Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 3

 

3.

 

“I am Vlad II; many called me Vlad Dracul. I was known as Vlad the Dragon.” The weary man rode on his horse, led by the escort provided by the Sultan, back to his land. He was one with the Dragon Order under Sigismund of Luxembourg. He was also recognized as the lawful Voivode of Wallachia, allowing him to settle in nearby Transylvania, but Vlad could not assert his claim during the life of his half-brother, Alexander I Aldea ruled the region. Alexander I Aldea acknowledged the suzerainty of the Ottoman Sultan, Murad II.

It was a complicated servitude, and when John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, called on him to challenge the Ottomans, he relented then. The crusade against the Ottomans was underway after Hunyadi routed an Ottoman army in Transylvania. However, Vlad II was still under servitude when the Ottoman was ordered to come to Edirne. Vlad's patron, Sigismund of Luxembourg, died on 9 December 1437. Sigismund's death and the uprising of the Transylvanian peasants weakened Hungary, forcing Vlad to seek reconciliation with the Ottoman Empire.

Vlad II joined Murad II, who came to Wallachia at the head of his army in summer 1438, serving the sultan as his guide. The Ottoman and Wallachian troops broke into Hungary and routed the army before they marched along the river Mureș, capturing Câlnic and Sebeș. The Ottomans and Wallachians laid siege to Sibiu, but the siege lasted only for 8 days. They destroyed the outskirts of Brașov before they left Hungary, loaded with plunder and taking more than 30,000 captives.

After the Ottoman army left Wallachia, Vlad II attempted to maintain a balance between Hungary and the Ottomans. It was unbalanced by John Hunyadi, voivode of Transylvania, in February 1441, who decided to restore the influence of Hungary in Wallachia. Hunyadi came to Târgoviște to meet Vlad, demanding he join a crusade against the Ottoman Empire.  

After Hunyadi defeated the Ottomans in Transylvania in March 1442, the Ottoman governor of Bulgaria accused Vlad of treachery, and Murad II summoned Vlad to Edirne to demonstrate his loyalty. Before departing, Vlad made his eldest son, Mircea, the ruler of Wallachia.  Soon after he came to Edirne, he was captured at the sultan's command.  He was held in captivity in Gallipoli. Murad II sent Hadım Şehabeddin, Beylerbey (or governor) of Rumelia, to annex Wallachia in August 1442.

Hunyadi annihilated the Ottoman army in the Carpathian Mountains in September and made Vlad's cousin, Basarab, voivode of Wallachia.  Before the end of the year, Murad II released Vlad, but he was to pledge that he would not support the enemies of the Ottoman Empire, and he would pay an annual tribute and send 500 Wallachian boys to serve as janissaries in the sultan's army.  He was also forced to leave his two sons, Vlad and Radu, as hostages in the Ottoman Empire.

“You did what you could, cousin.” Basarab II consoled him when he returned to Wallachia. “Vlad and Radu will be fine there.”

“They will live their life with the threat of the sword at their neck. If I revoked my oath, they would pay the price for my betrayal.” Vlad II sighed. “I have failed as Voivode, and now as the father.”

Vlad Tepes was to be assimilated into the Ottomans’ life; he was given the training to be a Janissary. He had endured the punishments of being one.

“You are a Janissary, boy.” The instructor roared into the ears of the young Vlad. “You will serve the Sultan. He is the supreme ruler of the Ottoman Empire.”

“I am not a boy. I am a Wallachian. I will remain as one till I am dead.” Vlad defended his heritage. He was given a smack on the head.

“You are no more than. He is no more than of … too.” The instructor picked one of the other lads from the lineup. “He is a Janissary.”

Vlad knew the boy was from the Balkans, and he cried for his home at night.

“For your insolence, you will be given the whip. Fifty lashes will remind you of the Sultan’s mercy.” Vlad suffered because his love for his heritage was above the level of pain.

“Vlad, you need to be …”

“I am not a Janissary. I am Wallachian.” Vlad had snapped at his brother, Radu Tepes. The latter was with him in the Janissary, but he was given the privileges to study with the Sultan’s children, too. Radu was more of a scholar than a warrior. He studied the volumes on astronomy and mathematics. He said one day, scholars will rule the world, while the brawns will be the minions.

After his punishment, Vlad was dragged to his bed at the barracks to recover. He was visited by Radu, who came to console him.

“Madness!” Vlad had denied his brother that dream. “The world needs warriors like me. I will be …”

“As great a father, and yet he bowed to the Sultan here. He made us hostages while he rules at home with ……. Mircea.” Radu was upset with their father. “He forgoes us for his own life.”

“No, Radu. Father is …. He did not. He loves us. He just needed time to regroup, and then he would free us. I heard John Hunyadi rides with him.” Vlad looked to his brother. His back aches from the lashes, but the scars have hardened from the previous punishments.

“John Hunyadi will be father’s nemesis,” Radu says. “I have studied the battle reports. The Sultan bides his time to defeat John Hunyadi. What is that Voivode compared to the Sultan? Nothing but a gnat to be squashed.”

“Stop your dreams, Radu. We must bide our time to fight the Ottomans soon.”

“The Mongols once defeated the Hungarians. They were victorious.” Radu was an avid reader of the past empires.

“Yes, they may have been, but where are they now?” Vlad looked to his brother. “They …. It was the bubonic plague that dwindled their empire.”

Bubonic plague is an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents. Called the Black Death, it killed millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages. Prevention involves reducing your exposure to mice, rats, squirrels, and other animals that may be infected.

“It was not the only one, as I am told by the other scholars,” Radu explained from his readings. “The Mongols were not familiar with our terrain. They fought on open lands, and when they were here, they encountered forests and hills. They were unfamiliar with it. More to it, their leader had died. Ogedei's death halted their advance. The elders had to convene a gathering to select the next leader. His successor was Kublai Khan, who tamed the far eastern continent.”

“Did you read of Ogedei's war and the aftermath?’ Vlad questioned his brother. “He struck fear in his enemy. He …”

“He was a great leader. He knew he was to consult others on many matters and listened to their advice, but you do not.” Radu retorted to Vlad’s stubborn attitude.

