The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith (6 page)

It was hours later when Adele and the swordsman came to the base of a
small cliff. Adele couldn't speak; she only slumped beside the kneeling
swordsman with loud, painful gasping. Her quivering fingers gripped
his cloak, as much for comfort as for physical support. His back stiffened
as she dropped next to him. With eyes tearing in the harsh wind, she
could barely see the outline of a tiny hovel embedded in the face of the
cliff. Immediately she tried to stand. The swordsman grabbed her arm
and yanked her down. Too fatigued to respond, her breath hissed
through her lips with harsh gasps.

Why was he so unaffected? She could only wonder, and wish she
were a man instead of a feeble girl as she lay muffled by her exhaustion.
Staring at him through burning eyes, she wondered again why he
seemed so familiar.

Then it came to her in a rush. He was the Greyfriar. Like everyone,
she'd seen a picture of this man: a blurry photograph of this grey-clad
figure standing over vampire cadavers on a cobblestone street. The photo
had been smuggled out of the north as proof of rumors that there was an
active human resistance inside clan Europe. The Greyfriar's exploits
were legendary, but as Adele told Simon, his exploits were so legendary
she believed him mythical, the photograph merely fabricated to create
hope. The stories, she felt, were born of more than a century of subjugation and frustration, a resurfacing of the legends like Rostam, King
Arthur, or Robin Hood. It was an understandable desire for a hero to
deliver humanity from horror.

Then he was in her ear, a slow low voice as if it were a mere spirit
on the back of a wind.

"I will make sure the way is clear. Stay here."

Adele could do nothing but comply.

He melted away before her eyes, dissolving into the predawn twilight that leaked across the European nightscape. She huddled and tried
to hear his passage over her harsh breathing. It took effort, but soon her
ragged gasps slowed into rhythmic deep breaths.

Several minutes went by, and the swordsman had not returned. The
shadows became large patches of pitch that could hide an army. Adele
slid her hand to her scabbard, where her fingers clenched the hilt of her jeweled dagger as she pulled it to her chest for protection. She didn't
dare draw it because the glow of the blade might give away her position.

The woods were silent around her. Nothing stirred, not even insects
or creatures of the night. Her heart thudded harder against her breastbone, and she struggled to still it. Could the vampires have gotten here
before them? Their path had been erratic. No one should have been able
to predict or follow their route.

To her left the thicket shifted with a hiss. She spun and her blade
struck.

The long steel of a sword pressed her dagger aside. The swordsman
eyed the girl, but said nothing and motioned for her.

"Sorry." Adele laughed weakly and lowered her small luminous
weapon, slipping it back into its sheath.

The cabin was nestled at the base of the cliff. It was small and sparse,
but seemed a godsend. The swordsman opened the rough-hewn door,
and they went inside quickly. It was hard to see through the murky
gloom that permeated the room. Still, the swordsman moved through
the house and its furnishings as if it were his own home.

Adele stumbled against a chair and took it as a sign. She flopped
between its cold padded arms, watching the Greyfriar make their
meager sanctuary secure. Before she knew it her eyes had closed. She
awoke what seemed like seconds later. The cabin was suffused with pale
sunlight. She tightened her grip on her dagger.

Her protector wordlessly offered her a meager meal of hardtack. She
took it gratefully and choked it down, followed by a few swigs of water
from a tin cup.

A nod of his head indicated clean linen and herbal antiseptic on the
table. "For your wounds."

Adele's eyebrow rose when he just moved to stand at the window. No
offer of assistance came, so she doctored her hands and various other
scratches. Perhaps it was more prudent that he keep watch for their enemies.

From his place leaning against the far wall, the swordsman said,
"Drink as much as you can while you can, Princess. Our flight took a lot
out of you."

"And you too."

His forehead crinkled with what Adele could only perceive as humor.
"I ate and drank while you slept. Refresh yourself now. We'll leave soon."

"Leave? Why? We're hidden here." She leaned back in her seat,
taking another long draft of water. It had never tasted so good.

"The enemy can find you here," the swordsman pointed out. "Flay is
proficient at such things."

"Who?"

"Flay led the vampires who attacked you. The tall female."

"You know it by name?"

Greyfriar hesitated a moment, then nodded. "She is renowned. The
most brutal warrior I have ever seen."

"You sound as if you're afraid of this Flay."

"I am."

That admission did little to comfort Adele. "Where will we go now?
Back to the ship?"

"No. Toward the nearest human settlement."

"How far will that thing follow us, this Flay? For how long?"

"As long as it takes. She won't dare return to face her master without
her prize."

