Rift Walker, The (Vampire Empire, Book 2)
Page 10
Adele was again covered in a long robe and veil, well hidden from curious eyes. Many affluent diners in sidewalk cafés and prominent strollers making the nightly promenade would have known the princess on sight. Very few knew Mamoru, dressed in his best black suit and pearl-grey homburg. His walking stick ticked along the pavement, keeping pace with his grey-spatted shoes. He was undeniably handsome, Adele noted, almost regal. He maneuvered the avenues with comfort.
“This is a surprising turn,” she said while staring into glittering shop windows at jewelry displays as if this were a normal stroll. Couples passed with much hat tipping and fan fluttering. Their blank polite faces caused Adele to abandon her fear of discovery, even though some of the faces were known to her. Lord So-and-So. Lady Somebody. I-Can't-Quite-Recall Pasha.
“I felt we had issues to discuss that were best done away from the prying ears of the court. And I assumed you have no problem slipping away from the palace for an evening.”
“An evening? I could happily slip away for a lifetime.”
Mamoru reached into his waistcoat and drew out a thin gold chain. As he held it up, Adele saw a crystal pendant, a talisman, like the one he had given her before her ill-fated trip to France. The one she had lost to the vampires.
“I would like you to have this,” he said.
“Oh, thank you.” Adele took it eagerly and felt her hand tingle. She studied its sharp bluish edges. “I feel it. And I taste it. Ice.”
The samurai smiled. “Excellent. That crystal is from far to the Arctic north. You are experiencing its nature. As do the best geomancers.”
Rather than peppering Mamoru with questions, Adele stayed quiet, inviting him to fill the silence.
He continued, “All humans are geomancers, to some very limited extent. We live on the earth. But most cannot access that knowledge, except perhaps through corollary activities such as prayer or meditation. Vampires have this same connection to the earth, but on an infinitely more sensitive level.” Mamoru enfolded her hand that held the crystal with his own. “Geomancy gives us knowledge and weapons to affect vampires. It serves as a focus to assault their heightened senses. Those few with the skills still require tools to manipulate that knowledge. Botany. Crystallography and mineralogy. Chemistry and prayer. These are all paths to awareness and control. Geomancy is not some ancient method of divination. We do not throw sand in the air and study how it falls for a key to the future. We seek to understand and codify the rules that will make these disparate practices into a unified and predictable science. There are a number of us who can already wield this knowledge and power definitely.”
Adele asked, “Like your man Selkirk whom I met in London? Won't you tell me about him?”
Mamoru tipped his hat brim to a passing couple. “Selkirk is one of my geomancers. I have a collection of these specialists around the world.”
“He could make himself invisible to vampires.”
“Yes. A few are such extraordinary adepts, they don't just feel the power of the Earth, they manipulate it. Like saints or mystics of old. Selkirk is the best I've seen. He can use the spines to shield himself from vampire senses.”
“Spines? The dragon spines? You mean ley lines?”
“What the old British culture called ley lines are known by many names. In the East, we called them dragon spines. It is the web of the earth. They are proof of the power of creation. My geomancers are mapping the spines and particularly the locations where spines intersect. These intersections are called rifts, and they are places of extraordinary power and sensitivity. Many of these rifts are marked with stone circles from ancient times when our ancestors were more attuned to the earth's power and used it against the great evil of the vampires, or whatever name they called it in their particular locations. Spirits. Ghosts. Djinns. Monsters. All spring from vampires.”
“So Selkirk can only hide from vampires on a ley line or a rift?”
“Yes.” Mamoru chuckled. “His geomancy is prodigious, but compared to yours, it's nothing. You will walk the rifts like no one else on Earth.”
“I will?” Adele stared at her teacher. He was hypnotic. His eyes were clear; his voice was steady. She put a hand to her damp forehead.
“You have nothing to fear,” he said softly. “Your education will proceed at your pace.”
