The Nosferatu Chronicles: Origins

by Susan Hamilton

  Brutal creatures, these Primitives, but what right do the Vambir have to judge?

  Kevak closed his eyes as he remembered the vidcom footage of the Lowcaste executions on Vambiri that had triggered the revolt. Mazja had schemed to do the same to him.

  I would be ashes now were it not for Chaluxi.

  Kevak lost track of time as he became fully engrossed in Primitive history. When he finished, he walked to the trunk and put the book back with the others.

  They’re probably all biographies of Primitive warlords.

  Kevak would have loved to continue reading, but the time had come to enter stasis. If he stayed awake any longer, he would need to consume a half ration, and they were too precious to waste.

  He clung to the hope that if he steadfastly avoided any contact with Primitives or the Vambir, he had a chance of a meaningful, albeit solitary, existence in this strange new world.

  As he once again submitted to the stasis process, he drifted to sleep with optimistic thoughts of sewing a new hemo-crop when he would awaken to a warmer season.

  Contentment, something he had resigned himself to never having again, was within his grasp — no longer lost, but merely deferred.

  SANCTUARY

  Castle Dracula

  It had taken the Vambir a week of hard riding to reach Castle Dracula. They had been forced to follow Chaluxi’s suggestion of sheltering from the daylight in pits hollowed out by lasguns. Although they had survived without feeding by entering semi-stasis in the daytime, it had done nothing to alleviate their ravenous hunger. With no hydrogen cells, it had been necessary for Chaluxi to completely drain three lasguns in order to activate a cloaking device around them and the horses that were tethered to nearby trees. The cloak had also provided protection from the frigid weather, but it had been a nervous time for all with the fear of daylight discovery constantly on their minds. Eventually, they arrived at their destination and were awestruck upon beholding the ‘grand house’ that Mazja had hoped to find. Castle Dracula was a colossal stone structure that would surely have vast underground chambers safe from daylight. All they had to do was to gain Dracula’s confidence, and their troubled wanderings would be at an end.

  *******

  Dracula sat in the dining hall between Elzbieta and Teodor. His eyes discreetly fell on Iroto and Soueti, seated at the end of the head table.

  There is love between them.

  As he glanced out at the palace sycophants, he noticed how they whispered amongst themselves while furtively looking around.

  Plotting against me? No. They’re exchanging gossip about one of their own.

  The first course of fruit had been followed by a thick stew of grains and vegetables. Servants entered the hall with the main course of venison, a favorite of Dracula’s. Musicians played softly in the gallery until the final course of tarts with an assortment of cheeses and bread was laid out on the tables. The courtiers drank mulled wine from silver goblets as servants walked silently amongst them, refilling any that were empty.

  A palace guard entered the hall and stood in front of Dracula. Once given permission to speak, he announced that a group of foreigners had arrived and were insisting on an audience.

  “Where do they come from?” asked Dracula.

  “They call themselves ‘Vambir,’ Sire, and claim to have come here after crossing the great ocean,” answered the guard.

  Upon hearing this, the court erupted in laughter.

  “From the other side of the sea?” asked Dracula. “Any fool knows all ships who venture beyond the horizon fall off the edge of the world. Tell them to come back tomorrow morning. We do not receive visitors in the middle of a feast, especially those that tell fantastic tales.”

  The guard looked troubled. “I shall convey your orders, Sire.”

  Within minutes the guard returned, visibly shaken.

  “What is it?” demanded Dracula. “Have you not obeyed my orders?”

  “S-sire,” stammered the guard, “when told your orders, the Vambir refused to comply. Several guards attempted to evict them and were rendered unconscious…by the women and children in their party!”

  Dracula’s personal bodyguards immediately unsheathed their swords.

  “My dear, for your safety I think it would be prudent for you and your ladies to leave,” said Dracula to Elzbieta.

  He smiled serenely as Elzbieta slowly rose and curtsied to him before leaving with Soueti and the other ladies.

  Once they were gone, Dracula addressed the guard. “What weapons did they use?”

