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.He arrived in Bulgaria as Boris Vazor, a handsome and wealthy young man.With him was an older, but apparently devoted woman by the name of Merris.Together they set up a new order of followers, one composed of wealthy and powerful people who were easily seduced by the promises Boris made.After many years, and many several generations Boris grew weary of Bulgaria.Through his network of spies he became aware of a new and exciting opportunity; one far too irresistible to pass up.During the early part of the 13th century, Romania was taking its first steps toward unification.The citizens of the region known as Walachia had united and formed an independent state under the rule of one man, a powerful and charismatic young Prince.Boris sent an emissary to the Prince, offering both his financial and political support, which at the time was considerable.He received a message, issuing an invitation for him to visit the Prince at his castle in Walachia.Boris gladly accepted and left his Bulgarian following under the leadership of a well-chosen man.He took with him on the trip a trunk of clothes, a chest of gold and jewels, and a lovely young virgin by the name of Ciera.The Prince greeted him royally, ordering a feast to be prepared in his honor.Boris humbly declined, pleading infirmity of age, but requested that the Prince dine with him and Ciera alone in his chambers.Not wanting to lose the support Boris had offered, the Prince accepted.The next morning the Prince didn’t appear until late.Everyone noticed at first glance that his handsome face wore an unaccustomed sneer and his voice was harsh and arrogant.He ordered the servants to go to Boris’s room and remove his corpse, informing them that the old man had died during the night.The servants obeyed without question, but wondered among themselves what had happened to the lovely young woman.No trace of her was ever found, but there were bloodstains on the thick rugs and walls of the room.Rumors abounded through the castle and into the countryside, the story growing more horrid with each telling.But that tale was nothing compared to what was to come.The Prince’s name, Vlad Tepes would be remembered throughout the long course of history; whispered in fear and revulsion.The Impaler, the Destroyer, and the Dragon were but a few of the names he was called.But the most memorable was a name that was to be equated with him many years later when an imaginative writer based the character of his book upon the life of Vlad.That name would never be forgotten.Dracula.Lyra put the diary down and rubbed her eyes.She looked over at Nick who was staring across the room with a frown on his face.“What do you think about this?”Nick turned and looked at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes.“Nick? You don’t believe this, do you?” she asked.He stood up and walked across the room to stand in front of the window.Lyra walked over and stood beside him and he looked down at her.Finally, he sighed and looked out of the window.“I’d like to tell Michael about this.I think he needs to know.”“That’s fine.We can tell him together.”“No, I need to do this alone.”“But…” she started to protest.He looked at her and when she nodded silently he started out of the room.“Nick?”He stopped and turned to her.“Do you believe this?”sShe asked softly.“Lyra, there’s a lot of things we don’t know anything about, a lot of hidden things.That’s the real magic.What we see is only the surface of things.Just like a magic trick, the essence of the thing is always hidden beneath the surface.That’s the secret, you know.Life is the greatest magic trick of all.What we see and what we think we know is seldom the way things are.”Lyra gave him a curious look but didn’t comment.Nick turned and left the room.Lyra watched him from the doorway as he stopped and knocked on Michael’s door.After a moment, it opened and she heard the low murmur of voices.A few seconds later Chelsey came out of the room with her robe belted around her.She saw Lyra standing at the end of the hall and raised her eyebrows.“What’s going on?”Lyra walked down the hall and took Chelsey’s arm.“Why don’t you get a shower and I’ll start breakfast.I think you should be wide awake when I tell you what I found.”As Chelsey headed for the shower, Lyra made sure the diary was securely tucked away.He might be gone but her loyalty to Lucius remained as firm as ever.She would protect whatever secrets he had to share.Sea IslandIt was midafternoon before Nick and Michael came downstairs.Lyra and Chelsey were in the back of the house where Lyra had cleared out one of the rooms to make a space they could exercise.She was doing sit-ups while Chelsey was polishing her nails a bright pink.Michael stuck his head in the door and Lyra jumped up.He looked tired, as if he’d been up all night.His eyes had a darkness around them and his entire body seemed tense.She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm.“Is everything okay?”“I’m going to get a shower and then grab a sandwich.How about meeting me in the den in twenty minutes.There’s something we need to talk about.Actually, something Nick and I need to tell you.”“Okay.”“You too, Chelsey,” he added before he walked away.Lyra looked at Chelsey and Chelsey frowned.“This shit’s getting too damn weird for me, Lyra! I mean, surely you don’t believe all that vampire stuff?”“I don’t know what I believe anymore.I mean, I’ve read all about people who have strange fixations on things like that, believing that they really are vampires and werewolves.But it’s always some psychological manifestation due to trauma or mental illness [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]