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Realms Converge	By : Candice Category: +G through L > Legacy of Kain Views: 3563 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Legacy of Kain, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.Don't get to Nosgoth itself til chap 5

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
Edits as of 05/2016

Chapter Twenty-six: Haven Forfeit

Over the course of the next few weeks, my nights were mostly spent with Kain as he re-acclimated me to his touch and helped me to move past what had occurred. Slow steps that I truly appreciated given the lingering unease that I felt. Some nights ended with me falling asleep beneath the weight of his body resting carefully upon my hips and his hands trailing light patterns over my back. Some nights were spent discussing the differences, and in some cases similarities, of what each of our worlds considered 'classical' as we learned a little more about each other's respective pasts. I savored those conversations as I was glad to have the chance to get to know him better as Kain the Man and not just Kain the Vampire Lord.

What with him having been born a nobleman, he had grown up well read and cultured compared to most of the other humans of Nosgoth who barely had basic reading skills let alone writing skills. The benefits of being born to an aristocratic family were easily apparent in his history and that was not counting the years he spent after his change reading and studying various magical and non-magical tomes.

With the internet available to me growing up on Gaia, I'd had access to such classical outlets without even having to leave my home. It had been ages since I'd seen, let alone used a computer or a DVD player, and I found that I did miss the ease of access to such media outlets. And the public libraries. I'd spent hours reading books at the local libraries when I was a child. Even with the age discrepancy between us, my own knowledge base growing up had us mostly on par with each other and thus our conversations could vary widely when we realized that I could easily hold my own during our discussions.

Kain had been... intrigued by the idea of public libraries when I'd mentioned them to him, but he'd still found it hard to believe that the knowledge that was usually horded by nobles and vampires alike in his world could be so readily available to children or anyone else who had a desire to seek such knowledge out. The mere thought of mandatory schooling for 'the common man and woman' threw him for a loop when I talked to him about my youth. It was amusing to watch his expression twist to one of bemused disgust when I spoke of such things and explaining a regular day at school or college had left him perplexed at the thought of so many students being taught by only a handful of teachers or professors. I did have to clarify that most teachers were actually very overworked during the time that I had been in school.

He'd sniffed primly at that point in our conversation and I had raised a brow at him when I saw his satisfied expression.

"The fact that these teachers of yours are so over-worked is an indication that a one-on-one apprenticeship should be maintained," he'd said to me.

"Not necessarily," I'd responded with a small huff of breath. "A basic education, such as the ability to read and write in common script and then basic maths and sciences should be available to everyone. Further education might work better with a one-on-one approach, but the basics should be taught to any and all. Ignorance breeds fear and misunderstanding."

"Perhaps so, but knowledge of a thing does not necessarily breed wisdom nor sense," he'd countered smoothly.

The discussion had continued from there, neither of us really giving ground on our view points but still acknowledging when the other brought forth a valid point. That discussion did make one thing perfectly clear to me; Nosgoth was very much a world that embodied the phrase 'sapientia est potentia'; 'Knowledge is power'.

We had also found out through our discussions that several plays and works over the years were similar or outright the same between our worlds, as how else would he have been able to make a reference to Hamlet otherwise during his early years as a vampire. I found myself for the first time in a long while, ie; not since my late high school and early college days, discussing the merits of what Kain knew as the works of various playwrights; Oxford, Bacon, Derby and Marlowe and what I knew on Gaia as the works of the playwright Shakespeare.

Alma caught the tail end of one such talk as Kain and I shared a bottle of blood wine in one of the more private libraries that Vorador had built in the underground Sanctuary.

"Hamlet has proven to be one of the most influential tragedies over these past few centuries," Kain said as he drained his goblet. "Even in my youth it was a tale upon many a nobles lips. That it still is favored to this day is a testament to its' worth."

"And yet Macbeth engaged the mind with the realization that even one's indirect actions could lead to the tragic deaths of those around you," I said.

I sipped from my own goblet and I blinked at it when I found it mostly empty. I had not realized that I had drunk so much. Kain refilled both goblets without word and I gave a small nod of my head.

"Thank you," I said with a small, fangless smile. "At any rate, Macbeth's actions even resulted in the death of his wife, what with her suicide. And all due to his quest to maintain his power. One of the reasons the play is labeled as a true tragedy in Gaia is that everyone of importance dies because of the actions behind Macbeth's greed, including Macbeth himself. A tragedy warning of the pitfalls of said greed."

"And yet near to everyone perishes in Hamlet as well and that play covers the actions of a man who pretends at madness and yet succeeds in his desire for revenge against the uncle who slew his father and married his mother, only to die himself at the end. A warning against loosing one's self to revenge," Kain laughed suddenly. "Speaking of 'mothers', perhaps I should ask your opinion on Oedipus?"

