Warhammer Fantasy: Lords of the Night
by PJ
 

****
 
Chapter One
 
    The wind howled across the mountain face, forcing the two knights to clutch outcrops of
rock until the powerful breeze abated.  Holding aloft a sputtering torch, Lady Aubina resumed her
progress up the narrow, sharply ascending ledge, followed closely by her companion, Lady Liana.
The night was bitterly cold, Liana's pale lips shivered violently.  The summit of the mountain could
just be seen, lit by the bright, cold stars filling the midnight sky.  Lady Aubina halted before a fissure
in the rock face, a cleft that led deep into the mountain's heart.
 
    "Here is the opening that the merchant told us about," called out Aubina over another gust of
screaming wind.
 
    Liana nodded sharply, motioning for Aubina to enter the fissure. 
 
    Holding the guttering torch before her, Aubina slipped into the cleft, her platemail grinding
against the jagged rock walls as she plunged into the mountain.  Liana followed her friend into the
tight confines of the cleft, left hand clutching her swordhilt as she stayed close to Aubina.
 
    After inching their way through the narrow cleft, the knights emerged into a roughly circular
cave.  Stalactites hung from the ceiling, sharp and unsettling, like a monster's fangs.  The stump of
Aubina's torch flickered out, forcing the blonde knight to light a fresh torch with her flint and steel.
Liana examined the cave, checking every shadow for danger.  Liana found two openings in the cave
that led into long, dark passageways.  The knight peered into each, but saw nothing and heard only
the roar of the wind from outside.  The cave lightened when Aubina successfully lit her new torch.
Replacing her flint and steel into a beltpouch, the lovely young knight considered each of the cave
openings.
 
    "Which one looks best?" asked Aubina, turning her face from one opening to the other.
 
    "North," replied Liana, pointing towards the left-hand opening.
 
    Aubina nodded and took the indicated opening, entering a dark tunnel that slanted down
deeper into the mountain's belly.  Torchlight made the lady knights' armor gleam as they walked
through the tunnel, descending lower and lower into the earth.  Another opening was outlined ahead
of Aubina.  A shadow flicked across the opening, making Aubina halt suddenly.
 
    "I think I saw something," murmured Aubina over her armored shoulder.
 
    Liana backed away from Aubina to draw her long sword.  Aubina unsheathed her own
blessed weapon.  The two knights continued towards the opening, eyes and ears alert.
 
    At the opening, the stench of rot and decay assaulted the lady knights' nostrils.  Entering the
small cave, Aubina noticed bones lying against the rock walls, with stains that appeared to be blood
splotching the walls and floor.  A roar came from Aubina's left, and a naked, emaciated man dove
towards her, drool foaming down his grey chin.  The man crashed into Aubina, forcing her to the
rock floor.  The wild man scratched at Aubina's face, moaning pathetically. Liana swung her sword,
catching the man in his right side.  The naked man screamed, rolling off of Aubina, clutching his
deep wound that spurted black ichor.  Aubina struggled to regain her feet while the wild man
charged her again, bloody nails thrust forward.  Aubina stabbed her sword into the man's belly, the
speed of the man's advance forcing the blade through his back.  The wild man writhed upon the
sword, scratching Aubina's breastplate with his filthy, blood-stained nails. Liana swung her sword
again, hacking off the man's head.  The freed head smacked against a wall and bounced to the floor
while the body became still, dragging Aubina's sword to the floor with its dead weight.
 
    "Are you well?" inquired Liana, staring into Aubina's scratched face with concern.
 
    "I'm fine.  The scratches burn, though," winced Aubina, touching one of the slender cuts on
her left cheek.
 
    "Let me clean them," said Liana, removing her backpack to withdraw clean pieces of cloth
and her water bottle.
 
    Aubina stood while Liana cleaned her flesh wounds, her blue eyes watching the stinking
corpse of the wild man warily.  Upon closer examination, Aubina saw that the naked man's flesh was
grey and rotting.  Pieces of flesh and muscle were missing over sections of the man's arms and legs,
baring white, gleaming bone.
 
    "A zombie.  That man was a zombie!" whispered Aubina in horror.
 
    "The merchant did say that Silver Pinnacle was guarded by Undead," replied Liana,
checking her friend's face one last time before putting away her wash cloths. "I'm sure we'll
encounter more before we find the Grail."
 
    Aubina nodded, pushing a loose strand of gold hair away from her face before switching her
attention from the motionless zombie to the cave that had served as its lair. The lady knight found
the exit quickly, another hole in the cave wall that led north.  Picking up her discarded torch, Aubina
led the way into the tunnel, the narrow passage ascending gently.
 
    The two lady knights stopped to rest within the tunnel, either end stretching on into the
darkness.  Aubina reclined against one of the walls while Liana took a careful sip from her water
bottle.
 
    "Hope we find an underground stream or pool soon," remarked the brown-haired lady
knight.
 
    Aubina nodded, examining the tunnel idly.  The blonde lady knight stiffened when she heard
scuffling above her.  She looked up, realizing that the tunnel ceiling was lost in darkness high above.
Several ledges were set high in the tunnel walls, and on the ledges dark forms crouched and
watched.
 
    "Ambush!" hissed Aubina, raising her blood-stained sword.
 
    Zombies leapt from the ledges, falling to the tunnel floor and racing toward the lady knights.
Liana met them, hacking and slicing with her blade, cutting down several of the naked Undead.
The tunnel was too narrow for Aubina to help her friend.  She stared down the tunnel ahead of her,
waiting for zombies that never came.
 
    "Follow me!" shouted Aubina over the moaning of the Undead.  She ran down the dark
tunnel, torch flickering in front of her, swordhilt grasped tightly in her right hand.  Liana sliced open
a zombie's stomach, then spun to follow her companion down the tunnel.  Loud shuffling noises
echoed in the darkness, the zombies were in pursuit.  Aubina's lungs ached as she ran, eyes straining
to pierce the blackness in front of her.  The lady knight was running up a sharp slope when the rock
cracked beneath her boots.  Exclaiming in surprise and terror, Aubina fell down a deep hole until she
crashed to the floor, the breath knocked out of her.  Liana barely stopped herself from following
Aubina into the pit.  She swung around, gritting her teeth as the zombies approached, hungry for her
warm blood.
 
    Aubina moaned, slowly sitting up and wiping blood out of her eyes.  The lady knight's whole
body ached, but she could stand after some effort.
 
    "Can you make it back up?" asked Liana.
 
    Aubina examined the pit walls, which were smooth almost to a glass sheen.
 
    "No," groaned Aubina while she bent down to pick up her sputtering torch.
 
    "I'm going to try to jump the pit," announced Liana from high above.
 
    "Be careful."
 
    Liana sheathed her sword, moved a short distance from the pit, then ran as fast as she could.
She leapt gracefully over the hole, landing heavily on the other side.  The zombies appeared next to
the pit, peering down into the dark where Aubina was trapped.  Liana watched the milling zombies,
the reek of their rotting bodies making her sick.
 
    "I have some rope, but I don't think it will be enough," called down Liana.
 
    Aubina didn't reply, she was intent upon the smooth pit walls, examining them with her
gauntlet-covered hands.  The blonde lady knight smiled when she found a small hole at eye level.
She stuck a finger into the hole and touched a tiny knob of rock.  With a loud, grinding noise, a
section of the pit wall lowered into the floor, revealing a tunnel that led north.
 
    "I've found a passage!  It's going the same direction as the tunnel above! Hopefully it'll join
your path at some point!  I'm going to use it!"
 
    "Alright!  I'll keep going then!  Meet you soon!" said Liana, backing away from the pit to
proceed down the tunnel.
 
    The zombies hissed and spat at Liana as she walked down the dark passage, a torch from her
own gear lighting the way.  The sounds of the Undead faded behind Liana, until she was alone in the
stone passage.
*****
 
 
    Aubina progressed down her own tunnel, wincing in pain when she put weight on her left
foot.  The ankle throbbed in agony with each step, forcing the lady knight to walk with a heavy
limp.  After walking for nearly an hour, Aubina's torch began to die, so she reached into her pack for
a fresh one.  Lighting the new brand, Aubina continued through the passage, the floor angling up
shallowly.
 
    The stink of unwashed flesh wafted through the dark tunnel.  Mindful of zombies, Aubina
drew her sword before advancing.  After a short walk forward, Aubina entered another cave, a huge
chamber of rock filled with torn skins and piles of ivory bones gnawed clean of flesh.  For a moment,
Aubina saw a pair of glittering red eyes staring at her, then they were gone in a blink.  Fear coiled in
Aubina's belly as she walked further into the room, eyes questing wildly for an exit.  The lady knight
heard sniffing sounds, sharp and bestial.  Aubina spun in a circle, blade thrust out, her flesh clammy
with terror. 
 
