Balthazar More

(You may be looking for the novel Balthazar (novel))

Balthazar More is a vampire student at Evernight Academy. He is good friends with Bianca Olivier and is in love with her, although she does not reciprocate these feelings. Balthazar is the older brother and sire of Charity More. He is also the main protagonist of the Evernight series spin-off novel, Balthazar, where he gains a new love interest, Skye Tierney.

Background
Balthazar was most likely born in 1621. His parents were Puritans, who named Balthazar after one of the three 'Wise Men' in the Nativity Story. Balthazar and his family emigrated to America from England in the 1600's along with many other Puritan families, shortly after the departure of the now-famous ship, The Mayflower. They settled in a colony in Massachusetts, where they lived happily for several years, with Balthazar later forming a romantic attachment to a young woman named Jane, though this was not approved of by the community due to Jane being a Roman Catholic. Balthazar didn't care about this, having no love for the Puritan church and even briefly considered converting so that he could marry Jane.

Unfortunately, Balthazar's idyllic life was shattered forever in the year 1640, when he and his family were attacked by a pair of vampires, John Redgrave and Constantia, in their home one night. Constantia was attracted to Balthazar and requested that Redgrave make him into a vampire to be a companion for her. Redgrave complied, turning Balthazar and making him permanently nineteen. The pair also tortured Balthazar for hours until, driven half-mad, he consented to being turned. They also tortured and killed Balthazar's parents in front of him.

When Balthazar awoke as a vampire, he was horrified by what he had become, viewing himself as being un-Godly. Balthazar attempted to attack his sire in revenge, but Redgrave proved too strong for him. Redgrave then revealed he'd kidnapped Charity and Jane, and forced Balthazar to choose which of them would become a vampire. Believing Jane would be set free and unwilling to abandon his sister, Balthazar reluctantly chose Charity, draining his terrified sister's blood and leaving her to be resurrected as a vampire. Unfortunately, this only made matters worse. Charity was now permanently fourteen years old and blamed her brother for making her what she was. She grew angry and resentful, eventually losing her grip on reality altogether and becoming distanced from Balthazar. Redgrave also revealed he had no intention of freeing Jane and killed her in front of Balthazar. As a result, Balthazar swore for centuries never to form romantic attachments to humans again, for their own safety.

For over a hundred years, Balthazar was part of Redgrave's tribe. He became Constantia's lover, though he felt nothing but lust for her and despised Redgrave and the other vampires in his tribe. On December 29th 1776, Balthazar rescued a young barmaid named Martha from his fellow tribe member, Lorenzo de Aracena, and was moved when Martha claimed he was a gentleman and questioned why he was travelling with the likes of Lorenzo. Balthazar, feeling she was right, decided to leave Redgrave that very night, but was forced to travel alone after failing to convince Charity to accompany him. Balthazar fought for the Union soldiers during the American Civil War. After returning from the front lines, he settled in New York City and befriended a man named Richard. On July 14th 1863, Balthazar helped shelter African-American families, some of them former slaves, during a violent, race-fuelled riot. It was here that he encountered Redgrave and his tribe again. Whilst trying to stop them from going after the families he was protecting, Balthazar had his first encounter with wraiths, who attacked him and his former tribe. Balthazar's true identity as a vampire was revealed, forcing him to flee and start afresh. At some point, he enrolled in Evernight Academy for the first time.

In 1918, Balthazar was living in Philadelphia. During the outbreak of Spanish influenza, Balthazar used it as an opportunity to get an easy meal, roaming the streets looking for those who were dying of the sickness and giving them a quick death. It was here that he encou tered Charity again in the street. Upon learning Redgrave was in France, he tried to persuade Charity to come away with him. She seemed to agree, telling him where to find Constantia, whom she was living with, and arranged for Charity to hide stakes in their room so that Balthazar could kill her. Balthazar met with Constantia on the pretence of wanting to become lovers again. However, he learned that Charity had betrayed him in revenge for killing her, forewarning Constantia. She promptly staked him, set fire to the house and left Balthazar for dead; as he had intended to do to her. The stake having missed his heart, Balthazar remained concious, though badly wounded, and escaped the burning house. Giving in to despair, he wandered to an abandoned building on the edge of town and spent over a decade dwelling there, feeding on rats and other vermin, never speaking to anyone and essentially becoming a feral animal.

