Eternal Kingdom: A Vampire Novel

Though mankind has no knowledge of vampires, a small group of elite humans co-exists with them, living-and sometimes dying-side by side. Many of the vampires have no self-control, but the Council, the rulers of the undead, not only manage their bloodlust, but scheme and plot like the Romans of old. So when the vampire Council revives the chess tournament from the time of Julius Caesar, every undead member begins scheming, hoping that if they are the victor, so too will they inherit the spoils of war. Soon, humans are recruited. Some are convicts, with nothing left to lose, while others are dying from ailments, and if they win, they will receive the gift of eternal life. Other volunteers join the game for love, while even more are simply blackmailed. But this isn't a simple game of chess where if a piece is taken off the board, nothing happens but the loss of that piece. In this game, the pieces are made up of human and vampire players, and to lose a piece will result in the death of that player, usually in a gruesome and bloody manner. And if that isn't bad enough, below the life-size chess board, insane vampires are desperate to feed, anxiously waiting for the spilled blood of the losers to trickle down to them. As the two game masters call out each move, piece by piece is killed: humans fed upon by their vampire opponents, and the vampires murdered by sun-based weapons that fry them from the inside out, leaving only ash in their wake. But when the sun comes up, no matter how many chess pieces have been slaughtered and fed upon, no matter how much blood has been spilled, there will be a victor. At the end of the game, someone will inherit the Eternal Kingdom.

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