Historians from the Kush Empire will say that I'm a liar, but I don't care. What do these shmucks who call themselves scholars and archivists of ancient Africa know anyway? They read about events from way before their time, and ponder their significance, while I was actually there, experiencing that of which I speak. And don't you or anyone else dare to call me a traitor, either. Some of the world's greatest patriots have been called traitors...

This is the tale of how I, Utatrerses, the son of a Kushite noblewoman who legally married an Axumite Prince, was dispossessed of my rightful paternal inheritance through my maternal uncle Izar's treachery. This atrocity was done with the complicity of the so-called Imperial Court of Kush. This happened during the reign of Empress Makeda, the legendary Queen of Sheba, who reigned over the Kushite Empire between 1005 and 950 B.C.

Long before I was transformed into what I am today, a creature that walks by night and drinks the blood of the living, I was a mortal man who despised the Kush Empire. And now that I'm Immortal, my hatred of all things Kushite has grown a thousand-fold. Most of my fellow Immortals believe that I should put aside my anger, and move on. I believe in settling accounts, and where we have been, and what we have done, why, those are the things that make us who we are. Without further ado, I have a tale to share with you...

"Utatrerses, what are you, taking a nap? Those rocks aren't going to crush themselves," snapped Abu-Kar, the burly, mahogany-hued Kushite Overseer. At six-foot-six, Abu-Kar was a couple of inches taller than me, and much larger. Built like an ox, that one. The man's bulk and harsh, ugly face intimidated many among the Prisoners, myself included. I had witnessed the Overseer's brutality on many occasions, and had no desire to experience it for myself.

Like all the Prisoners at Napata's largest Prison, I have been conscripted into the service of Her Majesty, Empress Makeda of Kush. Whether I like it or not, my task is to improve the roads leading into the mountains of Kush, a treacherous network of roads linking the Capital of Napata with its lesser rival, the City of Meroe. Such is the fate that has befallen me, following my fall from grace...

"Yes, milord," I replied, and Abu-Kar's dark-skinned, rough-hewn face glared at me, a mask of contempt. I saw raw hatred in his obsidian eyes, and sighed with apprehension. Towering, dark and massively muscled, with a shaven head and a thick beard, Abu-Kar used to be a soldier in the Kushite Imperial Army. How he became an Overseer in Napata's Prison is anyone's guess. I think the Kushite Imperial Army fellows got tired of this ugly, mindless brute and sent him to inflict himself on less fortunate souls, such as myself.

"Mock me again, Utatrerses, and I'll flay you alive," Abu-Kar replied, his stentorian voice causing me to wince, though I casually shrugged and resumed my task. I wanted to tell the brute to go mate with a cow, but I kept my mouth shut. With a large sledgehammer, I continued to hammer away at the rocks, with the merciless African sun at my back. Sometimes I wonder what I did to offend Aspelta, the deified King of Kush by which most of my countrymen swear, to deserve such a fate...

"Utatrerses, I think the Overseer is in love with you, all he wants to do is give you some tender loving care," came a voice dripping with laughter. I turned to look at my fellow Prisoner, a young man named Her-Si, originally from the land of Punt. Tall and slender, with wavy dark hair and dark brown skin, Her-Si resembled the people of Axum, my father's people. Axum and Punt are right next to each other, although the two nations historically haven't gotten along...

"Mind your own business, Her-Si, I'm not in the mood," I snapped, as I wiped sweat from my brow. Her-Si laughed and continued to chip away at the mountainside, and I paused for a moment. Everywhere I looked, I saw hard-bodied men at work. Scores of Prisoners, numbering in the hundreds, busily rebuilding the lengthy mountainside road separating the City of Napata from the City of Meroe. My fellow Prisoners, toiling away under the mercilessly hot sun...

Fate brought these unfortunate men here, like the pitiless mistress that she is and always shall be. Most of these men were wayward citizens of the Kush Empire, whose crimes were deemed serious enough to merit Prison time but not serious enough to warrant more severe punishments such as being decapitated, sold into slavery, or turned into eunuchs and sent into the sex trade. Come to think of it, there are worse things than being a Prisoner, after all...