He finay rejoined society on April 26th 1933, after killing two men who attempted to rob and kill him, their blood rejuvanating him. He reenrolled in Evernight to catch up on the many changes that had occured in the world during his fifteen year abscence. When World War Two broke out, Balthazar enlisted, fighting in the Pacific.

Balthazar was eventually reunited with Charity at some point, and enrolled both himself and Charity in Evernight Academy, hoping that they would at last find peace and security there. However, Charity did not get along with Evernight's headmistress, Mrs Bethany and the pair frequently clashed. Eventually, Charity ran away from Evernight. Balthazar attempted to find her and bring her back, but his efforts were in vain. He briefly encountered his sister at a dis o club in 1978, where he had gone in an attempt to kill Redgrave and finally get revenge for his crimes against him and his family. Balthazar nearly succeeded in decapitating his sire with a knife, but Charity started a fire to distract him. Unwilling to let innocent people be killed for his quest for vengeance, Balthazar forsook his chance to kill Redgrave to help evacuate the building, and both Charity and Redgrave vanished. Balthazar stayed on as a student at Evernight, perhaps hoping that Charity would someday return and having nowhere else to go.

Evernight
Balthazar is attending Evernight when he meets Bianca Olivier, a born vampire and daughter of two new teachers, Celia and Adrian. He is in her history and English classes and is instantly drawn to her, partly because of her resemblance to Jane. After Bianca tries to stand up for Raquel Vargas in English to Mrs Bethany, Balthazar approaches her afterwards, talking to her about his admiration for Henry James's works (Bianca having mentioned that preferred James's The Turn of the Screw to Dracula). He suggests she might like James's The Portrait of a Lady, as it's "about a woman who wants to define herself" and tries to give her tips on how to integrate herself within the Academy.

They meet up again at a student party being thrown on the grounds. Balthazar offers Bianca a beer, and flirts with her, only to be interrupted by Courtney Briganti, who attempts to seduce Balthazar. He unwillingly lets Courtney lead him off after Bianca decides to head back to her room, though he is clearly uninterested in Courtney, looking longingly at Bianca.

Balthazar asks Bianca to be his date for the Autumn Ball and is excited when she says yes. Although they have a good time dancing at the Ball, Balthazar senses that Bianca's mind is elsewhere. After bringing Bianca out to the gazebo for some fresh air, he asks her outright who the boy she is actually thinking about is. He is disappointed when she confesses she's attracted to Lucas Ross, though he does not begrudge either of them, accepting that Bianca can like whoever she wants and stating that Lucas seems like a good person, in spite of being a troublemaker. Bianca shows Balthazar some constellations, only for them to be interrupted by Lucas, who is hostile towards Balthazar, believing he has bad intentions. Balthazar assures Lucas he his intentions were benign and then heads back to the ballroom so that Lucas and Bianca can be together.

After the revelation that Bianca is a born vampire, she and Balthazar discuss it together whilst wandering the school grounds. Balthazar tells Bianca a little bit about his past and how he became a vampire, though he leaves out many details, especially the fact that he had made his sister into a vampire. Balthazar them confesses to Bianca that if he could go back, he would choose to die alongside his parents. He tells Bianca the reason the other vampire students bully her and the humans is because they're envious that they're still alive, and that Bianca should enjoy being mortal whilst she still can.

Balthazar studies with Lucas, Bianca and Patrice Deveraux for finals at the Olivers' penthouse. When Lucas is revealed to be a member of Black Cross, sent to infiltrate the school, Balthazar and Adrian get into a fight with him, but Lucas escapes. When Bianca is 'kidnapped' by Lucas, Balthazar goes with the rest of Evernight's most powerful vampires to rescue her. Bianca comes out willingly and begs for the Black Cross to be allowed to escape. Mrs Bethany refuses, but Balthazar supports Bianca's decision. When Mrs Bethany tries to use her authority as Evernight's headmistress to get Balthazar in line, he instead subtly threatens her with a cross bow by repositioning it so the bolt is facing her, and tells her "School's out", showing he will not be intimidated by her. Balthazar is one of the few 'Evernight types' who is on Bianca's side after the incident with Lucas, apparently letting himself believe her version of events that Lucas took her hostage, out of love for her.

