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  The next day she was nowhere to be found. I spoke with her mother whose eyes were red from crying. She said her daughter was ailing and that morning they had decided to finally send her to one of the Northwestern villages to her aunt to recuperate. It must be the closeness of the City she said. I was trying to cautiously inquire about a possible suitor and oh yes she was worried about a possible suitor. But above all she was concerned for her health for she had become weak and anaemic.

  I thought to myself of course she is anaemic, for she has the King sucking out her blood and this time I do not mean the taxes.

  I present my report for the learned Rabbi to handle as you see fit.

  In peace,

  Majsi son of József, the short one.

  Letter from Rabbi Izsák the Scribe to Jakab Mendel the Elder

  With the Aid of the Heavens

  The 8th of Elul, the year 5235 since Creation

  Esteemed Jakab Mendel,

  I have received your letter by courier and read it with much concern. I believe the situation is grave, and would appreciate the report you mentioned. I had the courier wait and dined him well from the sum you have provided, for almost two weeks—yet in the end I had to send him back, for your nephew’s report failed to arrive.

  Based on what you describe, I believe that it is not that the King is consorting with forces of the Other Side—rather, the King’s place has been taken by an infernal creature. Here we do not speak of a summoning of Other forces by a human being, but rather of a being who might have arrived in our lands from the Other Side. Not a human, but an evil creature altogether. How, do you say, is such a thing possible? All is possible if the Almighty allows it, and who are we to explain and justify a Divine decree? More pressing is the question of what to do—I will briefly explain a few actions you might wish to take below, and urge you to re-send your nephew’s report so that we can all see clearly.

  I have consulted with the local circle of scholars—without providing details of your case, of course. Even with such impoverished information I did manage to obtain a few pointers.

  I have located a manuscript from the Rhineland titled The Book of the Pious, by a certain R’ Júda ben Semuél. This esteemed Rabbi, who seems to have lived in Regensburg, described certain beings called “estrie” commonly with the appearance of women, but with the behaviour of evil spirits. They would derive sustenance from human blood, especially preferring children’s blood—and as it is said in the Torah, the soul of the flesh is in the blood, making this a truly vile act. One way of defending against the estrie lies in the secret of their hair. They have long flowing hair, and if it is loosened, they are able to fly and escape freely. You must contrive to have the demon-King’s hair bound, and then he will be vulnerable and at your disposal. It is not for naught that his hair is frequently compared to a lion’s mane.

  Do tell me about the appearance of this noble Vlad, how does he wear his hair? Has he changed it recently? You must be cautious and safeguard your soul against the Other Side—but you are aware of all this and more. I hope the advice of Rabbi Júda, which will hopefully reach you soon, G-d willing, will be helpful to you and to the peace of the Kingdom. I have copied the relevant paragraphs for you, but what is most important is what I have humbly ventured to summarize above.

  Peace and blessings,

  Izsák the Scribe son of Selomó

  Letter from Jakab Mendel the Elder to Rabbi Izsák the Scribe

  With the Aid of the Heavens

  The 29th of Elul, the year 5235 since Creation

  September 1, 1475

  Esteemed Rabbi Izsák,

  I have received your kind advice and made efforts to re-send the report, although I have been busy with the holiday preparations throughout Elul. I have further information for you that I am attaching to this missive—Majsi has been his usual daring self and managed to get himself hired as a courier. He intercepted a letter entrusted to him, while people assumed him to be an ignorant, illiterate courier running back and forth between the two cities facing each other by the Danube. These Gentiles truly do not understand that our children learn Hebrew letters by the time they are three, and Latin letters soon after!

  Majsi is skilled with opening seals and closing them with nary a sign—thank G-d, for this letter was sent to the courtier Galeotto Marzio with the Lord Vlad’s personal seal, and expected to reach its destination in the Buda hills intact. He managed to copy it without giving any sign the letter had been opened.

  I do believe the malady Vlad mentions is connected to what we have learned about the King. The King might have recruited the Wallachian lord to the Other Side, if my suspicions are correct. I will try to approach Galeotto Marzio if I can get a word in with him, but it will take time—he’s just arrived from Italy and has many courtiers flitting around him as usual. He knows all about the goings-on of the court and he is always willing to share a few anecdotes with me. I might need to inquire of his wellbeing in a brief missive, for I know he enjoys his voluminous correspondence. It would be ideal to secure a private meeting with him, but I am not sure how to best to go about it—his attention is famously capricious.

  Do you suppose there is any chance you could return earlier from the lands of Provence? I know the weather here is hard on your joints, but your knowledge and mastery of the Name might help the entire community. I implore you to consider this invitation.

  All the best,

  Jakab Mendel the Elder

  The following letter was enclosed with the above:

  September 1, 1475

  Dearest Galeotto,

  I heard with such relief and joy that you had returned to Hungary. I still miss Janus sorely, and I think out of all people, you might hear me out.

