VROLOK
by
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It was a religious time and like all other religious times, religion was the excuse for war but not the reason. Muslims and Christians fought against each other, invading each others'' land, destroying each others’ homes, causing utter devastation whenever they encountered their so called enemy.
The Muslim and Christian soldiers on both sides were hypnotised by their religious fervour and their religious leaders. Each side believed themselves to be fighting the Devil''s own warriors.
During this feral hostility there sprang up various warlords, usually rich men, who wanted to use their idle time to either become richer or to write themselves into the history books. One such rich man was Vlad Dracula a young and vicious prince, whose brutality was renowned amongst his followers and his enemies. Many of whom lacked the courage to face him and the few who did regretted it.
This story begins over five hundred years ago near the Romanian border. A battle has just been fought and a young Slovak soldier is wandering through the battlefield. With his raven hair and his luminescent viridian eyes he was quite a striking young man, not more than seventeen.
Behind him are the flickering lights from the camp fires, there are fewer than there were the night before, and lying before him, is the blood-soaked ground of the battlefield. Broken, battered, and lifeless bodies stretched out in front of him as far as his eye can see. In the near distance the
The young soldier soon catches sight of a cart where two Wallachians are gathering up corpses for burial and looking for survivors. As he watches them he notices that one of the Wallachians is trying to remove a ring from a dead soldier’s hand. The Wallachian seems to be having some difficulty excising the ring. His compatriot hands him a shiv, the Wallachian cuts off the finger and takes the ring.
The sight of this is not at all abhorrent to the young soldier, for despite his youth he is used to brutality like this. As far as the soldier is concerned the man is dead he has no need of trinkets and for that matter he has no need of fingers. The Slovak starts to look around to see if there is anything he can salvage.
He quickly espies the body of a Boyar Knight. The Slovak approaches the corpse slowly not wanting to draw attention to himself or the dead knight. As he draws near he is startled because not only are the Boyar Knights eyes still open, the Boyar is looking straight up at the young Slovak in terror. He almost looks alive. However blood is still gushing from an open wound on his neck, this man is dead but he hasn’t been dead for long and his death came as a surprise to him. He was probably attacked from behind. The Slovaks attention is quickly drawn away from the Knight''s deadly penetrating appearance to what he is wearing. An embroidered crimson velvet cloak eclipses the Knight''s body. The Slovak looks at his own torn cloak and promptly decides to take the Boyar''s garment for himself. As the Slovak unties the cloak and pulls it from the body he unmasks the knight’s hand which is still clasping the jewelled hilt of a magnificent and imposing sword. It was the grandest thing the young soldier had ever seen and he is compelled to take it.
He takes the sword and the cloak and makes his way back to the Slovak camp. When he arrives he heads towards the first campfire he sees. Three other Slovaks are already sitting beside the fire. The three soldiers are a strange mix and look odd sitting together. One is reading a book, which is obscuring his face. The second is quite a portly, rosy cheeked individual who looks more like a farmer than a crusader; this man is chatting away to his two companions and being ignored by both. The third Slovak is sharpening his sword on a stone; this Slovak is quite a subduing and frightening sight. His arms, hands and face are covered in scars; he is missing an eye and a few front teeth. The mere sight of him would terrify the enemy never mind having to face him on the battlefield.
The young Slovak stands and warms his hands at the fire. The portly soldier notices him and stands to acknowledge what he thinks is the presence of a Knight. The scarred soldier simply grunts to acknowledge the young man, and the other does not even lift his eyes from his book.
At first he is surprised by the salute, but then he remembers what he is wearing. The young Slovak is not afraid to explain his unintentional deception to his fellow countrymen. These men would not find fault with his conduct. They were not members of the privileged classes; in a similar situation they would probably have done the same thing. This young man knew that only rich men would be repulsed by his actions. Men who had never wanted for anything, he had learned found it easy to pas
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About the Book
Five Hundred years ago Vlad Dracula ruled the Carpathians. He had a thirst for conquering worlds and fought off the invading Turks with determined ferocity. When his wife died he lost interest in destroying armies and disappeared, half a century after the death of his wife the land surrounding his once home is terrorized by sporadic unexplained murders. Isabella is born into this uncertain and dangerous land. Her mother dies in childbirth and with her mothers death dies any chance of happiness. She grows up in a household that despises her existence and in this place she is taught to hate by her father, her stepmother and especially her sister Natasha. There are three good influences on Isabella's life, the man who is to become her husband, Nicolae, her grandfather Alexei and her good friend and confidant Katya. As the years pass by and Isabella becomes what she is destined to become, a vampire the memories of these three people are responsible for any goodness that still lies buried in her rotting soul. When Isabella becomes a vampire, she and Vlad form an uneasy and dangerous bond. They travel through four centuries, sometimes together, often apart. Along their epic and murderous journey they encounter Cosimo De Medici, the grand duke of Florence, Kit Marlowe, Elisabeth B¿thory, the Blood Countess and the perpetrator of the reign of terror himself, Robespierre. Despite each partner's jealous rages, declarations of hatred and sometimes even murderous intent, they remain loyal and dedicated to each other even through their long and frequent separations. During what is to be their last separation Isabella is warned that Vlad is danger and rushes to his aid. However she does not save him and Vlad is killed by English Vampire hunters, Isabella swears revenge, but she needs help and seeks out Nicolae, one of her own descendants who she killed and resurrected as a vampire many years before. Nicolae and Isabella travel back from America to England to avenge Vlad's death.
About the Author
Nolene-Patricia Dougan lives in Ravara,