“You are misinformed. Ogedei did many atrocities that made his enemy fear him. He had the Oirat girls.”.

“Raped and killed or handed over to be prostitutes... Alas, Vlad, you are demented to vicious means. One day….”

“Radu, the means to leadership is to be ruthless, and to be ruthless, there is a need to be vicious. Your enemy will fear you when they hear you are there.” Vlad turned his back towards Radu. “These are my scars. The Ottomans’ will one day bear these scars when I defeat them.”

“And for now, you need your medication.” That was the gentle voice of the handmaiden. She approached the two brothers bearing the pot of ointment for the wounds on Vlad.

“Aylin, you are a cheerful light to my darkness.” Vlad smiled. He had then lain on the bedding face down while the handmaiden applied the ointment to the wounds.

Aylin was the personal handmaiden of the Sultana, herself being the rightful wife of the Sultan. The Sultan has a list of wives and concubines, but the Sultana holds the rightful place next to the Sultan on the throne. She was the kind one who had liked the Wallachian’s brother. She had taken notice of the two brothers during one of her talks with the Venetian trader. He had presented to her gifts brought from the far cities at the hall during the visit. She likes to be told of the happenings outside the palace.

“I saw this boy in the garden. He is …” Lord Gencio Capulet was cut off. He was used to the Sultana, who was to hold her own lines.

“The Wallachian. Yes, I knew of him. He is no boy. He is a growing man. His name is Vlad Tepes, but he … He is a hard one to teach.” The Sultana smiled behind the veil on her face, and she was seated behind the thin, silky drapes as was the custom there.

“I am … I am always surprised that ……….” Lord Gencio Capulet smiled. “Your highness…”

“I must be vigilant, Lord Gencio Capulet. I am the Sultana, and before me are the hundreds, if not thousands, of servants ………. Serfs, you called them. They are answerable to me and report to me on the happenings in the palace.” The Sultana was herself to cut in. “And these … young hostages …. You are aware of their ranks here… they are also offered a chance to be a part of the Janissary.”

The Janissaries are the personal guards of the Sultan.

“They are taught many things, including servitude, but not Vlad Tepes. He is as hard as the steel of the blade. He is unlike his brother, Radu, who was amicable to our ways.”

“Vlad... Vlad Tepes... Have I heard of the name before?” Lord Gencio Capulet searched his head for the name.

“His father is Vlad II of Wallachia.” The sultana spoke.

“Ayew, the name now struck my memory. I have not met the father, but his …”

“Circulate among the dissidents of the Hungarians and Wallachians. He is a thorn there, and yet, anyway, he is now a vassal of the Empire.”

“Most gracious, Sultana.” Lord Gencio Capulet smiled. “I was just…”

“Curiosity kills the cat, Lord Gencio Capulet.” The Sultana said. “Or in this lad, still a boy to me, it will be the kitten here.”

 

 

Preys and Predators 3" Love Binds Family Destroy Chapter 1-2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Jimmy Loong 

September 2025

 

1.

The land stretch of Bulgaria then was as breathtaking as it was for generations. Traders ply routes from the West to the East regions. It was mapped by one traveller, named Marco Polo, but his route was partially by sea, and some traders took the overland route across Bulgaria to the Ottoman Empire. It was risky, but the many stops along the routes allowed them to trade their wares and to accumulate new wares. They will store the bought wares there or have them shipped by sea lanes. It was the trader’s life then.

Bulgaria occupied the territory between the Black Sea, the Danube, and Stara Planina, including a part of eastern Macedonia, Belgrade, and the valley of the Morava. It also extended to Wallachia under Tsar Kaloyan (1197–1207) and waged wars on the Byzantine Empire and (after 1204) on the Knights of the Fourth Crusade, conquering large parts of Thrace, the Rhodopes, Bohemia, and Moldavia, as well as the whole of Macedonia. The empire grew under the next ruler, Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), occupying Belgrade and Albania.

Ivan Asen II had a reputation as a wise and humane ruler and opened relations with the Catholic West, especially Venice and Genoa, to reduce the influence of the Byzantines over his country. Tarnovo became a major economic and religious centre, the “Third Rome”, with the decline of Constantinople.

Soon after the death of Asen II, political instability continued to grow, and Bulgaria gradually began to lose territory. This led to a peasant rebellion led by the swineherd Ivaylo, who eventually managed to defeat the Tsar's forces and ascend the throne.

A weakened 14th-century Bulgaria faced a new threat from the south, the Ottoman Turks, who crossed into Europe in 1354. By 1371, factional divisions between the feudal landlords and the spread of Bogomilism had caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to split into three small tsardoms—Vidin, Tarnovo, and Karvuna—and several semi-independent principalities that fought among themselves and with Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, Venetians, and Genoese.

The Ottomans faced little resistance from these divided and weak Bulgarian states. In 1362, they captured Philippopolis (Plovdiv), and in 1382, they took Sofia. The Ottomans then turned their attention to the Serbs, whom they routed at Kosovo Polje in 1389. In 1393, the Ottomans occupied Tarnovo after a three-month siege. In 1396, the Tsardom of Vidin was also invaded, bringing the Second Bulgarian Empire and Bulgarian independence to an end.

With this, the Ottomans finally subjugated and occupied Bulgaria. A Polish-Hungarian crusade commanded by Władysław III of Poland set out to free Bulgaria and the Balkans in 1444, but the Turks emerged victorious at the battle of Varna. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses to prevent rebellions.

It was from here that the tale was to begin.

Lord Dante Montague, in his late thirties, had travelled by horseback on the traders’ routes; the earliest was with his father, the Lord of the Montague family. He was a trader like the generations before him; he sat on his father’s side while the negotiations on the prices to be paid were taking place. His father was shrewd in the bargains, and the level of the voices does not denote conflicts but mutual disagreement on the bargains.

“Everyone has a price, my son.” The young Lord was told. “It is what you are willing to sacrifice for it.”

