Engraved Invitations

By Fred Klein

It was late at night, and the fog was dense and cold. The countess’ carriage driver, Rene, was confused as to which was the right trail to take to get back to the castle. Countess Alexandra Radu had gone to the King’s palace to celebrate the new year 1700. Now returning home, the fog caused them to go to an unfamiliar area in the dense forest.

Traveling along the dirt path, they heard a wolf howling in the background. Suddenly, a figure jumped on the carriage and attacked Rene. He screamed in agony and then was silent. The countess locked the carriage door, but it was to no avail. The horrible figure burst through the door and was at the countess’s throat. The dark figure had red glowing eyes and long, sharp teeth. 

The countess screamed, “Spare me. I am rich and powerful and will give you anything you want.”

“I am Oleg, King of the undead, and I want nothing but your blood,” the figure said.

“Instead of me, I can give you many more bodies with blood for you.”

“How many bodies?”

“One to two a week.”

“How?”

“I entertain visitors frequently in my remote castle. People have been known to disappear while traveling to or from the region my castle is in. I can arrange for you to be there when they are leaving.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“If I don’t deliver, you can always kill me at my home.”

“You can drive me there, so you will know where to get your victims. Take the road to Chișinău and follow the creek to the east to my castle.”

“Very well for now, but if you cross me, you will die an agonizing death beyond description.”

The figure drove her to her castle.

The countess said, “I will fly a red flag when your victim is leaving so you can attack him or her a few miles from the castle.”

The figure left, but she knew he would soon return. What should she do? Have her guards kill the figure to protect her. No, he would kill them and get to her. Should she leave Moldova forever? He would probably find her.  No, she had to fulfill her bargain with the devil.

  She needed a plan. The countess normally just entertained the occasional visitor to her region. Now she had to do more. She would send out engraved invitations to people she knew once a week. The invitations would be to people from outside the region, so no one would miss them right away.

She thought of her deceased husband’s relatives, whom she didn’t like anyway and who lived at least 10 miles away. Yes, she would start off with her husband’s cousin, Bogdan. 

She sent an invitation saying that her late husband, Maxim, had wanted to give a ring to Bogdan, and could he come to the castle to claim it quickly. She sent a courier with the message.

Bogdan soon arrived. Alexandra was the perfect hostess, showing off the castle and giving him food and wine. She made sure he was drunk when he had to leave. Then she raised the red flag 

Oleg had been waiting in the woods at night and soon greeted his victim. Bogdan was never heard from again, and his relatives suspected he had been attacked by bandits or an animal.

The countess then sent out an invitation to her husband’s sister, Maria, claiming she wanted to make up for the bad feeling between the two. Maria arrived a few days later. Again, Alexandra played the perfect host, showing her around the castle and giving her presents of jewelry. When Maria left, the countess again raised the red flag.

This time, Oleg got Maria and her driver. He left the carriage at the bottom of a ravine where no one would check on it. Since the roads were hazardous around the castle, no one assumed any foul play here.

The countess was running out of relatives to invite, so she then invited the village drunk. Boris, to the castle for a possible job. This one was easy. Just get him drunk and send up the red flag. Oleg was again satisfied.

Next, the king sent his tax collector to the castle to obtain new taxes from the countess. The king had raised the taxes so much that she could not pay them. She knew it would be risky to have him killed, but she had no choice. She raised the red flag.

This time, the tax collector put up a rather long fight, but finally Oleg had his blood. Soon, however, the king sent out an investigator to find the tax collector. The countess said she had paid the tax collector, but he must have been robbed and killed by bandits. She was afraid to raise the flag this time, but Oleg got him before he returned to the king.

The king, alarmed by losing the tax collector, the investigator, and possibly some taxes, sent an entire battalion of soldiers to the woods around the castle to find the thieves.

At night, Oleg climbed the castle walls to announce to Alexandra that he was leaving the area because of the troops. “I would kill you for being so stupid as to cause troops to be sent to this area, but you have kept your bargain.” With that, he left.

The countess was relieved that he was leaving the area and that she would no longer be threatened by him. Several days passed, and the soldiers could not find any robbers in the area, so they left.

A few days later, late at night, there was a knock on the great door of the castle. The servants were all asleep. So, she answered the door herself. 

She was shocked when she opened the door to find Bogdam, Maria, her driver, Boris, the tax collector, and the investigator, all now vampires, all holding out engraved invitations. She screamed as they all attacked her and sucked her blood. 

Fred Klein is the author of the novel Memoirs of a Road Warrior. He is a member of the Southern California Writers Association, O.C. Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. Ten of his short stories have been published in various journals.