A Post Atomic Apocalypse Story

Published: 19 Jun 2014

Prologue

It has been 600 years since the Great War, humans survive in little pockets located in protected valleys as family tribes. The evidence of the terrible battles remain as stark reminders of the horrible energies released by the nuclear bombs. Some of the old cities of the Before People still glow an evil blue at night. The human race was changed, there are a few mutants born each generation, some of them have become permanent parts of The People. Mind reading is fairly common and vampires are an accepted group among The People. Less common are the mystics and the shifters, none of these mutations are evil, just different. Most of the violent mutations, like cannibals and were folk are rare, except for the Wherries, but they live only in the sea and have little to do with those who live on dry land. Ogres are a “mixed breed”, related to the vampires; they are mighty warriors, shunning humans and vampires alike. Most Family Clans of the People have ancestral lands where they live, depending upon the seasons. The birth rate is still very low and infant mortality high, children are precious to The People; to harm a child is a criminal offense, usually resulting in the death of the offender. One such Family Clan is the Grengo People of the High Desert. The Grengo are led by Jacob, The Elder, they migrate from the high valleys to the low desert each fall, where the weather is warmer and return to the high mountains again the next spring. It is fall and winter is fast approaching, Jacob is leading his folk along the ruined roadway of the Before People, headed for the warmer lands of the desert floor. They will spend the winter along the banks of the Sal River, fishing and relaxing from their labors of spring and summer raising corn and vegetables in the rich soils of the mountains.

A BOY IS FOUND

Jacob was leading his folk along the ruined roadway left to them by the Before People; they had been on the move for the last two weeks in their annual trek from the high valleys to their traditional winter home in the warmer lowlands along the banks of the Sal River.

They had just emerged from the Great Gorge of the Sal and would have to circle around the dangerous ruins of the Before People’s city of Phix, before reaching their winter home.

They came up to the crest of a low rise and were confronted by a child. He looked to be about 5 years of age and was dressed in strange clothing of shiny cloth.

He held a walking stick in his hand and it was evident he was a mind-speaker for Jacob heard in his mind, “I am Boy, I wish join with you Jacob of the Sal Folk.”

Jacob sent in return, “What is your mutation, Boy?” He knew that the child would not gain a name until he molted at his majority.

Boy replied, “Mind speak and I am Vampire”.

Jacob was startled, “Vampire? But you are standing in broad daylight!”

Boy replied, “My folk were slaughtered by Weres from Phix, I could not stop them, my Father told me to escape!”

Jacob ran to Boy, like all his folk, he treasured children. He picked up the small boy and hugged him tightly. He sensed this child was a great treasure, indeed, perhaps the greatest treasure he had ever before beheld.

Boy continued, “My gifts are daylight tolerance, speed, mind speak, mind read, mind control and projection.”

Jacob knew instantly that Boy was a great treasure and that his gifts would make him a mighty leader as he gained his adulthood. He also knew that, as a vampire, Boy would live many years beyond a man’s allotted years, he envisioned him as his own successor to leadership of the tribe.

Boy smiled, “Jacob of The Grengo, I have much to learn before I may claim leadership, you will be my teacher. Will you teach me that which I must know to lead our folk, yours and my own, and settle this wild land?”

Jacob asked, “How old are you, Boy?”

Boy replied, “I have 20 winters and am due for my growth spurt.”

Jacob understood immediately what Boy feared, when a vampire entered his growth spurt, he would be in a coma, helpless for several months while he “molted”. He would emerge fully grown and in possession of all his powers and acquire his name.

Many of the vampire folk failed to survive their molt, although he did not know why that was so.

He sensed that this Boy was far more than he seemed and that anyone whom he loved and honored would be rewarded many times over.

Holding Boy in his arms, he returned to his people and announced, “This is Boy, he has been orphaned by the Weres of Phix, under the Laws of The People, I claim Boy as a Son of the Grengo of the Land of Sal and mine own son of my blood. So I have said, so it shall be.”

