The Geomancer

by Clay Griffith

  “You took that calmly,” he said. “Aren’t you going to fight? Where are we going?”

  “I don’t have time to argue with that idiot, and there’s no way to prove what I say is true.” Adele had already accepted that she couldn’t win the battle with Rotherford. As always, it seemed, she had to win the battle in spite of him, in spite of all those who would stop her. “We’re going back to the ship to get ready. We have to enter Paris now.”

  Greyfriar turned in the direction of the great city and its churning dome of vampires, although it was invisible below the horizon. “Inside that swarm?”

  Adele looked at the face of the young man who held the door. His eyes were wide with amazement at being so close to the empress and the Greyfriar. She could hear the door handle trembling under his white-gloved hand. She leaned close to Greyfriar and whispered, “If we don’t, this boy will die, and millions more like him.”

  They settled into the back of the truck, and it roared off toward the airfield. Adele turned to see General Rotherford standing in the door of his tent with a satisfied smile on his doomed face.

  CHAPTER 38

  Adele kept looking up even though the skies were clear of dark shadows. She reached for a nearby rift. It flinched when she touched it, shivering as if in fear or discomfort for both of them. She sank into the folds of the uneasy Earth. Any vampires they encountered would be unable to see her.

  A group of humans shuffled past, eyes averted from Gareth’s tall form. Their fear radiated, terrified that they would draw the vampire’s hungering gaze. They slipped into a ramshackle house and closed the door. Few humans lingered in these outer boroughs of Paris, which would soon see the tread of Equatorian forces, and no vampires walked the streets. Adele knew that wouldn’t last as they moved toward the city center where the creatures swarmed overhead.

  Adele took a step forward and suddenly the Earth vanished beneath her. She gasped and staggered as a vast blackness yawned under her feet. She tumbled to her hands and knees, her stomach bottoming out as if she were falling into a deep chasm. There was nothing to stop her. She would fall forever, unable to touch anything. She couldn’t save herself.

  Then she was looking at Gareth. He had her in his arms, with a look of terror. He was carrying her back the way they had come.

  “Stop.” She shook her head. The warmth of the rifts returned to her. “It’s all right.”

  Gareth slowed but didn’t relinquish his hold on her. “What just happened?”

  “I lost connection to the rifts. All of them. Some sort of dead zone. Nothing to see or touch or hear or smell. Goronwy must have warded the city against me somehow. Damn effective.” Adele indicated he should put her down, which he did reluctantly. Her knees still felt a bit weak but they held.

  “You mean you can go no further?” he asked.

  “No. It just means I won’t have my geomancy.”

  “That’s the same thing. You can’t just walk into the heart of Paris disarmed. I’ll find Kasteel and the others. We can take the Witchfinder. You return to the Raksaka and stay out of harm’s way.”

  “Don’t.” Adele’s hand rested on her mother’s khukri. “I may not be at my best, but I’m hardly at my worst. It’s no different than being in Britain. It won’t cripple me.”

  Gareth knew there was no point wasting time in argument. “We still have to get across the city under that mass.” He pointed above him at the swirling vampires. “Paris is littered with catacombs. Let’s see if we can get underground.”

  Adele nodded. “A fine idea. Where’s the nearest one?”

  Gareth started north again. “If we can cross six more blocks without incident, there is a location in a house. Few know of that entrance, but Lothaire and I scouted hundreds of tunnels in our youth. Be on your guard. It’s possible we’ll encounter vampires down there.”

  They passed over the void line again and it was all Adele could do not to grab onto the nearest wall. The sense of an abyss beneath her made her skin crawl. No matter what she told Gareth, the effect she felt was worse than she experienced in Britain. Once again, Goronwy’s geomancy showed itself to be frighteningly powerful. She worked to feel the ground under her boots, using that touch to reassure her that the Earth was still there. As she went, the sensations returned to a semblance of normalcy. Her boots were dusty but nothing more. Her rational brain battled through what her geomancy told her, and she could see the real world around her again.

