There is one problem about being an immortal vampire that you never read about... you can't feed off your own descendants. I was turned when I was the father of seven healthy children, five of whom lived to marry and have children of their own. Back in the middle ages, people didn't travel far, and it wasn't long before I was the umpteenth-great grandfather to everyone in my village.
One of my descendants was a one of Genghis Khan's concubines. Another fathered Niall of the Nine Hostages. Carolus Magnus--also known as Charlemagne--was another of my descendants. All of these children had many offspring and I am the progenitor of huge swaths of the modern population of the world, which makes things awkward when I am on the hunt.
But not everyone is related to me; it just takes me a while to sort the goats from the sheep, so to speak. And I am delighted to meet you, my little lambkin.
The End
This story was first published on Monday, March 29th, 2021
We hope you're enjoying
The Shepherd by
Lynne Lumsden Green.
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