The Montague caravans, numbering two dozen, are handled by the servants and guarded by the forty-armed mercenaries; they are regarded as such for the coins that determined their loyalty. The Lord held his own personal guards, loyal recruits of the family who stood by their lord’s side for years. They numbered a dozen and were led by Abram of Montague, personal guard to the Lord, who once served with the Venetian army. He is a renowned swordsman and ruthless in his command.

The traders tried to travel in groups; the bigger they are, the better protected they will be from the bandits on their travels. The stretch of Bulgaria under the occupation by the Ottoman Empire was still plagued by bandits. The Ottoman Empire army was stretched thin there, but the traders over the generations had never been frayed by the threats along the routes.

“If we are to cower in the cities, we will face a drought on our wares, and profits will be low. We will take the caravan and fill it full, with our fighting skills to be our protection of it.”

Hence, the caravans were to travel in groups.

“The Polos are staying back.” Reynard rode to the front of the caravan’s line. He approached the Lord there.

“They are, for they are still haggling on the price. Old Piotr is not an easy man to negotiate with. I much prefer the Ottomans to those Wallachians.” Lord Dante Montague smiled. He had taken over five trips on the route since he was ten years of age. He had dealt with Old Piotr twice and did the deal only once.

“The Capulets are here,” Abram told his lord. “They are smaller than ours; eight caravans and …… I counted twenty guards.”

“The Capulets are lean on their spending. They will do their association with any caravans to consolidate their strengths.” Lord Dante Montague saw the other Lord riding towards him.

“Hush your tongue, Abram. He approaches. He rides with his guard, Reynard.” Lord Dante Montague pulled the reins on his horse to move it in the other direction.

“Hail, Lord Capulet. Are you traveling with us?” Lord Dante Montague knew the other well. Their families had been rivals in trade at Venice and Genoa. No love was spared between them for the best buyer, but they remained friends on the routes.

“Aye, Dante Montague. I am to see Mehmed II. I was told you are going there.” Lord Gencio Capulet addressed the other by name. He was not a novice on the route, having done two before in his lifetime. He was about the same age as the other lord, but he took on his father’s business later in life. He was a scholar who spent his time teaching philosophy to the younger scholars.

“What do you want to sell this round, Gencio? Your thick volumes on the ……”

“Astronomy is of interest to the Sultan. I am to gift him some of my works. And of course, the fine Venetian silks, and ……” Gencio cut in and, in turn, was cut off by the other lord.

“I have with me the wines, olive oil, and some of Genoa's best spices from the southern continent.”

“I am sure Mehmet II has his own spices from the Far East.” Gencio smiled. “I am sure you are to trade for his jewels.”

The rare stones were valued highly in Genoa, and the Ottoman was one good source.

“Are you to join me?” Lord Dante Montague raised the question.

“If you are Mehmet II, then I am.” Gencio smiled. “However, you are not, but a fellow Genoa. That I can also share my meat.”

It was how they put aside their differences to travel together.

 

 

2.

 

“Tell me, Gencio. I heard you are getting a wife.” Lord Dante Montague asked. They had stopped at the bottom of some hills to evade their fires being seen from afar. It was a practice taught to the traders. Open land with the fire burning could be seen from a distance. Predators will pay a visit then.

“Me? I am not sure where you got your news.” The other Lord laughed. It was their third stop to rest and eat their meals. Riding for over a day in the hot sun tires the riders and their mounts. Reynard had seen to the perimeters, organizing the guards, and secured the caravans for the night. The Capulets have their own guards, but it was supervised by the Lord in the arrangement.

“News travels fast in Venice. It may be the waters there. It flowed faster than our oars.” The Lord Dante Montague laughed. “When I was to be wedded, the other family had already prepared the feast. I was not prepared, and who I was to wed was untold to me.”

Dante Montague's betrothed wife was brief. She died while giving birth to a stillborn. He was away and only told of their deaths when he returned to Venice. It was one season past soon after when he moved to Genoa, and he found no grief then. He had hardly known his wife; his conjugal visits were few, and he had doubted the child was his. Words were spoken, but no one dared to tell him in person. There had been rumours.

“I am not unsure of whom. It was arranged by my mother and her cousin, and another cousin. God, I could be marrying another Capulet. Maybe they learned from the Egyptians. The pharaoh married his own sister.”

“That is good, Gencio. You do not need to know her better. She probably knew of you from when you were young.” The Lord of Montague laughed. “Me? I am to learn how she talks and walks.”

“Probably, but when I make love to her, I will be …….” Dante hesitated.

“Hey, it is just another fuck. You turned her around, and she looked the same as the others. You just must match your thrusts and be done.” Both men laughed and drank their wine.

Sleep came easily with food and drinks, and it was waking up that dragged their body.

It may be so, but when the waking was to the yells of alarm, the body stood up faster, and hands reached for the swords.

“Bandits!” The call reverted at the camp. The lords held out their swords. The schiavona is a type of Venetian basket-hilted broadsword, popular then and known for its robust blade and intricate guard, designed for both cutting and thrusting. The personal guards rallied to the Lord and surrounded him.

“Half of you to the caravans. That is their purpose.” Lord Dante Montague called out. “The rest, follow me to the caravans.”

Abram was there at the caravans organizing the mercenaries. He saw the Capulets’ guards had formed a cordon on their caravans. Some were armed with crossbows, and they were notched to shoot anyone unfriendly. He saw the bandits charging towards them. He could not make out the numbers with the morning dawn lighting the bandits. The bandits chose to charge from the east, with the sun behind them, camouflaging their numbers.

“Pick your rider,” Abram called out. “Kill without mercy.”

Abram held the Venetian blade and the round shield on his left arm.  

Reynard was also busy killing. He wiped the blood off his blade on the dead bandit’s shirt. The bandit had on a simple blouse with the skirt design called the fustanella, and some wore the straw slippers. It was their blade that intrigued Abram, the kilij, the blade made of patterned welded high-carbon crucible steel, generally with long, slightly curved blades with one sharp edge. It was a weapon of the janissary mounted on the horses, for when they charged, they would slash with the sword at their enemy. The curvature makes it easier to deliver the powerful cuts.