    There was no warning when the creature slammed into Aubina's back.  Aubina cried out as
she fell onto her stomach, sword falling out of her grasp.  Something seized Aubina's golden hair,
smashed her face into the rock floor.  Aubina groaned, blood dripping from a cut lower lip, as she
was rolled over onto her back, something straddling her waist, something musky and stinking.
 
    A man's face loomed close to Aubina's, a crazed man with wild black hair and filth-covered
cheeks.  The man's eyes glowed blood-red, and fangs gleamed in his drooling mouth when he opened
his cracked, dark lips.  The man turned Aubina's face away and plunged his fangs into the left side
of her neck.  Aubina screamed, her body twitching while she listened to the wet slurping sounds of
the vampire drinking her blood.  Aubina's struggles lessened after a time, a cold lassitude descended
upon her.  Limp and weak from blood loss, Aubina could do nothing when the filthy vampire began
removing her platemail.  Tossing the molded metal plates aside, the vampire ripped apart Aubina's
leather undershirt and breeches before tearing off her wool loincloth. Shivering with horror, Aubina
moaned softly when the vampire started licking her bare breasts, nibbling on her brown nipples with
his blood-slick fangs.  The vampire licked around each tit with his long, dripping tongue, then bit
into Aubina's left breast, sucking hungrily on it.  Aubina trembled, her flesh becoming cold as the
vampire drained away her life, devoured the sweet wine flowing in her veins.
 
    Grasping Aubina's slack arms and laying them over her head, the vampire pushed the naked
lady knight's legs open with his knees, then knelt between her pale thighs, pressing the head of his
stiff cock against Aubina's cunt.  Aubina moaned sharply when the vampire entered her vagina,
shoving his member inside her, pounding down against her pussy.  The vampire held Aubina's
slender wrists, grunting loudly with each stab into the woman's belly.  Aubina wept silently, her cunt
burning as the vampire raped her, thrusting relentlessly into her tender pussy. The vampire moved
his clawed hands from Aubina's wrists to her buttocks, squeezing the young woman's ass painfully,
digging his sharp nails into her soft, pliant, white flesh.  Aubina groaned, her thighs trembling as the
vampire thrust and thrust.  The nude lady knight could feel the vampire's cock swelling inside her
vagina, becoming bloated with his Undead seed.  With a bestial growl, the vampire climaxed inside
Aubina, filling her belly with his foul ichor.
 
    Covering his thin, naked body with a crude animal hide, the dark-haired vampire got off of
Aubina and moved to her limp, outstretched arms.  Snatching her wrists, the vampire dragged
Aubina's naked body to one of the walls, flicking aside a tapestry of human skin that covered a dark,
narrow passageway.  Tugging on Aubina's thin arms, the vampire dragged the naked girl's body into
the tunnel's mouth.
*****

Chapter Two
 
Sacha munched on a piece of hard trail bread, listening to the morning wind as it blew across the Northern Wastes.  Filip and Vilma crouched in the domed bear-skin tent with Sacha, warming themselves near the small, smokeless fire while they ate chunks of pale white cheese and washed it down with flasks of cold goat's milk.
 
The tent door was flung aside by Yurik, who entered the tent stiff with fear.
 
"I saw shapes on the horizon, heading this way!" chattered Yurik, warming his shaking hands over the flickering fire.
 
Sacha grabbed her nearby sheathed saber without a word and left the warmth of the tent.  Filip and Vilma seized their own weapons and followed their scout leader into the frigid air.  Sacha crunched through the six-inch layer of snow that covered the hard ground, walking north to the edge of the scout camp. Struggling up an embankment of snow and ice, Sacha fell onto her belly near the top and peered into the northern horizon.
 
The north was still dark, the weak sunlight from the east barely illuminating the flat Wastes.
Sacha squinted her grey eyes, searching for what the nervous boy had seen. Sacha bit her lower lip when she spotted the shapes, humanoid forms walking across the snow towards the camp's position.
 
"Beastmen," said Filip softly, his hand tight around the hilt of his saber.
 
"Looks like a scouting party," observed Vilma, running a hand through her dark, red hair.
 
"What do we do?" asked Filip, glancing at Sacha.
 
"I don't want them to report back, we attack," said Sacha, turning away from the Wastes and sliding down the sharp slope of snow to the ground.
 
"Break camp and mount up!" shouted Sacha over the wind, walking towards her horse, Whitestar.  The pure white mare nuzzled Sacha's left arm before the lithe young woman hopped up into her leather saddle.
 
The Kislev scouts worked quickly, packing away the domed tents and mounting their own anxious horses.
 
"Filip, take three men and form a firing line on the Beastmen's left flank. Vilma and I will take the rest and charge their right."
 
Filip nodded in acknowledgment, motioning for three fur-coated scouts to follow him east.
Sacha didn't wait for the archers to depart, she tapped Whitestar's flanks and rode west, with Vilma and the remaining Kislev scouts riding behind her.
 
Riding northwest, Sacha positioned herself and her unit behind the marching Beastmen before stopping to observe them and count their numbers.  Twenty Ungors made up the scouting party, armed with narrow spears and crude leather shields.  The goat-faced monsters were led by a single Bestigor with huge, blue-red horns and a massive, rune-etched battle-axe.  Sacha led seven scouts including Vilma.
 
"Should be a good fight," grinned Vilma, drawing her curved saber from her belt.
 
Sacha smiled at her brave friend, unsheathing her own blade.  She held the saber high, the rising sun turning the blade into a bright, silver beacon.
 
Filip signaled his comrades to fire their short bows at the Beastmen scouts. Black feathered arrows arced through the air and fell amidst the Chaos-spawned monsters, causing them to howl and scream with pain. 
 
"Now!" shouted Sacha, Whitestar pounding forward down a shallow slope to the tundra where the Beastmen milled about in confusion.
 
The towering Bestigor spotted Sacha and her riders approaching.  He growled in the crude Beastman tongue, ordering his warriors to meet the Kislev charge. More arrows sizzled through the air, striking Ungors in the back, slaying five. Sacha howled a Kislev war cry, slashing down with her saber, slicing neatly through one Beastman's throat.  Sacha parried a spear thrust, hacking the weapon in half, then stabbing her attacker in the chest, dark blood spurting into the chill air.  Horses screamed as Beastmen impaled them with spears, forcing four Kislev scouts to abandon their dead mounts to fight on foot with sabers or hand axes.  A Beastman spear tip caught Sacha in the left side, pushing her off Whitestar into the blood-stained snow.  Whitestar bucked and lashed out with her sharp hooves, protecting her fallen mistress.  Vilma dueled with a burly Beastman, dipping under his guard to thrust her saber into his vulnerable belly.  Steaming intestines flopped onto the snow as the Beastman moaned and fell dead.  Vilma reached Sacha and helped the young female warrior to her feet.  A Beastman barreled into Vilma, both of them disappearing within the chaotic melee.  Sacha turned to help her friend, but froze when the shadow of the Bestigor fell over her.
 
Sacha jumped aside just as a massive battle-axe hissed through the air, smashing into the icy ground.  The young woman stabbed with her saber, punching through the monster's thick hide into his left side.  The Bestigor grunted, backing away from Sacha until the saber slid free of his body, his thick arms raising the axe again for another strike.
 
"Sacha!" screamed Filip, jumping from his horse onto the Bestigor's broad back.  The Kislev scout jabbed a dagger into the Bestigor's neck, releasing a stream of black fluid.  The dying Bestigor dropped his axe, reached back to grasp the clinging scout.  Filip stabbed his dagger into the monster's neck again and again, until the creature grew limp and fell forward onto his grimacing face.
 
With the Bestigor dead, all order among the Ungors collapsed.  The Kislev scouts slew the surviving Beastmen, until they all lay dead in the dark snow, their motionless bodies immediately clad in a film of thickening frost.
 
Sacha stood while Filip bandaged her bleeding left side.  She looked over the battlefield, counting her scouts, her heart heavy when she discovered that five had been killed.  Sacha didn't notice that Vilma had left until the fiery-maned woman returned from the north on her steed, both of them breathing heavily.
 
"These were scouts.  I rode about a league north, a huge army of Beastmen is marching this way."
 
"We have to warn Erengrad!" said Filip, rising from his crouch.  "Lord Rurik can send fast riders to Kislev and Prag!"
 
Sacha nodded in agreement.  "Collect the spare horses, we're riding to Erengrad!"
 
