Dresden Files Reread - Grave Peril Chapter 8

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As it happens, the vampires aren't there to do violence, they're there to deliver an invitation. Bianca has earned elevation to Margravine. In between this and "wizardess" in the previous book, Jim Butcher should probably just stop trying to use gendered titles. Margrave is a title, military or hereditary, for a person assigned to maintain the defense of a border province. Marquis has a related etymology. Due to the remoteness of his position, a Margrave would have a fair amount of independent authority, including some ability to elevate his own vassals and grant them lands, which is referenced later in Bianca's newfound authority to turn new vampires. The implicit classification of Chicago as a remote borderland of this sort also has interesting worldbuilding implications. Does the Red Court just not have a presence in like, Wisconsin? Or Indiana? I'm fascinated, and it's never really followed up on. Anyway, a Margravine is not a female Margrave. (Yes, it was constructed thus in like, German, but please note that Margräfin is not actually the same word as Margravine, and that in Germany and Austria, the title was hereditary once granted, which we know for certain is not the case in the Red Court). A Margravine is a Margrave's wife, which we know is not Bianca's situation - she is presently unpartnered, and that last person with whom she was involved was Paula, who was human and thus ineligible for any such lofty position within a vampire court. It would have been easier and less weird to just say she's getting elevated to Margrave. La, words!

We get a reminder about vampire venom as Kyle and Kelly, in their matching tennis whites, draw closer to announce their nominally peaceable intentions. There's some back and fourth, which confuses the heck out of Susan, about whether this is Court business, Harry as a local representative of the White Council, and the fact that Kyle is an ordained Herald, afforded safe passage provided he doesn't start shit (and enjoined from doing so), while Kelly...isnt, that ends with Kyle approaching Harry alone to deliver the paper invitation, which is apparently important even though he already disclosed its contents. I don't think we encounter the term "ordained herald" anywhere else in the series, and I wonder if putting Kyle all in white is intended to be a Valdemar reference. Well, I'll keep an eye out for other possible references to Valdemar as we go forward, as well as Wheel of Time references. 

Once he's got the invitation, Harry uses his little wind spell to throw dust at Kelly and Kyle. While this messes up their hair and gets their pretty white clothes dirty, it's technically harmless and therefore not a violation of the Accords. It's a good illustration of the whole "there is not spirit of the law, only the letter" thing that's gonna be so important in a while. It was also fucking stupid. Like, at this point, antagonizing Bianca further probably won't make that much of a difference, but there's no need to go annoying a pair of strange vampires, who don't personally have a problem with him yet, and one of whom he can't legally attack, and at the very least, I feel like this kind of petty insult could have given Bianca leverage to pressure the White Council, which already doesn't like Harry, into making him go to the party, although of course that doesn't end up being an issue. 

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As soon as the vampires are out of sight, Harry almost falls over. He wasn't in great shape to begin with, on account of the ghost fight, and then he dealt with a scary thing and did more magic. So he's completely out of wherewithal, and Mister does not help by reappearing and slamming his 30lb self into Harry's legs. For the past two years, I have lived with a 19lb cat (no, she's not a Maine Coon, she's just big), and it's really given me a different level of appreciation for how stupid big 30lbs is on an animal that usually weights in the neighborhood of 10. That is a lot of cat. Anyway. 

Susan helps Harry get inside, and we get a description of his little basement apartment. I think this is the first time we're told that he decorates in textures, not colors, but I'd have to check. We also get a review of the whole no electricity, no heat, thing, although the usual obligatory cold shower joke is conspicuous in its absence here. I think we even got one in Turn Coat, when he's dating Anastasia. But not here. Not when Susan is taking his boots off for him and lighting the candles so he doesn't have to either stand up or use more magic. This is not as strong an argument or what works in their relationship as the scene in Fool Moon, but this reread is giving me a much better perspective on why even this relationship. Susan takes actions that make problems, and she's gearing up for the most problem-causing one of all (we'll discuss my thoughts on the Maggie thing when we get there), but I do get why they're together, at this point. 

Susan reads the invitation aloud, and is clearly gearing up to ask Harry to bring her along. Harry is not into this idea, and tries to head her off by telling her that he's not going, and even if he were, he wouldn't bring her, because it's unconscionably dangerous. This is pretty fair, honestly, although he could have been a skosh clearer. This situation is too dangerous for a fully trained wizard. That makes it way too dangerous for a human journalist. If he were going, it would be under duress, and it wouldn't make what he's up against any less lethal. Susan, it occurs to me, doesn't have a reat perspective here. She was present for at least some of the dangerous parts of Harry's last two cases, but his adversaries there were neither personal nor political. They needed Harry dead, but they had no reason to want him hurt, which meant that all Susan had to do was avoid antagonizing anyone or getting caught in the crossfire. She wasn't going to be a target in her own right. She's demonstrably able to do that, and I think part of what she's responding to here is that if she assumes this is a similar situation, it would, from where she's standing, be pretty unreasonable for Harry to assume she can't handle herself when she's already shown that she can. 

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She asks about the guarantee of safety, and Harry does his best to explain how very easy it would be for them to kill him anyway while keeping their actions in line with the Accords. He also points out that Bianca has a personal problem with him, although he doesn't say that she blames him for the death of her girlfriend, and would therefore almost certainly seize the opportunity to do something to his. Maybe he hasn't though of that yet. 

Harry's right, but he's also being patronizing as hell. Susan makes reference to publishing interviews with vampires, and he tells her she's been reading too much off the bestseller list. Not only is that dismissive, he's utterly ailing to consider that her readers are probably reading too much of the bestseller list, and that's why a literal interview with a literal vampire would do so much for her career. We know he reads her column, and reference is made to his thinking she's a good writer, but just at present it feels like he's not thinking of her job as a real thing. 

Susan points out that she doesn't make an obstacle of herself when Harry goes into danger because of his job, y'know, like he did tonight, and Harry... realizes she's right, inexplicably decides he has to try and prevent her going, and then tries to distract her by bringing up the White Council. Then he lies to her about what the White Council is. Funny thing about lying to people is that even when they don't consciously catch you at it (and Susan does, immediately), it often reduces your ability to tell them what to do. Honestly, I don't understand why his initial argument here isn't "Okay, yeah, you're a grownup, and you can take your own risks, but you can't go without me and I'm not going. It's a long step from letting you put yourself in danger if that's what you want, to putting myself in danger so you can get a story." This doesn't need to be about whether Susan understand what she's getting into - Harry understands the risks he would be taking, and he does not consent to them. And like, he does kind of try that eventually, but not until after he tries condescension, manipulation, and lying. 

In any event, she apologizes for pressuring him about this when he's exhausted and injured, and I'm genuinely not sure if she's being sincere, or if she's already decided to make a copy of the invitation. Harry prevents any further discussion by kissing her, and the proceed directly to having sex on the living room floor. Good thing he has so many soft rugs? 

I did it! Technically! Last blog post of the year. First post of next year will be analysis and new goals, and then we'll resume our regularly scheduled programming. Until then, be gay, do crimes, and read all the things!