  “None, Sire,” answered the guard.

  “Then they must have used some sort of poison,” concluded Dracula.

  “What poison works that fast, Sire?” asked Iroto.

  “The Romans made an art form of it,” answered Dracula. “Not all poisons are required to be ingested, and these foreigners may have a substance that incapacitates a victim upon contact with the skin. Tell the remaining guards to assemble in the hall, and bring in the dogs.”

  The courtiers watched as the hall filled with an entire battalion of guards, and six vicious mastiffs were led in by their handlers.

  “Admit these barbarians after thoroughly searching them,” ordered Dracula.

  After submitting to being searched, the Vambir silently filed into the hall. They did not follow the protocol of averting their eyes but instead stared intensely at Dracula. Once they were all assembled, Mazja and Chaluxi slowly approached him.

  Chaluxi bowed his head. “Great Prince, it my honor to present to you Lady Mazja of the Vambir.” Translation playback by the palmcom during the time Chaluxi had been in semi-stasis had stimulated subconscious learning centers in his brain, and he now had a rudimentary understanding of the Primitive language.

  Dracula leaned forward in his chair. “And what sort of people are you Vambir, who attack my guards and come bearing no gifts?” he demanded.

  “We wish to give you the gift of victory over your enemies,” answered Chaluxi.

  “You possess a weapon that is superior to axes and swords?” asked Dracula.

  “Yes, Prince,” said Chaluxi. “We all possess it.”

  Dracula shot a look at the palace guard who had admitted them.

  “They are carrying no weapons, Sire,” the guard insisted.

  “I have no time for games,” said Dracula to Chaluxi.

  Chaluxi raised his hands. “Here, Prince.”

  “Rubbish!” said Dracula. “You carried just enough poison to disable my guards. If your women and children are such exceptional fighters, then perhaps your fair queen would care to demonstrate her skills.”

  Dracula nodded to the nearest guard, who immediately ran toward Mazja. As soon as he was upon her, she grabbed his throat and easily lifted him off the ground with one hand. The helpless guard kicked wildly, and when one of the blows landed on the side of Mazja’s head, she was not fazed in the least.

  One of the handlers let his mastiff off the leash, and it bounded toward Chaluxi. As it leaped for his throat, Chaluxi struck it with the back of his hand, and the force sent the whining animal flying across the room.

  Mazja continued to hold the guard aloft, never taking her eyes off Dracula. “We do not require poison, Prince,” she said, just before crushing the guard’s throat.

  As blood trickled from the guard’s mouth, she closed her eyes and tilted back her head to allow the droplets to fall on her face.

  The palace guards rushed forward, preparing to fight to the death.

  “Enough!” shouted Dracula as he motioned for them to stop.

  “Enough,” he repeated softly, looking at Mazja.

  “Agreed,” said Mazja, throwing the lifeless body of the guard onto the marbled floor.

  She calmly wiped the blood off her face and held up her hand.

  “Tell us where your enemies are, Prince, and we will give you their blood,” she said.

  “And what is your price?” asked Iroto.

  “Our journey to th
is land took many years,” said Chaluxi. “All of our riches were on board our ship, the Isla, which broke apart in a storm as we arrived on your rocky shores. We only wish to live in the comfort we were once accustomed to.”

  “Why did you choose to leave such a comfortable home?” pressed Teodor.

  “A great cosmic calamity scorched the lands of our kingdom,” explained Chaluxi. “We are all that is left of our kind.”

  Dracula walked slowly to within a few steps of Mazja. “Never before have we seen a race of people like you,” he said. “I should like very much to see how you fare on the battlefield. Our enemy, Mehmed, has failed to overcome our forces and is in retreat with his Regulars and what remains of his infamous slave army, the Kapikulu. Winter has come early, and his troops are mired in the snow. Mehmed believes we will not engage him in such conditions. We were making preparations to take advantage of his complacency and launch a surprise attack. There is a large encampment of stragglers two days ride away. Defeat them, and you will be given sanctuary.”

