Of Princes and Dragons: Book 2 (Lords and Commoners)

by Lynne Hill-Clark

  They paused to admire the view. Vallachia missed these mountains. Her original home had been nestled safely in their heart. It would have been heavenly to simply remain here. She would have been content to stare at the beauty before her for all time.

  Elijah lifted the large knocker on the huge castle door and let it fall. A loud banging sound echoed through the mountains behind them. This pulled a reluctant Val from the view and brought her back to the important mission at hand. A servant slowly opened the door. Val noted that he was human.

  Chapter 9 Wallachia 1457 A.D

  “We are here to speak with Prince Vlad of the Draculesti Family. We are from the High Court of the Elders,” Elijah announced.

  “Yes, of course. The master is expecting you. Right this way, Sire.” The servant led them to a large room to await Prince Vlad. “I will inform the master of your arrival.”

  Vallachia thought the Chastellains were ostentatious but this place put their castle to shame. It was decorated with large wall hangings and chandeliers. There were many coats-of-arms on display representing the Draculesti family. They contained red serpent-like dragons twisting and curving their bodies to form odd shapes. Flames spewed from their mouths. For some reason this reminded Val of her recent nightmare about a dragon.

  The largest of the paintings was titled Voivode Vlad. “Prince Vlad.” Vallachia translated out loud. She looked up to find herself staring into the face of Teller. “Good God!” Val grabbed Elijah’s arm in an iron grip.

  Elijah followed her gaze to the large painting. “Oh shit,” was his only reply.

  Vallachia’s blood turned to ice and her hands trembled. Her protective instincts for Elijah took over. “You have to get out of here. He will not be happy to see you. You being here won’t help to get him on our side.” She pushed Elijah out the door from whence they had come.

  “Do not leave her side,” Elijah commanded Riddick.

  Samuel and one of the guards left with Elijah.

  “What is going on?” Riddick asked.

  Val decided that he needed to know what they were getting into. “You remember that boy from my childhood — the one I told you about?”

  “Aye.” Riddick furrowed his brow.

  “That is him,” Val pointed with her thumb to the grand painting behind her.

  Riddick studied the massive man whose face was spread across the wall, “Shhhit.”

  “That appears to say it all.” Val’s breath was uneven. She rubbed the scar on her right hand in a vain attempt to make the trembling stop. This moment had been a long time coming. Have I truly found him? For some reason she was filled with trepidation. I should be happy. Why am I … scared?

  “So this was your childhood love? Well, he is handsome and built like Riddick. He’s modest too.” Mary’s smile was full of sarcasm.

  “Yes, I know. This is not right.” Vallachia looked around at the over-furnished room. Everything was new and extravagant. “Something is wrong. This is nothing like the young man I knew back in Ludus.” Prince Vlad’s moniker rang through her head, The Impaler. He was most likely incredibly dangerous. She had always thought of Teller as kind and simple. Yet nothing about this place was kind or simple.

  Riddick took Val’s hands. “You are shivering.” He put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder, as if to warm her but that was not the problem. “All will be well. Take a deep breath.”

  Vallachia did just that as the far door on the opposite end of the large room swung open. She jumped which placed her against Riddick. This was not a good place to be, so she quickly stepped to the side.

  Teller’s eyes focused on her for a moment, then moved to Riddick for an even longer moment. He slowly approached. His face was emotionless — the same deadpan expression from Val’s dream. She half expected him to transform into a dragon. Teller was more handsome than she remembered but he was different, cold, maybe even cruel. His eyes were dark, almost black — not the forest green she remembered.

  “Well, Well. What have we here? I wondered when the Court would pay me a visit,” Teller exclaimed.

  Teller had been waiting for “the Court” to show up but not Vallachia. He was not waiting for her. Of course he wasn’t, how stupid she had been. She took a step forward. She wanted to go to him — to throw her arms around him — but something in his hard stare held her back. He is … not right. There is something … evil about him.

  “This is not who I expected to find you with, Vallachia.” Teller gestured to Riddick. “Where is your prince?” He said the word “prince” with disdain — exactly as Riddick once had so many years ago.

  This sent a chill down Val’s spine. “His name is Elijah. He is not here and he is not ‘my prince.’” Val was glad her voice came out steady because that was not how she was feeling.

  “So you have gotten rid of your prince and moved on ... to him?” Teller gestured to Riddick again. Teller’s gaze had hardly left Riddick.

  Vallachia could feel Riddick’s anger before he spoke.

  “You arrogant arse! You know nothing about her and you do not speak to the Lady Vallachia in such a disrespectful manner.” Riddick’s voice boomed as he moved forward. In a flash they were within feet of each other.

  Mary and Val jumped in between them. Val could feel their overwhelming male essence. These two men wanted to kill each other and they did not even know each other.

  Val glanced around. The Court’s guards had formed a half circle around Riddick. Teller’s guards had his back. She had to do something. “Both of you stop!” She turned her attention to Riddick. “Please, Riddick.” She struggled to keep her voice calm as she placed her hand on his chest and slowly pushed him away from Teller.

