"No!" cried Maria. "No! She is innocent. You must not touch her. You...Arghhh Argghhhhhh!"

The witch's protests were lost in another scream as Kohler used a new glowing poker on her thigh. Without waiting for her to recover enough to speak he pressed the iron to her thigh again, rolling the hot metal in to the gap between her legs.

Kohler pulled the iron from her flesh and went over to the brazier to get a fresh one.

"No!" sobbed Maria in despair. "She is innocent."

Kohler returned with the new iron and approached her other leg.

"Please!" wept Maria "Please, I beg you!"

Kohler touched the iron to her thigh.

"Arghhh! Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"You must tell us the truth. Do you expect that we will believe you are one of Satan's minions but your own flesh and blood is not? That these demons visited your bed at night but not hers? Burn her again!" said the bishop

Kohler pressed the iron to her thigh again, rolling it back and forward across her flesh.

Maria's shrieks of agony echoed around the chamber then suddenly died as she slumped into a faint.

After inspecting her with an expert eye Hoffman turned to the Bishop.

"If it is acceptable, your grace, we will take a rest for a while. Kohler and myself have not eaten yet. We can leave her here for the moment to contemplate her sins."

The Bishop nodded and indicated that we should leave.

"We will continue with her questioning later. I think that you can see although she has confessed she still does not realise the evil of her deeds and must be persuaded more severely," the Bishop commented, in a manner that implied he had quite a bit of experience with this kind of work.

I asked him about this.

"Yes, yes," he replied "I am afraid that though we constantly try to stamp it out, the evil of Satan is endlessly reappearing. Some of the confessions from these women are most disturbing. If I had not heard it with my own ears I would find it hard to believe. Some of the pretty young girls of good family, confessing to killing and eating babies, having sex with Satan himself. It is most repulsive."

He stopped by the last cell before the doorway and slid the flap on the small grated window aside. He peered in briefly, then stepped back so that I could see. Behind the door was a small stone cell dimly lit by the light of the moon which came through a barred window set high in the wall. I could see a girl with long blond hair, wearing a loose pale smock. It was too dark to make out her age.

She was sobbing but had looked up partly in fear and partly in hope when she had heard the slide open.

"Who's there? Please, why am here? All that screaming..." she broke down into terrified sobs.

I stepped back and closed the slide.

"Her daughter, Sabine" said the Bishop by way of explanation. "It is well known that witches pass their evil down from mother to daughter. Though eighteen years of age Sabine has not taken a husband but continues to live with her mother. This cannot be coincidence! I believe it is because she shares in her mother's evil and has chosen demons of Hell over honest men. Maria's confession of Sabine's guilt is merely a formality. In the morning we will begin her questioning."

"Mmhh. Yes of course. Indeed the texts in Rome speak of the transmission of the evil down the generations. I see that you are very thorough and I will speak well of you to my uncle."

He smiled in a self satisfied way, as if expecting no less, and indicated that we should leave the dungeon.

It was still early and the weather was fine, so although it was dark, the bishop led me around the grounds of the church and attached abbey. It was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours and I found the company of the learned bishop most entertaining.

While making our way back to the Bishop's residence the Bishop suggested that we return to the dungeon to see how the interrogation of the witch was proceeding. I was not averse to the idea and quickly agreed.

As we entered the corridor leading to the torture chamber I noticed that the door to the first cell was open. At first suspecting that some one had come to rescue Maria's daughter I hurried forward to inspect the cell. However when I stood in the doorway I quickly realised that this was not the case. The cell was now crowded with four men, two of whom held the girl's legs wide apart while the third pinned her hands to the floor above her head. The forth, his britches down, knelt between her wide spread legs. She had been stripped naked and the smock that she had been wearing lay ripped on the floor.

The men had brought a couple of lanterns with them and in the better light I could see her more clearly. Her breasts were small and conical, almost flat as she lay stretched on the ground. Her pretty, delicate face was distorted with fear. The man between her legs was heavy set with a large gut and thick hairy arms. He was resting much of his weight on the girl's slender body, pinning her to the floor.

As I stood in the door, I heard her sobbing, begging for them to let her go. The girl saw myself and the Bishop in the doorway.

"Oh please. Your Grace, please stop them. They mean to use me. Please, I beg you. Help me."

The men turned to look at us but the Bishop made a small shrugging motion with his shoulders. "My child, your sins, and those of your mother have put you beyond the protection of the church."

"No!" sobbed the girl in despair. "What have we done? How have we sinned? Your Grace, I beg you for mercy."

"Be quiet, wench!" said the man between her legs, as he ripped some cloth from the remains of her smock and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Mhhmmmmm....mmmmhhmm," she whined.

The man positioned himself over her and used one hand to guide the tip of his penis into her vaginal opening.

"God, she is tight!" he groaned, as he wiggled his hips from side to side to help ease his way in.

"Do not let me hear you blaspheming again, Johansen!" admonished the Bishop.

"No, your Grace" said the man, stopping for a second before working again to get into the girl. He arched his back, thrusting his hips down and forward. The girl let out a high pitched squeal, only partly muffled by the cloth in her mouth and her body bucked under Johansen's.

Johansen groaned in pleasure and slowly raised his buttocks before thrusting them hard down again. His hips hit hers with an audible slap and she let out another squeal.

As his movements took on a rhythm, the girl continued to writhe and sob as if in pain but I suspect that she was play acting. After hearing Maria's confession, and sure that Sabine too had indulged herself with these demons; it seemed unlikely that a mere mortal would cause her so much distress.

Leaving her with the four men, we moved on down the corridor.

"I feel that if such women give their bodies willingly to the devil and his spawn, it seems hardly right to deny them to men of good stature," he opined.

I nodded my head in agreement. It seemed entirely logical and acceptable. When we reached the torture chamber at the end of the corridor, the woman has been released from the rack but was now held firmly in a heavy wooden chair. Her head was hanging forward, a mass of dark hair covering her face.

"Ah, your Grace," said Hoffman. "She has made a full confession, freely admitting that her daughter joined her in her unnatural pursuits and sometimes when they were not visited by a demon, they would share their bodies with each other. Other details of the witches' Sabbat were as we already knew from earlier confessions."

"Very well. Do you think she has any more to tell us?" the Bishop indicated the woman.

Maria seemed to notice that they were talking about her because her head lifted a fraction.

"I think she has made a full confession we can learn no more from her," said Hoffman dismissively.

"What should we do with her?" asked the Bishop, turning to me.

She looked up at me and I met her eyes. Her face was drawn and white with dark half moon smudges underneath her eyes. I felt a second's compassion and pity for this poor creature. But then unbidden the image of her as I had seen her before rose in front of my eyes. Stretched on the rack, her nakedness exposed, agony in every line of her body. I knew I wanted to see it again. I thought of her sins and her willing submission to the devil. How could such a creature expect any mercy?

"You freely confess to your sins?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. Her voice was hoarse from screaming and her body was covered with many more burns and whip marks. I suspect the Hoffman and Kohler had had to work very hard on her to get her full confession.

"And your daughter, she too is a witch? She joined you in your evil practices?"

"Yes," she said, without hesitation. "She is a witch. We are both evil creatures."

It was clear Maria's will was completely broken. She could no longer defy us and openly admitted her guilt. Her face showed only pain and despair.

"Your daughter is a witch? So she deserves punishment?"

"Yes," she said in a low, hopeless voice.

"Such despicable deeds are an affront to all God's creatures. To one who has betrayed all that is good and holy in such a way, there can be no mercy. She should suffer further torments as punishment for her sins. His Holiness himself has expressed the wish that such deeds should be adequately punished."

The Bishop nodded. "I quite agree. She is a vile creature."

"No!" she sobbed. She turned to the Bishop. "You promised me, in God's name that if I confessed I would not be hurt any more. You promised!"

She grew animated as she realised that her suffering might not be over, pulling at the bonds that held her to the chair and shaking her head in denial.

"You have not suffered at all for your crimes!" shouted the Bishop, "We have just saved your soul from damnation and eternal torment. Now that we understand the extent of your evil, you must be punished!"

"No!" she cried again, looking around at the four of us. "Please. Oh please. You promised me, before God that you would not torture me anymore."

"We cannot be held by a promise to a witch. God will forgive us a little deception in our work to save your soul."

"Please. I beg you. Have mercy on me. I beg you as God's people to be merciful," she wept.

Did she really think that upright men of the church such as ourselves would be swayed by such pleas? Though, of course, we felt pity for her as a woman, we understood that as a witch her punishment must be complete or else she would go to Hell to suffer torment for all eternity. We could not allow ourselves to be weak.

"Perhaps the application of the pear, to that part of her that she has offered mostly freely to the Devil is appropriate," suggested the Bishop.

"Yes, your Grace. Put her on the bench," ordered Hoffman.

Maria sobbed in a broken, hopeless voice as she realised that her confession and her betrayal of her daughter and friend had not saved her from further torture.

Hoffman and Kohler released Maria from the chair and carried her over to a waist high bench. She struggled, all the time pleading and weeping but we were not moved by her protestations. With in a few minutes she lay on the bench, her arms locked over her head, her buttocks resting on the edge. Her ankles were pulled apart and down either side of the bench and then tied to ring bolts set below her waist. This position stretched her legs painfully and also opened her groin wide exposing her genitals.

Kohler brought a device over from the cabinet that he had earlier obtained the whip. It was a foot or so long, with a screw threaded handle at one end and a set of metal flaps at the other which made the shape of a pear. Kohler stood between the woman's legs and with one hand pulled apart the lips of her vagina.

She began to whimper when she felt the cold metal of the tip pressing against her flesh. I stepped closer for a better look so I could witness in detail the techniques and effects of the instrument. The narrow point of the device easily entered the woman's vagina but met resistance when the wider bulb pressed into the narrow passage. Kohler released her labia and with two hands used his body weight to drive the pear deep into the woman until about two thirds of its length was within her body.

Kohler began to turn the butterfly screw on the handle which protruded obscenely from her vagina.

As the screw was turned it drove the metal plates of bulb further apart, stretching the opening of her vagina and the fleshy tunnel behind, unnaturally wide.

As Kohler continued the slow, inexorable turning I could see the part of the pear that was inside her womb pushing outwards on the stretched skin of the woman's stomach. Maria's vagina became a gaping hole, spread obscenely wide by the metal flaps of the pear.

"AARRRHHH...ARRRGGGHHH...ARRRRRGHH!"

Maria's back arched to the small extent that her bonds would allow and she screamed in agony. Her whole body was stiff as she pulled with all her strength against the ropes holding her down.

Kohler stopped, the screw on the handle was now halfway in and her lower belly bulged out.

"Oh, Ahh! Take it out! I beg you, please, please! Take it out! Please! Oh please Masters! I beg of you to stop!" Maria wailed.

Ignoring her, Hoffman brought another metal rod from the cabinet. This was of solid iron with a thick bulb, perhaps three inches in diameter, at one end.

While Kohler pulled her buttocks apart, Hoffman pushed the bulb against her anus. The metal bulb forced its way through the little ring of muscle, stretching it wide until it seemed it must break before it entered her rectum and her anus closed around the shaft.

"If we open the pear to the full it will rupture her insides and she will probably die before the burning but we have methods of prolonging her suffering, explained Hoffman.

"Count Fels does indeed come up with some good inventions which we use to urge sinners to repent but I think he places too much faith in his own intelligence and the belief of science and not enough in the word of God," muttered the Bishop, but did not seem inclined to object to the use of the device.

Kohler wheeled over a brazier and placed it between the woman's parted thighs. It must have been uncomfortably warm but not so much as to burn her flesh. He then took a metal rod which had an attachment allowing it to be slotted snugly over the handle of the pear. Kohler took this rod and the one pushed into her rectum and buried them deep into the glowing coals.

Soon the part of the metal bars in the brazier was glowing a deep cherry red. Kohler, using a pair of bellows, blew more air into the heart of the coals, making them burn more brightly.

"Oh, oh, it burns, it burns! Please, masters take them out please! I beg you!"

Her pleas broke down into shrieks of pain. Now in desperate agony as the hot irons burnt her most intimate parts, Maria writhed in her bonds, arching her back and screaming in agony.

"Noooooooo!" she screamed.

"Should we question your daughter in your place?" asked the Bishop. "Does she know things that you do not?"

"Yes," screamed Maria without hesitation. "Question her. Yes, anything! Torture her only please take it out!"

The glow of the iron was now extended from the brazier halfway up the shafts A small puff of smoke rose from where strands of her pubic hair touched the metal. The heat from the rods was being transferred to the petals of the pear and bulb buried in her anus.

"AGGHHHGHG AARGGGGG.. Nooooooooooooo! Arrhhhhrrggg! Please..Arggghh! I beg ARgggggg... Please! Help me..ARGGGGGGGGGG! Save me! I have confessed, I said everything you wanted. Argghhhh! What do want? I beg you, tell me! I am a witch! I confess! Arghhh! Arggggh! I beg you! My daughter is also a witch. Ask her! Please stop! Ask her, please please stop! My daughter...torture her. She is a witch. She deserves it. Argghhhh! Stop, please! Torture Sabine, not me!"

Maria's screams were interspersed by cries for mercy and further confessions, only to quickly break down once again into mindless shrieks of agony. Now completely broken she had no will to resist us and openly confessed to all her sins and those of her daughter. She turned her head to one side, then to the other, splashing tears and sweat from her face with the violence of the movement. The devil seemed to lend her extra strength as her wild struggles made the solid wooden bench shake underneath her. Her body was once again dripping with sweat and I found that the way her large breasts swayed from side to side as she struggled, strangely attractive. Indeed her tautly stretched body, contorted by the extremity of her torment caused a feeling of sexual excitement to surge through my body.

I caught myself. It just showed that even in such a position a witch such as her was dangerous. The devil had attempted to lead me from the truth by using her body. I controlled myself, suppressing these unholy thoughts and replacing them with a righteous desire to make sure that the witch's punishment continued as long as possible, that she suffer for the evil path that she had chosen.

Kohler attended carefully to the brazier, adding more coals and blowing on it to keep the heat up.

Maria's voice grew more hoarse from screaming and weaker as the long torture session took its toll on her strength.

From time to time, Kohler would remove the brazier and provide water to her, pouring it almost lovingly into her mouth as he cradled her head. After a short rest, she would recover a bit and begin to beg hopelessly for mercy. Hoffman, it seemed was experienced at such sessions and was a good judge of when the victim was recovered enough to continue the torture. When he considered her ready, the brazier would be brought forward again.

I was so fascinated by the expertise of Hoffman and filled with a righteous joy at witnessing the witch's naked body as it writhed in agony and hearing her shrieks that I lost all track of time. Finally Hoffman declared that the wench was too exhausted for the session to be continued anymore and the Bishop suggested that we return to his residence.

"Please make sure that she is tended well, I do not want her to die before the burning and I think it would be good for her to witness the torments of her daughter," said the Bishop before we left the room.

The bishop and I left the other two to clean up. On our way out we saw that although it was a number of hours since we had passed this way before, the daughter's cell door was still open with grunting sounds coming from it. As we passed I looked in. It seemed that there were other men there now availing themselves of the young witch's body.

As we left the chamber, a monk in a dark habit approached. He passed some rolled parchment to the bishop, then with a little bow, departed. The Bishop turned to me, holding out the parchment, which I took.

"It is the confessions of the witch Maria. I asked the scribe to write up a clean copy for your reference."

I was as ever impressed by his thoughtfulness. I thanked him graciously. As we made our way back to the Bishop's residence, he whispered quietly to me that if I liked he could have one of the novice nuns sent up to my room. Although such practises are frowned on by some in the church, it was normal enough in Rome. I was sure God would forgive us our small indulgences as we strove to carry out his work. I nodded in agreement.

The novice arrived quickly, and undressed herself on my command. I pulled her to me and threw her roughly on the bed. I thought that the witch must have cast a spell on me, as I could not get her out of my mind. As I shut my eyes, her writhing, sweat soaked body seemed to float in front of me. I saw her heavy breasts, flopping from side to side as she struggled. I wanted to punish her more. She had not suffered enough! I began to understand the passion that some men felt for the calling of witch hunting. Truly such evil could only be overcome by rigorous action by good men.

