“And both can be killed,” quipped Jasper. “At daybreak we’ll continue on our way to Wales. This entire region is unsafe.”
Jasper looked at Emanui. “She’s welcome to come, if we can make her understand,” he said to Tariq.
The sound of a snapping twig alerted them to something outside.
“There’s no way the Strigoi we encountered could have reached us by now,” whispered Tariq as he looked outside. “I don’t see—”
The barn door swung open and struck Tariq with a force that sent him reeling. Five figures were at the entrance.
“Mazja!” groaned Jasper.
“I remember these two,” said Mazja. “Somehow they managed to get away.”
“They are foreign fighters,” said Chaluxi, “and unlikely to be aware of the superstitions that took over the minds of those things transformed by Dracula.”
“Agreed,” said Mazja. “We shall attempt our own version of his experiment.”
Emanui ran toward her with the garlic and crucifixes. “I cast you out, Strigoi!” To her surprise, Mazja merely laughed.
“Use the girl for food,” ordered Mazja.
“Wait, Commander!” pleaded Chaluxi. “She knows what repels the creatures Dracula created and may have other useful insights. If she turns out like the others, it will be a small matter to eliminate her later.”
“Very well,” said Mazja. “We will add all three to our ranks.”
BLOODLINES
Bistrita Monastery, 1464
Over the course of five years, the Vambir’s efforts at transforming humans were far more successful than Dracula’s inept Strigoi.
They selected foreigners whose minds were closed to distracting superstitions. Regarding their transformed humans as less than Lowcastes, the Vambir mockingly referred to them as “Vampires,” which meant “Sub-Vambir”—essential in combat but unworthy of occupying positions of authority.
In the beginning, the vampires did not have to kill their own food, since Mazja deliberately provided them with blood that had been collected by the Vambir. After a few weeks, the free meals abruptly ended, and the vampires were forced to hunt in order to survive. Those who showed any hesitation were quickly eliminated by Mazja, who considered them a threat to the collective.
Chaluxi did what he could to assist those who could not bring themselves to kill. He had lost count of the number of times he had secretly supplied vampires with unconscious humans in order to trick Mazja into believing they had brought them down on their own.
Dracula had learned from his mistakes and also began to seek out foreigners to transform, but his success was limited to females. Fiercely loyal to him, they considered themselves to be his brides. This worked to his advantage, since his brides easily seduced unsuspecting males who behaved as if in a trance. Dracula understood that his brides would have better luck transforming those they had ensnared, and the results were surprisingly positive. The males were so enamored that they readily accepted the change and did Dracula’s bidding at the behest of his brides.
Individually, Mazja’s vampires were superior to Dracula’s forces but the Vambir had grossly underestimated how many humans had been transformed into his service.
He placed no restrictions on his brides, and Dracula’s ranks had swelled, but this was a gross error in judgement, since there were not enough humans in the region to meet the feeding needs of so many. Unconcerned with the consequences, Dracula continued to add the conscripts supplied by his brides to his “Transformed Army.”
The Strigoi had easily been defeated at the hands of forewarned humans, but rumors began to swirl about undead creatures that could not be kept at bay by garlic and crucifixes. Unaware of the differences between those transformed by the Vambir and Dracula, humans began to refer to them all as “vampires.” They could be overpowered if cornered individually, but they rarely traveled alone.
Humans left their solitary huts and banded together in community halls and churches to engage in fierce battle at night, while by day they left their fields and flocks unattended as they scoured the countryside and eliminated any dormant creatures they encountered.
Dracula was not concerned with defeating humans. They were as insignificant as cattle awaiting slaughter. Obsessed with obtaining vengeance on Mazja, he managed to overwhelm the Vambir by sheer numbers alone. Forced to retreat, the Vambir had relied on their superior speed to put ever-increasing distance between themselves and Dracula’s forces. Without hydrogen cells for recharging, Vambir lasguns had been useless for years. Forced to take refuge from the daylight in caves, barns, or hand-dug pits, Mazja had taken solace from the fact that Dracula and his minions would have to do the same.