A hundred bandits descended on the caravans; half were mounted on horses, while the others were on foot, having hidden in the cracks of the hill. The ones mounted were mostly ex-akinji; the mounted carried swords, lances, shields, battle axes, and maces as well, so that in a field of combat, they could face the enemy first and fight melee. Unpaid, they lived and operated as raiders on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, subsisting on plunder. They were the first to charge before the other units of the Ottoman Empire. The others were a compilation of peasants or serfs, as they were called then, and some mercenaries looking to get a share of the plunder.

A hundred was a huge number, but the caravan was a treasure trove, seen and heard in the market, to contain jewels bound for the palace.

The bandits’ riders were met by the armed mercenaries; bows and arrows were released to halt the attack. Some held the crossbows, and the heavier arrows were shot at close range. Dozens of riders and their horses went down, and the ones not dead charged on their feet. Shields were raised, and the melee began.

Reynard, armed with one blade in each hand, was at the forefront, and he took his first bandit with the thrust of the right blade into the left waist, and then he drew out his blade to thrust once more into the left shoulder. He kicked away the dying bandit and stepped towards the next in line. It was the training he had under his father, who was a condottiere, the commander of mercenary companies.  

Condottiero in medieval Italian means 'contractor,' and condotta is the contract by which the condottieri put themselves in the service of a city or lord. The condottiero had been in service for many generations, but in the past few years, the influence waned, and Reynard was reduced to serving his family honour by leading the caravans.

“Stay at your positions, serfs,” Reynard called out to the caravan handlers. He knew that they would get into the battle, but their lack of skills in fighting was not welcomed. They are armed with makeshift spears or lances and a dagger at their waist, but without armour on their chest, they were easy prey.

“Aargh….” A serf called out when he was slashed on the right shoulder. Reynard rushed over and killed the bandit with a double thrust into the back. He kicked away the dead bandit and looked to the serf.

“Get back in line. You may still live.” Reynard then turned to the melee ahead of him. They were equal in fighting skills; the bandits were driven by their greed for plunder, and the mercenaries were there to earn their coins. It was balanced, but Reynard wanted the winning edge.

It arrived when Reynard saw the riders approaching.

“Janissaries!” The cries went out. They were members of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted during the reign of Murad II. Janissaries began as an elite corps made up through the devşirme system of child levy enslavement, by which indigenous European Christian boys, chiefly from the Balkans, were taken, levied, subjected to forced circumcision, and forced conversion to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army.  They became famed for internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular salaries.

Forbidden to marry before the age of 40 or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the Ottoman sultan was expected.

The Janissaries were expert archers, but they began adopting firearms as soon as such became available during the 1440s. The siege of Vienna in 1529 confirmed the reputation of their engineers, e.g., sappers and miners. In melee combat, they used axes and kilijs.

They rode in formation and attacked the flank of the bandits. Their skills were displayed in the melee, with the Janissaries attacking in pairs, slashing at the enemy from the sides, and then pairing up for the next. The axes were swung like pendulums at the necks while the kilijs took off the threat of the arms.

“Retreat!” The bandits called out, and they scattered. The ones that were slower to react were met by deadly slashes.

Reynard halted his men to regroup at the caravans. He saw the Montagues had also done the same. They are cautious too, for the value of the caravans may drive any to revolt or be the deadlier bandit.

“I am Boluk Bashi Tarmak, of the Fifth Regiment. I was assigned to bring you back to the city.” The Janissary officer dressed in a combination of rich fabrics on their tunics and pants with the thick boots, elaborate headwear called the bork, distinctive chest armor, and the two kilijs on the waist belt. There were two hundred of them in the command of the Boluk Basi.

“The Sultan had concern for your safety and assigned us to escort you.” The officer sat up on the saddle and looked to the guards. “I was in time to save you.”

The pride of the janissary will not admit to his delay in arriving.  He was not delayed but took off on an errand of his own. He had escorted a rich landowner to the fertile valley and was delayed. If that was reported to the sultan, he would be punished, and had ridden hard to meet the caravans. “

“Thank you, Boluk Bashi Tarmak, of the Fifth Regiment. We will need some time to …… collect the wounded and bury the dead.” The Lord of Montague looked to the complement of guards.

“You may do so, but hurry. We are to ride on soon.” The Boluk Bashi made his demand.

It was a quick count of the dead: fourteen to be exact, with another fifteen wounded, but five will not make the ride to the city. The ones who survived were given their moments to regroup and pillage the valuables of the dead, including the bandits. Any items worth a coin were collected and stored on the caravans.

The Janissaries watched from the side and did not partake in the plunder. They are paid by the Sultan with a salary, and their real plunder was at the conquered cities.

The caravans took to the journey soon after the dead were buried, while the bandits were left to the predators to devour. They marched on with sighs of relief that they were escorted by the Janissaries.

“Gencio, we were lucky to have the Sultan concerned about us.” Lord Dante Montague smiled. “But how did he know?”

“I may have a hand in it. I did send words to the Sultan that I was bringing to him the jewels valued by him.” The Lord of Capulet smiled. “The eye of the desert; the Empress Stones. They come in a pair, one red and the other black.”

“You bastard!” Lord Dante Montague glared at the other. “You bought the jewel from the Saharans while I was negotiating. And then they stopped.”

“All is fair in the trade.” Gencio laughed. “I offered them a good price and added to it; the fifty serfs they could trade on the return to the dry lands.”

“Serfs? They were Nubians, I presumed.” The Lord of Capulet was known to trade in slaves from the dark continent. It was frowned on by the Montagues.

“Yes, they dug up the stones and will be of use to the Saharans to dig more. If they could find the mine again.”

The mine was rumoured to have collapsed after the dig. The mine was deemed unapproachable to the locals since then.

“Gencio, the jewel was one of the rare ones. The Nubians may not find another.” Lord Dante Montague looked to the escort they had acquired. “I …….”

