steady destruction now. Anyway, orders were orders. He would go next to the Palaces, which would be the most obvious targets.

Aribor came to the Palaces. "Which is the best Palace to see?" he asked a man as he approached the hill in the centre of the city.

"The Empress's Palace is sometimes inhabited by the Empress herself, and often by officials of the Empire but it is not usually open to the people. The palace on the closest hill, over there. That is the best of the palaces. It belongs to the Goddess and is often used by the people when the High Priestesses wish. In fact you are in luck. This very eve the midsummer festival is held, and tomorrow, in honour of the Goddess. There will be much celebration, some inebriation and much adventure for those who wish to participate. You can go there now, but later as the skies darken will be the time of most celebration. I shall be going there myself. I would not miss tonight for anything. Where are you from then stranger, obviously not from here, if you don't know the festivals?"

"I am from the East," Aribor said. "I am new to this city. I think I will take a look now, and maybe later I will attend the festival." He looked up the nearest hill and could see the large palace atop the craggy hill. It was pillared and layered, four levels high, tapering towards the sky. It looked very impressive. He could see that this might be a good target for some of their magic. Perhaps it might be brought down upon the revellers, creating the terror Valdark had described. However tonight was far too soon. The sorcerors were here to reconnoitre and they were to spend some time planning their campaign of terror and destruction. They would not be ready by tonight. They were not even to meet again until tomorrow. He shuddered at the plan forming in his mind. He was in no desire to release their magic any sooner than they had to. He could not stop thinking about the prisoner Remzain, whom he had lost. He cared little for Valdark's plans now, or for his master Guthelm.

He waited in the shade, quietly observing all that went on around him in the city. As the afternoon heat dissipated he began to observe a gradual flow of citizens towards the Palace of the Goddess. Youths, full of excitement and enthusiasm, flushed with hope and desire made their way, in groups of one sex or the other, sometimes individually, and sometimes in couples, male and female, or small mixed groups. The women were as rapt with anticipation as the men. Aribor had to cast no spell to feel the enthusiasm and pleasure of these festival goers. This festival was evidently some form of worship of the Goddess, but it was no chore to the many adherents who made their way in that direction. There were people of many ages, drawn to the festival on the hill, except the under aged who were forbidden from the fruits of the Goddess until they acquired maturity.

Aribor decided he must follow and see what this festival was. He sensed some powerful magic about all this, but perhaps the excitement was that which came from a passionate crowd. He had left his whip behind at the inn knowing that its presence would seem inappropriate to this festival, for the people travelled light in the summer warmth, carrying nothing but the clothes upon their backs, and not so many of those. Aribor wore not his sorceror's robes, which would make him stand out too openly in this city of Shalirion. Instead he wore the light yellow robes, of the sort many Shalirionites were wearing for the festival. He felt his large belly stood out as a mark of his foreign nature because the citizens of Shalirion seemed generally healthy and full of good health. This presumably came from contentment and lives which included exercise and moderation. Aribor found himself, despite his lonely and unimpressed nature, to be quite impressed by the state of these people, soft and pleasure seeking though they may be.

The climb began along the path and upwards towards the pillars of the Palace, he began to pant and sweat and loosened his robes to cool down. Others seemed to be doing likewise. As they climbed, and he saw other festival goers on other paths heading up the same hill, some of the people began to discard more of their robes. He saw some younger women ahead take off their robes altogether, and to his great surprise, discard them completely beside the path. He was quite shocked at this sudden and unexpected event, and suddenly quite aroused by the beauty of these young women; even he who had seen many bodies, alive, dead and in pain, in his time, and who might have been expected to be quite unmoved by the human body by now. Others stripped parts of their garments, but most carried the discarded items with them. He now had a greater inkling of what direction this festival might be going in. He knew many rumours of the ways of Shalirion and could hardly be surprised at the sexual appearance of a festival of the lascivious Goddess of these people. He found the sexual promise, whatever it may turn out to be, to be exciting and arousing.

The Palace of the Goddess was very large. The festival communicants filed eagerly into the hall between the pillars on the first level. The hall was roofed but open to the elements between some of the pillars. He imagined that probably in winter screens might wall it from nature's storms. But now in the high summer the warm continental air could circulate, and the sunlight. Priests and Priestesses stood at tables in the middle of the large hall, serving a drink from large bowls to the participants in silver goblets. As Aribor approached he joined a queue of people waiting for a Priestess to serve them. However goblets were to be shared for he was passed a goblet from a woman who had already drunk.

"Here sir, drink from the fountain of the Goddess," said the bountiful woman, whose robe had slipped from one ample breast, but not the other.

"What is it?" he enquired of her, wondering if he would be wise to drink of it.

"Why, have you not drunk it before?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No. I am a stranger to this city," he admitted.

"It is the nectar of the Goddess. I warn you that whoever you accept this from may become a sharer this eve," she explained.

"You mean you will be mine?" he ventured.

"Or you will be mine, for by offering I have chosen you," she explained, with a humour in her smile. He could not tell if she were completely serious in what she said.

As he had no objection to the woman who was middle aged and comely he said, "I would gladly accept a sip from a woman such as you if the aim is to find someone to share." He did not know exactly if sharing were what he thought it might be, but he thought it was highly likely. "But do tell me what does the drink do, what is it?"

"The drink will put us all at our ease. We all drink it at this festival. It will make your cock stand tall with little effort, and us women will desire most men they can see."