The Kislev scouts obeyed swiftly, climbing into their saddles and snatching the reins of the riderless horses.  The scouts galloped south across the Wastes, the dark north rumbling with distant thunder.
*****
 
 
Sacha climbed down stiffly from Whitestar's back, her thighs and buttocks aching after riding nearly non-stop for almost an entire day.  The sun was just setting over the domed palace of Lord Rurik as Sacha let Vilma take Whitestar to the stables.  Walking alone, Sacha approached the palace, several minor nobles nodding politely at the scout while others sneered at the young woman's disheveled black hair and blood-stained leathers.  The guards recognized Sacha and allowed her into the palace.  She strode quickly to Lord Rurik's audience hall, walking down hallways covered in warm wood paneling and adorned with beautiful portraits of ancestors or long, intricately crafted tapestries. 
 
Lord Rurik was sitting within his high-backed wooden throne, sipping from a silver goblet as his councilors droned on about the city's falling revenues.
 
"My lord," said Sacha, descending onto her right knee.
 
"Rise, scout," bade Rurik, grateful for the interruption.  "You appear to have ridden long, would you care for a cup of mulled wine?"
 
"Yes, thank you," smiled Sacha.
 
"What news do you have?" inquired the lord with an arched, grey eyebrow.
 
"My lord, an army of Beastmen marches toward Kislev, they will reach the border within a day."
 
"No!"  "It cannot be!" whispered the councilors fearfully, clutching their rich, velvet robes.
 
"Marshall!  Have riders travel at speed to Prag and Kislev!  The capital must be warned!"
 
"Aye, lord," bowed a tall man in gleaming chainmail before he marched quickly out of the audience hall.
 
"We must prepare the city and ready our defenses," mused Rurik, stroking his long, grey beard thoughtfully.  "Sacha!  Take your scouts and watch the Beastman army, measure their strength and report back to me!"
 
"Aye, my lord," replied Sacha with her head bowed.
 
A servant brought Sacha a wooden cup filled with warm wine.  Sacha drained the cup swiftly, then bowed to Lord Rurik before leaving the hall.  She would obey her lord's command, but she had one stop to make before departing Erengrad. *****
 
 
The barracks was in chaos as soldiers donned armor and ran to man their posts along the walls of the city.  Sacha slipped through the confusion, entering the barracks and making her way to the captain's quarters.  She entered Captain Levka's bedroom while he was adjusting a strap on his chainmail tunic, his shaved brown head gleaming in the soft, white sunlight beaming in from a small window.
 
Levka looked up from his work when Sacha closed the bedroom door.
 
"Sacha!" smiled Levka, rushing forward to crush Sacha in a fierce hug.
 
Sacha smiled happily, resting her cheek against Levka's firm chest, her arms clenched around his waist.
 
"I feared for you when I heard the scouts had encountered Beastmen," murmured Levka, kissing Sacha's short, black hair.
 
"And now I fear for you, my love," whispered Sacha, looking up at Levka, then kissing him tenderly on the lips.
 
"I have to go, my squad has been assigned to the main gates," said Levka proudly.
 
"Can we be together, just for a few moments?" begged Sacha, reaching up to stroke Levka's strong jaw with her left hand.
 
Levka was about to refuse, but he saw the fear in Sacha's eyes, not for herself, but for him.
The broad-shouldered warrior began unfastening his armor, smiling as Sacha grinned and quickly started removing her own tight leathers.  The naked lovers stretched out upon Levka's small cot, Levka resting between Sacha's slender, outspread legs.
 
Sacha lowered herself onto Levka, her breasts warm against Levka's torso as she kissed Levka deeply, her lips caressing and wet.  Levka placed his hands on Sacha's firm buttocks, fondling her taut ass, stroking the backs of her slim thighs.  Sacha moaned softly, rubbing her pussy over Levka's hardening prick, kissing his chin, throat, and shoulders.  Levka wrapped his powerful arms around Sacha's thin waist, nuzzled the young woman's dark hair, inhaled her sensual aroma.
 
"I love you, Sacha," said Levka, staring into the scout's intense grey eyes.
 
Sacha smiled, kissed Levka, then grasped his stiff cock and positioned it beneath her trembling cunt.  She slowly sat on Levka's pole, shoving it into her vagina, gasping with sudden pleasure.  Levka rested his hands on Sacha's buttocks while she rode his crotch, pumping his meat into her tightening pussy, milking it with her enfolding cunt.  Levka ran his left hand up Sacha's smooth back, pulled her on top of him so he could suck on her pendulous, inviting tits.  Sacha moaned sharply, her hips writhing while she thrust against Levka's cock, rammed it into her throbbing belly.  Levka licked each of Sacha's stiff nipples, then ran his tongue over the warm flesh of her breasts, enjoying the creamy taste of her silky, brown skin.  The cot groaned in protest as Sacha worked her pelvis, slamming her pussy over Levka's crotch, his shaft filling her yearning, squeezing vagina.  Sweat glistened over Sacha's nude body, she arched her back, her cunt burning, growing hotter and hotter.  Levka orgasmed, his cock swelling and exploding inside Sacha, filling her with his warm cream. Sacha pressed her palms against Levka's heaving chest, shuddering from her own climax, her vagina collapsing around Levka's pole, draining every drop of her lover's thick milk.
 
Drenched in perspiration, the lovers held each other, warm in the other's embrace, unwilling to be the first to let go.
 
Levka pulled his arms away first, gently rolling Sacha off of him, then standing to put on his discarded clothing and armor.  Sacha watched Levka dress, her naked body outstretched on the damp cot, tempting him.
 
Levka placed his plain helm upon his head and cinched it tight under his chin. He leaned over the cot, giving Sacha one last kiss.
 
"Return to me, my brave scout," murmured Levka against Sacha's mouth.
 
"Open the gates for me," smiled Sacha, stroking Levka's cheek.
 
Inhaling the musky scent of Sacha's body to remember their time together, Levka left his room, leaving Sacha alone on the cot.  Sacha slowly sat up, tugged on her own clothes, and slipped a hand through her short, damp hair. She also took a deep breath, to remember the scent of Levka's body, a memory to carry her through the hell that was about to come.
*****

Chapter Three
 
Count Vlad Von Carstein sat upon his black Undead stallion, his corpse-pale hands grasping his mount's reins lightly as he watched the army of skeletons and zombies march across crude log bridges towards the Imperial town of Waldenhof.  The River Stir glittered in the moonlight while scores of skeleton warriors clattered across the short stretch of ground to the edges of the town. The screams of women echoed across the countryside when the Undead reached Waldenhof's outer buildings and began clambering over the crude barricades erected by the town's meager defenders.
The crack of pistols interrupted the wails of terror, and five skeletons exploded into clouds of shattered bone and ash. 
 
Vlad swung down his left arm, signaling a swarm of bats to dive out of the night into the town.  The shrill cries of the bats filled the vampire count's ears as the creatures fell upon Waldenhof's citizens, ripping throats and biting into limbs with their razor-sharp fangs.  A group of archers firing upon the advancing Undead from a rooftop were engulfed in bats, their screams of agony music to Vlad's ears as they fell twitching onto the roof slates or were forced off the roof into a lethal fall onto the street.  More gunshots cracked loudly, and a squad of zombies were hurled off their rotting feet.
 
Snarling with displeasure, Vlad slammed his spurs into his steed's flanks. The midnight stallion lurched into a gallop, heading towards the gleaming river.  Vlad pounded across the log bridge, drawing his Wailing Blade from its sheath.  The dark weapon howled, hungry to taste human blood.  Vlad rode towards the barricade guarded by the pistol-wielding defenders.  Four men stared at Vlad with horror-filled eyes as they struggled to re-load their guns. Skeletons parted for the charging vampire count, allowing Vlad's steed to hurl over the crude barricade in one graceful jump.  The defenders spun to face Vlad, leveling their pistols and firing as one at the looming vampire count. Vlad grimaced when shot slapped into his cold flesh.  Urging his horse forward, Vlad raised his screaming sword and slashed down at the cowering humans.  The Wailing Blade bit deep into one man's throat, roaring in ecstasy when the dying man's lifeblood gushed over its surface.  The blood was absorbed by the dark steel as Vlad opened up another man's belly, then stabbed another defender in the heart, piercing the man's back.  The last defender attempted to flee, but Vlad slashed his blade around, hacking off the terrified soldier's head.
 
The skeletons and zombies smashed the barricade blocking the cobblestone street, pouring over the remaining defenders who were armed with short swords or knives.  Vlad brought his steed around and rode towards the heart of Waldenhof, the Wailing Blade growling for more blood.  Vlad cut down anyone whom he came across: fleeing men, weeping women, or crying children, they were all cattle ripe for the slaughter.  The thunder of gunfire slowly faded away as the Undead slew the town's defenders, marching inexorably deeper into Waldenhof.  Smoke was thick in the air, several townhouses were consumed in bright orange flames.  The cobblestone streets were bathed in blood, the boulevards gleamed darkly in the flickering firelight.  The stench of death was everywhere, Vlad took a moment to drink it in, to revel in it.
 
