So Many Questions: Biting Cold Part Two

​Hello, Saucy Readers! I'm back with Part two of my Biting Cold questions. You can find Part One here. Let's dive right in to the questions! I think it goes without saying, but spoilers abound after the break!







Was the GP always so shitty?

​The GP seemed to be stuck in a mode of refusing to make decisions. Who refused to act, even when the choices were clear and present before them? Were they afraid they'd be judged? Afraid they might be wrong?

Has the GP always been so standoffish in matters that their vampires were involved in? Or,

is this a more recent stance/policy change? Has Darius always been the leader of the GP? If not, was rule different under the other leader or leaders? Is this just a current Darius/Shoffet issue or is this a longstanding problem? Why would Houses/vampires want to even be in the GP if they are so idiotic? Or, did they adopt this policy of non involvement after Celina outed everyone? Did she even consult the GP when she did that? Why didn't they punish her? Did they think it would go well? What will it take for the GP to change their ways? Will anything change now that the American Houses have broken off? Or, will they just dig in their heels and bury their heads in the sand until European vampires revolt?

What is Darius' problem with Ethan?

Darius took a puff on the cigarette, then blew the smoke from his mouth in a slow, steady stream. "I have been alive a long time," he said. "Not as long as Ethan, but a long time. I have seen much in my life, but I must disagree that these times are troubled. I have seen world wars, Sentinel. I have seen vampires staked in public with no investigation, no remorse."

Is he jealous of Ethan? Is this why Darius is such a royal dick to him? He is jealous that he's not as old as Ethan is? Or, he thinks Ethan is superior in some way, because he's older? So, he has to take it out on Ethan by being a shit? Darius has a lot of issues and one major one is Ethan. How do their strength rankings compare? Is that the issue? Darius knows that Ethan is stronger than he is, and therefore, could challenge him for the throne and win? Is Darius jealous of Ethan's superior Master skills? Do Darius' novitiates not love him as much as Ethan's do? What is the deal, Darius? (Side note: smoking with impunity would be one of the best parts of being a vampire. Signed, a former smoker)

How old is the Maleficium?

"There are many, although our roles are diminished. Our magic is old, and our ways are old. We aren’t part of this world, not in the way we once were.”    “And the Maleficium?” I asked.    “When humans grew sick of the destruction, they called their magicians, who separated evil from good and placed it into a vessel that would contain it. The Maleficium, the book, was created to hold the evil they’d separated out. But it wasn’t just a thing. A power."

When did all of this happen? Are we talking like biblical times, after that, before that? We know they separate the evil from good, but how did they do that? And, how did they contain it? Was the process of containing it black magic, like making a horcrux? Or was it more like binding it to a specific object, like Claire does in the Devil's Isle series? Where was it stored, initially? Have vampires always been the guardians or has it passed from species to species? I feel like humans guarding it would have been a bad idea. Has anyone else, besides Mallory, ever been affected by the imbalance to the extent that she was? Has anyone tried to destroy it or separate the evil before now? Is the Maleficium a hard and fast bind or does magic leak from it?

I need more information about the Messengers.

Seth’s expression was sad. “No,” he said. “I’m afraid the answer is much simpler. Messengers of justice and of peace were always born to earth in pairs. It was an innate way of keeping the world in balance.”
The magical world was big on balance. Good and evil. Dark and light. The reason Mallory’s first attempt to unleash the Maleficium on the world caused so much havoc in Chicago was precisely because dark and light magic were thrown out of whack. 

I have a lot of questions about the Messengers. What were the names of the others? Are they

who we think of as angels, Gabriel, Michael, etc? We think that all of the Messengers of Justice were destroyed with the Maleficium. Is that actually the case or were others hitching rides on their twins or get out of the binding in some other way? Where are the other Messengers of Peace? Seth and Dominic seem to be the only ones left of their kind. Is that actually the case? How old are Seth and Dominic? Are they like angels and they were there when our world was created or are they younger than that? Are they like vampires, immortal except for a few specific means of death? Are there female Messengers as well as male? Is the form of Seth Tate what Messengers actually look like? Or did they need to take on a human looking vessel to do their work?

What is the full extent of Gabriel's magic?

Gabriel wasn't an easy one to impress, and he had insight-- magical or otherwise-- into the future.

Gabriel, and shifters in general, have impressive amounts of magic. They have a very strong connection to the earth and to their magic, though their magic is different than sorcerer magic. Gabriel, whether because of his Apex status or just because that's who he is, seems to have a wealth of power. We've seen him foretell the future, we've seen him call his shifters. But, I don't think that we've even brushed the surface of Gabriel's abilities. I'd love to see a series focused on the shifters. Merit talks a lot about their magic, but we really don't know that much about it. The shifters are so secretive; it's hard to suss out what's going on with them. What other kinds of magic can shifters do? Do some of them have special gifts, like Lindsey's psychic powers? Do the Apexes gain extra powers when they ascend to the position? Or, do they already have the power and that's why they are able to attain that rank?

How, exactly, did Ethan and Malik know that Merit was at school that fateful night?

"We knew you were enrolled at U of C, and we'd learned that you were at school that night. We'd just gotten out of the car to find you when you were attacked."

Ethan had already refused Joshua's offer at this point, but did Joshua tell them Merit's schedule? How did they "learn" she was going to be there that night, when she may not have known herself? Did Chuck tell them? Did he know what Joshua had done? Or, did Ethan make something up to ascertain Merit's whereabouts? Did Ethan have guards following Merit or Catcher, possibly? Did he have Luc or Jeff trace her cell phone GPS? Did he have someone call Mallory at home and ask her where Merit was? There's a little more to this story that I'd like to know. Is this part of the test Merit and Ethan have to withstand?

