The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith

by Clay; Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith

  "They were organized before the Great Killing, although not quite so rigidly as now."

  "So these things have always lived next to us?"

  "Yes. The clans have existed on the fringes of the human world from the dawn of time."

  Adele leaned forward with her eyes sharp and bright. "What about now? Where is the center of vampire power?"

  Greyfriar shook his head. "It's not that simple, Princess. Each clan has its own king and nobles. They sometimes unite in common cause, as they did for the Great Killing, but the vampire north is not a single entity. And that doesn't even account for the clans in America and Asia."

  "America and Asia will come in time. I'm concerned with Europe. If you had an army, where would you strike to cripple them? Paris? Vienna?"

  Greyfriar leaned on a table, hands spread wide, as if at a war council, and said to Adele, "Paris is decayed. Their king died decades back, and a power struggle has diminished them. Vienna is a necropolis. Even vampires have deserted it."

  "Then who? Where is the heart of their power? London?"

  The swordsman paused in thought. "Perhaps. London is strong and unified. King Dmitri has maintained his hold on his throne. His lords are loyal to him. Or loyal to Dmitri's son, Cesare."

  "Cesare. I've heard his name before," Adele said.

  "I'm sure that would please him. During the Great Killing he took control of the British clan, which he continues to rule through his father, Dmitri. There is an older son, Gareth, but he is of no matter. Cesare is the true ruler. He was the one who ordered every man, woman, and child in Ireland to be slaughtered."

  "My God," she whispered. "I've read about that. Could that be true? It seems an impossible act of barbarism."

  "It is true. There is no act too barbaric for Cesare to contemplate. There are nearly no humans in Ireland still." The swordsman glanced up at Adele. He paused before saying, "Then you are not aware that Flay was the vampire who led the slaughter in Ireland."

  "The one who is chasing me?" Adele's voice seemed far away.

  "The very one. I'm sorry. But rest assured I will protect you." Abruptly, Greyfriar turned. "I have to go."

  "What? Where are you going?" She had lost everyone she relied on-Simon and Anhalt-and now Greyfriar was leaving.

  "To scout the area."

  "But you'll be back, right?" Adele knew she sounded desperate, and she hated it. This fear inside her was like a living thing suddenly, and she had kept it at bay for so long that it now seemed impossible to control.

  "Yes, I'll be back."

  "Of course." Adele sat up straighter. "I'm sorry. I sound like a lost little girl."

  Greyfriar's head tilted a bit as he regarded her. "You have the right. You've been through an ordeal. The fear will ease in time. Never be ashamed of fear. Use it as a weapon. Let it give you strength and resolve. I've seen you manage it these past few days. You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

  Adele smiled, grateful for his words. It pushed back her anxiety and made it bearable again. "You deserve a reward for your own bravery. I could recommend my father to make you a duke. Would you like to be viceroy of Somaliland?" Her smile broadened with a trace of personal amusement, almost embracing the little girl again. "Or we could give you a palace. We could throw Lord Kelvin out of his. He's terribly annoying, but he has a beautiful mansion on the Rue Victoria. It's got a garden with-"

  Greyfriar held up a gloved hand and laughed, a low rumbling in his chest. "Thank you for the offer. But I don't need a palace."

  "I wish Simon had been able to meet you, the legendary Greyfriar. He would have been thrilled." The girl looked out through the open window and was cast back to the battle and her poor brother's limp body. "I couldn't save him. I was so helpless," she said quietly, almost to herself.

  "On the contrary, I've never seen a human perform so well against vampires."

  "You think so?"

  "Yes. Your decapitation with a saber was amazing. If I had been in your place, even I would have had trouble hearing that vampire. But you turned and struck cleanly and surely. You were certainly more effective than your soldiers. So whatever disciplines you are studying, the imperial army would do well to study them too."

  His words removed some of her dark guilt. Adele stretched and pushed the plate of food away. It had tasted delicious. Amazing how such simple fare could seem so divine after a brush with death. Everything tasted more intense and flavorful. All her emotions seemed stronger and at the same time more sweet.

