Annie trailed through the empty streets of Alcara. Just a few minutes ago she had fled the Inn with tears aplenty running down her face, clearly upset at the humiliation Bruna had inflicted upon her. And yet, now she wore a calm and collected expression as she walked alone in those poorly lit streets. She was headed towards an abandoned warehouse at the easternmost part of the port district, where Steinar had told her to meet him.

The place was mostly empty, just a few barrels and crates left here and there. Part of the roof had collapsed, exposing the insides of the warehouse to the whims of the weather. An exquisite smell borne of the mixture of old wood, rust, mold and salt air hung around the area.

Steinar was there, waiting for her, with his eyes closed and back resting against a wall. His shirt looked a little messed up and was even caked with blood.

“Master! Are you injured!?” Annie asked, while hurrying to his side. Her hands reached for the place where the blood seemed to have come out from, two puncture wounds around the side of his neck.

“I’m fine.” He shrugged off her concern. His arms wrapping themselves around her hips and pulling her body closer to his. “Report.”

“Yes...” She whimpered sweetly as she felt her body being pressed against Steinar’s rock-hard muscles. “It went exactly as you said it would, master.” Her daring lips rained kisses all over his wounded neck before she finally continued. “As soon as I insinuated that we had a closer sort of relationship, your sister got sidetracked and started trash-talking us like a jealous brat.”

“That’s good.” Steinar’s right hand reached for Annie’s head, softly running his fingers through her hair for a few moments, before suddenly grabbing it with a violent tug.

“Mmhaa…♥” Annie let out a soft, saccharine moan. Though it hurt a bit, her face showed nothing but raw, animal lust. “As for the others… Iris doesn’t seem to like you, but Alice is head over heels for you— that or she’s just very horny.” She continued, as her eyes melted under Steinar’s sharp gaze. “But I’m worried about Leila… Was it the right choice to keep her out of the loop?”

“She’s still far too innocent.” His lips reached for Annie’s, and they shared a long, passionate kiss. Once their mouths parted, a string of saliva was left connecting their tongues. “Not everyone can be as wicked as you, my precious pet.”

Annie smiled in response, reaching for another kiss— just a little peck this time. “I paid one of the tavern wenches to slip a note to Iris, telling her to meet us here in secret. She should be arriving in just a few more minutes, I think.” As she spoke, her hands started unfastening Steinar’s belt. “We probably have enough time for a quickie.”

Still holding Annie by the hair, Steinar pulled her into another deep kiss. His right hand boldly reached under her left thigh, lifting it up a fair bit in order to facilitate intercourse. A classic standing leg-up sex position.

Annie’s soft, warm fingers took hold of Steinar’s enormous manhood. She gave it a few repetitive strokes, then slid her panties to the side and guided that delicious piece of man-meat to the drooling entrance of her own nethers.

No more words were spoken from that point onward. Only the wet sound of passionate kisses, the lustful clapping of their bodies against each other and Annie’s loud, honeyed moans could be heard throughout the warehouse.

##

Her face still blushing like a tomato, Iris left the room and rushed down the stairs while silently cussing at her twin sister. ‘How dare Alice insinuate that I would have such depraved inclinations!?’ It was absolutely unthinkable for her to desire the touch of such a man. Steinar was, without the shadow of a doubt, not her type. She would much prefer a kind, gentle man, that would recite poetry and play music for her. The kind that would touch her softly and speak sweet nothings to her ears, that would always consider her feelings and see to all of her wants. And yet…

“Why…?” She muttered, breathing out hard as her hands rested atop her lower abdomen. It felt like her womb was tightening, and she could feel her nethers throbbing in tune with her accelerated heartbeat. After hearing what Alice had just said… The thought of him bending her over... Of his large, muscular body pressing down on hers… It was just too much. Her panties were completely soaked and her nethers wouldn’t stop drooling their naughty juices. She barely even knew him, and yet…

“Dammit…!” She punched the nearby wall. She had always been so sure that she preferred the delicate and smart-looking sort of man, like those who call themselves scholars. But… Just a single look at Steinar’s wild, rugged form was enough to blow all such notions away. She was completely entranced by the sight of his rock-hard muscles, she couldn’t even help but wonder how it would feel to touch them— to have them rubbing against her naked skin. Though his cold, uncaring gaze gave her the shivers, it also lit a fire deep inside of her. A blaze that roared violently, fueling her dark, intimate desires. However, that which had really won her over was the feeling of absolute power and oppression that she experienced the very moment that he aimed his killing intent towards her.