  Mazja looked curiously at Iroto. “That one is different. Is he a slave conscript?” she asked Dracula.

  Dracula motioned for Iroto to approach.

  “Lady Mazja,” he said, “I present to you General Iroto, head of the Free Kapikulu, whose troops were liberated by me as proof that all who take up arms against Mehmed are given sanctuary.”

  Iroto silently bowed before Mazja. When he lifted his head, a chill passed through him as his eyes met hers.

  Mazja did not speak but instead nodded to Chaluxi.

  “We shall depart at once,” replied Chaluxi.

  “I will meet you on there on the morning of battle,” said Dracula.

  Chaluxi shook his head. “Our customs are different than yours, Prince,” he said. “We take our rest during the day and will fight your enemy under cover of darkness.”

  “You’ll certainly have the element of surprise,” said Teodor.

  “Then I shall observe you in battle under the stars,” said Dracula.

  Without asking permission to leave, the Vambir exited the hall in the same silent fashion as they had entered. Once they were gone, the courtiers erupted into disturbed murmuring.

  Teodor and Iroto approached Dracula.

  “Sire, may we speak with you in private?” asked Teodor.

  Dracula turned to the courtiers and put up his arms to motion for silence. “I now take my leave of you and bid you good night.”

  The courtiers bowed as Dracula left the hall, followed by Teodor and Iroto.

  *******

  “Sire, the strength of these Vambir is unnatural,” said Teodor. “What is the source of their superior power? It must come from the Evil One. They have traded their immortal souls in exchange for it.”

  “Then it is the Vambir who are damned,” said Dracula. “We have made no bargain with the Devil.”

  Teodor was not convinced.

  Making a deal with the Devil’s agents is the same thing.

  “Sire,” said Iroto, “I fear for your safety if the Vambir are granted sanctuary here. You would have to be assigned four bodyguards for every one of them. Why should they be content merely with safe haven when they are clearly capable of easily overpowering those assigned to protect you?”

  “My subjects would never accept them,” Dracula said dismissively. “Their superior strength would not withstand a revolt from hundreds of thousands. If the Vambir claims prove to be true, they can be used to our advantage as berserkers against the Ottomans. Imagine the fear they would instill. It would be a terror tactic that would surpass even the ‘Forest Army.’”

  Seeing that no argument would dissuade him, Teodor and Iroto bowed to Dracula.

  “We defer to your wisdom, Sire,” said Teodor. “May God continue to bless and protect you.”

  Teodor’s confident demeanor concealed his inner strife.

  I will go to the High Priest Luca immediately and inform him of what took place tonight. We are all in grave danger.

  *******

  As Chaluxi initiated the cloaking device, Mazja addressed the Vambir. “Our time spent seeking shelter from the daylight in this foul dirt is nearly at an end. We will feed heartily on the battlefield and celebrate the reversal of our fortunes in much grander surroundings.”

  When they were all safely inside their enclosed quarters, Chaluxi engaged the cloak, and the Vambir entered semi-stasis for the last time in order to conserve their strength.

  *******

  Two days later, Dracula waited with his troops behind a hillside overlooking the Ottoman camp. A scout reported that over a thousand shivering troops were huddled around campfires eating bread and barley stew.

  “The Kapikulu are not there,” observed Iroto. “Those are Mehmed’s Regulars.”

  “The sun set over half an hour ago,” said Dracula.

  “Perhaps the Vambir are waiting till the Ottomans bed down for the night, Sire,” said Teodor.

  “Perhaps,” answered Dracula.

  I will look weak if the Vambir have made a fool of me...but the strength exhibited by their queen! They need sanctuary. They will come.

  As the sky transitioned into night, Dracula and his troops advanced unseen to the top of the hillside. They could make out silhouettes of soldiers drinking from wooden cups.

  “Look!” whispered Iroto as he pointed to a dark mass closing in on the troops like a malevolent shadow.

  It was the Vambir.