I felt my face twist in disgust and I shook my head quickly.

"Yeah, no, that one got weird fast," I said. "And considering the fact that incest is a problem that plagued many human noble families in Gaia's past, let alone the current state of Nosgoth's human nobility, that play is based more on potential truth then fiction. Incestual relationships when you are looking to breed can result in some horrendous birth defects."

Kain laughed at my words and started to say something when a noise drew our attention to the doorway. Alma had been leaning against the door frame.

"My dear," Alma all but crooned as she pushed away from the door frame.

She fairly stalked into the room in as she made her way towards me. I turned to look at her warily as that falsely sweet croon had never boded well for me when she had used it in the past. Why was she upset with me?

"You have been holding out on me," she said in response to my perplexed look.

That... did not help me understand her sudden upset..

"Uhmmm?" I blinked at her warily.

I shifted a step back, my wings giving a nervous twitch as I did so. She approached me and came to a halt in front of me with her arms crossed. I spared a glance at Kain. He smirked as he took another sip from his goblet. No help from him then...

"I'm... not really following what you're saying Alma..." I started slowly only to have her cut me off.

"This! This is what I am talking about," she waved her hands at me and then placed her hands on her hips as she leaned in close to m. "You show obvious signs of being a noble-born and then constantly behave as if you are slumming! Playing at being less then what you obviously are!"

"I've told you before," I said with a sigh as I relaxed and I rolled my eyes, "I'm not considered noble-born where I'm from. Just because I know basic manners..."

She cut me off again and began to tick points off on her fingers.

"Basic manners. Proper use of 'My Lord' or 'My Lady' versus 'M'Lord' or 'M'Lady'. Proper enunciation save for the times in which you are being deliberately crude. You know how to read and write, mind that you had to be taught our current script, but the fact that you knew our worlds ancient script was impressive in and of itself," she snapped out. "Not only that but it took you very little time compared to most in picking up the use of our current script! You are now oft found reading various tomes of poetry or wit and now I find that you know, and can easily discuss, the philosophical points behind the classical arts! No common-born can claim half of that even if they were a noble's servant!"

"Urmm... it's just..." I blushed and blinked rapidly at the onslaught of her itemized list.

I shifted in place nervously under her continued glare. I shot Kain a near to pleading look and he let out a soft, dark chuckle. He tilted his head at me and raised a brow.

"Until you clarified your world's class system I, too, had thought you a noble-born by your speech and willful bearing," he said un-helpfully and he smirked at me. "You said it best yourself however; that compared to the humans of this world you might as well be considered amongst the ranks of the high-born."

~Not helping!~ I hissed at him through the Whisper.

~Ah, but whom am I helping; you... or her?~ he Whispered back in an amused tone. He spoke his next words out loud. "In either case, your vampiric blood puts you above even the highest caste of human nobles. There is also the fact that you have told me that Auron feared reprisal at the hands of a 'Draconian King' when your wings first appeared. That leads further credence that even amongst the vampires of your Gaia you may well be a noble of some sort without even being aware of it."

"Fuck, shit and damnation," I snarled out even as I felt my blush deepen. "Neither of you are going to drop this are you?"

"No, we are not," Alma said as she flicked the backs of her claws lightly over my left cheek. A butterfly soft touch. "You must needs embrace your status and stop hiding from it deary."

I rolled my eyes and I swatted at her hand. I growled at her softly, "I suppose an uppity response of 'If I'm a noble, then I'll do as I damn well please woman,' would not be enough to make you to leave it the hell alone?"

Kain barked out a laugh at my words and Alma let out a frustrated sigh even as she smiled at my continued discomfort.

"No deary, it would not," she said primly. "Now about that fitt-"

This time I cut her off with a hiss as I flared my wings wide in threat.

"I am NOT wearing a fucking dress," I snarled in a low voice, "so do not keep pushing the subject!"

"Of course not my dear!" she placed a hand mockingly against her chest and I knew by her smirk that she had been indeed about to push me on the subject yet again. "You have made your opinion on such things quite clear. No, I was searching you out as we've an armor fitting to be done for you and we need to make sure we have precise measurements to make certain that the armor does not impede your flying. Once the fitting is done, you and I will be going out on a small trip. Just a little scouting mission."

The thought of specially designed armor as well as the hope that I might finally be able to go on a mission of some sort, even if it was in truth a test mission, made me relax. I let out a thoughtful hum of breath as I sipped at my drink and I looked away from Alma briefly. I turned my head back around enough to pin a glare on her out of the corner of my eye.