I used the wench beneath me as a substitute for the witch, driving into her with all my power. She tried to protest, saying that I was hurting her but I was oblivious to the present. She seemed to make some attempt to escape but I pinned her with my weight, clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her protests and continued to pound into her.

With a great sigh, I came. A flood of relief washed over me, seeming to remove the spell. I was suddenly just exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. I dropped heavily on to the novice who grunted in protest and tried to wriggle from under me. I moved a little to let her get out. She gave me an angry look and roughly grabbed her clothes and put them back on. I ignored her and was asleep before she left the room.

The Year of our Lord, 1495. Thursday October 17

I awoke refreshed and clear headed the next morning and as it was yet early I lay in bed and read through the manuscript that the Bishop had handed me the night before. I was amazed and disgusted at what I read but at the same time in a strange way fascinated. As I perused the document I realised how necessary our work was. Although they could appear fair to our eyes, these witches were indeed vile creatures who deserved the most severe of punishments.

The scribe had condensed the witch's confessions, removing the examiner's questions, the incoherent babbling that she had fallen into at times and of course her meaningless protestations of innocence. I found the document so interesting that I shall copy it verbatim into my journal.

The document confirmed everything I had thought. I was impressed that the details matched those of some other cases I had heard of and that she had quoted the name of demon well known to the Catholic Church but hardly likely to be familiar to a common wench. How could she have known unless he had indeed told her himself?

As I pondered what had been written I realised that there was no punishment that was severe enough for such a betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ. And her daughter was as guilty as she. Her youth was no excuse, she should also suffer the same punishments as her mother.

With that thought in my mind, I headed downstairs to join the Bishop for breakfast.

During breakfast I requested that I might continue to witness the interrogation of the witches and the Bishop willingly agreed. I had found the previous day's events most interesting and looked forward to further study of the practical aspects of witch hunting.

So a half an hour later we proceeded down to the cells and torture chambers that we had visited the night before. As we entered the corridor two men were dragging Sabine from her cell. The girl tried to cover herself with the rags of her clothes but one of the men ripped it from her and tossed it aside.

"You will not be needing those anymore," he said, giving her bare bottom a good slap.

Now completely naked, the sobbing girl was dragged down the corridor.

"Please!" she begged. "What are you going to do to me?"

As we followed them down the corridor the Bishop indicated the man on the right. "Johansen," he said, "and Mueller is the other man. They often volunteer to help with the interrogation of witches."

The men stopped before the end of the corridor and pushed the girl through a door. Behind the door was a smaller, less well supplied torture chamber. When Sabine saw the contents of the chamber with the instruments of torture all prepared she began to struggle wildly.

"No!" she screamed "No, please! What are you going to do to me? Please. What do you want? Please, oh please. Please!"

Her words stopped as she broke down and started to sob uncontrollably.

"Do you confess to being a witch?" asked Johansen.

Sabine did not answer but continued to stare around the chamber at the torture instruments.

Johansen slapped her face. "Do you confess to being a witch!" he demanded.

"Yes, yes. Anything, only please don't hurt me. Please. I will do whatever you want."

"Your Grace, she has confessed of her own free will to being a witch. Shall we proceed with the torture?"

Johansen twisted her arm behind her back and lifted it, forcing Sabine to raise herself on her tip toes.

The Bishop licked his lips, eyeing the young girl's naked stretched body. In the light of the chamber I got my first good look at the young witch. She was slender with long limbs and a skinny body. Her breasts were small and firm standing straight our from her chest, topped with puffy aureoles which covered the whole of the tip and tiny nipples almost hidden in the surrounding aureoles.

Her pubic hair was thin and blond, so that it was almost invisible. She was pretty, with wide set grey eyes and a small slightly up turned nose. Her long blond hair fell in disarray across her face. Tears brimmed from the corners of her eyes and her lips quivered in terror. Her body bore many bruises on her pale skin and blood and semen was smeared across the inside of her thighs. Some of the semen was fresh, still running stickily down her skin. Obviously the jailers had made use of her again in the morning.

"Of course," he said. "She is a witch and must be punished."

"No!" screamed Sabine. "Please! I beg you! Don't hurt me! Please!"

"Yes, your Worship. We'll hang her up and flog her first."

The Bishop nodded his agreement. "Mueller, please get Maria and bring her here. It will be good for her to witness the suffering her actions have brought on her daughter."

While Muller was out getting Maria, Johansen dragged the weeping girl to the centre of the chamber. Here a rope hung from a pulley in the ceiling. I saw that it would be difficult for him to hold Sabine at the same time as bind her wrists as he had expected Muller to be there. I quickly stepped forward and indicated that I could help.

"Thank you, sir," he said, not quite sure how to address me.

I took hold of Sabine's forearms, trapping her arms under mine and holding her wrists out in front of her for Johansen to tie. I could feel her naked body writhing as she struggled next to me and smell the sweat of fear on her. She continued to beg, pleading with me, as I held her.

"Please, Master. Oh, you are a man of the church. Please protect me. Please, I am innocent. I have done nothing."

"But you have already confessed to being a witch. Should not such a terrible crime be punished? Do you not think that much worse awaits you for all eternity in Hell?" I asked.

Johansen tied one end of a short rope around the right wrist and the other around the left, leaving about six inches between them. He tested that the knots were tight and strong and then reached up to the rope that hung from the ceiling. At the end of the rope was a hook and he ran this between her wrists, catching the rope that joined them.

"Please hold on a little longer," he asked and went to the wall where the end of the rope came down. He pulled on this, dragging Sabine's arms up until she had to stand on her tip toes. I let her go and stepped back. The young wench hung with most of her weight on her bound wrists. The muscles on her calves stood out as she reached down with her toes to relieve the tension on her wrists. Her stretched position pulled her breasts up her chest, flattening them against her chest.

After tying off the rope Johansen went to a cabinet in the wall and came back holding a leather flogger with many wide bladed straps. I was familiar with this kind of device, the supple leather would cause great pain but the width of the straps generally stopped the skin from breaking. The whip did not allow the kind of control that an instrument such as the rack did, where questions could be asked during the application of the pain but it was an ideal tool to be used early in an interrogation to wear down the resistance of the subject.

At this moment Muller returned with Maria. She was still naked and her body was covered in marks from her torture yesterday. She could barely stand and was largely supported by Muller.

Maria gave no reaction as she saw her daughter strung up naked in the centre of the chamber.

"Is she a witch?" asked the Bishop.

"Yes," replied Maria in a dull monotone.

"Should she be punished? Did she willingly offer herself to Belial or did you force her? If it was your doing, then perhaps it is you who should suffer further punishment."

"She offered herself!" said Maria desperately. "I did not force her. She should be punished, not me!"

"No!" shrieked Sabine "What are you saying? No, please! I have done nothing!"

"She denies being a witch. Perhaps you lied to us. If so we would have to continue your questioning."

"No!" screamed Maria "She is lying! She is a witch! She should be punished, not me."

Satisfied that Maria was now completely broken ,the Bishop nodded for Muller to carry on. He dragged Maria over and bound her into a solid wooden chair with a good view of the chamber.

"After Maria's confession we had Anna Broker arrested this morning. She will face trial soon but I am afraid there is little doubt of her guilt. Her questioning will not start for a while yet. If you would like we can observe this young witch's punishment," said the Bishop, indicating a couple of chairs next to the wall.

I nodded. Although Sabine had already freely confessed we would of course question her further. There were many details of her sins that we wanted to discover and whether more witches lurked among her friends.

Johansen went behind the girl, wound her long yellow hair into a ball and tied it up with a cord so that it would not get in the way while she was being whipped. It seemed incredible that such a young, innocent looking girl could have done the things that she had. But she had confessed out of her own mouth. There was no doubt of her guilt and so no doubt that whatever punishment the good citizens of the town gave her was entirely justified.

Johansen swung his whip, using his hips to bring all his power into the blow. The leather slapped loudly onto the skin of Sabine's soft round buttocks and was followed a second later by her high pitched shriek of pain. She jerked in agony, briefly lifting her feet off the floor. Johansen took his time, drawing the whip back and waiting a second, while Sabine's heaving breath calmed down a little and her body stopped swinging. When he judged she was ready he brought the whip across her back again.

Thwapp..."Auughhhhhhhh!" The flat sound of the leather on her skin was followed by her scream of agony.

Thwappp...."AAAAAGHHH!"

"Plea.." Thwappp..."AAGGGGHHHHH!" Her desperate begging was cut off in mid word.

Johansen continued to whip the helpless girl with an admirable calmness. After each stroke he would wait until she stopped writhing and kicking before applying the whip again.

The force of the blows rotated her body around so that he could whip both her front and her back. Sometimes he waited a little longer between strokes so that Sabine could perhaps hope that the whipping had finished only to have her hopes dashed as Johannes struck her again.

As sweat covered Sabine's body the sound of the whip changed as the leather now slapped onto her wet skin, spraying droplets of moisture into the air.

Thwaappp..."AAAAGGGHHHG!"

The girl's piercingly high voice did not diminish.

Thwappp..."ARRGGGGHHH!"

The whip came down across her slender buttocks and twisted her body around, exposing her front.

Thwappppppp....."NargGGGHHHHH!"

The blow landed directly on her chest, the leather straps biting into her breasts.

Thwappp...."Argghhhhh!"

This time the straps landed on her taught, flat stomach.

Thwappp..."ARRGGGGHH!"

The mindless wriggling of her sweat soaked body and her high pitched, meaningless cries of pain seemed to reduce her to the level of an animal. And indeed, by serving the devil she had given up her right to humanity. Our actions only brought out her true nature.

Finally the man stopped and mopped his brow with his sleeve. Sabine hung limply from her wrists. Her body was covered with red welts where the whip had done its work.

The Bishop got up. "I must see how the preparations for the other witch are proceeding. Please feel free to wait here. I will send someone to get you when she is ready."

I nodded. After the Bishop had left Johansen went up to Sabine and turned her around to face him. Instead of freeing her he undid the top of his breeches freeing his hard erect penis. Seeing this, the girl began to plead again.

"Please. Not again!"

Ignoring her, Johansen put his hands behind her thighs and pulled her towards him, while pulling her legs apart. Having got between her legs he slid his grip up to her waist and positioned her hips.

"AARGGGGG! No, please! Not again! No more! I have been taken so many times!"

His groan of pleasure as he sunk into her was drowned out by her scream of pain. Her legs kicked wildly behind him but did not distract Johansen from his business. With her firmly impaled on his penis he could hold her hips with one hand while with his other he roughly mauled her breasts.

"Does that feel good, little witchy?" he jeered, pinching the tip of her breast between his thumb and forefinger. "I am sorry if I am not as big as your devil lovers but we will find something big and hot to put up there later."

He moved his free hand to grip her hair and turn her face towards him. He roughly covered her lips with his as he began to pump his hips against hers. Sabine writhed and kicked in his grasp, her screams muffled by his mouth.

He used her roughly, pinning her tightly to his body and thrusting into her so hard that her whole body shook. As he grew close to his climax he released her hair and letting her upper body hang from her wrists he put both hands on her hips. Throwing his own head back he slammed ever more violently into her, shaking her body like a rag doll.

With each thrust he let out a grunt of effort, which was counter pointed by her cry of pain. Finally he came, releasing her hips and letting her slide off his shrinking penis and once again hang limply from the rope.

Her respite was short, for Muller was impatiently waiting his turn, and as soon as Johansen had finished with Sabine he took hold of her. Although Muller was a bit shorter in stature than Johansen his penis was one of the largest and thickest I have ever seen. As he approached Sabine it stood hard and erect in front of him. He was also much younger, a little younger than myself I would say. It was good to see such young people taking an active interest in these matters.

Muller took Sabine from behind and wrapped one arm around her waist, pinning her to him. His other hand went to her buttocks, holding them apart with his fingers so that he could push the bulbous tip of his penis in. Sabine squirmed desperately in his grip.

"No!" she screamed, "Not there!"

Holding her steady, Muller probed between her buttocks with his penis.

"No.. Please.. Arghh! Argg! No, stop! It hurts!" sobbed Sabine.

Grinning, Muller pushed himself into her. Trapping her against him he pumped his hips like a piston, getting his giant penis as deep into her rectum as he could.

The church of course frowned on such practices, considering such unnatural sex as being evil. However, in this case, with a witch who had no doubt done far more disgusting things with the devil and his demons I felt that it was not inappropriate.

While Muller was using Sabine, I glanced over to where Maria was bound to her chair. I got up and walked over to her. Seeing me approaching, Maria began to shake her head, "What are you going to do?" she asked desperately. "Please don't hurt me anymore!"

I took a dirty cloth from a nearby table and stuffed it deeply into her mouth, silencing her.

I was not interested in her confession and did not want her screams to disturb other people. I then went over to one of the brassieres that had been prepared with heated coals and wheeled it over next to the witch. I pulled one of the pokers out, inspecting its glowing tip to ensure that it was properly heated. Maria whined desperately her eyes wide over her gagged mouth as she watched my preparations.

"See what you have brought on your daughter by your evil foolishness?" I said. I pressed the heated iron against the outside of her thigh. She writhed, emitting a high pitched whine through her gag.

"Her sufferings have but started. This is only the beginning. Before we have finished with her, they shall match or surpass those that you have suffered."

I looked into her tear filled eyes and saw her utter despair. She now realised the truth of her position and that of her daughter. The iron I held was still hot so I pressed it against her flesh again. Although I had on occasions witnessed the application of the hot iron, I had never used one myself. I tried to emulate Hoffman's movements but I fear I was at first a little heavy handed and burnt the witch quite deeply.

However after a few minutes practice, I felt I was becoming more adept, and not injuring her too much. I tried the technique I had seen Hoffman employee, placing the iron on one spot and then rolling it across her skin. It felt good to more directly participate in the punishment of the witch. I continued to torture Maria with the poker, switching it with another from the brazier when it grew cool. I moved slowly and deliberately, letting her anticipate the pain before I pressed the iron to her skin. Although her body already had many marks on it, I was able to find new places to burn her, on her belly, her breasts, her thighs and upper arms. Each time I burnt her, each time she jerked in agony, each time I heard her pain filled mewlings, a hot flush of pleasure ran through me.

"Master Borgia" called a female voice, "If you would come, the other witch is prepared."

I jumped in shock, wondering how much of the previous events the woman had witnessed. I was further surprised to see a young lady, no older than her mid-twenties, in fine dress; she seemed out of place in the gloom of the dungeon. Her hair was thick and curly, an auburn colour with flashes of deep red. Her features were fine and delicate with a pale, clear complexion. Her brown eyes met mine and her lips curved in a mischievous smile.

"Antoine Borgia, at your service," I said.

She stood just a little over five feet, with a light but womanly build. Her gown was low cut, leaving a deep cleavage and the tops of her generous breasts visible. If she noticed the direction of my gaze, she made no sign of it.

Muller had thankfully finished making himself decent and he and Johansen seemed to be coming with us. Johansen used Sabine's hair to lift her face up and make sure she looked around the room.

"See the rack, what do you think it would be like to be stretched on that until your limbs come unjointed, or what about the chair?" he said, indicating an iron chair with a grate for a seat, "How would it feel to be strapped in there with a pot of burning charcoal underneath, roasting that delicate little bottom of yours? Or what about the hot irons? We will leave you to think of your sins and what we will do to you when we return."

Johansen laughed at the look of terror on Sabine's young face and followed by Muller left the room.

Lady Katherine took me by the hand. "Come, we should hurry, they will start soon. We can return to check on these two later."

This was my first visit to the chamber in daylight and it seemed bigger and more airy. The sun streamed through a large barred windows down one of the walls, through which I could see the grounds of the church gardens.

There was a raised section of the floor against one wall, on which a church bench had been set. It was, of course, important that the questioning and punishment of the witches be overseen by men of the church and of good standing in the community. I noticed gratefully that the bench had a cushion on it. If the witch proved stubborn and the session was long at least we would be in comfort.

The scribe from last night was already in position, seated with his quill and parchment at the ready. Mr Hoffman and his assistant busied themselves preparing the instruments and making sure that the coals in the braziers were hot.

Lady Katherine led the way to the bench and we sat down next to each other. We exchanged pleasantries and I learnt that she was the daughter of the Count Fels that I had heard of the night before. It transpired her husband was at court, where it seemed he spent a lot of time and she felt that it was incumbent upon her to carry out some of his duties in his absence, such as observing at the witch trials. I complimented her on her diligence.

