Private Tales A Hunger Like No Other

[Iskra]

The sea had calmed down after days of large swells and wind that threatened to rip apart the ship she was stowed away on. She didn't trust it, the lull in the storm doing no work in calming her. Iskra preferred the treacherous seas. She preferred the disastrous weather, because it meant they were hidden in that storm. The Wardens would not come after them if they knew where to look. One day, her crime would catch up with her. One day, they will find them both.

Iskra looked down at the male beside her on two cots they had pushed together into the corner of the room they were given to hide in. She had asked for the privacy, had paid for it and their discretion for safe passage to the continents.

Iren Brightmane had been a surprise to her, at first, until she remembered his benevolence. When she struggled, she she fretted, Iren was a surety in calming her. Putting her at ease.

But even he knew they were on borrowed time before the Wardens sent someone after them.

"I heard one of the deck hands say it could be more than a month before we reach Alliria." She murmured into the quiet. Moments ago they had been wrapped in one another's embrace, where Iskra had pretended she had gotten some hours of sleep. There had been a multitude of thoughts that kept her up, and most prevalent was the noose around her neck that seemed to tighten with each day they put between themselves and Cerak At'Thul. It was nearing a fortnight, and still no sign of them being followed, but Iskra insisted they knew.

 

[Iren Brightmane]

It was strange to be with a human for even such a long time.

A blink of an eye for him, yes, but usually he discarded humans as quickly as they came along. But Iskra was different, somewhat. She had saved him. This left a debt that even a vampire such as himself took seriously. It didn't hurt that her blood was invigorating.

In this way he viewed her as a prized pet to keep safe.

What would happen to her if he took his eyes off of her? She had a talent of getting into trouble.

"A month... and nothing but ocean around these parts..." He said calmly as his hip checked hers. "Do you think we will be settling into ports in between or will it be a trip without interruption?"

It would get boring, he felt.

Iskra

 

[Iskra]

Iskra let out a sigh. It wasn't something he had said, but rather the weight she was trying to lift from her chest. She was unsuccessful, and had to grit her teeth to keep herself from signing again out of frustration. "Probably. The captain said they were making trade... ideally we get to Vel Anir, and from there the Portal Stone."

Just last week she had told him she hoped they made Port in Annukuat, back home, but she was not eager to face the Regent. She was working for her, yes, but Iskra was happy tk carry on playing dead. There had been no word from the mage in almost a year, and so figured she would have been written off as dead than missing.

"Portal Stone... to Alliria." To the merchants they could sell some of the treasures Iskra had stolen from an old colleague.

She had told Iren perhaps they had a head start. The Wardens would have expected them both to run to the Portal Stone in Cerak, but Iskra wanted to be able to hide amongst the many ships that came and went at the docks. It was slower, yes, but it ensured her time.

Beneath her sleeve, one remaining cuff was all that stood in her way from accessing her entire wealth if magic. It would have made her escape from those islands easier and sooner, but she was glad for Iren being there with her. It was his hands and strength that wrenched the other cuff from her wrist, had fixed the connection between herself and her power.

All it cost her was a bite and blood to give.

Iskra moved to cradle one of his hands between both of her own. "You truly were impressive that day you first tasted my blood. These hands broke an impossible thing..." She smiled. She had rewarded him with such an expression multiple times now, showing her comfort in his presence. "Shame excessive intake of my blood didn't make you strong enough to break the spell on this last cuff."

Iren Brightmane

 

[Iren Brightmane]

Iren was less concerned about the Wardens.

Mainly because he had lived a long life. As long as he wasn't in a fort surrounded by all of them at once, he was reasonably sure he could handle anything they threw at him. The only reason he remained cautious was for her sake. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep her safe if they came for them. And truly, having a pretty little pet like her was turning out to be a true boon.

Magical blood at his call and she was turning out to be a pleasant conversational partner on top of it.

She reminded him of a few other people he had gotten to know in the past few years. But as it often went, he had lost touch with them.

"Good. I could use some time to stretch my legs. I have never liked boats." It was the sheer depth. He was powerful and fierce, but even his power meant nothing against the authority of a storm. If they sank here, he'd sink down and down and down.

He wouldn't die.

He'd just be stuck in an endless loop of drowning, rising and drowning again. Not a pleasant way to spend the next few centuries.

Iskra's gesture shook him out of that depressive train of thought. He squeezed her hand back when she cradled it and he smiled ruefully. "Perhaps it is not the quality or volume of your blood that is the issue." Iren said thoughtfully as he glanced at her.

"Each time I consume blood from a new source, I feel a surge in my capacity." A head tilt there. "Perhaps if we find more people, magical preferably, for me to feed on. I can grow my strength to shatter that last remaining shackle on your wrist."

 

[Iskra]

Iskra had not expected him to provide his perspective. Of course, in the time she came to know him, Iren had shown her a side of him she didn't expect after that day he broke the cuff and stayed with her a while for drinks. He had been playful, flirtatious, and had almost convinced her to follow him somewhere for more fooling around.

