The Mad Raven's Tale (The Accarian Chronicles Book 1) by Andrew Walbrown (the lemonade war series txt) 📗

was a fat man, as you can gather by the size of the castle’s kitchen. He was quite old when I arrived, never having married or siring any children of his own. He was a drunkard as well, a glutton in every sense of the word. He received me when I arrived, and we spent days, weeks, months gorging ourselves over lamb, beef, fish, whatever he wanted. We emptied the cellars of every last bottle of wine, then imported more, and drank those as well. He liked me because I could drink from sunrise to sunset and not feel anything. I could eat all day, and never be full. When he grew ill he passed the title of Count to me, officially making me Count Aldamar the First.”

“Aldamar the First?” Amantius said. “I thought you were the Third?”

Count Aldamar smiled, an empty, lifeless gesture. “Oh yes, I am that as well. I was Count Aldamar the First, Count Aldamar the Second, and now I am Count Aldamar the Third. Soon I shall become Count Aldamar the Fourth. This curse has given me an unnaturally long life, I am afraid. I am 172 years old.”

172 years? And to think, Amantius was sleeping with his sister.

“172 years!” Amantius shouted, “That means…”

“Yes, Morganna was 168 years old.” Count Aldamar replied as Amantius vomited.

Apparently, he just had the same thought. Though initially trying to suppress his humor, Ulam could not help but break out into a fit of laughter. He flicked his eyes towards Count Aldamar, who also had a mischievous smile on his face. Amantius gave them both a sour look.

“Every so many years I have Jalkett start spreading rumors about a child that I have had, who then becomes my heir. It is a ruse, of course, there has never been any child. In fact, I do not believe vampires can have children, at least that is what the consensus is amongst scholars on the matter. Eventually, my subjects accept they have a new Count with the same name, just with a different regnal number. In fact, it is almost time for Jalkett to spread rumors once again.”

So Captain Karraman is alive. Ulam felt a swell of pride inside, realizing he had successfully prevented Karraman from being killed by Jaga. But if the Count has used him before, does that mean Captain Karraman is a vampire too?

“What if someone visits you, wouldn’t they realize you are the same count as before?” Amantius asked. “Or what if they wish to see the child, your heir?”

Aldamar shrugged. “There are enough bastard children running around this city to fill that need if it should ever arise. As for not knowing I am the same man, it is not difficult to hide that secret since I rarely have visitors. Most people do not care, nor do they live long enough to suspect anything. This system has been working for quite some time, and I do not expect it to fail anytime soon.”

“How long are you going to live?” Ulam muttered.

“Unfortunately, I do not know.” Count Aldamar said with a sigh. “Perhaps I am immortal, assuming I do not have my head removed from my shoulders. That seems to be the most effective way to kill a vampire, though I have discovered an enchanted blade to the heart of a vampire will kill one as well. That is why both Jaga and the other one died without having their heads removed. The dagger I always carry with me,” Aldamar retrieved an unassuming weapon from his sleeve, “is one such blade. I bought it from a vampire hunter turned caravan master a century ago. To test it Jalkett and I caught a vampire and stabbed it in the heart. The man did not lie.”

“Captain Karraman is a vampire too, then?” Ulam asked.

“Yes, sorry, that particular detail slipped my mind.” Count Aldamar said. “In the process of capturing the vampire, Jalkett was bitten. Together we share in this curse, which makes this ordeal a little easier on us both. If you look at his neck he still has the red marks as well.”

Ulam nodded, feeling his neck hurt from the stiffness. He finally found the strength to sit up in the bed, leaning on the wall for support. All his muscles screamed for him to stop and the pounding in his skull returned, but he was happy his body was erect. It was easier to see both Count Aldamar and Amantius since they were sitting on opposite sides of the bed from each other.

“Those red marks are what saved my life,” Count Aldamar said. “They only disappear if you spread the curse further. Jalkett discovered we can eat cow hearts and livers to keep away the thirst and hunger for blood, and that is why you went on that midnight excursion with him some time ago. Our cupboards were bare and we were hungry. You must believe that we do not wish to spread this curse to anyone. If anything, we would aim to eradicate it from this world.”

Ulam grunted. If he has suffered for over 150 years with vampirism and has not given into his unholy cravings, I believe him. He turned his attention to Amantius, who listened with a stone-cold face but with interest in his eyes. “How did you know about the markings?”

Amantius’ features softened as he gripped Ulam’s massive, green forearm. “You told me, of course. You were reading that book right before we left Accaria.”

Ulam smiled, his tusks shining in the firelight. “You were listening?”

“I do from time to time,” Amantius replied with a matching smile.

“What do we do now?” Ulam said, turning his attention to Count Aldamar.

“The Mad Raven is gone, the people will rejoice with a feast. The weather is almost warm enough to travel again. I will raise a warband to go to my childhood home and demolish it. Amantius, if you wish, you can lead the expedition. The decision is yours, I will not hold a refusal against you. The two of you are free