"I am afraid I have had suspicions of her for a while," added Lady Katherine. "I had spoken to his Grace the Bishop about it."

"It is true. We found her spreading rumours about the Lady Katherine being an adulteress. Last night Maria merely confirmed our suspicions of her evil intent."

"I am very grateful, your Grace, for your understanding in this matter. It is good that she has been shown to be a witch and a liar otherwise the rumours could have caused my husband some embarrassment."

We heard voices in the corridor and a few moments later a number of people came in through the main door. The first was an official of the court, another in the uniform of the church. Behind them came two heavily set bailiffs dragging a woman between them.

The woman was pushed to the centre of the chamber, directly in front of the bench. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp of horror as she looked around herself. The instruments of torture, all laid out and prepared, showed clearly what her fate was to be. Kohler looked up from where he was placing irons in one of the braziers and gave her a evil, lustful grin.

She wore a simple white cotton gown, which fell almost to her feet, her arms were locked in manacles behind her. She had straight golden blond hair, now tied in a simple pony tail the fell midway down her back.

She was a comely wench and had I not been of the cloth and so above such earthly desires, I would have found her quite attractive. She had a wide, full lipped mouth which turned down a little at the edges giving her a sultry appearance, a short straight nose and clear grey eyes.

The front of the gown hung open to midway down her chest. The ties that were supposed to close the two sides had been left undone and the firm grip of the two bailiffs on her upper arms further pulled the cloth apart, revealing much of the pale smooth flesh of her large breasts.

The church official turned to Hoffman. "This woman, Mistress Anna Broker has been found guilty of witchcraft by the duly created persons of the ecclesiastical law and so has been handed over to the secular arm. It is hoped that all mercy will be applied to this case wherever possible."

Having made the official announcement of the woman's guilt and that she was now outside the protection of the church the official sat down on the end of the row, next to the scribe.

"Let the prisoner be stripped, we must search for the devil's mark."

Anna suddenly caught sight of me, an unfamiliar face in the uniform of the church. With a spasm of energy she pulled herself free from the bailiffs and threw herself to her knees at my feet.

"Please, your Grace, please. I am innocent. I do not know anything about the things they accuse me of doing. Please help me. I beg you."

I looked down into her pale, frightened face, her grey eyes now brimmed with tears. From my position I could see down the front of her gown where it hung open and had clear sight of her breasts. I noticed that they were large and hung forward as she leant toward me on her knees. I could see the small nipples set in brown aureoles. Her body was shaking with terror which made her breasts quiver slightly. The bailiffs rushed to grab her again but I held up my arm, signaling for them to stop. She seemed to sense some hope in my movement.

"Please. Have mercy. As God is my witness I am innocent," she repeated.

I felt a spasm of sympathy for her, she looked very soft and vulnerable, kneeling there in front of me. I thought of the cruel fate that awaited her and how much she would suffer. But had I not, just that morning read Maria's confession, which had also implicated Anna in the same crimes? I remembered how Maria had looked the night before as her naked body had twisted in agony and her shrieks had echoed around the chamber and the fierce joy I had felt at her suffering. I knew that I wanted the same for this whore of the devil. She was a convicted witch, however much she suffered it would be insufficient to pay for her sins.

"But you are a witch. You have been judged by the court and found guilty. Last night with my own ears I heard a confessed witch name you as an accomplice. You must confess too, so that we can be merciful." I smiled at her as I spoke.

Her face changed from hope to despair.

"No!" she sobbed, tears now rolling down her cheeks. "Who has named me? Bring them forth!"

She stared around herself, looking for some way of escape, or perhaps expecting her demon to come to her rescue. But here, in the presence of holy people such as ourselves, he would not be able to appear.

The bailiffs came forward and dragged her back into the centre of the room. Her hands were freed and despite her struggles, the gown was pulled from her leaving her completely naked. She had obviously been stripped before by the nuns and had her underclothes removed. This was to search for any secret magical items she might have secreted on her person.

Sobbing, Anna tried to cover her body but the bailiffs quickly secured her hands, this time in front of her, in the manacles, exposing her large pendulous breasts.

A hook, which was attached to a rope that ran through a pulley in the ceiling was lowered and the short chain joining the wrist rings was placed over it. At a sign from Hoffman his assistant turned the drum to which the other end of the rope was attached pulling Anna's hands upwards.

"What are you doing?" she asked "Let me go, I have done nothing!"

"We have evidence of your sins, you have been named by a confessed witch. Your guilt is not in doubt! Only the truth can save you now from the suffering," said the Bishop.

When Anna's hands were above her head but not quite at full stretch, Kohler tied the end of the rope off to a bracket on the wall. Next he took a length of black cloth and wrapped it over her eyes, securing it tightly at the back of her head.

Frightened and sobbing, unable to see she again asked, "What are you doing? Please stop, I am innocent. Please..." her voice trailed off.

Kohler knelt by her feet and pulled her right ankle roughly out to the side. Anna gasped in shock as her legs were pulled rudely apart, making her body's intimate parts even more exposed than before. Kohler tied the ankle to a ring bolt which was set in the floor and then repeated the process with her left leg.

With her legs tied apart, Anna had to stand slightly on her toes to support her weight, otherwise it would rest on her wrists. She swayed a little, finding it difficult to balance in her stretched and blindfolded position. The preparations complete, Kohler stood back.

"What are you going to do?" she whimpered again.

We viewed the helpless woman, stretched out naked in front of us. As men of the church we were, of course, indifferent to her beauty, although I would say that she had a very feminine body. Her hips were well rounded, with firm thighs and buttocks, her belly slender and her breasts full and firm. Her small, pert nipples set in light brown aureoles. Her skin was pale and as the sun shone through the window now it fell across the front of her body, making her seem to shine in the centre of the darker chamber. Her sex was hidden by a bush of dark blond hair, although with her legs spread so wide, the pink flesh in the middle was also visible. The muscles of her calves and thighs stood out a little on her sturdy legs, as she struggled to maintain balance.

Anna twisted her body slightly from side to side, as she tried to determine where the torturers were. We waited for a while in silence, letting the feeling of helplessness sink in. She should know that she was in the hands of the church and with God's will, we would prevail. Her resistance and lies would avail her nothing.

To my surprise, it was Lady Katherine who got up and picked up the pricker from the table where some of the instruments had been laid out. As she walked over her dress made a quiet whispering sound which Anna followed as best she could.

As Lady Katherine walked over to the girl, the Bishop whispered to me, that as another woman, Lady Katherine was more intimate with women's bodies, and so more easily able to discover the witch's mark. My estimation of her rose even more; it was not often that women had the strength to pursue God's work with such fervour.

Anna could now tell that someone was standing near her but not who the person was, or exactly where.

"Please. Please. Who's there? Please don't hurt me. I have done nothing." Her voice quivered in terror.

"Hello Anna," whispered Lady Katherine in a voice that was just loud enough for me to hear. "How can you claim to be innocent when you know that you have been spreading vile rumours about me? That was not the actions of a good woman."

"You? Lady Katherine?" Anna had obviously not noticed her before in her terror at seeing the torture chamber. "I didn't mean anything. I promise. I won't say anything again. I lied. I admit it, I lied. Please forgive me."

Lady Katherine pressed one finger across the woman's quivering lips.

"Shush," she said quietly. "The time for your confession will come soon enough. Your sin is not your malicious lies about me but your service to the devil."

"No...no. I am not a witch."

"Are you not twenty-four years old, and still barren? Is this not caused by your frequent intercourse with demons? And you have been named by another witch. She freely and willingly named you as a member of her coven. Your foolish lies have put you in this position, you should cease them now if you wish to save your soul from eternal torment. You are such a weak creature. I assure you that when your questioning starts you will be begging to confess your sins to us. You should cease your whining and accept your just punishment."

It seemed Anna had no answer for this as she ceased speaking but whimpered quietly.

"Where did he touch you, my dear?" whispered Lady Katherine in a husky voice. She stepped a little back and ran her fingers gently across Anna's chest, inspecting the skin for marks as she went. Her fingers closed over the heavy globe of Anna's right breast and lifted it so that she could see the underside more clearly. It seemed she found something, because she paused for a second then plunged the pricker into the fleshy underside of the breast with a swift practiced motion.

The spike, I had seen before was about two inches long, went all the way in until the wooden handle pressed against Anna's flesh. A scream of shocked pain erupted from the bound woman. Small pin pricks of sweat appeared on her skin.

"Not there then," muttered Lady Katherine, pulling the pricker out. Her hands ran slowly over Anna's belly, her caressing touch so gentle, yet Anna trembled in fear. She then looked at the arms, twice more driving the needle into the witch's flesh, once on her bicep and once in her armpit but both times Anna reacted with pain.

Lady Katherine, however did not seem concerned. "Often they hide it well," she explained, "but I assure you I will find it."

She proceeded to Anna's legs, searching the pale skin thoroughly, occasionally stopping to push the pricker into Anna's flesh. The bound woman was now sobbing, whimpering as blindfolded she had to wait while Katherine's fingers traced over her skin, never knowing when their gentle touch would be replaced by the sharp pain of the needle. Once more she pushed the needle into the bound woman, on the outside of her left thigh but this time Anna did not react at all.

"Ha!" cried Lady Katherine in triumph pointing to a small mole on the pale skin. "See, she feels no pain, and there is no blood."

Indeed it was true, I had seen that as usual Lady Katherine had pushed the needle in until it was almost at the handle. There could be no doubting the wench's guilt.

"No, you tricked me!" cried Anna. "She did not put the needle in! She is lying! Try it again!"

The Bishop shot to his feet. "Be silent, witch!" he thundered "How dare you accuse my Lady of such deceit! You have been caught and your guilt proven, only confession can save you now."

The Lady Katherine made her way back to her seat besides me. I noticed that her face was flushed, and her eyes seemed particularly shiny. She sat down with a little sigh.

"It is unpleasant work but I feel I should perform this public service," she said, gazing fixedly at the body of the naked woman.

Anna's blindfold was removed and her arms and legs released from the bonds, however her wrists were left locked in front of her.

Again she tried to cover her nakedness. "Please let me have back my gown. It is not proper to be seen like this."

Of course it was standard practice that the interrogation of the witch take place with her naked, so that she could hide no charms for her protection about her. The Bishop rightly ignored her request.

Hoffman, who was standing by a spiked chair, indicated to the bailiffs to bring her over. He pointed to the device, indicating the spikes that lined its back, arms and seat. It was part of the mercy of the church that it insisted that before the prisoner was subject to torture she was shown the devices and given a chance to confess freely.

"You must confess your sins. We are determined to save your soul and will use very severe means if necessary. Can you imagine what it must be like to feel those cruel spikes digging in to your flesh. And notice the seat is made of iron bars and you can see underneath is a chamber, where we will put hot coals. Imagine what it would feel like as they roast your most tender parts."

As she looked at the device Anna was very pale and her limbs shook in terror. She looked at the device, then away as if searching for an escape, then back to the device. She whimpered.

Hoffman continued to show her the various instruments and explain their usage, describing to her in detail how they would be used and what they would do to her. Where possible she would be bound to the device and it would be applied gently to her, so that she could more fully understand the pain it would cause. Hoffman methodically went around the entire chamber, displaying The Judas Chair, the Iron Maiden, the Spanish Boots, the pear, various whips and knives. As the morning wore on and Anna's tour of the chamber continued she grew visibly more and more terrified.

Finally Hoffman lead her to the rack. "Now see this device, it stretches you, until your limbs are pulled from their sockets. But I can hold you on the edge, every joint stretched to its limit, for hours. And of course other tortures can be applied to your body. Heated pokers, boiling oil, whips, scourges. Please reconsider and confess!"

"How can I confess? I have done nothing. I am not a witch," she said but her words carried no conviction.

Hoffman shook his head sadly at her obduracy.

"Let her be placed on the rack, perhaps the feel of the instrument will persuade her of her folly."

The bailiffs lifted Anna onto the wooden bed of the rack. At first she seemed too shocked to struggle but as she felt the straps tightened around her wrists and ankles she tried to pull herself free. By then it was much too late and she was soon stretched out on the device, just as I had seen Maria the night before.

Kohler went to the drum that wound the ropes from her arms and turned it a couple of notches. Anna gasped, now stretched to her full length. Her body looked more slender, with her waist narrower above the wide flair of her hips. Her breasts were larger than Maria's but softer and more pliant. They hung heavily over the sides of her chest.

The drum was tightened another notch. Then another. She was now very still, breathing in small gasps as if even the effort of moving her chest hurt. The sweat which had dried on her body after the pricking finished, burst out again.

"What do you want? Please tell me!" I had seen other people who were subjected to torture have the same reaction. As they were strapped down and the first instrument prepared, the helplessness of their situation became clear to them. She was now feeling the pain in her limbs and knew that there was nothing except the mercy of the church stopping the wheel being tightened further.

With an audible clunk the drum was tightened one more notch. "Aghhhhh!" gasped Anna.

"This is just the beginning. To save you from the horrors of eternal damnation we will do anything. You have been found guilty of witchcraft. You must confess to save our soul."

Hoffman waved to the Kohler, who tightened the drum by another notch. Anna let out a cry of pain and then continued her small, gasping breaths.

"Does it hurt? It will hurt much more later. You should confess."

"I am not a witch. Before God, how can I confess?"

He signaled Kohler to advance the rack another notch.

Anna let out a little scream of pain. "Please," she whimpered. "Please, it hurts! Oh God, it hurts! You are tearing me apart! Please, stop!"

Hoffman observed her carefully, then signaled Kohler for another notch. Anna was now stretched very tightly, most of her body lifted off the bed of the rack. Her face was twisted in pain.

Hoffman touched her, running his fingers over the taught sweaty skin of her sunken belly.

"We will leave you here, to consider more carefully your responses to our questions," he said.

"No! Don't leave me like this! Please, please!" Anna's cries grew hysterical as she saw us getting up to leave. "Please! I beg you, masters, it hurts!" Her cries faded behind us as we went out the door.

As we entered the corridor Lady Katherine said something about checking on Sabine to the Bishop and that she would catch up with them later. As she went to the chamber where Sabine was being kept she took my hand and urged me to follow.

In the chamber nothing had changed, Maria sat slumped in her chair and Sabine hung from the rope. She had recovered some strength, or maybe the pain in her wrists had become too much, because she now half supported herself on the tips of her toes.

"Isn't she delightful?" asked Lady Katherine, indicating the naked body of the teenager.

She went over to Sabine, who, seeing another woman, seemed to be less afraid. Lady Katherine slipped behind her and reached under her arms to gently stroke her small conical breasts.

Sabine cried out in shock that another woman should touch her in such a manner.

"What are you doing? Leave me alone!" she cried.

"Be quiet, wench," said Lady Katherine as she pinched one of Sabine's nipples, "If you make any more noise I won't be squeezing your breasts with my hands but with red hot tongs."

Lady Katherine turned Sabine to face me and moved her hands down to hook them inside her thighs. She pulled the girl's legs apart and pushed her hips forward with one of her knees.

"Don't you want her? She is a witch, it is only right that she serve to satisfy a man of the church such as yourself."

I found her behaviour most strange but I must admit my mouth was dry and the sight of the young witch's naked body was very arousing.

"Come, Antoine," she said, using my given name, "she is all prepared for you."

I could wait no longer. I pulled the front of my breeches open, freeing my penis, already painfully erect from observing Anna's torture.

"No, not again. Please!" whimpered Sabine.

"Be quiet, girl!" repeated Katherine. "Are you in such a hurry to feel the hot iron on your flesh?"

Sabine continued to sob but made no more protest.

I positioned myself in front of her and pulled her onto me. She let out a cry of pain as I penetrated her but said nothing. Her young vagina wrapped tight and warm around me. Katherine pushed her from behind and then reached around to hold me, pulling us together, squeezing Sabine's slender body between us.

"Fuck her! Fuck the little bitch!" she cried.

I needed no urging; I felt as if God possessed me and wanted to punish the witch in the same way that she had enjoyed her demons.