But it was this side of him that truly intrigued her.

She hadn't ever realised she missed a purposeful conversation. A friend. That was enough reason for the mage to join the hunt when he had been called as the Lucky Duck. Iskra had placed a spell in him to keep him safe, but she hadn't expected the Warden overseeing the Hunt to have a hunter that countered magic. That young girl had been able to immobilise Iren... but Iskra risked her life to give him her blood.

"Is that a theory or assurance?" Her expression turned serious as she regarded him with apprehension. Iskra had suffered a lot with these cuffs. Had been disconnected from her magic for so long, she turned to alcohol to fend off the growing pressure and pain.

Had turned to Iren.

She knew what his bites could do. Had felt them nearly all over her body in one passionate night.

"Tell me, Iren, if I were to find you magicked beings, you could free me at last?"

 

[Iren Brightmane]

His agile fingers tapped away at the edge of the boat while looking out the ocean once more.

It didn't matter how long he looked at it.

It did nothing more than remind him of the limits of his power, which was wholly unwelcome, especially when he was trying to figure out a way to break her free from her bounds. "A theory born from prior observation, darling mine." Finally turning to her himself, hip pressing into the wood of the hull and watching her with curiosity.

She looked better now that she was free from the Wardens.

Sure, she was still trapped, but one less chain on her.

"It might take more than one." He warned her cautiously. "And I make no promise except for that I will do my best for you. That is more than most get."

But she was his pet.

And Iren took care of his pets.

Iskra

 

[Iskra]

Grateful to not be below deck in their little corner of privacy, being out in the open and seeing the vast sea meeting the horizon made Iskra realise the sheer distance they were putting between themselves and the prison sentence she endured being in Cerak.

"More than one." She echoed, nodding slowly before letting her blazing gaze meet his curious shades. "Will you... drain them?"

It was important for her to know, for the mage already was determined to cast a spell that led them straight to any magical blooded. If they were to dock in Vel Anir, security would be tight... but once they make it to the Falwood, there was a great many of opportunities closer to the Portal Stone. Alliria was not far off from there...

Her heart rate quickened. A sliver of excitement jolted her into standing taller.

"Or am I going to need to learn where a knife can pierce a heart from one's back to keep you from over feeding?"

 

[Iren Brightmane]

He shrugged there.

"I often drain my prey. It is actually quite rare that someone is subject to my... interest and then stays alive to tell the tale."

It was different at the Wardens, of course. He had to play by their rules or they'd have tied him to a post and then watch as the sun rose.

Eyebrows rose at her.

"Is that a problem? You ought to know who you are traveling with, sweetheart. I am not a good person... I can just be good to some specific individuals."

Which somehow included her now as well.

Fun how those things went.

 

[Iskra]

Iskra lifted her chin, her gaze unwavering as a rare smile moved across her lips. The smile was wicked, amused. Her eyes danced with equal fervor, and the mage released his hand to fiddle with the collar of his jacket. "Oh, I know what you are, Iren Brightmane."

She had been witness to his teeth, but heard many tales from his lips when they had gotten together for drinks. He had even made similar threats upon her on other days, of course at his insistence it was necessary to appear as if he was favourable to the Wardens. He played his part when Iskra risked her own life by defying the Wardens... until Iren put into perspective what she could achieve if she played along too.

He was quick witted. A master of a great many feats.

"I only offer my assistance if you wished to keep a rotation of those to feed on... help you with your... restraint." Her eyes flicked back to his. Remembering that night between them that she had forgotten her restraint around him.

 

[Iren Brightmane]

"Mm, do you, Iskra?"

Taking that last half-step between them until they were almost pressed together.

"Then again, you have let me taste you multiple times now and yet here we are. So maybe you do." His finger tip running along her jaw there as he inclined his head. "That is part of it, yes. If I use them... then I won't have as much trouble with restraining myself with you."

A smirk there as his fingers slowly trailed down her body through the middle.

"Then you might also not have to keep the knife on hand every time we... mingle."

 

[Iskra]

Iskra had stopped denying his touch that day she saved him with her blood.

It was as if his very hands repeated history, reminding her of the affections she had grown for him.

"Oh, but I like the knife." Her smile remained, only falling into a smirk. "It is the illusion of control, after all. Perhaps you are right, and that I do have no need for it no longer."

Magic whipped at the waves gentle beside the ship, disturbing their path of ripples.

"You freed me to be able to use my deadliest weapon." One hand caught his trailing one, catching him just as he reached the bottom rib. "But you know now that I trust you, don't you?"

 

[Iren Brightmane]

"You can just as well carve me up with your mind." Teasing her back there as his fingers curled into hers to give her hand a little squeeze.

"Though I suspect you are more of a fire and brimstone kind of lady, hm?"