  I know you’re still on good terms with Mátyás. I will not hold this against you, but after all that has happened, I think you will understand my hesitation. Yes, he has given me my freedom back after these long years in his prison, but at what price? No one will truly understand the magnitude of the sacrifice I had to make to assure him of my loyalty. And my feelings... my feelings have only served to complicate the matter at hand.

  I still talk to him, on a fairly regular basis; and he pays me a visit every once in a while. Yet I am not presently able to appear in court, and thus must confess ignorance of the royal goings-on. Even when Mátyás is in Buda Castle and not in Visegrád or elsewhere, only shreds of rumours reach me, and I have no independent source besides him.

  I am ailing; with a malady of the body and the soul. Would you be willing to keep me company with your letters? If you could just share with me some of your courtly anecdotes once in a while, they could serve as a balm for my spirit.

  With greatest appreciation,

  Vlad

  Letter from Majsi son of József to Jakab Mendel the Elder

  To the Prefect. For his eyes only!!

  I seem to have just missed you! I am writing this note and your housekeeper will hopefully keep it for you, alongside your house. G-d willing.

  I have copied two more letters! With a few sums of gratitude to the servants of these nobles, I have become a permanent envoy.

  Also I utterly believe what you told me about this Galeoto Martzio and that he gets to go into the private chambers of the King. But I don’t think his stories about the King’s Just behaviour are true!! I think the two of them make those tales up together. Maybe even when they are sitting in those private chambers. And then Galeoto spreads the stories among the common folk or maybe even the King himself spreads them when he is in a different shape. You always tell me those stories before I hear them on the marketplace and I certainly do not spread them myself!!

  What does the Torah say is it allowed to say that possibly the King is not so Just?? And this Lord Vlad even though he is called the Impaler might actually be a nice fellow?? He even seems to have defended me, without his knowledge, as you can see in the second letter!

  Blessings!!!

  Majsi

&nb
sp; The following letters were enclosed with the above:

  September 4, 1475

  My dear Vlad,

  I am always glad to hear from you, and my soul gladdens that you haven’t forgotten the memory of our mutual friend Janus, even after he’d so sorely fallen out of favour with the King. I appreciate that you have forgiven him that one poem written before either of us had truly known you. May the Eternal Light shine upon him, snatched away from us in his prime by cruel illness.

  I find the court fascinating as usual. You and I, we both look upon the Magyars as outsiders, and are able to reflect on their nature. I am confident you will agree that their food is exquisite, and I am sure you also know that they have a tendency to mock people in their presence, assuming everyone is ignorant of their convoluted language. This way I hear much that was not intended for my ears.

  People also talk about you, and it pains me to say that these rumours are not the most flattering. I assume the story of the thief and the city guardsmen is untrue, though I can definitely see you defending your privacy voraciously. Yet people are again reminded of your warlike nature, and even whisper that it might be time for you to return to the battlefield. The border regions in the South are threatened by the Ottoman Turks again, and while the King would probably never say this to your face, he believes you still owe him a favour for your release. I must stress that I do not know what conversations the two of you have had, but I understand many feel animosity toward Mátyás right now. I assure you that your feelings about the King will not impact our friendship in any way.

  Rumours also fly about the reasons for your release from prison. Some say that you have converted to Catholicism, and these people seem satisfied in their belief, though I know you do not hold the Papists in high regard.

  Yet others claim that the King has allied himself with István of Moldavia after much strife, in face of a yet larger enemy, the Turks. According to this theory, István also made a pact with you, and interceded with the King for your release. I believe this could be beneficial for you—you may wish to send an envoy to István as soon as you can. I know that the two of you haven’t always been on the most friendly terms, but István is growing desperate in his war, and is growing low on both resources and allies. While Mátyás dithers about giving you an army to retake Wallachia, you might build a beneficial relationship with István.

  I am just a simple scholar, but if you need my support, I will be by your side. I look forward to your timely response,

  Galeotto

  September 5, 1475

  Dearest Galeotto,

  Thank you for your delightful summary. I do believe I must keep a few details straight.

  First, whatever you may have heard about the thief and the head of the guardsmen is likely incorrect. What happened was this: Late at night I was relaxing in my private chambers, where these days I prefer even my servants not to attend on me. I also had a highly important guest. Suddenly there was a great ruckus and banging on the front gate, that I could hear all the way from my chambers despite the thick stone walls.

  I had scarcely dressed to venture downstairs when the town guards committed the unimaginable offence of breaking my mansion’s gates open with a small battering ram. They provided some rambling explanation that they were looking for a thief, or in any case a suspicious youngster, hunched over and possibly dressed like one of those Jewish boys from Buda. I immediately suspected this to be a bogus explanation, for I know the locals harbour significant animosity toward Jews. I explained that my staff had recently hired a young Jewish boy as a messenger, but it was not like him to show up at this late hour.