Eventually, the Vambir had come upon the isolated Bistrita Monastery. The religious beliefs of the monks made them unsuitable for transformation, and they were held prisoner until required for food. Knowing that Dracula’s forces would soon discover them, the Vambir set about digging great pits at the base of the cliff on which the monastery had been built.
When Dracula arrived, such was his conviction that victory was imminent that he ordered his troops to storm the monastery. As they ran en masse over the concealed pits, they were instantly swallowed up and impaled on stakes constructed at the base. Mazja roared with laughter at the sight of the troops of “Vlad the Impaler” coming to such an ignoble end. Those who managed to avoid being impaled were unable to scale the pit walls, and they shrieked vehemently as Dracula withdrew and left them to their daylight fate. Seizing the moment, the Vambir set out the next night to hunt down and kill Dracula, but he had yet again proven too elusive for them.
In the years since those events, all had been quiet, and Mazja had to be content with casting aside her tattered finery in exchange for drab monastic robes and spartan living quarters.
Chaluxi bitterly regretted not destroying the Vambir in the desperate days after they found themselves locked out of the lifeboat. There would have been no Night Attack to give Dracula a crucial victory, and the Ottomans would have finished him off long ago. The combined forces of the Vambir and vampires were now too vast in number for Chaluxi to eliminate by himself, and unsuspecting humanity was destined for genocide.
If only I could get the hydrogen cells from the lifeboat to recharge my lasgun…it would be a small matter to eliminate them all!
Gazing into a mirror, he overcame his revulsion and spoke to the reflection. “Those left behind on Vambiri were the real winners of the Passenger Lottery.”
He removed his dagger and used it as a razor to shave his head and eyebrows. When finished, he looked again at his reflection.
“Not bad,” he observed, “but there is still room for improvement.”
Grabbing one of his ears, he slowly cut the thick skin at the top into the shape of a point.
“Much better.”
He repeated the crude alteration on the other ear. Strolling into the courtyard, he passed a group of vampires standing together. Deep in conversation, they instantly stopped talking as soon as they saw what he done to himself.
“Chaluxi!” exclaimed Emanui.
“Do not fear, Emanui, my dear,” he said with a chuckle. “I was merely taking a stroll down memory lane.”
The vampires did not understand.
“Has Mazja not told you of our origins?”
His question was met with silence.
“This,” he said, indicating himself with a grand, sweeping gesture, “is a reasonable likeness to how we appeared before being marooned on this forsaken rock.”
Chaluxi burst into laughter as he continued past the group.
“You look like the creature Nosferatu,” mused a vampire named Steffen.
“What’s a Nosferatu?” asked Emanui.
“A demon that haunts Bazna,” Steffen replied. “I knew a soldier who had been stationed there after the entire village went missing.”
Chaluxi came to an instant halt. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from slamming Stef
fen into the monastery’s thick outer wall in order to extract every detail from him, but to do that would have brought the matter to Mazja’s attention.
“Pointed ears sprouting from an elongated bald head, with oversized claws instead of hands,” said Steffen, speaking in a ghastly voice. “And most terrifying of all—buck-toothed fangs!”
The vampires laughed.
“The Vambir must have transformed some decrepit old man by mistake,” said one of them.
“Every village has its own ghost,” said Chaluxi casually to Steffen, “and competes for bragging rights as to which tale is the most terrifying. Your soldier’s story is quite tame compared with others I have heard. ”
Steffen smiled and shrugged.
Chaluxi hid his elation.
Kevak survived his dawn escape!
But if Steffen’s story reached Mazja’s ears, then she too would know. Conveniently, Steffen was required to patrol the rear monastery walls overlooking a sheer cliff drop of hundreds of feet. Although it was possible for a Vambir to survive a fall from that height, such was not the always case for the physically inferior vampires, especially ones whose necks were snapped just prior to the plunge.
