The Vampire Lestat

Armand enters with a “queen creature” (216). She laughs and says her predictions have come true. Lestat demands to speak to Satan before being judged by him. Armand lists off the rules Lestat broke, and the queen tells Lestat that he is on “the Devil’s Road” (218). She says she’s as old as Magnus and a young vampire says she is as “insane” as Magnus. They argue about Lestat living among humans.

Their disagreement gives Lestat enough of a distraction to free Nicolas from the cage. He tells the coven to live like him, not in the cemetery. The young vampire curses at Lestat, and Lestat points out that Satan doesn’t carry out the threats. Armand says the coven is dissolved and tells the members to leave.

Lestat asks Armand to explain the coven and its rules. Armand describes the process for getting the “Dark Gift” (224), including being buried after getting vampire blood. Vampires have to follow the “Rules of Darkness” (225), including not going into churches. The queen vampire says she knew holy objects had no power over them.

Lestat tells Armand that the world has changed and needs a new evil to keep up with the scientific advances. Lestat describes a novel, romantic style of living among humans. Armand argues that Magnus became erratic because he broke the rules, but the queen disagrees. She says loving humans caused his “insanity.” Lestat argues that he has always loved humans, and the vampires who don’t are monstrous. The queen argues that he only pities humans now, and his love for them will grow. As she laughs, Lestat and Gabrielle take Nicolas out of the sepulcher.

Once free, Lestat gets food and drink for when Nicolas wakes up. Then, he locks Nicolas and the provisions in the tower. Gabrielle suggests they get Nicolas to America and leave Paris themselves. She also conveys the feeling that Lestat shouldn’t turn Nicolas.

When he wakes up the following night, Lestat hears Nicolas banging on the door of his cell in the tower. He screams about the witches’ place and Lestat turning Gabrielle—but not Nicolas—into a vampire. They argue about good and evil. Lestat initially insists that Nicolas live out his human life, but he eventually relents and turns Nicolas. As a vampire, Nicolas becomes known as “Nicki.”

Gabrielle, seeing the transformation, says it spells disaster. Nicki doesn’t speak during, or after, the transformation. He allows Gabrielle to clean and dress him, then follows her out to hunt. Lestat realizes he hates Nicki now.

The next night, Lestat goes into Paris for Nicki’s violin, hoping it will rouse him from his stupor. He feeds, then encounters members of Armand’s coven hiding near Renaud’s theater. They say Armand has been killing off members of the coven and ask for his help. Lestat learns that the queen vampire threw herself into the fire. He suggests that the remaining coven members become actors, and they ask to stay in the theater. Lestat begrudgingly agrees and gives them money. The coven members introduce themselves as Eleni, Laurent, Felix, and Eugenie.

Lestat goes to Nicki’s apartment and finds Armand there, reading all of Nicki’s books. Armand telepathically asks Lestat about his relationship with his children, who can’t speak to him telepathically. They talk aloud about how Nicki and Gabrielle will leave Lestat and how he should be with Armand. Lestat runs out of the apartment, pursued by visions of Armand singing and calling out to Lestat to come to him.

When Gabrielle wakes up the following night, Lestat tells her what happened with Armand. Lestat wants to leave Paris, but Gabrielle wants to learn more from Armand and revive Nicki with the violin. Gabrielle and Nicki go off to hunt while Lestat meets with Roget and tells him to arrange passage for him, Gabrielle, and Nicki to Italy.

Gabrielle loses track of Nicki but, with Lestat, finds Nicki in Renaud’s theater, sitting in the orchestra pit. Lestat finds a violin in his old dressing room and brings it to Nicki. Nicki plays the violin, and the music draws out Eleni, Laurent, Felix, and Eugenie. They dance on the stage, pretending to be puppets, and Nicki joins them on stage, dancing while playing. Lestat finds it grotesque. Nicki declares the founding of the “Theater of the Vampires” (262). The dancing vampires hug and kiss Nicki.

Lestat goes back into his dressing room. Nicki follows and mocks Lestat’s distaste for the music and dancing. Nicki rants about the new evil and performances of it. Lestat calls it petty, lacking in the sublime. Nicki demands that Lestat give him the theater, and Lestat agrees.

When Nicki blocks Lestat from leaving, Lestat uses his telekinetic vampiric power to throw Nicki back and pin him to the wall. Nicki admits that he wanted to fail at being a violinist and resented Lestat’s success. When Nicki insults Lestat’s desire for goodness, Lestat hits Nicki. Nicki says he hates Lestat, and will take the theater. Lestat leaves. Armand telepathically tells Lestat how he will harm Nicki and the others. Lestat vows to Gabrielle that he will prevent this violence.

He visits Roget and learns Nicki tried to contact Renaud’s troupe. Lestat sends word to the troupe to avoid Nicki because he is behaving erratically. He then goes to the theater and gives Eleni control of it. She promises to control Nicki’s outbursts and knows that Armand is watching them.