Excitement surged in her chest. With so much in her life out of her control—both the wedding and Gareth—she craved a path she could follow on her own. She wanted to build something of her own making. This was the knowledge she wanted. This was a key to everything in the world. She didn't know how, but she knew it was so.
Mamoru continued, “This is a secret. Between us. We cannot bear for it to become known. Tell no one. Not your brother. Not your maid. Not your cat. The court would not smile on this education.”
“Of course.”
Mamoru gave a tight bow. “Your mother would be very proud.”
“My mother?” Adele's voice caught.
“I taught her too. She was a most excellent student. A gifted geomancer.”
She asked, “And my father?”
“Alas, no. He is of the steel-and-steam school, a consummate technocrat. A magnificent man to be sure, but his vision does not extend to what he considers to be occult knowledge. I have some of your mother's papers and notes. I'll bring them to you.”
“Why didn't you tell me any of this before?”
“You weren't ready. Or so I thought. But I am convinced there is nothing for which you are not ready. Now, what do you know of the Soma?” Mamoru asked as he again touched his hat brim with soft grey gloves to a passing dowager.
Adele was preoccupied by thoughts of her mother treading, in some way, the same path she was on. She barely heard his question. “Soma? That's what they used to call Karnak Square. Where Alexander the Great was supposedly buried. So my mother had great skill in geomancy?”
“She did, yes. But that is not the topic for tonight. If you will give me your attention for now, I will tell you about your mother's studies in the future. Now, the Soma. Yes, Alexander was buried here, although his body may have been taken elsewhere later. Or it may still remain under our feet somewhere.”
Adele got the glint of adventure in her eyes. “Are we going to look for him?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Here.” Mamoru stopped at a corner.
Adele said, “So Alexander was buried here? Hmm. Now his neighbors are a bank, a hotel, town homes, and shops. Likely not what he had in mind for eternity.”
“What do you feel?”
She shrugged. “What do you mean?”
Then, beneath the assault of horses and hoarse voices, the clatter of wheels and wheezing of motors, and the strangling stench of humans and chemicals, she did feel something. Warmth opened inside her and filled her with calm. The noise faded, and confusion seemed unimportant.
Mamoru could see the change come over her. “You sense it so quickly. There is a rift here. Come. Let's move somewhere more conducive to conversation.”
He led the way into the sumptuous lobby of the massive Hotel Saladin, where bellmen bowed deeply. Patrons sat in clutches, smoking cigarettes or pipes, sharing a cocktail, laughing or deep in conversation. Gas chandeliers glimmered overhead. Adele could still sense the heat emanating from the rift, but it was just a warm glow, distant yet comforting. Mamoru angled to a dark, wooden door set into an alcove surrounded by luxurious palms. He slid between the foliage and opened the door.
The princess stared wide-eyed after her silent teacher. She lifted the hem of her robe and followed. “Is this your secret geomancer society?”
“No. Could you please not say ‘secret geomancer society' out loud?”
Adele was awash in the stench of burning hashish. She instantly covered her nose.
Mamoru turned back. “Ah yes. I would recommend you not breathe too deeply. Unless you have a predilection for hashish I am not aware of.”
“Funny.” Then Adele
asked from behind her hand, “What is this place?”
“It's a hash den, of course. Please step in.”
She entered to find the most well-appointed hashish parlor she'd ever seen. Not that she'd seen one, but she'd read about the vile coves of sin in a few of the penny dreadfuls. This place could have been a fine coffeehouse on the Rue Rosette or the ultrafashionable Rue Sherif Pasha. Overhead fans turning slowly were reflected in the dark, lush wooden walls studded with brass fixtures. Comfortable divans nestled in private alcoves along with full-curtained opium beds. A small Turkish band droned from the corner. It was quite crowded; obviously, it was a very popular hash den.
Adele almost pointed and instead exclaimed in a hushed voice, “Is that Lord Gillingham from Treasury?”
Mamoru arched his eyebrows. “Yes. I believe it is.”