  Adele stayed close to shadows and overhangs as much as possible. Gareth guided her toward a tumbled townhouse. They climbed the steps and shoved open the door. There were no locked doors in Paris. Vampires could enter any house and take what they wanted.

  Luckily it was empty. At one time the home would have been grand, but the wallpaper was ripped off and furniture lay smashed for fuel. A rank smell filled Adele’s nose. Gareth led the way downstairs and found a narrow alcove, almost a closet. He pushed aside a mass of detritus until a small hatch was revealed on the floor. There were no handles but Gareth extended his claws and caught an edge.

  “Stand back.”

  Adele grimaced at the waft of stale air that came up with it. Gareth dropped down into the hole first and took stock of the area.

  “It’s clear,” he called up.

  Taking a deep breath, Adele sat and swung her legs over the edge, lowering herself down. She felt Gareth’s arms about her, taking her waist and setting her beside him.

  Adele could only see utter blackness. She asked quietly, “Are we alone?”

  “So far as I can tell.”

  Gareth took her hand in his and guided her steps. The horrible stench returned, but she didn’t ask him about it. Her blindness brought disturbing thoughts. Her memory flashed on the terrible time she had crossed the Thames River via an underground tunnel. The thought of the teasing claws of the feral vampire that had found her in the damp darkness made her shudder against her will.

  “Can we strike a light?” Infuriating fear welled up in Adele. The dark shouldn’t be bothering her, but it had control at the moment. She struggled for breath in the stale air.

  “It would be safer if we didn’t.”

  “I know but—” Adele whispered, almost like a child.

  “Wait here.”

  Gareth left her side. His warmth fled quickly and Adele wrapped her arms around herself. Several minutes passed and Adele tried to still her hammering heart. She felt as if she were sinking into endless black ink, being slowly swallowed whole. She reached out her hands in desperation and whispered frantically, “Gareth?”

  When there was no answer, she took a step, then another, picking up speed. She slammed her knee into something hard. Her hand sank into a soft, crumbling mass. She reared back.

  Something grabbed her. She let out a shout.

  “It’s Gareth. It’s all right.”

  Adele gasped and clung to him. Then she punched him on his chest. “Don’t do that.”

  “Sorry. I found this.” He extricated himself from her grip. There was a spark of a flint and a small flame rose on an oil lamp. Warm light filled the tunnel. His form flickered into view and he smiled, but concern displaced his momentary triumph. “Are you all right?”

  “It’s just the dark,” she muttered, though it was far more than that. The dead zone that Goronwy had created was eating away at her mind. She was losing touch. “You know where you are going, right?”

  “It’s been a long time, but so long as no humans have done any new construction or there hasn’t been a collapse, I know exactly where I’m going.”

  “Let’s think cheery thoughts, shall we,” she said.

  They walked through the dark warrens of the past. Decaying foundations and crumbling stones. The limestone walls appeared to sweat in the glimmering lamplight. Water hung from the ceiling in crystal droplets, occasionally striking them as they walked. The Earth smelled of the dead, full of decay and blossoming mold.

  Abruptly, Gareth grabbed her hand and stopped her.
He had heard something. Then she heard it too. Hissing. Vampires. She reached for her weapon, but Gareth prevented her from pulling the blade from its sheath. Slapping the lamp down to the ground, he thrust her into a dark alcove. His fangs pierced her neck as he draped her body with his. Her eyes went wide in surprise and her gasp was loud in the echoing chamber.

  A group of vampires appeared. One laughed and another muttered, “Nice catch. Care to share?”

  “No,” Gareth snarled at them. His bloody lips moved across Adele’s neck. Her breath sounded ragged in the suffocating air.

  “Don’t blame you. We’ll find our own.” The vampires crept away.

  Gareth waited until they were well gone before he released her throat.

  She pushed herself unsteadily off the wall. “Any excuse for a kiss.”

  He grinned before rolling up his sleeve. He used a claw to slice open his forearm.

  “Here! What are you doing?”