Vlad reached a large, open square, where the last of Waldenhof's defenders gathered around a statue of Sigmar, warding off the attacking skeletons with swords and spears.  Vlad dismounted from his Undead steed, strode toward the struggling guards.  One man was dragged down by three skeletons, his body ripped apart by the skeleton's bony hands.  A zombie took down another, gnawing on the soldier's neck, tearing out large chunks of flesh with blackened, cracked teeth.  Vlad waded into the melee, slashed down with his blade to disembowel one unfortunate man.  The Wailing Blade flashed again, cutting another guard's throat open, bright red blood spewing into the chill air.  Vlad slaughtered the remaining soldiers in a few heartbeats, their blood dripping from his dark clothing and long coat.  The vampire count licked the still warm blood from his white lips, the Wailing Blade drinking the gore that covered its sleek surface.
 
Hungry for something sweeter, Vlad walked towards a tavern that faced the body-strewn square.  Behind the vampire count, a pack of ghouls descended on Waldenhof's dead, feasting on the corpses that littered the square like dead leaves.  Vlad casually smashed open the tavern's door, eyes narrowing in the darkness, the Wailing Blade purring in his right hand.
 
A fat tavern keeper fled from behind the bar towards an ascending staircase. Vlad was upon him in an flash, cutting the fat man's back open with a meaty thunk.  The bloated body fell to the wooden floor with a sharp thud.  A girl whimpered from the other side of the common room, Vlad smiled and turned slowly to investigate the noise.
 
A pretty blonde girl who appeared to be about fourteen huddled in a dark corner of the room, eyes wide with terror, dressed in a simple blue tunic and long, white skirt.  The girl's golden hair was tied into two long braids that fell down her back.
 
Vlad growled like a stalking wolf, his eyes glowing red, fangs bared with eager anticipation.
He sheathed his Wailing Blade before bending down to pull the girl to her feet.
 
The girl whimpered again when Vlad grasped her thin shoulders and drew her to him.  She stared up helplessly into the vampire count's eyes, trapped by the force of his powerful will.  Vlad nuzzled the girl's sweetly scented hair, reached back to unbind her shining gold tresses.  With the girl's hair unbound and flowing across her graceful shoulders, Vlad ripped open her tunic and threw her onto one of the round tables.  The girl groaned in pain while Vlad jerked off her skirt and ripped away her white panties.  Vlad leaned over the naked girl, sucking ravenously on her small, young breasts, biting her small nipples as they hardened.  The servant girl moaned, struggling weakly beneath the vampire count, her wrists held down by Vlad's powerful hands.  Vlad kissed the naked girl, sucked on her tender lips, drew her warm, living breath into his Undead body. 
 
Vlad ran his tongue over the girl's flushed cheeks, then slid it down her neck, between her panting tits, and across her small, flat belly.  He inhaled the strong musk of the girl's pussy, his long, glistening tongue caressing the insides of her creamy, slender thighs.  Consumed with hunger, Vlad buried his fangs in the girl's right thigh, slurping on the blood gushing from one of her larger veins.
The girl gasped sharply, her leg shivering against Vlad's mouth as he sucked deeply on her warm flesh, swallowed the hot wine that flowed out of her vein. Vlad stroked the girl's pussy while he fed upon her, his cool fingers slid up and down her smooth, pink cunt, caressed her little clit, then probed inside her young vagina.  The girl moaned loudly, she panted for breath as her pussy became wet, droplets of honey gleaming on her soft, puffy labia.
 
Momentarily sated on the girl's blood, Vlad licked the bleeding wound upon her thigh before burying his mouth inside the girl's cunt.  The girl-child groaned, arching her back as Vlad sucked on her pussy, his tongue wriggling inside her vagina, stroking the soft, warm walls of her cunt hole.  Vlad's palms slipped over the blonde girl's belly, caressed the white, silky skin.  The vampire count raised his face from the girl's outspread legs, her juices slipping down his pale chin.  Vlad reached down to open his trousers, stretching his torso over the panting girl's.  Licking one soft breast briefly, Vlad kissed the girl's neck while he entered her pussy with his rock-hard cock.  The girl moaned, gazing up at Vlad with her wide, blue eyes as he thrust sharply into her cunt, an ice-cold spear stabbing into her warm belly.  Digging his left hand into the girl's damp, golden hair, he jerked her head to the side, exposing her throbbing neck.  Vlad stabbed his fangs into the girl's neck, her hot blood washing over his lips.  The girl shuddered beneath Vlad, a weak moan escaping her lips as he drank from her and humped her crotch violently.  The vampire count devoured the girl ravenously, consumed her as a starving creature would.  The girl's body became still underneath Vlad, her pussy tightened once around his shaft, then grew slack and cold.  Drained of blood, the girl's flesh was a light shade of blue, her eyes glazed with death.
 
Vlad pulled out of the dead girl, wiped his mouth with the back of his right hand.  Closing his black trousers, Vlad backed away from the girl and left her lying on top of the table, naked and cold, a piece of meat for the ghouls to consume.
*****
 
 
Vlad retrieved his steed at the square, ghouls crouched over the dead, tearing mouthfuls of flesh from the corpses' bones.  The vampire count rode down a street to the western edge of Waldenhof, halted near an outbuilding to regard the woods that stretched from this town to his next target, Krugenheim.  Vlad turned his horse to face the smoke-veiled town of Waldenhof and raised his arms toward the night sky.  The vampire lord began chanting an ancient invocation in Arabic, a spell that would re-animate the dead.  All through Waldenhof, the slain citizens slowly arose from the blood-soaked streets, filled with dark magic, enslaved to Vlad Von Carstein's will.  The army of Undead had grown stronger, and would grow stronger still when the citizens of Krugenheim joined its foul ranks.
 
Vlad waited for the front ranks of his army to join him at the town's edge. Spinning his horse around, the vampire count led the way west through the tall, skeletal trees.
*****

Chapter Four
 
    Aubina moaned softly, her body numb with cold.  The lady knight's eyes fluttered open, but
could barely see due to the darkness that lay over her like a thick, wool cloak.  Aubina struggled to
rise from the piles of cushions underneath her, then fell back, her strength gone, her limbs heavy,
unresponsive to her commands.  A low sucking sound came from Aubina's feet. The young, blonde
woman used all of her determination to raise her head enough to see what lay near her bare toes.  A
young girl, perhaps thirteen, knelt at Aubina's feet, dressed in a filmy, white gown, her flesh
incredibly pale and white.  The girl's sensual lips were deep red, almost black, as a drop of liquid
slid from her lower lip down to her small chin.  The pale girl licked the escaping drop with a swift
flick of her tongue, then lowered herself back down to Aubina's left ankle, where a bleeding wound
still lay open.  Aubina gasped in horror as the girl placed her mouth over the wound and resumed
sucking daintily, drinking the naked woman's blood.
 
    Aubina fought to crawl away from the vampire, but her body did not respond, it lay like a
dead thing, unmoving and corpse white. 
 
    The vampire girl sat up abruptly when the latch to the chamber began to rise.  The girl
disappeared in a blur of motion, leaving Aubina alone in the veiled alcove. The heavy, iron-bound
door of the chamber opened completely, admitting a man with slick, black hair and piercing red eyes
as well as the most beautiful woman Aubina had ever seen.
 
    The young woman was roughly Aubina's age, with silky black hair that fell to her taut
buttocks.  The woman's slim body was encased in a sheer black gown with a plunging neckline that
descended to her waist, revealing a tempting view of her full, dove-white breasts and the pale,
creamy flesh of her flat belly.  The woman walked gracefully, almost floated, to a high-backed chair
gilded in gold and silver.  The woman sat lightly while the man paced before her, hands clasped
behind his back.
 
    "Vlad has begun his invasion of the Empire, just as I said he would," snarled Mannfred Von
Carstein.
 
    "My spies have confirmed this.  His strategy so far has been rather..predictable," purred the
gorgeous young woman.
 
    "Yes, that is curious," agreed Mannfred, halting his pacing to regard his companion.  "We
could use that to our advantage."
 
    "Your advantage.  I told you that I will not aid you with my soldiers," corrected the woman.
 
    "You're planning something, aren't you, Neferata?" snapped Mannfred. "You'd be a fool
not to!  Chaos armies assault Kislev, it's only a matter of time before they break through to invade
Imperial soil.  Vlad attacks from the east, who knows how many legions he'll use to shatter the
Empire's defenses?  The Empire is beset, now is the time to strike!"
 
    "Why not join your kinsman's crusade?" smiled Neferata coyly.
 