Several of the older boys were curious, they had never before encountered a vampire nor had they ever seen such clothing as he wore. From his size, they thought him to be a young child, he smiled at them and allowed them to touch his clothing, “My Father found a cache of Before People clothing and she altered them to fit me.” The people had heard rumors that all Vampires were the issue of two males, that female vampires did not exist and that one of the parents was always referred to as “she”.

He pulled several shirts and ‘loons from his pack to show them. The boys had heard of ‘loons, but had never seen such. They “oohed and aahed over the clothing that Boy showed them, but jealousy was not in their nature.

Boy had a pleasing, friendly manner about him, he was readily accepted by the boys of the tribe. They found it difficult to understand that he had the body of a child, but the years of a man.

Boy was a powerful mind speaker and he entertained the young of the tribe by projecting images of great animals before their eyes. He quickly became a favorite of the tribe’s young people.

When they stopped their day’s travel, the boys invited Boy to join them in a game of bis, they were amazed, as he ran around the bases, all they saw was a blur! He became a popular player of the game of bis and was eagerly sought out as a team member.

He assisted in filling the tribe’s larder, his sensitive nose could detect ground tubers, each night, he would deliver an armload of the tubers to be roasted in the fire to add to the tribe’s fare.

The tubers were a great delicacy and highly prized and were an important addition to the tribe’s meager food supplies. The tubers were a vital source of starch, without which, the tribe would fail.

Jacob suspected there was a great deal more that the newcomer could do, he decided to be patient and let Boy develop as a member of the Tribe. Within a few days, Boy was an accepted member of the Sal Folk, mothers looked at him, speculating about him as a mate for their daughters, not knowing that a daughter could not survive being a mate to a vampire.

Boy was the first vampire many of them had ever encountered, vampires had never been very numerous and few were to be found in the area of The Grengo folk. The mothers did not know then, that, as a vampire, his choice of a mate would come from their sons and might be more than one of them!

All vampires were of both sexes, they were males and they also bore children, there were no female vampires. A vampire’s mate was always referred to as “she”, regardless of physical sex and was always Human. A vampire man would bear a child, but it was rare as their birthrate was very low.

Jacob led his people around the ruined city of Phix, giving it a wider distance from the tribe than usual. He wanted no contact with the Were Folk. He had thought them died out, but Boy reported there to be a nest of them in the old city.

They followed the course of the Sal River to where it joined with the Gil River. At that confluence were their traditional winter homes. Each family group had their own adobe home in the winter village and they were happy to arrive.

Unknown to his new folk, Boy had scanned each building to ensure that no Were folk lurked, waiting to attack an unwary Sal Folk. He detected no threats to his new people.

Jacob stood watching Boy and he said, “You scanned the village, didn’t you?”

Boy replied, “Yes, your folk are now mine own folk and I will protect them as if they were my own self.”

Jacob asked, “What is your range?”

Boy replied, “More than a day’s walk for a man. I may call even further, but I will gain my full power when I molt.”

The Sal Folk settled in for their winter stay, vegetable patches were replanted and the weary men were glad to be shed of their heavy loads of grains and foodstuffs.

Jacob noticed that Boy had stopped eating and had a faraway look in his eyes. His hands shook a bit and he jumped at every noise. He guessed its cause and asked Boy, “Is it time, does your molt approach?”

Boy replied, “Yes, I must prepare my place.”

Boy bricked up a small closet and one morning, he announced, “My growth spurt is upon me, I must seek a dark place in solitude. I will be gone from you for two months and will return in my fully adult self.”

He climbed into the closet and bricked up the hole behind himself. He had made special friends of Alin and Jeri and they volunteered to guard their friend until he emerged. Jacob suspected that one or both human boys would be Boy’s mates and he was proud, those boys were his own nephews.

The two teens alternated standing guard that Boy not be disturbed. Every once in a while, they felt a powerful mind brush across their own, they knew it to be Boy and they shivered in expectation as Boy had explained to them who and what he is to be.