SUCCESSION
Enraged by his defeat at the hands of the Vambir when victory was within his grasp, Dracula regrouped at his castle and instructed his brides to replenish the ranks of his decimated army. Those efforts had to be postponed when a messenger arrived to report that Mehmed and Radu were advancing, and once again Dracula was forced to flee.
Surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, it infuriated him to know that if the Vambir were still in his service they could have easily wiped out Mehmed’s forces.
His reckless abandon in allowing his brides to transform so many humans that had perished at the monastery now meant that he was out of options. The blood supply in the region had been depleted, and he and his brides were overtaken by cravings as they began to starve. Realizing he must leave in search of new hunting grounds, Dracula did not pause to wait for his weakened brides as they tried desperately to keep pace. One by one, they fell victim to the daylight as their desire to catch up to him overtook their survival instincts.
Dracula eventually reached Hungary, surviving off isolated farmers as he made his way. Finally, he reached his former ally, Matthias Corvinus, but without an army, Dracula was no longer useful. Corvinus imprisoned him and then forged a letter in his name that proposed peace with the Ottomans. Dracula was unceremoniously handed over to Mehmed, who threw him in the dungeons beneath the Oratae Fortress and placed Radu on his throne.
“Let him stay in the dark until he rots,” Radu had commanded with glee.
Ironically, if Radu had shown the simple kindness of allowing Dracula to be taken outside for fresh air and sunshine, he would have easily eliminated his rival.
History records that after languishing ten years in prison, Dracula emerged to temporarily retake his throne. The exact circumstances of his death and his final resting place, however, remain a mystery.
DISSOLUTION
Bistrita Monastery
Emanui had been waiting for nearly an hour.
They are late. Have they been discovered?
She wondered if she should return to the monastery. If she waited too long, she risked having to explain her absence to Mazja, whose suspicion of the vampires bordered on paranoia. Just then, she saw two figures as they looked over the outer wall. It was Tariq and Jasper. She watched as they removed their packs and secured them to the ropes she had left behind. Once they had lowered their packs to her, they scaled down the rocky cliff side. Thin and wiry, Tariq descended without incident, while Jasper struggled against his thick, muscular build to maintain a foothold.
“If he falls now, will it kill him?” whispered Tariq to Emanui.
“Yes, if he were human,” answered Emanui, “but we’ve yet to find out what our vampire limitations are.”
Jasper found a stable foothold and paused to catch his breath. Emanui and Tariq looked around nervously to see if anyone from the monastery had been alerted to their presence. Jasper had to pause once more during his descent but eventually made it safely to the bottom.
“You have my blessing to leave me behind at the first sign of trouble,” he said as he breathed deeply. “I will slow you down if we are required to do this in the Carpathians.”
“We would never desert you, my brother,” replied Tariq.
The faint sound of something touching the ground came from behind them. Assuming it was a pebble that had belatedly fallen after being dislodged by Jasper, no one turned around to look.
“Have you grown tired of the monastic life?” asked Chaluxi softly.
The startled vampires were momentarily frozen in fear. Emanui carried no weapons, and Tariq’s bow and quiver full of arrows were securely packed away. The handle of Jasper’s sword protruded from his pack, and he lunged to grab it. Seizing Jasper by the throat, Chaluxi slammed him against the cliff wall while simultaneously enveloping Tariq and Emanui in a chokehold with his free arm. They each kicked out wildly but were ineffective at loosening Chaluxi’s hold. He tightened his grip on all of them until they could no longer breathe.
“I can feel you all growing weaker,” he said. “In a few minutes you will be rendered unconscious and left to my mercy.”
Chaluxi released them, and they fell to the ground in a heap.
“Attempt to flee and I will instantly kill you,” he said.
“We’re dead already!” exclaimed Emanui weakly as she gasped for air.
“You’re dead if you continue with this ridiculous plan,” retorted Chaluxi.
“How did you get down from the cliff?” asked Jasper.
“Gravity,” answered Chaluxi.