"If I find one dress amongst my other attire later after this armor fitting..." I warned in a low tone even as I let out a sub-harmonic growl.

Alma chuckled softly behind one hand and then gave my cheek a pat in that 'annoying older aunt' sort of way. My brow twitchednat the touch.

"You can be so adorable sometimes my dear," she said.

I let out another growl and turned my head to glare at her in full. My wings flared out in warning. She knew tha I did not like her teasing yet I held my temper in check. Alma tilted her head as she looked me over and noted the fact that, while I my posture had changed to be slightly more threatening, my Aura had not flared. She'd been working with me over the past few months, poking and prodding at me in subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, ways as she helped me reign in my temper by pretty much doing the emotional equivalent of dropping me into the deep end of the pool to sink or swim. It had only been after the confrontation with the prisoners roughly three weeks ago, and the cold knowledge of what kind of danger I was actually in at this point if I went off alone and got caught, that I had truly started to control my temper and my Aura.

Alma made a noise of approval a few moments later and left the room with a flick of her hair. I let out a sigh of annoyance as I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my free hand and I let my wings relax against my shoulders. Kain's claws trailed up my spine a moment later and I shivered reflexively at the teasingly sharp touch. I looked up at him with a raised brow and a blink.

"You have gotten better at controlling your temper. You are recovering well," he said in a low voice. He then took a larger gulp of fluid from his goblet and then set it aside on a nearby table.

He then pulled me close, hand a firm weight on my hip as he drew me in and kissed me, firm and gentle. His tongue pushed at my mouth and, as I spread my lips to open to the kiss, the blood-wine he had not yet swallowed was instead shared with me. I shivered, half in pleasure and half from fell memories of blood being shared with me this way in the past. I pushed forward to nip at his tongue with my fangs in order to forcefully draw in a taste of his vitae along with the blood-wine to me help focus on the now. Kain's blood was a potent elixir and oft could chase the fouler memories away just by my catching the scent of it.

He let out a purring growl of approval as he nicked my own tongue and then lower lip with his own fangs in response to my needy bite. The taste of our combined blood and his power flooded through me and I shivered again, this time solely in pleasure. A low groan escaped me and I melted into that kiss as it deepened, drawn in by the commandingly skillful, yet sweetly gentle movements of his tongue and lips against my own. As I pulled back for the air that I still needed, I knew that my gaze had gone unfocused with my pleasure, a small amount of blood-hunger and, of course, the alcohol that was within the blood-wine that now buzzed pleasantly through me.

Kain's hand closed upon my hip and he turned my dazed form around so that I faced the doorway. He then grabbed the goblet from my hand and I blinked at him over my shoulder. I found myself surprised that I hadn't dropped it during that searing kiss.

"Off with you, my Little One," he purred huskily. "Let us see what kind of armor Vorador has planned for you."

"Hopefully something simple," I said with a wince as I gathered my wits about me. "Ornamental crap tends to be useless."

"Perhaps for the humans in your world," he said with a chuckle. "Vorador has a habit of making elaborate, yet functional, items. Be it weapons or armor, his skill is renowned for a reason. Besides which, he merely has to offset the weaknesses in any armor with shielding magics."

"Oh, wonderful," I said with a roll of my eyes.

He chuckled softly and his hand slid from my hip to the base of my back. I started out the room and down the hall when he gave my back a small, commanding push. No more distractions would be allowed it seemed, as pleasant as those distractions could be.

Nikolai raced past me suddenly as I walked down the hall toward where Vorador's forge was tucked away. He turned the corner and I heard him give a yelp of surprise a second later. The noise was followed rapidly by a loud 'omph!' and a rather painful sounding 'thud'. I blinked in confusion and picked up my pace in order to see if he was alright. I turned the corner and I came to an abrupt halt. I ran a hand over my hair and blinked at the mess of limbs on the ground.

A moment later I noticed a very pleased looking Alma. She stood calmly, her arms crossed over her ample chest, just against the wall and not even five feet from the mess that I knew she had caused. I face-palmed when she flashed me a very satisfied look and then turned back to look at the tangle of limbs that was Nikolai and Janos. Alma had to have used a small bit of magic to make sure that Nikolai tripped and barreled into the other male with enough force to send both men sprawling to the ground. Now Nikolai was stuck trying to figure out a way to move off of Janos without accidentally bracing himself on, and potentially hurting, Janos' wings which lay akimbo beneath the Ancient back at an angle that looked painful.