Jacob saw to it that the teens received their meals and made sure they had water during their guard periods as they would never leave Boy’s side then nor anytime in the future, except, perhaps, were Boy to send them on an errand.

Jacob knew of the legends concerning vampires and how they mated, he suspected that Alin or Jeri would be mate to Boy, little did he realize, that office would fall to both of them! That was unknown to humans at that time.

Alin and Jeri felt Boy’s mind grow more powerful and at night, in the dark, they saw a glowing nimbus of light and energy seeping from between the bricks of the closed in closet. They had placed their bedrolls on the floor before the opening that Boy had entered and one of them would be there day and night at any time Boy might need them.

As time passed, both teens began having erotic dreams and they realized that Boy knew of their love for him and accepted them both as his mates. They were in tears each time Boy’s love swept their minds.

Spring comes early on the desert floor, the yellow trees were beginning to bud out and the green trees already had flowers beginning to open. Both Alin and Jeri sensed a feeling of urgency flowing from the closet and they were both standing there as a brick was shoved out of the wall, then another and another until a man-sized hole appeared.

Through the hole a fully grown man crawled and stood before them, with a nimbus of energy circling his head.

It was, of course, Boy, he was now easily the tallest man of the Grengo Folk, his shoulders broad and huge hands, made for grasping a sword.

His clothing had split and torn, he stood before them, naked and as a new being, full of power and radiating a fearsome energy. He smiled at them as Alin brought him a blanket to cover his nakedness, although he knew that both boys looked upon him with eagerness and joy.

Boy said, “Thank you, Alin and Jeri, I claim you both as my mates, will you accept?”

The two were speechless; they could only nod their heads.

He hugged and kissed them both, then he led them from the room and out of the small house, where the Grengo Folk had assembled. The tremendous release of energy had alerted the entire tribe that Boy had survived his molt and was now an adult vampire. No living member of the tribe had ever seen a living vampire and only Jacob knew of the entirety of the legends that surrounded them.

Boy stood before his people, his fangs dropped and his eyes glowing ruby red as he announced, “I am now Troy and I claim Jeri and Alin as my mates, know that they are beloved by me and I shall protect them with all my powers. Know, also, you are my folk, you also will I so protect.” I will grow more and my final name is yet unknown to me.

He then turned to his two mates and said, “My Loves, I must go into Phix and reclaim my father’s Great Sword, this I must do alone for it is my great inheritance. Wait for me here so that I know you are safe until my return.”

He wrapped the blanket around his waist like a kilt and strode off, towards the Before People city of Phix.

THE GREAT SWORD

Troy strode off heading for the ruins of Phix. As a mature vampire, he was not affected by the blue radiation emitted by the ruins and there was naught that could harm him.

He cast his scan before him, almost hoping to encounter a Were, the beings that had destroyed his birth family. His birth family was not as those of his new folk, for he had two Fathers, he who birthed him and his father’s mate.

His birth Father was Jorl and his mate was Kel. Jorl was vampire and endowed with great strength and powers. Kel was a gentle human man, kind and talented, neither had deserved the awful death visited upon them by the pack of Weres.

The further into the ruined city Troy traveled, the greater his anger became, he began to recognize landmarks and he knew he was nearing the place of his early childhood. His temper served only to heighten his senses and remind him of his great loss.

The evil scent of Weres hung heavy in the air, like the musk of the striped shooter. As he approached the building where he had begun life, he scanned it and detected hated Weres nesting in his old home! His anger rose to fever pitch and the air about him began to glow red!

In his great strength, he twisted off a length of stel (the Before People called it steel) from a ruined building, swinging it like a monstrous metal club. He entered the Were Nest, slicing Were Folk into pieces as he went. He left a trail of dead Weres, none survived his passage through the nest.

