Dawn Berkoski

The best place to search for vampires, I was told, was to head into the western part of Transylvania and follow the ravens.

Mysterious words, a dangerous quest, but I was determined to find out if vampires did exist. So, I was off to the city of Hunedoara where a Gothic-Renaissance castle is known by many names, one of which is Corvin, which translates to raven. More importantly, I heard that Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, was held captive in the fortress for several years.

The sky was dark in the Carpathian Mountains, and the forecast called for rain, but as if wandering into a fairytale, the sun magically appeared. I was left staring up at a fantasy turned real. I would find vampires here; I felt it in my bones. But first I had to climb the hill and cross over an imposing bridge.

Inside the main gate, a magnificent courtyard greeted me. I took a hundred photos, and then I went into the main hall. In the corner, a trap door led to the underground where prisoners were likely held, tortured and killed. Vlad probably escaped that fate though. Wealthy royalty were not treated the same as others, and the Prince of Wallachia wouldn’t have survived several years down in that damp, dark, space. But I went into the depths, because isn’t that where vampires sleep?

I found no coffins. Not a one. My shoulders slumped. There had to be something.

Follow the ravens.

So, I followed the birds painted on walls, carved into stone, hidden on ceilings and in coats of arms. I documented as many as I could, hoping for clues. Of course, I had to go to the highest point, up into the sky, which was windy and gorgeous with sweeping views of the turrets, the village below, and the Zlasti River winding around the castle and under the bridge.

There was evidence of Vlad, his image immortalized on canvas and stained glass, not originals, but from different periods in time. No vampires in the flesh, just remnants of a life, and a few tortured souls left behind. But, as I wove through the castle, the story of Vlad began to expand. It is the tale of a small principality caught in the middle of warring Empires, forced to take sides or suffer the consequences. Join the Crusades! A call to defend Christendom, a call for blood, but it was also a chance for Vlad to regain power and keep Wallachia, now Romania, from being swallowed by the Ottomans as it was swallowed by the Romans. Add a complex relationship with the Hungarians to the north-It was King Mathias Corvinus of Hungary who imprisoned Vlad in this castle-and a bigger picture forms of a prince who was loved and hated, admired and feared, and who lives on in the history of Romania, and possibly still roams the earth. Maybe.

More to the point, I had my next lead. (Examine my photos and you will spot it.) Time to unearth more of the story. What happened in this territory to birth the rumor of an undead army? So, I headed to my next destination, not following the shimmer of black wings, but a red cross.

Dawn B~