The story is told by a trio of individuals gathered by a council who seek to determine whether the stories of Dracula are true. If the tales are deemed false, the Order of the Dragon, whose banner Dracula fought beneath, can be reinstated to go on with the Crusade. Those who knew Dracula best are gathered to speak of his life: his one true love, Ilona; his lifelong best friend Ion; and his confessor, a grizzled old hermit and priest.
Vlad Dracula was the middle son of Vlad Dracul, the Voivode (ruler) of Wallachia, and he spent his youth as a hostage of the Sultan, grand leader of the Turks. He was sent there as a tribute to the Sultan when his father was defeated and his capture, along with that of his younger brother, insured their father's compliance with the Sultan. Overall, they were treated quite well and received an excellent education at the feet of Hamza, their teacher. However, Vlad always had a sparring relationship with the son of the Sultan, Mehmet, and this would eventually lead to a much greater war.
One day, Vlad and his closest friend, Ion Tremblac, spot a beautiful girl from their homeland of Wallachia, a girl chosen to be the next concubine for Mehmet. Both Vlad and Ion fall madly in love with the girl, Ilona, and craft a plan to spirit her away from her fate, with the help of Vlad's younger brother Radu. The boys are successful in their coup, but end up humiliating Mehmet in the process and causing mayhem, such that the Sultan decides to break them of their spirited ways and also react to their older brother and father, who are rallying men against the Sultan. 11-year-old Radu is sent to be the sex slave of Mehmet and Vlad is sent to be schooled in the ways of torture at Tokat Prison.
Vlad emerges from Tokat a changed man, but not a broken man. Now, he is merely one very skilled in the ways of killing and he seeks to reclaim his throne and eventually rescue his younger brother. He discovers his father and older brother have been betrayed and killed and the only possible way he can reclaim his throne is to cooperate with the Sultan, who now offers to fund his push for the throne. It seems he'd rather be aligned with Vlad, who has come to be known as The Impaler, than to be against him.
Meanwhile, back at his homeland in Wallachia, Ilona waits for his return. The two are very much in love, although he never marries her, as she is the daughter of a peasant. However, Ion also still loves her dearly and patiently waits in the hopes that one day Ilona will give up on Vlad and come to him. Staunch members of the Crusade, Ion and Vlad war against the Turks and the many traitors in their own kingdom, year after year. At some points, Vlad is the leader of Wallachia and at others, he is on the run, but Ion is always at his side. The pair cut a vicious swathe of death with bloodied, blunted stakes through the hordes of Turks and they are quite the force to be reckoned with. However, circumstances cause Vlad's power to be questioned by those around him and he is forced to commit unspeakable acts of violence against Ilona to prove a point, thus alienating Ion and creating a powerful traitor in one who was once his best friend.
I must admit that I had never viewed Dracula the way he was portrayed in this novel. He is shown to be so much more than just a vicious warrior. He is a man who loved and was loved, who warred for his incredibly strong religious beliefs and for his family name, and he strove to uphold the honor of his countrymen, even though his methods were brutal. An incredible story has been woven around the true facts that exist about the frightening but enigmatic leader of Wallachia and the climactic ending is superb. The tone of the book feels more like something written during that time period, so as I said earlier, it takes a handful of pages before you get into the rhythm of the book. But once you do, you will become engrossed in the tale. While there are a fair share of stomach-turning moments (he didn't earn the name "The Impaler" for no reason, after all), you will come to understand Dracula's past and the horrific indignities and cruelties visited upon him as a youth that formed the adult. C.C. Humphreys has spared nothing in the writing of this novel, heavily using words from Dracula's native tongue and those of the Turks. He has woven an amazing tale that is sure to please readers who enjoy a read that is firmly set in a time long ago, and one that is soaked in blood.
