The Secret of Kralitz

The Secret of Kralitz by Henry Kuttner tells the story of Franz, the twenty-first Baron Kralitz, who is summoned one night by two figures cloaked in black. These figures, wardens of the Kralitz lineage's secret, reveal a horrifying truth: the Baron is part of a long line bound to a malevolent curse and dark rituals. The story culminates in Franz's realization that each Baron Kralitz is initiated into a brotherhood of blood, and that his own name is inscribed on a sarcophagus, sealing his fate.