Witchspeak 101 - Q&As

Welcome to the Ancients of Light blog, and my inaugural post! 

In response to a recent Goodreads review of Forsaken (see it here), I wanted to answer Rachel’s questions (thank you Rachel!) and a few others from the Ancient of Light Facebook page.

If you have yet to read Forsaken, you will probably want to come back afterwards because there are SPOILERS below.

 
[In Forsaken] Kylie says, "Do not challenge me, Warrior. Maeve will not allow me to engage you." According to my googling, Maeve is the Warrior Queen of Faeries. How is she going to play into the storyline?
     Maeve is an Ancient, and she is most definitely not a Faerie. Think bigger teeth and no wings. More of her story will be revealed in Broken, Book #3. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until Book #5 to find out why she is so amazing. 

Who is Calliope? [In Forsaken] Kylie says to Broderick, "Your precious Calliope killed us all!"
     Calliope is central to Maeve’s story and the animosity that exists between her and one hot Elite.

Who changed Kylie into a Vampire?
     I hinted at this in Forsaken though I did not state it explicitly. If you read the scene on the battlement during the attack on Carrowmere it will give you an idea. The reasons for Kylie’s transitioning will be revealed very early in Broken.

 Are all the Queens going to be related to Myrrdyn?
      That would certainly make him a manwhore, wouldn’t it?  :) No other Queen in the series will be related to Myrrdyn.

What is the deal with Sayer and Kylie? He seems to be in love with her, but I don’t know.
      Sayer has a personal history with Kylie. Obviously, given his reaction in Chosen, her appearance in the Realm was unexpected.

Is Cade going to be a main protagonist in one of books? He sure sounds sexy enough to be.
     How could I not give that one his own book? Yum. It is going to take a perfect heroine to deal with all that arrogance, or a Queen to throttle him perhaps.

Are Lilly and Dunkirk going to get together? I thought she liked witches?
     No, Lilly and Dunkirk will not be doing the bibbity any time in the foreseeable future. It will take a very special man to snag Lilleas – not that Dunkirk isn’t special – he just isn’t the one for her. You will be seeing more of both of them.

How does the aging process work with Witches and Vampires?
      The immortals physical appearance becomes fixed sometime during their late-20s to mid-30s and can vary somewhat from one immortal to the next. Myrrdyn altered his appearance with magic, making him appear more aged than he would if he had maintained his natural immortal state. Transitioned Vampire will remain at whatever age they were when they lost their mortality, as you would expect.

Can vampires be mated to more than one person? I could see how male vampires could have more than one female since the female is the one marked but I was just curious. What if the vampire mate dies, can the vampire re-mate?
     The bond that exists between mated Vampire is substantial. It is a blood-bond that is breakable only in death, so it is highly unlikely (but not impossible) that a mated pair of Vampire would go their separate ways. In ancient Vampire culture, the female was always bonded to the male. If a Vampire mate dies, a Vampire can re-mate, if he/she desires. This will be clearer after Book #4.
      As explained in Chosen, the male of the Vampire breed by nature are rather dominant and extremely possessive/protective, which can lead to them being a tad overbearing. The Dark Vampire have actually overcome that instinct better than those of the Light, (or it could just be that they are callous to the thought of losing their mates since they are EVIL). In either case, the Darks have long trained their females in battle, whereas the Light Vampire still prefer to keep their mates on the homefront rather than the battlefront. This is very much one of the reasons that Lorcan had such a difficult time allowing Kat to enter battle as well as assume the role of leadership in the war. He is adjusting. Now that the Light will have Kat and the rest of her crew, I am certain those boys will get over themselves.
     When a Vampire mates with a Witch, the marking is more ritual than binding, though to the Vampire male it bears the same significance as marking one of his own species. The bonding that takes place between the male and female in the Vampire tradition (the draining and replenishing to establish the blood-bond for the female to the male) does not take place with the Witch. Draining a Witch and replenishing him/her with blood would essentially mirror the transitioning process, which would result in death for one of the Witch breed.

Are we going to find out if the witches have any interesting practices in the bedroom like the vampires?
      I am personally looking forward to seeing what Cade can do – that man has naughty written all over him. There are 13 books in this series; I don't see any Red Rooms of Pain in our future, but odds are there are a few kinks in the Witch bunch.

Are any of the books going to explain more of supposed betrayal by Lorcan's mother since it seems as there is more to the story.
     Book #4 will provide you with so much insight into the Ancients, and particularly into the relationship between Alaric and Brisen. They are not the main characters in the book, but their history is central to the couple in that story. The question as to who was responsible for the betrayal at Laverock will finally be answered in Book #4.

Why didn't Kat's mom heal Kat's dad in book one with her healer magic? Lorcan wonders this in Chosen and I was curious if there was anything to this?
      Vevilla would have used magic after she bandaged wound, but stronger healers could have done the initial repair without the need for bandages. Kaitriana’s mother was not a very strong witch. There are many Witch that are mediocre in their magical abilities, and this was initially the belief about both Vevilla and Kaitriana. I make references in Chosen to the speculation regarding Myrrdyn’s disappointment over his ‘unacceptable offspring.’
      Vevilla was more like her half-sister (Ella) in not defining herself by her magic. There may have been a point in her life that she was capable of more, but always being compared to one’s father and found lacking had to have been disheartening. That is another reason that Myrrdyn accepted Moya’s dictate that he not claim Ella – he could not afford to have Ella ‘give up’ on her magic out of frustration or rebellion - as Vevilla may well have done.
      I will tell you this though – the strongest healers can do more than just heal. The Healer Queen is going to rock.

Are all 13 books going to feature a different main character(s)?
     Every book in the series will feature a different couple, though the series will continue to build on the characters and plots introduced in each book. Kat will see this through until the end, as will most of the other characters that I am hoping you come to know and love.

That is the end of Witchspeak 101.  'Like' the Ancients Facebook page to join the conversation about all things Realm and check back here on our blog for interesting series updates and other ramblings.  I will have another 101 session following the release of Broken to answer questions from our awesome fans.