Life wasn't always like this for me. Truly unfortunate circumstances brought me to this low point. My father, Tigray of the Kingdom of Axum, was a Prince among his people and a major trader of oils, spices and slaves. He traded with the Kush Empire so much that he ended up marrying a Kushite woman, my mother Nabila. The two of them settled in a seaside villa near the City of Napata, Capital of the Kushite Empire.

I grew up wealthy and privileged, in our large, beautiful villa by the sea, with many servants. My father Prince Tigray doted on me, and I attended the best schools. Scholars from places like Axum, and Egypt, came to our household, to teach me about mathematics, geography, and history. I learned how to use a sword and a spear from a formidable teacher named Marok, once a chieftain among the ruthless Afar people, who roam a wasteland close to the Kushite border. All was well, until my father's death. That's when everything started to go wrong...

My mother's proud Kushite family, especially her brother Izar, an ambitious Kushite nobleman, never approved of her marriage to a foreigner from the Kingdom of Axum. My mother Nabila violated many taboos when she accepted my father Prince Tigray's marriage offer, and her brother Izar never truly forgave her for it. In the old days, just like today, most families did not like giving their daughters away to foreign men. I never gave the matter much thought, until the day my life changed...

My father Prince Tigray of Axum passed away due to illness during the eighteenth summer of my life, and by all rights, I should have inherited everything, as befitting the laws of the time. In the Kushite Empire, the eldest son of a household inherits everything after his father's passing, including any titles and properties. That's not what happened in my case...

"You are a half-blood, Utatrerses, a mongrel, and not a true Kushite, so your mother's property falls to me, her oldest male relative," said my uncle Izar, the day after my father Prince Tigray's funeral. I looked at the burly, dark-skinned, bald-headed and silver-goateed Kushite nobleman, and paused. For a moment, I thought he had spoken in jest, but when I looked into his chocolate eyes, I saw that the man was dead serious...

"Uncle Izar, I do not understand your sense of humor, my father Prince Tigray of Axum left me this property and the one in the City of Meroe, and you were there when he signed the deed over to me," I protested, and Uncle Izar laughed merrily. I started toward him, but he nodded at Ra-Mon and Hal-Tan, a couple of burly Kushite laborers attached to my father's household, and the two of them seized me. I watched as Uncle Izar pulled a scroll from his robes, and displayed it before my face.

"This deed? Oh, Utatrerses, it is no more," Uncle Izar said, and he ripped the scroll apart before my very eyes. I screamed in anger, and Hal-Tan and Ra-Mon took me away. I screamed, demanding to see my mother. As I was led away, everyone in the household stood by and watched. I looked at these men and women whom I had known my entire life. Our family's cooks, cleaners, gardeners, and shepherds, and I wondered if any of them would fetch my mother. Surely as lady of the household, she would put an end to this travesty...

"This foreign lad has assaulted my person, hold him until the gendarmerie arrives to take him to Prison," Izar shouted, and as I was led away in shackles from my own household, I swore revenge upon him. Thus I was taken to Napata's Prison, and condemned to ten years of hard labor. Such is the fate of foreign men who offend the sensibilities of Kushite citizens in their own homeland.

In matters of justice, the Imperial Court of Kush could hardly be expected to side with a foreigner over one of their own. Empress Makeda, the Holy Kandake, supreme ruler of the Kush Empire, claimed to be a fair-minded woman, but I saw the way she and the other assembled nobles looked at me the day I walked into court. They looked at me and saw a foreigner.

I kind of knew what to expect, but hope still burned in my heart, until narrowed eyes and downturned lips greeted me at the Imperial Court of Kush. Their minds were made up before my Counsel could open his mouth. Except that I considered myself a Kushite, since my mother Nabila is a Kushite woman. Evidently, the fact that my father Prince Tigray was an Axumite made me a veritable mongrel in the eyes of the Kushite Judiciary, who sided with my Uncle Izar in this unfortunate family dispute...

That night, as I lay on my cot, inside my cell, I thought of all the twists and turns that my life has taken. Five years had gone by since Uncle Izar stole my property and my good name from me. I wasted away in Prison. My mother and so-called cousins never visited me. I knew they'd forsaken me, since I was a half-blood and not a true Kushite. The source of their hatred mystified me. My father Prince Tigray was always kind and generous in his dealings with my mother's people. For them to betray his memory like this made me seethe with anger...