Janos rubbed at the back of his head with a wince. He then carefully grabbed Nikolai's waist in order to easily lift the human male up and to the side as he sat up himself and shifted his wings so that he was no longer laying upon them. Nikolai scrambled to his feet, free now to stand without worrying about the Ancient's wings. Janos rolled his left shoulder and the wing stretched out with a pained looking twitch as he did so. I frowned as I looked the limb over.

"Are you alright Sire?" I asked in concern.

"I will be fine my Childe," Janos said as he stood with Nikolai's help. The ancient flashed a small, annoyed look Alma's way. "You should both be on your way. Vorador is waiting at the forge and has been for some time."

Alma flashed my adopted Sire a smug look as she sauntered past him. I let out a frustrated sigh as I shared a look with Nikolai. He grinned at me though, instead of looking equally perturbed, and he reached out to brush his fingertips against Janos' wrist. My adopted Sire turned his attention to Nikolai with a small, gentle smile. I realized that Alma's matchmaking attempt, while unwarranted, may not have been entirely inaccurate in her choice of targets. I smiled at the pair in relief and then darted past them to follow after the older female. I nudged her with my wing as I reached her side and slowed to match her pace.

"That was a bit mean," I said to her.

"You have not been paying attention to them overmuch my dear," she said in a smug tone. "They have been dancing around each other for the past month."

"Truly?" I asked in surprise. "Well then why not...?"

"There you two are!" Vorador's voice filled the hall and interrupted me mid-sentence.

He poked his head out of the forge room. He narrowed his eyes upon us and I fought not to let out the small meep at the glare he shot our way. He had traded his usual well-kept robes for a smith's outfit.

"Come along now!" he grumbled as he turned back into the room. "Fledglings!"

"Hey now!" I frowned as Alma and I slipped inside the room. Alma had started to laugh behind her hand. "I am no fledge!"

"Compared to myself, yes, you are," Vorador said as he held out a pile of clothing to me. "Out of those loose fitting clothes and into this. We need to properly fit this armor and your usual outfits will not assist with the process."

"There is a curtain here deary," Alma called out to me and I glanced over to see a changing curtain. I took the clothes with a frown and then blushed at Vorador's teasing leer. "He wont peak deary, I will make sure of it."

"Alma, you wound me my dear," Vorador said as he flashed her a smirk. "Would I do such a thing?"

"Yes Husband dear, you would," she responded with a flirtatious smirk as she stalked toward him. A move that left me stuck between them

I let out a small meep at their bizarre flirting and darted out from between them. I ducked behind the curtain that Alma had indicated before they could start to tease me about my shyness.

What followed after I had changed was several hours of either standing still or twisting around and testing the movement of a light-weight leather cuirass. It was a simplistic and flat chested cuirass that was designed to be mostly open at the back for my wings. A leather strap around four inches thick, that had metal plates attached to it in layers, was wrapped around my waist like a thick belt and a two inch thick strip of leather ran along the base of my spine to link to from it to the neck of the cuirass. Layered metal was also attached to the strip of leather along my spine in a scale-like design meant to protect the area. Several adjustments had to be made in order to prevent my wings from being pinched when I twisted my upper body back and forth but other than that it was a good fit.

Once the cuirass was tested and vetted for full motion, up to and including my performing a series of acrobatics such as back flips and twisting leaps as I literally bounced off the walls a few times, we moved on to testing a set of light greaves. They were designed to wrap around my knee high boots which could then be hidden under the wide cloth of my cargo-style pants and then a set of vambraces. The last item was a single leather pauldron for my left arm that was fastened into place with a clasp just below the neck of the cuirass at the front, at the top of the leather strip at the back and had a belt strap that wrapped under my left arm. I rolled my shoulder and knew that it would take a bit to get used to the belt that now dug snugly into my armpit.

All told, once the fitting was done I was pleased with the way the armor both fit and looked on me. The extra weight of it was almost nothing to me due to my vampiric strength and the armor itself while pleasantly designed, was not an ornamental piece like I had feared it would be. Alma left the room once the fitting was done with instructions to meet her outside of the Blue Lady. Vorador nodded to himself as he double-checked the belt of the pauldron. He then held a hand over the armor and muttered something under his breath in Latin. Magic pulsed over me and the armor glowed briefly as a set of runes lit up over the entirety of it, even the exposed leather, before the rune light faded away completely. I blinked and tapped a claw against the armor where one of the runes were.

"What are the runes for?" I asked him as I looked up.

"Arrow deflection primarily," he answered as he turned away to begin to clean and put away his armorer tools. "There are also rust prevention runes upon the metal and preservation runes upon the leather. Anything I make lasts for centuries for a reason, Sister, even during times of disuse. Now, off with you. I am sure you are eager to be in the skies once more."