“That's not Lady Gillingham with him.”
“Definitely not.”
Startled by a familiar face glimpsed through the hashish haze, Adele backed behind a large leafy palm. “You criticize me for walking the back streets, but you bring me here? There are people I know. What if I'm recognized?”
Mamoru turned calmly. “No one even noticed you until you leapt into this shrub.” He moved close to her. “This is simply a hashish parlor favored by certain men of the city. It is quite safe.”
“Mamoru, do you take hashish?”
“Don't be silly.”
“Good evening, Mamoru pasha.” A white-robed man in a tarboosh bowed to the Japanese visitor. “Good to see you again. Your usual room is ready.”
“Thank you, Khalifi.” He turned back to Adele. “Are you capable of crossing the room without breaking into an impromptu scene from a drawing-room comedy?”
Scowling at her mentor, Adele stepped away from the plant, her hand at her waist where her Fahrenheit dagger lay beneath her robe.
Mamoru regarded her blandly. “This is a gentleman's club. It is doubtful you'll have reason to stab anyone.”
“I'm not sure what to expect anymore.”
They crossed the parquet floor. Adele kept her head down and her shoulders hunched. Few paid her any attention, although there were occasional eyes tracking the nattily attired Easterner and his veiled companion. Mamoru pushed back a sliding panel and ushered Adele into a spacious private room. Large pillows surrounded a low, brass table in the center of the room. Several plush divans lined the walls, which sported beautiful tapestries.
The waiter asked, “Your usual, Mamoru pasha?”
Adele tensed in surprise as Mamoru told him yes and correctly ordered green tea for her. When the waiter withdrew, she barked, “You have a usual?”
“Yes. Turkish coffee.”
“Oh.”
“I assure you, Highness, I am not an opium eater. I use this room because it is private; everyone minds their own affairs.” Mamoru paused as the waiter brought a tray of drinks and sweets, then left dutifully. “What do you feel?”
Adele took a deep breath and concentrated. She thought she felt something but wasn't sure. Her heart sank. Something was wrong. She felt nothing. The warmth was gone, crowded out by growing confusion.
“You're trying too hard now,” Mamoru said. “Stop thinking about it and listen to me. And sit down, please. Using the furniture won't make you an addict.”
She settled with a sarcastic tilt of her head onto a couch with her tea.
Mamoru paced. “All nature can be described by science, although we may not possess the knowledge to codify it. What we do not yet grasp or accept is often described by rules called superstition or magic or religion. These rules are vaguely comprehended, like some aspects of chemistry or physics. However, if properly understood and applied, these occult rules describe a science as reproducible as any chemical process.”
Adele interrupted. “But at Sir Godfrey's I wasn't doing anything consciously. I wasn't exercising any knowledge.”
“Do you know individuals who are natural athletes or musicians or mathematicians? Or have extraordinary memories? While others, try as they might, simply never excel?”
Adele shrugged in assent.
He continued, “While all humans have shared abilities, there is a wide range of variation within humanity.”
“Like speed in horses?”
“Yes. We understand the nature of breeding animals for particular traits. Humans are animals. All aspects of our nature are created by our composition; we simply don't understand fully the mechanisms of those traits. You have brown eyes. Your children will likely have brown eyes. Why? We don't know—some pieces of information that migrate from you to your offspring.”
“Why do we—?”
Mamoru waved his hand. “I've gone too far afield already. I am not a biologist. I am a geomancer, so let me confine my comments to that discipline. Throughout time, many people have sought to make sense of their place on Earth with concepts typically known as magic or faith. Modern geomancy has gone far beyond that to create a sophisticated system of knowledge. It is not yet an accepted system. It is not yet complete, as is chemistry, for example. We cannot yet answer all the questions our science raises, which is the great test of a science. But that will change with you.”
Adele looked at him with surprise.