I reached around and took hold of Katherine's waist and used it pull us together and give me leverage to thrust into Sabine. As I thrusted, Katherine moved in time using her hips to push Sabine forward to meet my motion. It felt as if Sabine was willingly participating in her own rape. Perhaps indeed it reminded her of her times with her demons and should could not stop her body reacting as it did with them.

With the violence of my thrusts, I could not control myself for long and soon ejaculated deep inside. For a few seconds I stood still breathing hard, feeling Sabine's naked body pressed against mine then I stepped away. My semen dribbled from her vagina, leaving a thick white trail down her thighs. Katherine's face was flushed and her breathing was almost as hard as mine. After a few seconds she controlled herself. As she stepped away from Sabine she gave her a good slap across her smooth round bottom.

"Come, we should join the others for lunch," she said.

As with the other meals I had been treated to, lunch was a sumptuous affair. We had splendid pork, with bread and a fine white wine. I was also seated between Lady Katherine and the Bishop, who told me of some of their witch hunting experiences. It would seem that this area had more than its share of these evil creatures and the two of them had been busy tracking them down. They could not remember the exact number but certainly over the years many hundreds of young women had been found guilty of this heinous crime and been justly punished for it. I informed them that the Holy Catholic church supported their endeavours and that they should not let their fervour or vigilance slip.

After we had eaten sufficient and relaxed, we made our way back to the chamber to see whether the witch had decided to confess her guilt. When we were returning the men in our small party were taken to a room in the dungeon with a single bucket in it. The Bishop explained that I should use to for my ablutions, and the reason would be made clear later. Thinking this somewhat strange but not wishing to offend my host I urinated in to the bucket, which already seemed to contain a reasonable amount of liquid from previous users.

After I had taken my seat, the torturers also returned. Anna was still stretched upon the rack, small whimpers of pain escaping from her lips.

"Please. Please release me!" she pleaded.

"My child, have you decided to confess your sins?" said the Bishop.

"I will not confess to what I have not done!" cried the woman.

Kohler loosened the tension on the drum a couple of notches, which evinced groan of release from the witch. I have to admit, I was a little confused as she had not yet confessed and I thought that her torture would naturally continue longer. The Bishop, seeing my confusion, patted me gently on the shoulder. "Do not worry. The respite is temporary. I assure you that Mr. Hoffman is most thorough in his work."

Kohler went to a wheel mounted midway down the side of the rack. I had wondered what it was for, and I was about to find out. As Kohler span the wheel around the body of the woman began to lift off the bed of the rack. A block of wood, just under Anna's buttocks, was being pushed up from below, raising her hips and forcing her body in to a tight arch.

"No! No!" she protested. "What are you doing? Arrghh, it hurts! Please stop!" The pressure from the block quickly replaced the tension that had been eased before bringing the pain back into her joints.

"Another innovation of Count Fels," explained the Bishop. "I believe Mr. Hoffman intends to use the water torture on the witch now. Having her stomach stretched in this manner adds to its effectiveness."

Judging by the woman's twisted face and gasps of pain, the device certainly seemed to be effective.

When the block was about three feet above the bed of the rack, Kohler locked the wheel in place. The woman's body was now lifted clear of the device arched like a bow. I could see where her mons rose above her hips, a small tuft of pubic hair catching the light. Her large breasts where still prominent, despite how severely she was stretched, though they were now pulled to the side and towards her head.

I found the sight of her full body, stretched in such a way, her skin shiny with sweat in the afternoon sun, most appealing. Her pleas, interspersed with whimpers and cries of pain, only added to the feeling of righteousness that the scene brought to my mind. Here was a person who had betrayed the love of God for the earthly gains of Satan. Her punishment was well deserved.

Kohler pushed a metal funnel into her mouth. The woman struggled to stop him, holding her mouth shut and twisting her head away but with Hoffman's help the device was soon inserted. The spout of the funnel was short, and where it widened a leather strap had been attached to the side. Kohler wrapped this around Anna's head and then buckled it to the other side of the funnel, thus locking the device deep in her mouth. A peg was used to close her nostrils so that she had to breathe through her mouth. We could hear her hoarse breathing as she drew air through the funnel.

Meanwhile a servant had brought in a number of buckets filled with water and arrayed them next to the rack.

Anna was making noises through the funnel, it sounded as though she was begging but with her mouth and tongue trapped she could form no words so it was more like the grunts of some beast of the field than a human voice. Kohler stood on the far side of the rack, so that we observers could have a clear view of the torture as it proceeded. In fact I was most impressed with the two torturers and the efforts that they made to ensure that all their actions were open to scrutiny.

Kohler held the funnel in one hand, tilting it so that it was vertical, and dipped a jug into the bucket with the other. He poured the contents of the jug into the funnel.

The liquid was a dirty yellow colour, and I realised why we had used a bucket to urinate into after lunch.

Anna's cries had died into gurgles and then silence as the liquid filled her mouth.

She tried to twist her head but her freedom of movement was very constrained. All she managed to do was spill a little of the urine which splashed out of the funnel and dripped on to her face.

Automatically she swallowed trying to drain the funnel so that she could breathe. At the first gulp her body convulsed in shock and a strange whining noise escaped her nose. I suspect that she had not expected the bucket to contain urine, so its foul taste was a shock to her.

When the funnel was empty Kohler gave her a few seconds to gulp in some air before he poured more urine into the funnel. Anna's body convulsed as some of the liquid entered her lungs and she tried to cough. Then she started to drink the liquid again to clear the funnel so that she could breathe. The process was repeated each time giving the witch just enough time to breathe so that she would not die then pouring more urine into her. When the first bucket was empty it was replaced by the second and then the third. When this was finished her stomach was sticking up like a hard tight drum, clearly straining her body to its limits.

I thought surely that she could take no more but Kohler, clearly more experienced in this area, poured the contents of a fourth bucket into her. Anna's stomach was now grossly distended.

I calculated that some sixteen pints had been forced into her. I made a mental note that I should investigate these techniques more carefully as I would not have thought it possible to for a woman's body to take so much liquid. Clearly the process of wringing confessions from witches was a subject that required some study and experience.

At this point the torturers seemed satisfied and Kohler unclipped the funnel and pulled it from her mouth.

With the funnel gone it was now possible to see the pain she was suffering written in her twisted face and the wide staring eyes underlined with dark smudges.

She started to say something but before she completed the sentence Kohler had pushed a leather wad into her mouth. The wad was quite large and when he had forced it all in her checks were bulging out and her mouth was totally blocked. He left her like that for a minute or so, unable to breathe as her mouth and nose were blocked, then removed the peg from her nose. Kohler picked up a short, thick stick and positioned himself by her stomach.

He brought the stick down across the top of the tight, bulging mound. Despite the tension in which her body was held Anna's limbs jerked visibly and she threw her head forward, a strange whining noise escaping from her gagged mouth. For a second she stayed there, head forward, tension outlining every muscle in her body, her whole being racked with pain, then her head fell back between her arms, the whining turning to a muffled groan.

Kohler gave her a few seconds to recover before hitting her stomach again. It had the same effect. I could see her try to vomit but the liquid could not get past the leather wad in her mouth and she was forced to swallow it again. I was impressed. Kohler was not using much force but it seemed to cause the witch immense pain.

Of course, with her mouth gagged she could not confess but she had so far stubbornly refused to tell the truth, so I thought that it was reasonable to keep her in that state while the torture was being applied. Once she had been broken and the devil driven from her we could, at our leisure, thoroughly question her.

Kohler kept the raining the blows on the tautly stretched woman. Each one wrung horrible animal like noises from her gagged mouth and futile struggles from her helpless body. During the session, Kohler grew tired and Hoffman took over from him. On more than one occasion she fainted but was quickly revived by means of having one of the spare buckets of urine poured over her head, so that the torture could be continued with as little interruption as possible.

The action was repetitive but I think no one there lost interest or failed to properly observe. There was something very exciting and satisfying in watching the helplessly writhing of the witch. I noticed that even Lady Katherine continued to observe the proceedings with great interest.

It must have been over an hour later that Hoffman finally decided that the wench had had enough, and proceeded to question her further. Walking to stand over the witch Hoffman grabbed her soaking hair in one hand and laid his other hand on her injured stomach. Using a hammer fist he punched her. She jerked her head, pulling her hair against his tight grip.

"Do you confess your sins, witch?" he demanded, as he lifted his fist over her stomach again.

Desperately she nodded her head, making whining noises through her gag.

He punched her again.

"Do you confess?"

Even more violently she nodded, desperate, pleading noises escaped from her gagged mouth.

As I had expressed an interest in the techniques that they used to extract confessions here, Hoffman kindly invited me over to inspect the state of the witch.

Although I had witnessed a few executions I had never been such a close observer while a heretic was actually being questioned. It fascinated me in a way that was difficult to explain. I placed my hand on top of her abdomen, stroking the warm, tight skin.

As it seemed the witch was ready to confess, and our main work had been accomplished, I hoped that I might gain some extra experience from the situation.

"Do you mind if I try the stick?" I asked.

The woman shook her head in violent protest, tears spilling from her eyes. Perhaps now she regretted not confessing her sins earlier. However she was a witch and we would give her the mercy of allowing her to confess later.

"Of course not," replied Hoffman, handing it to me.

I brought the short stick down on to her stomach. Her body jerked, a whining noise coming from her gagged mouth. Standing, as I was, right next to the witch's naked body, I was able to observe in even more detail the effects that each stroke had on her. Her neck muscles stood out as she lifted her head and her full breasts swayed forward and back with her movement. I hit her again. I knew she wanted to confess but it did not seem to be important now. We had always known of her guilt, what did it matter if her confession was delayed a bit?

Trying to copy Hoffman and Kohler I did not use a great deal of force and waited in between blows for her whining and jerking to calm down. After about ten strikes, I looked over at Hoffman but he indicated that I should carry on.

"She is in no danger. You can use a little more force as well. Perhaps another twenty?"

Anna tried to protest but I hit her, a bit harder, and spasms shook her body.

Keeping careful count I continued for my twenty blows. I was not used to exercise and I was surprised at how fast my arm was getting tired. As I noticed that my blows seemed to cause no real damage I increased the force as I went on, trusting Kohler to intervene if he thought I was in danger of injuring her too much.

I handed the stick back to Hoffman and resumed my seat.

After hitting her one more time, he turned away, signing for Kohler to release her. Kohler lowered the central block, pulled the leather from her mouth and finally released the manacles. Using her hair he dragged her from the device. Too weak to stand, Anna collapsed onto the stone floor.

Kohler still had his hand in her hair and he used it to lift her up a little, and then kick her in the stomach. With the obstruction in her mouth now removed she fell vomiting and groaning on to the floor. Whimpering, Anna drew her body into a ball, her arms wrapped around her stomach, breathing heavily. Now and then a spasm would wrack her body and a little more water would dribble out from her slackly open lips.

She was left there a few minutes but then dragged back to her feet and brought over in front of us. Although outwardly her body showed hardly any marks, her face, drawn with pain and eyes filled with despair showed the ordeal that she had been through.

"Do you confess to being a witch?" asked the Bishop.

Of course, although a witch may confess while being tortured, she should also confirm this confession freely afterward.

Anna said nothing for a second. Of course she understood that such a confession would put her beyond the safety of the church and her fate would be sealed.

"If you recant your confession your torture will continue. For as long as it is necessary for you to understand the wickedness of your crimes."

"I confess," she sobbed. "I am a witch." Fresh tears spilled down her face.

"We knew it. Mr. Hoffman, please be so good as to have her full confession recorded so that we can review it later."

"Yes, your grace."

The Bishop turned to me. "I hope you have found this educational if not very entertaining. The work of the Lord is never complete."

"Most educational," I agreed.

"Perhaps we should repair for a meal, while the confession is taken," he suggested.

I agreed and we left the chamber.

After dinner the Bishop brought me to his private residence and there he led me into a small room off his main chambers. It was a windowless sleeping chamber with a single large bed. Then I spotted the occupant of the room, sitting in a chair beside the bed. It was Anna, the witch that we had been questioning that day. As we entered she jumped with shock, and wrapped her arms around her still naked body.

"Witch, if you do not wish your torments while you remain on this world to continue tomorrow, you will obey what we say, in every detail! Is that clear?" asked the Bishop.

Mutely, she nodded.

The Bishop turned to me. "I have some matters to attend to and will return in an hour or so. Please help yourself to what ever refreshments you want. Hoffman has reported to me that she has made a full confession of her sins and there will be no further need to question her. All that remains for us it to determine the punishment for her crimes. I have given her this opportunity to ask for clemency in our judgment, and perhaps to show that she is capable of helping true men of the church, even in so feeble a way as her woman's body will allow her."

"Thank you, your grace," I replied as he left, closing the door behind him.

Anna looked fearfully at me. I was thinking how she had been only a few hours ago, how attractive her tautly stretched body had looked. How the pain I had caused her sent spasms down her body. I guessed her thoughts were on a similar subject.

"Please. Please don't hurt me any more!" she whimpered. "What do they intend to do to me? Please, Master, please help me!"

"Be quiet," I ordered, as I began to loosen the ties on my britches. She was indeed an attractive woman, and I found the hurt, vulnerable look on her face only made her more attractive. It was a great shame that a creature such as this should be lead astray by the Devil!

The burning desire that I had felt as I had watched her torture had died down but quickly returned as I observed her helpless nakedness. I was about to order her to go to the bed when I remembered Maria's confession that I had read that morning.

"Come here and put this in your mouth, I said, pointing at my penis which I had now freed from my underclothes.

"Please," she repeated. "I am an honest woman. You are a man of the church, how can you ask me to do these things?"

Angrily, I slapped her face, knocking her to the ground. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she lay sprawled on the floor.

"How dare you talk to me like that. You who has forsaken the way of God. You should be grateful you are being offered this way of paying for your sins, rather than in the torture chamber. Do not pretend that this practice in unfamiliar to you, I have read your confession. Do you think that your questioning this afternoon was severe? You will suffer much worse tomorrow; Mister Hoffman is most skilled and I am sure he is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to have you back in the torture chamber and will spare no effort to ensure you suffer appropriately for your sins. As I see you have learnt nothing from today and remain unrepentant. I will leave you to him."

I pretended that I was about to leave, although in truth I had no intention of finding the Bishop. I was sure that her torture would be continued the next day anyway with no less vigour than today. After all, her well deserved punishment was ordained by God and it was not for us to change this.

However I did not see why I should not have the pleasure of her body in the meantime and felt no shame in using such deceit on a witch such as her.

"No!" she shouted. "No, please! I will do whatever you want. Please!"

I walked towards the door.

"Please!" she cried. "Please, kind sir. Please let me let me show you that I can be of service to a man such as you."

As I looked down into her tearful face she continued to plead. Then before I had said anything further she crawled to my feet and kneeling in front of me began to kiss the head of my penis.

She clumsily put the tip of my penis in her mouth and her teeth rubbed against my soft flesh. Using her hair I pulled her head back and slapped her face again.

"You are useless!" I said angrily, turning towards the door.

Desperately she clung to my leg. "Please!" she whimpered. "Please. Let me show you." I stopped and she gently took my penis in her hand and brought it to her mouth. This time she was more careful, licking and kissing gently on the tip. I grabbed her hair and pulled her head away from my body, looking down into her eyes.

"Please," she whimpered. "Please. I'll be careful. Let me try again."

"Why should I let you? You are so ungrateful and useless! I do not think you deserve this chance to redeem yourself."

Using her hair I flung her away from me but she crawled back and knelt before me again.

"Please," she repeated. "Let me show you. I beg you. Give me another chance."

She pulled my britches further down so that she could cup my testicles in her hand and took the head of my flaccid penis in her mouth and sucked it gently, rolling it around with her soft, warm tongue.

"You are nothing but a whore!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said. "I am a whore. I am your whore."

I felt my lust rising and with it my penis become engorged growing inside her mouth.

She took my now erect penis out of her mouth and licked up and down its length, sometimes taking the head back into her mouth and sometimes going all the way down to lick my scrotal sack. It seemed that after all, she was skilled in these arts.

While she knelt before me, trying her best to please me, I pictured her in my mind as I had seen her that afternoon, her pain racked body stretched to its limits. I felt myself reaching my climax, and I took hold of her hair and pushed the tip of my penis into her mouth. For a few more seconds I controlled myself, then with a groan of release, I squirted my semen into her. She tried to pull back but I held her head and rocked my hips back and forth as I continued to come. Finally I pulled out, some of my semen stuck to the tip of my penis and dribbled across her lips and chin.

