by Dan Davis
Dracula ponderously raised a steel-clad finger to point at me. “You, sir, miss your homeland.”
“I do. I think perhaps I am heartsick for it.”
“And even though I am home, and victorious, and newly made Prince of Wallachia, I too am heartsick for my homeland. For a people who can live in peace. For a time, I thought I could give them peace and good fortune. But now I know I cannot. I shall never be able to do so.”
“You may have peace if you crush your enemies.”
Vlad shook his head. “I did that, many years ago. I killed two hundred lords and their families. It did not bring peace. I see now that I never could. How long will I go on, bringing nothing but war to my people?”
“Your people will have war whether you lead them or not.”
“Yes, yes, that is true. But when my presence as their prince is the cause for war, how can I say I love my people? It is nought but pride, is it not?”
“What else can you do?”
“That is what I have been asking myself for years, Richard. What lies in my immortal future? To seek to be prince for a hundred years? How would I accomplish it? By killing hundreds and thousands of my own people? I have been thinking of William. And of you. How you keep to the shadows and let other men, mortal men, take the glory and the fame that should be yours. The Pope names this king or that lord as Athletae Christi when it is you who are the true champion of Christ. And yet you are humble enough to let it pass.”
“I do not know that any man has ever named me humble.”
“And yet you are. If I could but control my pride then why could I not do the same? Watch over my people from afar, protecting them, keeping them from harm where I can. Learning true patience and humility while I do so. Is that not a good life to lead?”
I looked at him, the mixture of hope and despair in his eyes, and wondered if I would have to kill him myself one day soon. He was spawned by William and so I was sworn to end his days. I still needed him in order to battle William but after victory was achieved, I would like as not have to cleanse the earth of him and his ilk. But was I bound to that fate? It was an oath I had sworn but what was to stop me from ignoring it in this case?
“It may be a good life, Vlad. But you will only get to live it if William is first killed.”
Vlad nodded. “You think he would come for me?”
“I do not know what he will do now. What do you think?”
“Me? You are his brother.”
“And you were his friend. His protege. You spent more time with him than I ever have.”
Vlad raised his thick eyebrows. “Is that so? Well, for a long time after I abandoned him, I expected that William would come for me. Or that he would send his men to kill me. But he did not. I do not know why. Perhaps he feared me.”
“Perhaps.”
Vlad peered sidelong at me. “You do not think so.”
“If he wanted to kill you, nothing would stop him trying. He may wish you dead but he would weigh the possible dangers of making it so and if it did not benefit him in some way, he would not take action. William has never let pride stand in the way of his continued long life. And I am sure that you are not as important to him as you might imagine. I have met many that he turned. He promised them the world and they loved him and were convinced he would return, even after a hundred years or more.”
“And these people you killed.”
“Yes. Like you, he swore that they would be the ones to help him bring about his new kingdom. He swore to so many that they would be the one sitting at his right hand to rule over millions of worshipful subjects for a thousand years. Some of the women he seems to have promised undying love for and they remained convinced they would be the immortal queen to his king.”
Vlad nodded. “He knew enough to never promise such a thing to me. His honeyed words spoke only of power. The power to rule over my people and keep them safe. He knew me, I suppose, even before I did.” He looked up at the sky. “Radu, on the other hand, wanted William’s companionship. Craved it. And William was quite convincing in his own professing of friendship. I certainly believed their admiration and respect was mutual, though of course they were far from equals.”
“Radu is also convinced of the sincerity of William’s friendship.”
Vlad turned slowly and scowled. “When did you speak to Radu? Before you executed him?”
“I have deceived you for a long time, Vlad.”
He got to his feet and looked down at me. “In what way have you deceived me?”
“I did not kill Radu.”
“Where,” Vlad said through gritted teeth, “is he?”
I glanced around at Vlad’s bodyguards. “He is somewhere safe.”
Vlad breathed hard as he stared at me. “Why?”
I tried to make light of it. “I believed he might prove useful. But I am glad to tell you now that he is alive.”
“You feed him blood?” Vlad hissed. “Whose blood?”
“His gaolers keep him well.”
“Take me to him. Now.” He clenched his fists as he spoke but I did not move or respond. “I command it.”
I looked at him, careful to keep my expression neutral. “You are the Prince of Wallachia. But I do not answer to you. Despite appearances, I never did.”
Vlad curled his lip. “So. Not so different from your brother after all.”
“I will take you to Radu. I am sure he will be glad to see you.”
Vlad nodded slowly, his lips curling with rage. “And then I will impale him myself. I wonder how long it will take an immortal to die upon the stake. Well, we shall see.”
I stood, moving slowly lest I anger him further. “You must do as you see fit, of course. But, you see, my friend, I had hoped that we might use him first.”
“Use him?” He scowled. “Use him for what?”
“To kill William.”
18. Ambush
1476
Together, we journeyed to the monastery at Snagov. Our men waited in the small village and Vlad and I crossed with just a couple of men apiece, who rowed us smartly across the lake. The abbot and his monks had seen our huge party galloping up and they stood ready to greet us as we moored up.
