Memoirs of a Dragonseeker

Summary: A young woman having thought her entire life was normal soon realizes that nothing was normal. She leaves her job at a renowned hospital in New York City to travel the Romanian country side and finds herself gaining much more than culture and inspiration. She finds herself at the mercy of the very creatures she thought were once fiction. Note: be ware there will be some spoilers from Dark Slayer.

Disclaimer: Christine Feehan owns the greatest Carpathians in the world. I do not own anything but Kerry Morgan and a few other original characters.

Chapter One:

Life as I knew it would never be the same after the vacation I had planned was done and over with. I had been planning a trip outside the States for years, batting around in my head in going to Japan or Ireland at first, but then I decided that perhaps I should instead do something different. I decided that perhaps seeing the place where one of my favorite book series spoke of quite often would be better instead. So after all that I had decided that visiting Romania and the Carpathian Mountains would be better, plus I was planning a month long vacation and there was plenty to do to fill that much time.

I was planning on going from village to village, hiking in the mountains or just working on some of my art work in the beauty of the surrounding foothills of the mountains and their majestic peaks. What I wasn't expecting though was that this trip would turn my world literally upside down and inside out. What I thought was fiction was about to become much more than that, it was about to become my entire life.

Let me introduce myself first off before you enter my memoirs and read about the life I left behind and the world that became my own. My name is Kerry Morgan, nothing really special about that name to tell the truth. It was the name given to me by my birth mother, the very one that decided I was too much of a burden and left me to rot in the nearest dumpster in some city she left. My adoptive parents raised me, well that was until their deaths when I turned 18. I was heart broken when it happened, but I carried on and became a big doctor, earning a name for myself in one of the big trauma hospitals in New York City before leaving for smaller pastures.

It wasn't that I hated the rush and excitement of the hospital and their constant flow of patients, it was that I was becoming burned out and needed a break. This was another reason for my vacation. After all what good is a doctor that is beyond broken and ready to either lose a patient or off themselves. Other than that, no siblings for me, no family beyond a fish that of course died a week before I left for my vacation (I am terrible at fish keeping).

Now that you have kind of a crash course into my life, let me begin my story and hope that you don't leave in the middle. It is will compel you I pray, and bring you to question whether all fiction is truly that… fiction… or is it something more. Much, much more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dr Morgan! Dr Morgan, you can't be leaving us" a young man's voice shouted out, running to catch up with the young woman walking down the hall.

She turned in time to see the man slide to a stop there behind her, blinking she smiled gently, "It isn't really that I am leaving, just going on an extended vacation while looking for other career interests" she tells him.

The young man began to protest, "You can't leave. We need you, this hospital needs you" he pleas with her, "You are the top trauma surgeon and emergency doctor in the tri-city area, hell in the entire eastern United States" he adds on.

"Bruce. I would like to stay, but after 10 years of nothing but injuries, pain, and horrors I need a break. I feel that I am dancing a fine line between sanity and insanity" she says softly, "I promise I will come and visit, but for now I need to just… get lost in my artwork and beautiful mountains"

She was leaving in two days for her month long vacation over seas in the Romania area. Dr Kerry Morgan needed what the mountains there had to offer, a way to relax her mind, body, and soul so she would not go insane. Besides she felt as if she was being called there for some reason. She moved to run a hand through the long deep black colored hair, loosening it from the hair tie she usually uses to keep it pulled away from her face in the emergency room. Her beautiful sapphire colored eyes were odd seeing as they were flecked with silver, giving the illusion she had stardust within those alluring orbs.

The young man there before her was a nurse she had worked with on more than one occasion, and knew that he had feelings for her beyond friendship. As much as Kerry wanted to return those particular sentiments she just couldn't. She moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, offering a reassuring smile his way.

"Please Dr Morgan" he whispered, "I have a bad feeling with you leaving. Just stay here" he begged her.

She moved to kiss his cheek gently, a blush creeping over his freckled cheeks, "I promise to be careful Bruce" she tells him.