“Dante, I lost some good men to get the jewel, too.” The Lord of Capulet motioned to Reynard and his guards. “We doubled the numbers before the snatch.”

“And I may have lost the trade here.” Lord Dante Montague was upset.

“Do not be unhappy, Dante. There are many other buyers for your wares.” The Lord of Capulet smiled. “We are brothers in trade.”

Lord Dante Montague kept his silence. Lord Gencio Capulet was a good friend, but at times, he felt that betrayal lay in that man. He was not to be trusted to honour his words.

“My Lord, we shall reach the city by nightfall tomorrow,” Reynard reported. “The men are weary and ……”

“We will camp here tonight. Tomorrow, we will make haste and be there by late afternoon. I long to see the Sultan and share his love for lamb.” Lord Dante Montague smiled.

“The Janissaries want to ride on.” Reynard expressed his real concern. “The Boluk Bashi ……”

“He may ride on to announce our arrival. His failure to protect us will depend on his behaviour.” Lord Dante Montague looked at the Janissary officer leading the caravans. “Tell him we will camp here tonight. Do not take any abuse from him, or he will be reported to the sultan.”

The Boluk Bashi was unhappy, but he knew that the trader held a friendship with the Sultan. He was obliged to follow the orders. His men were unhappy, for they wanted to go back to camp to trade their plunder, but the discipline was instilled in them to follow their commander.

The caravans arrived just before dusk, and a feast was underway then. The Boluk Bashi had sent scouts to alert the palace, and the Sultan was delighted. He was more than delighted when he saw the gift from the Lord of Capulet. Lord Dante Montague was sidelined, and Lord Gencio Capulet took himself to enjoy the splendour of the palace. He chanced upon a young lad then by the garden.

“Who are you?” Lord Gencio Capulet looked at the young man who was dressed in a loose tunic and skirt, seated by the pond. He does not look like an Ottoman lad.

“I am Vlad Tepes. I am a Wallachian.” The lad looked at the trader. Lord Gencio Capulet was familiar with seeing the few nationalities there, mostly hostages of the Sultan. The kingdoms, small and easily intimidated by the Ottomans, pledged their oath of allegiance to the Sultan. It was customary for the ones sworn to serve to send one or two of their sons to the palace to be treated as hostages or, in better words, guests.

“Who are you?” The lad asked.  

Yes, I am back......

 Firstly, I apologize for the delay. I have been penning away when I can, but the tale seems to grow further on. I am now at 197,000 words aka Chapter 66, and finalisingt eh ending.... soon I hooe. Its not my way of publishing a tale still in the write but its here. I will complete the tale soon, with my work schedule and health. 

An introduction to my tale and the journey todate. 

Prey and Predator 3; Love binds, Families destroy

 

A retold of three classics, intertwined into one tale.

Romeo and Juliet

Dracula

Merchant of Venice

And dashes of

Les Miserables

 

By Jimmy Loong

Started on 30/3/25 after a sleepless night.

 

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

 

April 17^th

I am at 52K words now, trying to tie up the endings (or was it ending), but it is a complex tale here, unlike doing the Frankenstein / Carmila tale, this one held three classics. Honestly, horror was not the genre, unlike the previous tale, but more of love and compassion with the knots of love and family obligations.

Dracula, with the reference to war, and killing via impalement was in the background, but I focus on the unexplored side of the brothers’ love and their obligations since young from hostage to Voivode. The love of Vlad Tepes for his land and people, his family, and that of Radu, his brother. It was more of their personal conflicts here.

This is not only a Dracula tale, for it also involved the traders, aka the merchants, and then the money lenders. The two intertwined in one huge write-up, and comes the love, the conflicting love of the two young persons. We have the major characters: the Capulets and the Montagues, and their children. Shylock and Portia, and Bassanio. Who was Shylock before he became the coin trader?

And the ‘where art thou, Romeo?’ needed to be told. The tale of the two main characters and the supporting ones.

As taken from the Macbeth play, we mashed them all up into one pot, and we have ……. Headache to write……

April 23th

There comes a time when a tale adapted must be made to be an original from the original. Here I am interfacing three classics and the outcome will be …… classic in my view.

Tally Ho…... I am now diving in.

August 1^st

After a hiatus of silent thoughts, I am back to write once more. Now at Chapter 50 on the tale, it will be ongoing. Combining/adapting three major tales is not an easy task with so many characters to interplay and then strike off in stages……. I would not know who stays or leaves till then. But the main topic of the tale is all about love; family love, lovers in a bind, and the love of greed.

And I hoped to keep to that.

From Romeo and Juliet, the two main protagonists, Jessica and Lorenzo, the family feud, the murder of Mercutio, and Tybalt. I explored the others like Benvolio, Friar Lawrence, and Reynard.

From the Merchant of Venice, Shylock and his wife, Lea, Portia, and her fiancée; Bassanio, and there is the pound of flesh. The others I wrote in were Nerissa, Portia’s friend, Gratiano, and of course, the newly added characters of Magistrate Javier and 24601……Les Misérables counts among my fav.

From Vlad Tepes, his exploits, with his love for his family, Radu and his family, and of course, the love between the brothers. I calculated to add in the Ottomans and the Hungarians from Count Paris to Prince Escalus.

Sept 2^nd

After some issues with my other lifestyle, I was to pen down some chapters and trying to conclude this tale before the mid of Sept. My title of the tale was LOVE BINDS; FAMILIES DESTROY. Perhaps it may be true at times, and with that will be my focus here. In my write, I made some changes which was …... well, to keep the cogs in the wheel rolling. Please accept my version here. 

Sept 18th

I had to start publishghing this for I am getting impatient on my end to post something here. And it will also drive me to end the tale soon, or I may delay or procastinate... on it. I was down with some respiratory issues, but recovering now. It was a challenge to combine three pooular tales into one, but life itself is a challenge of sorts. 

Why Vlad Tepes woven into Romeo and Juliet, and Shylock? I was thinking of the same timeline with some imaginative addons, and instead of battles and killings, it was all about love. I explore beyond the depth of the characters and brought forth the others there from the background. Then it was to 'micromanage' the details, making it lively and well, my own version of the tale. 

