Khayman is one of the oldest vampires, and the second vampire made by Queen Akasha. Originally one of Akasha's loyal followers as a human, Khayman rebels against Akasha after becoming a vampire and creates The First Brood.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
As relayed during the history of the vampires related in The Queen of the Damned, Khayman was an Egyptian who was the chief steward in the palace of King Enkil and Queen Akasha of Kemet (now Egypt) circa 4000 BCE. He was tall and strong as a mortal, with very tan skin, dark eyes, and black hair. After being transformed into a vampire, his skin whitened and smoothed considerably.
As head steward to the King and Queen, Khayman was forced to rape the twin witches Maharet and Mekareafter the witches incurred Akasha's wrath. Gentle and kind by nature, Khayman was horrified to do so, but was unable to refuse the Queen's command, lest it meant the death of the twins and himself. From his rape he fathered a child with Maharet, named Miriam, who began the bloodline of Maharet's "Great Family" that would later spread to every nation on Earth.
When Akasha and Enkil become vampires, they made Khayman bring Maharet and Mekare back into Egypt to find out how their insatiable bloodlust can be mitigated. Maharet replies that the evil spirit Amel now inhabiting the Queen is too large to be contained in her singular body. Only when more vampires are made will the spirit will be diluted and the bloodlust will become tolerable.
Life as a vampire[]
Akasha betrays Khayman's loyalty by forcibly turning him into a vampire against his will, to verify the witches' claims. Angry at what he has become, Khayman secretly makes the twin witches into vampires in hope that one day they will rise against Akasha and defeat her. Khayman afterwards makes other vampires to fight against Akasha and Enkil, who now present themselves as the gods Isis and Osiris. His "treason" results in a great increase of the vampire population, creating a vampire army to fight in the wars against Akasha.
Eventually Akasha and Enkil would remain in a trancelike state for almost 4,000 years. Khayman survives into the twentieth century, ultimately forgetting his own origins during his wanderings. When Akasha is awakened from her trance in the 1980s, she rises and drains Enkil completely of his blood, as he has reached a point of lassitude from which he will never reawaken, and begins tracking down and killing her vampire progeny worldwide. Khayman encounters her by chance in Greece and, in that instant, he suddenly remembers how he became a vampire and what crimes he had perpetrated in Akasha's name. Discovering that he is immune to her attacks, Khayman follows her to San Francisco to attend Lestat's rock concert.
Since Khayman has been studied by the Talamasca under the name 'Benjamin the Devil', he recognizes David Talbot and Aaron Lightner at Lestat's concert. He tells them who he is and warns them to leave because of the mounting danger for them there. He sees the vampires Mael, Daniel, and Armand, the latter to whom he is strongly attracted, although Armand offers no friendly gestures in return. Khayman advises Mael to shield his thoughts from Akasha, since Akasha can find and kill her vampire progeny through mind-reading. While Akasha slaughters most of her vampire children worldwide, Khayman accompanies Louis and Gabrielle to Maharet's house in Sonoma as one of the few surviving vampires who plan to stand against Akasha. Here he indicates several times that he believes in Mekare's prophecy of Akasha's doom, and awaits Mekare's coming as he conspires against his former queen. After Akasha is finally destroyed, Khayman becomes the oldest vampire in existence.
He is briefly mentioned at the end of Blood Canticle, when he takes away the fledgling vampires Quinn Blackwood and Mona Mayfair to Maharet and Mekare's sanctuary. During the events of Prince Lestat, Khayman falls under the manipulation of Amel, and is forced to kill his fellow vampires, he does not remember the killings afterwards, but is still greatly affected by his lost memories. Khayman is later killed by Rhoshamandes when he attempts to defend Maharet.
Personality[]
Khayman was generally gentle, optimistic, and friendly, inviting mortals to his rooms and entertaining them with poetry, music and conversation, although he became appeared somewhat lonely or even shy. Although powerful, he disliked wanton brutality. He lives by various guises in many different places, and when he stops having fun or feels pain, he fades out and forgets who he has been. Attempts to think back to his origins are painful, and so he avoids doing so, eventually forgetting entirely.