Kerry Morgan moved away, waving behind her as she moves past him. The rest of the staff had thrown her a 'going away' party earlier in her shift, gifts and cake had been plentiful. But now she just wanted to head home and sleep for about 12 hours before she was to leave for the airport and the start of her vacation. The 30 year old doctor moved from the hospital, heading for the subway just down the street. It had been ages since she had driven to work, having decided to walk or take the subway instead.

At that moment she wished she had taken her car, her little Prius probably missed her and the drives they used to go on before she became so well known in the medical field. She laughed to herself as she thought about this, here she was now thinking as if her car was alive. She really needed a vacation, needed it bad.

Kerry moved down the steps into the subway station, using her pass to get through the security gates and onto the platform to wait for the train that would take her to the right stop. She sat down on a bench, closing her eyes briefly feeling as if she was drained, but knowing she wasn't. It was the problem Kerry has had all her life, this feeling of being drained, of feeling emotions that were never her own and even helping to heal when she worked in the hospital. She could never explain what was happening and even did research on the internet and only could find a handful of sites that said it was psychic powers.

She opened her eyes and dug into her purse, pulling out the latest release from author Christine Feehan, her Dark Slayer book. She was halfway through it and, even though she had read all the others, she felt more connected with this particular book than any of the others. She couldn't explain it, but it was as if it called out to her, spoke of all its pain deep in her soul. The doctor laughed a bit to herself as she once again thought she was riding the very razor's edge of sanity again. She moved to open the book up to the right page and frowned as her train's arrival was announced of the PA system.

Kerry placed the book back into her bag and sighed, moving to board the subway train and sat down in the only available place there. She shivered suddenly, feeling as if she was being watched. She looked around, but saw no one there; shaking her head she pushed the paranoia to the back of her mind. It would not do if she truly let herself turn into one of those conspiracy freaks that always thought someone was out to get them. Kerry relaxed back into her seat, letting out a breath before just gazing out the window into the blackness there.

Soon the train pulled into her station, she hurrying off the car and out onto the platform. She moved towards the surface, nodding to the police officer there before heading for her apartment just down the street. Smiling to herself as she unlocked her door once there, she took in a deep breath. Soon…very soon she would be on a plane for Romania and her release from the norm of every day living. She placed her purse on the table next to her passport and converted money.

She had taken into consideration every outcome and had prepared not only American money but also the currency there in Romania as well. Kerry moved into the kitchen, throwing together a small salad and some tea before heading into the living room to hopefully get in some reading before bed. Soon the woman was blissfully asleep on the couch, her book gently sliding from her fingers onto the floor, the page it fell open to was the defeat of Xavier. She smiled softly in her sleep, dreaming of a male that would love her and cherish her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As you can see my life was pretty much boring, a life that was nothing more than mundane activities, even my leaving of my job was mundane. Nothing truly to do but to enjoy my vacation… at least that was what I hoping. My first few weeks went by without a problem, no odd attacks, no men vying for my love, just beautiful paintings that I had painted and even sold a time or two while in the larger cities. Every where I looked was beautiful, giving me inspiration where I would think there was none before.

It wasn't until I found myself in a small town that literally came out of one of Christine Feehan's Carpathian novels. I swear even the little inn was the same, but the woman running the place definitely wasn't named Slavica and there were no Carpathians running around, though rumors and whispers of evil beings seemed to run rampant there. After arriving it was a few days later that everything seemed to suddenly take a turn for the more… strange.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearly three weeks since Kerry had arrived in the foreign country and began her vacation. She had explored wonderful castles and ruins, not to mention the cities she had visited coupled with the tiny villages that inspired her to create beautiful sketches and paintings. She sat on the balcony of her small room, her fingers idling tracing deep scratches in the wood as she gazed into the woods and up at the mountains. She was going to head up one of the trails when the sun began setting in about an hour. She wanted to sketch some of the darker, more mysterious sides to these lands, especially the Carpathian Mountains.

Kerry broke her gaze and sighed, heading into the room to double check she had everything, "Flashlight, check. Sketch books and pencils, check. Water, check" she continued on this way for the next 20 minutes, double checking everything before hefting the bag onto her back.

