Luminary [Interview with the Vampire]

The backing of the chieftaincy

Clasping her hands deathly tight, she looked around the room, fear evident in her stature.

"I highly doubt he was there, but if he was, I had no idea."

"As much as I like to see you sweat, I have a point to make," Santiago said, turning on the spot as he spread his cape for all three chiefs to see.

"Make it quickly, Santiago," Armand said.

Finally, he had their attention.

Young as he was, if he'd called the chieftaincy to sit, they'd have ignored him. If he'd asked politely, they would have made him wait till the next time they chose to sit. But he couldn't wait. Releasing the information that he'd turned three new vampires in another person's city was effective. Poor Estelle would have to deal with why a man as distrusting as Lestat had trusted her to keep his slumbering body safe. If he'd even done that. For all Santiago knew, Estelle was ignorant of the fact that Lestat was in Marseille.

It didn't matter to Santiago, though. Estelle was a means to an end.

"For years, we've all sought to replicate the bond between Lestat and his fairy. We've watched that boy, wondering when he'd start to grow old or deteriorate, but it seems that the bond has kept him as young as ever, leeching off of Lestat's immortality, somehow. And yet, Lestat won't share his secret with the chieftaincy." Giving a slight, sneering bow, he said, "Even with you, Magnus."

"Watch yourself," Magnus hissed.

"Are you saying you have discovered this secret?" Armand asked.

"No, but I have a plan."

"The chieftaincy abandoned the hunt for fairies as a source of sustenance," Magnus said. "They die after the first bite, that's why they're extinct."

"That's where you're wrong." Santiago nearly smiled, noting their growing interest in what he had to say.

"Speak up and speak clearly, Santiago," Estelle said, beside him.

"I sent three, unsuspecting Parisians into Lestat's place of slumber, hoping he'd turn them and be responsible for them. I accept that. If he'd slept in any of your domains, I would have done the same. But Lestat has been possessive of New Orleans for decades. He won't share his knowledge. He won't let us visit. He won't turn any new vampires. He's an isolationist who intends to walk in the sun without showing the chieftaincy how."

"Why do you drag this out with information that we already have?" Rhoshamandes asked, finally speaking up.

Santiago clasped his hand at his back, making a slow turn around the room so that he could make sure every chief had their eyes on him before he said what he was about to say.

"I hoped that at least one of those children would survive. And if one survived, he would have to find a fairy, and when he found one-"

"We would catch him in the act of binding," Armand said, eyes bright with enthusiasm.

"Yes, my friend. That was my plan, however-"

"You failed," Estelle said.

"On the contrary, Estelle. I have succeeded. I have achieved more than my wildest dreams. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here."

"What do you mean?" Magnus asked.

"Think about it," Santiago said. "Lestat took three new, volatile vampires into his precious New Orleans. He's hidden that place from all of us, guarding it jealously, like he thinks we want the stinking town. He's abandoned the chieftaincy and all we stand for, because of it. And yet, when he found himself with three, ticking, time bombs, what did he do?"

A small gasp elicited from Magnus's lips, drawing Santiago's attention. As their eyes met, he knew that Magnus understood the significance of Santiago's actions.

"My prediction was that he'd spend weeks, maybe months, looking for a fairy to bind to his new vampire, but he didn't do that. Instead, he went straight home."

"What's your point?" Armand asked.

"He went home with three vampires because Lestat has access to at least three, living fairies."

The room froze as those words flowed from Santiago's lips.

"My god," Armand said, covering his mouth.

"As we speak, Lestat is preparing to bind his three new vampires to fairies so that they too can walk in the sun and yet, we've been begging him for this information for over a hundred years. Now, we know why he's been so protective of New Orleans."

"What if he has more?" Magnus asked.

"A town full of fairies," Armand said, still shocked at the news.

"He's kept this a secret from the chieftaincy for years. Maybe he's found a way to rear them like cattle, growing them to fill up the whole French Quarter. Imagine," Santiago said. "A future where each vampire, every single chief in this room could have access to his very own fairy."

"And with the binding, our venom won't kill them when we feed," Estelle said, watching Santiago with apt attention. "They'll live forever."

"Exactly."

Magnus stood up.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go."

"We can't do that, Chief Magnus," Santiago said.

"Why not?" Armand asked.

"Because we need information. Lestat may have fortified his home against us. We attack, we risk losing the element of surprise. And once he knows we're onto him, he'll be more guarded. We need to know his defenses. We need a comprehensive list of every fairy that he has. And we also need to know how the bond is made. We must act quietly. I came to the chieftaincy not for numbers or force, but for support."

"You didn't ask for support when you created vampires in Marseille."

"I apologize for that," Santiago said, looking at Estelle. "But I want the chieftaincy to back me up. I have already started operations in New Orleans but should this go south, I need to know that you will stand with me against Lestat."

"Of course."

"I need your covenant," Santiago said.

"You have mine," Armand said without hesitation.

"You have mine," Magnus said.

"And mine," Roshamandes said at last.

"Thank you," Santiago said, bowing down from the waist with his hands held apart. Lestat was a bully who thought he could do whatever he wanted. But Santiago was coming for him.

And he had the backing of the vampire chieftaincy.