They never had a chance, as Troy progressed through the Nest, that great piece of building stel crushed skulls, chopped off limbs and broke backs of the evil creatures who had destroyed his Family. Back and forth through the Nest he raged, until no Were remained among the living, the entire pack lay at his feet, dead and in pieces, for, even among the vampire, Troy was incredibly huge and powerful. He already knew that he was destined for greatness.

He searched the building, looking for his Father’s secret room and praying that no Were had discovered its secrets, he shoved the disgusting parts of the broken Weres aside in his search for the treasure entrusted to him by his father.

He finally found the room and he pressed the several bricks that controlled the locking mechanism as his Father had taught him so long ago.

The stel wall slide aside and he was able to enter the room that had guarded his patrimony since he had been sent away for his own safety. There, he found his Father’s Great Sword and a supply of clothing, made by his “Mother” Kel. Troy was larger than his own Father, but the clothing fit perfectly, Kel had known that their son would the largest and greatest Vampire to have ever lived!

There was a letter in the pocket of the ‘Loons, he pulled it out and opened it.

Morg/Troy folded the parchment and returned it to the pocket in his ‘loons. He had much to think about and now he only wished to return to those who loved him, waiting beside the Sal River for his return.

He left the building of dead Weres and started off at a fast lope. As it started getting dark, he saw that the Great Sword emitted a red glow, if he held it in his hand, the glow grew bright. When he returned it to the scabbard that was belted at his waist, the glow dimmed. When he held the Great Sword, he could feel power and authority radiate through his entire body.

His long strides brought him to the Village of the Grengo Folk just as the communal meal was being served, Jacob looked up to see Troy stride into their circle with a Great Sword hanging at his hip. He saw it glowing red and the legends came back to him, he KNEW who and what the young Vampire was! He knelt before Troy and said, “My Lord, I am thy servant, command me.”

Troy lifted him up saying, “My true name is Prince Morg, but to you, my friends and people, I will remain Troy to you.”

He hugged Jacob and asked him, “Will you remain as my Father, for I have no other?”

Jacob returned Troy’s hug and could only nod his head yes, his face was covered with his own tears. Not since the fall of the terrible bombs had there been a Royal Vampire amongst them!

Troy pulled Alin and Jeri to him and announced, “I am Prince Morg, leader of the Vampire Race, my mates, Alin and Jeri remain my mates and, for now, I wish you all to call me Troy. Now, let us eat and nourish our bodies and souls.”

THE VAMPIRE KINGDOM

Troy began a campaign to make the land safe for his folk and all humans. He led the young men and teens in exercises, making them coordinated warriors. With his great strength, he forged weapons made from metals scavenged from the ruined city. The weapons were like none the folk had ever seen before and only a few could wield the great swords that The Vampire Prince had made for them.

From their winter village, he led them to eradicate the Were Folk, wherever they found them, the few vampires they encountered, recognized the Great Sword and swore fealty to Prince Morg, otherwise he remained Troy to them all.

By the time they were ready to return to their mountain valley, the tribe had doubled in size. Jacob tried to turn over leadership to Troy, who would have none of it. Jacob was the tribe’s Leader!

Alin and Jeri gained in stature and studied under Troy, learning tactics and leadership. They were also his lovers and most important treasures. Whether it was natural or their close association with the Vampire Prince, both young men grew taller, were stronger and faster than their fellows of the tribe. Like their Prince, they were both mild mannered and given to great kindness, until they were angered!

The women clucked about it being such a waste, but Jacob reminded them that Troy was not human and should not be judged as one. Still, The Prince was a handsome man and the girls and young women looked upon him with hunger in their eyes. More than a few of their brothers yearned to be a companion to The Prince.

Their trek back to their mountain home took them through other valleys inhabited by other humans. In each, Troy was recognized as Prince Morg, knowledge of his survival and acquiring of all his powers spread from tribe to tribe, faster than the wind could blow.

He left squads of his warriors to train and protect the villagers. Even though he had destroyed the Were Nest of Phix, there remained many dangers that could destroy them. There were still cannibals, weres, rogue ogres and dangerous animals living in the secluded mountains. Even criminal humans were a threat to their survival.

