Conan the Barbarian 44

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-43; next chronological appearance in ST-5).
 * Red Sonja (Previous appearance in CB-43; next chronological appearance in the second story in CB-48).

Minor Characters

 * Uathacht and Morophia (Previous appearance in CB-43; no further appearances to date; both die in this issue).
 * Afterlings (Some may appear next in CB-244).

Location

 * The mountains a day's ride from Areunjun.

Time Frame

 * Four days.

Synopsis
Sonja and Conan plot their escape from the vampiric siblings Uathacht and Morophia, but Morophia intervenes and takes Conan to the breeding pits, where he is forced to mate with the generations-inbred, pitiful, deformed females who provide sustenance for the vampires. Uathacht, fearing that too much of such things would break Conan's mind, and wanting the barbarian for herself, appears to Conan and Sonja and agrees to cast a spell to weaken her brother in order to free Conan, so he may willingly fulfill her hedonistic fantasies. Conan agrees, but only if Sonja is set free as well, and while at first Uathacht agrees, she reneges and Sonja is forced to kill her. Conan and Sonja attempt to flee the Tower of Blood, but first encounter a group of the bat-like Afterlings, who reveal that in Morophia's weakened state, they are free of his control and they show the two humans the way out. They intend to burn the tower down, but soon, they encounter the vampire himself, who transforms into the form of several of Conan's past enemies, but Conan and Sonja manage to start a fire to burn the vampire to a final death. Unfortunately, they are trapped in flames at the top of the tower, and as they make their way down the walls, they slip and fall, only to be rescued by the Afterlings, who carry them to the cavern floor. Sonja, believing she is acting in Conan's best interest and wanting to spare him from the bounty hunters who are chasing her, knocks him cold with a rock and rides away.

Reprinted

 * Conan Saga 81
 * The Chronicles of Conan Volume Seven: The Dweller in the Pool and Other Stories