Amel (The Vampire Chronicles)
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Amel is a named spirit in the novel Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice.
and is the true king and source of all vampirism.
Six-thousand years ago, Maharet and Mekare lived as witches not far from the land of Kemet (now Egypt). There, they communicated with spirits and practiced the art of witchcraft with their mother.
Most of these spirits were benign "good" spirits who would perform minor feats at the request of the witches. Sometimes, though, bad or "evil" spirits would make their presence known and would attempt to get the attention of mortals through tricks and bragging about their powers.
One such spirit called himself Amel. He claimed to like the taste of human blood and was able to draw small amounts from Mekare and Maharet's mother. The witches told Amel to leave, and he did, but only after issuing a warning that someday, they would need to call on him.
Shortly thereafter, their mother died and Mekare and Maharet prepared for a ritual feast wherein they would consume the body of their mother and absorb her knowledge and power. The ritual was interrupted, however, by soldiers from Kemet who had come to take them to the court of King Enkil and Queen Akasha. (see: The Queen of the Damned)
Their subsequent mistreatment by the queen lead Mekare to call on Amel, despite her sister's warnings against it.
Amel responded by bedeviling the royal household and the sisters were ordered released, but not before being ritually raped in front of the whole court by Khayman, the kings steward.
A year later, Mekare and Maharet were living once again at home, now with Miriam, Maharet and Khayman's child.
Once again the soldiers from Kemet came to take them, this time with Khayman commanding the troops. He told them that even after they had been released, the spirit had been cause trouble. He had inhabited Khayman's home and would give him no rest.
Eventually, the King and Queen went in to confront the spirit, but were struck down by assassins. Amel entered Akasha's body as her soul was escaping, binding himself to her flesh and her soul, creating a new entity.
Akasha thereafter drained Enkil of all his blood, taking it into herself. Then she allowed Enkil to drink of her blood and Amel's essence joined with his body and soul as well.
This fusion between an immortal, immaterial being with a taste for human blood and corporeal beings with the means to take blood resulted in the first vampires.
Later Akasha took Enkil's life thus reabsorbing his portion of Amel into herself. Later as Akasha was killed by Mekare; the same woman who would then devour her heart and brain and take Amel into herself thus becoming the new queen of vampires. So long as Amel remains imprisoned inside a host he will continue to provide his essence for the vampires and only when he is no longer bound to a corporeal host will all vampires die.