He was delighted when a vampire, Gorp, gave birth to a vampire child. This was a rare circumstance. The child of a Vampire would not have all the characteristics that one like Prince Morg would have, but such a being as Morg, was believed to be pure and noble.

As he gathered his folk, the vampire community within them grew and by the end of the summer season, there were four young vampire toddlers. The vampire children grew fast, in their first five years they grew to child size, walking and playing; after that age, they would grow no more until they entered molt. Still, however, Prince Morg had not produced an heir!

As winter approached, the Tribe of Jacob again trekked down the mountains to their winter homes. As they passed the ruins of Phix, Prince Morg scanned deep into the ancient ruins, but he sensed no Were Kind lurking there. When he swept the outskirts of Phix, he was stunned, he sensed a group of young vampires, not yet entered into molt! He sensed they were alone and had no protection of adult Vampires.

He called his folk to stop and he ran into the city, searching for the adolescent vampires he had sensed. In the suburb of Mes, he discovered the group of young vampire huddled before a fire. They were frightened and hungry, they had not eaten in days and they were unwilling to drink the blood of the few humans living nearby. Only a rogue Vampire would do such a thing and they would rather die that go rogue! It was not common knowledge that even immature Vampires could drink blood, even though their fangs were not fully formed.

Morg stepped into the firelight, his Great Sword glowing in his hand. The youngsters recognized the sword of legend and knelt before their Prince, “Lord Prince, we have not eaten in days and we wish not to feed upon the humans who have helped and protected us. We beg assistance from you, Lord Prince. We have been searching for you since our families were overrun by weres and cannibals.”

Troy asked, “From where do you come?”

The young vampire who seemed to be their leader replied, “Lord Prince, I am Dax and we are from the city of Vega in the north”

There were 12 youngsters huddled around the fire, shivering in misery and hunger. He called them to him and hugged each, “Come with me, my folk will feed and care for you and also your humans.”

He turned, looking at the humans who had cared for the young vampires and said, “I am Morg, Prince of Vampires, you have my gratitude and thanks for saving these young vampires. Come, and join my folk, be an honored part of us.”

Some of the young vampires were so weak, they had to be carried. When they entered the camp of the Folk of Grengo, the same Mothers who had proclaimed it a waste, gathered the suffering young vampires to them and cared for them.

They waited until the youngsters had regained their strength before proceeding to the confluence with the Gil River. By the time they had reached their winter homes, the young vampires had begun to gain weight and the haunted look on their faces was only a bad memory.

Prince Morg began to piece their story together, there had been a Colony of Vampires on the other side of the Great River Col and they had been overrun by a gang of rogue weres, ogres and renegade humans. Of the twelve young vampires, only four were about to enter molt. He decided to wait until the four gained their majority and then he would gather his forces and act.

As the four young vampires entered molt, Troy trained his warrior troops in mock battle, back and forth across the flat desert. They learned tactics and coordination as well as gained strength and stature. As they gained confidence in themselves, human leaders began to emerge.

He sat down with the leaders and told them what had been done to the Folk of Vega; that the surviving humans had been enslaved and the Vampires murdered. Anger ran high among the men of the Tribe, they considered Morg and his people their cousins and brothers!

By the time the four youngsters had attained majority by emerging from molt, the warrior troop were eager to be off to avenge what had been inflicted upon the Vampire Community and free the humans from slavery.

They marched north, crossing the Gorge of the Col River by climbing over the ruins of a once great dam. They followed the road built by the Before People, the recently adult vampires directing their way across the desert.

They reached the city of Vega, ruins of former great towers, tall buildings and broad streets. There did not appear to be any blue radiation, so their Human Warriors would be safe, all were eager to right this terrible wrong done to innocent folk.

After several days of careful scouting, they mapped out the concentrations of the attackers. They had separated into diverse communities, one folk not being able to get along with another folk.