“My Lord Prince,” the abbot said, bowing to Dracula. “It is a great honour to see you again. We have all prayed for your return to your rightful place upon the throne.”
Vlad nodded. “How fares my brother?”
The abbot glanced at me but his smile never wavered. “He does remarkably well, my lord. We pray together often.”
“He prays with you?”
“Oh, yes, indeed. We converse every day and I or one of my brothers prays with Radu. If only we could allow him from his confinement, I believe he would enjoy our communal services.”
Vlad scowled, horrified. “You have made him into a monk? He is a prince of Wallachia, not some black-clothed kneeler.”
“Is that what he is, my lord? You are certain? Radu the Handsome, Voivode of Wallachia is dead. Slain by some brute of a Catholic mercenary years ago.” The abbot smiled at me as he spoke. “We have here a man seeking to find peace and forgiveness.”
“Have you considered that he is deceiving you with his good behaviour,” I said, “and intends only to get you to drop your guard so that he might make his escape?”
The abbot smiled. “But of course I consider it daily. And that is why he always remains chained inside his cell.”
“Chained?” I said, surprised but pleased. “That is well.”
“Not much of a life,” Vlad muttered.
“On the contrary,” the abbot replied. “It forces a man to look inward. He must commune with his soul. And as I say, he is confined but not isolated. What is more, he has devoured every text in our library and is keen for more.”
Vlad raised a finger and jabbed it in the abbot’s face. “You have made my brother, a knight and a prince, into a scholarly monk. It is shameful.”
To his credit, Abbot Ioánnis did not so muc
h as flinch. “Do you believe, My Lord Prince, that taking holy orders is shameful?”
“For one who was a prince, yes indeed.”
The abbot lifted his chin and stared back at Vlad. “The prince is dead. Only the man remains. The man and his soul. I can think of no greater pursuit than to attempt the mastery of the self. Especially for one who may find himself walking the earth, ageless and powerful, for all of time. Men such as yourself, my lord.”
Dracula scowled at me.
I held my hands up. “I never said a word about you, Vlad.”
The abbot stroked his thick beard. “Your brother speaks of you often. Almost as much as he speaks of your brother, Richard.”
I sighed. “My brother wraps himself around these poor people’s hearts so that they can never untangle their soul from him.”
Abbot Ioánnis nodded. “He does have an unusual power, that is true. But we pray for the disentanglement. You will find Radu much changed, Richard, from when you saw him last. As will you, my prince.”
“Take us to him,” Vlad said. “Now.”
We followed him to the monastery and down into the corridor with its row of cells. When the abbot opened the door, we found Radu in black monks’ robes on his knees, facing away from us.
“Radu,” the abbot prompted. “You have guests.”
It was only when Radu climbed to his feet that I heard his chain dragging across the stone floor. He turned as Vlad stepped forward and they faced each other.
Radu had become thin, his handsome face now gaunt and his cheeks were deep hollows beneath sharp bones. Yet, for all that, he looked well. He had a composure and stillness to him that he had entirely lacked before.
“Look what has become of you,” Vlad said, his voice breaking. “If our father could see you.”
Radu’s eyes flicked to me. “Your companion murdered our father. Otherwise, perhaps our father could see me.”
Vlad half turned. “I thought he had killed you, also. I am glad that he did not.”
“You are glad that I am kept chained like a dog? Whether you are here to kill me or to free me, please be about it. I have waited long enough.”
I heard the abbot laugh lightly at my shoulder.
“We will do neither,” I said. “We will use Radu in order to bring William to us.”
“What do you mean?” Abbot Ioánnis said.
“My comrades have let it be known that Radu is alive and that he is held here.”
“You have done what?” the abbot said, turning on me, furious. “You will bring an army down upon us, you great fool.”
Radu likewise growled at me. “What is the meaning of this, Richard? You saved me and kept me here and now you wish me dead at William’s hand?”
I waited until they had stopped. “You are nothing but bait, Radu. And William and his men will not reach Snagov because we will ambush him before he ever reaches this place.”
Radu was incredulous. “And what if William evades your ambush and does find me here? He will slaughter these good monks to reach me, of that I am certain. But what then? I am no longer his man. I no longer share his vision. He will slay me also.”
“Truly?” Vlad asked his brother. “You mean you will follow me?”
“No. I follow God, and myself. Under the guidance of the Abbot Ioánnis here and also Father Theodore who has wisdom greater even than William’s, and that which he has is far more Godly and true. William will come for me, if he knows I am alive, but my love for him is at an end. Truly.”
“Listen again,” I said. “If William does reach Snagov, then you are in no danger. For you shall not be here. Not you, Radu, and not you, Abbot, nor any of your monks.”
The abbot raised a single bushy eyebrow. “And where, pray tell, shall we be?”
“At the fortress of Bucharest. It is not twenty miles from here. We will leave at sunrise.”
The abbot was calm but firm. “My brothers will not leave this place. It is their home. We have the laity to consider also.”
