"So," she said plainly, "we must be off the coast of Scotland by now. Yes? I wonder that there is somewhere safe in Scotland. That's Prince Gareth's territory."
Greyfriar started. "Yes, it is Scotland. But you have nothing to fear from Prince Gareth."
"How do you know?"
"Didn't you meet him in London?"
"Yes. So?"
"What ... what did you think of him?"
The princess shrugged. "I don't know. He was odd. He seemed to have an interest in human culture."
"Yes. He is not your enemy."
"Well, in any case, he certainly seemed better than Cesare."
"Thank you."
"What?"
"Nothing. Humans are safer in Scotland than anywhere in Britain." Before Adele could ask any further questions, he pointed. "There. Turn into that inlet. Careful. I'm told the sea is rough. We'll put ashore and walk the rest of the way."
Adele obediently adjusted the tiller and trimmed the sail. She guided the boat around a rocky promontory. There were signs of a town along the shoreline and the caustic scent of smoke in the air. After many minutes of careful and strenuous sailing, she coaxed the waterlogged old boat to the shore. When they drew close, Greyfriar leapt into the freezing water and wrestled the boat until it scraped onto the rocky bottom. Then he gave a hand to Adele. The footing on the rocks was precarious, but Greyfriar did not let go of her hand as they made their way dripping wet onto the jagged shore and away from the sea.
Eventually the ground evened out and they crossed what looked to be an old wagon-rutted road. Adele hesitated, instinct immediately warning her to stick to areas not so well traveled, but to her surprise Greyfriar shook his head.
"We will be safe enough. I know this area well."
Alarms were beginning to sound in her. How could a lone human be so at ease so deep inside vampire territory? She saw the distant grey skyline of a city. A forest of smoke rose from many chimneys.
"What is that place?" Adele looked around with increasing distress.
"Edinburgh."
"Edinburgh? Are you insane? Why go there?"
"You must trust me, Princess. What I do is for your safety."
Adele stopped dead in her tracks. She could see clearly a brooding castle rising in the distance, crouched on a bare rock face overlooking the grey city. Its black stones hovered like shadows in the dispersing fog. She knew what monsters lived there.
Greyfriar had hoped they'd be closer before he had to show himself. They were still out in the open and therefore still vulnerable. But he knew that the trust he had garnered with Adele was rapidly dissipating. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "I once told you that your trust would be tested."
"But this seems a trifle extreme," Adele snapped, glancing about for the enemy. "How could this possibly be a safe haven? I'm no better off here than I was when a prisoner of Cesare!"
"I'll explain everything soon. We just need to go a bit farther."
Defiant and fearful, she refused. "I want answers first. I've followed you blindly long enough. I need to know what our plans are, right now!"
Greyfriar laughed quietly, but there was no trace of mirth in it. His chest rose and fell with a shuddering breath. The camaraderie they had shared these last days ended now.
Greyfriar looked into her eyes, knowing that it would be the last time he would see familiarity and warmth in them. He drew in one more tantalizing breath of her subtle scent. Then with his arms he threw back the cape and drew a sword. To her surprise, he handed it to her. Adele's face was a painting of curiosity and shock, her mouth held in that perfect 0 shape. He pulled his pistols and then his daggers. He laid them at her feet. She held the sword with one end cradled in the crook of her arm.
Completely unarmed, he reached out a gloved hand and slowly drew down his mask, and with the other he pulled away the glasses from his eyes to reveal himself as Prince Gareth, the heir to the vampire clan of Great Britain. And in those few seconds her scent changed again. Sweetness gave way to acidic spice.
After a few heartbeats, Adele attacked him. His own sword whipped at him with finesse and swiftness. He used his natural speed to slip her strike, feeling the air as the steel sliced inches from his face. Her cry of fury carried after, and it cut through him far more effectively than the blade could.
She sidestepped quickly and spun, catching the shoulder clasp of his cape. It snagged the sword, and Adele shoved the blade hard into his shoulder. He surged toward her, capturing the blade in his muscle almost to the hilt, barely feeling the coldness of the steel. She tried to flee, but his arms snaked around her.