The Were Folk, being the largest group, was first on the list. During the dark of the night, Troy led his combined forces into the ruined city and encircled the Were camp. As the sun broke over the eastern mountains, they attacked, the only ones not involved were a few Vampires unable to withstand the strong sunlight. These were the Vampires who had come from two Vampire Parents, a very rare thing among their kind.

They fell upon the confused Were Folk, leaving none to tell any tales. They piled the bodies of the dead Weres and burned them, taking no chances that some of their DNA might survive.

They withdrew, leaving the broken bodies of the Were smoldering where they had been tossed, with no clue as to what had happened. When allies of the Were discovered the massacre, they were frightened, but had no idea in which direction to run, nor what had been the agency of the disaster.

Each racial contingent withdrew to their own encampments in fear of the unknown. Cooperation among the wild races was rare and trust did not exist at all.

The next night, Prince Morg’s forces surrounded the encampment of the ogres, again leaving only burned dead bodies as evidence of their meeting.

The now thoroughly frightened cannibals and renegade humans decided to band together and remain vigilant during the night. It would not help them when their worst nightmares came visiting.

Prince Morg held his forces back for three nights, doing nothing. By then, the combined cannibal and renegade forces were exhausted, having had no sleep for several days and food was becoming scarce.

On the fourth night, the attackers’ forces crept up into surrounding buildings and tossed stones down upon the forces guarding the encampment. By daylight, the defenders were totally worn out, chasing rolling stones and debris, thinking they were being attacked. Just as the defenders were dropping into their bed, hoping for a little rest during the daylight hours, Prince Morg’s Warriors attacked, having no mercy, no cannibal nor renegade survived. They did not know that Vampires could withstand direct sunlight of the day.

They discovered three young vampires who were in the process of being tortured. The youngsters were near death, The Vampire Prince ordered that some of the fresh renegade corpses be drained of their blood and the three young vampires be given the blood to drink.

It saved the youngster’s lives, but forced molt upon them before their time.

The three were gently placed in light proof litters and were carried back to the Grengo Village, where the humans stood watch over them. The three young vampires successfully emerged from molt, but would live out their lives much smaller than their brethren because of their enforced early molt and their lifespans would be shortened.

Stories of deeds performed by Prince Morg and his Warriors circulated among the Human Communities and every village they passed on their way to their mountain home pledged fealty to Prince Morg’s rule. With the destruction of the predator groups, those few remaining found it safer to hide or leave the area. In either case, attacks on the human communities lessoned and finally stopped. The Human communities were remembering the ancient bond between themselves and the Vampire Folk. They wanted that safety returned to them.

Prince Morg set about creating a government, he announced a great assembly would meet at the summer solstice and that representatives were to be chosen from every village in proportion to their population. Each racial group was to be represented by at least one delegate for every 100 individuals. The Congress of Delegates would meet on the Plains of Flor and they would create a government under Prince Morg.

On the appointed day, 150 delegates sat in Congress under the shade of ancient sycamore trees along the banks of the Gil River. At the first meeting, Morg spoke, “I am Prince Morg, sometimes known as Troy. I am the hereditary ruler of the Vampire Folk in this land. It is time to put aside our squabbling and raise our peoples back to the heights of civilization. It has been 600 years since the Human Folk fought their great wars, it has been 600 years since the light of civilization shone upon our lands. It has been 600 years since our peoples went to bed at night, safe and secure, with full bellies and clean beds. It has been 600 years since our children have been safe, educated and clothed. I say that is long enough! We say that we are free, but I ask you, what is freedom when our children cry of hunger, what is freedom when we are being chased by cannibals or the Were Folk? I have led a great Army to defeat the Were Folk, the Cannibals, and the Human Renegades. If we do nothing, they will come back and maybe next time we cannot defeat them. I propose we form a Congress of all our peoples to create a lasting and just civilization, one that will protect our children, one that will protect ourselves and one to gather all our peoples together, working for the good of all.”