"One day I will get out of here and avenge my father," I said to myself, as I rested. Dark times awaited the Kushite Empire, and this time, the empire faced a threat it had never encountered before. The Imperial Army of Kush has defeated marauders from Punt, warriors from Axum, raiders from the Afar, and even pirates from the Persian world. The Kushite people, whom I was starting to despise, thought themselves invincible. Little did they know that not all threats to the great empires of man come from man's world...

Long before the Plague of the Blood Drinkers made its way to the City of Napata, it began in the Kushite countryside. People from small towns and villages started disappearing, and then they returned home, unnaturally changed, and fixated on drinking the blood of family members and friends. I remember my first encounter with a Blood Drinker. Believe me, it's not the sort of thing one easily forgets...

After a long day of road-building, I was almost looking forward to returning to Napata's Prison. For some reason, the Overseers kept us at work far longer than our usual schedule, and it was getting dark. A major storm hit us, and a torrential downpour ravaged our camp. They herded us like sheep under enormous tents, still in shackles, once it became evident that we would not be able to return to Napata that night. That was the night the Blood Drinkers came...

Partially hidden from the others at the very back of the tent, my erstwhile companion Her-Si and I diverted ourselves the old-fashioned way, if you know what I mean. As a wealthy young nobleman in my halcyon days in Napata, I enjoyed the charms of both women and men. As a Prisoner, I struggled to remember what a beautiful woman looked and felt like. Her-Si, for all of his imperfections, offered me my only release from my sexual frustrations...

"You've missed me, I can tell," Her-Si said, and the tall, slender and handsome Axumite pulled me close, and kissed me. I kissed him back, and just like that, we began making love. Her-Si grabbed my manhood and stroked it, and then took me into his mouth. I felt myself harden as Her-Si sucked my penis and fingered my asshole. Smiling, I relaxed and enjoyed as my lover and fellow Prisoner brought me immense pleasure...

"Yes, I have, you handsome cur," I replied, and Her-Si licked his lips, and continued sucking my penis. When I came, the handsome Axumite sucked every last drop of my cum, and then we continued with our fun. In spite of our bindings, Her-Si and I rolled around in the dirt, making love without a care in the world. I had long stopped caring what our fellow Prisoners thought of our nightly sessions...

"Come here, Utatrerses," Her-Si said, grinning and stroking his long and thick member as I drew even closer to him. I took his face into my hands and kissed him, and then my hands roamed all over Her-Si's hard, muscular body. I grabbed his cock, and stroked it. As Her-Si smiled and nodded, I took his engorged member into my mouth and began sucking on it. Her-Si sighed happily as I sucked him off, loving the way his thick member smelled and tasted...

"Are you ready for me?" I teased Her-Si as I climbed on top of him. Her-Si's hands went to my hips as I lowered myself onto him, and he thrust into me. I grimaced as I felt his manhood split my ass apart, and he penetrated me. I welcomed the delicious pleasure and oh-so wicked pain as Her-Si fucked me with gusto, tearing my ass up and making me his. Hard and fast he fucked me, with wild abandon, until I could not take it anymore and came, for the second time that night...

"You're always teasing me with this beautiful ass of yours," Her-Si whispered into my ear as he propped me on all fours and continued fucking me. I grunted, relaxing my anal muscles as I felt his thick cock invade my ass. I stroked my own cock, which was incredibly hard, so aroused I was by what Her-Si was doing to me. The handsome Axumite stud drilled his cock into me, and I screamed in passion, as we explored our masculine passions. We didn't let up until well into the evening...

"I know I kept you around for a reason," I said to Her-Si, and he smiled and kissed me, and then we went to sleep. Without caring what anyone else thought, we fell asleep into each other's arms. Her-Si gets on my nerves sometimes with his sarcastic, biting sense of humor, but we were lovers and I cherished him greatly. I despised my existence as an inmate in Napata's Prison, but it would have been much worse if I were alone. As I fell asleep with Her-Si's arms around me, I did not know that this would be our last night together...