“You jumped!” cried Tariq.
“I jumped,” said Chaluxi, “and hopefully have demonstrated just how physically superior the Vambir are to vampires.”
“If we could have put two days between us, then—” began Tariq.
“In two hours, your absence would have been noticed, and at that point a search party would have been formed to hunt you down,” said Chaluxi. “Leave your packs here and return to the monastery now with your weapons and garlic. If questioned, say you heard something and went to investigate, suspecting a Strigoi attack. Meet me back in my chamber just before dawn.”
“How did you know my pack contained garlic?” asked Emanui.”I brought it in case we encountered any Strigoi.”
“You reek of it,” said Chaluxi. “Even with a head start of a week, your stench would have lead the Vambir straight to you.”
The vampires watched in awe as Chaluxi effortlessly scrambled up the side of the cliff. Upon reaching the top, he hoisted them up with the ropes then disappeared into the monastery.
*******
Once the vampires were assembled in Chaluxi’s chamber, he placed his hand over his mouth to indicate silence then pushed on a wall tile that was part of a decorative border pattern. The tile slowly opened, exposing a metallic device that emitted light. Chaluxi waved his index finger and slowly touched four of the illuminated pads.
“No Vambir ears can hear us now,” he explained. “Make sure to remember the order in which I touched the pads.”
“Demon!” exclaimed Emanui.
“I have done demonic things,” said Chaluxi, “but I assure you, I am no demon.”
“Why did you spare us?” demanded Jasper.
“Like you, long ago I became disillusioned with this existence,” explained Chaluxi, “and have made my own escape plans. Eventually, Mehmed will hear of our location and will arrive with his army, providing the perfect distraction. What you attempted tonight was madness. It would have resulted in your immediate deaths, and Mazja’s suspicions would have been further raised.”
“You seek to use us as decoys,” accused Emanui.
“I seek to use Mehmed’s army as a decoy, to our mutual advantage,” answered Chaluxi. “With my assistance, you have a realist
ic chance.”
“What chance?” asked Emanui.
“Your pack was full of garlic,” said Chaluxi, “but the Strigoi are no threat to you now. You made no provisions for food, meaning you will have to stop in order to hunt and feed: a deadly delay.”
“The abomination of feeding off humans is precisely why we are leaving!” she exclaimed.
“I have tried to make that as palatable as possible and would suffer greatly for it if Mazja were to find out,” said Chaluxi.
“Just because you catch our food for us does not relieve us of the guilt,” said Jasper. “We’ve had enough. Come what may, we’ve had enough!”
“Then you will starve to death,” said Chaluxi.
“Why shouldn’t the blood of animals suffice?” asked Tariq.
“It is poison to our kind,” answered Chaluxi. “You know that.”
“Because Mazja says so?” asked Tariq. “We don’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” said Chaluxi. “If it was a lie, I would have left long ago.”
A look of defeat came over Emanui’s face. “Then we will never escape this curse,” she said sadly.
The vampires exchanged sorrowful glances.
“What’s the point of trying to escape if we will always be prisoners to the blood lust?” asked Jasper. “I’d just as soon sit outside and wait for daylight.”
“There may be an alternative,” said Chaluxi.
Several seconds of silence followed.
“Well?” asked Jasper.
Chaluxi sighed deeply. What he was about to say would make no sense to them. “You are familiar with the Viking tales of lands beyond the sea?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Jasper. “My father refused to believe such things.”
“They exist,” said Chaluxi. “It would take a sea journey of several months to reach them, but they exist.”
“You have been there?” asked Tariq.
“I have looked down on them from the sky,” answered Chaluxi.
“Impossible!” exclaimed Emanui.
“Consider this,” said Chaluxi. “Just as there are other lands across the sea, there are other planets scattered throughout the vast night sky. Some of the stars are actually the suns of other planets like Earth. The Vambir came from one of those planets in a ship designed to travel through the great ocean of space.”
The Nosferatu Chronicles: Origins Page 19
