Blood Ties (The Chronicles of Eridia)
by J. S. Volpe
A dark tale set in the world of Eridia. A young man who has been raised as vampires' livestock learns he has been chosen to Ascend and become a vampire himself. Though this causes his fellow human slaves to shun him, he himself is overjoyed, for he sees his vampire masters as paragons of culture and beauty. Alas, things go awry when the legendary vampire hunter Hull attacks. 12,000 words.A dark tale set in the world of Eridia. Jesus Christ XIV has spent his life in thrall to the vampires of Merrimont Castle, hidden deep in the remote monster-haunted land called the Wilds. Unlike the other human servants/livestock, who wistfully dream of a life beyond the castle walls, Jesus Christ XIV secretly wishes to become a vampire himself, a being of grace and culture and eternal beauty. And though Ascensions—the raising of a lowly servant to the ranks of the vampires—are exceedingly rare, it soon becomes clear that Jesus Christ XIV has indeed been chosen for this signal honor. But on the eve of his Ascension, everything is thrown into chaos by the unexpected appearance of the legendary vampire hunter named Hull, the very man the vampires fled to the Wilds to escape…12,100 words.