I shifted nervously in place for a moment before I nodded.

"I... Thank you for the armor Vorador," I said.

As I started for the door he chuckled and called out to me.

"At least I know you wont burn this like you did the dress," I shot a mild glare at him at the reminder of that horrid thing and he laughed loudly as he waved me away. "Go on Sister. Fly safe and fly high."

I twitched to a halt at the doorway as a was of dizziness hit me. I blinked in confusion and grabbed the door frame with one hand. I looked back at him with a small frown. The words spoken were somehow familiar to me. A phrase I had heard during my childhood perhaps? My head began to spin and I rubbed at my forehead as the dizziness threatened to overwhelm me. He raised his head to look at me with a concerned frown when he noticed me wobble against the door frame.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"'May no arrow... mar your skies,'" I muttered softly as the memory of the words solidified and clicked into place. I spoke a little louder as the dizziness faded. "'Fly safe, fly high and may no arrow mar your skies.' I think... my father taught me that phrase? It was... important? Maybe? Umph... ow, my head."

I rubbed at my forehead again with a wince. The dizziness had faded but now I had the beginnings of a pounding headache. Vorador walked over to rest his hand on my shoulder and tilted my chin up with his other hand. I blinked up at him.

"No vampire should have had to endure what you did at the hands of one of your own unless they were a traitor to their cause. Even then there is a firm line between what is punishment and what is excess when making... corrections in someone's behavior. If said behavior can even be corrected," he said in a low rumble. "The only advice I can offer you is this; if memories from before your torment are starting to surface from dormancy, even if they are simple memories from when you were a child, then do not fight them. Cherish them instead as they come to you."

"Sometimes I think I'd like to forget all of it... but then," I shook my head and shrugged. "I wouldn't be the same person if I did, would I?"

"No, you would not be," Vorador said as he gave my shoulder a gentle pat and turned back to his tools. "Just remember that you are more then the events that helped to shape you."

"Right... thanks again," I turned and left the room after he gave an acknowledging grunt.

Kain passed me in the halls as I made my way toward the exit and stopped me in order to look over my new armor. He had me turn this way and that, using light brushes of his hand to guide my movements as he checked over the armor's flexibility and range of movement for himself. He nodded his head with approval several moments later and then tapped one claw against the light-weight armor. Not even a scratch was left behind after a few of those testing taps and he seemed pleased with it overall. While he was examining the leather armor I sent out a brief Aura Pulse to get a sense of if anyone else was might be nearby.

His head jerked up at the pulse of energy and he raised a brow at me with a questioning look in his eyes. I darted in before I could loose my nerve and kissed him soundly. He let out a brief sound of surprise and he grabbed my waist tight in his hands as he returned the kiss with a near bruising strength. It had been the first time for a while that I had been the one to initiate any contact between us and he took full advantage of my impulsive move to deepen the kiss further still as his tongue flicked into my mouth. I fisted my fingers in his hair in response and pushed my tongue against his own. Our tongues warred with each other and I melted against him with a low groan even as he let out a satisfied rumble of noise.

It might had been what remained of the alcohol from the blood wine in my system. It might have been the excitement of going out. It might also have been the fact that I did not want past events to control me any longer but... thought fled in full when I felt the burning need for air. I pulled back from the kiss with a breathy gasp and I panted heavily for a few moments. I then leaned in and nuzzled my nose against his neck for a brief moment before I pulled out of his grasp.

"When I get back..." I started. I paused and licked my lips before I tilted my head at him. "I... could we...?"

His eyes darkened with desire at my shy, questioning tone of voice and he let out a soft chuckle. He reached out to trail his claws lightly against the line of my throat. I shivered under that dangerously sharp touch and tilted my head back further. The tips of his claws trailed up to my chin and along my jaw until he could cup my jaw in his hand.

"Perhaps we shall," he purred in a low, hungry tone. "We shall see how your mission goes first, yes?"

"Right," I nodded and then blushed as his hand trailed down the front of my armor.

He smirked and then gave me a small shove backwards. I flashed him a small smile and then darted for the exit. Alma had been waiting long enough at this point, I did not want to leave her waiting too much longer if I could help it and I was also eager to get going. I tucked my wings in as close as I could. I had to make a small adjustment for how to lay my left wing against my left shoulder what with the pauldron now in the way. I took a slow breath once I reach the door to calm my nerves and then stepped outside. By the current angle of the moon it was likely around eleven o'clock at night, maybe even close to midnight by that point. I looked around and saw that Alma was waiting for me across the road. I moved over to her side swiftly and came to a halt. I bounced lightly on my toes for a moment, ready to go at once. She looked me over and then took a slow breath of air. She smiled at me suddenly and I blushed under the knowing look that she flashed at me.

