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  Tima Maria Lacoba

  Glossary Of Characters, Places And Terms (With Some Extra Information About The Characters)

  Alec Munro – Vampire, Princeps and together with Lucien Lebrettan, leader of the ‘Brethren’, a community of vampires living in Sydney, Australia. Originally a doctor, he had enlisted in the Australian Infantry Forces (AIF) soon after the death of his wife and child. He was later transformed by Lucien while serving in an army medical field hospital in northern France in 1918. He owns and manages a private hospital in Sydney dedicated to blood disease research.

  Antonia Pulchra – Daughter of Marcus Antonius Pulcher, twin sister to Lucius. Antonia was the first to carry the Ingenii mutation. She lived for 218 years and was the mother of Paulus, the next Ingenii.

  Bloodgifted – Term given to certain members of the Dantonville family who carry the cursed gene, giving them unnatural long life and youthfulness. Their blood alone provides vampires with superior strength and heightened senses, and the ability to daywalk. The Bloodgifted – Ingenii – are much coveted by the Brethren community and were the epicentre of two previous rebellions, the first taking place in the tenth century, resulting in the deaths of two of Luc’s men – Galen and Martius – and another in the seventeenth century.

  Blood Vault – A secret vault hidden deep beneath the foundations of Chateau D’Antonville in a series of underground caverns in the Rhone Valley. It contains thousands of vials of Ingenii blood collected by Luc through the centuries. Those who drink Ingenii blood experience superhuman strength, enhanced senses and the ability to daywalk.

  Cal (Calixtus) – Vampire, former Roman soldier, First Frisian Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester) on Hadrian’s Wall, northern Britain. Part of Marcus’ Antonius Pulcher’s cohort, he was cursed (along with his comrades) by a Pictish witch into vampire form. Cal is also a widower, having lost his wife in childbirth. Currently, he is bodyguard to the Ingenii, friend to Alec Munro and he owns an Armagnac distillery in France.

  Chateau D’Antonville – The ancestral home of the Dantonvilles, and built over the ruins of Marcus Antonius Pulcher’s original Roman villa. It is located in the Vaucluse Department of the Provence-Alpes-Cote D’Azur region in southeastern France. The Romans first settled there and produced the earliest wines. The area is littered with Roman ruins, the greatest of which is the Roman Theatre at the town of Orange (pronounced O-ronje), just a ten minute drive from the chateau. The closest cities are Lyon, to the north, and Avignon, to the south.

  Constans Thierry, Madame – Human and housekeeper at Chateau D’Antonville, a position of honour in the village of D’Antonville. She is a direct descendant from one of the First Families. Constans Thierry fell in love with Luc when a young woman, and married her husband, Serge, in order to serve in the household and be close to Luc. She betrayed the family in order to have Judith and Laura killed so she could claim Luc and be mistress of D’Antonville.

  Dominik – 16 year-old vampire, recently turned by Timur after having been kidnapped by him for the illegal blood-slave racket. Originally from the Czech Republic, Dominik joined the Principate side and becomes Alec’s juvenile.

  Dougal McTavish – Scottish stonemason transformed by Marcus in the 10th century. Guardian of Drunvela, site of the witch’s tomb.

  Elders – Group of the world’s oldest vampires, who set the rules by which all blood drinkers must abide in order to keep their presence hidden from the human world. They have power over life and death in the Brethren community. They also officiate at every Coming-of-Age ceremony and induct the new princeps. They are among the oldest living creatures on earth.

  Eilene Dantonville – Human, wife of John Dantonville. Her first child, a baby named Katie, died of SIDS aged three months. She and John accepted the infant Laura in place of their deceased daughter, in order to help out Lucien and Judith. She loved Laura as her own child.

  Eithne – A Pict witch and high priestess of the Caledonian goddess of retribution, Melusine. She cursed Marcus Antonius Pulcher and his men for killing her people in the mid 3rd. century, effectively turning him and his men into vampires. She used kidnapped Roman captives as human sacrifices in bloody religious rites. Ancestress of Alec Munro.

  First Families – Humans descended from the original slaves, then servants, at Marcus Antonius Pulcher’s villa in Gaul. They make up the bulk of the villagers in D’Antonville, and only they know the secret of the Lords of Chateau D’Antonville.

  Gilles Bouchard – Mayor of D’Antonville, from one of the First Families.

  Ingenii – Latin term for “Bloodgifted”.

  Jake (Caius Justinius) – Vampire, former Roman soldier and physician to the First Frisian Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester) on Hadrian’s Wall, northern Britain. Along with his comrades, he was cursed by a Pict witch into becoming a vampire. He is a close friend and colleague to Alec Munro, and loves sports cars and racing horses. Currently, he is bodyguard to the Ingenii.

  Jean-Philippe Louis Auguste de Reynard – Vampire and 18th century French nobleman who once fought for Napoleon. He was Lucien’s illegitimate son and Laura’s half-brother. His mother was the Duchess D’Orleans. He was a well-known portrait artist who met Laura in Italy where he fell in love with her unaware he was her half-brother. Jean introduced himself to her by his second name, Philippe. Lucien broke up the relationship. Their romance is the subject of the short story Laura’s Locket.