"Swallow it!" I ordered.

She did as she was told. I looked down at her, kneeling naked on the floor, a her lips shiny with my semen.

I was not satisfied. I reached down to grab her but then changed my mind.

"Go to the bed, whore!" I ordered.

She immediately did as she was told. Making her offer her body to me made me even more excited than taking her by force. She got on the bed and lay face up but I told her to turn over and get on all fours and spread her legs, lower her shoulders and raise her haunches as I had read about in the confessions. I then went to kneel between her thighs.

Grabbing a handful of her hair I pushed her face to the bed, raising her hips like bitch in heat. I plunged myself into her from behind. She gave a sobbing groan but made no attempt to resist.

Holding her hips on either side I pulled our bodies together. I slammed my hips into her buttocks while I pulled her back to meet them. Her body was warm around me, even if it was dry and unwilling. I was already excited and had no time for finesse. Grunting with effort I rammed into her with all my strength. Again and again. As I had come so recently it took me sometime before with a final moan of pleasure I ejaculated deep into her womb. Now thoroughly satiated I pushed her forward and lay on top of her. I rested for a few minutes, my penis still inside her as I lay on her soft feminine body.

Finally I pulled myself up and got dressed. She got up from the bed and came to kneel in front of me.

"Please, master," she begged "Please intercede on my behalf. Please."

She clung to my legs but I pushed her away.

"I will speak with the Bishop," I promised as I walked away.

The Bishop was sitting next door, with Lady Katherine, drinking wine and chatting.

"How was she?" asked Lady Katherine.

I was somewhat taken aback to receive such a question from a woman, especially in such a direct manner, although perhaps Lady Katherine's behaviour in the dungeon with Sabine should have better prepared me. But recovering I replied that she was very well behaved.

I fell contentedly in to a chair while the Bishop called for a young novice nun to bring me some wine. Katherine stood up and went to the door to Anna's room.

"I will try to comfort and guide her," she said, giving us a smile, and going to the room where Anna was waiting.

"She is a complete harlot!" I exclaimed to the Bishop, "seeking to use her body to divert us from the path of God. We must ensure that her punishment is sufficiently severe." Having kept my promise to speak to the Bishop, I contentedly took a sip of the fine white wine that he served.

"Indeed," agreed the Bishop. "I had expected nothing else. We will continue as planned tomorrow."

The Bishop stood up and said that he needed to check on some church matters and would be back later. I sat for a few seconds before I noticed that Lady Katherine had not closed the door properly. I went over intending to close it but as I came close I caught their conversation.

"So, Anna, you thought to spread rumours about me and besmirch my name? Did you think I would let a person like you speak of me like that and not be punished?"

"Mistress," whimpered Anna in reply. "Please forgive me. I will not say anything again. I will say whatever you want. Please tell them I am not a witch."

"But you said spread horrible rumours about me. How can I forgive you?"

"Oh, please, please Mistress. I will do whatever you want. I promise I will tell everyone I lied. I beg you."

"Then you must please me now as you refused to before. If you try very hard, I will speak to the Bishop and tell him you are not a witch, that it was all a mistake and you can be spared further punishment."

"Oh thank you, Mistress," said Anna.

"But first, you must please me."

I heard the rustle of cloth and, my curiosity peaked, I pushed the door ever so slightly wider. Anna was undoing Lady Katherine's clothes. As she removed each item of clothing she folded it neatly up and placed it on a chair. Soon Katherine was as naked as Anna. Katherine looked even smaller and more delicate without her clothes. She was of a slender build yet also her body was completely feminine, smooth and curved like a Greek statue.

Katherine pushed Anna to her knees and then pulled her head into her groin. I could not see what exactly was going on.

"You know," said Katherine, who was now moving her hips slowly back and forward, "I should really thank you for giving the excuse to have you arrested. I enjoyed myself so much this afternoon. You will have to try very hard to make me happy if you want me to deny myself the pleasure of helping with your punishment tomorrow."

Katherine stepped away from the kneeling woman and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, where she faced the door. I could see that her breasts were mid-sized and firm with small aureoles and upstanding nipples. Her body too was trim, with a flat stomach but full womanly hips.

"Come here!" she ordered.

Anna crawled to her. Katherine took the witch's head by the hair and guided it between her legs. Katherine glanced up and saw me peeping through the crack in the door. Our eyes met and for a second I lost my composure but Lady Katherine gave me a mischievous smile. With her left hand she cupped her own breast, squeezing it gently in her fingers in a most lascivious manner. Her mouth opened in a small O of pleasure and her eyes fluttered shut.

Fascinated, I wanted to see more but heard the heavy tread of the Bishop and quickly returned to my seat.

The Bishop and I talked for a bit but when I had finished my wine and Lady Katherine had not returned,I decided to head back to my room to record the days events in my journal.

The Year of our Lord, 1495. Friday October 18

The next morning we were again seated in the torture chamber when Anna was brought in by the same two bailiffs as yesterday. She wore the same simple smock but upon being brought into the dungeon, this was immediately ripped from her to leave her naked. When she saw us seated there and the instruments prepared she grew pale and began to tremble.

The judge from the court entered and asked the scribe to read from yesterday's confession. The scribe began to read aloud from the notes he had taken the day before. He did not repeat everything but just the essentials; she was Anna Broeker and had confessed to witchcraft under torture and had repeated the confession freely afterward. Further interrogation had added more details but the essential iniquity of her crime remained unchanged.

The judge, who had listened without comment to the confession, passed judgment.

"Such evil crimes against God and our community cannot go unpunished. Anna Broeker, I sentence you to be burned alive at the stake. The sentence will be carried out two days hence, in the main square of the town, so that your punishment may be observed by all. In the intervening period I charge the secular authorities to inflict such punishment as they see fit, so long as you remain alive for the execution."

Anna listened to the sentence with horror and when the judge had finished she began to sob uncontrollably. She was taken by the bailiffs to a heavy iron chair fixed solidly to the ground. "You promised. Please! You promised! Please, I beg you!"

Hoffman and Kohler, as ever showed no emotion but quickly and professionally restrained her to the device. Thick leather straps held her wrists and ankles firm, while another ran across her chest, holding her upper body tightly against the back.

"Please stop! Please! What are you doing? I have confessed, I have done everything you want!" Suddenly she looked at me. "Didn't I do what you wanted? Wasn't I pleasing?"

I was most put out to be spoken to like that by one such her. "Shut up, whore!" I shouted at her.

She turned to Lady Katherine.

"Mistress, didn't I please you? Didn't I do everything you wanted? You said they would spare me. You promised in God's name."

The Bishop got up and walked over to her. His face red with rage.

"Do NOT speak his name, spawn of Satan!" he thundered. Unable to control his rage he slapped hard across the face with his meaty hand, knocking her into shocked silence. With a final look of contempt, the Bishop returned to his seat. After two braziers filled with heated coals were drawn up and placed next to her, Hoffman and Kohler retired. It was Lady Katherine who now approached the helpless woman. If anything Anna's face grew even more terrified as the woman walked over.

"No!" she shrieked "She is the devil! She is the witch! She made me do all sorts of unnatural things. Don't let her near me. Please I beg you all!"

Katherine took Anna's jaw in her hand, turning her head to look up at her.

"I try to counsel you, in this time of trouble, and all you can do to thank me is to continue to insult me. At this late time, you still persist in your lies and deceits. It would be better for you to prepare your soul to be judged!" replied Katherine with a little smile on her lips. She took a pair of pliers and sitting on a low stool in front of Anna she gently took the woman's left foot in her hand.

"You adulterous bitch! Is there any man in the town you have not slept with? Your own husband is not enough, you had to have mine as well? You whore! You have no shame. It is you who should be punished!" Anna screamed her hatred at Katherine. She strained at her bonds, not as if trying to escape but rather trying to take hold of Lady Katherine and rip the life from her.

Anna continued to babble her madness, claiming that Katherine had forced her to have sex together with her the night before and perform any number of disgusting acts. Of course, no one believed her. As a convicted and confessed witch she was expected to use lies and deceit to cast suspicion on innocent people.

Commendably, Lady Katherine ignored this and having gripped her little toe nail with the pliers, slowly pulled it out. Anna's rantings suddenly changed to screams of pain. Her body stiffened in its bonds as she pulled with all her strength against the leather straps holding her. Her fingers clawed helplessly at the empty air. Her struggles made her full pendulous breasts swing from side to side and bounce with her struggles.

"You bitch, you whore!" screamed Anna. "I did those things you wanted. Argggggg!"

Katherine pulled out another toe nail.

"You are deluded," said Katherine quietly, while Anna was unable to speak for a few seconds as she got her breath back after the last scream.

While Anna screamed she pulled out the next nail.

"It is you who are the whore. A whore of the devil!"

She pulled out the next nail.

"Argghghgh AArgghghg..."

"It is you who has performed willing acts of abominations with the demons of hell."

And the next.

"Arghghghghh AAAAArghghg!"

"You are unfit for God's earth."

"Argggggghggh!"

"If you continue to spread lies about me, I will have to continue your punishment until you stop."

"AARRGGhhhhH! Uhhh! Arghghg!"

"Do you now regret the lies that you told? You will certainly have opportunity in the next few days to regret them even more."

Calmly Katherine continued, until all ten nails where gathered in a little bloody pile on the floor.

Apart from a slight flush Katherine continued to show no emotion as she proceeded with her task while Anna screamed her obscene lies at her. She requested a set of pins from Kohler who brought over a wooden box to her. On opening this revealed a number of long metal pins with wooden handles. Methodically, Katherine took each of the pins out and slid them into a rack set in the side of one of the braziers. The rack allowed the tip of the pin to be buried deep in the braziers hot coals while the handle was held clear of the flames.

When all the pins had been prepared Katherine closed the box and turned back to Anna, who had exhausted herself with her screaming and now slumped limply in her bonds.

Anna jumped when Katherine took hold of her left foot, staring down at the other woman.

Even as she opened her mouth, no doubt to release another tirade of ridiculous lies, Katherine plunged the point of the first needle, now glowing a bright orange, into the sensitive flesh where Anna's big toe nail had been.

"You whore! UuuArgghhhh!" she screamed.

Katherine left the needle there for a second, then pulled it out and replaced it in the brazier, only to immediately take the one next to it. She pushed it into Anna's toe, close to where the last needle had been. Katherine proceeded methodically along Anna's toes. Each time pushing the hot needle deep into the flesh, waiting a few seconds and then pulling it out.

By the time Anna had finished with her toes, Anna was no longer screaming out her lies. She was weeping, begging for mercy.

Katherine stood up, stretching herself after having spent so much time crouched by Anna's feet.

"Please, Mistress, be merciful. I beg you. Please stop hurting me. I will do whatever you want. I promise, I will tell everyone I was lying. Please, please, I beg you," whimpered Anna.

"So much noise and fuss over nothing!" exclaimed Katherine. "We have only just begun and must complete our duty entrusted to us by the courts."

"No! Please! Please!"

Katherine pulled her stool up to where Anna's left arm was strapped to the chair and took the pliers in her hands.

"What would other people think if they heard the lies that you spread about me and did not see that you were adequately punished? They might think that they too could spread rumours. I cannot allow that."

"Please," whimpered Anna.

Ignoring her Katherine reached for Anna's little finger. As the leather strap was across Anna's wrist she had some movement in her hand and now she struggled to pull her fingers away from Katherine's grasp. Katherine played with her for a few seconds, letting Anna's finger escape and pretending she could not catch it. Then, growing tired of the game she caught it firmly in her left hand and held it steady so that she could grasp the nail in the jaws of the pliers.

"Please! Please!"

Katherine pulled slowly, working the nail from side to side until it came free.

"Argghghgh...uhh,uhh, Please! No more!"

Katherine gripped the nail of the ring finger in the pliers.

"Aggouuhghhg!"

Calmly and coolly Katherine proceeded to pull each of the nails on the left hand out, and then those on the right. Finally finished, she pulled the stool away from the chair while Anna sobbed in pain, staring at her bloody finger tips.

"Oh god, please!" she whimpered.

Hoffman glanced through the window at the position of the sun. "I think we should move onto something stronger," he said.

"Ah, yes," said the Bishop, "we have set the execution date for tomorrow, so you will be able to witness it before returning to Rome."

I was glad to hear that as I felt that I would like to see an end to this particular episode. Also it explained the need to move on to more robust punishment.

"Indeed," said Katherine. "I will hand over to Mr. Kohler then."

Katherine came to sit next to me.

"In a way it is a pity," she confided to me. "There have been other witches whose punishment I have been involved in which has been stretched over many weeks. Truly by the end they come to realise the error of their ways and would beg for the chance to die and face God's judgment. When one is involved in such a case, it gives one a chance to really know the poor deluded creatures, and with God's love, council them as best one can. As you know, my husband is away a lot, and it gives me much time to sit with the witches and explain their foolishness to them. The devil's hold on them is strong though and I need to constantly reinforce my message with appropriate punishments. Over time their soul is laid completely bare and they can keep no secrets from me. I knew them better than their own husbands."

Kohler pulled a long narrow tray from the corner of the room. The tray was on very short legs so it only rose a few inches from the ground. First Kohler prepared it by filling it along its length with glowing coals from one of the braziers then he maneuvered it so that it was just under Anna's feet.

"No! Please! Take it away! Please!" she screamed, while she twisted her feet this way and that to try to pull their soles away from the heat of the coals.

Kohler picked up his bellows and placed their nozzle in a hole at one end of the tray. He pumped hard and the coals all along the grill burned brighter.

"Arrhrhrhghghg..Arghghghghgh!" screamed Anna.

Kohler gave the bellows one last big push and stepped back. The coals were now glowing a bright orange and the soles of Anna's feet, held about six inches above them, were being scorched by the heat.

Anna's screams echoed continuously around the chamber. She writhed and struggled in mindless agony. Her head twisting this way and that, sending her hair flying loosely around her. Her large breasts swayed heavily with her jerky movements. Her back would arch lifting her buttocks a little off the seat as her whole body strained at her bonds a single continuous shriek escaping from her mouth, before collapsing back into the chair, only to repeat the motion a few moments later. The smell of her burning flesh reached to where we sat. I thought that it smelled very similar to roasting pork.

I noticed that the Bishop's face was quite red and he stared with fascination at the writhing woman. Little beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and upper lip. I have rarely seen such fervour in a man of God, even in Rome.

"Ayyaaaa, Arghghghhhg,arhhghg!" There was no let up in her screams.

Finally Kohler pulled the tray out from under her feet. I could see that they were badly burnt, the flesh blackened and cracked. Anna collapsed in exhaustion, her head slumping forward and only the rising and falling of her chest showing that she was still alive.

Katherine got up and walked over to the helpless woman. Taking a handful of her damp blond hair she pulled Anna's head back.

"Mmm, uhhh, please! Mmm, mercy! Mmm! Please!"

Anna's eyes were not in focus and saliva dribbled from her slack lips. Mindless mumblings mixed with her weak pleas. Katherine slapped her across her face, which seemed to get her attention.

"We still have all afternoon." she said "It will give you something to think about while we have lunch."

"Please!" Anna repeated, her voice a little more coherent now. "Please, just kill me!"

Casually Katherine cupped Anna's left breast, gently feeling its weight in her hand. "You need to be strong. Your punishment has only just begun. We have so much more in store for you," she chided.

Kohler and Hoffman released Anna from the chair and hauled her to the middle of the chamber. She was too weak to stand and in any case her feet were too badly injured to support her so they let her collapse on the floor.

While Kohler went to a windlass by the wall, Hoffman pulled Anna's arms behind her back and tied them at the wrists and elbows. Kohler unwound the windlass which allowed a hook, attached to a rope which went around a pulley in the ceiling, to be lowered towards the waiting Hoffman. Hoffman caught the rope and hooked the bindings between Anna's elbows. Kohler immediately began to spin the windlass, pulling Anna up towards the ceiling.

Soon Anna was hanging with her feet a yard off the ground. All her weight was on her elbows which strained her shoulder joints painfully. Anna's body was bent forward, her breasts hanging like heavy fruit and her disheveled hair covering her face. Small moans of pain escaped from her mouth.

