Mother of Vampires: The Rise of the Mother She was born in blood... forged in darkness... and destined to rule both. From the moment of her birth, Elizabeth's fate was sealed. Born with the soul of Countess Elizabeth Báthory-the Blood Countess herself-she was torn from her mother's arms by the witches of the Silver Veil Coven. Hidden deep within the Carpathian Forest, they raised her in secrecy, hoping to purify the evil within her. But light cannot contain what was born of darkness. As a child, Elizabeth was stolen once more-this time by the warlock Mórós Zoltán and delivered into the cold marble halls of Bran Castle. There, under the tutelage of the enigmatic Count and Countess Szabó, both vampires bound by ancient magic, she was molded into nobility. Clad in silk and silver, she learned the dark arts, mastering the forbidden spells that would one day make her feared across empires. At twenty-one, her destiny came for her. Count Drakul, the ancient progenitor of vampiric bloodlines, descended upon Bran Castle in a storm of fire and shadow. Through a ritual steeped in blood and black magic, Elizabeth was transformed-reborn as the first and most powerful of her kind. The Mother of Vampires. With newfound immortality burning in her veins, Elizabeth raised an army of the undead and waged war upon her mortal father, Ivan Nicolic, now commander of the Teutonic Knights. Their clash shook the world of men-a storm of steel, faith, and fang. But even the immortal can fall. Defeated and betrayed, Elizabeth fled the battlefield, her vengeance unquenched. Now, hidden behind Venetian masks and moonlit ballrooms, she rises again-no longer a peasant's daughter, but a noblewoman of unparalleled grace and power. In the city of canals and secrets, she begins her dark rebirth, weaving a new army not from peasants and soldiers, but from the elite-lords, ladies, and kings who will serve her eternal design. Her reign has only begun. The Mother of Vampires is rising... and this time, she will rule.