  Jenny Callen – Human, Laura’s best friend and work colleague in a primary school in Balmain. She’s had several failed relationships and is currently single, although she is romantically interested in Terens.

  John Dantonville – Human, Laura’s foster-father and maternal uncle. He is Judith Dantonville’s younger brother and Eilene Dantonville’s husband. He and Eilene adopted Laura as a favour to Lucien and Judith, but came to love her as his own. His pet name for her is, “baby”.

  Judith Dantonville Lebrettan – Human, thirty-third Ingenii. Pressured into marrying her first husband, William Allerdyce, by her father, Owen Dantonville, to clear gambling debts. Only meant to be a business arrangement, he raped her on their wedding night. Judith met Lucien some time after and they became lovers. Later she divorced William and secretly married Luc after giving birth to their child, Laura.

  Kari (Karelia Anakeinen) – Born in Finland in the late eighteenth century, Kari’s family moved to France when her father was offered the position of chief stonemason on the D’Antonville estate in the Rhone Valley. She had been transformed by Jake when the rest of her family died in an epidemic, which swept the region. Kari is Judith Dantonville’s best friend, and unofficial bodyguard to the current Ingenii, Laura Dantonville. She is also secretly in love with Jake.

  Karl (Karel von Czernin, Count) – Vampire, Czech Prefect and principate spy who befriended Count Timur Szechenyi, the Hungarian Prefect, in order to infiltrate the Rebel ranks and learn of their plans. His easy-going nature hides a sharp mind and decisive character. He is friends with Alec Munro, and secretly in love with the Baroness Milena Flaks.

  Kwome – Vampire, and one of the Elders. Originally, Kwome was king of the ancient African kingdom of Benin. He was transformed by his teacher and mentor.

  Laura Anne Dantonville – Part human/part vampire, thirty-fourth – and current serving – Ingenii, and Lucien and Judith Dantonville’s biological daughter. She is a primary school teacher and former girlfriend of Police Detective Matthew Sommers. Laura was raised by John and Eilene Dantonville, who she believed to be her parents. She was also Jean-Philippe’s half-sister.

  Lucinda Ortiz – Vampire, and daughter of a minor Spanish nobleman, transformed by Rodriguez, a juvenile sired by Timur. As a result of being turned by a juvenile, Lucinda is slightly mentally disadvant
aged. To some, she is known as Loco Lucinda. While a juvenile herself, she found Jean-Philippe dying on the battlefield and turned him. She gifts Laura a beautiful antique dagger as thanks for her kindness. Currently living in hiding in Uruguay.

  Marcus Antonius Pulcher – Vampire, former Roman legionary cavalry commander – Praefectus Equituum – stationed in Vindobala (Rudchester) in the 3rd century AD. It was his actions, which led to him and his men into being cursed by the Pict witch, Eithne. Marcus Antonius is the father of the twins, Lucius and Antonia, and husband to Gallia. He departed Britain after being turned into a vampire and went into hiding at his villa in Gaul (France) – Villa Antonii.

  Matthew Sommers – Human, Police Detective Inspector. He was Laura’s boyfriend and rival with Alec Munro for Laura’s affections. He was attacked and nearly killed by rogue vampires while trying to protect her. Laura broke of their relationship at the end of Book 1 when she learnt of his plans to kill the vampire side of her family in a misguided attempt to protect her. He hates Alec Munro and does not want to let Laura go. Only later, does he learn he’s a Pazuzim, a descendant of an ancient band of vampire hunters.

  Milena (Baroness Milena Flaks) – Vampire, the Slovakian Prefect and Principate supporter. Her concerns over Count Timur’s ambitions – and threat to her territory – lead her to approach Jake into becoming her consort, and thus her protector. Like other aristocrats of her generation (eighteenth century) she believes in the superiority of her noble blood, although Brethren laws discourage class discrimination. Her old-world attitude leads to clashes with more-recently turned Brethren.

  O’Toole, Derek – Vampire and Prefect for Hibernia (Ireland) and loyal principate supporter. He was transformed in prison while awaiting execution for leading a rebellion against Cromwell’s forces in the mid seventeenth century. His sire, tired of living, walked into the sun three-hundred years later, happy he’d seen Ireland gain its independence from the hated English.

  Princeps – Latin term for First Citizen and the origin of the English word, prince.

  Principate – The Brethren political system established by Marcus Antonius Pulcher and his son, Lucius (Lucien Lebrettan) to control the Brethren and protect humanity. It is composed of the Elders – Kwome, Zhao, Grey Bear and Maira – as well as Marcus, Luc and Alec. As a result of the death of Maris Quesnel, Grey Bear and Maira were appointed to the office.