Alice was wrong, in a way. Though Iris might have felt like being bullied by him— perhaps just a little bit, she definitely didn’t feel like submitting to him. On the contrary, she wanted him— his body, his power. She wanted him at her side, at her service. Such thoughts angered her deeply, for it was very shameful that a noble lady of high birth, such as herself, would be lusting for a violent savage like Steinar. On that point Alice was right, their taste in men, at least, seems to be very similar. But how would she even get such a man to serve her? How would she ever find a way to utilize his power as she wanted? Maybe… She could try and seduce him? But she had no experience with men… She had no idea on how to go about it.

“Miss…?” A tavern wench called out to her as soon as she had descended the last flight of stairs. “One of your companions asked me to deliver you this.” She discretely slipped her a piece of folded paper— a note.

‘Come to the abandoned warehouse at the eastern edge of the port district, the one near the old wooden pier. Tell no one about this. Sincerely, Annie.’

##

Following the directions given by the note, Iris arrived at the warehouse in question. It certainly did look abandoned, in fact, it looked like it could fall apart at any given moment… Was it really safe to enter?

“We’re here, Lady Iris.” Annie called out to her from inside the warehouse. ‘How does she know that I’m here?’ She wondered. It was so dark that one could barely see where they were going, and she wasn’t exactly making a lot of noise while walking around. “Ah… I see...” She muttered, her lips curving into a smile when she came to the realization— Steinar must be there. After Bruna’s explanation, it wouldn’t be too far fetched to assume that his senses could be sharp enough to detect her presence. The only questions is how? Was it her scent? Maybe he can see in the dark? Or is it his hearing that is just that good? It could even be all of those options together.

Inside the warehouse, the light of the moon shone through an area where the roof had collapsed. Beneath it, Steinar and Annie were waiting for her. Steinar was sitting on top of a large, rectangle-shaped wooden box. His arms were wrapped around Annie’s body, who sat comfortably on his lap.

“Why have you called me here?” Iris inquired, her little eyebrows frowning.

“Master wishes to speak to you privately.” Annie replied, while getting up from Steinar’s lap and moving to the side. “It’s important that you listen.”

“Master, huh?” Iris crossed her arms in annoyance, still frowning— though she looked rather cute while doing so. “Well, speak away then. I shall listen.”

“How’s your relationship with Bruna?” Steinar asked, his gaze fixated on Iris. It was not the sort of question she had expected, as it seemed rather… Commonplace?

“We’re on god therms.” Iris answered, heaving a sigh before continuing. “She can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but I still look up to her. She’s exceedingly smart and capable, even though she’s still so young.”

“She’s not as young as you may think.” Steinar shook his head. “But that doesn’t really matter right now.” He got up from the wooden box and walked closer to Iris, until only just a few steps remained between them. “She’s dangerous, you know? All witches are.”

“Interesting.” Iris smirked, arms still crossed. “She said something very similar about you.”

“That’s true, I’m dangerous as well.” Steinar remarked, his cold eyes staring deeply at Iris’. “But in her case… All witches are inherently evil, you should know that.”

“That’s what the books often say, I guess.” Iris mused. “Though Bruna tells me it’s all just misinformation spread by the Church of Irithel.”

“They tend to embellish things a bit, that much is true.” Steinar paused for a second, and then added. “But ultimately, the church never lied about witches.”

“Then shouldn’t I be evil too? Since I’m also a witch and all that.” Iris observed, with a tone of mockery in her voice.

“In time you will be.” He declared. “Maybe you already are, but have not yet realized.”

“Would you just get to the point already?” Iris demanded angrily, stomping a foot to the ground. “I have better things to do than listening to your nonsense.”