  Adele saw the swordsman arranging several packs that he had left near the door. "What's in the bags?"

  "Ammunition." Greyfriar stroked one pack with care. "And a book."

  "A book?" Adele's face lit up with curiosity.

  "A gift." He opened the pack and removed a leather-bound folio. "I've kept it here. But now I'm going to take it with me."

  "What is it?" Adele leaned forward.

  "An anatomy text." The man held the book open, facing her.

  Adele's eyes widened at the sight of a masterful pen drawing of a cadaver with its chest cavity split open. The princess squinted at the picture. "What is that?"

  Greyfriar turned the book away from Adele and studied the dissection plate. "It's Randolph's Treatise on Homo Nosferatii. I'm told the finest text on the subject of vampire anatomy. Apparently, Dr. Randolph has dissected more vampires than any other human. At your own Academy of Sciences, by the way. He is a very learned man."

  "Sir Godfrey Randolph? Yes, I've met him. He's retired now, but I believe he lives near Cairo. I could arrange for you to talk to him."

  Greyfriar leaned forward in consideration. "A gracious offer but impractical. Thank you. His book will have to do for now."

  "Why do you care about vampire bodies?"

  The swordsman closed the book and replaced it in his rucksack. "You must know your enemy." He donned his cloak again, apparently eager to go.

  "So you like books?" Adele asked quickly.

  "Yes. Books are very rare in the north." The swordsman opened the door, but then paused and turned toward her. "Sleep well tonight. I'll return in a short while."

  And he was gone. Adele felt an immediate loss that she knew instinctively was silly. Such fondness was only due to the dire circumstance they had shared and his selfless acts to save her life. But still she enjoyed the emotion. It was one she had never felt so strongly before. He made her feel safe. Which was an amazing feat in this day and age.

  CHAPTER

  DEL JERKED FREE from a nightmare of running barefoot and alone through charnel halls of ships with the screams of the dying ringing in her ears. She sat up in the bed and encircled her knees with her arms. She was fully dressed, feeling too vulnerable to shed her clothing.

  "It was just a dream," she whispered. "Just a dream."

  The simple house in Riez was quiet, cold, and dark. Adele knew she should rest more. Greyfriar had sent word of her survival to Equatoria, and soon an army would be about her that would rival a full-fledged invasion. Her father would take no chances. Vampires would never be so bold as to attack the huge force he would send to retrieve her.

  It made her ill to think of how close they had come.

  Suddenly in the dark came a hard thunk. Adele straightened immediately, straining to hear more. Perhaps it had not been the dream that woke her. Someone was awake downstairs. Greyfriar, she thought, back from scouting. She rose to her feet and padded to the bedroom door, hoping to hear whom it could be awake at this hour.

  Another loud thump. This time there was a low moan and an abruptly hushed cry along with it. Adele's eyes flew wide, and she threw the lock on the door. She scrambled back to her bed, drawing out the blade she had hidden under the pillow. Something large and dark flew past the window. Flinging herself to the shutters, she fumbled with the latch as her fingers grasped the knife tightly.

  They had come for her! They were in the house!

  She let out a shrill scream to wake everyone, lest they
be caught in their sleep. It would give her position away, but that couldn't be helped. She screamed Greyfriar's name as loud as she could. Abruptly there were screams all around her as the house woke and found themselves facing horrors at their bedroom doors.

  Then a sound reached Adele's ears that plunged her hope to the cold ground: terrible hissing right outside her door. She pulled herself back into a corner of the room, silent now. The handle lifted up and down. Then something shoved hard against the door.

  Should she wait here, or should she flee? She chose the latter and ran for the window, throwing back the shutters and yanking it open. She looked about for a ledge. There was a balcony just below her, small but manageable. She had one leg over the sill when the wood of the door splintered apart as a vampire clawed its way inside.

  Adele slid out the window, dropping a few feet to the balcony below. Her room was only two stories up, so she could reach the ground with one more drop. She climbed the wrought iron rail of the balcony and hung as low as her arms could take her before dropping. It would be only seconds before they were after her.