"Well, it is about time," she purred. She let out a soft laugh. "Let us get this scouting mission taken care of quickly and then get you back to your Lord, yes?"

I rolled my eyes at that and let out a small huff of breath. She laughed again and then started past me. I followed her as we made our way out of Meridian.

"By the way, where are we going to scout?" I asked. "Do we have a specific goal in mind tonight?"

"We're checking out Steinchencroe this evening," she said and I raised a brow at her in surprise. "A little ways out I know, but with your being able to fly and my own speed we should be able to reach the city, check with our contact and be back all before dawn's light."

"Benefits of being a vampire. We don't tire easily," I said with a dry chuckle. "Should I take to the skies now?"

"Yes and with your Gift active as well, deary. Make sure that you pace me so that I can keep track of your shadow," she ordered in a firm tone.

I nodded at her instructions and then leapt into the sky once we were out of the city. I circled above her briefly, doing a few tentative dives and spins before I turned to wing Northwest as I wrapped my Gift around myself and disappeared from sight. At first I tried to hang back, thinking that I would end up flying faster the Alma could run without my meaning to, but she soon put on a few bursts of speed here and there that made me realize that she could run as fast as I could fly. I grinned at the realization and simply let go, though I did make sure to keep my shadow within her sight.

As we neared Steinchencroe, I started to fly a bit lower to the ground. Roughly a half mile out Alma Whispered for me to land and I back-winged swiftly in order to land next to her as she came to a halt. I dropped my Gift long enough for her to get a clear view of me as I crouched down and she grabbed my armored wrist with a nod of her head. I wrapped my Gift around us both and we stalked closer to the city whilst we kept to the safety of the shadows.

We circled the city once and noted that the guard force included only a token number of warriors armored with Sarafan gear. We came to a halt in a small clearing near the city. She kept hold of my armored wrist and tugged me over to a spot in the shadows where we could sit comfortably on a fallen tree.

~Is this where we are to meet our contact?~ I asked her over the Whisper.

~Yes deary,~ she Whispered back. I twitched when I suddenly felt her shift her grip higher up my arm. I outright froze when she started to nuzzle at my neck. ~We will be waiting for a small while and it is best that our human contact does not see us at first. He had not yet proven to be loyal.~

~Riiight~ I said slowly as I eased away from her, confused by her odd actions. ~So this is as much a check on the city defenses as it is a test to make sure that our contact comes alone as instructed.~

~Very good,~ delicately sharp fangs suddenly brushed against my neck and I lashed out to where I could sense her in order to grab her neck. I caught her shoulder in my hand instead and I used that grip to push her back.

~The hell!?~ I asked in a startled voice over the Whisper. ~Did you not feed before we left or something?~

~No, I fed my dear,~ she purred. ~This part of our little trip is a test for you. We need to see if you can maintain your Gift through potential distractions, up to and including keeping your companions unseen in the process.~

~And that translates to you attacking me?!~ I snarled as I turned my head in order to block further access to my throat. ~Back the hel - the fuck!?~

Her lips suddenly crashed against mine and I fell back with a near-silent thud as my concentration wavered. I felt my Gift flicker and I pushed her back as I scrambled back to my feet. I barely had the sense to keep hold of her wrist and not push her away from me entirely lest she be seen. I felt her shift and then suddenly found my arm pinned behind my back. My wings arched with my surprise and I hissed at the painful hold. I pulsed my Aura enough to get a full sense of where her limbs were and then lashed out with my leg to hook her own. I fell backwards in order to slam her back against the ground and we landed hard with another near-silent impact.

Her fangs brushed against my throat and I slammed the elbow of my free arm into her side. She let out a grunt of breath at the impact and I twisted my body lithely in order to free myself from the hold. I landed on my feet with the claws of my other hand at her neck. I knew once my hand had successfully latched onto her neck that she'd been holding back. I had never been able to get her pinned this easily before. Other then that initial flicker though, my Gift had held through the brief, testing, struggle.

~Fucking hell Alma!~ I snarled at her. ~One; are you done testing me? And two; what the hell was with the kiss?! You're one of Vorador's Bride's, aren't you?~

~And you think that means I only like the company of men, deary?~ she purred in my head as she ignored my first question.

Her hand brushed along the back of my wrist and then I suddenly found myself being yanked down against her. She followed the line of my arm in an instant in order to grab my shoulder and pull me down into another searing kiss. I froze in shock for a brief moment and then let out a muffled yelp as her tongue pushed into my shock opened mouth. I pulled away from her completely with another yelp of sound. Alma and I flickered back into view as my Gift failed me in my confused state. I glared at her even as my cheeks heated with my embarrassment.

