A mysterious garden. A forgotten prince. A forbidden romance.
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After losing her job at a large garden nursery, Waverly Harris travels across the Atlantic to spend a few months in England with her grandparents. The coastal village of Chep...
Welcome, gentle reader, to my ONC 2023 entry: The Vampire's Gardener! Now, with a title like that, you must be wondering—is this a sequel to The Vampire's Pastry Chef?
Yes—and no.
Yes, it's set in the same universe; no, it's not a direct sequel, so we will not be meeting Autumn and Corbin. (Sorry.) My intention is for this to be read as a standalone, so readers do not have to be familiar with the previous story.
With that being said, let's get a few terms out of the way:
THE FALLEN: Bad vampires who failed the Test and managed to escape before being killed by the Masters. Any evil qualities they had while human is amplified in their vampiric state. They have superior senses, can heal almost all injuries, secrete a poisonous venom from their fangs, and survive solely on human blood.
THE KNOWING: Good vampires who passed the Test and became immortal to pursue their research or artistic passions. They have superior senses, can heal almost all injuries, and must drink animal blood every three days.
THE MASTERS: A council of twelve ancient vampires who decide whether or not a human is a worthy candidate to undergo the Test. All vampires fall under a particular Master's aegis and must seek their permission to create servants. No one has ever seen a Master's true form, which is hidden beneath a ceremonial red robe and gold face mask.
SERVANTS: Humans who serve vampires. (They're working on a better name.) Servants are typically orphans or estranged from their families. They possess the same abilities as their vampire lords or ladies, except for the healing factor. Vampires must seek permission from their Masters to create servants.
THE TEST: A series of mysterious rituals that culminate in a candidate choosing either to drink from a dead animal or a live human.
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