I shoukd be tying the final words to this tale before the end of the mth, and then to my othehr unfinished tales...... originals writes, and from there.....its TALLY HO. 

Pardon my erratic write.....medicine makes you see words differently.

Cheers

Soon I will be back.....

 I have been penning away for the last weeks, slowly; I had to put aside my other concerns to go here. But as was once mentioned to me, all it takes is a word a day to keep the mind moving, and a line of words will appear.

I am now at almost 95K words on the tale, which involves ROMEO & JULIET, VLAD TEPES aka DRACULA, and MERCHANT OF VENICE, and some trickles of LES MISERABLES (unintentionally added of late). 

I am trying to wrap up the finale soon, but the tale kept on expanding. But it will be done soon. 

Thank you for the patience here. 

Till then, TALLY HO

Words of Appreciation

 Thank you all for logging in. Truly appreciated. 

Will try to do a comeback soon. 

Take care

Preys and Predator Part II; the monster and witches' (Foot prints in the trail)

 

Footprints in the trail.

This tale started off as a simple “let me adapt two tales to make one.” All I did was read the summary of the book, condensed in the opening of this tale. I then read the work ‘Modern Prometheus.’ I started the tale with the idea of a Greek tragedy, with the interaction of monsters and vampires. Vlad ‘Dracula’ Tepes came in on the spur of my typing at the keyboard. He soon became a character to make the tale more interesting.

Chief Constable Lestrade and Watson came in because of my love for the Holmes tales, but I did not add in Holmes, for it would be racking my mind on how the sleuth could fit in. I did try later when I mentioned the ‘hound,’ aka the Hound of Baskervilles.

On the Ripper, this storyline was in a different date year. This was the mid-1800s, and the Ripper was in 1888. I sort of place it in the mentions here and there.

Lieutenant Sharp was my version of Lieutenant Sharpe from the Sharpe series. I have gotten the e-books in the series and watched all the Sharpe movies I could find on YouTube. The characters were well played by Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley, with many of the supporting actors holding their positions on the series. Hakeswill was one villain you would not mind plunging the bayonet into. My salutations to Bernard Cromwell.

How did I end the tale here?

I mentioned in my blog when I was writing this tale, I normally tap the final dot at about 50K words (minimum novel word count), but the tale grew its own wings, and soon I was at 60K words, and still, it will not end. The words and twists whizzed through my mind. I kept at it with whatever free time I had (did my medical tests; long overdue and… well, I am alive here…) and voila, I am done at just tipping the mark at 85K words.

And it will not be the end just yet.

There may be, should be, will be, and surely will be the sequel here.

Mary, the creation, is ‘alive.’

Sven Ducard, as revealed last, still harbors revenge for the death of Henry.

Elizabeth Muriel, aka Mrs. Frankenstein, was deemed insane, or maybe not…. Possessed (hint…hint….)

The Theology Society lost their founding member and may not rest there.

What about the girls who died there? Mere pranks or forming a new coven?

Briggs; he is a predator of the flesh, maybe so.

Beelzebub, the uh-huh factor mentioned in the passages, resurfaced in the end here. Why? Questions that needed to be answered.

The mansions of Frankenstein and Carmilla: are there secrets there in that mansion?

And of course, Victor Frankenstein, creator and son. Well, he is now with Elizabeth and expecting their first child.

Lots of what ifs” and “could it be”s are here.

Till then, tallyho, I am not taking a break. I am to complete my other unfinished tale…. Have you ever wondered who Mrs. Hudson is in the HOLMES series? Well, one day soon, you may know my version of her.

Cheers

27/03/2025 11:55am

Preys and Predator Part II; the monster and witches' Chapter 52 (FINALE)

 

52.

The Chief Constable, Lestrade, sat across from the owner of Frankenstein’s mansion. He had so many questions to ask the young man. He was accompanied by the constable and Lieutenant Sharp. Ms. Muriel was in the personal chamber of Ms. Moritz. She wanted to be alone.

“The search was another…… fruitless; it was.” The lieutenant tried to find the word. “I had called it off. My dead men will be sent back to the camp for burial.”

“I will take care of the others.” The Chief Constable, Lestrade, had informed Watson to move the body of Mrs. Muriel to the cold chamber. He had sent words to the Theology Society to do the needed.

“Mr. Frankenstein” The Chief Constable addressed the young man not by his designation as Master of the Mansion. “Please tell us what happened?”

“I do not know how……. I was there and met Mrs. Muriel, who was inquiring about Elizabeth. She was there with me then. She was upset that Liz was there.” Victor said. “Then without any reason, the monster appeared. It attacked Mrs. Muriel and was coming at me when the soldiers appeared. They fired at the monster, but it was unstoppable. It killed them all, but thankfully Sven was not killed.”

“Tea, sirs.” Sven walked in with the tray of cups and pot. He set the tray on the table. “We are short of staff. The new cook is missing, and some of the others have packed to leave.”

“Earl Grey tea, Sir.” Sven poured the tea contents.

“I can attest to the incident. I was there with the soldiers. We fired in turns, but the monster still attacked us.” Sven added that. “I was hit on the head and fell unconscious.”

“There was no blood seen there from the …….” Watson cut in with his observation.

“Yes, we found no traces of blood form the monster.” The lieutenant interjected. “I wondered……”

“If the monster bleeds? Maybe green blood?” Chief Lestrade lent a tint of sarcasm. “Indeed, there was none.”

“I did not see any.” Victor said. “I am familiar with blood. After killing the others, it fled to the forest.”

“We were informed, and a search was conducted. We found a grave, freshly dug out, but no bodies were found.” The lieutenant reported in. “We had continued our search for two days. I just received new orders. We are to return to camp for posting to overseas to Crimea.”

The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont from October 1853 to February 1856.

“Mr. Frankenstein, the case remains unsolved. I have no new evidence. London is impatient with my progress, and I am recalled back.” The Chief Constable was upset. “However, till we get new leads or evidence, you are to remain here and be available for any questioning. Constable Watson will be here to monitor the …… developments.”

