Bond of Darkness (43 page)

Alferez menor
. The alferez mayor's second-in-command.

Alma
. Soul.

Amante
. Lover.

Amigo/amiga
. Friend.

Amor
. Love.

Arcángel
. Archangel.

Bandolerismo
. "Banditry." Vampiros owing allegiance to no patron and living outside any esfera's laws. (Note: This refers to a single group of vampiros, e.g., Robin Hood's band of merry men.)

Bandolero/bandoleros
. "Brigand." A single vampiro owing allegiance to no patron and living outside any esfera's laws.

Bien
. Good. (French and Spanish)

Bon soir. Good evening. (French)

Botonaduras
. Shiny metal buttons for charro suits. They are generally made of a nickel alloy called alpaca but can also be made of solid silver or gold.

Buenas noches
. Good evening.

Bueno
. Good. (Mexican)

Caballero
. Knight.

Cachorro/cachorra/cachorros/cachorras
. "Cub." Immature vampiro, who is unable to shapeshift except to feed.

Calatrava
. One of the three great orders of medieval Spanish warrior monks.

Cariño
. Love, honey. A term of affection.

Certainement
. Certainly.

Cher/chère
. Dear. (French) However,
cher
is a common term of endearment in Cajun French, meaning
sweet
, and is pronounced "sha."

Chéri/chérie
. Beloved, dearest. (French)

Chingado
. Fucker. (Strong).

Chou. Cabbage
. Frequently used as a term of endearment. (French)

Coeur. Heart
. (French)

Comitiva
. "Retinue." Assemblage of prosaicos attached to a single esfera, patron, or vampiro.

Commandery/commanderies. Garrison of vampiro warriors
. A large, stable esfera has a commandery in every major city (e.g., Dallas, Houston, Austin, etc.) and also at every major strategic point, such as border crossings. They are rarely staffed by mesnaderos, since those are always concentrated near the patron. A commandery contains at least one compañía, which is named for that commandery. Usage primarily taken from medieval Spanish military orders.

Compañero/compañera/compañeros
. "Companion." Someone who drinks vampiro blood regularly but has not become a vampiro. A compañero always has greater strength, speed, senses, and healing powers than a prosaico. The anticipated life span is a century, while surviving two centuries is extremely rare.

Compañìa/compañías
. "Company." A squad or group of warriors, usually approximately a dozen. Following traditional customs, they are named according to their leader or the commandery they come from.

Compostela
. "Field of Stars."

¿Comprendes?
"Do you understand?" (The question uses the second personal, informal form of address.)

Concubino compañero
. A compañero who needs both blood and sexual congress with a specific vampiro in order to survive.

Coño. Damn
. (Very strong.)

Cónyuge/cónyuges
. CON-yuh-heh. "Spouse" or "partner." Life mate, to whom a vampiro is linked by a psychic bond of total trust. The creation of this bond cannot be forced in any way.

Corazón
. Heart.

Creador
. "Creator." Sire of a vampiro.

De nada
. You're welcome.

Dios
. God.

Don/doña
. Sir/lady. (A formal title of respect.)

Dulce
. Sweet.

El Abrazo
. "The embrace." The entire process of becoming a vampiro. La Lujuria is only one stage of this.

Encantado
. Enchanted or charmed.

Esfera/esferas
. "Sphere," as in "sphere of influence." A vampiro territory, which does not necessarily exactly coincide with a present-day geophysical territory. Its size is based on the amount of land needed to support a patron or that a patron can manage to hold. Esferas' boundaries are fluid and frequently fought over. The basic concept is adapted from gangster territories during Prohibition Chicago and New York.

Excelente
. Excellent.

Felicitaciones
. Congratulations.

Gallinazo
. Turkey buzzard. Buzzard. (Latin American)

Gracias
. Thanks.

Gran
. Big/great.

Heraldo
. "Herald." One who is also a diplomat and a spy. Usage is taken from medieval and Renaissance Europe.

Hermano
. "Brother." A vampiro's sibling.

Hijo/hija/hijos
. E-hoh. "Son/daughter/sons." A vampiro sired by a specific creador.

Hijo de chingada madre
. Asshole. (Strong)

Imbecile
. Idiot. (French)

Inundación
. Flood (of water).

La Lujuria
. "Lechery." The Rut. Upon awakening as a vampiro, every cachorro will undergo weeks or months of insanity during which their only goal is to obtain blood and emotion. It is a very early stage of El Abrazo.

Luz
. Light.

Madre
. Mother.

Merde
. Shit. (French)

Mesnadero/mesnaderos
. A vampiro warrior who's a member of a patron's personal guard. A mesnadero can be a vampiro, compañero, or a prosaico. Taken from medieval Spanish, for a member of the royal household guard.

Mierda
. Shit.

Now
de dieu
. In God's name. (French)

Novio/novia
. Fiance/fiancee.

Oso
. Bear.

Patrón/patrona/patrones
. The ruler—who is an absolute monarch—of an esfera. He is also usually the creador of all the esfera's vampiros.

Pendejo
. Fuckup.

Pobre
. Poor.

For favor
. Please.

Precisamente
. Precisely.

Prosaico/prosaica/prosaicos
. "Prosaic" or "mundane," similar to the Society for Creative Anachronism's usage. A mortal human, neither vampiro nor compañero. If he has drunk vampiro blood, it has happened so rarely and in such small quantities that it has not affected his everyday life in any noticeable manner.

Puta
. Whore.

Querida
. Dear.

Quinceañera
. A party celebrating a girl's fifteenth birthday and her transition from childhood to womanhood. A large number of regional and culturally specific customs are associated with it. In south Texas, it's a very large celebration, which starts in the early evening and lasts until after midnight.

Rio
. River.

Sabe Dios
. God knows.

Salopard
. Bastard or swine. (French)

Santísima
. Most holy.

Señorita
. Miss. Traditionally, young (or little) lady; the equivalent señorito means young lord. (Spanish)

Sí
. Yes.

Siniscal
. Seneschal. Responsible for the patron's entire household and its accounts. The siniscal can also call out the esfera's warriors. Taken from fourteenth-century Spanish usage, but rooted in ninth-century Visigothic customs.

Vampiro/vampira/vampiros
. Vampire. Someone who survives on emotional energy carried through human blood. Mature vampiros can shapeshift to at least one other form (if only mist) and are resistant to telepathic suggestions.

Vampiro mayor/vampira mayor/vampiros mayores
. "Elder vampire." A vampiro who has lived for at least three hundred years, can walk in full daylight, and drinks less than a quarter cup of blood per day (except in times of great physical need). He also becomes more and more difficult to detect, even with the heightened senses of other vampiros mayores.

Vampiro primero/vampira primera
. "Primary vampire." The vampiro that a compañero is principally interested in drinking blood from. The compañero becomes utterly loyal to that vampiro, when fed from him long enough.

The amount of time needed to form this bond is extremely varied, ranging from hours to months, even years.

Verdaderamente
. Truly.

Vida
. Life.

Virgen
. Virgin.