Janko had heard the tale from his father, who had passed it down from his father. The story itself was a treasure the clan valued more than gold.
And the clan liked gold.
Once, the Dragonbound had been a vital part of the Court. Every Patriarch had sat at the table in the Great Hall and was counted among the Counts as a loyal servant to the Prince.
Then one of the elders, Count William, had gone mad with power. He'd demanded the elders elect him as Prince.
The Dragonbound called for peace.
They sided with the elders.
So William drove them from the mountain, drunk on his own savagery as he hunted and killed the Romani clan which had served the Court so faithfully for centuries.
They all would have died but for the Brides who blocked his path.
The old Patriarch told this story to Vlad, his words carrying heavy emotions. Although he hadn't lived through those harsh times, the road had not been kind to the Dragonbound.
Shamefully, some had even abandoned the clan.
Vlad's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions as he stomped up the mountain. He'd spent the day in the Patriarch's own wagon, protected from the sunlight which would have burned his body to ash.
It was a sign of his trust to the clan that he accepted the offer of safe torpor.
Lucy and Mina had slept, too. Both were quickly adjusting to a nocturnal lifestyle.
The two women scuttled behind him, not daring to speak. They could see the rage simmering in him.
Neither wanted to provoke him.
It was Bally who first saw Vlad coming towards the gates of the castle. The sneaky little fledgling had been practicing one of the forms Vlad had demanded he learn.
Squinting down the road, the vampire felt his heart lurch as he saw his brother.
"Oh, shit," he breathed.
Then turned and sprinted for the courtyard where the other fledglings were practicing their forms. Some were already exhausted and were seated on some benches while chatting calmly.
Exchanging ideas.
Since Vlad had left, the fledglings hadn't been too idle.
"Wake up, you bastards!" Bally shouted. "He's coming! He's coming!"
"Bally!" Jenos yawned, stretching his shoulder. It felt sore from his most recent sparring session with Tibor. "What bullshit are you on about now?"
"Get up!" Bally's stricken voice reached the ears of the fledglings lounging on their benches. They frowned at him, then looked at each other in confusion.
"What's his problem?" Galosh asked one of the others.
Shrug.
"It's him, you dumb bastards!" Bally shrieked. "Vlad!"
"Vlad?" Ist's head shot up with everyone else's as panic flared bright in their red eyes. "Oh, shit!"
"Exactly!" Bally hissed.
Tibor lifted his wooden stick. "Alright, you useless bastards! Move!"
During Vlad's absence, Tibor had taken to shouting at them like Vlad had done. But no one had taken him very seriously.
This time, however, no one argued.
Like a flock of frightened chickens, they squawked and flapped as they retrieved their sticks and threw themselves into their forms with terrified desperation.
"Bally?" Hans called. "How long do we have?"
"Minutes? Seconds?" Bally gulped, glancing to the gates. "He's coming…"
"How did he look?"
Bally shuddered. "Angry…"
"Ah, shit," Galosh said, spitting on the ground.
No one said it, but everyone knew that if Vlad was angry then Galosh was going to be in a lot of pain soon.
Piers, coming into the courtyard from his cell, took note of the panic. "What's going on?"
"It's Vlad!" A weedy vampire called Scuttle snatched Piers by the arm. "Quick! Run!"
"What the Hell?"
"He's right outside the gates! Hurry!"
"Now?" Piers stopped resisting and dove for the open courtyard, scooping up his stick from where he'd left it. "Shit!"
A sudden wave of cold swept into the courtyard as a chill wind exhaled in from the mountains.
Bally's teeth chattered as he whined; "He's here!"
Looking through a window, Elder Amir couldn't hide the smile which flitted across his face. Elder Miklos stood in front of the fireplace, holding his hands out and absorbing the heat.
Even vampires feel the cold.
"What's going on?" Elder Matyas asked.
"The fledglings are running scared. It looks like the boy has returned."
"Huh," Elder Miklos grunted. "I expected him to take another day."
"I'm more surprised it took him that long," Elder Matyas said drily. "It wouldn't surprise me if he suddenly started using Shadow Merge."
Elder Miklos chuckled, but Elder Amir simply nodded.
"I think the boy is bringing enough surprises," Elder Miklos said.
"You still won't tell us," Elder Matyas sighed. "We've been waiting since you returned for you to tell us what got you so worked up."
"I didn't want to spoil anything for you."
"Really?"
"And I suppose it's funnier for me if I let you see it first."
A sudden explosive boom shook the castle to its foundations and the three elders rushed to the window to look out at the gates.
Vlad.
He stood with his head bowed, but his foot had stomped hard into the ground. Wide cracks spiderwebbed in all directions and even the elders blinked at the sheer force he must have used to get everyone's attention in this way.
Then he lifted something in his hands, and Elder Matyas gasped.