He said, “It's true. You are the transcendent figure in the geomantic sciences. You will allow us to codify the science, first by experience, and then by interpreting that experience into human terms. Geomancy will usher in a new age for humanity. We will advance more in the next century than we have in all previous history.”
Adele slowly raised her hand like a confused student.
Mamoru pointed at her. “Yes?”
“I am going to do all that?” Her disbelief showed in the slow rise of her eyebrows.
Mamoru sat next to her with a comforting sigh. “Not you alone. I will be with you every step. Teaching you, and, I suspect, learning from you. And there are many others around the world ready for the revolution of ideas. Ready for you.”
He leapt to his feet again. “I can't tell you how eager I am to be under way. I have bided my time for so long. I knew you were the right studentut, but the court controlled you. Lord Kelvin and his technocrats are not friendly toward explanations of the world that do not involve combustion or pig iron.”
Adele's elation was tempered by a little trepidation at being part of some vast secret scheme. But she had seen the force of this power and knew it could be a key to help destroy Cesare and protect her people, and all humans.
She asked, “How do we proceed?”
“What do you feel?”
A searing excitement passed through her. It had come on as she watched Mamoru spring in front of her like a boy. It was more than that, however; she had again invited some omnipresent energy to filter through her. She could stretch out her hands, but there was no limit to her reach, across the city, or wherever she wanted.
“Yes,” Mamoru said quietly. He reached into his coat pocket and removed a white crystal several inches long and placed it in her hand, jarring her awareness back to the room.
Adele felt heaviness in her hand and a drag on her arm as she moved it through the air. She tilted the crystal, and it was as though her hand had plunged into a stiff flow of warm water. Through her motions, the current shifted in one direction or another. Every time she moved the crystal, she felt physical reactions all around her. She was inside some great river of energy, but was altering its course with her movements.
“I don't understand. What is the crystal doing?” she asked.
“It is a focus for your natural talent. It's a lever and you are the fulcrum. You are moving the earth.”
“What?”
Mamoru chuckled. “Since you are near a rift, the earth's energy is close and thick. You feel it. The crystal allows you to engage it, although I'm surprised you can touch it and still talk to me. Such a feat normally requires total concentration from even the most adept of geomancers, but you wield it like it's a simple act.”
“No. The power is so vast it barely notices you. Yet.”
“Is this how Selkirk does his magic?”
“It isn't magic. But yes.”
“So would vampires see me now?”
“Yes. You are simply dipping into the sea. You are not directing the waves.”
“Will I learn to control it on command?”
“Soon enough. The crystal, please.”
Adele gave a few more twists, exulting in the sensations under her skin. Then with a disappointed huff, she passed the stone to her teacher.
Mamoru shouted and drew back his arm. He grasped his hand in pain. The crystal hit the floor with a splatter. Silvery drops splashed and a tiny sliver of stone lay in a small pool.
Mamoru forgot his scorched hand as he stared at the liquefied crystal.
She saw the incredulity etched on Mamoru's face. She had never seen him truly surprised and found it disturbing.
“I'm sorry,” she said. “I ruined it.”
“No, Highness.” He exhaled and sat down heavily. A slow smile drew his lips up. “Not at all. It's just a bit unnerving to finally see one's dreams made flesh.”
CESARE'S INVITATION HAD been vague. “An event” the messenger had said. The leaders of the new Grand Coalition would all be present—Draken, Ashkenazy, Fen, and of course, Prince Cesare as master of ceremonies. The event was being held north of London, well north, at a pointless town named Hawkshaw. Gareth had never been there, although as Greyfriar he'd heard it mentioned by humans in Britain as a place relatively free of vampire threat.
Gareth suspected that his brother preferred he not make an appearance because Cesare's interlocutor had appeared with the message at the doors of Gareth's London abode mere hours before the event was to begin. However, he felt compelled to rush northward in case Cesare was testing the strength of their new fraternal bond. And it was yet another opportunity for Gareth to find out all he could about his brother's scheme.