  Riddick’s breathing was heavy. When it slowed, Val turned her attention to Teller. “We only want to talk.”

  Teller seemed to have regained some control as well. “Fine. I will speak with you — alone.” Teller was shrewd, as he kept his gaze on the threat, which was Riddick.

  Val turned her crystal-blue eyes to Riddick.

  “No. I will not leave you. I can’t!” Riddick said.

  She gently took his chin with her thumb and index finger and gazed at him intently. “I’ll be fine. I need to speak with him.” Val knew that this was the only way they would get anywhere. She had to try to find the old Teller. He was in there somewhere — she could feel it.

  “No!” Riddick said.

  “All of you get out!” Val commanded. Without Elijah in the room Val was the ranking officer. They had to obey.

  “Don’t do this, please,” Riddick whispered.

  “I have to. It is our only chance of negotiating with him. No harm will come to me.”

  “You will answer to Elijah then?” Riddick was not supposed to leave her side for any reason. Elijah would be furious with Riddick.

  “Of course.” Val gave him a reassuring smile.

  Riddick nodded yet was clearly not thrilled about having to leave. He grabbed Mary by the upper arm to lead her out. He gestured for the rest of their men to follow.

  Val took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She slowly turned around to face Teller — or was it Vlad?

  Chapter 10 Wallachia 1457 A.D

  Once Teller was sure Vallachia’s guards were retreating, he gave a hand gesture and his men exited the Great Hall out the opposite door.

  Vallachia watched him for a moment trying to get a feel for him. He wore a thick dark mustache, in the style of this region. It hung down around his mouth. She did not care for the mustache, yet it succeeded in making him look older — which was surely why he wore it. She was searching for any sign of Teller and saw none.

  Vlad swung his forearm out with his palm up. “You wanted to talk, so talk.” His voice was full of irritation.

  Val wanted to ask what had happened to him. Instead she said, “You have done well for yourself.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she remembered Chastellain saying Vlad had married into the powerful Draculesti family. That
is how he managed all this. It was as if someone slid a dagger into her stomach. She actually flinched in pain. He is married! That is why he never came for me. I am such a fool!

  “You have done well for yourself as well. It is wondrous how marrying the right people has made us into more than we could ever have hoped.”

  “I never married.”

  “Ah, then the rumors are true; you are simply the young lord’s mistress.”

  “No. I’m not that either.” The anger welling up inside her was welcome because it eased the suffocating pain in her stomach.

  “Then how did you get to the top?”

  “I am a skilled emissary and a well-trained fighter. I am a servant of the High Court of Elders.”

  Teller issued a derisive chuckle. He clearly did not believe her. His iridescent black silk chlamys flowed elegantly behind him as he paced. “I can’t believe you would serve that malevolent king, after all the horrible things he has done.”

  “I don’t do it for him —”

  “Then you do it for your beloved prince,” he interrupted.

  “No. I fight for the Court because I want to help protect humans. I know which side is the right one.”

  “Yes, of course. That is the reason, to save precious humans.” His mocking tone was meant to infuriate her.

  It was working.

  They were not getting anywhere, so Val decided to change the subject. “Where is your ... wife?” She almost choked on the last word.

  He smiled with malice. “She ... became indisposed not long after our wedding.”

  Val’s stomach turned. “You killed her?”

  “She was human and would only have gotten in my way. She had to be dealt with.” Teller showed no sign of remorse — no emotion at all.

  He has gone completely mad. She could no longer refrain, “It appears that your father would be proud of you. What happened to you?”

  Teller’s deadpan expression turned to an angry scowl.

  The face of Vlad. At least it is an emotion, Val thought.

  He slammed his fists into the oak table in front of him.

  The tabletop cracked and Val jumped. He is not stable. He’s on the edge and could explode at any moment.

  Teller pointed a condemning finger at Vallachia. “You know very well what happened to me. You were there. You did this to me ... or have you forgotten?” He put his chin to his chest and rested his fists on what was left of the table. He took a couple deep breaths to regain control.

  Val said nothing for a long moment, giving him time to calm down. Her mind raced for some way to get through to Teller, her love. She thought of how it had felt when they touched after she had been turned. She wanted to know if that feeling was still there. Perhaps he can feel it too, now that he is a vampire. It might help me to get through to Teller. He must still be in there … somewhere. He has to be!

  Val slowly moved to his side and put her hand over his fist on the table. She felt the shocking sensation in the palm of her hand. It moved up her arm.

  Teller looked at her with wide eyes. This was in stark contrast to the previous intense narrow-eyed stare he had worn. He pulled his hand away. “What was that?”

  Val was relieved to see that his eyes only held curiosity. The anger was gone. She took his hand, wrapping her fingers in his. “I don’t know. Perhaps it is an indication of the way we feel about each other.” She allowed herself to enjoy the sensation for a moment before removing her hand but he tightened his fingers around hers.

  Once again Teller’s expression changed. His eyes went from being full of curiosity to being full of hunger. As she stepped away, he grabbed her waist pulling her to him. Before she knew it, his lips were on hers. His mouth moved down her neck, kissing every inch along the way. Her entire body was on fire. She could not think or even breathe. Finding his lips she kissed him back. It was not until she heard the rip of fabric that she began to be able to think.

