Alchemy

The cowled cognoscente,
With shuffling steps  
followed the declivity
Into the shifting shadow  
Of the candlelit chamber
 
Peers awaited this arrival  
With frangible patience
Suddenly gasping as robes fall
Her nakedness, palpable
An ineffable force
 
Mercury boiled in nearby sconces
Recalcitrant to the cowled chants
And arduous whispers
Potent vapors meshed with musk
Defying subtle prodding
To transmute
 
Rhythmic became
Both chants and chance
As improbable energies
Traced the Hierophant's thrusts
 
Dozens of gold painted hands
Followed the declivity
Exploring her groves and grotto
As the tempo reached ineffable, inevitable
Climax.
 
Nascent gold spews from  
A dozen shafts
And the ritual finishes  
With a flurry of moans
 
Transmutation.
 
A Templar tightens his grip
On his gilded hilt
Skulking with vulpine grace
Waiting for the moment to strike
And end this unholy gathering...