    "I was the last Carstein until Vlad returned.  I don't know how he could have survived so
long, why he waited until now to attack the Empire.  When the Dark Lord Nagash was marching
across the Old World, why did Vlad remain hidden?  Why sleep when the whole world could have
belonged to the Undead?" demanded Mannfred, his hands coiled into fists.
 
    "If Vlad had intervened then, he would have been a servant of Nagash, who was the
strongest of all of us," replied Neferata, resting her chin upon her right fist.  "Now, with Nagash
destroyed, someone else can claim the title of Supreme Lord of the Undead."
 
    "That makes sense," nodded Mannfred, "but why won't you help me?"
 
    "Vlad is not the only one with ambitions," smiled Neferata coldly.
 
    "We could share the spoils, and depose Vlad," suggested Mannfred with a sly grin.
 
    "I share nothing," said Neferata, her sultry voice laced with venom. "I've heard your plea,
and refuse you.  Now go and leave my home."
 
    "Bitch!" snarled Mannfred, marching out of the chamber and slamming the door behind him.
 
    Chuckling, Neferata left her chair to approach Aubina's alcove.  The vampiress drew aside
the thin, white veil covering the alcove's entrance to kneel between Aubina's feet.
 
    "Someone's been at you," clucked Neferata, running a finger over Aubina's ankle wound,
then raising the blood-stained digit to her seductive lips, licking the warm liquid.
 
    "The vampires..invade..the Empire?" struggled out Aubina while Neferata disrobed before
her.
 
    "Crude, senseless attacks," observed Neferata with a shake of her lovely head, outstretching
her sensual body over Aubina's.
 
    "Why..don't you.. help Mannfred?" gasped Aubina as Neferata licked her left breast.
 
    "The Lahmians' way is seduction, not violence," whispered Neferata, softly kissing
Aubina's cold lips.
 
    Aubina felt her body respond to the vampire queen's touch.  The lady knight's bare skin
warmed underneath Neferata's body, she writhed as the vampire stroked her hips, caressed her
slender legs.
 
    "Stop," gasped Aubina, her breasts aching underneath Neferata's fingers, her nipples
swollen with desire.
 
    "You want me, say it," smiled Neferata, kissing Aubina's throat, hands gently squeezing the
young woman's breasts.
 
    Tears welled in Aubina's blue eyes.
 
    "I..want you."
 
    Neferata bared her fangs, then stabbed them into the left side of Aubina's neck.  Aubina
cried out, her naked body stiffening beneath the vampiress, Neferata's lips searing her flesh as they
sucked the blood from her veins.
******
 
 
    Liana knelt next to the door, fingers tightening around the hilt of her drawn sword.  The
brown-haired girl slowly rose from her crouch, peeking through the door's barred window into the
room beyond.
 
    It appeared to be a guard room of sorts, with a small table lit by a small, wax candle.  Two
chairs sat empty near the table, to the right was a set of chains nailed into the rock wall.  The room's
guards squatted next to the set of chains, drinking from a small, naked girl who was shackled to the
wall. 
 
    Liana gritted her teeth, stiffening her left arm and crashing through the door into the guard
room.
 
    The vampires shot to their feet, hissing in anger.  Liana rushed the Undead, slashing at one
with her sword.  Blood gushed into the air when Liana's sword hacked off the vampire's head.  The
remaining vampire slammed into Liana, knocking her into the table at the center of the small room.
The table shattered beneath the weight of the struggling women, depositing Liana onto her armored
back.  Liana stabbed the vampire in the stomach, her blade punching through the Undead's back.
The vampire writhed upon the upthrust sword, slashing at Liana's face with razor-sharp claws.
Liana bent her right leg, reaching for her boot as she pushed the howling vampire to her left, rolling
on top of her.  Unsheathing her blessed dagger, Liana slammed the weapon into the vampiress' foul
heart.  The vampire screamed in agony, her red eyes becoming huge before her whole body exploded
into a cloud of sticky ash. 
 
    Liana coughed roughly, spitting ash out of her mouth before replacing her dagger back in its
resting place.  Standing, Liana wiped clean her sword, then returned it to her belt.  She knelt next to
the chained girl, checking her pulse, finding nothing.  The lady knight searched until she found the
manacles' keys, then released the dead girl and laid her out in a corner, covering the child's body
with the headless vampire's purple cloak.
 
    The young lady knight left the guard room through a door on the opposite wall, traveling
down a dark, narrow passageway that led into another, wider hall.  Globes of soft, silver light
illuminated the smooth walls of the hallway, the rock floor covered by a rich, blood-red carpet that
stretched out to the left and right.
 
    A figure emerged from the left end of the hallway just as Liana left the tunnel behind her.  A
pale, handsome man with gleaming black hair and red eyes smiled wolfishly at the lady knight.
 
    "Perhaps this night won't be a total waste after all," growled Mannfred Von Carstein before
he flew at Liana with outstretched arms.
******

Chapter Five
 
Sacha's horse pounded across the white tundra, racing south with dozens of Chaos Hounds in pursuit.  The scout took a brief glance over her right shoulder, wishing she hadn't when she saw the tide of black fur, fangs, and glowing red eyes closing behind her.  She urged her horse to run faster, hoping that the exhausted beast would make their goal before it collapsed with exhaustion.  The cries of the Hounds filled Sacha's ears.  She heard their lustful snarls, the impact of their clawed feet over the crusty, snow-cloaked tundra. 
 
A Chaos Hound hurled itself at Sacha's back, landing behind the young woman, its fangs stabbing into her right arm.  The horse stumbled under the increased burden, allowing other Hounds to nip at its hind legs. 
 
Sacha drew a dagger with her left hand, sank the short blade into the back of her attacker's neck.  Hot blood splattered over Sacha, the dying Hound ripping her arm with the last of its strength.
Sacha jerked the dead thing away from her, the Hound's corpse torn to pieces by its pack mates before it even hit the snow.  Sacha clutched her numb right arm, blood dripping through her gloved fingers.  The scout spied banners along the southern horizon.  Sacha allowed herself a small smile of relief just before two Hounds crashed into her back, pushing her off her horse.
 
Sacha hit the ground with a sharp grunt, the screams of her horse making her flinch as the pack of Chaos Hounds ripped it to shreds.  Sacha kicked one Hound away, struggling to rise at the same time.  She unsheathed another knife and slashed at a Hound that attempted to snap at her.  The wide blade cut deeply into the Hound's throat, releasing a gush of steaming black blood.  Sacha backed slowly away from the pack, knife held before her, while the Chaos Hounds devoured her dying attacker.  Blood-red eyes stared at Sacha, the pack spreading out to encircle her, to cut off any chance of flight.
 
The hiss of arrows filled the chill air, heralding a rain of death that fell amidst the advancing Hounds.  Yelps of pain surrounded Sacha as she took the opportunity to turn and run for safety.  Several hounds leapt in pursuit of the scout, only to be cut down by lethal arrows launched by Kislevite horse archers.  The Chaos Hound pack was slaughtered without mercy, the pristine snow drenched black with their foul blood.
 
"Scout Captain Sacha?" inquired the leader of the horse archer detachment.
 
"That's me," grinned Sacha.  "I owe you a life debt."
 
"Buy me a pitcher of mulled wine in Praag," smiled the officer, offering his right hand to Sacha.  "The Tzarina wishes to hear your report herself."
 
Sacha grasped the officer's hand, jumping up into the saddle behind him.  The horse archer urged his mount forward, followed closely by his wary squad.  The horse archers rejoined the waiting Kislevite army, hundreds of horse archer bands led by the fearsome Winged Lancers, their weapons and armor gleaming in the pale sunlight.  The officer rode to a gathering of Winged Lancers who surrounded a single armored rider mounted on a massive white warhorse with a flowing silver mane and furred hoofs.
 
"Tzarina, I bring the scout you requested," said the horse archer officer gravely, dismounting and falling to his right knee.
 
Sacha followed the officer's example, hesitantly raising her face to look upon the ruler of her home, the much respected and feared Ice Queen of Kislev. Cold, sharp blue eyes regarded Sacha.  The Ice Queen was beautiful, a woman not much older than Sacha, at least in appearance.  Long, rich, black hair flowed down the Ice Queen's back, flecked with tiny icicles that glittered like diamonds.  The Ice Queen Katarin's gauntlet-covered left hand rested on the hilt of her sword, Fearfrost.  Sacha could feel the cold emanating from Fearfrost, a chill even more powerful than the cold of the tundra around them. The ice crystals adorning Katarin's crown glowed with the sun's light as the haughty queen nodded for Sacha to give her report.
 
"Another Beastman army marches this way, Tzarina," said Sacha, meeting the queen's stare.
"I estimate about ten tribes."
 