Kohler now brought over a heavy stone weight, with a metal loop fixed into its top, which he placed just below Anna's feet. He bound her ankles together and tied off the end of the rope to the stone weight.

His preparations complete, Kohler waved to Hoffman to raise Anna some more. Hoffman turned the windlass, slowly raising Anna further off the ground. Anna let out a strangled cry of pain as the extra weight of the stone was added to the strain on her shoulder joints.

The bishop, who seemed to have come out of his earlier trance yet was still flushed, approached the naked witch.

"It is to be hoped that you have had time to regret your sins. We will leave you here so you may further contemplate them."

As we made our way to the refectory for lunch, the Bishop asked me what I wished to do that afternoon.

"The weather is good for this time of year, we could visit the cathedral in town. It seems a pity that you should spend all your time with us on such unpleasant church business."

I had the feeling that he wanted me to refuse and that he himself would much rather continue with our mornings work. I was not at all averse to this and suggested that we should fulfill our duty and continue to observe the witch's punishment.

Indeed my eyes had been opened by the last few days and I now fully understood the joy of doing God's work in such a robust manner. It was my intention on returning to Rome to speak with my uncle and request a position under him in the newly established Congregation of the Holy Office.

After a relaxing lunch of fish we returned to the torture chamber where Anna still hung from the ceiling. She seemed not to notice us as we returned, her head hung down and she whimpered softly to herself. Drool dripped from her mouth, some on to her body and some to form a puddle on the floor.

Hoffman signaled to Kohler to raise her up toward the ceiling. Kohler did this, turning the windlass from which the rope that went around the pulley was attached.

"Whuuu, what?" muttered Anna.

When she was almost at the ceiling, Kohler released the windlass, which let the rope go before stopping suddenly at its previous position. Anna cried in surprise at her sudden descent then screamed in agony as her body was jerked to a stop by her already strained shoulders.

Kohler began to raise her again.

"No, no, no, please stop!" she begged. The process of raising her took a minute or two and so gave her ample time to contemplate what would happen when she was released. Her pleas continued during the ascent growing more desperate as she reached the top. Kohler held her there for a minute, letting her plead for mercy while anticipating the imminent pain. Then without warning he released the rope.

"WHAAAAA!" she screamed as her body jerked to a stop again.

"Please.." she whimpered as she was being hauled back up again. Although she must have known that we would not be swayed by her piteous pleas she continued to beg for mercy.

They repeated the process another ten times, before Hoffman indicated that she should be released.

Kohler unwound the windlass letting her fall heavily to the floor.

"Please!" she begged, her voice weak and cracked from so much screaming. "Please, no more. What do you want? I will do anything. Please. Please stop!"

Although she made a pitiful sight, her naked body marked from her many torments, her eyes filled with tears and her voice begging so piteously I think I can speak for all of us there, in saying that we did not allow it to move us from our purpose. Even Katherine, who being a woman I might have expected to show some sympathy for a fellow creature, had her face determinedly set.

Kohler grabbed a handful of her long blond hair and dragged Anna over to one of the trestle tables. Here he lifted her on to the top and began to secure her. She continued with her pleas, as Hoffman and Kohler strapped her down, ignoring her weak struggles.

Anna's hands were released from behind her back and she was laid face up on the trestle but with her hips at one end so that her legs dangled on to the floor. Her wrists were tied to a bolt set in the trestle a few inches above her head and her legs were then lifted, spread and pushed back. Ropes were looped over her ankles and tied to bolts set in either side of the trestle.

Standing on either side of her, Hoffman and Kohler pulled on the ropes so that Anna's ankles reached almost to the level of her head and her knees pressed against the sides of her breasts. In this position she was bent double with the thighs either side of her body. I had never seen a woman restrained in this fashion before but admired its effectiveness. It pulled the witch's hips off the trestle and exposed her genitals and anus completely and helplessly for us to torture at our leisure.

Kohler wheeled over a brazier, on top of which sat a large pot of steaming water.

Using a thick leather glove to hold the pot he poured some of the water into a small jug that Hoffman was holding. Standing over Anna's exposed groin Hoffman calmly tipped a little of the scalding liquid onto her genitals.

"Uahhh, Uaahh!" screamed Anna, thrashing against the thick ropes and leather which held her prisoner. She lifted her arms off the trestle, her hands clawing helplessly at thin air as they desperately tried to reach the source of her pain. In her constricted position it must have been difficult for her to breathe but she still managed fill the chamber with her shrieks.

The tightness and skill with which her bonds had been applied meant that for all her struggles, Anna was unable to move her groin much, which allowed Hoffman to continue pouring the boiling water onto her. He kept up a steady but gentle flow, starting with the vagina, then slowly across the perineum and thence directly on to the anus. He held it there for a second before moving forward again. When the jug was empty he signaled to Kohler to refill it.

"It is only water and yet she makes so much noise! They could use oil, of course" continued Katherine, "but we found that it causes too much damage. With water the torment can be prolonged, giving the witch a better chance to regret her sins. Of course, it is also symbolically cleaning her after her intercourse with the devil."

I nodded in agreement. Hoffman was now proceeding with the second jug in a similar way to the first, widening the scope a bit, including her inner thighs and belly but mostly concentrating on the same area around her genitals and anus. With his free hand he used a small metal rod to open the lips of vagina so that he could pour the water directly on to the inner flesh and clitoris.

Anna's writhing and screams continued. The area around her groin, belly and thighs was now a bright red colour.

After a number of jugs had been poured over and around the woman's groin, Hoffman put down the jug and picked up the funnel that had been used that morning. With one hand he parted the labia and then roughly pushed the spout deep into the Anna's vagina.

When he came back with another, larger jug full of steaming liquid Anna realised what he had planned.

"No!" she screamed "No, please, please I beg you! PleaeAAAAAAAAAGh! AAGHHGHGAA!"

Without any sign of emotion Hoffman poured the water into the funnel mouth. The boiling liquid entered her vagina, scalding the sensitive flesh and filling her uterus. Anna's shrieks reached new highs in volume and pitch.

Kohler brought a fresh jug, which Hoffman poured after the first. Anna's lower belly was now visibly swollen, pushed out by the weight of water inside it. Her shrieks of agony continued to fill the chamber.

Seemingly satisfied, Kohler pulled the funnel out, only to immediately replace it with a hollow metal tube about three inches in diameter that he pushed into her vagina. The tube acted as a plug, holding the scaling water inside her. Hoffman then pushed the spout of the funnel through her anus.

"Please.. Please.. I beg you!" Anna moaned. "Please stop! Have mercy!"

Ignoring her, Hoffman took the pot, now refilled with boiling water and casually poured it into the funnel's mouth.

Anna shrieks filled the chamber again. Despite her position, her convulsions were so violent that she almost pulled the funnel loose. Hoffman grabbed at the device and a little of the water splashed on to his hand.

"Arrhg, you bitch!" he cried. However he quickly recovered his composure and poured the rest of the pot into her rectum.

Immediately after he had finished pouring, Hoffman pulled the funnel out and pushed in a tube, similar to the one in her vagina but a little smaller. As the water cooled a little, Anna's screams died to whimpering moans. I was a little disappointed with this. Although I could see that using water rather than oil could prolong the torment, she did not now seem to be suffering enough. I had witnessed tortures sessions before and although I could see she was exhausted by her torments, she was not too weak for the torture to continue.

I mentioned this to Katherine but she smiled back at me and said "Just wait, this best bit is to come. This device is one of my fathers, although I feel proud to say that I helped with the original idea."

Using a pair of heavy tongs Hoffman pulled a thick glowing metal rod from one of the braziers, it was about three inches in diameter, and nine inches long. Hoffman carried it over to were Anna was tied and dropped it into the tube buried in her vagina. It made a good fit, with three or so inches of the bright orange metal protruding out of the end of the tube. Hoffman went back to the brazier and brought over another rod, which he dropped into the plug in her anus.

"The hot iron heats water inside the witch, bringing it once again to the boil. Thus continuing her torment. As you can tell by her reaction, it is quite effective," explained Katherine, her eyes alight with religious fervour as stared intently at the bound witch.

Indeed, Anna was once again emitting animal like shrieks of agony, and struggling manically in her bonds. She flung her head from side to side, sending tears and spittle flying.

I noticed that steam was now escaping from around the two tubes, and the pressure inside her uterus had distended her lower stomach further.

"How long can she last?" I asked. I was impressed by the amount of pain the device seemed to cause to the witch.

"Oh, I think a while longer, she is a healthy young woman. I have seen this torment continued for an hour or more before. Don't worry, she will still be alive for her burning on Sunday."

Indeed it seemed so. Unable to contain myself any longer I went to more closely inspect the witch. The iron inside the tubes had now cooled to the degree that it no longer glowed but was still too hot to touch by hand.

Hoffman, again using the tongs pulled the cooling rods our of the tubes, and then replaced them with two new rods, fresh and glowing from the brazier. I was impressed with the ingenuity of the system. By replacing the rods the temperature of the water could be kept at boiling but by not directly letting the red hot iron touch the wench's flesh, the torment could be continued for much longer.

I stood over Anna, looking down onto her. She did not look beautiful in the same way as she had the previous morning. Her face was distorted in agony, tears, sweat and drool mixed on her cheeks. Her hair, stained dark with sweat stuck to her face. But I found a certain beauty in her suffering, it made me feel closer to her, like a father who has to discipline a wayward daughter. I pressed one hand to her sweat soaked forehead. Our eyes met and it seemed for an instant as though there was a bond between us, some shared understanding, then her head twisted away. Perhaps deep inside her she knew we were saving her soul.

When these two bars had cooled it was decided that the woman had had enough. I was eager to stay and witness more but acquiesced to the Bishop's view that it would be better to let her recover for the execution tomorrow. The Bishop explained that normally for the execution the witches would be brought to the execution stand early in the morning and then publicly tortured during the day before finally being burnt in the evening. In this way the local townsfolk were able to witness the way that the church was working on their behalf to combat the evils of the world.

That night as I was just finishing up my journal for the day I heard a knock on my door. It seemed very late for people to be wandering around and I could think of no one who would be visiting me but I went to open the door anyway.

Lady Katherine stood there, wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, holding a candle. I could not help but notice that the nightgown was open at the front and the deep V displayed the tops of her well formed breasts. I stood for a second, not sure what to do, and must have looked a bit stupid. Katherine, however, seemed not to care and gave me a smile.

"His Grace kindly allows me to stay in his residence when my public duties mean I must remain in town. The journey home is long but if I stayed elsewhere I am sure that there would be rumours. You know how the common people like to whisper their little secrets. Staying here, in the residence of a man of the cloth of such high reputation, means that I can avoid any possible embarrassment for my husband. But tonight I have found it very difficult to go to sleep."

"Uh, yes... " then suddenly realising my bad manners, "Please come in."

Smiling again she entered. I closed the door and turned to ask her what she wanted but her lips were already on mine, stifling my questions. Automatically my arms went around her, pulling her to me. Her body was full, her buttocks firm but round under my hands. Her breasts pressed warmly against my body.

Wordlessly she steered me towards the bed, pulling my clothes off as she went. I reciprocated, pushing the gown off her shoulders so that it fell around her feet.

She let go of me for a few seconds while I pulled off the rest of my clothes and then we fell onto the bed together. Having just written my journal for the day my head was already full images of Anna's torment, and again I found it drove rational thoughts from my head. The fact that this was the wife of a minor noble mattered to me not at all. She was a woman. I pushed her hard down onto the bed climbing between her legs, which stretched eagerly open to receive me. My throbbing penis found her opening and which was wet and warm; I slid easily in. She groaned in pleasure holding me tightly to her as I pounded into her. I grabbed her hair, twisting her face towards me so that I could again taste her lips. She came quickly but I was not ready and rode her until again she climaxed.

I too came, and a feeling of relief washed over me. She made a little moan of frustration as my still erect penis slid from inside her. I rolled onto my back, panting slightly and she slid next to me, her head on my shoulder and the warmth of her full, soft breasts pressing against my chest.

"Antoine, I needed that."

"My Lady..."

"Call me Katherine," she paused, "for tonight."

"Katherine," I said but did not know how to continue.

"I know, you feel the same as I do. Is it not a great pleasure to see those young witches being tortured? As I sought the mark on that wench Anna yesterday, I knew she was a witch, a dangerous and evil creature in the body of a fair woman. I could feel it inside me. I knew she had to be made to suffer. Such creatures deserve far worse than us mere mortals can give them."

I said nothing but her words mirrored my thoughts exactly.

"Did not her screams, her pleas for mercy, her tortured writhing fill your manhood with energy? Did you not wish to see her torment continued?"

"Yes," I admitted. I felt no guilt for these feelings. She was a witch and it was natural that God should make me feel joy at her suffering.

"When she is screaming in the flames tomorrow, think of this," she said as she moved her head down to my groin. I gasped in pleasure as her warm wet lips enclosed my half erect penis, still wet with the mixture of our juices.

For a while she kissed and licked at me, once again raising my lust. When my penis was hard and throbbing with desire she climbed up to kneel over me and slide herself onto my shaft.

She lay down on top of me and I wrapped my arms about her, pulling her warm body close. Our motion was slow and leisurely as each enjoyed the touch of the other. Gradually the rhythm and intensity of our movements increased. I reached down to grasp her bottom with both hands and push her hips hard against mine.

Her voice rose, so that in fear that we might be heard I had to clamp one hand over her mouth. She pushed her head down against my hand, to muffle the cries of pleasure that she could not control. Her hips moved wildly against mine. With a long scream of pleasure she came, then her body relaxed heavily on top of me, the warm flesh of her breasts squashed between us and her panting breath in my ear.

I held her buttocks in my hands, massaging them gently. She had awoken the lust in me again and I was not satisfied. She murmured sleepily as I moved my hips, pushing in and out of her warm, wet hole. As I continued her body responded, automatically it seemed as her eyes remained closed and she seemed almost asleep. I came again, and lay exhausted on the sheets. Katherine slid herself to the side, resting her head on my shoulder, our legs still entangled.

Later, when I awoke, she was gone, leaving only a depression in the bedding next to me.

The Year of our Lord, 1495. Saturday October 19

After breakfast we walked arm in arm around the cloistered garden in the centre of the Bishop's residence. The sun was pleasantly warm and I enjoyed the singing of the birds perched in the apple tree which sat at one end of the garden.

"I spoke with Meister Hoffman and his opinion is that Anna should not be questioned any further. She is weak after her punishment yesterday and should be left to rest before the burning tomorrow. However Maria's daughter Sabine has not been questioned at all. Meister Hoffman told me he intends to interrogate her this afternoon. One of the boys from the town has said he may have useful information about her activities so I asked him to come here," said Lady Katherine.

Just then a monk came out to tell us that a boy was waiting for us in the hall. We went in to find a large boy in his late teens, with thick, unruly blond hair and pimples on his face. He introduced himself as Reinhard.

"I always thought she was not normal. She spends all her time with that other girl, Giselle Mayer. They are always together and who knows what they get up to? She certainly has no interest in men."

It seemed clear from his last sentence that Reinhard meant no interest in him but to Katherine the fact seemed very relevant.

"Did they go together to the Schells' house?" she inquired closely.

"Yes, often," he replied.

"I am sure she also was a member of the coven!" exclaimed Lady Katherine "We should question Sabine about this matter. Reinhard, would you like to come with us? You will be able to help."

Reinhard agreed. He seemed quite excited at the prospect of visiting Sabine in the dungeon. When we arrived Sabine's cell was empty so we went on to the smaller of the torture chambers. There we found Kohler with Sabine. The girl was bent over one of the trestles, her legs bound wide apart and her wrists tied to a bolt in the top, a dirty cloth had been stuffed into her mouth to silence her cries. Kohler was using her roughly from behind. The strokes of his hips as he drove into her made the joints of the heavy wooden trestle squeak.

Kohler saw us come in but seemed unperturbed and continued to pound into the girl. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as his climax came close and he drove even harder into her slender body. With a groan of pleasure he came, continuing for a few more slower, more leisurely strokes and pushing himself in as deep as his large penis would go. With a sigh he pulled himself out, letting the semen dribble out of her vagina and down her thighs.

Reinhard could not hide his excitement at the site of Sabine bent over the trestle.

