It pained him to see her walk away, and not be able to do or say anything to stop her. It had been years since he had seen her, touched her, felt her, known her every luscious curve.  She was young then, obsessed with the werewolf and vampire lore, stories, tales, legends, whatever knowledge he could share with her.  He remembered the peace he would feel talking about them; he separated truth from legend, for he had lived it, and sharing with her had made him feel... What?

So, he had told her of his life, and of the lives he had lived. She took them all in as a child might, and truth be told he enjoyed the wonder that reflected in her gaze as he spoke.  He realized that he had loved her then. This world was not meant for a love like theirs; vampire and human, and thoroughly seen to it that their love was dashed.  He had left her then, making a point to never see her again; yet here he was, with his love, and helpless.

    Leinad couldn't believe the power she now wielded. How did she get it?  Where had she gotten it from? How could he seize it and take it for his own? First he had to free himself, but seeing the most powerful dragon and werewolf forced into submission, and chained gave him little hope of that.  His vampiric powers were no longer his; he could not try compulsion or transformation in his present state of hunger. When he had tried shortly after being captured, had ravaged his body with a pain so intense that he couldn't bear it.

He looked to Grimore, once more meeting the Dragon's stare, and what he saw there both terrified and amazed him - the Dragon, as powerful as he was, seemed resigned to his fate. That was all Leinad could read within his eyes, his gaze almost seemed as if at least part of him had already died.

    The sounds of excited chatter and numerous footsteps interrupted Leinad's thoughts. They came from behind him, from the far end of the grand hall; it took a few moments for the owners of the sound to come into view.  The "nobility" that entered was a ragtag looking group; none wore the fancy garb one would think befitted their noble births, each wore plain, grey robes.  This was not a surprise, man's predators had reduced the dukes and their houses to little more than underground keeps that hid from the demons of the night. Ever fearful of the fangs and jaws of the dragons and wolves during the day.  Great estates and manors sprawled across the countryside like cast aside bones, unkempt and uninhabited, along with the towns and villages they used to oversee.  Mankind had been reduced to a rodents' existence; fearful of the moon, sun, and stars.

    The talking died out as the dukes and their wives noticed the chained predators of man. Their eyes flitted about nervously, their discomfort apparent.  They each had varying degrees of fear in their eyes, but hatred could be seen in them as well.  They filed in as couples, holding each others' hands.  There were twelve couples total; all the women showed bulging bellies, each in the later stages of pregnancy.  They formed a circle at the foot of the dais, the couples still holding hands.  The Queen rose from her throne and walked down the stairs to join the circle.

    "Today we take back the world," she began, "Today our children will have a future. No longer are we prey to the hunt, no longer will we live in fear of losing loved ones.  Today we become the hunters."

    The Queen once again looked at her captives.  First she met Leinad's eyes, for a brief instant he saw the eyes of the young woman he had loved so many years ago, but they quickly turned into those of a predator.

She looked at the Werewolf with nothing but contempt and hatred.  Lastly, she looked at the great dragon, Grimore. Their eyes locked onto each other's, the Queen giving him an evil grin.

Leinad watched as the Dragon once again struggled to break the chains that held him.  Dust began to fill the air as the anchors holding the chains to the great columns finally began to crack.  Leinad marveled at the brute strength the beast possessed; the pain the collar was inflicting had to be mind numbing, but the Dragon persisted.

Grimore was going to be free!

**********************

    The circle of humans looked about nervously, they could see the Dragon King was only moments away from freedom.  The Queen moved quickly up the dais to the throne, grabbing for the sword sheathed in its arm.  Just when it seemed like the chains and columns could no longer hold Grimore, he suddenly stopped his struggle. As the chains and columns quieted, Grimore's eyes were fixed on the Alabastar sword that the Queen now held over her head with both hands.

    The blade was magnificent, a gleaming pure white blade that now commanded the room.  Light and reflections moved maddeningly across it, as if each were trying to dance its way off the blade.  The blade dazzled the eye, making any who stared at it too long almost dizzy, but it was also demanding of attention.  The blade was slightly longer than the average broadsword, and menacingly long in the Queen's grip.

