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Authors: Ariel Tachna
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everyone’s names, but the titles mean little to me, other than Detective Rougier, but that’s a human title.”
“Vampires tend to be loners,” Jean said, “so we don’t form tight societies comparable to werewolf packs, for instance, but we do have some societal structure. Any city with a vampire population of any size has a chef de la Cour, la Cour being the rest of the vampires. I am that vampire for Paris. Denis is the chef de la Cour for Autun. The closest equivalent in human terms would be to compare me to the mayor, but even that is deceptive. Beyond the most basic of inviolate laws, I lead more by example and influence than by command, and unlike a mayor, I hold my position through that influence. If another vampire chose to challenge me, I would have to fight to retain my position.”
Raymond chuckled softly at that image. Not that he wanted to see Jean have to fight another vampire, but the one time he had witnessed it, his lover’s superior age and strength had made him untouchable.
“Paris is a large city and a large Cour,” Denis said, “but in the smaller towns, we tend to be a closer group, if only because there are fewer of us. I took power from a dictatorial chef de la Cour six months ago, somewhat to everyone’s surprise, given how much younger I was than the vampire I challenged, but he had grown complacent.”
“Age confers strength among vampires,” Raymond said, taking pity on the confused look on Pascale’s face. “Regardless of the age a vampire was when he or she was turned, the number of years spent as a vampire is what determines their status and power within the Cour.” That, too, was a simplification, but Raymond would leave explanations of le Jeu des Cours to the vampires. “Jean was turned in the year 911, which makes him an old vampire indeed.”
“Whereas I was turned in 1918, which makes me little more than a child in the eyes of most vampires,” Denis revealed. “Fortunately for me, looks can be deceiving.”
Jean’s eyes widened at the revelation. He had not realized how recently Denis had been turned. It made his rise to power in Autun even more impressive. That was a discussion best saved for later, though. Pascale needed explanations, not politics.
“All of that is very interesting,” Pascale said, “but I don’t see how any of it helps me.”
“It doesn’t help you directly,” Jean agreed, “but hopefully it lets you see that you have people of influence on your side. You mentioned working with computers. Do you have to go into an office, or could you work from home?”
“I work remotely most days,” Pascale said. “Occasionally I’ll go into the office for a meeting or something.”
“That won’t be possible now unless the meeting is during the dark hours, but your abilities as a programmer haven’t changed,” Jean told her. “There’s no reason you couldn’t continue to work from home, even during the daytime, as long as you work in a room with no direct sunlight. You may find you prefer to work at night, if your employer doesn’t care which hours you work, but one way or another, you don’t have to give up your job as long as you can telecommute to the occasional meeting.”
“I’m sure I could,” Pascale said, her voice lighter as one of her concerns lifted. “Other people do. That takes care of my income, but what about feeding? If I’m at home in Château-Chinon, I can’t come here to feed.”
“Most vampires don’t come here,” Angelique said, “certainly not most vampires outside of Paris. Most vampires have to hunt for their food. It’s a question of knowing the right places to look and the right way to entice willing prey.”
Pascale was equal parts aroused and horrified by the images Angelique’s words conjured in her mind. Thoughts of bodies entwined in a lover’s embrace warred with memories of the terror she had felt at being bitten.
“I know it must seem like the worst thing in the world to be bitten
“Vampires tend to be loners,” Jean said, “so we don’t form tight societies comparable to werewolf packs, for instance, but we do have some societal structure. Any city with a vampire population of any size has a chef de la Cour, la Cour being the rest of the vampires. I am that vampire for Paris. Denis is the chef de la Cour for Autun. The closest equivalent in human terms would be to compare me to the mayor, but even that is deceptive. Beyond the most basic of inviolate laws, I lead more by example and influence than by command, and unlike a mayor, I hold my position through that influence. If another vampire chose to challenge me, I would have to fight to retain my position.”
Raymond chuckled softly at that image. Not that he wanted to see Jean have to fight another vampire, but the one time he had witnessed it, his lover’s superior age and strength had made him untouchable.
“Paris is a large city and a large Cour,” Denis said, “but in the smaller towns, we tend to be a closer group, if only because there are fewer of us. I took power from a dictatorial chef de la Cour six months ago, somewhat to everyone’s surprise, given how much younger I was than the vampire I challenged, but he had grown complacent.”
“Age confers strength among vampires,” Raymond said, taking pity on the confused look on Pascale’s face. “Regardless of the age a vampire was when he or she was turned, the number of years spent as a vampire is what determines their status and power within the Cour.” That, too, was a simplification, but Raymond would leave explanations of le Jeu des Cours to the vampires. “Jean was turned in the year 911, which makes him an old vampire indeed.”
“Whereas I was turned in 1918, which makes me little more than a child in the eyes of most vampires,” Denis revealed. “Fortunately for me, looks can be deceiving.”
Jean’s eyes widened at the revelation. He had not realized how recently Denis had been turned. It made his rise to power in Autun even more impressive. That was a discussion best saved for later, though. Pascale needed explanations, not politics.
“All of that is very interesting,” Pascale said, “but I don’t see how any of it helps me.”
“It doesn’t help you directly,” Jean agreed, “but hopefully it lets you see that you have people of influence on your side. You mentioned working with computers. Do you have to go into an office, or could you work from home?”
“I work remotely most days,” Pascale said. “Occasionally I’ll go into the office for a meeting or something.”
“That won’t be possible now unless the meeting is during the dark hours, but your abilities as a programmer haven’t changed,” Jean told her. “There’s no reason you couldn’t continue to work from home, even during the daytime, as long as you work in a room with no direct sunlight. You may find you prefer to work at night, if your employer doesn’t care which hours you work, but one way or another, you don’t have to give up your job as long as you can telecommute to the occasional meeting.”
“I’m sure I could,” Pascale said, her voice lighter as one of her concerns lifted. “Other people do. That takes care of my income, but what about feeding? If I’m at home in Château-Chinon, I can’t come here to feed.”
“Most vampires don’t come here,” Angelique said, “certainly not most vampires outside of Paris. Most vampires have to hunt for their food. It’s a question of knowing the right places to look and the right way to entice willing prey.”
Pascale was equal parts aroused and horrified by the images Angelique’s words conjured in her mind. Thoughts of bodies entwined in a lover’s embrace warred with memories of the terror she had felt at being bitten.
“I know it must seem like the worst thing in the world to be bitten
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