“Meantime, the case had been classified as wild animal killing. We are in the countryside, and within the forest, there are bears or wild dogs. Any of those could kill with savagery assumed to be by the monster. Or they are monsters.” The Chief Constable looked hard at Watson. “We shall stay at that assumption.”

“At my home in the north, my uncles told me of the myth of Barghest, in folklore, a monstrous goblin dog with huge teeth and claws that appears only at night. It was believed that those who saw one clearly would die soon after, while those who caught only a glimpse of the beast would live on, but only for some months.” Trust Watson to add the supernatural hint to the conversation.

“Ahem!” The Chief Constable, Lestrade, intervened. “Gentlemen, we shall not speculate on the monster. For all the good it will do, we may get ripped by it soon. We do not have any rippers at large for now.”

“Good day, sir. I got a train to catch back to the city.” The Chief Constable, Lestrade, stood up.

“And myself a long march back to camp.” The lieutenant also stood up. “Thank you for the tea.”

“I have dinner to prepare. All of you are invited to stay back for it.” Sven smiled. He was at odds on what to serve then.

“I may…” Watson saw the expression on the Chief Constable. “I may have to do my patrols in the village.”

“And good day, sir.” Victor stood up and wished the others safe journeys. He took to the chamber of Ms. Moritz. Elizabeth was seated there on the bedding.

“Do you think this chamber will do well for a children’s playroom?” Elizabeth patted the bedding cover. “We could put in …….”

“Liz, are you well?” Victor approached the lady. He sat down next to her.

“I am fine. Can we fuck again? I am feeling the need for it.” Elizabeth looked at Victor. “I am sure Justine would not mind if we do it here. She may learn a thing or more from us.” 

“No, Liz. We must ……” Victor was cut off by the lady. She had leaned over to kiss him. He pushed her off his face. Elizabeth grinned and pulled at the shoulder hem of her dress. She pulled it off her shoulder to expose her bosom.

“You could kiss me here. I like that. One day soon, our child will be doing it. You do not compete with our child then.” Elizabeth grabbed Victor’s right hand and placed it on her left breast. “Our hearts beat there.”

“No……” Victor stood up. “I need to go.”

“No more creation. We have one here.” Elizabeth pats her stomach. “Give us time. It will be created. Then after, we can create another. We can create a dozen if you want.”

“No… I must go.” Victor turned to leave.

“Do not leave me, Victor Frankenstein. The monster will come for me. I am afraid.” Elizabeth cried out. “I am afraid.”

Victor embraced his lover. She leaned onto his chest and hummed the lullaby.

Rock-a-bye baby
On the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall.
And down will come baby.
Cradle and fall

Sven had eavesdropped there at the door and then moved on back to his cottage. He saw the creature seated there near the back door of the cottage. She was looking at the rear of the cottage. Sven had buried Henry there, with the creation’s help, and planted the lilac flowers there.

“How are you?” Sven asked. Silly of him to ask that, but he knew not what to say. He had given the creation new clothes to change into and made her wash herself daily.

“I am fine. I saw Henry this morning. He is fine.” The creature looked at Sven. “He seems to have lost some weight.”

Sven had placed a glass jug there, inverted into the ground, at where Henry’s face was. The creation could look in and see her dead lover.

“Did you feed him?” Sven asked.

“No, I could not……. I did, but that will destroy the flowerbed. I fed the flowers there. It will provide food to Henry.”

“It will, but maybe you should take care of yourself more. Henry will be fine if you are.” Sven approached the bedding. The covers were not folded. “You are to fold the beddings daily. Did you do that?”

“No, I did not. I …” The creature got up to approach the bedding. “I will do it now.”

“And the other chores I told you about. If you do, then you will make Henry proud. He …….”

“I will. I will make Henry proud of me for taking care of you.” The creation began folding the bedding covers. “Sven, please call me Mary. It was the name Henry gave me. I will be a good child for you.”

“Yes, Mary. With Henry in his long sleep, you will be my child. Now, you know the rules. You stay here and do not answer the door. No one will need to see you.” Sven looked at the creation. “You must not ……. Please stay hidden. You are not …….”

“I am not a monster. I am Mary.” The creature looked at Sven. “I am Mrs. Henry Mary Sven Ducard.”

“Yes, you are. You are a part of the Ducard family now.” Sven smiled. “And for now, I will read to Henry. He likes to hear me read.”

“I like that too. Please tell me the tales.” The creature picked up the huge volume and approached Sven.

“Cinderella.” Sven opened the volume to the page for that tale. “Let me tell you about Cinderella. Long, long time ago…”

 

 

Preys and Predator Part II; the monster and witches' Chapter 51

 

51.

Spielberg stood up holding the cane. It was a hard decision for him. Was he to save his daughter or end the saga with the witches? Was he cursed to be associated with the witches? “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! Isaiah 14:12.” Those words swam in his mind. Was he cast by God to be there?

“Rudolph, please.” Lissa called him by his nickname. She once told him Rudolph suits him better in name. She told him that the name means "famous wolf. He was to her the prime wolf that leads the pack. Just like when he led the regiment colors, he was the leader.

“Save your daughter.” Lissa spoke to him. “We came far and wide to be with her. She will carry our legacy, and the coven will be ... established and ... famous.”

“Famous like Rudolph.”

“Spielsdorf, she speaks the truth.” Annabelle added.

“Betrayals are inevitable, but great devastation will come to the one guilty of betraying others. It would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment of betraying one of my dear ones! Luke 17:1-25.” Spielsdorf said while looking at Lissa. “Was I betrayed?”

“Did you ever feel love? We took oaths to cherish, to hold, to …… undergo all the events together. Yes, you left my side earlier, but I carried you in my heart. Did you?”

“Yes, I do. I have always watched over you and Lauren.” Lissa replied. “Love knew no boundary.”

“Did it? You bound yourself here to …… Say it out, Lissa.” Spielberg was angered. “We travelled to find the one who caused you to leave us. Did you ever know?”