She had even purchased a beautiful dagger that she kept on her person at all times. One never knew just when it would come in handy, especially if one was attacked by an animal or even a person. The doctor moved from her room and down the stairs into the dining area. She would catch dinner first then head out; it would be the best thing anyways. She heard raised voices coming from the small office and frowned as she moved to listen.

"I swear to you Gary. This woman is strange and should be watched. She even plans to go into mountains after dark. She say it help inspire her." The inn keeper says to the man there, "Let them know. Protect her… she I know is special…"

The man sighs, "I will let Mikhail know, but there are always Americans that come here thinking the mountains are nothing more than play areas and do not realize they are dangerous. But see if you can make her reconsider to go in the morning."

Kerry sighed as she moved back down the hall, thinking to herself in the process `Well I guess dinner is off. I'll just nibble on some granola bars later if I get hungry'

The young woman stepped out of the inn and began heading for the one trail she saw earlier that week that led towards the mountains through the woods. She moved with a confident step, knowing that the woods and mountains were dangerous, after all one would have to be a fool to not realize this. She smiled to herself as she began taking picture, glad her laptop was with her so she could transfer the pictures over once the memory cards were filled up.

She paused at the top of the trail, blinking as she realized that the woods were doused in shadows now that the sun had set. Apparently she had been walking for a few hours and hadn't realized it. It was as if she was in a trance, a sirens call drawing her deeper into the woods and further up the trail. Kerry shook her head suddenly as she looked around startled to find herself lost, and off the trail.

The doctor didn't panic though she wanted to, instead moving to pull out a compass to try and get her bearings once again. She gazed at the instrument and sighed as it spun and refused to even out.

"Great, natural magnetic fields messing with my equipment now" she says out loud, moving to put it back into her pack, "Well I'll just have to find a clearing and then see if I can climb a tree and see if I can see the village"

She pulled out her flashlight and began moving deeper into the woods, not realizing she was no longer alone there. The dark figure smirked as it followed her silently, the once handsome face no longer as such. It was now decaying flesh pulled taunt over a skeletal frame. The once beautiful voice was now nothing more than a sound that reminded most of glass being ran over a chalkboard. It rasped and grated as it came out when the creature spoke.

The vampire moved after the woman, his intended victim. He could sense in her the psychic powers and knew in its withered heart she could save him. Wouldn't its master be proud if he brought this waif of a woman to him as a sacrifice to his cause, as a way to bring about the new generation of their race. He moved to spring the trap, the ground seeming to come alive, but not moving towards the woman just yet.

Kerry paused as if sensing something off, she turned and called out, "Hello? Is anyone out there? I seemed to have gotten lost and need help getting back to the trail back to the village"

The vampire cast the illusion over itself, moving into view, "Pardon miss. I can assist you" his voice was also disguised in illusion, sounding rich and full instead of the evil it was, "I am Raul… I can lead you back"

Raul moved to offer her his hand. Kerry smiled shyly, but there was still enough lucidity that she was suspicious of the appearance of this man suddenly. She shook her head, refusing to take his hand. Her head began aching; slowly building into a migraine as her mind unconsciously fought the illusion and compulsion that was being cast over her. Her strength was on par with a Carpathian's own and this creature of evil would have to fight for her apparently.

Kerry blinked as her eyes began playing tricks on her, this mask of beauty being over laid upon a creature so hideous that even one brave as any man would run away in fear. She backed away slowly, unsure what was real and what wasn't at the moment.

"I think I may… know the way now" she tells him, gauging if she could run or not, her hand moving to the hidden dagger now.

"I mean you no harm" its voice melted into that raspy sound, the sound of glass over a chalkboard.

"No… please leave me" she counters, the illusion now fully dispelled.

The creature hissed as he felt the compulsion and illusion break. It launched at her, not caring that it was caught by the blade only that its victim was there and ready for the taking. Kerry screamed not only from fear but also from pain as the acidic blood ran over her arm, parasites burrowing into her body. She cried out as teeth suddenly sunk into her neck, rendering her unable to move from shock and fear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My life right then and there was nearly over with, but fear not, this story won't be that short. After all memoirs are known for their ups and downs and yes there will be more. Till then…

Good day.

Author Note:

Please read and review. No flames, though they could be used to roast marshmallows.