Unholy Empire

Book One: The Burning of Saint-Gilles

Before he became Count Dracula, he was simply Dragomir.

For centuries, Dragomir has lived among humans without incident — feeding selectively while protecting his kin. In 12^th-century France, inside the halls of Saint-Gilles Abbey, he uncovers something darker than himself: violence and corruption disguised as charity.

Dragomir executes those responsible and burns the abbey to the ground, setting in motion the feud that will follow him for centuries. Compelled by his faith, Father Peter of Cluny sparks a holy crusade to destroy the vampire and his spawn. He names Dragomir a heretic, a demon — a contagion. Fear spreads faster than truth. A holy campaign begins, not only against Dragomir, but against anyone suspected of standing beside him. Dragomir is forced into the shadows, but he is not alone.

From the ashes of Saint-Gilles rises an unexpected alliance — and a love that complicates everything. With friends, allies within the Church, and a future suddenly worth defending, Dragomir must navigate a world that would rather call him a monster than confront its own wickedness. History will remember him as a fiend. This is how it began.

Unholy Empire opens in the 12^th century with The Burning of Saint-Gilles and threads Dracula’s story through real moments in history — the Black Plague, the Great Famine, the Inquisition, the Friday the 13th massacre, and the Fall of Constantinople — before culminating in the events of Bram Stoker’s novel in the 1890s.

The legend you know is only the ending.

Music of Unholy Empire
Songs that capture the emotional world of The Burning of Saint-Gilles — and the love that rises from its ashes.