She smirked at me even as she let out a soft 'tsk' of disappointment. I growled softly at her even as she held her hand back out to me. I grabbed her hand roughly in my own and wrapped my Gift back around us both. She Whispered into my mind a moment later.

~You did well enough,~ she said in an amused voice. ~You may well be able to ignore pain but we must work on other things that may distract or startle you when you are out in the field.~

~Pick a different way to go about it next time will you?~ I growled back at her in embarrassed frustration.

~Ah, but you are curious now, aren't you?~ her voice teased.

I snarled mentally and then ignored her even as I felt my blush deepen. The kiss had been... nice... I'd admit that to myself at the least, but I was WITH Kain and I was not going to test other waters without there being a long conversation between us first.

Our contact showed up, alone, not ten minutes later and I dropped her hand when she gave the mental signal. The boy, no more then thirteen summers, jumped when she seemed to appear out of nowhere and the scent of fear filled the air for several long minutes even as she spoke to him about the cities defenses. Steinchencroe was ripe for the taking considering the fact that the Sarafan Asshat had withdrawn a number of the best warriors from the smaller city. The handful that remained garrisoned in the city were the type to abuse their power and the female populace had done their best to go to ground in order to avoid the unwanted attention.

Most... had not succeeded.

~The city may well be easy to take,~ I Whispered to Alma as she talked to the boy, ~but I wouldn't put it past the bastards here to slay the women if we attacked now.~

~Indeed,~ she responded darkly. ~Their type always try to take out as many innocents as they can when they fall.~

The sheer amount of vehemence in her tone made me realize that she was speaking from experience. It was a surprise to realize that we had more in common then I'd thought, but at the same time it explained why she had pushed me so hard and had made sure to help me restore my hair to 'avoid being marked in even the smallest of ways' after my attack.

~I will let Nikolai know that we need to install a few railroad agents before we move to take the city,~ I Whispered to her. ~The more women and children that we can get out of the city before we attack, the better.~

~Agreed,~ she responded as she waved the boy away. ~Let us head back, we have the information we came for.~

Once the boy was gone, I again took to the skies and we started back toward Sanctuary. When we were a half mile from the city the sounds of fighting rang clearly through the air and I felt a flash of concern. Alma's mental shout rang across my mind as she projected a wide Whisper.

~Vorador!~ she called out loudly. ~What is happening?!~

~Meridian is under attack!~ he snarled loud enough across the Whisper that I could hear it clear as day. ~The rats are numerous, but we are keeping the city defended. Sanctuary itself is burning, so do not enter by the lower levels!~

~Can we help?~ I called out over the Whisper in a wide mental projection. I hoped that either Kain or Janos might hear me as well. ~Where are you?~

~Harass their rear lines near the city entrance!~ Kain's voice cut through along the connection suddenly and I felt a flash of relief. ~We have them mostly routed and a rear attack will send these fools scattering like the vermin that they are!~

Alma and I sped up at his order and we dived into the rear ranks of the lingering attack force that had made the mistake of trying to take the Capital City. I swooped in and caught an enemy warrior before he could stab his blade down into a wounded vampire. Men nearby let out shouts of shock as one of their own simply disappeared from sight only to reappear in midair as I dropped him from a lethal height. Janos flew into the opening that I had made with my attack and he swiftly picked up the wounded vampire in order to get him to safety. Alma attacked lightning fast with her claws, tearing out the throats of the men near her as well as... oh... eugh.

~Do you seriously have to go for the groin? You're making me wince and I don't even have that kind of equipment!~ I Whispered to her even as I grimaced in distaste.

~Do you not notice how the others are reacting deary?~ she responded in a dark yet joyful tone of voice.

She had a point. The other enemy warriors nearby were starting to flee after witnessing her brutal attacks, if only in an attempt to protect their own bits from the enraged vampiresses' wrath. Within ten to fifteen minutes of our arrival on hand, the main bulk of the remaining enemy forces had scattered to the far winds. Alma met up with her fellow Bride's and no less then six of them turned at her instruction to tail those that fled in order to take out those who had fled. I flickered back into sight when Janos nearly hit me mid-flight and then started to help him gather up our wounded to get them to the safe spot that had been set up with the healers. As I circled the city to look for wounded or hidden enemies I saw that the Blue Lady and surrounding buildings were clearly on fire and a large group of human Cabal members were working to put out the flames. Vorador was nearby on a clear roof directing them as he stayed well clear of both flame and water. I found Kain flitting about the rooftops as he too checked the city for hidden enemies and I relaxed slightly at the sight of him safe and whole. I found several other familiar faces but began to worry when I realized that I could not find Nikolai among them.

