Liana Cantacuzino: Thanks for having me.
I heard you have a message for us.
Yes, I want to assure everyone out there that we are not abandoning our mission. My pandurs and I, we are still here, ready to protect them.
From vampires.
If the need arises, yes.
But not all vampires. Only the bad ones, right?
Indeed. We are changing our mission and are going to function as people’s police for vampires. We already have several training bases set up all over the world, and we’re accepting people on voluntary basis. Everyone has the right to learn how to defend oneself.
Couldn’t this cause more problems than help if everyone learns to fight, to kill?
Basic defense classes are available for everyone. However, for those who plan to stay in the service, we have in depth psychological testing planned before enlisting. Our goal is not to create mass murderers.
I’m glad we cleared that up. How does the Little Council feel about this globalization?
It’s hard after you’ve lived for generations with one goal in mind, but we need to keep up with the times. The world doesn’t stand still, and if we don’t evolve along with it, it will leave us behind.
But Romania will remain a vampire free country?
Yes, that won’t change.
Won’t it be confusing for the pandurs to face different sets of rules inside the country as opposed to abroad? I know this was a big concern of yours during the New Zealand trip.
We had no choice but to go on and hope for the best at the time, but now we can organize better. We’re actually considering training two separate kinds of troops, one for each territory, though the laws are changing in Romaania too, and soon we probably won’t be able to “kill on sight” anymore. It happens when you give equal rights to all people, humans as well as vampires.
Does it bother you?
Honestly? It’s how I’ve been raised so, yes, there are moments when it still bothers me. But I try to get over it because it’s the right thing to do. The math is simple. As long as you don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you.
That sounds reasonable. And we all know you’re pretty skilled with that stake. Are you still training?
Not really. I mostly practice diplomacy these days. My field days are hopefully over.
Right, you’ve been on a world tour recently. How did that go?
It went rather well, thank you. I’ve met several interesting people in the countries I visited, and they showed interest in what I had to offer once we found a common ground.
The new breed threat.
Well, technically, the new breeds are extinct now, but yes.
Are all of them dead, really?
We certainly hope so. We still have patrols searching the continents, so even if one or two escaped, we’ll get them too.
What happened to Tawny?
What do you mean? I gave an order, and I expected it to be carried out accordingly.
But was it?
I don’t know, I wasn’t there. I can tell you, though, that Herve is alive and well in New Zealand.
You’re changing the subject, but okay. What about Max? Where is he these days?
Around. He’s taking a well deserved vacation, but I trust he will make himself available if we ever need him again.
You sound very confident. Are you sure he can be trusted?
Absolutely. We would have never made it without him, without his people. By forcing us to work, fight, and die together, he proved we could get along.
Won’t the Little Council have your head for making such a public statement?
A little over a year ago, maybe, but not today.
So, we talked about the war, the new breeds, the Little Council, our alliance with the vampires, and the famous Maximilien Hess. What else should we talk about. Where’s Jesse?
I believe he’s in the other room, fighting Max over snacks while waiting to be interviewed.
I take it I should get to it before murder happens?
I wouldn’t worry about it. They get along well, too well at times even.
But you are checking your watch.
We have tickets to the opera. Max doesn’t like to be late.
And we don’t want to upset him, I get it. Very well, I’ll wrap it up then. Is there anything else that you might like to add?
To all the vampires out there … keep your nose clean and don’t upset my people … because I’ll be watching.
Thank you, Liana.
Thank you too.
(Previously published on Diane's Book Blog during The Impaler Legacy Omnibus blog tour.)
The Impaler Legacy Omnibus is available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.
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