"Princess! Please! I do not wish to harm you!"
"You ... you can't be ... Let me go!" she shouted struggling against his grip. "What have you done with Greyfriar? You ... you killed him ... took his place!" Her voice was hoarse with wrath and terror.
"You know that's not true. I am Greyfriar, and have been from the beginning."
Adele sobbed against his arms. Of course she knew it. There was no way this vampire could have pretended to be Greyfriar. He was Greyfriar.
Oh merciful heaven, she had placed her trust and her ... How could she have been so blind!
His voice was low in her ear. "I feel deeply for the plight of humans. I swear it. I regret how my kind has treated your people. I want to help."
"Liar!"
"To what end, Princess? I've only tried to keep you from Cesare's hands."
"You hide behind a mask, pretending you're a human, like it's a sick game!" Adele could barely breathe. Her struggles ceased. It was no use to fight against the strength of this vampire. Her freedom had been snatched away again like a terrible joke.
Gareth's arms slipped away from her, and he stepped back. His face was cold and pale, his eyes as colorless as frost. He lifted a hand to the hilt of the sword and pulled it free of his shoulder in a single tug. Adele stiffened, ready for a fight, but he merely tossed the blade at her feet.
"You may not believe me, Princess, but it is my hope to succeed my father's throne and begin reforms. But such a thing takes time, and until then, I can only help humans from disguise."
"Why should I believe anything you say? Stop using his voice!"
Gareth shrugged and drew Greyfriar's cloak around him. He consciously altered his voice to his normal deeper tone, the voice of Prince Gareth. The voice that spoke to Adele of London and death and horrific violence. "Keep my weapons for safety, but you must follow me to the castle."
Adele cautiously knelt and picked up the sword, still wet with Gareth's blood. "What do you expect of me?"
"Nothing, but to stay safe until I can return you to your home." Gareth indicated the castle. "Please."
Adele rubbed her face with a tired hand. All her energy had drained away, leaving her confused and helpless. She stated wearily, "I hate you."
"I know."
The prince gestured again with Greyfriar's hand for Adele to go ahead of him. She dropped back to gather the rest of his weapons, placing them in her belt and pockets until she was a walking armory. She straightened with his blade held firmly in her one hand and his pistol in her other. "After you."
He studied her a moment and then turned and strode toward the ominous castle. Adele stood alone on the cobblestones, staring at the bleak city and empty streets. Then she followed him.
CHAPTER
H STREETS o Edinburgh were soulless and damp. Adele remained fixated on the back of the vampire walking before her, his dark cloak floating behind. The smell of smoke filled the air, and homey yellow windows glowed in many of the dark slate buildings.
"Where are your herds?" The acid in Adele's voice burned her own ears.
Gareth didn't flinch. "I have none."
How easily the vampire lied.
As they entered the courtyard of the great castle, the gaping maw of a door yawned open before Gareth. A dark figure stood just inside. Startled, Adele stepped back. The man bowed low to Gareth and then to the princes
s.
Gareth inclined his head to the man. "Allow me to present my oldest friend, Baudoin, the only other vampire in all of Edinburgh."
Adele pointed a pistol at him in warning. Baudoin's eyebrow rose and he regarded Gareth a moment, studying his prince, noting his blood-soaked shirt.
"Are you all right, my lord?"
"Have rooms and a hot meal prepared for the princess, Baudoin." Gareth's hand rose to touch his shoulder. He swore the wound pulsed with each beat of his heart, as if his flesh was freshly raw.
He waved Adele inside, but she still refused to go first. With the barest of defeated sighs, he went in, gesturing Baudoin after him, expecting and hoping the princess would follow. To Gareth's relief, she did, leaving noticeable distance between them. He couldn't blame her, really.
Adele's eyes bored into the back of the vampire. She couldn't believe that she hadn't been able to tell the difference between human and vampire, that a mask and dark glasses were enough to fool her. Gareth had used a different stance than the Greyfriar, and his voice was wildly different. But still. Now, every gesture appeared so obviously similar. What an idiot she was.