Fuck, shit and damnation! I thought frantically.

I winged toward where Janos had set up the medical point for the wounded and circled above him as I looked for my human friend amongst either the wounded or the healers. I called out to Janos in a worried Whisper when I did not see him amongst the crowd.

~Where is Nikolai!?~ I asked in a worried tone.

~I am not sure my Childe,~ he called back in a voice filled with an equal level of concern. ~I have not seen him since he began the evacuation of Sanctuary. Check the lower level exit if you can! He may have escaped through that way with the others and may yet be helping any injured stragglers.~

~Alma!~ I cried out to the other woman across the Whisper. ~I'm heading toward the back exit to Sanctuary! I cannot find Nikolai!~

~I see you!~ she turned and leapt across a few rooftops in order to follow me.

We raced together out of the city and then looped to one of the unused sewer paths that was the back exit/entrance to Sanctuary. The scent of smoke and fire was heavy near the large pipe-way and there were over a dozen wounded and burned Cabal members, human and vampire alike, gathered a good ways away from the exit. I let out a strained cry when I saw Nikolai's wounded form being tended frantically by a one of the human women and dived for the ground. I landed roughly nearby and raced to his side. His left arm was clearly broken and his breath wheezed painfully with the sounds of a clearly collapsed lung. My hands hovered over him uselessly and I shot a look at Alma.

"Do you know any healing magics?" I asked her. She shook her head and glanced around the area before she looked back to me with a wince.

"It looks like all of our healers are with Janos," she said. "You will have to risk moving him if you wish to save him. Quickly now. I will check over the rest here and see if anyone else is as critically injured. Go straight over the walls and do not tarry."

I nodded and picked Nikolai up as carefully as I could. He let out a pained grunt of breath even as he tried to flash me a faint smile meant to reassure me. It did not quite work, as his teeth were flecked with his blood. I leapt into the air as carefully as I could and gained height swiftly as I rose to get over the cities high walls. I flew straight toward the medical point and tried to land as carefully as I possibly could to avoid jostling him about too much.

"Healer! Now!" I called out frantically as I lowered my friend to the ground.

Janos' head jerked up at my voice and his wings twitched wide with concern as he noted Nikolai's wounded and now unconscious state. Vorador had noticed my distress from the rooftop nearby and zapped over to us with a burst of teleportation magic. Janos shared a pained look with his Childe and Vorador looked over Nikolai with a small frown. The healer that rushed over tried to cast her spells and then she frowned and lowered her hands.

"M'lady..." the healer said slowly. "This is beyond my skill... his lung is crushed and he is bleeding out internally due to the damaged caused by the broken ribs. I cannot repair this level of damage..."

My wings jerked wide with shock at her words and I let out a faint keen of fear-filled worry. I shot Janos and Vorador a desperate look as I knelt next to Nikolai's dying form. I did not wish to loose my friend but I was a half-blood, I did not think it even remotely possible that I had the ability to turn a human and even if I could, I knew nothing about how I might go about doing such a thing. Vorador and Janos shared a brief look before Vorador nodded. He moved to lift Nikolai's unresponsive form into the cradle of his arms. The healer fell back to tend to the other wounded with a bow of her head. I rocked back on my heels and watched the older vampire sink fangs into Nikolai's neck.

He drank deep and drained Nikolai of blood until his breathing had all but stopped and his skin had turned a pale white. Vorador then tore into his own wrist and forced Nikolai's mouth open to let the blood pour down the open throat. A taloned claw rubbed gently at my human friend's throat and he forced his dying body to swallow the thick and dark fluid. I watched the process with morbid sense of fascination and no small amount of worry. A clawed hand suddenly came to rest on the back of my neck and I twitched my head to the side as I looked up to see who it was. Kain. I relaxed and reached out to rest my hand over his as I turned back to Vorador and Nikolai. My wings twitched near constantly with my agitation and then suddenly drooped with relief when Nikolai abruptly lunged up and clamped onto Vorador's arm with his undamaged hand. Janos' himself relaxed across from me where he too had knelt down to watch the process. I shared a relieved smile with my adopted Sire and I leaned against Kain's leg as he gave my neck a small, reassuring, squeeze.

"Be welcome, my Childe," Vorador intoned in a soft rumble as he let the newly made vampire feed deep. "You will be fine now."

True death had been chased off and my friend would live a new life.

Hope you enjoyed!
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