Damn him. He is so good when he tries.

He grinned wickedly. “I’m not sure I’m possible of infuriating you, Sentinel.”
“Liar,” I boldly said.
“The point is, I hardly think your feelings for me will suddenly evaporate because you’re angry.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Fear, on occasion, rises up. As does anger. By me and by you. But they are the enemies. And as you might say, love battles them back.”
How could a girl not succumb to words like that? So I basked in the warmth of him, in the crisp smell of his cologne.
“Stay the day,” he said. “Stay with me today, and let me be still.”
How could I possibly refuse that request?

That smooth bastard. Just when you think you might kill him just out of sheer fury at him and his imperiousness. Or, his pretension. Or, his inability to admit to his feelings, he goes and does something like this. That romantic fuck. How dare he do this to us?




Do the fairies owe Merit a favor now?

That’s why she wanted to meet me here. She wanted me to know—to understand—what she’d given up for him. The entire world outside, all for the chance that he might survive the making of the Maleficium and escape his bonds.    He had, and although that victory could be laid entirely at Claudia’s feet, he’d rejected her.    “I will see him punished,” I said, using words she might have. “I will see your boon collected."

Obviously, they won't see it that way, but isn't that basically what's happening here? She's doing a favor for Claudia. This should mean that Claudia owes Merit a favor. Fairies, being what they are, won't see it that way. Also, how did Claudia travel from wherever she used to stay to the tower without dying? Can fairies teleport or something? What happens if Claudia does die? Who becomes the new Queen? Claudia is a fairly ineffective queen, I think, given that she can't leave her tower. Especially, now that supernaturals are starting to come out. Wouldn't the fairies want someone who could represent them to the humans? Not some crazy lady confined to her tower?

I wonder how Franklin Cabot feels about the American Houses breaking off from the GP?

"Franklin Cabot is not a perfect man,” Darius announced. “And his work as receiver of this House may not have been perfect. Nevertheless, his job was to review, analyze, stabilize, and report. Despite his premature evacuation from this House, he has done so.”

Frank's job as GP errand boy is in jeopardy with the split. Will he suck up to Nicole now and do her bidding? Can he defect or transfer from his House to a European House so he can keep all of the capital he's gained with Darius and the other GP members? Also, now that Darius is stepping down, will Frank's position hold? Is Frank another Cadogan enemy in the making? Another nutjob who's going to come after Merit and Ethan because he feels wronged by them and their meddling? Will he have to start all over again with Nicole?

I'd love to hear some of the stories behind the weapons in the training room.

Malik chuckled and looked over the walls of the training room. “Most of these weapons were his, you know.”    I assumed he meant Ethan. “I didn’t,” I said, following his gaze. The paneled walls were periodically decorated with antique weapons: pikes, shields, swords, and the like.    “They are symbols of his victories. Of the battles he won and lost. Not always perfectly. Not always with rigorous technique. But always with heart.”

Ethan has lived a long, long time. He's seen so much and we've barely scratched the surface

of the stories he has to tell. I'd love to hear the stories behind each of those weapons. The battles won and lost. The circumstances of each. I'm sure there are tons of things history has forgotten that are living in the brains of extremely old vampires like Ethan. What an amazing, untapped resource for historian. Imagine the knowledge we could gain from talking to them? The minutiae of every day life that has been lost over the years, the forgotten dialects, the forgotten languages. Small, local bits of history that may not factor into the larger picture, but could be really interesting to the people that live there. My inner history nerd is flailing at the possibilities. 

It is a tragedy that Malik didn't get to be a Master for very long.

He looked back at me. “There are few things in the world that he loves more than this House, Merit. Possibly only one.”    At the knowing gaze in his eyes, my cheeks flushed.And in all the world, he entrusted one girl, one scholar, with the right to defend it.”    I knew he meant it as a compliment, but it felt like a burden. “That’s a lot of pressure.”    “Not pressure to win,” he said. “Pressure to try. Pressure to push through pain and fear and to do the thing even if you don’t want to do it. He did not trust you with this task because you guarantee him a victory; he trusts you with this task because he believes you will give everything you have to the effort. It is the heart, Merit, not the sword, that rules the day. Remember that, and good luck.”

Malik is the god damned greatest. He isn't as outwardly charismatic as Ethan, but he would be an amazing Master. It's really a shame that he didn't get to be Cadogan's Master for long. He would have excelled. Every time we see him, he always knows exactly what to say. He knows how to play Ethan and how to play Merit. He knows when to joke and when to be serious. He always has the right words. He's incredible and Aaliyah is luck to have him as her husband. Cadogan is lucky to have a Masterdom worthy vampire as their second.

What happens to the vampires that did not want to leave the GP?

The final vote was close. Only eighteen votes separated the sides. It is clear you are divided on this issue, on the future of this House.

Can the vampires that wanted to stay put in a transfer request or something? Are they given the opportunity to leave the House and join another GP-affiliated House? What about the people who don't live in the actual house? They obviously got a vote, but how? Do they all live in the Chicago area, so they could just swing by? Ethan moved the House to Chicago, did everyone come with? Or, are there still others in other cities or even countries? How did they vote? Did they mail in a vote or vote by proxy? I'd really like to know more about the Cadogan vamps that don't live in the House. Especially if they don't live in Chicago.


Well, that's all I've got for Biting Cold, fair Readers! Did I forgot anything you want to know? Stay tuned for House Rules questions coming soon!