Hunters

Chapter 11

"So, you wish to know about Vlad." With shaking hands, the woman placed two mugs of tea on the wooden table. "Half of his legend has been forgotten." She sat and rested her walking stick against the bench. "Vlad is not really Vlad."

Rachel put her free hand around one of the mugs and leaned forward in her seat. Oh boy, here it comes.

"You see, the ruler Vlad Ţepeş was not an only child. He had one brother that history neglects to mention. And this Vlad, the vampire lord, is that brother."

"But the picture. He looks just like the real Vlad." Rachel turned to Daniel.

"Twins?" he asked.

The old nun shook her head. "No. But they were closest in age and appearance. These portraits aren't like modern photographs. Not that accurate. Many features have been lost, and since this impostor did his best to replace his brother, history forgot his existence."

The candle flickered, casting moving shadows on the woman's face. "Back then, people were scared of the paranormal. Today, they just don't believe. Rumors spread quickly about Vlad not dying in battle. People feared he had come back as a vampire. They weren't completely wrong. Vlad's brother really is a vampire."

"But why replace his brother?" Daniel asked.

"He believed he could save the country his brother loved so much. You see, Vlad was the only one who didn't judge his vampire brother, who didn't see him as a monster. His own mother tried to lock him up, forbid him to leave the castle. Little did she know she could not keep a vampire caged."

How did fake Vlad become a vampire? Rachel asked.

"Oh, we believe he was born that way. The first born, not made, vampire in centuries. He has terrible powers, this Vlad. That's how he gained control over all other vampires in the world. They all report to him now." The woman gave a scratchy laugh. "Before Vlad, vampires were an unorganized mass. But you youngsters wouldn't know about that."

This old nun talked about vampires as though they were nothing special. What was she? The woman façade suddenly looked like a feeble disguise.

She leaned her elbows on the table, a steely light creeping behind her milky eyes. "Ever since the vampires organized, they've become more dangerous. And Max was the first to realize this. He knew that without Vlad, the danger would diminish considerably."

Rachel's mouth fell open. What about the legend? That bringing Vlad down would put an end to the vampire plight? Max found out about it and—

The nun cut her off with a shake of her head. "No. There is no such legend. Max made it up to convince others. Your Hunter High Council didn't think Vlad was worth the trouble. He laid low for a century or so after he became ruler." The woman's lips curled upward. "Stupid, stupid people. They needed to believe in something mystical. Yet, they didn't believe Max, who saw the future."

Daniel's hand flinched. "Max never mentioned this to me."

"You never really knew Max." She tilted her head. "He was the original Hunter, the only person who survived a vampire attack."

"He was what?" Daniel dropped the mug he'd just raised to his lips. It shattered and splattered tea all over him.

The woman acted as if she hadn't noticed any of this. "He came back from the verge of death, turned their poison into his strengths. He founded the High Council, the orders, and devised the method of organizing Hunters in a way that made them stronger and able to cope with their need for affection.

"And the Hunters loved and respected him for it. But he knew he would be overthrown. He foresaw the loss of the last two wars and tried to warn the others against starting them. Drunk with victory, no one believed him. Seers have always been a controversial subject. The Hunters blamed their failures on Max. He was revoked as Head Hunter and turned renegade.