“War, as you may imagine, remained a constant throughout the Middle Ages in our lands. It’s less so in modern times, thankfully. At least on European soil, the recent Franco-Prussian conflicts aside.”

Kaminski warmed to his tale and with his strong command of English, Rip had no trouble following along.

“In those days, the kingdom of Wallachia was ruled by Charles I of Hungary, but a successful rebellion established the province as an independent principality in the 1300s. With the Black Sea to their east, Erdély and Moldova to their north and the Ottoman Empire to their south, Wallachia was . . . isolated.”

Rip frowned. He recognized Moldova, but he was unfamiliar with the other country mentioned. His implant pinged, but he ignored the popup, keeping his focus on Kaminski.

“Then, Vlad Dracul III took over, in the mid-1400s.”

Kaminski noticed the expression on Rip’s face.

“I see you recognize the name. Was there a Vlad Dracul on your world, Sir Coulter?”

The question revealed that the minister was fully aware of Rip’s otherworldly status.

Shouldn’t be too surprising. I bet every court in Europe knows about me, he thought.

Out loud he said, “Vlad Dracul on my world became somewhat legendary for becoming a vampire, supposedly. Most of the stories derived from a book released about this time in our history. But everyone knew it was a work of fiction.”

“I assure you on this world, it was not fiction. As the story goes, in a particularly heated battle, Vlad Dracul retreated into the Carpathian mountains bordering Erdély. There, some say he found a cave holding a slightly different crystal than the ones used by other kingdoms. Others insist that he found a secret entrance to a hidden steam vault, and gained access to the crystal there. We may never know the full truth.”

Kaminski watched the sisters, who studiously avoided his eyes this time. Hilda examined her nails, which looked perfect, while Liza stared at a suddenly interesting spot on the wall near the door.

He continued.

“Regardless, Vlad emerged with a new enhanced class, what we now refer to as [Vampire]. It was . . . extraordinarily powerful.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And in some ways weak at the same time. Silver proved deadly, as I’m sure you are aware. But, one of the unique aspects of the class involved the ability to pass boons, as well as part of the class itself, to other people. Vlad quickly raised an army of soldiers with the [Minor Vampire] class. However, this too was fraught with caveats. He discovered a turned soldier was not as powerful as himself. And worse, the heirs to his class were considerably more bloodthirsty than he was.”

On that uncomfortable note, Kaminski paused. The sisters continued not looking at anyone. Blair kept fanning herself, seemingly bored. She acted as if she already knew this story. Only Rip maintained eye contact with the minister.

He said, “I take it this army of minor vampire soldiers was eventually destroyed?”

“Oh, yes. The kingdoms of Europe conspired together to bring the whole thing to an end. Yet another class was discovered about this time, also very rare. [Lupis] allows the class holder to transform into a wolf. A huge battle wolf, in fact. They have a unique propensity for killing those in the [Vampire] class. Almost like they were bred for it.”

Hilda wrinkled her nose and Liza curled her lips.

Rip nodded, and said, “Werewolf.”

“Is that what they are called on your world, Sir Coulter?”

“Again, only in fiction and legend. I’m beginning to wonder about some of the crossover, though.”

“The [Lupis] class does not require blood to subsist, and those holding it are not . . . immortal. They hold the disposition toward silver. The kingdoms of Europe embraced those with the class for centuries after, as wards against [Vampires]. Memory runs deep on the continent, as you might imagine.”

Hilda harrumphed, but said nothing. It seemed evident to Rip that both sisters did not care at all for werewolves.

Kinda makes sense if the classes are blood enemies or something, Rip thought.

He said, “So, how does this lead to the Verez sisters? Were they princesses of Wallachia? Are they descended from Vlad?”

Both sisters looked at him with distraught expressions, as if horrified by the thought.

Kaminski chuckled and said, “Oh, heavens no. Vlad III was captured and tried before a papal court, and summarily executed. All his progeny were destroyed on the battlefield, as far as we know. House Verez is a different matter.”

At last the sisters returned their eyes to the minister, as if trying to see how he would spin this part of the story. And, Rip thought, perhaps threatening him, at least with their eyes, if they did not like the way he handled it.

“In his efforts to fight off the Turks, Vlad became smitten with the idea that he could overtake the neighboring kingdoms, and eventually conquer the Holy Roman Empire itself. He realized that in order to do so, he needed allies. Strong allies, not just an army in the sub class. So, he turned to his neighbors in Erdély.”

There’s that name again, Rip thought, dismissing another message from his implant.

“Stephen I conquered Erdély in the 11th century as he gathered up all surrounding territory into the Kingdom of Hungary. During Vlad’s reign, the land was controlled by a local lord named Sigismund I. His original surname is lost to history. But when Vlad led him to that secret crystal and made him an original [Vampire], Sigismund changed his last name to Verez, the Hungarian word for blood.”

Kaminski glanced at the sisters again before continuing, as if to make sure he got the details correct.

“Sigismund’s wife had passed away giving birth to their second daughter, Liza. He insisted both his daughters also be enhanced by Vlad’s crystal, and they were. But then he betrayed Dracul, refusing to engage in a war of conquest. Consequently, at the inquest, Pope Sixtus IV allowed Sigismund and his daughters to live, provided they swore to never seek political power beyond their borders. This was a binding oath, and it carries with it an immediate death sentence from the Church if violated, no matter how much time has passed. It is eternally binding.”

Rip caught Hilda’s eye. She made a dismissive gesture and said, “Yes, yes. We will not seek a throne or a seat in any Parliament outside Erdély, upon pain of death by the Swiss Guard.”

Liza rolled her eyes while Kaminski continued.

“Erdély became a separate provenance in 1570 following the Battle of Mohács. There, Hungary was divided between the Hapsburgs and the Ottomans. Erdély remained intact, however, no doubt due to its vampiric reputation. Sigismund Verez, in keeping with the oath, declared Erdély a principality and made himself prince. This was not in violation of the oath, because it was over his existing lands. In time, he grew bored with ruling and allowed the throne to be handed over to a trusted confidant. In 1690, the principality returned to Hapsburg rule, and has since become part of the Hungarian Kingdom once more. Sigismund and his daughters were allowed to retain their titles, although they hold no formal power in government.”

“And where is Prince Sigismund now?” Rip said with a note of curiosity in his voice.

Kaminski looked at the sisters, who returned his gaze with poker faces.

He shrugged and said, “He disappeared in 1690. No one has heard from him since. Some say he is dead, but no one truly knows for sure. Those who might know where he is are not talking.”

The girls turned away from his glare.

Obviously, Rip thought, this is a sore spot.

“So now, Sir Coulter, you are fully aware of who sits before you. The two original princesses of the country of Erdély, and heirs to its throne should it ever become a sovereign nation once more.”

Distractedly, Rip glanced at the notifications his implant kept flashing at him. Aural translation had not clicked on, since the conversation remained in English. However, individual foreign words were automatically translated by the software and displayed in his mind’s eye.

He took a look at the one that kept popping up since Kaminski began his story.

[Erdély: Hungarian for Transylvania.]