Reign of the Blood Witch [Volume I Complete! Slow Burn Gothic Horror]

The villagers of Ecsed have long whispered that the eternal youth of Countess Elizabeth Bathory flows from the blood of the many women who have vanished under her patronage.

Yet, the woman now awaiting execution is not the infamous Countess, but Edda—the imposter who, for a decade, has stood in her place.

Ignorant of the dark undercurrents that led to her downfall, when Edda is given the gift—or the punishment—of reawakening ten years in the past, she must prevent history from repeating itself. To do so will mean not only uncovering the Countess’s secrets and confronting the nightmares that prowl the halls of her castle, but also overcoming the person at the center of it all—herself.

Volume I is complete. Updates every Friday. 

What to expect

⸭ Slow-burn gothic horror and mystery: a blend of eerie atmosphere, psychological dread, and supernatural elements with a gradually unfolding mystery

⸭ Psychological and emotional tension: the narrative is centered around the main character's thoughts; shaped by fear, doubt, and the weight of her past

⸭ Traumatized to traumatizing: a gradual, inevitable, and somewhat disturbing journey out of victimhood into something...unsettling 

⸭ Minimal action, maximum atmosphere: no swordfights and battles here; just flickering candles and the feeling of something waiting for you in the dark

⸭ The supernatural creeps in slowly: inspired by Eastern European folklore around witches, vampires, and ghosts

⸭ Dense, descriptive, and dramatic prose: best to sink into on a stormy night, with a cup of tea, and maybe a rosary

Notes:

⸭ If you are reading this anywhere other than Royal Road or my Patreon, it has been stolen. Please support this story by heading over to https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/91799/reign-of-the-blood-witch-slow-burn-gothic-horror and reading there. Thank you!

⸭ cover is AI-generated and edited in Canva--planning to commission real art soon!

⸭ words are ALL mine (with the rare exception of anything suggested by my human proofreader)