Lestat goes to the ball in the Palais Royal. Among the humans, he sees Armand. Armand telepathically flirts with Lestat, claiming to love him and wanting them to be together. After Armand lures Lestat into a private room, Armand attacks Lestat, biting his neck. Lestat fights with Armand, overpowering the older vampire with violence. When he has the opportunity to behead Armand, Lestat stops and sheaths his sword. Lestat helps up the injured Armand and takes him to Gabrielle. They feel Armand’s coven from a distance.

Gabrielle and Lestat take Armand to the stables and ride with him to Magnus’s tower. Armand demonstrates that he can pry up the gates with his bare hands, and has chosen to leave Lestat alone. Gabrielle gets Armand warm by a fire and cleans up the blood he lost in the fight. Lestat marvels that Armand’s injuries are already healed.

Armand asks Lestat to love him and travel with him. Lestat rejects him. Armand says all the people Lestat turns into vampires will hate him, and he tries to come between Lestat and Gabrielle. Armand claims to be the only one who can truly connect with Lestat because they can communicate telepathically, insisting that he is the only one who understands Lestat. Lestat curses Armand, but when Armand starts to leave, Lestat embraces him and leads him back to the fire.

Gabrielle condemns the telepathic illusions Armand has been sending her and Lestat. She explains that she is going to stay with Lestat for a while, but eventually wants to explore beauty in remote locations, far away from humans. She also isn’t sure Armand can teach them anything. However, Armand prepares to share his story.

Armand was taken by Tartars in Russia and sold into enslavement for sex trafficking. He worked in a Venetian brothel until Marius bought him.

In Armand’s recounting, Marius takes small drinks of blood from Armand and promises to make him a vampire when he is a little older. For a few years, Armand assists Marius with his paintings and helps manage the house. He learns to read, write, and play music. One day, Marius gets Armand’s consent to turn him into a vampire. They only kill “the evildoer” (295). Marius takes trips to care for Those Who Must Be Kept without Armand, but doesn’t reveal where he goes.

A few months later, vampires set Marius, and his house, on fire. They also take Armand and make him swear to serve Satan. The vampires read his mind and realize Marius didn’t tell Armand the location of Those Who Must Be Kept. Armand becomes part of the coven in Rome, serving Santino. However, Armand dreams that Marius escaped his house while burning.

Armand learns the rules of the Children of Darkness: 1) Only coven leaders make new vampires with the Dark Trick, 2) the Dark Gift must be given to only adults who are sound of mind and body, 3) new vampires should not have access to the blood of the eldest vampires, 4) only the coven leader can kill another vampire, and 5) no one is allowed to write about vampires.

Armand hears rumors about the ancient vampires Mael and Pandora, but never meets them. Santino is impressed with Armand’s work in the coven and sends him out as “a missionary” (303) that brings lone vampires into various covens. Armand teaches the Dark Rituals and perfects the art of calling humans who want to die to him to feed on.

Over the years, he sees covens collapse and elder vampires throw themselves into the fire. Armand never makes another vampire himself, and feels deep despair. When he hears stories about Lestat’s red velvet cloak, Armand is reminded of Marius’s red velvet clothes. He compares Lestat and Gabrielle to angelic figures in Marius’s paintings.

Lestat asserts that Marius might still be alive. Armand says this is merely a fantasy. Lestat then asserts that Armand has always submitted—to Marius and the Children of Darkness—while Lestat has always rebelled. Armand wants to serve Lestat, but Lestat rejects him. They disagree on the relationship between humans and vampires. Lestat prefers Marius’s way of being to the rites of the Children of Darkness.

Gabrielle tells Armand to study the works of art and literature created by humans, noting that the theater would be the best place for this course of study. They debate if the Theater of the Vampires is voluptuous or spiritual. Gabrielle asserts it is both. Armand asks them to run the theater with him, but they want to travel the “Devil’s Road” (314) around the world. Lestat tells Armand to leave Nicki alone if Armand doesn’t want to run the theater, and Armand says Lestat secretly wants Nicki destroyed completely. Gabrielle also asks Armand not to harm Nicki. The vampires all embrace, then Armand leaves the tower suddenly.

Gabrielle says she doesn’t want to meet any other vampires, and doesn’t believe Marius ever existed. She realizes she could be a wolfkiller like Lestat, and she wants to travel through mountains, deserts, jungles, and forests. Lestat wants to be near humans and feed off of them.

They talk about the legend of Typhon, whom Armand claimed Marius killed. However, Gabrielle says she is finished with books and is going to try to sleep outside, under the earth, that day. Lestat is horrified by this, but doesn’t stop her. He wanders to some ruins and inscribes a message to Marius in the stone with his dagger. Lestat is excited about breaking the rules of the Children of Darkness.