  “We need to mask your scent. It’s an old trick I use as Greyfriar. The reverse can work for you, I think.” He drizzled blood into his palm and smeared it over Adele. “Those fellows came looking because they smelled human. If you smell like another vampire rather than a meal, we’ll encounter fewer. And I don’t have to bite you every few moments.”

  Adele stood stock still in horror as he covered her in his blood. She swallowed hard. Her neck throbbed with a burning heat. “It’s not like I don’t mind the biting. It actually shocked me back to the real world for an instant.”

  He looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry. This is the best way to keep you safe. Better this than being hunted down here.”

  Adele gave a sharp nod as Gareth wiped his hands on her clothes. “Let’s keep going. I want to get out of these catacombs.”

  Hours passed, or at least that’s how it felt. Adele’s feet scuffed through the debris on the floor. They reached a crossroads where another group of vampire stalked. Adele froze. Gareth placed his broad frame between her and the hunting pack. They hissed a greeting and moved on.

  When they were farther up the tunnel, Adele exhaled. “How could they not know I was human? Blood doesn’t cover it all.”

  “My blood masked you well enough. Any human scent they caught, they would’ve assumed was merely from an old meal. It won’t fool them up close, but it’s enough for now. Besides, we’re here.” He pointed up at an iron ladder.

  “Thank God,” Adele breathed.

  Gareth went first and pushed the iron hatch above their heads. It swung open with very little dust. That meant it had been used often, or at least fairly recently. Vampire faces peered down at Gareth, and Adele had no time to hide. She pulled her Fahrenheit blade, bathing her in a green glow.

  “Lord Gareth and the Death Bringer have returned to us,” Nadzia announced from above.

  CHAPTER 39

  Gareth assisted Adele out of the tunnel. The room was dark, but at least moonlight filtered through the window. The smell of the Seine drifted in. They were in the house on the Quai Voltaire. Kasteel’s loyal rebels crowded around, looking curiously at Adele and her blood-smeared face. She didn’t offer any explanation.

  Gareth left the matter as well, focusing instead on a figure forcing his way forward through the small crowd.

  “Lothaire!”

  His friend had heavy shadows around his eyes and deep creases in his brow. Something was wrong. It took a great deal to unsettle Lothaire’s easy manner, even in times of strife.

  “Gareth! I hoped you’d come. They seized Caterina. They’re going to execute her!”

  “What? She’s the queen. Who would dare?”

  “Hallow! And Honore, but he’s in her thrall. He’s lost to us.” Lothaire’s voice cracked and his voice fell silent save a choked-off sob.

  “Why was Caterina taken?” Adele wanted to know.

  Lothaire’s gaze snapped up. “She defended our family. Was she to stand by and let Hallow go after all our children? She did what any mother would do! She tried to kill Lady Hallow.”

  Gareth’s voice was desolate. “And she failed.”

  Nadzia hung her head. “We were there. I was afraid for the queen so I convinced Kasteel to come. We lost several members, but we couldn’t help her.” She turned to Lothaire. “I’m sorry.”

  The king gave Nadzia a comforting half smile, but slumped onto a bench. “Gareth, you must help me save what’s left of my family. You know what Caterina is to me.”

  Gareth exchanged a look with Adele. They couldn’t spare the time. Goronwy was their only priority.

  However, Adele asked Lothaire, “When is the execution?”

  “This morning,” came another voice, and Fanon appeared on the stairs amongst the rebels.

  “Fanon.” Gareth greeted the old soldier he had known from the Great Killing. “How do you know this?”

  “Because I was Honore’s bodyguard.” Fanon dropped his head in shame. “I was close to the Dauphin and Lady Hallow. But the execution is merely a ruse to draw the king out of hiding. They have no interest in the queen. I came here at her request to beg His Majesty to stay underground and not—”

  “No,” Lothaire interrupted. “Trap or not, we’ve stood by and let Hallow slowly take control of the clan. Finishing the corruption of Honore that Cesare began. Bringing the damned Witchfinder into Paris. And now it turns out that disgusting human has Flay on a leash. Flay! I’ll not have my city fall to the likes of them!”