A normal broadsword would have had enough weight that the Queen would be straining too hold it, but not this Alabastar sword. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she held it high above her head with no troubles.  The Dragon met her stare once more, this time lowering his head, and slouching his shoulders in defeat.

    All eyes were now transfixed on the Queen, the large room once again silent.  The Queen lowered the sword as she walked down the dais stairs. She once again took her place at the head of the circle.  She stuck the sword in a slit that had been made in the floor specifically for this purpose. The blade sank in a foot or so, leaving the pommel of the sword at even height with the Queen's waist.  Her left hand moved up the hilt and came to rest on the Alabastar Dragon's head that had been forged into the sword.

    "We come to the rebirth as we were at birth!"  The Queen exclaimed, and with these words the dukes and their wives disrobed. They all then joined hands, except for the Queen, who was spinning a spell once more.

    Grimore could feel the air around him hissing and crackling as the Queen's blood magic began it's task.  The anchors holding his chains to the pillars now gave way freeing him, but he still could not move. The collar burned painfully around his neck.  He felt himself being effortlessly lifted though the air, the ornate chains that were still bound to his front and back legs scraped along the ornate floor as he "flew" over head.

The Queen positioned him just a few feet above the nobles' heads. They stared up at him in awe, but he couldn't tell if they were in awe of him, or the Queen and the abominable magic she now wielded. In his mind, he was resisting with all his might, but his body cared not... He was just a giant pig on a spit.

    The Queen had his long serpentine neck craned so he could see the humans beneath his stomach.  The Queen chanted the speech of a spinner and the air around them all hissed and crackled.

    "Let the chains that bind the Dragon now bind the dragons to us. Let their Reckoning begin."

    As she finished saying this, the circle broke and four dukes broke from it. Each grabbed one of the chains that dangled from his legs, the dukes brought the chains back to the circle all members of the circle took a part of his restraints to hold. As the air hissed and crackled again, Grimore felt himself being lowered closer to the circle.  He growled in his mind; if he could only break free now, he would fall and crush them all beneath him.

    "Let the blood of the dragon bind the dragons to your children!"

    With these words, the Queen pulled the sword from the floor. She was staring directly into his eyes as she plunged the sword into him, just beneath the rib cage. Her eyes were more vicious than that of any other predator he had seen in his lifetime. The blade punched effortlessly through his armored scales, and he helplessly watched as his blood spilled down the blade and all over the Queen.

The liquid was quickly showering her naked body in red. Grimore was morbidly surprised by how little pain the blade had caused as she stabbed him with it.  The Queen let go of the sword and started spinning another spell. Suddenly the blade began to cut through him magically, cutting a large circle in his stomach, showering the nobles below in his blood.  The blade cut a complete circle and then dropped from him back into the Queen's hands.

Mortal shock now raged through his body; his breathing was becoming harder and harder until suddenly the circle that she had cut in his scaled armor fell off him.  It clattered loudly to the floor, amidst the nobles. The scale was now in the middle of the circle.  The wound left a large hole in his armor, but shouldn't have been enough to kill him.

But somehow, he felt his life slipping away.  His blood was no longer dripping all over the humans, magically cauterized by the Queen, he was sure. Soon, he was moving once more. This time hovering over the Alabastar throne, before being spun around and placed on the floor once again.  He was positioned behind the throne now, as if guarding it.

    "Your part is all but done Dragon King, your Reckoning and that of you kind has arrived"  She then turned around and addressed the circle that had once again joined hands.

"Let the Dragon scales serve as a vessel for sacrifice."

    Grimore could only watch now, he was going to die, he knew this.  Breathing grew harder and harder, and his vision was beginning to blur.  He longed to have the Alabastar blade to be piercing his scales once again, which was absurd because he knew the blade was the reason he was going to die.  He watched on as each agonizing breath grew shallower and shallower.

    The Queen grabbed the chain and led the Werewolf to the center of the circle, inside the Dragon scale.  The scale was still covered in Dragon's blood, but the Queen walked across it without thought.

    "Let the bones of the werewolf bind the werewolves to your children." She proclaimed.