  Dracula and his companions watched unbelievingly as the Vambir silently engulfed four tents at the edge of camp. From the light of the campfires they could see the Vambir using their bare hands to snap the necks of the unaware soldiers.

  One of the soldiers was able to raise the alarm, and his comrades scrambled to face their silent enemy.

  “Let’s see how Vambir flesh stands up against swords,” said Teodor.

  The armed soldiers proved as ineffective as those who were taken by surprise. As they raised their swords to strike, the Vambir crushed their arms with the ease of snapping dry twigs for kindling. Although the Vambir were outnumbered over five to one, they killed and maimed so quickly that it made no difference.

  In the thick of the fighting, Chaluxi led the charge. This was meant to be an impressive show of strength for the benefit of the audience on the hilltop. As he encountered a soldier armed with both axe and sword, he held the wrists of his adversary and delivered a head butt with a force that cracked open the soldier’s skull. Pausing to observe the progress of the Vambir, he was disturbed to see that nine adults had given in to the blood craving and were feeding off the wounded. The blood carried in the wine bottles had been strictly rationed, and the new plentiful supply caused those with weak self-control to forget their mission.

  “Stop feeding!” he roared. “We’re only halfway through the ranks!”

  Two of them paused long enough to hiss at him before returning to their feeding, while the others continued as if they had not heard him.

  Hemostim madness!

  “Mazja!” he shouted as he looked wildly about before locating her. “Commander, you must restore order!”

  He felt a searing pain in his forearm and turned to face a soldier who had struck him with an axe. Sensing wetness on his skin, he looked down to see blood oozing out of his wound.

  Vambir ichor has been transformed into liquid…Kevak was right!

  As the soldier raised his axe to deliver another blow, Chaluxi easily disarmed him and used the weapon to decapitate him in a single blow. Hearing a deafening shriek from above, he watched as Mazja leapt over him to vent her rage on the Vambir who were feeding.

  Mazja reached Fryhi first, and when she refused to acknowledge her presence, she went into berserker mode and hoisted the Yeoman above her head and tore her body in half. As Fryhi flailed helplessly, Mazja quickly dispatched three more of the traitorous Vambir by snapping their necks. The remaining five who had given into their blood cravings instantly stopped feeding and hurried to rejoin t
he battle.

  At the edge of the encampment, Mazja could see the Vambir children huddled over a wounded soldier.

  “Leave him and return to the battle!” she shouted.

  The children casually gazed at her with blood-soaked faces, but instead of obeying, they openly mocked her with pretended gestures of confusion. Some even had the temerity to smile. Being children, they had no concept of consequences and were secure in the knowledge that their parents would not allow any harm to come to them. Mazja would have killed every one of them on the spot, but to do so required too much time, and she needed to reestablish her authority in the front lines immediately. As she turned to make her way back to the fighting, she heard the children laughing at her. By the time she caught up with Chaluxi, she saw the enemy soldiers running away.

  “Let them go,” commanded Mazja. “They will tell the others what happened and instill fear throughout the ranks.”

  Mazja then allowed the Vambir who had proven their loyalty to feed on the wounded left behind.

  “You traitors will feed no more!” she yelled at the five insubordinates who had managed to avoid her wrath on the battlefield.

  Chaluxi stood beside Mazja in a show of support, daring them to make the slightest move forward.

  *******

  “God’s teeth, Sire!” exclaimed Teodor. “Those things are not human! What kind of creature has the strength to tear a body apart like that! The Evil One is at work here!”

  “Stop blabbering,” commanded Dracula. “They’re magnificent! Look at the terror on the faces of Mehmed’s troops! Magnificent!”

  “They’re drinking the blood of the fallen,” said Iroto, who could not believe what he was seeing.

  “An exaggerated scare tactic,” replied Dracula. “I only wish my own troops could be as vicious.”

  The soldiers within earshot of Dracula exchanged worried looks. They agreed with Teodor but dared not voice their opinions.

  *******

  “Dracula and his retinue are approaching, Commander,” said Chaluxi to Mazja.