I scan back. Find the name Imre. Remember the caption the night of Ivan’s death, his name given on the television. Was Ivan once Prince of Zagreb?

The next two pages are a list of contacts at four European libraries, including the National Hungarian Archive, followed by what have to be nearly fifty pages of notes on Elizabeth Bathory, with portions boxed or circled:

Witnesses either did not actually witness Elizabeth in the act or unsure

Elizabeth not allowed to speak on own behalf

Respected nobles accused of procuring own relatives to serve E.’s household, turned blind eye OR willingly sacrificed girls for hope of conviction against her

(Did she do it or not??)

Elizabeth: Protestant (Calvinist), King: Catholic

Bathory/Nadasdy holdings: thousands of acres, 20 castles

E. husband Ferenc, national hero, BANKROLLED CROWN. Debt too large to pay back. Ferenc dies, E. begin litigation against debtors INCLUDING ROYAL TREASURY.

King can’t risk action against national hero—turn entire country against crown. But can against a widow

King calls witnesses from E.’s own holdings—nobles, court officials. E. made loans to servants, paymaster, castellan, squire, court master. THEY ALL OWED HER MONEY. ALL TESTIFIED AGAINST HER.

Palatine Thurzo (Protestant) charged to protect her before Ferenc dies. Move for no execution. (Keep E.’s property from ceding to Habsburg crown in full, prevent precedent of crown claiming Protestant property)

1611: E. walled up at Cachtice (Slovakia). CROWN’S FULL DEBT CANCELED, portion of lands cede to crown. All documents sealed. Treated as though E. “never existed.” Husband’s reputation as war hero intact

KING CROWNED HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR 1612.

Holy crap. I’m an ancient conspiracy theorist.

I thumb through several pages of names I don’t recognize and what look like hand-copied records. There are several more pages labeled “Budapest,” “Zagreb,” “Bratislava,” “Bucharest,” “Belgrade,” with names of what I assume to be court leaders or members.

Why would I do this—catalog their names like this? I think back to Jester’s story about the genealogies. This journal is dangerous to every person I’ve listed.

Is this what I had erased from memory—a record created in naiveté? A list that, once written, I could not unsee?

I pause on a page filled only with questions, such as: Who was Ismeta’s sibling? And then: Imre = Tibor’s brother?—Yes. Goes now by “Ivan.”

My eye catches on two successive lines:

Ivan and Nikola falling out. Amerie sides with Nikola—WHY??

Amerie dies 16 months later

I scan ahead to several pages filled with names and death dates—and a seeming list of those who died in quick succession after their passing:

Tamas (April?) 2005

June: Zsolt

October: Attila II, Silus

December: Judit, Braco (suicide, memory unrecoverable)

But something happens after the last of those. About ten pages have been torn out.

And then this:

Audra,

It’s me. You.

The skin rises on my arms.