"Do you want to use her?" asked Katherine to Reinhard.

Sabine whined in protest but the thick wad of cloth in her mouth made her utterances unintelligible. We ignored her.

Reinhard eagerly nodded his head, his eyes fixed on the girl's naked body.

"Go on, then," encouraged Katherine.

Reinhard walked over behind Sabine and pulled his breeches down. He gave her bare bottom a good slap.

"Now everyone can see you for the slut you are!" he said. "Don't seem too good for me now, do you?"

Reinhard pushed himself into her and let out a groan of pleasure. He seemed a little uncertain what to do but soon worked out that if he held her hips it helped with his balance and allowed him to push harder into her. He grunted with each stroke as he built up momentum until he was slamming into her with a fast and furious rhythm. Sabine's muffled cries were barely audible over his grunts and the sound of his flesh slapping into hers. Suddenly he sighed deeply and pushed himself as deep as he could get into her as he came. Breathing deeply he pulled out her and adjusted his breeches.

Just then Hoffman entered the chamber and indicated that he should take Sabine to the main room where her formal interrogation would begin. As with Anna Broeker this would be in front of a panel of church men with a scribe present to record her confession. In this way the processes of questioning could be conducted in an open manner that none could doubt. As this was a formal questioning, Reinhard was told that he had to leave. Reluctantly he did so.

Sabine was released from the trestle and dragged kicking and struggling from the room. We followed and upon entering the main chamber took our places on the observation bench.

As with Anna, Hoffman led the witch around the chamber explaining the use of the various devices. He particularly emphasized the instruments that had been used on her mother and how she had been broken to the will of the church. Sabine was even more terrified than Anna, her limbs trembled like leaves and she whined in paniced horror through her gag. I think she would have fallen to the floor had the bailiffs not supported her. Finally she was brought to a solid wooden torture table, its surface dark with blood from the previous victims who had been laid on it.

The young wench was secured spread-eagled to this table. The ropes holding her wrists and ankles were wound around a windlass which could be turned to tighten them as desired. However the purpose of the instrument was not like the rack, to cause pain by stretching the victim but merely to hold her still so that other torments could be freely applied. Sabine's young slender body seemed very small and pale when it was stretched upon the device.

Hoffman pulled a brazier over and placed it next to the girl, close enough that she could feel the warmth from the coals. Although the contents of the brazier glowed brightly he deliberately added more coals before he brought over some irons and drove them deep into the heart of the brazier.

He then used a pair of bellows to blow more air into the coals so that they glowed a bright orange. After a pumping for a while he pulled out one of the irons and inspected its glowing tip before pushing it back into the heart of the fire again. Finally satisfied, he pulled one of the irons from the fire and turned to the girl.

As Hoffman had carried out his preparations he had paid no attention to the girl but Sabine had watched his deliberate preparations with obvious terror. Leaving her mouth stuffed with cloth added to her sense of helplessness, denying her even the ability to plead for mercy.

It was a masterful performance; by the time Hoffman had finished Sabine was obviously scared out of her wits and ready to confess.

Hoffman brought the iron to within a few inches of her left nipple, before pretending to notice for the first time that she was gagged and could not speak. He hesitated, as if in indecision as to whether to apply the iron first or remove the gag. Sabine watched him, desperately whining through her gag, her head raised from the trestle as she tried to plead with him.

Finally he put the iron back into the brazier and pulled the cloth from her mouth. For a short while Sabine could not speak through her dry mouth but she eventually managed to croak, "Please don't hurt me!"

"Well, are you ready to confess, witch?" he asked as he pulled the iron out of the brazier again.

"No, I am innocent! Please! Please!"

Hoffman sighed, as though her obstinacy troubled him, then put his left hand on her chest to steady himself as he moved the glowing tip of the iron over to her nipple again.

As the iron got closer Sabine's voice rose in panic.

"Please, Please! PLEASE! Oh! have mercy I beg you!" then as the tip hovered an inch from flesh she screamed, "I confess. I CONFESS! Only don't hurt me!"

"You confess you are a witch? Is that correct?" prompted Hoffman.

"Yes. Yes! I am a witch. Please!

Slowly Hoffman took the iron away but still held it in his hand.

"Did you join your mother in her unnatural couplings with demons? And casting spells?"

"Yes! Yes!" sobbed the girl. "I did it. All the things that you say are true. Only please don't hurt me!"

Hoffman checked the facts from her mother's confession, questioning Sabine about each part and confirming that she had also played an active role in the evil that they had done. While he did this the scribe faithfully documented it all in the court records.

After we had established Sabine's own guilt and her vile activities it was time to search for others whom she might have lead into evil. At this point Katherine stood up and went over to the girl.

"Who are the other members of your coven?" she asked. "Who joined you in your evil deeds? Was it Giselle? I hear you spent a lot of time together."

Sabine hesitated for a second but quickly broke down.

"Yes!" she sobbed. "Yes, Giselle is also a witch!"

We had all that we needed from wench so she was released from the table and brought to kneel before the panel. There, without any threats of physical violence she repeated her confession, including the fact that Giselle was a witch. As it was passed mid-day we decided that it was time for lunch and to continue the questioning in the afternoon.

Sabine was taken over to one of the walls of the chamber and locked into iron manacles to await our return.

As the others left Katherine went over to where Sabine sat against the wall whimpering to herself. Katherine looked down at the naked girl with contempt.

"Not a mark on your body and you so easily betray your friends! I can see why the devil found such a weak creature as you a willing disciple. Because of your confession, your friend Giselle will be arrested." Katherine pressed the sole of her boot between Sabine's legs and with her weight on her leg twisted her foot back and forth, grinding Sabine's genitals. "And after her arrest I will personally take charge of her questioning. She is a pretty little thing, I have seen her around town. I will let you watch as she suffers and you will know that it is because of your weakness."

With a final kick to Sabine's groin Katherine turned away and the two of us went to lunch leaving Sabine wailing loudly in despair.

Over lunch, the Bishop suggested to me that we should investigate further the unnatural acts that the witches indulged in. He explained that they had found that once a witch had been used by a demon a taint remained on her that other animals could detect and would naturally know that she was no more than a bitch that they could use. He added that as well as being a test it would be instructional for us to witness how witches coupled with their familiars. I expressed some doubt as to whether the animals would recognize the witch as a beast such as themselves as I had heard nothing about it during my studies. The Bishop just smiled and said that we could see that afternoon.

When we returned to the chamber, Hoffman unlocked the witch from the wall and dragged her over to the open space in front of the bench. There he used the rope from the ceiling to string her up by her wrists.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Ignoring her questions, Hoffman took a short whip from a rack on the wall and went to stand behind her.

"No! Please!" she cried as she saw him preparing to beat her.

Hoffman slashed the whip across her buttocks driving a shocked scream of pain from Sabine. Calmly he proceeded with a further ten strokes on to the squirming, screaming witch then paused, giving her a few moments to recover.

"Witch, you must demonstrate to the learned gentlemen the vile acts that you have performed with your familiars. Do you understand? They have kindly shown you mercy that you do not deserve and agreed to reduce your punishment if you do."

Sabine's tear-filled eyes opened wide in shock at this demand. Perhaps she thought that we would not be strong enough to witness such perversions. Before she could answer Hoffman slashed the whip across her buttocks again.

"Arggh! Yes! I will show you!" she agreed in a desperate attempt to stop the beating.

Hoffman hit her again across the backs of her thighs.

"Arggghh!" she screamed. "Yes, yes!"

Hoffman ignored her and gave her another ten strokes across her buttocks and the backs of her thighs while she writhed and screamed in agony, before releasing her from the rope.

"Next time when you are given such a generous offer you should quickly and gratefully accept, otherwise our patience may run out. Now on your hands and knees like the animal you are. If there is the slightest hesitation I will string you up and continue your whipping!" Hoffman ordered.

Sabine did as she was told and waited shaking in every limb for whatever was in store for her. She soon found out as the door opened and Kohler came in with two large mastiffs, such as they use for hunting bears. As soon as the dogs saw Sabine on the floor they pulled eagerly forward, such that Kohler had difficulty controlling them. He released one of the animals which immediately ran up behind Sabine. The dog eagerly sniffed between her thighs and its long tongue lapped at her genitals. Sabine wailed in terror and shame but was too frightened to move.

"You see," pointed out the Bishop "it can smell and taste the demon's presence in her."

Satisfied that she was suitable the hound lunged forward, jumping on to her back, its large red penis protruding from its sheath. Its four paws hooked under her belly and it laid itself onto her back. Sabine's wails grew in pitch and intensity as she felt the dog's penis probing her vagina.

Then a scream of horror escaped her as it drove into her. The hound pushed forward on its hind legs until it was deep inside her then it began to copulate with her. Its strokes were fast and powerful, shaking the girl's small body and making her dangling breasts sway in time with its strokes.

Sabine sobbed continuously, doing her best to stay on all fours as the powerful dog slammed into her from behind. The animal was panting for breath and it drooled from its mouth into her hair. The dog continued for some time pounding into the witch until it ejaculated. As its motion stopped, Sabrina collapsed to the floor, her whole body shaking as she drew in great sobbing breaths. The dog sniffed again between her legs, where its semen dribbled from her vagina, then seemed to lose interest in her and walked off.

I was convinced. I had never seen a dog act like that before. The only explanation I could think of was the same as the Bishop's. The taint of her couplings with the beasts before must still remain on her and have been recognized by the dog.

Hoffman was, however, not finished and brought the other dog back over to the sobbing girl so that it stood over her. Its penis was already half out as it eagerly awaited its turn.

"Show us how you pleased your familiars with your mouth, witch!" he ordered. "Crawl over to the dog."

Sabine struggled to her knees and crawled over to the waiting animal. The dog seemed to know what to expect as it made no move when she reached underneath it and took its penis in her hands. With tears running from her eyes Sabine leant forward and gingerly licked the tip of the dog's penis. At the first taste she turned away, dry retching from her empty stomach.

"Ha! Do not pretend that you have not done this before, witch! We have your confession and that of your mother. Show us what you did." Hoffman backed this up by swiping the whip across her buttocks.

Sobbing, Sabine took the tip of the dogs penis into her mouth then bobbed her head up and down pumping the slimy red stick of flesh. As the dog grew more excited it pushed its hips forward and its penis deeper into the witch's mouth. Sabine backed away until Hoffman smacked her with the whip, indicating that she should stay still.

It took her a long time to bring the dog to climax but finally it ejaculated, squirting its semen into her mouth. Sabine pulled her head back in shock as the hot fluid filled her mouth and the next few squirts splashed on her face and hair. The dog growled in frustration as the stimulation was taken away before he was fully finished. It showed his displeasure by turning on the girl and growling at her through barred fangs as she cowered before it. Angrily Hoffman stood over Sabine and beat her with the whip.

"Do you expect us to believe that this is how you treated your demon lovers? Show us truly what you did. I am sure if you left Belial half satisfied he would not quickly forgive you! And this time drink the seed as you did before."

Sabine was terrified of approaching the still growling dog but even more afraid of what Hoffman would do to her if she did not obey so she crept over to the animal.

Reluctantly she put the dripping penis back into her mouth and again began to suck on it. However the dog had lost interest and no matter how she tried she could not get it to ejaculate again. Frustrated Hoffman pulled the dog away and made as if to whip her again.

"No, wait! Please!" sobbed Sabine. "I will show you properly."

Crawling on all fours she went over to the first dog and reached under its belly to take its penis in her hand. Kneeling next to it she leant forward and licked the tip where it protruded from the furry sheath. She put the penis into her mouth, working on it as she had the other dog's, massaging it with her hands while she sucked on the tip. Again she had to work hard but it did eventually ejaculate and this time the witch kept sucking the penis as the dog ejaculated, holding the semen in her mouth, until the dog was satisfied.

"Show us," ordered Hoffman.

Sabine came to kneel before us and opened her mouth so that we could see the pool of dog semen there. As she parted her lips, some of the liquid leaked out, ran down her chin and dripped on to her small breast. Obediently she remained in position as we inspected her mouth.

"Good. Now swallow it."

Sabine did as she was told, swallowing, then opening her mouth again to show that the semen was gone. The second dog had meanwhile regained its appetite and came over to her, trying to sniff between her legs and clearly eager to copulate with her. Sabine tried to escape by sitting on the floor so the dog could not put its nose into her groin.

"Ha! laughed Hoffman. "He wants more from his bitch! Let him have it, slut!"

The dog leapt onto the girl, pushing her roughly over onto the floor. It stood over her and snarled, its snout a few inches from her face and its saliva dripping onto her. Its penis was out and there was no mistaking what it wanted. Sabine squealed in terror then desperately rolled over and scrambled onto her knees, offering herself to the angry dog.

Seeming to be satisfied with her submissive behaviour, the animal mounted her from behind. Its penis easily slid into her tunnel which was still lubricated by the semen from her use by the other dog. Curling his front paws around her ribs, it roughly copulated with her. When it had finished it pulled itself off before giving one final growl and wandered off, leaving Sabine sobbing on all fours in front of us. Semen ran from her vagina and created a small pool on the floor between her knees.

We had seen enough of the witch's perversions to be assured, yet again, of her guilt, so Kohler dragged Sabine from the room and took her back to her cell, where she would await further punishment.

That night Katherine again visited my room. After we had made love and she lay next to me, her hand stroked my penis gently as we discussed the day's events. We had both found witnessing how the witch had performed with the dogs most fascinating. Particularly how the dog had so quickly established its dominance over her. Even animals such as a dog could recognize how lowly were these creatures! As we talked about this my lust rose and I pulled Katherine on top of me and slid into her again.

The Year of our Lord, 1495. Sunday October 20

In the morning Katherine still lay by my side. I woke her gently. We kissed, holding each other for a few seconds before she slipped out of bed and put on her robe. I checked that the corridor was clear, then with a final kiss she went off to her own room.

The day was fine and sunny, with just a touch of autumn in the air. I was eager to see the finale to our investigation. As the witches were to be publicly tortured during the day, the process was to start early so that enough time would be available that each of them would suffer appropriately. Over breakfast, I asked the Bishop what his plan was for the younger witch. As she had confessed only yesterday to spreading her evil among her friends and particularly implicated Giselle, it seemed that she should be questioned further. The Bishop agreed and said that he had already decided that Sabine should not be executed with the other witches today.

The execution was to take place in a square just to the west of the Cathedral, which was a short walk from the Bishop's residence.

The square was a cobbled area surrounded on two sides by houses; to the east stood the cathedral and to the south was a road. It was now filled with a goodly crowd of honest looking folk.

At the centre of the square was a platform upon which was set two pairs of stakes. I was more used to there being a single stake to which the wench would be bound for the burning but I had confidence that the Bishop would have some good reason for the current system.

Also on the platform an array of torture instruments had been laid out, a couple of braziers, a table with knives, whips, pincers and sundry other devices. Kohler was using a pair of bellows to bring the coals in the braziers to a fiery heat.

The platform was raised about four feet above the rest of the square. Under the platform much wood had been placed in preparation for the burning.

The Bishop and other people of consequence were given a seats on a raised dais overlooking the execution platform while the ordinary town's folk crowded noisily around, jostling for a good view. As it was a Sunday, which I thought was a good day for doing God's work, it meant that more people were free to attend the execution.

There were many families in the crowd, with the mothers and children also attending. There seemed to be an almost festive air as they gathered in the square. I was invited to sit next to the Bishop and again on my left was Lady Katherine.

I heard the noise of the crowd increase and knew that the witches were being brought from the dungeons. They came along one of the roads leading into the square, sitting in the back of an open oxen cart. They were all still naked and heavily chained. Whimpering, the women huddled together, trying to cover their bodies from the jeering crowds. Children ran among the legs of the people lining the route, throwing mud and stones at them. Some of the children had thin tree branches which they had sharpened on one end and they used them to poke the womens' thighs, belly and breasts. I am generally not in favour of such ill-discipline in children but in the current circumstances there seemed no harm in it.

The cart was pulled slowly through the crowd and brought to a halt in front of the platform.