Baudoin disappeared into a side door, and Adele almost didn't notice, so intent was her attention on the vampire prince. As her gaze shifted about she noticed other inhabitants of the castle, dark shapes that slinked from shadow to shadow as if uncertain.
Cats, hundreds of them.
They swarmed around Gareth, but he seemed to pay them little notice. Their small heads rubbed against his legs in a desperate attempt to attract attention. Finally he reached down and scooped up a blackand-orange cat that immediately began to purr loudly and settle in the arms of the vampire. He stroked it absently as they continued down the hall. Empty suits of armor lined the walls like silent sentinels, many with living feline sentinels perched on their shoulders. The cats seemed almost happy to see their master. Adele had never heard of animals that could abide the company of vampires, nor vice versa. Every living thing was food to vampires.
The chill of the castle infested the young girl. Adele shivered but refused to draw her arms about herself to ward off the cold. The sword clutched in her hand trembled, catching the ambient light, casting it onto the dark walls in bright little slivers. The quick darting beams of luminosity excited the cats, who vainly tried to catch them with their paws. Adele sought to keep her attention on Gareth instead of on the antics of the cats, but she was so weary and the long journey was taking its overdue toll. Her eyes kept darting to the side, and her blade dropped lower as she stumbled along.
Abruptly, Baudoin appeared in front of her, holding a hissing torch. She started, pistol and blade slicing up quickly in front of her.
He kept his distance. "If you will follow me, Princess, I will show you to your quarters."
The thought of going off alone with a strange vampire repelled her, but she had no choice. She no longer felt safe with Greyfriar or Gareth or whomever he chose to be.
Adele gestured with the blade that Baudoin should precede her. He bowed slightly, his face grim, and slipped through a doorway. Gareth had paused and was watching her, still holding the dark-coated cat. Their eyes met; while regret infused his eyes, only smoldering resentment flared in hers. She turned abruptly away from him and disappeared after Baudoin and the yellow glow of the torch.
The servant stopped in front of a massive wooden door etched with geometric designs and with an ornate metal handle twice the size it needed to be for a human hand. Opening it with little difficulty, Baudoin entered. The room was huge and appeared clean and comfortable. There was a sitting corner with a chair and a table, and a huge sleigh bed with layers of thick blankets. A fire already roared in the corner fireplace, flickering warmth into the room.
Baudoin stepped up to a wall sconce and fixed the torch into it. "If there is anything you need, use this to call me." His hand fell upon a thick cord beside the bed. "I'll send you a meal in a short while."
The princess bolted the door solidly behind him. Shuddering, she moved closer to the fire so the warmth could seep into her aching bones. The weight of all the weapons dragged at her. Her shoulders throbbed and her legs trembled. A beautiful white rug in front of the fire warded off the chill from the stone floor. She meticulously removed each weapon and set them within reach before easing her body into a large, straight-back chair ripe with cushions. She left the loaded pistol in her lap just under her hand.
Adele hadn't realized she had drifted off to sleep until there was a knock at the door and she jerked in her chair, the weapons rattling as she twitched. She would have sworn that it had been only a few seconds, but the fire was now only embers and the heat was fading. Her vulnerability frightened her.
The knock came again, gentle and almost hesitant.
Adele picked up the pistol and aimed it at the door. "Who is it?"
"My name is Morgana, miss. I've brought your dinner."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
Adele stood, and every muscle cried out in pain. She limped to the door. Standing to the side of the door frame, she threw the bolt and then stepped back with pistol raised. After a few seconds, the latch clicked and the door opened slowly to admit a young woman. A human, dressed plainly, but better than the humans in London. She was tall and sturdy, with short blonde hair. The girl's eyes quickly locked onto the pistol in Adele's hands. Her eyebrows rose in astonishment, though Adele could not determine if it was the shock of being threatened or the mere sight of a human holding a gun.