Stargazer
The following school year, Balthazar catches Bianca sneaking back into the Academy after meeting with Lucas. He is furious and disappointed in Bianca after he realises she is still in a relationship with Lucas and decides to turn her in to Mrs Bethany. However, he stops when Bianca mentions that Lucas had tried to help save a young-looking vampire in Amherst. Suspecting this vampire is his long-lost sister, Balthazar asks Bianca to describe the vampire, confirming to him that Charity has indeed returned. Balthazar decides to keep Bianca's secret, on the condition that she persuade Lucas to help him find Charity so he can bring her back to the Academy. When Bianca says that it will look suspicious, having them spending so much time together, Balthazar suggests they pretend to be dating, as Mrs Bethany trusts Balthazar and so allows him privileges, such as leaving the school grounds whenever he likes. Balthazar seems to secretly hope that Bianca will also be persuaded to enter a real relationship with him, by bringing them closer together, but she remains in love with Lucas. Balthazar grudgingly works with Lucas to track down Charity, attempting to be amicable, but occasionally japing at him. He loses his temper with Lucas on one occasion, when Lucas assumes he chose to become a vampire, revealing he in fact had no choice in the matter, and only 'consented' to it after being tortured for hours and witnessing the murder of his entire family.

Bianca attends the Autumn Ball with Balthazar. There, Balthazar impulsively offers to let Bianca taste his blood after cutting his finger. Bianca sees a glimpse into his mind, where she sees herself looking much older and more beautiful than she actually is, which is how Balthazar sees her. When the wraiths attack the Ball, Balthazar throws Bianca down and shields her with his body when the wraiths cause icicles to fall into the crowd.

Balthazar eventually tracks down Charity, but they are spotted by Courtney. Charity stakes Courtney to prevent her from running off to tell Mrs Bethany, whilst Balthazar pleads with Charity to leave her tribe and come "home". To his despair, Charity refuses, saying Evernight never be her home and that she regards her tribe as her new family, berating Balthazar for his "hypocrisy" when it comes to killing. She reveals to Bianca and Lucas that Balthazar was the one who killed her and that she still resents him for it, before decapitating Courtney and fleeing. Balthazar is unable to catch up to her and clearly distraught and sickened by how badly things have gone wrong. After Lucas and Bianca argue and Lucas storms off, Balthazar cremates Courtney's body, as the ground is too hard to dig in. They then return, disheartened, to the Academy.

Whilst playing video games for Modern Technology class in the IT room, Bianca and Balthazar become intimate in their loneliness and despair. Bianca lets Balthazar drink her blood and he offers her his. They kiss and Balthazar begs Bianca to consent to sex with him. She is about to say yes, when they are attacked by a wraith. Bianca is almost killed by the wraith, who freezes her to the floor, whilst Balthazar clings to her in an attempt to pull her to safety in spite of the pain. Fortunately, Mrs Bethany arrives and saves Bianca.

Afterwards, Bianca tells Balthazar that she cannot ever be intimate with him again, as she isn't in love with him and it wouldn't feel right. Balthazar agrees, confesses he's being trying to make Bianca love him, but realises that she will never reciprocate his feelings. Whilst disappointed and hurting from his unrequited love for her, he respects her honesty and integrity. He avoids Bianca, nevertheless, although Bianca believes he isn't so much angry at her, but "angry at the world in general".

When Charity turns up at Evernight and claims sanctuary, she reveals Balthazar's collaboration with Lucas. Mrs Bethany summons him and Bianca to her and chastises them for their 'treachery', expressing surprise and great disappointment in Balthazar in particular, believing he would've known better than to trust Black Cross. Charity then reveals she fed Black Cross false intel about the vampires's plan to massacre the human students, causing the vampire hunters to attack the school. Charity flees before Balthazar can stop her and helps fight off Black Cross to defend the school.

Hourglass
Balthazar continues to attend Evernight in Hourglass. When he learns that Bianca is with Black Cross in New York City, he volunteers to go with Mrs Bethany to assault the cell's headquarters and rescue her, believing she was not taken of her own free will. During the fight, Balthazar is taken prisoner by Black Cross and tortured. He refuses to give away any information in spite of this. Bianca and Lucas devise a plan to rescue him. Balthazar claims that Mrs Bethany sought to get revenge on Lucas for successfully infiltrating Evernight and making her look foolish, protecting Bianca's secret. Lucas stakes Balthazar, insisting on killing the vampire himself in revenge for him "putting the moves" on Bianca.