The soldiers who accompanied the cart had a difficult job of keeping the crowd back as they pushed forward, the souls alight with righteous anger in attempts to strike at the witches. Under directions from Hoffman, who had arrived with the cart, two soldiers picked up Maria and carried her up the stairs to the platform. She was taken to the stakes on the left. On each upright was two iron cuffs, one near the top and the other at the bottom. Maria's wrists and ankles were quickly locked into these holding her spread eagled between the posts, the whole of her naked body exposed for whatever tortures Hoffman had prepared for her.

"Bring up the other one!" ordered Hoffman. The two soldiers went back to collect Anna.

Anna was carried up to the right hand stakes and soon hung between them in the same helpless position as Maria.

Finally the soldiers went back to get Sabine. She was taken to one side of the front of the stage and chained seated to the floor. One could only hope that seeing how her fellow witches suffered would encourage her to quickly reveal any other members of her coven.

Now that the witches were gone, the cart was pulled out of the way and the crowd moved forward to the edge of the platform, eager to watch all the details of the torture. We were a little further back but our raised position gave us a good view.

The Bishop rose to his feet and clapped his hands loudly. The crowd fell silent looking up at him in expectation.

"These women have been found guilty of that most heinous crime of witchcraft. Of their own free will they have confessed their sins. We hope that God will find it in his heart to forgive them. In recognition of the depths of evil to which they have sunk they will be executed by being burnt alive today.

"But here they are sent before Saint Peter to be judged the church has allowed them this final day to recant their evil and contemplate their fate. We can only hope that by making them suffer, even in so feeble a way as their mortal frame lets them, they will come to understand the fate that will await them in hell and approach Saint Peter and ask for forgiveness with sufficient humility."

I am not sure that most people understood the meaning of this sentence (it sounded even more convoluted in German) but I suspect the crowd already knew what to expect. As the beginning of the torture grew closer the volume of the crowd increased.

I caught some of the shouts, "Suffer witch!", "You are going to burn!", "Whore of the devil!", "I want to hear your screams!"

The Bishop waved for Hoffman to carry on and sat down. Hoffman wheeled the brazier over to where Maria hung on her frame and pulled one of the hot irons out of it. It had some brand on the end, although I could not see its design.

After being hung in the frame, Maria had slumped in a kind of faint. She seemed to have resigned herself to her death. Maybe, I thought, she hoped to escape this world quickly in the heart of the flames. If so she was about to be in for a shock. At the last instant she saw the glowing iron and her head jerked up.

"What..AAAAARGGGGHHHH!" her screams filled the square as the iron was pressed into her stomach. Hoffman held the iron against her for a few seconds before carefully removing it.

As Hoffman put the iron back in the fire I could see that the letter "H" had been burnt into her stomach, on the left hand side. Hoffman was already coming back with another iron and before Maria could start to protest pressed it just to the right of the H mark.

"AARGGGGGHHH!"

When Hoffman pulled the iron away I could see the letter "E". Hoffman repeated the process two more times, until Maria had the letters "HEXE" burnt in dark letters across the flesh of her stomach.

"Just to give Saint Peter some help in identifying them," said the Bishop.

I must admit I did not think the jest in good taste as the judgment of heaven was not a matter for levity. However, I thought having the word burnt into their skin was not inappropriate.

Hoffman took a fagot of wood and thrust its end into the brazier. When the end was well alight, he pulled it free and held it between Maria's wide spread legs. The flames quickly burnt away the hair from pubis, leaving genitals totally exposed. However, Hoffman did not remove the flame, instead ran it slowly up and down the inside of her thighs.

Maria threw her head back and screamed in agony, her scream going on and on as the tender flesh of her genitals and inner thighs was scorched. Her body convulsed and she pulled with all her power against the manacles holding her out. She writhed and jerked in her desperate attempts to escape the flames. The chains holding her wrists and ankles allowed her a small amount of movement, so her body moved in an almost lewd and suggestive way. Her heavy breasts swayed from side to side and her hips jerked back and forth.

The crowd, women and children included, seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. There was a buzz of conversation, inaudible among Maria's shrieks, and a deal of pushing and shoving as they struggled to get the best view. Some of the older boys and girls even climbed on to the edge of the platform.

Having burnt Maria between her thighs, Hoffman moved the flame up to her exposed left armpit and the tuft of dark hair there. She pulled away as far as her bonds would let her but of course, it was no more than a few inches. Hoffman moved the fagot until the flames licked the side of her breast and burnt the hair off. Again he held the flame against her for a while, letting it burn the tender skin of her armpit and breast.

Then Hoffman repeated the process on the other arm. Happy that no part of her was hidden from his view, Hoffman doused the flames in a bucket and dropped the fagot onto the platform.

"Please!" begged Maria, "Please just kill me!. I beg you!"

Hoffman ignored her and instead pulled a pair of tongs from the brazier. The tongs were about three feet long with the short fat jaws glowing orange. He walked around behind Maria and pinched the back of her right calf with the glowing metal.

"AAAAARGHHHH!" Maria screamed in agony.

Hoffman twisted the handles, ripping off a chunk of Maria's flesh. He immediately gripped another piece of flesh with tongs and repeated the process.

"Argggghhh!" her screams again echoed around the square.

Hoffman continued to tear the flesh from her with the heated pliers, across the backs of her legs and buttocks.

The techniques that he was using were crude and could not be continued as long as the more subtle ones he had used in the torture chamber. Regrettably it would make the witch's fate less severe than it should have been but in front of the simple townsfolk in the crowd, the more visible techniques were required.

Hoffman came around the front of Maria who now hung limply from her bonds, only the slight moving of her chest showing that she was alive. He indicated to Kohler to pull her head back, which he did by grabbing a handful of her thick matted hair.

Hoffman pressed the flat tip of a hot knife against the tip of Maria's left nipple.

"Arrgghhhghgh!" again she screamed.

Hoffman repeated the process on her right nipple.

"How does that feel, witch?" he taunted her.

Using the flat blade of two knives, one of which he reheated in the coals next to him while he used the other, he burnt all the skin across both her breasts. Occasionally he would also use the heated blade to cut deeper into the flesh.

Maria, her head still held back by Kohler, screamed and screamed. I doubt she was still capable of speech but in any case Hoffman gave her no opportunity, continuously burning and cutting at her breasts until nothing remained except ugly lumps of scarred meat.

Finally Hoffman decided there was nothing left to burn and put the knife back in the brazier. Taking a rough wooden branch, a couple of inches thick he crouched between Maria's wide open legs. With a hard thrust he rammed the end of the wood deep into her vagina. Not satisfied that it was deep enough, he pushed it further, twisting it back and forth.

"AUUUGGGHHHHHH!" another scream echoed around the square. Hoffman took a similar branch and went around behind her. Kohler released Maria's hair, and under Hoffman's instructions pulled her buttocks apart. Hoffman drove the wood up into her rectum, using all his strength to make sure it was as deep as possible.

Meanwhile Kohler brought over a barrel of tar and the two of them used brushes to coat the free ends of both the sticks.

Hoffman used a glowing coal to light the tar on the two sticks. The thick oily liquid quickly caught fire and burned upwards to envelope Maria's groin and hips in flames.

Without a second glance at the shrieking woman Hoffman turned to where the horrified Anna hung watching in her bonds.

Anna finally tore her eyes away from the sight of the screaming, writhing Maria and looked at Hoffman.

"Please!" she whimpered in a hopeless voice, "Please just let me die!"

By way of an answer Hoffman picked up the first of the irons and pressed it to her exposed stomach.

I myself found great satisfaction in watching the witch's continued torment. As I had been there from the start of her questioning I felt a certain interest in the case. I was deeply impressed by Hoffman's skills. With judicious use of heated irons, pliers and knives he extended Anna's torment over a number of hours. Hoffman also added a new torment for Anna, again showing the breadth of his ability in his subject, when he skillfully peeled the skin from her legs. Anna screamed and screamed with hardly a moments pause.

At first, in the brief intervals between her screams, she would beg for forgiveness or mercy in a desperate, hopeless voice. However later she seemed to have been driven beyond the point of being able to talk and all she could manage was weak animal moans and grunts. When she would occasionally fall into a faint from the excesses of her torment, Kohler would toss a bucket of water in her face, reviving her so that the torture could continue. Her voice grew more hoarse and weaker but even after hours of torture, Hoffman was able to wring fresh shrieks of agony from her as he applied some new technique.

Finally, when her body was barely recognisable as human anymore and it seemed not a single patch of flesh existed that was not covered with cuts, bruises or burns, Hoffman ceased her torment. Barely alive, she slumped forward, her body shaking with ragged uneven breaths.

Hoffman stopped for a rest now, as it was time for luncheon. The witches were given water to sustain them lest they expire before the time for the burning. The crowd seemed to have been prepared and many brought out there lunch packs and sat on the ground to eat them. Hawkers went among the people selling refreshments for anyone who had forgotten to bring their own. On the podium we were served a fine lunch with some light white wine.

After lunch was cleared away, Hoffman turned to the young Sabine. Although she was not to be burned today, it had been decided that she be tortured in front of the crowd for a while. She had, of course, already confessed to her crimes of witchcraft, so there was no need to take her testimony at this time. I am sure that, later in the dungeon, her interrogation would continue.

Two thick square poles joined at one end by cross beam were brought out by the guards. Two holes, that I had not noticed until now, had been prepared in the front of the platform. The uprights were dropped into these, quickly making a frame. The frame was near the front of the platform and so would provide a good view for the crowd.

Sabine, who had witnessed the terrible fate of her two fellow witches was now shaking in terror. She was sobbing uncontrollably, pulling desperately at her bonds as it became clear that it would soon be her turn to face her rightful punishment. As Hoffman and Kohler approached her she lost control of her bladder. She was untied from the post and dragged, kicking and struggling, over to the frame.

Once she was there, Hoffman held her arms out, gripping her tightly by her wrists. Kohler tossed two lengths of cord over the top beam then tied them off around each of her thumbs. While Kohler continued to hold the girl Hoffman pulled the other ends of the cord until Sabine's arms were stretched over her head. Kohler then grabbed her by her waist and lifted her a foot or so off the ground while Hoffman took in the slack. He then tied the ends of the cord to a nail in one of the uprights. On the cross beam there were two other nails, which stopped the cord from pulling to the side so that the cord holding Sabine's thumbs did not slide along the beam.

Without warning, Hoffman let go of Sabine's body. Her whole weight fell on to her thumbs. She shrieked as her thumb joints were dislocated, and continued to writhe as her weight pulling on the joints gave her no respite from the pain. Hoffman caught her right leg and pulled it to one side where Kohler tied another cord around her big toe. The other end of this he attached to the upright, pulling her leg over. The two men then repeated the process with the left leg, so that Sabine hung in the shape of an inverted Y. Her pale slender body was now shiny with sweat. An expectant silence had fell on the crowd so that the sound of her hoarse breathing reached us as we sat on the podium.

Hoffman went behind the wench and tied her long flaxen hair out of the way. Picking up a long leather whip, he took up a position behind her.

Sabine seemed to see for the first time the faces of the crowd looking up at her and realise the shame of her exposed nakedness. Tears streaked her cheeks and her face was twisted in pain and terror.

"Please!" she begged. "Please help me! I am innocent! Please!"

The first blow of the whip landed across her back. I was again impressed with Hoffman; it is not easy to use a long bullwhip but he handled it with skill that comes from much practice. The crack of the leather on the wench's skin was audible to all. Sabine's mouth opened wide in shocked surprise as the pain of the whip flooded through her body. The force of the blow and the shock drove the air from her lungs, and all that came from her was a kind of gasping moan. Meanwhile Hoffman pulled the whip back with a smooth motion then sent it hissing forward. Again the crack echoed around the square, but this time it was quickly followed by a shriek of agony.

Hoffman smoothly pulled the whip back again, before once more bringing it down across Sabine's exposed back. The slap of the leather was once again followed by her screams.

Katherine was now leaning forward, her attention fixed on the slut's writhing body. Her hands were in her lap, hidden in the folds of her dress, her breathing was heavy and her cheeks flushed. A little moan escaped from her gently parted lips and a shudder ran through her body. With a sigh, she leant back in her seat, the tension draining from her body and a satisfied, almost ecstatic look came to her face.

A fresh shriek from Sabine drew my attention back to her suffering. A few red streaks were visible on her belly and small breasts where the tip of the whip had curled around her body. I guessed that her back was marked much worse.

Hoffman gave her one final strike from the whip then coiled the instrument up, indicating to Kohler that Sabine could be let down. The crowd seemed disappointed that her torment would not continue but I understood that it was better not to weaken her too much now. Later, in the quiet of the dungeon and away from the crowd, her interrogation and punishment could be continued for much longer. I was sure that we would extract many more details of her activities in the coven and its other members. Information that would prove very useful in identifying her accomplices in her evil deeds.

Hoffman released Sabine's feet from the frame then slung her over his shoulder as he released her thumbs. She slumped onto him. Her back was indeed covered in red welts from her shoulders down to the backs of her thighs. Hoffman carried her lightly across the platform and threw her onto the back of the cart that had brought her. The guards chained her up with her wrists behind her back. Some children clambered on the wagon and began to torment the helpless girl. Reinhard was among them and took great pleasure in pinching her small breasts. As the soldiers shooed them away, Reinhard gave her one last kick in the stomach.

"See you later in the dungeon, bitch!" he laughed.

Rather than burn the whole platform, small piles of wooden fagots were brought and placed under the bodies of the witches. Hoffman used a burning branch to light the pile under Maria. The wood was dry and caught fire quickly, burning without much smoke.

"Hoffman has the wood dried out before he uses it, taking special care of which one he selects. If there is too much smoke the witch dies quickly. We try to make sure that she is still alive to feel the flames on flesh," explained the Bishop.

I nodded, impressed again with the attention to detail.

The fires under both the witches were now burning well, with the flames reaching up around their thighs and waist. They were both screaming, brought out of their exhausted stupor by the agony of their flesh being roasted from their living bodies. Even now I cannot say I had much sympathy for them. Did they not know that this is what awaited them for all eternity?

The witches did not last long and were soon overcome by the flames. Their souls had gone to be judged by Saint Peter. I prayed that he would have mercy on them but for creatures such as these, secretly I believed that eternal damnation was an appropriate punishment.

After witnessing the final moments of the two other members of her coven Sabine was taken off in the cart to be locked in the dungeon.

The crowd was already beginning to thin as the good people of the town headed home. With a last silent prayer for souls of the witches, the Bishop, Lady Katherine and I retired to the Bishop's residence for dinner. During dinner, I sat next to Katherine who was at her most charming. She sat very close and frequently found occasion to touch my leg or hand. As soon as dinner was finished, claiming tiredness from the long day, she retired to her room. As she left the room she turned back to give me a final smile then disappeared. I too was feeling tired and having made my excuses to the Bishop also headed back to my room.

When I entered I was surprised to find Katherine already there waiting in my bed. She threw the covers off, revealing herself to be naked and grabbed hold of me, pulling at my clothes.

"Quickly!" she moaned, "I need you now. Don't make me wait any longer!"

I grabbed her wrists and pushed them behind her back where I held both of them with my left hand. My right hand roamed across the front of her naked body, massaging her breasts, stroking her soft stomach and finally gently cupping her mons. She moaned in frustration, pushing her hips forward against my hand.

"Quickly!" she repeated in a breathless voice.

Instead of replying, I silenced her protests with my lips and continued to tease her. Even as she struggled to free herself from my grasp her lips opened warmly to mine. Her body squirmed against mine as my fingers stroked gently between her thighs, arousing her desire even further but giving her no relief.

Finally I relented and picking her up, threw her onto the bed.

"You bastard!" she whimpered as I pulled the rest of my clothes off.

She cried out so loudly as I entered her that I had to clamp my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. It did not seem to diminish her pleasure in any way as her hips rose eagerly to meet my thrusts. She climaxed quickly, almost screaming into my hand while her arms and legs gripped me tightly. After her climax, her body went limp but I was not satisfied. I pushed her further on to the bed so I was lying more comfortably then continued to pound into her. I found that watching the torture and burning of the witches, I, too, was hot with desire. Images of the day's events flashed into my mind, the naked witches bound to the frames, their screams as the iron was applied to their flesh, the high pitched, childish shrieks of Sabine as the whip cut her flesh and finally the flames consuming the tortured bodies.

I came as she climaxed for a second time. Afterward we collapsed on the bed next to each other, too tired to move and fell asleep.