Jacob stood and asked to be recognized. When the delegates quieted, Jacob began to speak, “I am Jacob, leader of the Grengo tribe. I have known Prince Morg since he was a small pre-molt child named Boy. I have watched him become an adult Vampire whom we called Troy, watched him become a leader of vampire and humans without discrimination of either. He has worked for the welfare and freedom of us all. He has led our people in peace and war and I have watched as he has treated us all with honor, with dignity and with integrity. I, Jacob of the Grengo propose that we form this government under the Leadership of Prince Morg for the benefit of us all!”

There were shouts from many of the delegates agreeing with Jacob. Dax stood, “I am Dax, leader of the Vampire survivors of Vega. Prince Morg rescued my folk as he tended our hurts and fed us all. He asked that we join him and we did. He gave us no preference, no handouts, nor better treatment over others. He insisted we earn our own way and we did. Some of us became leaders of our combined Warriors, while others were foot soldiers among those same Warriors. He rewarded us in the same manner as he rewarded Human Warriors and he chastised us too. I stand behind OUR Prince, not as another Vampire but Prince of ALL the peoples of our land, united against our common foes, united for the good of all our peoples, be they Vampire or Human for surely united we cannot fail.”

When the vote was taken, only Prince Morg’s name was on the ballots, he was the leader of a combined nation, Human and Vampire. Another folk would join them later.

THE KINGDOM OF AZ

Prince Morg, known intimately as Troy, set about forming his government. He chose Jacob of the Grengo as his Chief Minister, Dax as the Leader of the Warriors. He chose Mac of the Gil Folk as Minister of Children’s Affairs and Tor of the Tuc Tribes as Minster of Food and Farming.

That was sufficient to get his new government going, more could be appointed later if the need arose.

He chose the Village of Ora as the seat of his new government, it was central to the inhabited area of the tribes and could be inhabited both in the summer and in the winter.

As Prince Morg, he worked diligently for the good of all his people and he insisted that parents send their children to schools. Both Human and Vampire children must attend school he decreed, they must learn to read and write and do numbers. He traveled constantly, visiting the villages of his people, Human and Vampire, his constant companions, Alin and Jeri accompanied him wherever he went.

At each village he sat in judgment for those who had complaints against another, all his decisions were deemed fair and reasonable by all parties. He encouraged all his people to improve their lot, build sturdy homes and try different food crops.

A band of wild cattle were discovered in the mountains and he led his Warriors to herd the cattle into pens that they might provide his people with milk and meat. Slowly, the folk, Human and Vampire, turned from their nomad way of life and became more settled.

He was just finishing a judgment of complaint, one tribe against the other in a dispute over farming land. As he stood, he was hit with terrible pains, so intense he was brought to his knees.

He knew immediately its cause. Alin and Jeri ran to him, their fear plain on their faces. As he gasped for breath, he saw the terrified looks on his lovers’ faces, as well as those in attendance.

In spite of his pain, he stood as said to all, “It is not a problem, I am to bear a son very soon!” The few humans who knew of the family matters of Vampires, told those in attendance of what to expect. Many Humans were shocked and few truly understood, but all rushed forward to help this Great Man who had done so much for them.

Alin and Jeri helped their partner into bed and covered him up. Jeri sat with him while Alin hurried to the kitchens for hot water and clean towels. This was to be a reverse birth, but, as long as one parent was human and the other Vampire, the child would be Vampire and be of great power.

Jacob, as Chief Minister, stood in the Prince’s stead as they awaited the birth of the Heir. He had to explain that all vampires were male, even though they gave birth, the heir would also be a son.

In the small hours of the morning, Prince Gard was delivered by Alin and Jeri. They stood at the door with the new Prince that all might see him. Someone noted that the child had Alin’s features and the bright red hair of Jeri. Few knew the intimate details of Vampire conception, those that did know, did not find it strange at all.

The Kingdom of AZ had an heir!

TBC

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