"Ten thousand," murmured Katarin, "with another eight laying siege to Erengrad."
 
"We must withdraw to Praag, prepare the city's defenses!" declared one of the Winged Lancer officers.
 
"No, we will attack, reduce the Beastmen's numbers before they reach Praag," retorted Katarin with a chill glance at the officer who had spoken.  "Send riders back to Kislev, I want the garrison there to ride here with all speed."
 
"At once, my Queen," bowed another Winged Lancer, riding swiftly to the south with several companions.
 
"Do you require rest, scout?" inquired Katarin with an arched eyebrow.
 
"No, my Queen," replied Sacha quickly.
 
"Captain, get a horse for this scout, I want her to accompany me when I face the Beastmen."
 
"You plan to face them alone?" asked a Lancer incredulously.
 
"I will use my magic to throw them into disarray, then you will attack their flanks, kill as many as you can before they reform their ranks," ordered the pale queen.
 
"It will be done, my Queen," acknowledged the Lancer marshal.
 
A Lancer brought a brown steed for Sacha.  The scout slid into her saddle and followed Katarin, who set a swift pace north to meet the approaching Beastmen horde.  The two women rode in silence for some time, until the front line of the Beastmen army could be seen, a line that seemed to stretch across the entire northern horizon.
 
"An army this large hasn't attacked Kislev since my father's time," remarked Katarin, halting her huge warhorse.
 
"What will you do?" asked Sacha, sitting to Katarin's right.
 
"Watch," replied the Queen, her mouth breaking into a rare smile.
 
The Ice Queen extended both of her slender arms, closing her eyes as she chanted softly, calling the elements to her aid.  Thunder rumbled from the south, growing louder and louder, the sky becoming dim with huge, churning, dark gray clouds.  The temperature dropped quickly, frost forming in Sacha's short hair and over her horse's mane.  Katarin opened her pale, blue eyes, staring at the closing Beastmen, ordering the elements to attack them.
 
The blizzard struck in a heartbeat, a blast of wind and snow that nearly tore Sacha out of her saddle.  Sacha watched in awe as the wave of snow and ice smashed into the Beastmen line, hurling the goat-faced monsters off their feet, freezing off limbs and shredding flesh from bone.  Another wave washed over Sacha and the Ice Queen, hitting deeper into the Beastmen ranks, killing entire units in the blink of an eye.
 
Katarin swayed in her saddle, she started to fall until Sacha caught her and helped her sit upright.  Nodding in gratitude, the Ice Queen unsheathed Fearfrost, raising it high over her crowned head.
 
Thunder reverberated over the tundra again, but this time it was the charge of the Winged Lancers, their weapons glittering in the now clear sky, their winged banners snapping in the frigid air.
 
Sacha watched proudly as the Lancers split into two groups, hitting both flanks of the confused Beastman army.  The nearly frozen Ungors were unprepared for the charge of the Lancers,
both flanks collapsed, Beastmen falling in ranks beneath the riders' long weapons.
 
"Permission to join the attack, my Queen?" asked Sacha, her brown skin flushed with excitement and blood-lust.
 
"You may go, but take care, this is but the first of many battles," warned Katarin.
 
Sacha nodded, then spurred her horse forward, drawing her saber as she galloped toward the clashing armies.
******
 
 
The scout joined the Lancers attacking the Beastmen's left flank.  She lashed out with her blade, decapitating one goat beast, then stabbing another through the heart.  To Sacha's left and right, Lancers impaled their foes or slashed with swords and wicked battle-axes.  The Beastmen started to recover from the Ice Queen's magical assault, Ungor units reformed and counter-attacked the Lancers, pulling men and women from their steeds, striking out with long spears and axes.  The Lancer officer in charge of the flank attack signaled the withdrawal, riders broke away and galloped east away from the Beastmen line. Sacha was attempting to break away from the Beastman unit she was engaged with when a spear took her in the right arm, just above the bandage that covered her bite wound.  The force of the stab pushed her off her horse onto the blood-drenched snow.  A goat- faced warrior leered down at Sacha, raising his dripping spear to finish the scout off.  A white- feathered arrow impaled Sacha's attacker in the chest, followed by a second to the belly.  A swarm of arrows rained down upon the Beastmen, killing a score in one breath.  Sacha struggled to her feet, holding her useless right arm, stumbling to reach her horse.  The brave steed took two spears to the chest, screaming in agony as several Beastmen hacked at it with axes.  Sacha reeled when a huge fist crashed into her face, throwing her to the icy ground.  Clawed hands stripped away Sacha's weapons, her wrists were lashed behind her back with leather cord.  The lithe scout was thrown over an Ungor shoulder like a sack of meal, carried through the Beastman ranks towards the back of the monstrous army.
 
A Bestigor stood within a small clearing, leaning both massive claws upon the haft of a great battle-axe, watching grimly while the Kislevite Winged Lancers and horse archers disappeared to the south.  Sacha was forced onto her knees before the Beastman leader, her nose assaulted by the Bestigor's unwashed stench.  The Bestigor regarded Sacha briefly with his cold, dark eyes, then roared at the Ungors in their own barbaric language.  Bestigor pack leaders led small squads of Ungors and Chaos Hounds across the tundra, following the retreating Kislevites.  Satisfied, the Bestigor leader reached down, flung Sacha over his wide left shoulder, and carried her to his tent of coarse hide, the heart of a massive Beastman encampment.
 
Four Kislevite slave girls knelt within the Bestigor's tent.  The girls were dressed in rags, the many dark bruises adorning their bodies plainly visible. The tall Bestigor dropped Sacha roughly to the ground, motioning for the other slaves to leave the tent.  The girls fled without a word, leaving Sacha alone with her captor while he rested his axe against one of the tent's thick hide walls.  The monster grasped a large skin and drank deeply from it, milk and blood escaping to flow down the Bestigor's hairy chin.  Licking his sodden chin with a wide, thick tongue, the Bestigor left the skin and strode towards Sacha. He wrapped a massive arm around Sacha's thin waist and carried her to a pile of furs, where he dropped her again.  Kneeling before her, the Bestigor ripped off Sacha's leather armor and undergarments, taking a moment to sniff her panties with his wide, flaring nostrils.  Growling softly, the Bestigor ran his left claw over Sacha's silky black hair, sniffing her small breasts, her belly, her crotch.
 
Sacha pushed vainly on the Bestigor's massive, furred chest, her nails digging into the monster's rough flesh.  The Bestigor growled with excitement, licking Sacha's breasts, drenching her nipples with his thick, sticky saliva.  The Beastman stabbed a large finger into Sacha's cunt, thrust deep into her hole. Sacha groaned, the Bestigor's musk overwhelming her senses, his huge body weighing down on top of her as the monster's snout nuzzled her neck, his coarse tongue caressing her throat, her tits.  The Bestigor inserted a second sausage-sized finger into Sacha's pussy, probing relentlessly, stroking the interior of her vagina.  Sacha's legs opened wide without conscious volition, she arched her back while the Beastman sucked on her breasts, filled his warm mouth with her smooth, brown flesh.  The Bestigor held Sacha's wrists over her head with his left claw, his right nestled between Sacha's thighs, fingers dipping into her wet honey pot, coming out dripping with her musky nectar. Sacha's naked body was afire with lust, she moaned helplessly, her hips jerking against the Bestigor's invading fingers, her cunt tightening around the thick, furry digits.  Removing his clawed fingers, the Bestigor leader licked off Sacha's honey before positioning his wide crotch over hers.  Sacha watched in horror as the Bestigor revealed his huge, monstrous cock that had laid hidden behind a thick veil of black pubic hair.  The Bestigor grasped Sacha's small wrists with both claws, drooling large droplets of saliva onto the young woman's face and breasts as he shoved his thick cock into her gleaming pussy.
 
Sacha screamed as the enormous cock violated her cunt, spreading her pussy lips to the limit while it slithered down into her belly, throbbing with obscene life.  The Bestigor grunted with pleasure, pressing his snout between her glistening breasts, ramming forward with his strong pelvis, stabbing painfully into Sacha's warm cunt.  Sacha's nude body shuddered with each thrust, she bit her lower lip until it bled, her tits heaving when the Bestigor shoved his member inside her, pounding her cervix, her vagina caressing the monster's stiff prick.  The Beastman grunted again and again, licking her nipples earnestly, his rough tongue covering her breasts in drool.  Sacha threw back her head, refusing to look at the creature that fucked her, tears covering her cheeks as her thighs were stroked by the Bestigor's hairy legs.  The Beastman's cock expanded, shuddering within Sacha's cunt, eager to vent itself. The Bestigor snarled as it orgasmed, slamming its cock into Sacha one last time, releasing a torrent of cream that overflowed out of the young woman's pussy and stained her slender thighs.
 