They drive Balthazar away from the headquarters and un-stake him. Balthazar directs them to take him to an old friend of his in Chinatown to heal from his injuries. They inform him that Charity is in New York and is still with her tribe. Balthazar wants to look for her, despite Bianca and Lucas warning him that she tried to kill Bianca and is not in the mood for a family reunion. Balthazar still feels he must at least try to reach out to her. A few days later, Balthazar is still recuperating when Bianca and Lucas arrive seeking help, Bianca's cover having been blown by Raquel, forcing them to go on the run from Black Cross. Balthazar gives them money to tide them over and also provides them with his contact details, in case they need further assistance. He stays in New York to recover and to try and find Charity.

Months later, a desperate Lucas contacts Balthazar from Vic Woodson's home in Philadelphia, due to Bianca falling gravely ill. He hopes that Balthazar may be able to help. Balthazar arrives too late and, upon learning Bianca is dead, is at first disbelieving, then devastated, mourning her alongside Lucas. He helps Lucas bury her and, sensing her presence, realises that Bianca has come back as a wraith, though he cannot yet hear or see her. Upon learning that Charity kidnapped Lucas and Bianca, in the hopes of reuniting with her brother, he clings to the possibility she is still in the area and persuades Lucas to help him find her, neither of them thinking clearly out of grief. Balthazar succeeds in finding Charity, but they are attacked by her tribe. Bianca, Vic and Ranulf White come to their rescue, but Charity kills Lucas in the process and escapes. Balthazar is distraught by this, especially as Bianca blames him for Lucas's death due to his underestimation of Charity. It is only a scant comfort to him that Lucas will rise from the dead a vampire, knowing how difficult it will be for Lucas to adjust.

Afterlife
When Lucas first rises as a vampire, he tries to attack Vic, starving for blood. Balthazar and Ranulf hold him back, with Balthazar being able to calm Lucas down and get him under control. Balthazar goes with Lucas back to Evernight, becoming his roommate. Balthazar, knowing exactly what Lucas is going through, supports him during his ordeal, goading him into sparring with him to get him to expel his anger so he won't hurt anyone and helping him practice getting his thirst under control. He gets into an argument with Bianca, frustrated by her continual hostility towards him for Lucas's condition. Although he acknowledges he is partly to blame, he states that Lucas and Charity make their own choices, and accepts that he cannot continue to make excuses or take responsibility for Charity's actions. He and Bianca eventually reconcile.

When Balthazar learns that Charity has been entering Lucas's dreams and manipulating them, he is surprised by the level of Charity's obsession, due to how difficult and physically draining it is to accomplish this. He and Bianca enter Charity's dream, where Balthazar reluctantly attacks Charity and extracts a promise from her that she will leave Lucas alone. As they are leaving the dream, they pass Jane's house. Bianca suggests they visit her, but Balthazar sadly refuses, feeling there would be no point.

Balthazar helps Bianca and his friends investigate Mrs Bethany's dealings with the wraiths. After learning that Mrs Bethany is using them as part of a spell to turn vampires back into humans, Balthazar is initially shocked. He then states that, if the ritual didn't result in the wraith's destruction, he would do it in an instant. Balthazar fights against Mrs Bethany and her allies to save the wraiths and Evernight. After witnessing Lucas's resurrection at Bianca's hands, she offers to try and repeat the process. Although Balthazar is tempted, he turns her down, saying he doesn't believe it would work with them, as they don't share the connection Bianca and Lucas have. He assures Bianca he will be fine and they part as friends.

Balthazar
TBA

Personality
Balthazar is compassionate, gentlemanly, yet often melancholy or brooding. He is very brave, strong-willed, chivalrous and protective of others, coming to Bianca's rescue on a number of occasions, going to great lengths to protect Skye and being able to withstand torture. He also graciously steps aside to allow Lucas to be with Bianca, because he sees how much they care for each other. He is one of the few people who is not afraid of Mrs Bethany and stands up to her.

He dislikes being a vampire, despising himself, feeling a great deal of guilt and believing he is a 'monster', and seeking redemption for his past wrongs. Despite this, he is generally well-liked and very popular. Bianca feels that Balthazar can be somewhat delusional at times, trying to make things or people what they're not and "lying to himself". He tries to make Bianca love him, convincing himself that she is like the girl he used to love, when they are not alike at all. He also, perhaps more dangerously, refuses to believe that his beloved sister Charity has become a dangerous psychopath with no empathy for others, until she kills Lucas and turns him into a vampire. He also tends to distance himself from others, feeling he will endanger them and rarely puts his own needs or desires first, even if it not necessary for him to sacrifice his own happiness.