The woman's hands held a tray heaped high with food. Adele's stomach immediately betrayed her as she breathed in a nose full of the wonderful scents. It smelled of stew and bread and beer. It took all her willpower not to leap on it like a starving animal.
"Are you another of Gareth's prisoners?" Adele asked, trying to keep her attention off the food.
The young woman laughed softly. "I'm no prisoner. No more than you." She placed the dishes on the table near the sputtering fire. "You best eat now while it's hot." Morgana emptied the tray and set it on the bed. Then she moved to the fire and stirred the embers before adding more wood, making it roar once more.
Adele sat almost against her will. She didn't want any of Gareth's kindness, but she needed her strength if she was going to find a way to escape, and the serving girl seemed harmless enough. Adele watched the dance of the flames as she devoured a piece of warm, crusty bread.
Morgana gestured to the pistol still in Adele's hand. "You have no need to keep holding that."
"That's sweet, but I like having it while there are vampires lurking."
"You have nothing to fear of Prince Gareth."
"Did he write that for you to say? Oh, that's right. He can't write. He's a vampire!" Adele ripped into a soft chunk of stewed pork.
Morgana smiled as she watched Adele chew. Then she rose, brushing her skirt of ash and sawdust. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow you may see for yourself." The girl retrieved the tray and left.
The room became silent once more except for the snapping of the wood in the fireplace. Adele ignored her vulnerability for the moment and concentrated on eating. She didn't even care if it was poisoned, although she doubted Gareth would go to all the trouble of dressing up and bringing her to Edinburgh just to murder her.
Eventually empty plates were pushed aside and Adele wiped her greasy face with a stained linen napkin, hunger satisfied for now. She dragged a chair to the door and jammed it under the latch before bolting the door securely again. Only then did she remove the dirtiest of her outer garments, like her shoes, cloak, and skirt. Those she folded onto a nearby chair, then crawled under the bedcovers still dressed for the most part.
Shadows crept along the walls. Adele tried to still the fear that grew inside her. The thought of giving in to her exhaustion terrified her. But she knew that eventually her body would betray her.
Suddenly a shadow moved in the wrong direction.
Adele jumped up, grasping the pistol. However, sh
e didn't fire. Her instincts held true. It wasn't a vampire creeping in the darkness. It was a cat.
The furry little beast stretched lazily, as if it had been woken from its sleep. The cat didn't even question who the stranger was in its room. It hopped onto the bed and came over to her without fear, immediately purring its contentment at finding company this evening.
Adele warmed to the cat's affections; after all, it had no concept of its circumstances. It was not to blame for being in the house of a monster. Its fur was grey and white, with little white paws and a white spot dotting the left side of its face.
Adele reclined. The cat's body was warm and it curled against her, its tail encircling its feet. Such unconditional trust eased Adele's own anxiety a bit. She reached out with her other hand and pulled the long blade close, her fingers wrapping around the cold metal. Before she realized it, she fell asleep, clutching Greyfriar's sword.
Adele woke alone in the bed. Her dreams had been filled with vampires and screams. The cat that had kept her company through most of the night had disappeared somewhere, although the bedroom door still remained locked and barricaded. Pale daylight streamed through the thin curtains, dispelling the darkness that had so frightened her during the night. She threw back the warm covers and opened the curtains to see a bare castle courtyard. Not so very different from her view in the Tower of London.
She turned from the window with her breath misting and lifted her ratty cloak from the back of a chair. It was stained beyond measure, and there were rips and tears over most of it. The cloak was hardly worth mending, but she had to try anyway. She had no idea how long it would be until she could find another to replace it. There was no thread and needle in the room, so it would have to wait. All she could do was brush it as clean as possible. Perhaps the girl Morgana could supply the necessary items to mend the cloak properly.
It was easy enough to restart the fire to ward off the damp morning chill. Then she strapped on the weaponry and sat by the fire. However, it didn't take her curiosity long to get the better of her, and she wondered what lay outside the door.
The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith Page 21