  Rasputin (Grigory Rasputin) – Vampire and former confidant of the last Russian royal family, the Romanovs. He was transformed in 1917 by the Hungarian noble, Count Timur Szechenyi, the Brethren prefect. Many blame Rasputin for the demise of the Russian monarchy, and his sinister influence over the royal family. Before his execution, he had the ability to mesmerise humans as well as vampires, and he used that to further his master’s ambitions to overthrow the Principate.

  Sabine Gilbert – New housekeeper at D’Antonville hired by Laura Dantonville to replace the treacherous Madame Thierry. She belongs to the First Families.

  Sam (Sempronius) – Vampire, former Roman soldier in the First Frisian Cavalry Regiment stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester) in northern Britain. Along with his comrades, he was cursed by the Pict witch, Eithne, into vampire form. He is also the former lover and sire of Maris Quesnel. Sam is a techno-wiz and responsible for security in the Lebrettan household. Currently, when not hacking into rebel communications, he is one of the bodyguards to the Ingenii.

  Serpent Ring – Ancient artefact created by Marcus Antonius Pulcher on the instructions of the Pict witch, Eithne. It is in the form of a golden serpent with blazing red eyes – symbol of Melusine, the Caledonian goddess of vengeance or retribution. It renders the wearer invisible to vampire senses, as well as burning the fingers of imposters and shooting fire from the serpent’s eyes destroying those who physically threaten either princeps or Ingenii. In times of danger, the eyes turn black. Every fifty years the ring is passed down to the next Ingenii.

  Sieur/Seigneur – French for “Lord.”

  Terens (Sextus Terentius) – Vampire, former Tribune attached to the First Frisian Cavalry regiment, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester), northern Britain. Along with the rest of the cohort, he was cursed by the Pict witch, Eithne, into vampire form. Although he has a reputation as a ladies man, Terens is also a deadly swordsman and is known to have fought off eight armed Rebels in the last rebellion. He has always wanted to try skydiving. Currently, he is one of the bodyguards to the Ingenii.

  Timur (Count Timur Szechenyi) – Vampire, Hungarian Prefect and leader of the rebellion to overthrow the Principate by kidnapping the Ingenii, Laura Dantonville, and breed her with a human to produce the next generation of Ingenii. He used his family crest – a snarling wolf’s head – to create the outlawed wolf’s head rings, which contain a deadly white-oak spike. He is also the head of the illegal blood-slave racket, which traffics in selling underage humans to the Brethren. Timur is Rasputin’s sire.

  Yves Morrel – Chief of Police at D’Antonville, and one of the First Families.

  Zhao – Vampire and one of the Elders. Ancient Chinese warlord turned philosopher. His sire is unknown.

  AUTHOR BIO

  Tima Maria Lacoba is a former ancient historian and archaeologist who accidently smashed a 3,000 Egyptian vase while on her first dig! Her supervisor made her glue it back together again. It took a week. From there she went on to specialise in late Roman-British archaeology, and the military forts along Hadrian’s Wall, because buildings don’t smash as easily. Now Ms Lacoba’s combined her love of history with another passion—story-telling—to create a dark tale of Roman soldiers cursed by a British witch.

  Tima Maria has always been a storyteller, but it wasn't until five years ago that she seriously ventured into writing. The result was BloodGifted. In 2011 it was shortlisted in the Atlas Award and eventually came fourth place. In 2012 it was listed among the top ten in the Choclit Search for an Aussie Star Competition. In 2013, she was offered a publishing contract but declined in favour of going indie, preferring the idea of being in charge of her own creation.

  In 2017, BloodGifted was nominated for the Golden Stake Award in the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival.

  BloodGifted is just the start of a four-part series entitled, The Dantonville Legacy. Book 2 - BloodPledge, Book 3 - BloodVault, and Book 4 - BloodWish are available at all online retailers. She also intends to satisfy her fans requests by writing individual books on the other characters in the series. So Terens, Cal Jake and Sam will each have their own story.

  Tima Maria currently lives on the Central Coast, an hour's drive north of Sydney in Australia. Her little house is surrounded by bushland, possums and seed-dropping Rosellas on one side, and waterways on the other.

  Between bouts of writing, she can be found in the kitchen baking yet another chocolate recipe. This activity is responsible for forming more gothic, urban fantasy stories in her mind for future books.

  ALSO BY TIMA MARIA LACOBA

  The Dantonville Legacy series:

  Laura’s Locket: A Dantonville Chronicle Book 1 (prequel novella)

  BloodGifted: The Dantonville Legacy Series Book 1

  BloodPledge: The Dantonville Legacy Series Book 2

  BloodVault: The Dantonville Legacy Series Book 3

  BloodWish: The Dantonville Legacy Series Book 4

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  Also by Tima Maria Lacoba

  Prequel to the Dantonville Legacy Series

  Laura's Locket

  The Dantonville Legacy Series

  BloodGifted

  BloodPledge

  BloodVault

  BloodWish

  The Dantonville Legacy: The Complete Series

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  Tima Maria Lacoba, BloodWish