RiTS: Forever Knight: A Stirring of Dust, Chapter 12: Muppets Edition

So, we pick up where we left off, with Nick dragging Lacroix into the back room to talk about Radu. Of course, they get into an argument immediately. Nick accuses Lacroix of never caring about humans, and Lacroix lobs back that Nick's just as selfish:

"You are always at such great pains to hide your selfishness from yourself. You do as you choose, and pretend it's for the good of everyone. Nicholas is forever playing at being mortal - doctor, teacher, policeman. He excuses his games by proclaiming himself protector of the weak and downtrodden. Nicholas doesn't want to take responsibility for what he is, so he decides he wants to be mortal. Nicholas wants to save the world, because it makes him feel good about himself. Nicholas, Nicholas, Nicholas."

Thank you for that, Lacroix.

Nick wants answers about Radu, because he's sure Lacroix has them. But, Lacroix points out, Nick was the one who killed him.

Radu and Janette have gone hunting in the village. They want to kill the people who staked the zombie vamp a few chapters ago, as a warning to the rest of the villagers. Nick and Lacroix both think it isn't like Janette to be so vengeful or so reckless. But never fear: Nick has a plan.

Nick arms himself - with what, I don't know yet - and follows Janette and Radu down to the village. He runs through, banging on everyone's garlic-laden doors, screaming that there are vampires in the village. People come out of their homes, which seems weird to me, but I guess they think they can get the vampires?

Nick leads the mob up to the church in the town square. Radu is standing over the body of the priest he's just killed, and Janette's straight chillin' on a fountain. Nick urges Janette to run, and she does, responding to Radu's taunt that she shouldn't be afraid with the fact that she doesn't want to face a mob.

Radu, of course, just stands there, waiting for the people. He says their numbers make them brave, and Nick - who's standing behind him, for some reason - says that Radu's strength makes him brave, but he won't get away from facing justice this time.

Radu is pissed. He draws his sword, intending to cut Nick's heart out and give it to Janette, but Nick shoots him in the face - twice - with silver bullets. It fells Radu long enough for the villagers to get to him, and Nick doesn't leave until he sees Radu set on fire.

Nick, Janette, and Lacroix return to Paris. Janette stays pissed for a while, but then things go back to normal. I take this summary to mean there will be no more flashbacks, which is fine - we only have three more chapters after this, anyway.

Nick asks Lacroix why Radu didn't stay dead. He's convinced Lacroix knows how Radu was reanimated - and Lacroix does, but he won't tell Nick, because it's been decided (by whom?) that Nick will never be considered an "elder".

Now this is fascinating. Is there some sort of board of elders or something? Like, who decides this shit? The same people who send out the Enforcers? I suspect Sizemore was just being lazy - hey, I wrote myself into a corner with weird magic shit, and now I can't get out of it. Let's just make it so Lacroix can't tell Nick about it! That'll work! - but she opened this bizarre little window into how this vampire society works, and now I want to know all about it. (Which should surprise no one. I write vampire political thrillers.)

Oh, Nick figures it out. Kind of. It's because Radu's ashes were kept in that silver box. Lacroix won't elaborate, saying only that it's an old pledge, made between friends - as he and Radu once were. He had no intention of reviving him, but he allowed for the possibility.

Nick tells Lacroix it's his responsibility to kill Radu, since he allowed for him to be reanimated. Lacroix's all, "Bitch, please. We have Enforcers." Nick gets mad, thinks he should have known, and stalks out of the studio, right past Tammy, to go hunt Radu some more.

He blurs past Vachon, who's talking to someone named Sasha. He's complaining that all the local television is "all monsters, all the time", and that the humans are out to get them. Something has to be done. Vachon just tries to palm it off on Nick - "Knight said he'd...." - but Nick's rather urgent exit makes everyone think that no matter what he said, Nick doesn't really have a plan, here.

With Nick gone, everyone looks to Vachon. Which Vachon does not feel great about. He's about to tell them so when a mortal man pushes through them, making a beeline across the dance floor for Lacroix.

It's Drezerdic, Tammy's father.

He tries to take Tammy with him, and everyone steps in to stop him, because Tammy clearly doesn't want to go. Urs stands between Drezerdic and Tammy, saying that Tammy doesn't have to go with any man unless she wants to. They try to get Drezerdic to leave, but ultimately, Lacroix has to mojo him to make him go.

Tammy wants to stay with Lacroix, but Lacroix doesn't want her thinking he has any power over her, so he tells her to go home - to pack up her shit because when she comes back he's making her a vampire. 

Lacroix asks Urs to see Tammy safely home, and Urs agrees. Vachon stops her as she goes, and asks her to meet him at his place when she's done. She says she will.

Next week: WTF! How can we leave on this cliffhanger?! Will Tammy really become a vampire? Will Nick kill Radu? Will Vachon finally admit he's a leader and act like it? WHO KNOWS!