And i darken (the conquerors saga 1)

ALSO BY KIERSTEN WHITE Paranormalcy Supernaturally Endlessly Mind Games Perfect Lies The Chaos of Stars Illusions of Fate This is a work of fiction All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the fictional nature of the work In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental Text copyright © 2016 by Kiersten Brazier Cover art copyright © 2016 by Sam Weber Map art copyright © 2016 by Isaac Stewart All rights reserved Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC randomhouseteens.com Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: White, Kiersten, author Title: And I darken / Kiersten White Description: First edition | New York : Delacorte Press, [2016]| Summary: In this first book in a trilogy a girl child is born to Vlad Dracula, in Transylvania, in 1435—at first rejected by her father and always ignored by her mother, she will grow up to be Lada Dragwlya, a vicious and brutal princess, destined to rule and destroy her enemies Identifiers: LCCN 2015020681 | ISBN 978-0-553-52231-0 (hc) | ISBN 978-0-553-52232-7 (glb) | ISBN 978-0-553-52233-4 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Princesses—Romania—Transylvania—Juvenile fiction | Good and evil—Juvenile fiction | Transylvania (Romania)— History—15th century—Juvenile fiction | CYAC: Princesses—Fiction | Good and evil—Fiction | Transylvania (Romania)—History— 15th century—Fiction | GSAFD: Historical fiction Classification: LCC PZ7.W583764 An 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 ebook ISBN 9780553522334 Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read v4.1 ep Contents Cover Also by Kiersten White Title Page Copyright Dedication Map Genealogy Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Dramatis Personae Glossary Author’s Note Acknowledgments For Noah Te iubesc Detail left Detail right Draculesti Family, Wallachian nobility Vlad Dracul: Military governor of Transylvania, vaivode of Wallachia, father of Lada and Radu, father of Mircea, husband of Vasilissa Vasilissa: Mother of Lada and Radu, princess of Moldova Mircea: Oldest son of Vlad Dracul and his first, deceased wife Lada: Daughter and second legitimate child of Vlad Dracul Radu: Son and third legitimate child of Vlad Dracul Vlad: Illegitimate son of Vlad Dracul with a mistress Alexandru: Brother of Vlad Dracul, vaivode of Wallachia Wallachian Court and Countryside Figures Nurse: Mother of Bogdan, caretaker of Lada and Radu Bogdan: Son of the nurse, friend of Lada Andrei: Boyar child from rival Danesti family Aron: Boyar child from rival Danesti family Costin: A boy without shoes at the frozen river Danesti family: Rival family for the Wallachian throne Lazar: A Janissary soldier serving in Wallachia, friend of Radu Edirne Court Figures Murad: Ottoman sultan, father of Mehmed Halima: One of Murad’s wives, mother of the infant Ahmet Ahmet: Mehmed’s infant half brother Mara Brankovic: One of Murad’s wives, the daughter of the Serbian king Huma: One of of Murad’s concubines, the mother of Mehmed Mehmed: The third and least favorite son of the sultan Sitti Hatun: Daughter of an important emir, Mehmed’s first wife Gulsa: Mehmed’s concubine, the mother of his second son Beyazit: Mehmed’s firstborn son Molla Gurani: Mehmed’s tutor Halil Pasha: An important advisor in the Ottoman court Salih: The second son of Halil Pasha, friend of Radu Kumal: Devout vali of a small area outside of Edirne Nazira: Kumal’s youngest sister Fatima: Nazira’s maid Amal: A young servant in the palace Military Figures in the Ottoman Empire Ilyas: A Janissary commander Kazanci Dogan: Military leader of the Janissaries Ivan: A Janissary with a nasty disposition Matei: An experienced Wallachian Janissary Nicolae: A Wallachian Janissary and Lada’s closest friend Petru: A young Wallachian Janissary Stefan: A mysterious Wallachian Janissary Tohin: A gunpowder expert Political Figures in Opposition to the Sultan Constantine: The emperor of Constantinople Orhan: A false heir to the Ottoman throne, used by Constantinople as leverage Skanderberg: Iskander Bey, also known as Skanderberg, a former Janissary and favorite of Murad, now holding the Albanian city of Kruje against the Ottomans bey: A governor beylerbey: Governors of the largest and most important provinces boyars: Wallachian nobility concubine: A woman who belongs to the sultan and is not a legal wife but could produce legal heirs dervish: Religious ascetics (mostly from the Sufi branch of Islam) who take vows of poverty dracul: Dragon, also devil, as the terms were interchangeable emir: A leader of the Turkmen tribes, Ottoman allies to the east eunuch: A man who has been castrated, highly valued as a servant and a prestigious slave hajj: Religious pilgrimage taken to Mecca as one of the Five Pillars of Islam harem: A group of women, consisting of wives, concubines, and servants, that belongs to the sultan Janissary: A member of an elite force of military professionals, taken as boys from other countries, converted to Islam, educated, and trained to be loyal to the sultan Order of the Dragon: Order of Crusaders anointed by the pope pasha: A noble in the Ottoman Empire, appointed by the sultan pashazada: A son of a pasha spahi: Military commander in charge of local Ottoman soldiers called up during wars vaivode: Warlord prince of Wallachia vali: A local governor, appointed by the sultan valide sultan: The mother of the sultan vassal state: Country allowed to retain rulership but subject to the Ottoman Empire, with taxes of both money and slaves for the army vilayet: Small area of land governed by a vali vizier: A high ranking noble, usually adviser to the sultan Wallachia: Vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, bordered by Transylvania, Hungary, and Moldavia While the book is based on actual historical figures, I have taken massive liberties, filling in gaps, creating characters and events, shifting time lines, and most particularly, changing Vlad the Impaler to Lada the Impaler Any book based in history is a vast and ultimately impossible undertaking Because history is written by the victors—and those who are quite unhappy with those victors—major figures tend to be canonized or demonized in the records that make it through to our day Vlad the Impaler was a national hero, a freedom fighter, a brilliant military mind Or he was a deeply disturbed psychopath, a vicious despot who murdered tens of thousands and literally sustained himself on their flesh Similarly divided accounts exist of Mehmed the Conqueror History loves him and hates him He was an incredibly devout, thoughtful ruler, even bordering on a religious figure, or he was a cruel predator who loved debauchery and destruction My goal in this book was to carve out a middle ground In my research I set aside accounts that skewed too far in either direction and tried to focus on the truth: They were men who were born into great power, and they both did what they thought necessary to maintain and expand that power The central aspect I wanted to explore was the path a person takes to get to the point where they can justify doing terrible things in the name of good What motivations sway them? What stones laid in childhood become the foundation legacies are built on? In the end, this is a work of fiction I chose to make Vlad the Impaler a girl because it was a more interesting lens for me as a storyteller Radu the Handsome is merely a footnote in Vlad’s stories, but I did my best to breathe life into his legacy Mehmed the Conqueror is a revered Turkish national hero, with Istanbul still a testament to his greatness and his ability to think far into the future I have done my best to honor that, while still acknowledging that he was a real person Just how much interaction the three would have had growing up in the Ottoman Courts together is unknown I’ve crafted a fictional history in which the formative relationships of their young lives were with each other If you would like to read more extensively on Vlad, Radu, and Mehmed and their time, as well as the incredible legacy of the Ottomans, I recommend using your local library and librarians Some books I found helpful were: The Ottoman Centuries, by Lord Kinross 1453, by Roger Crowley A Short History of Byzantium, by John Julius Norwich The Grand Turk, by John Freely Dracula, Prince of Many Faces, by Radu R Florescu and Raymond T McNally Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power, by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair Though the characters in the book each interact with religion, and more specifically Islam, in various ways, I have nothing but respect for the rich history and beautiful legacy of that gospel of peace Individual characters’ opinions on the complexities of faith, both Islam and Christianity, not reflect my own Spelling varies between languages and over time, as place names Any errors or inconsistencies are my own Though the main characters speak a variety of languages, I made an editorial decision to present all common terms in English This book would not exist without my incredible husband Noah’s love of Romania and its history, as well as Arabic, Islam, and the Middle East, fed and formed this idea until it was ready to become a story He was an invaluable resource Also, he is very handsome and I’m quite lucky to be his wife Special thanks go to my agent, Michelle Wolfson, for never pausing when I tell her what I want to next She has been Lada’s biggest cheerleader—and mine, as well My brilliant editor, Wendy Loggia, cannot be thanked enough She saw the pitch for this book and instantly understood what it was and what it needed to be Her guiding hand is on every page, and I’m so grateful to work with her The entire team at Delacorte Press is a dream for a writer Special thanks go to Alison Impey for the stunning cover design, Heather Kelly for the gorgeous interior design, and Colleen Fellingham and Heather Lockwood Hughes for catching all my many errors in copyedits None of my books would exist without my best friends and critique partners, Natalie Whipple and Stephanie Perkins Natalie saw me through a brutal first draft, and Stephanie saved me during an overwhelming edit Thank you, thank you, thank you I love you both Finally, endless gratitude goes to my family, for always supporting and encouraging me And last in thanks but first in my heart, to my three beautiful children: I would cut through a mountain for you What’s next on your reading list? Discover your next great read! Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author Sign up now Table of Contents Other Titles Title Page Copyright Contents Dedication Map Genealogy Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Dramatis Personae Glossary Author’s Note Acknowledgments ... Princesses—Romania—Transylvania—Juvenile fiction | Good and evil—Juvenile fiction | Transylvania (Romania)— History—15th century—Juvenile fiction | CYAC: Princesses—Fiction | Good and evil—Fiction | Transylvania... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: White, Kiersten, author Title: And I darken / Kiersten White Description: First edition | New York : Delacorte Press, [2016]| Summary: In this first book in a trilogy... squeezed his eyes shut I wish I had never been born.” Aron hit him I said it!” Radu screamed, coughing and struggling for breath I know,” Andrei said “Hit him again.” “My father will—” “Your