Drawing the hand to him so he can run his lips along her knuckles.

His eyes flicked up to her as she asked him that question. It was always odd when a human decided a vampire was something worth trusting. Most of them had a predisposition to always be afraid of them. Like prey animals whose hackles rose instinctively when the predator was on the prowl.

Some lacked that however.

Somehow it didn't make Iren want to abuse it with Iskra at least. She was in a very small circle of humans who had that privilege.

"Yes... you do." Guiding her arm around his shoulders as he pressed his lips to hers. "But I suspect I earned that trust by now. I am good to you, aren't I?"

A smirk she can feel against her lips now that they were so close.

 

[Iskra]

Yes, yes he was always good to her.

From that day he turned to talk to her on a ship similar to this one, a day before it became a shipwreck. The day he crossed her path and helped free her, reunite her with only a sliver of her magic. Then she had begun to repay his kindness with her own.

"We are good to each other." It was as if that were enough to make a pact between them. Enough to base trust on. His lips tasted like the salty air of the sea, and perhaps her own was the same, but Iskra like the taste she sampled. Her tongue flicked out lazily to taste it again, following the curve of his bottom lip until it met the creased corner of his lips. "As long as we have that."

Today felt different. Closer. She was unsure to what this feeling stemmed from, but Iskra felt more assured of their plans now in this moment. The plan was set and made, and a conversation with the captain would ensure they would be dropped off as close to the Falwood Stone as they can.

Curiosity bubbled within her like stray thoughts coming together.

One hand gripping the collar of his jacket, the other braced against shoulder, Iskra leaned back to meet his eyes. "I never asked you... what life would you like to live now we have our freedom?" He had been here for her the moment she asked him if he would run with her.

 

[Iren Brightmane]

"Mm, smooth talker..." Smirking there as he pressed one final kiss against her and then watched her as she drew back.

She was really in an introspective mood today, wasn't she?

"Now that's a big question. You don't do small ones?" Teasing her a little before growing a bit more thoughtful and considering it. "It has been a while since I set up shop, metaphorically, in a bigger city." It would bring its own challenges but also its pleasures.

"Somewhere we can spend that gold and get some luxury. The Wardens' suite was nice enough..." He was one of the few people who could say that, since they had afforded him a larger place because the leader of the Wardens had taken a liking to him.

No wonder some of the others had tried to cut him down by making him the Duck.

"But we could do better. A nice manse outside the city when we wish to relax... the works. How does that sound, darling?"

 

[Iskra]

Relief fell through her in waves, but she did her best not to show it as she turned to lean against the raised side of the boat. Her hair fell free behind her, whipping in the wind and knowing it will take some time later that night to brush out the tangling from her dark locks.

"Big city being Alliria." She answered. Large enough to become lost in it. "But... I have long waiting business for me in the Steppes. Perhaps after we acclimatise in Alliria... we can travel once more? By land this time."

Iskra looked at peace here out at sea, but the constant rocking and sea spray was enough to make her welcome the idea of walking on land again. She would even suffer riding a horse and never take a boat again.

She smiled up at Iren. "I am afraid I am not made for a Love Boat for the remainder of my days."

 

[Iren Brightmane]

Alliria.

He knew it, vaguely, but had been more familiar with it under a different name that was long forgotten.

"For instance... Though that city seems to have its fair bit of misfortune." From sieges to worse. "So it might be for the best that you have business on the Steps."

The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful.

Lots of time spent in their private corner under a spell that granted them a level of privacy they wouldn't have otherwise.

Until Alliria arose out from the horizon and the ship was upon it soon after.

They found a tavern and got themselves comfortable. This wasn't so hard because Iren could be very persuasive and this landed them a private eating room and a staircase usually used for servants.

He wasn't sure where Iskra was, she had gone somewhere this morning, but he was thoroughly enjoying some wine while lounging at the dinner table.

Hopefully she'd return soon with good news.

 

[Iskra]

Iskra didn't keep him waiting long.

She slipped through the door, closing it behind her before turning to lean against it. There, she watched him with a small smile curving her lips. "Oh, I cannot wait to leave this city." Her shoulders dropped, indicating that her day had indeed gone on too long.

Crossing the room, she chose to forego her own seat for now, and perch herself carefully on his lap. Hands rested at his shoulders, her thumbs lightly brushing the fabric of his shirt there. "Took me all day but I tracked down an old confidant from home in the Empire. Turns out, my business is still located in the Steppes. A city called Dornoch." A land rich with culture, home to many in fact, but Iskra had only been there once in her life. She had not seen all of it then, but memory served her well that it was far easier to absorb than the overcrowded Alliria.

"And as luck would have it, there are tales of bandits on the roads up that way. Getting away with a great many thefts all because of their magicks aiding their crimes." She spoke slowly, deliberately. Those golden green eyes flick to meet his gaze with a playful glint. "I'd hate to ask you to play a hero."