“Yes, the coven matters to me… above all else.” Lissa sighed. “Carmilla, in her anger, made me lose my humanity and crippled our daughter, but now she has repented of her errors.”

“For that, all is forgiven, huh?” Spielberg looked towards Carmilla. “You destroyed my family, and now you are asking me to give my daughter……. What? A new life?”

“Yes, Spielsdorf. A new life to her. A new life to all of us. A new life to the coven. Lauren will be the …”… Carmilla cried out.

“No…….” Spielberg shot Carmilla from the concealed revolver. The bullet impacted on the lady’s chest. She was slammed back to the back of the seat.

“Spielberg, you……” Carmilla held up her hands over her wound. “I……”

“Sister …….” Lissa rushed to Carmilla’s side with Lauren.

“I am dying…… I will soon be…… dead.” Carmilla sighed. “The beginning and the end are nexus in the journey of life. Mine will be over. I am glad that Lauren has taken over that responsibility from me.”

“I can save you, Carmilla.” Lauren approached the lady. “I have the means……”

“Silly lady. You have more things to accomplish than to save my life. My journey ends and yours… is soon to take place.” Carmilla smiled. “With my death, the vampire war is over. The coven war is over.”

“No, my love. Please do not …… leave me.” Vlad, still stuck to the wall, called out. “Let me see you once more.”

Lauren released the vampire from the wall. He fell to the floor and then stood up.

“Dignity is mine.” Vlad stood up and then walked towards Carmilla. He went on his knees and took her hands.

“I do love you, Carmilla Karnstein.” The shrieks of the other brides echoed on the walls.

“Vlad, I do it for you, but we were never meant to be. I am a witch, and you are……”

“A lover for you.” Vlad smiled. “I loved you as mine, and not because you are…….”

The echoes of the brides were louder, and then the swarm of bats flew away.

“I need to go. Dead is not my favourite event. I may cry at the weddings, but at death, I have to say…….” Vlad's tears flowed. “I dislike deaths.”

Vlad stood up and walked to the door.

“Lauren, I will be back.” The vampire then dissipated. Carmilla Karnstein took her last breath.

“Spielsdorf, give me the blood jewel.” Annabelle said. “It may save Carmilla.”

“No!” Lissa intervened. “The blood belongs to Lauren. It was to be Carmilla’s gift.”

“She is our sister.” Annabelle cried out. “We have to save her.”

“It is not called anymore. It is Lauren’s.” Lissa looked at the younger lady. “If you give her the blood, you will be incomplete. The paths before you will be…… dangerous if you are not complete. You may lose it all.”

“I ….” Lauren, in the short time, has become a witch when just days ago, she was an invalid on the bedding. Her transformation was intense, and she had not come to grips with her new personality and powers.

“Rudolph, please give her blood.” Lissa begged," “She cannot be…… incomplete.”

Spielberg held hard on the cane. He was unsure of the action to take.

His daughter or her coven?

“I must save her.” Annabelle rushed towards Spielsdorf. The latter had raised the cane and leveled it at the witch. The sharp end of the cane pierced the witch at the throat. The blood from Annabelle spurted out, and some landed on Spielsdorf face. Her form dissipated then.

“Annabelle!” Lissa called out. She embraced Lauren as if to shield her.

“You killed Annabelle. She ……without her powers, she was like any mortal. You killed her.”

“No, Lissa. I did not. I…...was protecting myself.” Spielberg said.

“As you had done years ago. How many innocents died on your hands, Rudolph? Thousands or millions?”

“Lissa, I told you before. I am a military man.”

“No, Rudolph. You are a monster.” Lissa glared at him. “If she stays with you, she will be one soon.”

“I am not a monster. I am …” Spielberg defended his action. It was then he recalled the image of the monster at the lab.

“Yes, the monster dwells with you, yet you could not see it. You cannot, for you are one with them.” Lissa said. “Your monster dealt with the demon that was to attack your daughter. Not that day, but one day soon.”

“I am……” Spielberg looked at the cane he held.

“The witch shall not be complete.” The voice reverberated in the mansion. “I am the Supreme One.”

Spielberg felt force on the cane, and he gripped it harder with both hands. Lissa pushed Lauren towards the father.

“Take the cane, Lauren.” Lissa called out. Lauren jumped over the table, kicking away the feast there. She leaned forward to reach her father.

“Father!” Lauten called out," Spielberg heard her call and rushed to the table. He felt himself held back by some invisible force, and Lauren sensed it. She grabbed the athame, the carving knife on the table, and called up the spell. It propels her forward to her father, and with the knife, she slashes at the invisible force holding her father.

Spielberg felt the force was off him, and then he moved towards Lauren. He pushed out his left arm towards her. Lauren grabbed the cane and swung the head of it towards her. She jabbed the cane with the blood jewel into her chest, and then she screamed.

Her screams echoed in the mansion, and the stillness prevailed.

“Lauren, are you good?” Lauren, lying on the table, looked at the face of her father. She looked pale then.

“I am ……fine.” Lauren pushed herself and then got off the table. “It was a ……. Where is Mother?”

Lissa was missing.

“It took her.” Lauren said.

“Who?” Spielberg asked.

“Beelzebub.” Lauren said. “Master Ernest Frankenstein summoned the demon. The portal door is now open. The demon took the mother. We must find her.”

“How?” Spielberg asked.

“I do not know. I was with Carmilla, but I must learn from Mother or Aunt Annabelle. My …… training was …… not complete.” Lauren looked at the father.

“The blood jewel is an empowerment, but the training was to help me use it……fully.”

“Oh, God. What have I done?” Spielberg sighed.

“We must find Mother. The war is not over.” Lauren looked at the contents of the table. “I need to find the means to complete my training.”

Lauren called on the spell to rearrange the contents on the table. She picked up the wand and cauldron.

“Carmilla told me of the ancient books here. There are some at the other mansion. Aunt Annabelle entrusted it to Ernest. We need those too.” Lauren looked around the mansion.

“We also need the help of the undead.”