"Ow, let go of me," Her-Si cried out, and I bolted awake, to find the camp in utter chaos, with people everywhere screaming and running for their lives. I looked up, to see my Her-Si screaming, struggling against a living shadow that gripped him from behind. I tried to help him, but the shadow lashed out and struck me. I flew and crashed ten meters away. When I finally got back to my feet, Her-Si lay on the ground, and the shadow crept on top of him, its mouth at his throat...

"Let go of my lover," I screamed, and I grabbed a large rock, and threw it at the shadow. The rock struck it at the back of its head, and the shadow turned to look at me, crimson eyes filled with malevolence seizing me up. The creature let go of Her-Si, and came for me. I drew my arm back, ready to strike it. From my old trainer Marok, I learned the basics of boxing and wrestling, and thusly knew how to fight without weapons...

"You will pay for this," the shadow hissed, and there was a definite feminine timbre to its voice. The creature launched itself at me, and before I could strike it, it was upon me. We tumbled on the ground, and a fierce struggle ensued. The creature got on top of me, and sank its fangs into my neck. That's when my world ended, and I left the mortal world and its foibles behind...

When I came to, a few days later, I woke up in darkness, buried as I was in the dirt, following my apparent death. I rose from the soil, having clawed my way to freedom, and looked about, confused as to where I was and what had happened to me. Fortunately, I was not alone. Quite a few others were rising, and those men, my fellow prisoners, were now members of the Undead. None of us knew that yet, of course...

"Rise, my friend," came a voice, and I blinked in surprise as a tall, beautiful young woman seemingly materialized before me. Clad in a crimson toga with a flowing ebony came, this raven-haired, brown-skinned beauty smiled at me, seemingly without a care in the world. One look at her and somehow, I knew that the person standing before me was definitely not a mortal woman...

"What are you?" I asked, and the mysterious woman smiled, and I saw pearly white fangs in her rather sensuous mouth. The lady looked me up and down, as one might inspect a newly purchased item, or something to that effect. I smiled nervously, even though there was nothing flattering in her smile. Indeed, there was something absolutely unsettling about her...

"I am Tagtal, Queen of the Vampires, and you are my new vassal," the mysterious woman said, and I licked my lips thoughtfully, and noticed that there were sharp teeth in my mouth. My incisors, both upper and lower, had sharpened and lengthened considerably. As I pondered that mystery, a second woman approached us, and Queen Tagtal greeted her joyfully.

"Ah, Bilain, my most faithful warrior, good to have you here," Queen Tagtal said, and she embraced the other woman. Tall, brown-skinned and lovely, the second female was also one of the Undead. This much was definitely apparent to me. I watched the interactions between the two of them. Like a Queen and her favorite handmaiden, these two, I remembered thinking at the time.

"My Queen, the others have risen, we must get them to the lair before dawn and there is the matter of feeding them," said the comely female Vampire called Bilain, and Queen Tagtal nodded. I did not know it at the time, but Queen Tagtal was an ancient Vampire who had roamed all over the Motherland of Africa thousands of years before my birth. She was the Queen of the Night, the one who inspired the tales of terror which gripped many African and Arab travelers, and kept them awake at night in the desert. Bilain was a newbie Vampire, and the Queen's lead acolyte in her ongoing war against the Kush Empire...

"What have I become? And what do you expect of me?" I asked Queen Tagtal, interrupting her discussion with Bilain, and the two female Vampires looked at me, eyes bright crimson and fangs bared. I resisted the sudden impulse to flee, and stood my ground. I've never been the type that's easily scared or intimidated. I did not flinch before authority as a mortal, and saw no need to do so now that I had become one of the Undead...

"Speak when spoken to, newbie, or your eternity will be cut short! What's your name anyway?" Queen Tagtal said, in a stentorian yet distinctly feminine voice filled with majesty and authority. I stood my ground as Queen Tagtal approached me, while her acolyte Bilain went to deal with the other men, freshly risen from the grave. I took a deep breath, or tried to, and suddenly realized that I was no longer breathing. At the time, I found this absolutely shocking...

