''Come closer and I will scream!'' His prey whimpered.
''Scream. I dare you.'' He growled.
Twenty-three-year-old Ilona Bukowski has always been fascinated by the supernatural, even when she shouldn't. This fascination takes her to Romania, where she...
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3 days prior.
Sevenbridge Castle was a lavish construction which stood on a large hill in Transylvania. It was built from white stone, which used to be expensive in the time Vlad had it built. It had seven large watchtowers looking out over seven bridges that connect the castle to the outside world, and was surrounded by a great forest as well as a wide river circling around the base of the hill. This all made Sevenbridge Castle nearly impossible to siege. Beautiful stained-glass windows graced all five levels, and the grand front doors were the darkest oak with golden finishings. Castle Poenari was a hovel compared to this, however, to Vlad it had always been his home. He had left Ilona in the gardens, he had ached to watch her roam around and explore the grounds, alas it had been midday and he was incapable to do so. Now, the moon stood high as he sat on a chair in his bedroom. A while ago one of his servants had brought in a carafe with fresh blood, and Vlad had already drunk most of it. Ten minutes after he had closed the door behind Ilona, Bogdan had sought him out in his office. Apparently, the possibility of a war was more probable than ever before, and his Court needed him here. Upon arrival Vlad had immediately been ambushed by his Royal Advisor and dear friend, Lord Nicolae Messius. His hectic speech and nervousness was out of character, and thus Vlad had found himself slightly worried. Nicolae had all but dragged him towards the Council Room, which had been in utter disarray. Lords and Ladies screaming at each other, claws, and teeth out, it had been a long time since Vlad had seen them behave like this. The last time his Council had been in such a state, was a memory he wanted to banish from his mind. However, ever since Ilona had arrived on his doorstep, numerous unwanted memories found their way back to the light. He loathed her for that. As soon as Vlad had entered the room everyone had fallen silent, and it did not take long before the situation was explained. The demon realm had sent another letter, which had not yet been opened. However, the previous letter had been quite clear in what was expected of Vlad's court, and the means had not been met. The request had been impossible, and the message clear; return what was stolen or death shall follow. The Demon King had always had a flair for dramatics, and Vlad had disregarded the message. Something he should not have done in hindsight, since Lord Messius handed him the unopened letter expectantly.
''The situation is more dire than initially thought, Vlad. Perhaps we have been focussing on the wrong enemy too much.'' Nicolae chose his words very carefully, but Vlad understood his intentions perfectly well.
''I can assure you that that is not the case. I know perfectly well who my enemies are.''
Nicolae wisely kept his mouth shut while Vlad glanced around the room.
''I am aware of the tumultuous time we are going through. However, we have dealt with worse in the past, and I can guarantee you that we will prevail again.''
This time it was Lady Faur who spoke, ''and what about her, Voivode?'' Everyone present in the room waited with abated breath.