“Bruna is loyal to the elders of our clan...” Steinar took a step closer, his eyes still maintaining contact with Iris’. “She wants to take you and your sister to the Islands of Winter, where you will be trained as witches and eventually join our clan by marrying someone.”

“I fail to see the problem with that.” Iris bravely stood her ground, even as Steinar approached her. “It’s not like we have any money, nor anywhere else better to go.”

“You could join me— you and your sister.” Steinar offered his hand to her. “I could use two witches by my side.”

“Is that so…” Iris ignored his stretched hand. “Pray tell, why would someone as strong as you need us by your side?”

“A war is coming.” Still offering his hand, despite Iris’ reluctance to take it, Steinar continued. “A war unlike any you could ever imagine.”

“Elaborate on that.” Iris probed for further explanation.

“I just heard from a reliable source that a harbinger has awakened.” Steinar told her. “If it is indeed the truth, then—“

“Another Holy War will begin...” Iris cut him off. Her face going a little pale, though she tried hard to not let her fear show. ‘Holy War’ is a term that refers to a great war that usually happens around every thousand years, when an existence known as ‘The Harbinger of Darkness’ is born into this world. She doesn’t know much else about it, aside from the fact that it was still too early for a harbinger to appear. Although, from the tone of Steinar’s voice, she could tell that he was being serious.

“Exactly.” Steinar nodded. “And I intend to fight in this war.”

“I see…” Iris muttered, her legs trembling a little at the prospect of war. “But we are weak, why would you even want us to join you?”

“You are weak for now, but once you awaken your brand things will change.” Steinar gave her a look from top to bottom, as if analyzing her entire body. “The purity of your mana as well as the size of your mana pool… You and your sister are what we call geniuses.”

“Bruna said something similar— that we had a lot of raw talent as witches.” Iris grinned wickedly. “But what advantages would we get by siding with you instead of Bruna?”

“Your life, for once. Since I intend to put down a lot of witches along the way— including the ones from the Ashwall Clan.” Steinar declared, letting some of his killing intent flow. “You will also get to keep your freedom, since I don’t intend to shackle you down with rules, like they certainly will.”

“How can I trust someone that would turn his blade against his own family?” Iris asked him, not even flinching before his killing intent— though her legs were still trembling slightly.

“I love my family, I really do.” He asserted. “But I have some serious grievances against the clan in general. Besides, witches have increased their numbers by a lot in the last few centuries, it’s high time someone started culling them.”

“Shouldn’t that be a job for the inquisitors?” Iris questioned his reasoning.

“No, at first they will be too busy fighting against the major factions.” Steinar shook his head again. “They also tend to kill all witches indiscriminately, which means they are our enemies— since I have a few witches that I want to protect.” He paused and gave Iris a deep, threatening stare. “The question is, will you count yourself among those witches?”

“Huhuhu...” Iris giggled heartily. “Ahh… To think that such a good opportunity would present itself so soon…” Then her lips curved into a most villainous smile. “I can agree to join you, under certain conditions, of course.”

“What do you want?” Steinar inquired.

“I want you to marry us— me and my sister.” Iris delicately reached for Steinar’s stretched hand. “We are going to use you to recover our societal standing and rebuild our family.”

“W-What!?” Annie screeched, astonished by Iris’ words.

“Hoo...” Steinar held Iris’ hand firmly, though his eyes maintained their threatening glare. “So you mean to use me, little girl?”

“My… Do you not intend to do the same? Is it not our power that you are after?” Iris inquired, winking playfully at him. “Tit for tat— it’s only fair that we use you in return.”

“I can agree to those terms.” Steinar declared. “As long as you don’t get in my way, I shall help you with your endeavors.”

“Great. Then it’s settled.” Iris let go of his hands and quickly turned around to leave the warehouse. “I shall go ahead and warn my sister, she will certainly be ecstatic at the outcome of our meeting.”

“You should pack your things as well.” Steinar warned her. “I’ve bought us a house in the residential district.”

Iris did not answer, she just waved at Steinar without actually turning back to face him. At that moment, the smile on her face looked wicked enough to be called the smile of a true witch. Her pretty little head already machinating many different ways for her to achieve her goals.

End of Chapter 11: Secret Meeting.