Balthazar has developed a strong moral code over the years that he tries his best to live by, though he breaks his rule regarding forming relationships with humans after falling in love with Skye. Even when he was part of Redgrave's tribe and hunted humans, he did not agree with the lifestyle and Redgrave himself remarked that Balthazar still retained 'human' traits such as compassion for others, which prevented him from becoming a monster (whatever Balthazar himself thinks). Meeting and loving Skye seems to have changed Balthazar for the better, as she brings out the best in him and helps him come to terms with his dark and tragic past. In Skye, Balthazar finds new hope of redeeming himself and starting his life over.

Physical Appearance
Balthazar is described as being quite tall - at least 6ft - muscular and broad-shouldered. He is very handsome, with dark, curly hair, dark brown eyes and fair skin. He looks permanently nineteen; however, with some work, Balthazar is able to pass for twenty one and a few years older than that, though the latter proves more challenging to pull off.

Charity More
Balthazar has a complicated relationship with his younger sister. He clearly loves her and they were close as children, with Balthazar defending her so-called heretical behaviour and doing his best to protect her. However, it was his love for his sister which led to the undoing of their bond. After being made a vampire and offered a choice to turn either Charity or Jane, a desperate Balthazar chose Charity. He later realised he had made a grave mistake, permanently trapping Charity in the body of a fourteen year old and in the throes of madness due to the trauma of seeing her parents and brother murdered in front of her. Balthazar blames himself for the way Charity turned out, feeling immense guilt for his actions. He still loves her in spite of being repulsed by her immoral actions.

Balthazar's continued love and sense of responsibility for his sister lead him to make excuses for her behaviour, even her more depraved and murderous actions which she commits of her own accord. He seems convinced that his sweet abd loving little sister is still in there somewhere and that he can 'save' Charity, going to great lengths to find her in Stargazer. He finally accepts that Charity may be beyond redemption and that he cannot continue to take the blame for her crimes after she callously murders both Courtney and Lucas. At the same time, though, Balthazar cannot bring himself to kill Charity, believing he has no right because of what he did to her. He also makes no attempt to defend himself when Charity appears to be about to kill him. He is shown to be shocked and moved when Charity spares his life and also speaks about how Skye's blood reminded her of the close bond they shared when they were human, with Balthazar feeling that Charity was more herself in that moment than she had been in over three hundred years. Although Balthazar fears that the truce between will only be temporary, he holds onto the small hope that Charity can begin to heal from her trauma and that they can truly be reconciled. However, he also decides not to pursue her, allowing Charity to come to him on her own terms.

Bianca Olivier
Balthazar was attracted to Bianca from the moment they met, partly due to the fact she reminded him of his old love, Jane. Balthazar quickly grows to love Bianca, supporting her and offering her guidance during her time at Evernight. He sees Bianca as being a pure and beautiful girl inside and out, idealising her to an extent, and is also attracted to her compassion and unwillingness to simply follow the crowd, a trait Balthazar shares.

Balthazar seems to realise that Bianca does not return his feelings, which disappoints him, but he does not try to pressure her and remains a loyal friend, even stepping aside to allow her to be with Lucas despite loving her and disapproving of Lucas. Balthazar remains protective of Bianca and goes to her aid on many occasions, even withstanding torture and the threat of a slow death at the hands of Black Cross to defend her, in spite of her rejection of him. He is heartbroken when she dies and is greatly relieved when he learns she has come back as a wraith.

Balthazar and Bianca's relationship becomes strained in Afterlife, due to Bianca blaming him for Charity killing Lucas and turning him into a vampire. Although Balthazar does partly blame himself for what happened, he becomes frustrated at Bianca's resentment of him and for her taking out her grief over what happened to Lucas solely on him, calling her out of it. They eventually make up and resume being friends. Balthazar remains close to Bianca, though he tells Skye that his romantic feelings for her have cooled somewhat, knowing she will never feel the same way, though it's implied part of him will always love her. It can be assumed that after he falls in love with Skye, his feelings towards Bianca are purely platonic, as he does not express any further attraction to Bianca. He also admits in Stargazer that, although not maliciously intentioned, he was attempting to make Bianca someone she wasn't, accepting that part of him lived the idea of Bianca rather than the person she truly is or wants to become. He respects her for staying true to herself in the end and for making him realise his mistake.