    The werewolf never looked up; the regal beast cowered at the hands of the Queen.  The Queen took the Alabastar blade and drove it through the werewolf's heart from the back with a behind her back thrust, burying the sword to the hilt.  The she-wolf never moved; once the blade had pierced the heart, the werewolf's fur and skin seared off in bright white flames, leaving only it's bones to fall inside the dragon's scale.  The Queen grabbed the Alabastar sword as bones rained down around it.

    Grimore could barely stay focused now, death was calling to him, beckoning him with a promise of peace.  He looked at Leinad's vampire eyes, frantically searching the faces of the Human nobility, his soulless green eyes still searching for an escape.

Grimore took in another shallow, painful breath; knowing it wasn't the cut that was killing him, but the Alabastar.  Somehow the Queen had bound it to be lethal to Dragons, the only spell that could do it was.... No!  She couldn't have.

No!

No!

She would've committed the most heinous of crimes! She couldn't have... Right?

***************

    Leinad could see where this was going, and knew that it wasn't going to end good for him if he didn't figure something out. Quickly. The scent of blood was invading his nostrils, and it made it hard for him to concentrate; he had never drunk Dragon's blood. The few splashes he had inadvertently gotten only made him crave more.  He could feel the few drops of Dragon essence empowering him; maybe he could try to break his bonds once more. He would wait, the timing would have to be absolutely perfect.

He reached out with his mind to the woman nearest him in the circle; cautiously awaiting the bolt of pain to hit him, but it didn't. He could hear the woman's thoughts, her mind was completely open to his compulsion.  Now it was just a matter of picking the right moment.

He would only have this one woman's help and would need to wait for some sort of break in this ritual.  Perhaps the Queen would lead him to the center of the circle as well?  He could only hope that would give him a chance. All he needed was one.

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."  She walked around the circle of nobles, putting a cut on each hand of each noble, and repeating the words.

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."

    The words were now being chanted by each noble.

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."

    "Let the blood bind the bloods."

"The Reckoning is upon all of us."

Once the Queen finished cutting their hands, she took her place at the head of the circle, holding the sword and chanting as the blood droplets all mingled and the magic snapped and crackled in the air.  The air grew heavier, the darkness thicker, swiftly eating the torch light up as it swept through the room.

The darkness was so thick around the circle that even his undead vision was blinded.  The scent of blood now overpowered all other scents in the room, making Leinad's head spin. The hunger inside of him was now raging, making his fangs throb in pain with the bloods lust.  The hunger made the collar send jolts of pain throughout his body, causing him to writhe in its grip. The agony made it difficult to keep the link with the woman he had compelled, she was the only one with her head turned towards him - watching him in one of his lowest moments.

    "Wait my child, wait.  Our time has not yet come."  He tried to ease her mind, any undue attention might tip the Queen to his plan. The swirling darkness slowly abated, once again leaving the blood soaked humans standing quietly in a circle.

    The Queen now looked over at him, the whites of her eyes a stark contrast from the crimson red that now covered her, she had a demonic aura about her now.  She walked out of the circle and towards him, her eyes never wavered.

Had they been in his bed chamber the scene would have been erotic, a beautiful woman, naked, and soaked in blood making her way towards him.  Involuntarily he opened his mouth wider, his jaws opening monstrously wide.

    "Yes, yes my king," she said as she approached him, "let us all see your true power, the fangs of the vampire king!"

    Leinad felt his fangs growing even longer, the deprivation and all the blood now in the room causing the vampire in him to show even more.  In all his years he had never felt this kinda of thirst, this kind of hunger.  It was maddening, he could no longer keep his focus and lost the link with the woman whom he had compelled.  The Queen spun a spell with her right hand, and then Leinad felt the agony as the magic ripped his upper and lower fangs out, tearing them out by the root from his gaping maw, and into her hand.

    "These are for my children,"  She stated plainly, tossing the bloody fangs into the center of the circle. "Let the fangs bind the vampires to your children."  She continued walking towards him and stopped, half way between him and the circle.

"This is for me." Her hand spun another spell, and then the world changed forever.