Kindle Edition Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Her Raven Domain: Blog of Author Christine Frost CreateSpace Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10:  1453898182 Type: Fiction Pages: 275 Copyright: October 2010 ISBN-13: 9781453898185 Legend has it that the love of Prince Vlad Dracula’s life committed suicide during a siege where the odds of winning were slim. Who was she? Author Christine Frost tells the story of Ecaterina Floari, consort to Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian prince who served as the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Woven with ancient Romanian mythology, the richly detailed story of Ecaterina is a romantic, supernatural, and adventurous view into one of history’s most notorious figures.  The Veiled Mirror: The Story of Prince Vlad Dracula’s Lost Love is a unique look into the life of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, as told from the perspective of the woman who lived with him as his consort for many years and bore the heir to his dynasty. There is an enduring interest in Dracula, and this novel will provide great insight into this intriguing figure who has captured the imagination of people worldwide, from how the real Prince Dracula became a legend in his own lifetime to how he served as inspiration for Bram Stoker’s classic vampire. Woven in with ancient Romanian mythology, the story of Dracula’s consort Ecaterina is romantic, supernatural, and adventurous view into fifteenth-century Romania.         Excerpt Prologue When you stand before a mirror, perhaps you’ve felt it pulling you to another world. It’s a dark and malevolent place where chaos reigns. Its pull is irresistible. You might see yourself decades older than you are. You may see a monstrous vision, maybe a demon coming through to claim your soul. You train yourself to avoid looking at mirrors in dark rooms because what lies beyond lurks there in hopes of getting your attention. The dead call from within the mirror. I should know. One day I fell into it, and I’ve been there ever since. So far, no one has seen me, but I know when someone senses a presence within it. A wraith, I suppose that’s what I am now, and I do try to reach out. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve spoken, but it is all I’ve wanted to do for centuries. You are mute within the mirror, but you see and hear everything. Your soul is silenced and there is no cure. How I got there is an interesting tale. I know now that I could have prevented it from happening. I’ve long since given up my immersion in regret, for there is even a struggle for survival even among the dead. We need to be remembered. Chapter 1 October 1448 It started with fire. Late at night the first plumes of smoke delivered the message of change taking place in the heart of Tirgoviste. Only when the fires became widespread did the neighbors begin to shout, drawing everyone into the streets. Several nobles’ houses were engulfed in flames, but peasants and small shops were left untouched. I rushed out of our home with my mother and brother to watch the spectacle. We watched the families run out of their homes and slip and fall in panic. They handed their children out of windows. Turkish soldiers spread through the streets, escorting the son of a dead prince who returned to reclaim his legacy. He was Vlad III, son of Prince Vlad II Dracul. My mother had been in love with Vlad II. When news arrived a year ago that he was executed along with his firstborn son, she grieved as though he were her lover. Governor Janos Hunyadi, the man who ordered Dracul’s assassination, made for troubling times. Prince Danesti sought to please the Turks by sending annual tribute of five hundred boys to join the sultan’s janissary corps and loads of gold and resources. Most families grieved the loss of a son to the janissary corps, save for a few like our own. Families with only one son were spared, except during war, when they took whomever they could. The Turks trained them to fight against their own people. Very few ever came home again. And now Prince Danesti and Hunyadi were off fighting a battle on the southern border, giving the young heir a chance to take power with support from the sultan, who felt Danesti had fallen from favor. I was fifteen at the time. The workings of the world meant nothing to me. I was only enthralled by the frenetic activity around me. Consumed by her irrational desires, however, my mother was driven to rush deep into the streets to catch a glimpse of the new prince. We were fortunate that the fleeting view of him satisfied her enough so we could return home and get out of the way of the soldiers and panicking residents. He rode a black horse with his retinue of Wallachian and Turkish soldiers. The reflection of the fire on his armor made us all stand still as though the Archangel Michael rode before us. With a shimmering sword held aloft to rally his guards close to him, the prince circled on his horse, gauging the crowd. I was momentarily stricken when I realized how close he was to me. The prince’s sharp, pale features made him otherworldly. His eyes were large and predatory. He must have noticed me staring, because his expression turned wolfish as he seemed to pause. The horse’s eyes reflected the flames of a home collapsing into broken beams and clouds of ash. His horse circled again and the prince’s black hair shadowed his face. He nudged the horse into a gallop and rode through the front gate of the palace without a glance behind him.

Apex Reviews
According to legend, the love of Prince Dracula's life committed suicide in the heat of a daunting battle - the eventual loss of which seemed eminent. Known for being a ruthless warlord who served as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's "Dracula" - the fearsome Prince was hardly renowned for his softer side; however, he and his faithful consort shared a strangely unique bond over the course of his legendary life - and she carried her undying devotion to him even into the nether regions of immortality...

Ostensibly about the fabled life and times of the inimitable Prince Vlad Dracula, The Veiled Mirror is actually a richly compelling historical account of the storied life of Ecaterina Floari, the young woman who eventually became his royal consort. As she relays the dramatic events that define Dracula's tumultuous reign, author Christine Frost's eye-opening tale unfolds at an engaging pace - all from the first-hand perspective of Ecaterina herself. Peppered throughout with love, war, heartbreak - and even a touch of the supernatural - Ecaterina's tortuous journey takes quite the unexpected turn when, during her suicidal plunge, her spirit is actually captured in a mirror, from which she helplessly watches her beloved's gradual transformation into a vampire. Despite it all, her sole desire is to be remembered as a pivotal figure in Dracula's life, and throughout the pages of The Veiled Mirror, Frost does a commendable job of highlighting precisely how her legacy - little known though it may be - was ultimately formed. A thoroughly enlightening read.


Chelsea Perry
Apex Reviews