The Bestigor licked Sacha's left cheek, then her neck and shoulder.  He reclined upon the thick furs, holding Sacha close, her back and buttocks pressed against his powerful body.  Sacha felt the Bestigor's cock between her legs, flaccid for now, but soon it would be hard again, ready to probe her cum-slick pussy.  Sacha was motionless within the Bestigor's bulging arms, weeping silently, praying for death to claim her.
******

Chapter Six
 
Count Vlad Von Carstein sheathed the Wailing Blade as he traversed his army's Undead camp towards his own waiting pavilion.  Behind Vlad, to the north, burned the Imperial town of Wurtbad.  The town had just begun rebuilding after Nagash's invasion, now all of the townsmen's work was proven for naught as hungry flames devoured the few rebuilt homes and shops.
 
Vlad halted when a wraith slave master emerged from his tent leading a string of young girls by a long leash chain.  The wraith bowed low as Vlad entered his tent, then tugged on the long leash, leading the terrified girls to other tents where Undead lords awaited their repasts.
 
The Vampire Count unclasped his long, black cloak and draped it over a camp chair.  Vlad's meal was chained to the central post of the pavilion, a small, raven-haired girl dressed in a tattered wool dress, her young face covered with soot and dried blood.  Vlad unbuckled his weapon belt, placed it over his cloak, then approached the shaking girl child.  Ravenous from the night's fighting,
Vlad simply snatched the trembling girl from the ground, yanked her head back by the hair, and dug his sharp fangs into her tender throat.  The girl whimpered, her tiny body shuddering as Vlad quickly drained her.  Vlad held his mouth tightly to the girl's flesh, sucking every sweet drop of the child's hot lifeblood, her life pouring into his body, renewing his strength.  When the girl was a pale, limp husk, Vlad carried the corpse to the opening of his tent and dropped it just beyond the portal for a servant to carry away later. 
 
Sated, Vlad walked to a table and opened his instrument case.  He withdrew a beautiful, polished violin, the smooth wood gleaming in the candlelight.  Vlad carried the instrument with him to a cushioned chair, sat down, and set the violin onto his left shoulder.  Laying the bow gently against the violin strings, Vlad began a soft, slow tune, a melancholy piece that the vampire count always found soothing.  Closing his eyes, Vlad played his violin instinctively, remembering when he would play for Isabella long into the night, the scent of her perfume teasing him, her eyes warm and full of adoration.
 
The overcast sky was beginning to lighten when the black coach rumbled to a stop in front of Vlad's pavilion.  A black-cloaked, hunched form staggered out of the coach and shambled to the tent's entrance.
 
"You're late," said Vlad, setting his violin aside while the cloaked visitor limped inside.
 
"The Ritual of Restoration takes a great deal of preparation, my lord," hissed the visitor, drawing back his wide hood to reveal a gleaming, gray, bald head and sharply pointed ears.
 
"Then all is prepared?" inquired Vlad, his voice betraying his excitement.
 
"Aye, my lord," nodded the Necrarch vampire, his glowing red eyes closed to thin slits.
 
"I want you to ride south next, Oswald," said Vlad, leaning back into his chair, fingers entwined upon his lap.  "Enter Nagashizzar and see if there is any lore or magic that we might be able to use."
 
"That could be..dangerous, my lord," answered Oswald hesitantly.  "While Nagash may be gone, many of his servants still live."
 
"If so, gather information about them.  I'll lead an army there myself once the Empire has been subdued."
 
"As you wish, Lord," bowed Oswald respectfully.
 
"The slave masters have just harvested Wurtbad and the surrounding farms, help yourself to a hot meal before you depart," offered Vlad magnanimously.
 
"You are generous, my lord," smiled Oswald, his fangs shining as he departed the pavilion.
 
Vlad waited for Oswald to progress into the army camp before he rose, returned his violin to its case, then belted on his weapons.  Draping his long, thick cloak onto his powerful shoulders, Vlad left the candle-lit interior of his tent and walked outside.  It was just after dawn, but the bloated, dark gray clouds blocked most of the hated sunlight.  Vlad pulled the hood of his cloak over his black- maned head just to be safe, marching quickly to a smaller purple tent set next to his.  Vlad briefly noted the body of a dead farm girl laid out to the left of the tent's entrance.  The vampire count threw open the tent door and strode inside.
 
Vlad found Lisette studying a large map of the Empire that was laid out upon a square table.
Long, red candles illuminated the tent's interior, the beeswax giving off a pleasant, sweet aroma.  Lisette looked up at Vlad's approach, smiling warmly.
 
"We've set up a good front, my lord," said Lisette, brushing away a strand of silky, black hair from her heart-shaped face.  "When the other counts arrive with their legions, we'll be ready to stab into the heart of the Empire."
 
"Good," nodded Vlad, standing on the opposite side of the field table facing Lisette.  "I'm putting you in charge of the army while I'm away.  I'm returning to Castle Drakenhof."
 
"Why, my lord?" asked Lisette, her beautiful face frowning.  "We'll be ready to march in a few days."
 
"Oswald has finished his preparations, I return to perform the Ritual of Restoration."
 
"For Isabella," murmured Lisette, lowering her eyes.
 
Vlad sighed, walked around the table, and took the vampiress' pale shoulders.
 
"You've been invaluable to me, Lisette," said the vampire count, gazing at the young woman's face.  "You will still be marshal of my armies.  I need you."
 
"But not to warm your bed anymore," whispered Lisette, refusing to look up at Vlad.
 
Vlad grasped Lisette's small chin and tilted her face up to look at him.  He stroked her long, raven hair with his left hand, leaning close to kiss her softly on her ruby lips.
 
"Will you still serve me?"
 
"Forever," smiled Lisette.
 
"Thank you.  I have to go now.  Organize the counts when they arrive, then hold position until I return.  I will try to be back in seven days."
 
"Aye, my lord," nodded the vampiress.
 
Vlad left Lisette's tent, approaching the black coach that awaited him.  The tall vampire count climbed into the dark shelter of the coach and slammed the door shut, signaling the wraith driver to go.  The cloaked and hooded wraith snapped a whip, urging the two powerful nightmares pulling the coach to move. The nightmares stamped their iron-shod hooves and snorted, leaping into motion, thundering away from the Undead camp towards the east, towards Sylvania. ******
 
 
When the coach finally reached the black spires of Castle Drakenhof, a heavy sleet was pouring from the starless night sky.  Ice coated the coach's windows, distorting Vlad's view of his fortress and home.  Lightning snapped above the castle's towers, thunder shook the winding road that led up to Drakenhof's iron-barred gates.
 
The portcullis rumbled open for Vlad's coach, the ice-adorned vehicle circling the large, square, outer courtyard before slowing to a stop before a set of wide, stone stairs.  Vlad opened the coach door, ice snapping apart as he dropped to the ground and began the ascent to the heavy doors of the castle proper.  Two wights guarding the portals clicked their boots in salute.  Vlad entered the foyer of the castle, removing his cloak hood and admiring the high ceiling and tapestry-adorned stone walls of his home.  Torches flickered at intervals along one of the walls, following a spiraling staircase that climbed up to the second story of the castle.  A single vampiress dressed in a flowing red silk gown floated across the richly-carpeted floor, holding a shining silver tray in her hands.  Vlad took the offered golden goblet of blood, gratefully drinking the warm, cloy beverage.  The vampiress bowed when Vlad replaced the empty goblet upon the tray.
 
"All is ready, my lord," said the vampiress in a low, sultry voice.  "You are awaited in the catacombs."
 
"Tell them I will join them after I have changed clothes," replied Vlad.
 
The vampire count climbed the spiral staircase, unclasping his steaming cloak, anticipation coiling within him.
******
 
 
Vlad left the narrow rock passage and entered the wide, torch-lit chamber where the Ritual would take place.  Six Necrarch vampires stood in a circle around a stone dais, each one standing next to a silver candle post where a single fat, black candle glimmered with light.  Isabella's sarcophagus lay open, her skeleton still draped with old webs and a thick layer of dust.  Above Isabella was the blood sacrifice, a young girl of sixteen years suspended naked by strong chains, iron spikes driven into her outspread hands and feet.  The hanging girl turned her head to watch Vlad approach, long, glistening, gold hair hanging down around her terrified face.
 
Vlad was dressed in a well-cut black suit, the tails of his coat hanging to the backs of his knees, polished black leather boots gleaming in the candlelight.  A thick gold chain was draped over Vlad's shoulders, holding a single, perfect bloodstone that rested upon his white, silk shirt.  Vlad climbed the dais to Isabella's tomb, looked down at her skeletal remains.
 