“All will come. If necessary, they will be trussed up and carried off in sacks but they will come. I shall not have your deaths on my conscience should William avoid our ambush and fall upon this place.”
An aged voice in the doorway made us all turn.
“How can you be certain William will come?” Theodore stood there, his hand on a young monk’s arm.
“Theodore,” I said. “You look just as well as ever.”
He ignored my greeting. “How do you know, Richard?”
“My companions Eva and Stephen have sent messages alluding to Radu’s presence here. Messages intended to be intercepted and they were. What is more, Vlad’s coming here will also have been noted by Turkish spies. There is no doubt that they are everywhere in this country.”
“That seems to me to be a lot of hope and no surety, my son,” Theodore said.
“Well, there is also the fact that William has abandoned the Sultan with all of the Blood Janissaries. Our agents confirmed it. Whether he has left Edirne without orders or is acting still for Mehmed, we do not know. But there is a force of Turks newly stationed on the southern bank of the Danube. It is likely William will take command of them and rush here, to Snagov, to rescue Radu and kill you, Vlad, at the same time.”
“So,” Vlad said. “You have used me as bait. You have deceived me. Manipulated me. And now you expect me to allow it? You are so much more like William than I imagined.”
“Perhaps I am. But just as you have acted immorally to achieve a greater moral good in the protection of your people, so I have betrayed your trust in order to put an end to his existence. It is not right but I will pray for God’s forgiveness.”
“It is not God’s forgiveness you need but mine. In order for your ambush to be successful, you require my men and they are of Wallachia.”
“I do, yes. But if you do not help me then I will use the remaining sluji alone. They will follow me and together we will overcome the Blood Janissaries and kill William. But I very much doubt he will come into Wallachia without those mortal forces in support. And so I would really rather also have the support of your small force out there. Together we will spring the trap. And together we will kill William, who is my enemy, and yours, Vlad, and yours, Radu, whether you accept it or not.”
Vlad strode away from me and his brother, crossing the small cell in just a few strides. He went to the high, small window and looked up through it.
He grunted. “You cannot see anything from this useless window, Radu.”
Radu smiled. “I can see the sky above my homeland. I see clouds and birds and the sun. I see rain and snow falling. A taste of God’s creation is enough to remind me of it all. And that slice of blue sky, no larger than my outstretched hand, is all the kingdom I have needed since I have been here. Never in all my life have I felt contented before being brought here. I may have this chain upon my body but my soul is free.”
I glanced at the abbot and Theodore who stood smiling proudly at their ward.
Vlad said nothing for a while before turning to Radu. “Brother, if your words are sincere then it brings me great joy to hear that. Perhaps, if you prove that you are loyal then when the time is right your existence can be declared to our people and you may be welcomed at my court. Or, if you prefer, I will found a monastery and you can be abbot there and live in peace.”
Radu bowed his head. “Nothing would give me greater joy.”
“Richard.” Vlad turned his terrible gaze on me. “We will kill William together. But your manipulation of me I shall never forgive.”
“I understand. Now, let us prepare to leave this place. Tomorrow, we ride to Bucharest.”
***
The monks were incredibly efficient and had their valuables and victual packed and ready well before dawn. Being monks they were used to rising for midnight and matins services but still they worked through the darkness as if they were half-bat and half-soldier.
Still, with so many men, monks, soldiers, and s
ervants, it was a somewhat chaotic departure from the side of the lake that morning.
“Where is the ancient one named Theodore?” I shouted at my men, not seeing the blind monk in the crowd.
Stephen called out from over the sea of heads. “The abbot said the old man is too frail and blind to travel.”
“Too stubborn, more like. Well, may God damn him, then,” I muttered. I knew if William managed to get by us and reach the monastery, then he would not take pity on the blind man’s frailties. But we would intercept William before he reached Snagov and anyway I had too much on my mind to think of one surly old monk a moment longer. “We must hurry,” I cried out, repeatedly. “If it is not essential, leave it behind.”
Rob nodded at a group of servants carrying squawking baskets. “Would you say chickens are essential, Richard?”
“In the name of Christ, sort the daft bastards out, will you?”
Waving his stump at them and babbling in his appalling Wallachian, Rob scared them into dropping their baskets.
“Where the bloody hell is Serban?” I asked Walt as I pulled myself into his saddle.
He shrugged. “If you haven’t noticed, the old bastard’s always off somewhere when there’s hard work to be done.”
“Will you take some men and take position at the rear of the column, Walt? If there are any stragglers, whip them along. If they won’t keep up then you have to truss them up and bring them forward.”
Walt rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Can’t we just leave them to it? They’ll come up eventually.”
“Absolutely not. Not a single one can be left behind. What if one of William’s men scoops him up and questions him about Snagov? Better to kill them than let one risk the entire plan. Our only hope is through springing an ambush and trapping him. Do you understand?”
“None will fall behind. You can trust me.”
I did trust him. Him and Rob, as well as Eva and Stephen. They had been with me for so long because they were trustworthy, reliable and competent. My captains in the sluji and all the surviving men had given every indication of similar reliability but I still could not trust them as I could one of my own countrymen.