"Will we forget ourselves, lose our senses?" he asked.

"It will make you bolder, and greedier, but you will still know who you are. It is not harmful. Drink and you will find out!"

"I will," he declared. He gently sipped at the nectar. A pleasant rich taste ran down his throat, it seemed harmless and pleasant enough.

He waited for some change in feeling but nothing obvious to him came. "Does it take a while, or is it instant?"

"It creeps up on you," she laughed, "but do not be concerned. You will appreciate the change when you need it."

"What happens next?" he asked.

"When you have drunk a few sips pass the goblet on. Find someone else nearby whom you find attractive and pass it on. They also will return the compliment later. The Priestesses and Priests will guide us."

More Priestesses came to the bowls in the middle of the huge room. A High Priestess stood on a raised box or stage so she could be seen and heard. She was tall with a long and beautiful face, and began speaking. "The midsummer festival is upon us again. Yet this year there are disturbances in the balance of the world. Cruel invaders have landed in places upon our coast. Not content with laying waste in the north, they have landed at Cromilil and destroyed many lives and much history. They are proceeding along the coast towards Vedalis. So this festival has added purpose. We will celebrate our freedom and safety. We will bond ourselves together so that we give strength to each other. Remember we are not self. We are community, living and caring for each other, loving and taking sustenance and pleasure from each other!"

Without more ceremony music was struck up from the centre of the room. Stringed instruments created a rich and rhythmic tapestry of music, accompanied by drumbeats and the wailing of singers. The light dimmed as the sunlight diminished; lamps were lit inside. Priests and Priestesses came through the large hall, dividing the people into smaller groups, joining hands, linking strangers together, leading the dance, a communal dance , in which partners swapped and continually the people were mixed up with the others in their group. Aribor found the experience quite novel. It was many years since he had participated in dancing in the homeland of his youth. He and his people had changed since then. This seemed innocent by comparison with the dominating and brutal ways of his own people today. All here seemed innocent, innocent of guile or dishonesty, of cruelty and greed. He felt refreshed to be amongst them. He found many of the women appealing, the mature ones of his own age, and those who were younger. He danced with them smiling, conscious particularly of those who had discarded their robes already, or partially. He focused upon their ripe breasts and their smooth necklines, appreciating the shape of them as they danced. Perhaps the drug was helping him to feel attraction, he was not sure.

Suddenly the music stopped. The leading High Priestess shouted out, "Now is the time to disrobe. Please remove your clothing. Let us all be as one! Join with each other. Create the bonding we need. Our lusts will help to bring us closer, and to protect us all."

Across the hall all of the participants who had not already done so took off their remaining clothes and robes, leaving them where they were on the floor. People who had been eyeing each other up offered themselves to each other. Priests and Priestesses, also disrobed, took an active role in introducing the people to each other.

A priestess joined his hands with the bountiful woman, the one who had first passed the goblet to him. She came close and embraced him immediately, melting into his arms. Hungrily he responded, finding a swift passion for her ample bosom, and her wet passages. His cock was instantly hardened , almost bursting from his foreskin. By mutual understanding she pulled him down to the soft floor and he was inside her with his cock, sharing it with her wet insides. Quickly she exhorted him to fuck her as hard as he could, and without much effort on his part, her wetness exploded, her head pulled back in orgasm, mouth open for breath, and wildly moaning. Her moans mixed with the moans of hundreds of others in these halls of communality. As she recovered she begged him to repeat his onslaught. He did so as he regarded the sea of bodies nearby, all moving in graceful ripples, like the rise and fall of waves emanating from his own movements upon that warm body. As her next orgasm developed he joined her this time, exhaling his tensions and his stresses, allowing the evils of his life to flood out of him and wash away.

As he rested his cock seemed not to lose its large shape. He observed all of the people around him in their sexual thrashings and their shaking orgasms, the beautiful women and the ardent men. The priestesses would not let them rest for long. An observant priestess, now unrobed but duty bound to bring the people together before she joined them in the general activity encouraged him up laying her soft hands upon him and bringing him to the attractive woman he had passed the goblet to. The woman was slender and younger than he, her hair dishevelled by the embraces she had already spent herself in. The drug must be powerful because she was more than ready for her next embrace, and he too, on seeing such a beautiful creature, was keen to use his already wet cock upon her. She hungrily came forward and kissed him on the lips, opening her mouth wide and pushing her tongue straight into his. Instantly he loved her taste, and his hands grasped her smooth buttocks and explored her dainty breasts. She beckoned him down onto the floor so she could mount him and he acquiesced without complaint, wanting with all his soul at that moment to connect with her in as many places as bodily possible. He wanted to become one with her as she evidently did with him. He could not really understand why she should take such an interest in one such as him who had grown so big in the belly as the years of wild feasting and drinking, and the evils of his magic had taken their toll upon his greedy body, but perhaps the drug made her impervious to all of that. It was true that he only saw beauty in the bodies of all the females around him. It appeared to be like a kind of magic, but he did not bother to question it as he swam in its delicious sea.

They were encouraged to engage with all of the appropriate opposite sex in their group in some form so the bonding was made communally. The priestesses brought them closer together. Another woman's hips were placed over his face while the younger woman who straddled him began to fondle and explore the new woman's body. Instinctively he began to lick the new woman's wet crotch and found her juicy clitoris. They all became one. He, a stranger from a distant land, was able, with no questions asked, to join the most intimate activities of Shalirionite society with its innocent and unsuspecting people.