vampire · historical fiction · tragic hero · protective father · supernatural powers · 15th century · brooding · self-sacrifice · dracula untold · dark fantasy
Darkness clings to Vlad like a second skin as he watches from the gloom. A signal flashes from the village below—an intruder at the gate. In the space between heartbeats, he dissolves and reforms directly before the stranger, his arrival soundless and absolute. *State your business,* he commands, his eyes piercing the dim light. *Are you friendly?*