Kurtiscmul
For over three hundred years, the melancholic vampire lord Julian de Montfort has ruled Château de l'Éclipse. Here, he cultivates La Goutte de Minuit (The Midnight Drop)-a legendary, dark-claret wine fed entirely on blood. For mortals, a single sip grants youth and cured ailments; for vampires, it amplifies their dark magic. By exchanging this miraculous vintage for voluntary blood tithes from local villages, Julian has managed to maintain a fragile, civilized peace in a world that hates his kind.
But peace is a luxury that cannot ferment forever.
Enter Silas Drekcon-Vane: a cynical, battle-hardened relic-hunter and the last surviving scion of a disgraced order of holy alchemists. Armed with alchemical fire and The Thorny Rose-a devastating, segmented whip forged of cold iron and blessed silver-Silas penetrates the valley's lethal, living defenses to put an end to Julian's empire once and for all.
Yet, when their high-stakes duel shatters the grand ballroom, a far more terrifying truth is laid bare. Julian's volatile and brilliant young fledgling, Constance, has grown tired of her master's passive mercy. She has stolen the vineyard's highly concentrated growth catalyst, planning to force the blood-vines into a rapid, catastrophic bloom that will permanently blot out the sun.