"Tonight your sleep ends.  Tonight you join me in the world of the Undead."
 
Vlad nodded.  The Necrarchs began chanting the incantations of re-animation, bony hands clasped over chests, bald heads bowed in concentration.
 
Vlad unsheathed the Wailing Blade.  The long sword howled with the cries of the damned, demanding, begging for blood. 
 
The vampire count looked up at the naked girl hanging by her hands and feet, her eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen.
 
Vlad stabbed up with the Wailing Blade, the weapon screaming in blood-lust as it punched up through the girl's pussy.  Vlad dragged the sword across the twitching girl's torso, flesh parting easily, blood gushing from the young woman's awful wound to pour into the open sarcophagus.  Intestines and organs slipped out of the opening Vlad cut into the girl, flopping wetly onto Isabella's skeleton.  The dying girl moaned weakly when Vlad reached her breasts, finally ending his long cut when he hit bone.  The naked girl's head drooped, her hanging body shivered one last time, then became still. The organs covering Isabella's skeleton started smoking and sizzling.  While the Necrarchs' voices grew stronger and more urgent, the vampiress' bones absorbed all of the young girl's blood.
The sizzling and popping organs exploded, releasing thread-sized tendrils that began wrapping around Isabella's bones, pulsing with dark life.  A gentle sigh came from Isabella's skull.  Vlad watched in awe before remembering he still had to role to play in the Ritual.  The vampire count sliced open his own right palm with the Wailing Blade, held his dripping hand over his wife's regenerating body so that she could use his own life to strengthen hers. Sheathing his moaning weapon, Vlad raised his right hand, slowly removed the Carstein Ring that adorned his long, pale ring finger.
 
"I give my immortality that you might live again, my love," murmured Vlad, clenching his bleeding hand around the Carstein Ring and holding it over Isabella's body.  "Let the ring's magic give you life."
 
Blinding, silver light exploded within Vlad's right hand.  The vampire count opened his fingers, allowing the silver light to wash over Isabella's flesh less body, veins and muscles writhing around her bones.
 
Isabella's body shivered.  She screamed, a primal, agonized cry that froze Vlad's Undead heart.  Milky, white skin formed over Isabella's body, blazing, gold eyes appeared in the woman's sockets, locking on Vlad's expectant face. The Necrarchs' chanting reached a crescendo, they threw up their arms, beseeching the powers of Darkness to restore Isabella.
 
The vampires stopped chanting, silence fell upon the torch-lit chamber.
 
"Vlad?" whispered Isabella, her bare arms too weak to support her.
 
"My love," smiled Vlad, reaching into the sarcophagus to help his wife sit up.
 
"I..live?"
 
"Yes," wept the vampire count, clasping his naked wife in a tight hug.
 
Isabella purred, wrapping her slender arms around Vlad's waist.
 
"I missed you so much," murmured Vlad into Isabella's thick, black hair.
 
"And I, you, my husband," smiled Isabella, resting her cheek against Vlad's strong chest.
 
Vlad lifted Isabella out of the tomb, set her on her small feet, then took a red robe from one of the Necrarchs, helping Isabella into the garment. Isabella leaned heavily on Vlad, letting him guide her out of the casting chamber and through a long, narrow, rock passage.  The couple made their way into the castle proper, Isabella smiled in recognition when she saw the portraits and tapestries that decorated the dimly-lit castle's walls.
 
"Nothing's changed."
 
"Our time is at hand, my love," said Vlad, his left arm around Isabella's slim waist as he helped her up the spiral stairs.  "I've assembled an army, we're preparing to crush the Empire once and for all."
 
"All of the counts follow you?"
 
"Most of them do.  Walach still hasn't sworn to me, and Neferata has been silent."
 
"You must be wary of Neferata, my husband.  She is a vile schemer."
 
"Very true.  Perhaps you could keep an eye on her?" smiled Vlad.
 
"It will be a pleasure."
 
The couple reached the master bedchamber.  Vlad opened the door for Isabella, who glided into the room, sniffing the air, remembering the sensual nights she had spent with her love.
 
Two naked girls were chained to one of the bed's foot poles.  Isabella purred, the sound of a hungry lioness.
 
"I knew you would be very hungry," said Vlad.
 
"Yes," murmured Isabella, her golden eyes very bright as she approached the weeping girls.
She took the blonde girl first, bending the girl's head and stabbing her fangs into the soft, pliant flesh.  The brunette screamed in horror, tugging frantically on the chains binding her wrists as Isabella slurped on the blonde girl's throat, thin streams of blood flowing down onto the dying girl's pumping breasts.
 
Isabella raised her head, panting sharply, her face flushed and warm with life.  She licked traces of blood from her sensual, red lips, lowering her golden eyes to regard her remaining meal.
 
"Please, don't hurt me!" cried the dark-haired girl.
 
"Shhh," soothed Isabella, kneeling next to the shivering girl, reaching out to stroke the child's beautiful, black hair.  The girl calmed beneath Isabella's bright gaze.  Isabella leaned close, rubbed her small nose against the girl's, then kissed her, soft and loving.  The naked girl moaned, her skin flushing, her breath quickening.  Isabella kissed the girl's left cheek, her neck, her bare shoulder.  Fondling the panting girl's young breast, Isabella slowly sank her fangs into the girl's neck.  The girl moaned softly, her pussy became wet even as Isabella slowly killed her, drinking her life-giving blood, savoring her.
 
Isabella carefully rested the dead girl against the foot of the large bed, petting the child's dark hair.
 
"You haven't lost your touch, my love," smiled Vlad appreciatively, removing his coat, then unbuttoning his rich, white shirt.
 
"Now that I've fed, I can claim what is mine," smiled Isabella wickedly, letting her robe fall free from her nude body.
 
Isabella pushed Vlad onto the bed, straddled him wantonly.
 
Vlad laughed as Isabella tore open his shirt and leaned down to kiss him demandingly on the lips.  The taste of each other's mouths set both lovers afire.  Vlad growled like a wolf, digging his left hand into Isabella's thick, black hair, sucking deeply on her sweet lips.  Isabella hugged Vlad's muscled neck, rubbed her smooth breasts against her husband's firm chest.  Vlad seized Isabella's left tit, sucked sharply on it, massaging the pert nipple with his tongue.  Isabella moaned deeply, her blood racing, her mouth gasping as she hugged Vlad's face to her bosom, his lips on her breast making her shudder with pleasure.  Isabella forced Vlad onto his back, draped her long, dark hair over his chest while she licked and kissed his torso, descending to his waist.  The aroused vampiress unbuckled Vlad's pants, opened them, and released his hardening cock.  Isabella took Vlad's prick into her warm mouth, her red lips fastening around the shaft, her cheeks becoming taut as she began sucking deeply upon her husband's member.  Vlad groaned in ecstasy, his fingers clutching the smooth sheets, his stomach clenching.  Isabella's head bobbed up and down quickly, her lips slurping on Vlad's cock, her graceful fingers caressing and gently squeezing the vampire count's balls.  Vlad thrust up with his pelvis, lost in bliss, moaning as Isabella took his cock deep into her throat, her tongue stroking and wet.  When Isabella felt Vlad's cock threatening to explode right there, she stopped sucking upon his quivering shaft.  Kissing the engorged head, Isabella squatted over the stiff, upright prick, then lowered her pussy onto it.
 
Vlad and Isabella both shuddered when the vampire count's shaft drove up into his wife's vagina.  Isabella rested her cool palms upon Vlad's chest, leaning against him as she started thrusting forward with her alluring hips, forcing Vlad's cock deep into her belly.  Vlad reached up to squeeze Isabella's tits, pumping up with his pelvis, stabbing his shaft into his wife's tight cunt. Isabella threw back her head, panting harshly, her long hair a gleaming black veil that flowed down her pale back.  Isabella stretched out over Vlad, her warm breasts pressed down upon the vampire's heaving chest, her slender arms wrapped around his neck.  The vampires kissed, a hot, sensual embrace that lasted an eternity.  Isabella's hips thrust faster, Vlad's cock swelled within his wife's moist pussy.  Isabella rested her chin atop Vlad's head, his lips pressed against her throat as they both orgasmed, their bodies trembling, overcome with bliss.
 
Vlad draped the covers over both of their bodies.  Isabella snuggled close to Vlad, her fingers tracing over his chest, her cheek resting against his shoulder.
 
"If you can travel, we should head back to the front tomorrow.  I can't allow the Empire to mobilize."
 
"Where you go, I will follow.  I never want to leave your side again."
 
"I couldn't bear it," smiled Vlad, kissing Isabella's wet hair tenderly.
 
The vampires fell into an exhausted, wonderful sleep.  Vlad hugged his wife to him, happy for the first time in centuries.
******