"I am Utatrerses of Napata, son of Prince Tigray of Axum," I replied, and Queen Tagtal drew closer, a look of wry amusement on her beautiful face. I have seen a lot of beautiful women of all hues in my time, but this lady was definitely in a category by herself. For some reason, I looked into her crimson eyes, and felt drawn to that unearthly beauty. I've known pleasure from dalliances with males, like my dear Her-Si, but felt deeply aroused by this woman...

"Well, Utatrerses, you can live a long and happy life, an endless one, if you learn to obey me, or I'll cut your immortality short, I made you and I can unmake you," Queen Tagtal said, licking her lips, and I smiled, knowing that I was playing with fire and not caring one bit. I did a gentle bow, and then, moving faster than I knew I could, I got into the lovely lady's face...
"If my eternity includes you, lovely lady, then I guess I'll just have to learn a few new things," I replied, and Queen Tagtal smiled, and then I felt her hand on my throat. Like steel, that grip. I found myself dangling three feet above the ground, held aloft by this average-sized woman with crimson eyes, pearly white fangs, and this supernatural beauty was seemingly endowed with superhuman strength. Although I no longer breathed, I felt distinctly uncomfortable...

"Charming lad, Utatrerses, I just might let you live, you amuse me," Queen Tagtal said, and then she relaxed her grip, and I tumbled to the ground. I landed on my ass, and then looked up, to see Queen Tagtal towering over me, beautiful, and terrifying. For some reason, I genuflected, and kissed the lady's feet. Queen Tagtal smiled, and gently patted my head. Alright, I was definitely blowing smoke up the regal Vampire's lady's you-know-what, but give me a little credit here. I was fighting for survival...

"As you wish, Queen Tagtal," I replied, as I rose to my feet, and then walked behind the Queen of the Night. Thus began my journey as a nascent Immortal, a newcomer to the world of the Undead. Queen Tagtal, newly risen after a thousand-year-slumber, had major plans for the Kush Empire, which sat upon her native land, which was known as Nubia in ancient times.

"In my time, the Kingdom of Nubia was overrun with Vampires, and I see that in my absence, the human pestilence has risen and driven off our kind, renaming my homeland the Kush Empire, well, we shall reclaim this land and it will become a paradise for our kind once more," Queen Tagtal told me, as we enjoyed supper, a few months later.

We were near the City of Meroe, and happened upon a caravan of merchants. I killed a few, and Queen Tagtal killed a few others. I saved a particularly juicy morsel for the Queen, like a good vassal. It dawned on me that Queen Tagtal was trying to build an empire, one filled with Vampires, and in such a milieu, there would be plenty of opportunity for advancement. If one acts wisely...

"Our glory days will return, my Queen, now, please accept this token of my appreciation," I said, and I offered Queen Tagtal a beautiful young Kemet slave, who was trembling in my grasp. I watched as Queen Tagtal accepted my gift with a nod and a smile, and then she savored this tasty morsel. She grabbed the comely, bronze-skinned, dark-haired Kemet female, and sank her fangs into her neck. The unfortunate mortal struggled, and then stopped breathing. Queen Tagtal discarded the corpse, licked her lips and looked at me expectantly...

"You, Utatrerses, sure how know to treat a lady," Queen Tagtal said, smiling at me, and I felt a thrill down my spine as she licked her lips. I watched as she drew close to me, and nodded. Over the past few months, the Queen of the Night had taken me into her confidence, and we'd grown closer. Sometimes, we took these nightly hunting trips together, just the two of us. What can I say? I'm coming up in the world...

"Anything for my beloved Queen," I replied, as I drew Queen Tagtal into my arms and kissed her. Queen Tagtal embraced me passionately, and we tumbled onto the soft sands, hastily undressed and began making love. I've made love to women and men, but as I said before, this lady was in a class by herself. With eyes perfectly adapted to seeing in the dark, I beheld the Queen of the Night in all of her beauty. If I still breathed, she'd take my breath away...

"Hmm, put those lips to good use, my lover," Queen Tagtal said, as I laid her on the ground, and my eyes roamed over her curvy body, taking in her large breasts, tempting curves, wide hips, thick legs and ample derriere. African womanhood, transformed by the nectar of immortality. I kissed her lips, and caressed her breasts, licking the nipples and worked my way down. I hadn't made love to anyone in ages, and the Queen was helping me make up for lost time...