  Of course there was no thief to be found in my mansion; I have my own guards. I said as much. I could hardly have had the intruders arrested—who would arrest the representatives of the law?—but my important guest was a high-ranking court official and he had the forthrightness to make a stand for me. Needless to say, the head of the guards received a most appropriate punishment. That is all I can tell you about this story.

  I have definitely not converted to Catholicism, but I put little coin in piety and more in the power of iron and steel. If you ever hear me swear such an oath, you will certainly know it to be as bogus as these rumours are.

  I will take into consideration your advice about István. I am regaining my physical and spiritual strength after my long stay in prison, and I am eager to retake the lands that are my right to rule. If Mátyás wants me to participate in another campaign before that, to assure him of my loyalty and fortitude, that will be a small price compared with many others I have already paid.

  I will let you know if I need you to get in a word for me. How has your work been? I believe with so many rumours and stories, you have ample material for your literary works depicting the life of the court. I would very much enjoy reading your manuscripts if you would be willing to share.

  Wishing you sustained good health,

  Vlad.

  Letter from Majsi son of József to Jakab Mendel the Elder

  To the Prefect and No one else, very important!!!

  I obtained a letter that was not supposed to go through my hands. Magyars don’t like us but they are happy to take our money. I don’t understand what’s going on. Between the King and this Lord Vlad. Do they hate each other, do they like each other, or???

  Please advise.

  Majsi.

  The following letter was enclosed with the above:

  September 12, 1475

  Vlad,

  I miss you—surely the difficulties of the change could not have been that hard. I am sorry that my previous visit did not go well and we were interrupted at such an inopportune time. I do believe the consequences were more to your taste, but I still feel this damaged our connection, which used to be as strong as iron links in a chain.

  I heard from Galeotto Marzio that you are regaining your strength, and I would like this to be true. Please do not ignore my missives—I will not order you to respond, but I still ask, not as a king, but as someone concerned for you.

  This state of living has many advantages, as you are no doubt beginning to see. The trade-offs are slight and surely not so devastating to someone like you, who used to rule Wallachia with a strong hand and ample use of the various means of execution. Think of it as a way your subjects can support you in a more direct fashion than with tedious but necessary taxes.

  I think of you. Please let me know when you would like to meet again.

  [below and in a different hand]

  It is not signed but it came closed with the Royal seal!!! You know what that means!!—Majsi. (I am good at opening these things.)

  Letter from Rabbi Izsák the Scribe to Jakab Mendel the Elder

  With the Aid of the Heavens

  The 12th of Cheshvan, the year 5235 since Creation

  Esteemed Jakab Mendel, my good friend,

  I fear for your safety, and that of your young associate; G-d willing, this letter sent outside the usual channels will reach you unopened. I got your latest batch of correspondence, but the seal has been torn open in the most crude fashion. The courier professed ignorance, and I have no reason to disbelieve him; he is a G-d-fearing man and he was just as surprised as I had been. But he stayed at many inns, and at any one of them someone could have broken into his luggage.

  We can no longer assume that our correspondence is private, but I must make sure you are sufficiently warned. Please consider that my words in this missive may be known by the King of Hungary, or by the rulers of other interested countries and further parties.

  I do believe, based on your communications, that Vlad at least is aware of your nephew reading his letters. The fact that he has chosen to spare the youngster can be an act of defiance; Vlad’s loyalties (and possibly the forces of the Other Side) bind him to the King, but he is conflicted and resentful. If the King turned him into a monster in exchange for his freedom, that affects their relationship even if otherwise it has been on good terms; and I believe this is e
xactly what has been happening.

  You might say he already has been a monster, for the lord has a reputation for cruelty. But it is hard to draw a conclusion, for here in Provence there are many pamphlets and story-booklets being circulated about Vlad the Impaler’s horrendous deeds—many so horrendous they were clearly invented for titillation, as a form of secular entertainment. The often anonymous writers of these pamphlets also profess a knowledge of the lord’s prison years that they could scarcely have obtained—a knowledge that borders on the ridiculous. For who could believe that in the King’s prison, Vlad of Wallachia having no access to enemy Turks, or rebellious peasants, turned to impaling rats on sticks? He had been living in house arrest in the Castle, not in a miserly dungeon.

  Not to mention that some of these stories are clearly repurposed from other times, some even bearing a blasphemous familiarity to the lamentations and mournful songs most frequently heard on Tisha b’Av. (Understand that I am exposing myself to this shameful secular material for the sake of your safety only.)

  Exactly how old is your nephew? I am assuming he must be at least of bar mitzvah age, which lessens the danger he is facing, but still I am very much concerned. Please keep in mind my advice about binding hair.

  I have been praying for your nephew and you, and I am also sending both of you a selection of psalms and protective prayers to recite alongside your daily prayers, which I beg you not to neglect even in these trying times. (G-d forbid I should assume you have done so; I am stating this purely as a precaution.) Some of these quotations are also well-suited for engraving onto knives and daggers, as I’ve marked them in the appendix I attach to this letter. Stay safe.