Is the flamewar still on or has it finally been put to rest? Think if it continues I will remove all the responses that aren't related to the story coz I'm just getting sick of them. If you want to carry on arguing can you do it somewhere else and not on my story?

Smoke – (watches Azrael run off into the distance being chased by an army of demons) you know, I think you're right. x

ShadowHawk – Well I was thinking of a cameo for Jubei…but that doesn't make sense for the prologue when Samanosuke is in it so no swordsman. x

Grizz - Thanks x

Lecter – Thank you x

Penny – kind of a contradiction seeing as you didn't actually review either but hey whatever x

Razielim Vampiress – (uber glomps back) Thank you! And you didn't make an ass of yourself…didn't think you did last time either but…whatever anyways thank you for your review! x

My beloved Cordy – (hugs) you always know what to say to cheer me up x

Chapter 5

"Open the gate!"

The gate was already creaking open before Azrael's shout had finished echoing around the bastion. The vampire had slipped through the entrance before the gate had finished opening, followed by the unit he had led to Durnacht. Raziel and Kain had already moved to meet them, only to be greeted by the greatest surprise when they saw that none of them had returned with horses and all of them had obviously been running as they were all panting for breath.

"What happened?" Raziel demanded, almost having to support his firstborn as he tried to regain his breath. Some of the vampires behind them had collapsed, lying on the floor trying to control their breathing, whereas others were holding onto the nearest wall for support.

Azrael looked as though he couldn't quite put the experience into words, "There were…things," he stuttered, "Reptile things…with swords and hats…"

"Hats?" Kain interrupted, looking at the Razielim firstborn, clearly not amused.

"I'm serious!" Azrael protested, "There were reptile things…they fought with swords and wore hats and they are swarming over Durnacht, there's hardly anything left of it, almost everything's been destroyed." Raziel helped his friend sit against the wall after he had recounted what had been seen in the fallen city, while Kain contemplated the implications.

"And Meg?" he prompted when Azrael had said nothing about his daughter. Azrael looked up quickly as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came, instead he shook his head, almost apologetically and let it drop. Raziel and Kain both sighed in unison, but Kain's sigh was the heavier one. He turned to Azrael,

"Would there be any chance a representative could make contact?" he had expected Azrael's response, a quick shake of the head,

"The ones we saw looked as though they have no control over a language," Maret intervened, saving his sire from answering when he was obviously trying to get over the failure of trying to find Meg. "Any representative would be killed immediately." He bit his tongue when he saw Kain and Azrael shoot daggers at him and he had to hold both hands and step back to show he meant nothing by it.

"Prepare a unit," Kain muttered to Raziel, who obediently bowed and moved away to make the appropriate preparations.

"Razielim won't be enough!" Azrael called, "There are too many of them, they would outnumber us easily."

"What do you suggest?" Kain asked, much to the surprise of many of the younger vampires around them, they had heard Kain ask Raziel for advice before but never one short of the brethren.

Azrael thought carefully before making his response, "Ask Dumah to join us with a unit."

"Why Dumah?" Kain inquired, hoping Azrael had put enough thought into his answer to make a convincing reply.

"The Dumahim are strong where the Razielim are fast, they would compliment each other well, that and Dumah has already helped us in the past as we have helped him and our two armies are familiar with each other, they have learned to work well with each other."

Kain nodded, "Raziel, send an envoy to Dumah."

"At once, my lord," Raziel clapped Azrael on the shoulder and smiled at him proudly while he helped him to his feet. He had to half carry the firstborn into the bastion and took him to the feeding chamber to replenish himself.

"You did well," Raziel told him, toying with the idea of feeding from the dashing youth who was chained to the wall. He looked more concerned with the fact that his hair had been messed up than at the fact he was being held here as food for his superiors.

"I didn't find Meg," Azrael mumbled as his fangs drove into the neck of one of the other prisoners. Raziel gave into his ideas and started teasing with the playboy in chains, cutting the man's wrist just enough to let a trickle of blood seep out.

"I meant when you spoke to Kain," Raziel groaned, rolling his eyes, no doubt his firstborn would be wallowing in self pity for a long time yet, maybe even until they reached Durnacht again. He could see Azrael dismiss the notion with a wave of his hand so Raziel went back to his victim, his firstborn obviously not in a talking mood.

"Ow," Meg groaned as she stumbled again. This time Gogandantess wasn't quick enough to catch her and she fell against the rock wall. He was at her side as soon as she fell and helped her back to her feet.

"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked, trying to help her regain her balance, but she sank back down to the floor, one hand massaging her temples as she felt herself becoming more and more light-headed from the lack of blood.

"We must keep moving," the demon told her, trying to lift her back up.

"I need to feed," she said, not for the first time since they had started making their way through the mountain caves trying to find a way that would lead them to a vampire city for Meg to rejoin her people, but that task was proving more and more difficult as she lost her energy with every passing second. "What about you, aren't you hungry?" she asked her companion.

He gave up trying to help her to her feet and sat down beside her. "Very, but I can go days without food."

"I can't go much longer without blood," she muttered in barely more than a whisper. Dantess was looking around the area where they had stopped.

"We'll stay here for a while, we should get some rest."

Meg was in no state to argue even though she was slightly concerned about her preoccupation with blood. It was always the first sign that vampires when they were getting desperate, when all they could think about was their next feed, then of course they realised how hungry they were and it became a never ending cycle of thought until they fed.

Dantess unsheathed his sword and drove it into the ground, so he could sit comfortably. He sat back against the rock wall next to Meg and breathed deeply. Meg looked over at him, he had his eyes closed and was relaxing, where she was trying desperately not to think of the hunger…which of course made her think about the hunger more until it was all she could think about.

She could see the vein in his neck and she was so hungry she could almost hear his blood calling out to her. Meg shook her head trying to shake off the thoughts with it, but it was no use and she knew that while she was this weak and this hungry she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else.

Dantess still didn't notice the obvious problem his companion was having. He remained sitting against the wall, not moving as he gathered his strength. His eyes snapped open as he sensed a sudden movement beside him. He looked over at Meg, but she had already moved aside, one hand outstretched to hold his head to one side as she moved her face to his neck with lightening speed and before he even had time to register what she had done her fangs were being driven into the artery in the side of his neck.

TBC

A/N – Is it just me or does the ending just not…flow?