"Your wish is my command," I replied, and Queen Tagtal moaned softly as I continued to pleasure her. I spread her thick thighs wide open and began eating her out, sliding my tongue deep into her vagina. I teased her clitoris with my tongue, and Queen Tagtal's moans changed in tune, growing more intense. I worked my magic on her, and the gorgeous Vampire cut loose, holding me down with one hand while riding my face. Asserting her authority in a most sensual way, so to speak...

"Don't stop," Queen Tagtal squealed, as I put her on all fours, smacked her big brown bum and ate her out from behind. Grasping her thick bum with both hands, I spread them wide open and explored her holes with my tongue. While licking her vagina, I slid two fingers into her asshole, and loved the way her anal muscles clenched around my probing digits. Emboldened, I fingered her vagina instead and ate her ass, sliding my tongue deep into her butt. Queen Tagtal's moans of pleasure echoed into the night...

"Come to me, my Queen," I said, as Queen Tagtal climbed on top of me, and I looked at her, a woman made of night, beautiful, eerie, scary, thrilling and monstrous all at once. When her crimson eyes met mine, she laughed savagely then grabbed me and kissed me. I embraced her passionately, and felt myself harden as she grasped my manhood in her hand and stroked it. Queen Tagtal flashed me a fanged smile, then she kissed my lips, and grazed my throat with her fangs, before moving downward...

"Not bad," Queen Tagtal said, as she stroked my manhood, her fangs inches from it. Immortal though I was, I suddenly felt nervous and repressed a shudder. You'd feel the same way if a beautiful but mercurial female had her fangs this close to your manhood, believe me. Thankfully, the Queen of the Night did not do anything rash. I smiled as she took my hardened member into her mouth, and gently exhaled, though I no longer breathed. A happy sigh escaped my lips as Queen Tagtal began pleasuring me...

As the evening rolled on, Queen Tagtal and I explored new pathways to pleasure. At some point, I put her on all fours, and took her like this. Queen Tagtal turned and glared at me, crimson eyes filled with urgency, a wicked smile on her feral, beautiful face. I caressed her thick bum, and much to my surprise, and delight, she shook it, then pressed it against my groin. I sensed the need in her, and entered her with all of my might...

"Give me that ass, my Queen," I whispered into Queen Tagtal's ear, wrapping my arms around her as I thrust deep into her, burying my manhood inside her womanly core. The Queen of the night arched her back and cried out, grinding her derriere against my groin, driving me deeper inside of her. I pinched her nipples, and grazed the back of her neck with my fangs, driving her absolutely nuts.

"Yes, don't hold back," Queen Tagtal hissed, and I gripped her hip with one hand and smacked her thick derriere with the other. Slamming my member into her with wild abandon, I showed the Queen of the Vampires what I was made of. Queen Tagtal bent low, with her lovely face against the sand and her thick derriere high up, giving me a great visual to work with as I continued to pound away at her. Queen Tagtal's vaginal muscles gripped my member like a vise, and I relished going against such wondrous pressure.

"To many more nights like this one," I said to Queen Tagtal as I collapsed on the sand next to her, and she grinned and nestled her voluptuous body against mine. As we lay in each other's arms, resting against the soft sands, I looked at the night sky. Such a beautiful realm, the realm of the night. Ours to roam, and explore, and rule. For all eternity.

On Queen Tagtal's orders, and led by her lieutenant, the beautiful and ambitious Vampire named Bilain, scores of Vampires descended upon the Kush Empire. Under cover of night, they invaded towns, villages and cities. Everywhere they went, the numbers of the Living began to dwindle, and the numbers of the Undead rose. My Queen assures me that she's saving the City of Napata, Capital of Kush and home of the Empress Makeda, for last.

Personally, I can't wait to return to the City of Napata. It's one of the puerile but nevertheless true things about us vampires that we yearn to return to our former homes, and crave the blood of our friends and family members. In most cases, this is monstrous, but in mine, I feel it is entirely justified. My father's household was taken from me by my treacherous uncle, with help from my mother. I absolutely can't wait to be reunited with my dear family...and drain them of every last drop of blood that they've got.