  The princess hit the ground and collapsed, going as limp as possible to absorb the impact of the fall. Her teeth snapped shut; luckily her tongue had not been caught in them. She tumbled twice, scrambled to her feet, and ran. She didn't dare turn to look behind her. It was best to assume the vampires were right on her heels. What she needed was a defensible position until Greyfriar came. She believed he would come. She just had to stay alive long enough for him to reach her.

  Adele heard hissing close behind. One of the creatures had found her and was signaling to its brethren, but the hissing also gave its location to her without having to look. She suddenly stopped and spun. Her glowing blade flashed straight across the vampire's throat, and the hissing stopped. The thing clutched the gaping slash with both hands, his eyes wide with surprise. Adele had no desire to stand and gawk. There were sounds of chaos all around her. Screams and shrieks assailed her ears. The village was under attack. She knew she couldn't hide. If there was anything to be done, she had to try. Adele ran along the street to find it awash in blood. Bodies were everywhere. Adele kept to the dark places to hide from watchful eyes above. Every few seconds shadows would slink over the ground as a vampire drifted overhead looking for prey.

  A young woman darted in front of Adele, looking behind her in sheer terror. She screamed as a dark form fell on her, bearing her to the ground. Adele plunged her dagger into the creature up to the hilt, again and again, blood and smoke splattering around her. The thing hissed and arched back, more out of aggravation than pain. Adele grabbed him by the shoulder to better anchor herself, and suddenly the vampire began screeching. The vampire writhed and threw himself away from the princess. He rolled and scrambled to his feet, slipping away into the darkness with amazing quickness. Adele helped the poor woman to her feet.

  "It's you!" the woman screeched. "You're the stranger! You came with the Greyfriar! They're here for you! You're the reason they've come! "

  The accusation bit deep into Adele because the woman was right. She had saved one, but ten more died beyond her reach.

  Adele shook the woman to get her attention. "Hide yourself and stay quiet."

  She had to find Greyfriar. No doubt he was somewhere protecting those he could. Or he was coming for her. Maybe she should stay where she was so he could find her. Fate took that decision from Adele.

  Three people fled their home no more than twenty feet in front of her. In a matter of seconds, a female vampire descended upon them. One man died instantly from her sharp claws. Another man screamed as the vampire turned to him.

  Adele ran forward, hoping to do something, anything. The vampire sensed her approach, raising a bloody hand and licking the red as her attention turned to her new victim. The princess didn't slow, but rushed forward, her right arm drawn around in front of her and resting on her left side. It didn't rest for long. As soon as she was close enough to strike she brought it around in a wide arc. The Fahrenheit dagger ripped through the vampire's abdomen, slicing through coat and flesh.

  The beast looked down in surprise. Adele was already spinning for a second sweep. But the vampire blocked it. Adele kicked out and struck where her blade had cut. The female screamed as she was flung backward, smoke rising from the wound. As Adele came forward, the creature scrambled away. Then more shadows glided over the street and two vampires lit on the ground beside their whimpering brethren.

  Adele knew she was outmatched. She backpedaled, lifting her weapon toward the first creature as it rushed her, trying to see the other one too. The blade cast a green hue to her attackers' faces, making them even more horrific. Her blade blocked the first, but her stance was too awkward to avoid the second. The vampire surged toward her legs.

  Then a cloaked shape rushed past her shoulder and slammed the second vampire to the ground in a cloud of dust.

  "Greyfriar!"

  His tall figure leapt, and he drew his rapier while in the air, the blade falling as he came down. A bloody head lolled to the side. The swordsman didn't stop moving but rushed the vampire Adele was barely holding at bay. The creature withdrew from her and turned to face the cowled vampire hunter. Clawed hands rose to strike the man across the face, but Greyfriar ducked and thrust through the chest of his opponent, twisting the blade to destroy the heart. The body fell to the ground, and Greyfriar turned to Adele.

  She wanted to run to him and collapse in his arms. Her breath was ragged with spent adrenaline. Her hand reached out to touch him and he flinched.

  "I couldn't find you," she whispered.