  “Stop.” Val could barely whisper in her breathless state. She gasped for air so she could force out a louder, “Stop!” She tried to pull away but it was useless.

  Teller pushed her and she tumbled to the ground. She tried to escape but he was too quick. He was on top of her before she could get away.

  “No!” Val tried to push him off.

  Suddenly Teller went flying back. He landed gracefully on his feet. The momentum caused him to slide backwards.

  “She said stop!” Elijah exclaimed. He had apparently thrown Teller off.

  Now Teller’s expression was murderous. “You!” he roared. “I have been waiting a long time to see you again.” He marched toward Elijah.

  Val jumped in front of Elijah and backed up against him with her arms out protectively. “No! Teller, please don’t.”

  He looked between Elijah and Val for a moment. “I don’t know what makes me angrier, that he had the nerve to interfere or that you are defending him.”

  Teller was clearly not used to restraining himself. He was used to getting what he wanted whenever he wanted it. His voice was dark and deep, not the voice Val remembered. Is Teller truly gone, leaving only this monster behind? Her chest ached. How many times is he going to break my heart?

  Teller seemed to regain control. As if reading Val’s thoughts he said, “Teller is dead. He died with your father many years ago. My name is Vlad. Actually,” he corrected, “it is Prince Vlad to you. Now get out of here, before I change my mind.”

  Elijah had moved to her side, ready to fight if needed. Neither of them wanted to turn their back on Vlad. After an intense moment, Vlad spun on his heel and walked out. His regal chlamys billowed out behind him.

  Before Vlad exited the room, he turned to Elijah. “I know why you came. Tell your father I will never join him. I will not follow anyone. I am in this for myself. I will reclaim Constantinople and become Emperor. I will single-handedly restore the Eastern Roman Empire to its former glory. I do not have time for your petty vampire struggles.” Then he was gone.

  Vallachia felt as if her body was falling in on itself. Somehow, she remained standing on her shaky legs. She had never been more confused. Part of her wanted to run after him and — equally — the other part wanted to run away and never look back. She doubled over in an attempt to simply breathe.

  Elijah unfastened the gold broach from his chlamys and swung the fabric over her shoulders to cover her torn tunic. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered.

  Chapter 11 The Beginning 1262 A.D

  Teller sat up in bed and put his head in the palms of his hands. He rubbed his eyes trying to clear the cloudiness from his thoughts. Where am I? He surveyed his surroundings. The bloodstained body of a woman lay beside him. She was mostly naked.

  Another mess to clean up, he thought with irritation. The room around him was sparsely furnished and rundown. He moved to the window of the unfamiliar room and peered out. Targoviste — that is where I am.

  Vague memories slowly came back to him. There were many women — most of them naked — and lots of blood. The last clear memory he had was of fleeing from ... somewhere. He remembered the pain in his eyes when the sun came up. He had stumbled into a village tavern, yet could not recall the name of the place. The people around him smelled like his mother’s cooking after he had been out chopping wood all day — no, they smelled even better than that. Even though he had been salivating with hunger, he managed to control himself until that night when the inn grew crowded.

  A local woman had approached him at the bar. She sat on his lap. “Hello, handsome. Do you want me to show you a good time?”

  Teller could not recall what she looked like. All he remembered was her sweet scent. It was as if she were waving a slab of beef in front of a starved lion. He sank his teeth into her neck. a brief scream escaped from her before all that remained was her limp body. Other women screamed and men hollered. One man charged after Teller. “He killed Camilla, after him!”

  Teller disappeared in a flash.

  That was it —
I had to flee Ludus. Yet why did I leave home? Teller sat down hard on a wooden chair, which had a broken arm. The memories came back faster now. Adam! I killed Adam that is why I had to leave. Vallachia! Where is she? I must find her. No, that's absurd! I killed her father. She would not want to see the likes of me. In fact, if she never saw me again it would most likely be too soon.

  He moved to look out the window for the second time. The trees had leaves and the grass was green. Summer, he thought. Have I been here a matter of days or an entire year or more? He could not recall which summer it was.

  Teller took the broken chair and wedged it against the door so no one would easily come in and find the woman on the bed. That would have to do until he could get rid of her. He quickly dressed and did his best to clean himself in the washbasin. With his cloak over his head, he checked the street to see if anyone was around. He saw no one and leapt out the window down three stories. He entered the tavern through the front door.

  The man behind the long and well-worn counter declared loudly, “Well, there he is. Sleep late again, eh? You had better get yourself a job, boy, so you can pay your tab.”

  Teller pointed his finger at the innkeeper and scanned his fuzzy brain for the man’s name. “Petru, right?”

  “Well, at least you remembered my name this morning. You know, son, you had better lay off the drink.”

  No doubt Petru was referring to ale but that was not the problem, it was blood that Teller needed to refrain from. “Thanks for the advice. I really need a mead, make it the sweetest you’ve got.” Teller was hoping the sweetness would help clear his head. He needed to think.

  “Oh no, sonny, not until you pay up.”