  Gareth said, “But if Fanon says this whole affair is a show, why walk into their trap?”

  Lothaire turned his pained gaze on his old friend. “I would like your help. I will do it alone, if necessary. But I ask you as a friend, and as a friend of Caterina’s. Please. I have no belief that Hallow or Flay can be trusted to be reasonable. I can’t bear to see Caterina mistreated. I’ll give up Paris before I lose her.” He gestured to Adele. “Could you leave her in the hands of your enemies?”

  Adele touched Gareth on the arm. “There’s no time for us to do both.” Her attention was on the rebels gathered around them. “But we are not alone.”

  He understood her implication. With the city choked with vampires, and Flay at their head, these rebels were a petty force. Splitting them seemed like suicide. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Lothaire and Caterina are your friends. They were willing to help you when you had no one. You can’t abandon them.”

  Gareth turned to Kasteel. “I need you.”

  The rebel chief went ramrod straight. “We’re yours.”

  “Good. Thank you.” Gareth pointed at Nadzia. “You will take ten and go with Lothaire.”

  Lothaire turned to Fanon. “And I have a mission for you, old friend. Do you know where my children are being kept?”

  “I do.”

  “Then go and bring them out. In case, we lose control of the clan, I want them safe from Flay. Even if Caterina and I don’t survive, I task you with protecting our children.”

  Fanon nodded. “Done.”

  Nadzia pointed at several of the group and they moved to stand with the king. The young female seemed pleased to be with Lothaire.

  Adele said, “Then that leaves us with finding Goronwy.”

  Fanon looked up. “I know where he is.”

  Gareth laughed. “Fanon, you’re magnificent.”

  “When he returned from Asia, he moved out of Versailles and into the city.”

  Adele muttered a curse. “He’s inside my dead zone. He knew I was coming.”

  “Is he in the palace?” Gareth asked.

  “No. He took the old church on the island.”

  “Notre Dame,” Adele whispered. “The cathedral sits on a major rift. It will make it easier for him to extend his power anywhere around the world.”

  With the rising sun, Adele and Gareth led their small crew of fifteen back out into the city. They paralleled the Seine, but stuck to narrow alleys that afforded Adele some cover. Kasteel and his rebels traveled above them, slipping through the black cloud that swarmed
over their heads. Eventually they turned for the bridge that would take them to the Île de la Cité. The wide avenue ahead of them made Adele pause. The air above undulated with vampires. Gareth grabbed Adele a bit roughly and dragged her after him.

  “Keep your head down,” he commanded. “Act like a meal.”

  She gave him a sour look but immediately obeyed, hunching her shoulders and stumbling after his quick pace. Shadow after shadow swept the ground around them. Some loomed large, as vampires swooped down to inspect the duo. The small of Adele’s back twitched, knowing that hundreds of eyes watched them.

  They stepped onto the bridge. It was a terrifying open expanse littered with corpses. Adele’s heart drilled in her chest as a great cloud darkened their path. The frantic collisions of their countless voices awakened echoes of the chanting of Yidak’s Tibetan monks. The memories of those near musical recitations slicing the clean, frigid air and its similarity to the wild gurgling of violent animals she heard here in Paris nearly brought tears to Adele’s eyes.

  “Don’t look up,” Gareth snarled, jerking her nearly off her feet. His gruff demeanor seemed to send the right message to the vampires circling them.

  “Leave your meal and join the pack,” came a hissing voice from behind.

  “I will as soon as I see to my duties,” was Gareth’s sharp retort. He didn’t stop walking.

  More growls sounded nearby. Gareth pulled Adele close against his chest, his arm pinning her there. “This one knows where the rebels may be hiding. The Dauphin will want to talk to her.”

  “Then I will take the human there.” A vampire landed in front of them and reached for Adele.

  Gareth swiped with his claws, ripping open the vampire’s forearm. “The glory will be mine. I found her.”

  As the vampire jerked back his bloody arm, Gareth took a warning step forward, dragging Adele with him. With the sharp tone of a general expecting to be obeyed, he commanded, “Go back to your duties.”