"Great Sword! That boy has a Great Sword!"
Vlad's voice thundered loudly, cutting off anything Elder Amir was going to say.
And then, to the shock of two elders and the delight of one, red energy blasted out of his fist and the crimson flames raced up the long blade of his sword.
Elder Matyas let out a strangled sound. "This!"
"Black Dragon Great Sword Art," Elder Amir breathed. "I never thought I'd see it like this!"
"I have returned!" The fury in his voice drove most of the fledglings to their knees. "Now come out, you useless bastards! Come greet your brother!"
His arrogant shout was answered by a sneer as a shadow detached from the wall and sauntered towards him. "Insolent! Who are you to speak this way, dog? Do you think a few pretty lights are anything to be proud of?"
Vlad's face turned towards the speaker.
"What bastard are you?"
"Junior," the vampire's smirk turned nasty. "You're asking for a beating."
"Tch. I will give you the beating. Tell me who you are."
"What right do you have to know my name, junior? I'm your senior. That's all you need to know. Now, come over. My boots are dirty. Clean them with your tongue and I might forgive this display of yours."
Vlad stared at the other vampire, sure he was stupid.
"Welcome back, Brother!" Ist rushed forward, standing between them and bowing low. "The journey up the mountain must have been tiring. Please meet Knight Karlo, Third of the Knights."
Ist thought he'd done well as he tried to stem Vlad's anger.
Maybe aim it elsewhere.
Karlo frowned down at the younger fledgling and then rolled his eyes. He put a hand on Ist's shoulder and gently moved the other aside. "What are you protecting this bastard for, Ist? He is my junior. It is right that I greet him to the Court properly."
"But-"
"Move." Karlo shoved Ist aside with a bit more force. Then turned to Vlad again. "How pitiful. You shouldn't rely on others to shield you."
Ist threw himself onto the ground, pleading quickly. "Please! Please don't kill him! He's my brother! My real brother."
Karla blinked down at his brother.
Some of the words spilling out of his mouth sounded right.
Like how they were brothers. They had the same parents. They'd grown up in the city of Bistritz together. Both had joined a local gang of rats. And then both joined the Court together when things got too uncertain.
At first, they'd hoped to hide here.
But then Karlo had shown some skill with the mace and Elder Laszlo had taken him in personally.
Now neither of them would consider leaving.
All this was true.
But what Karlo couldn't understand was why Ist seemed to be begging the other guy. It was almost like he expected Karlo would lose in a fight to him.
Preposterous!
He aimed a kick at his little brother. Not too hard, but enough to get his attention. "What trash is this? Have you gone crazy?"
Ist whimpered again. "Please, Vlad…"
"Tch." Vlad took a step towards them, and Karla froze in the act of giving Ist another kick. "How troublesome. I wanted to cut off your arm, but now it is not so simple."
A cold chill swept through Karlo as the fledgling spoke. Suddenly the pretty lights on the blade didn't look so harmless.
And the way Vlad moved was something like how Elder Laszlo might do it. With grace and calm.
Like nothing could harm him.
Glancing over his shoulder, Karla was slightly relieved to see Andras waiting in the shadows. A flash of shame cut through him with the thought. Why should he need help with a mere fledgling?
Feeling a little vulnerable, Karlo pulled his mace from his belt and enjoyed the comfort of its weight in his hand. For this humiliation, he would crush Vlad's arm.
"Cut my arm? What ridiculousness is this?" Karlo glared back at the other vampire. "Do you know who I am? I am your senior! I am a Knight! I killed eight bandits just two days ago with no help. Do you think I can't kill you?"
Karlo felt braver with every word he spoke.
The reminder to himself of the battle against the small group of bandits had lifted his spirits.
The fact they were half-starved and from simple backgrounds didn't reduce this achievement in his own mind. After all, a bandit was a bandit. Did it matter if they were good fighters or not?
Surely this little fledgling with the silly sword would be impressed by the number, too. Bandits were not always so simple.
Instead, Vlad's contempt remained.
And Karlo realised it had gotten hotter as Vlad's wrathful gaze fell on the mace.
"Turkish weapons," Vlad hissed. "A Knight of the Court dares to carry a useless Turkish weapon and call himself a Knight. How shameless. The Court has certainly fallen."
"Please don't kill him!" Ist tried again, wringing his hands. He still hadn't gotten up off his knees.
"I won't kill him," Vlad promised. "But I will break every bone in his hands so he can think about his sin."
"Bullshit!" Karlo cried, though his voice trailed off as Vlad took a firm step closer.
Something…
Something about this fledgling wasn't right.
But he couldn't back down now. Gripping the mace tight, he shot forward. Lifted it high.
And only as he brought the weapon down in a blur towards Vlad's face did he realise something important.
I have made a mistake!
***
I work hard on this story. I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments if you're enjoying it!