Skye Tierney
Skye is probably the person Balthazar feels closest to and is also possibly the love of his life. Balthazar apparently always found Skye attractive, but did not acknowledge his feelings for her, nor seriously consider her as a romantic option, due to his rules against forming attachments to humans, after what happened to Jane. That being said, Balthazar cared enough for Skye to travel to Darby Glen to assist her at Lucas' request and goes to great lengths to keep her safe; in spite of his revulsion at the idea, Balthazar was even willing to turn Skye into a vampire to spare her from being enslaved by Redgrave. His romantic feelings for Skye grow far stronger due to their close proximity, as well as Skye's obvious reciprocation of his feelings. Despite quickly falling in love with her, Balthazar initially holds himself back from Skye, wanting to protect her and ensure she have a normal life. However, his love for her proves too strong for him to deny, and he eventually gives in and begins a relationship with her.

Balthazar greatly admires Skye's caring nature, courage and outgoing personality. He also empathises with her due to her having lost her brother. It is noted that Balthazar, who is usually somewhat reserved and secretive, easily finds himself opening up to Skye, revealing things about his past to her that he has kept buried for many years, indicating he has a great deal of trust in Skye. It is also mentioned that Balthazar tells Skye things about himself and his past which he concealed from his previous love interest, Bianca, further indicating that his romantic feelings for Skye are deeper and less idealised than his feelings for Bianca. Balthazar later tells Skye that being with her and loving her makes him feel "alive" again, giving him a new sense of purpose and happiness for the first time in centuries.

Appearances

 * Evernight
 * Stargazer
 * Hourglass
 * Afterlife
 * Balthazar

Quotes from Balthazar
"More. Balthazar More."

"Don't you see? It's the first life I've had in four hundred years. With you - in the only way that matters - I'm alive again."

Quotes about Balthazar
"''Balthazar was kind, smart, and he had a sly sense of humor. Everyone liked him, probably because he seemed to like most people in return." ''- Bianca

"You're a bit of a bore. I keep waiting for you to start being fun, Balthazar. The first century or so, it was worth the wait. These days, not so much. Being near you is like trying to make wet tinder catch flame." - Constantia

Trivia

 * The name Balthazar (also spelt 'Balthasar) is Hebrew and is a variant of 'Belshazzar', meaning 'protect'. It is the name commonly attributed to one of the Three Wise Men, Wise Kings or Magi present at the birth of Jesus Christ in the Nativity story. It is also a very appropriate name for Balthazar, given his protective nature.
 * Balthazar is similar to the character of Angel from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in that they are both depicted as handsome and dark-haired, are both vampires with brooding personalities, both view themselves as monsters and attempt to redeem themselves for past evils or wrong-doings, both fall in love with mortals (Angel with Buffy Summers, and Balthazar with Bianca Olivier and Skye Tierney) and both star in spin-offs of their main series, which were named after them (Angel and Balthazar, respectively).
 * Balthazar is one of only two characters to have appeared in all five Evernight novels, the other being Bianca.
 * It is revealed in Stargazer that Balthazar is a smoker, but by Afterlife he has been trying to quit (although the nicotine and smoke inhalation doesn't harm him, he finds the habit inconvenient due to so many places barring smoking).
 * There is some discrepancy as to when Balthazar was made a vampire. In Evernight he tells Bianca he 'died' in 1691, but in Balthazar, he is made a vampire in 1640. Given that Balthazar later states on a number of occasions that he is nearly four centuries old (sometimes just rounding it off to four centuries) and that he states the ship his family travelled on was "not far behind the Mayflower" (which set sail in 1620) it seems much more likely that 1640 is the canon date.
 * In Stargazer, Balthazar states he hasn't seen Charity in 35 years. Given that Stargazer is presumed to take place in 2009 (the year the novel was published) through to 2010, this would mean he last saw Charity in 1974. However, in Balthazar, a flashback reveals he encounters Charity at a disco club in the year 1978, which would make it 31 years since they last met. That being said, Charity states that she has actually seen Balthazar from a distance from time to time, specifying that its been 35 years since they lived together. Therefore, Balthazar may not count the incident at the disco club, as Charity was not living with him at the time.