  "I shouldn't have left," was his pained response. "We must go."

  "Princess."

  Her title was practically whispered from a dark silhouette along the stone wall. Adele's skin crawled as the word slipped over her.

  "You will be leaving, but with me." It was a female voice.

  Greyfriar shoved Adele behind him as Flay stepped out of the shadows. The tall figure entered the moonlight, her skin almost white in its reflection. Her black braid was still perfect, not a hair on her head displaced.

  "No, not this time, Flay," Greyfriar informed her.

  Flay's mouth quirked slightly and she regarded the swordsman. "You are only one man." She almost spat the last word.

  As if on command, several vampires drifted down on both sides of her, all of them flecked with gore and streaks of crimson across their mouths. Some stood, while others crouched like animals, hissing and licking at the spots of blood on their bodies.

  "There is no one left alive to help you." Flay took another step forward. "As if they could or would."

  Greyfriar said, "You killed an entire town just to get one girl?"

  "They were in my way. As are you."

  Flay did not attack, but her minions did. They rushed Greyfriar like rabid animals. Adele was actually shoved aside by the vampires scrambling after their single purpose, to kill her companion. He fought back, blade flashing in the moonlight. Blood sprayed as steel sliced into the pack of vampires.

  Flay screeched a command at an underling, and the male stepped hesitantly toward the princess. Adele raised her blade to strike, but suddenly her arms were pinioned from behind amid a horrible hiss of agony. The vampire in front of her lashed out with blurring speed. She braced for the pain, but the thing only ripped open her heavy blouse, seized her stone talisman, and pulled it off her neck. As the thing flung the crystal pendant into the night, the vampire was already screaming and falling to the ground from a pain that wasn't just physical. Adele's arms were released, and she suddenly felt defenseless without her talisman.

  Adele surged forward, her blade raised high, but she was seized by her hair and thrown into a wall. Bright light and darkness exploded. Adele tried to get to her feet. Dust from the shattered stone fell over her like pixie dust. Again she was picked up by her hair, her feet dangling. Her wrist was twisted until the glowing dagger dropped from numb fingers.

  Adel
e's eyes focused on the face of Flay.

  "You are dangerous no longer, and now you are mine, Princess." Disdain dripped from Flay's lips, and she threw Adele to two vampires who had just drifted down. They pulled the khukri scabbard from her belt, tossed it aside, and started dragging the girl away.

  "Greyfriar!" Adele screamed.

  "Princess!" Greyfriar struggled to free himself from the mire of pale creatures. His feet slipped in the blood that pooled on the ground. He swung his blade in a wide arc, decapitating one. Leaping high into the air, he twisted around, frantic to come to Adele's aid, but four more vampires surged after him, dragging him down. His rapier hacked and battered in ways most unbecoming to its usual poetic dance. There was no time for finesse.

  Gaining only a moment's respite, Greyfriar craned his neck around, trying to see Adele, but she was already gone. Another trio of vampires advanced on him. They were meant to delay him. And it was working. Flay stood behind them, her lips pulled back in joyful satisfaction.

  Through her haze, Adele saw an airship at rest. It was a small derelict sloop or brig painted black and carrying no lights. A vampire carried her up the gangplank and dropped her roughly onto the grimy deck. One creature knelt next to her, putting a clawed hand sharply against her back and pressing her down. The beast shouted orders in slurred English.

  Adele watched human crewmen scurry about. She felt the bile of anger rising in her throat. Bloodmen. Humans who willingly served the vampires. Vampires could not-indeed, would not-fly an airship. That was menial human work, so they had menial humans to do it.

  The princess heard the telltale sound of chemical bags filling overhead. The deck swayed and the ship gathered upward momentum. Humans clambered into the rigging to set the sails.

  When the ghostly craft was well away, the vampire released his grip on Adele. She immediately leapt to her feet and raced for the rail. Something grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back. Before she could lash out, a pair of strong arms seized her and spun her around. She felt the hot breath of a human on her face. Standing close in front of her was the haunted figure of the airship's captain in a ragged costume that was a mockery of a true naval uniform.