QUESTION 1: In the short story, “A Family Affair”, Pritkin was recalling a conversation with his father and it states that “he looked at the creature he once admired and for the first time saw him for what he was.” Is it safe to assume that Pritkin had a good relationship with his father at one point?

Yes, of course. Why would it immediately have been bad? Rosier can be extremely charming when he wants to be, and he had every reason to use some of that charm on his son. And Pritkin was young and naïve and had a lively curiosity and found this whole new world of his fascinating—for a while.

QUESTION 2: In “A Family Affair,” Sid implied there was something special about the incubus royal line. What can you tell us about the royal line without giving us spoilers? Sid also mentions Rosier as a child. Since incubi obviously don’t reproduce the way humans do (at least not usually), how do they reproduce?

Incubi are normally a very weak kind of demon. Of course, currying favor doesn’t require a lot of physical strength, and neither does spying, blackmailing, or influencing, which is what Rosier’s family does best. But then, that’s because they don’t have a choice. An incubus in a fight with virtually any other demon is toast. Unless it is an incubus of the royal line.

As you discovered in “A Family Affair,” the royal line is a) a great deal stronger than the average incubus, so b) they can drain someone extremely fast, while c) absorbing the attributes of those they drain and d) thereafter kicking ass. At least for a little while.

As far as reproduction goes, you already know that. They reproduce, as do all non-corporeal demons, through the feedback loop of power that Pritkin explained to Cassie. It doesn’t result in a child often, but it does happen or there wouldn’t be any more little incubi running around.

QUESTION 3: Finally, how did Pritkin choose the name he currently uses?

He was being cute. The Pritanni were among the oldest groups of people in the British Isles and the ones who gave the country its name (the Romans misspelled it with a ‘B’ and it stuck.) They were also the group Pritkin’s mother was descended from, so he was literally “kin of the Pritanni” or Pritkin.

QUESTION 4: In some of the short stories featuring Marlowe, he seemed to have a passion for protecting England and Queen Elizabeth. Does it ever bother him that he is no longer providing any security for the royal family or Britain and is serving the Senate in the States?

Hahahahaha! Oh, my God *wipes eyes* thank you for that. I needed a good laugh today. And the royal family are always good for it, aren’t they? God love ‘em.

Seriously, though, what exactly would he be protecting them from? The pope hasn’t called for open rebellion against them, other countries aren’t regularly sending assassins after them, and the only Armada floating across the channel these days are hovercrafts filled with tourists. So I’m not really seeing a lot of parallels with Elizabeth I’s reign.

QUESTION 5: Pritkin doesn’t seem to have many real friends that value him, so I was wondering how he reacted to Mac’s death (he didn’t really have time to react in Faerie)? Is he in constant “battle” zone due to the war or did he have a chance to mourn? (I really liked Mac and was sad to see him die.)

Pritkin has friends, but it is difficult to let a lot of people close when you have to hide half of what you are and most of what you’ve done. He was very upset about Mac, who shouldn’t have been there in the first place. But he was, and he died protecting the Pythia, which is what a war mage is supposed to do. And Pritkin honored his sacrifice in the way Mac would have preferred–and how Mac would have mourned him, had their positions been reversed–by getting sloshed on Mac’s favorite brand of whiskey.

QUESTION 6: I love the Cassie/Pritkin story line, but through all the books regardless of which way you decide to go with those two characters in the future, Pritkin can be seen as Cassie’s protector/guard. Regardless if the story goes love interest or just bodyguard/protector there is a connection between the two that you are writing on. Whether that connection is to the bond they have pertaining to the Hell focus (Mom is over the 9 gates and dad is a demon lord) or that he is not human and neither is she, etc. So it got me thinking is Pritkin to Cassie as Garm is to Artemis/Hel? Pritkin can be seen as Cassie’s protector, campaign, mentor, guard, warrior, etc, throughout all the books thus far; just like Garm is to Artemis. That would make sense of why Cassie feels this bond with Pritkin almost from day one, when Cassie says that she does not let anyone get close to her; Pritkin ‘bulldozed his way past her defenses”. It would also explain why both of them would risk themselves to protect and save the other time and time again. Just curious, I do not think this is a future spoiler question just more of a connection/relationship question.

It’s an interesting point, but I’m not really sure what your question is. Yes, Pritkin is Cassie’s protector. But then, Mircea is, too. And as Cassie grew up with vampires, she could be said to have a connection to them as well. It all depends on how you want to look at it, doesn’t it?

QUESTION 7: In “A Family Affair” Pritkin says to Sid “I came across a few of the tunnels as a boy”. I thought Rosier did not claim Pritkin until he was 24 – the same age Cassie was when her life went sideways (from a post on your old forum). So did Pritkin somehow find the tunnels in Shadowland while he was a child? I have a hard time thinking of a 24 year old as a “child” or “boy”.

But then you aren’t three hundred years old. Twenty-four might seem pretty darn young to you, if you were. And he never used the term “child”, just “boy.” Which in experience, naiveté and general cluelessness, he pretty much was.