Adele gazed at her companion for the first time with real scrutiny.
His face and eyes, mainly covered, revealed little. She relied more on his
body movement to detect what little emotion she could.

His garb hid most of his details, save his height. He was a very tall
man and thin, but made a dashing figure in his peculiar uniform. And
though he tried to hide it, there was a noble way about him. Something
only a princess would be able to see, despite the fact that he hunched his
shoulders or stooped a bit lower when he walked. There remained poise
and reserve and a touch of arrogance. Traits she knew too well.

Adele's brain cast about through the various families of noble birth
in an effort to place him. She leaned toward him and tried to look into
his glasses again, desperate to see something familiar about him.

"You are the Greyfriar, aren't you?"

He glanced quickly at her. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. Everyone's heard of the Greyfriar, although honestly I
thought you were just a fable. You're very famous back home in Equatoria."

The swordsman considered her words. "Do they ... do they make
books about me?"

Adele laughed softly. "Oh well, yes, I believe so. You're certainly the
talk of the ladies in court. They'll be so jealous of me."

"These books ... have you seen them?"

Adele replied, "Sorry, no. I don't have time for popular reading. The
life of a princess, you know. But believe me, you are a great hero to the
free humans."

"I see." Greyfriar appeared to smile, although his features were
draped, and Adele could hear the pleasure in his voice. But then his tone
became sharper. "Your future husband is a great hero too."

This jolted the princess with surprise. "My future husband? How do
you know about him?"

"The coming marriage of the Equatorian heir to the greatest American warlord is common news. Even in the north. The vampires fear him,
and your union."

Adele felt the first pulse of pride she had ever taken in her Intended.
"Well, he is a soldier of note, that's true. It's a rare man who takes the
fight to the vampires."

Greyfriar nodded and turned back to the window without another word.

Had she offended him? Adele wondered suddenly. "Why do you
dress like that, so mysteriously?"

The swordsman touched his swathed chin. "To hide myself from my
enemies. And from those whom my enemies might exploit."

She couldn't fault that logic, but still she offered quietly, "There's no
one here but me. I would keep your secret."

His shoulders bobbed with a bit of mirth as he turned toward her.
"You are a hairsbreadth from being captured. It would be foolish to take
such a risk."

Her face fell, not only with disappointment but also with fear. "That
doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

He added, "Perhaps someday when the world is not so harried, I may
reveal my identity."

Adele drew in a deep breath, but her voice did not crack. "I would
like that very much. I owe you a great deal."

Greyfriar said, "Flay's attack was both flawless and uncommonly
large. It's been years since I've seen such a gathering. I'd wager she threw
five packs into that meat grinder. All after a single prize-you-and she
risked much to seize it. The weather was against her, but she attacked
anyway. She drove her army where it shouldn't have been. Her losses
were great, and she still doesn't have what she desires." He seemed to
smile again as he approached Adele to refill her cup.

"But how did you know about the attack?" the princess asked
sharply.

"It's my business to know." He tugged gently at his mask to adjust
it. "And I tried to prevent this disaster. I sent a warning to the Empire
that Flay intended to attack your fleet. My message was lost or ignored."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to doubt you. I'm not blaming you." Adele
laid a hand on his. He was chilled. She could feel it even through his
glove. It made her guilt even more acute.

He jerked his hand back a bit too abruptly and stepped away. "You
have every right to question me. I am nothing but myth and hearsay. I
wear a mask to hide my true self."

Why did he wish not to be touched? she wondered in dismay. Was
it merely because of her nobility? Was she wrong about his birth? Was
he a common man?

Adele said, "My mentor told me once that only a fool would reveal
himself to his enemies out of arrogance or for glory's sake. I don't see any
of that in you. You want to help push the vermin back, not for accolades
and riches, but because you want to see justice done." She rose and stood
beside him. "Don't ever doubt that you are appreciated by all
humanity."

"Thank you. Now, we should go."

Adele replied quickly, "I still think we should stay here. We're
hidden and the house has the mountain at its back. We can defend ourselves here."

Greyfriar paused, studying his charge. "Princess, scent is a vampire's
tool. They can smell the blood of their victims from quite a distance.
There is no way to mask it. Flay will have hunters on your trail. The
only possible safety is to get you beyond her reach."

Adele drew a deep breath and shook her head in apology. "Of course.
You're right. I'm just scared. But why should I be? I'm with the
Greyfriar. My brother would be jealous...." Her words trailed off as
once again little Simon's death became real. For a brief moment she had
actually forgotten. But now that she had remembered, the pain was that
much more acute.

"Princess, I will see you home. Trust me."

Several seconds went by before Adele nodded with a pale smile. "My
life is in your hands."

N WEARILY REACHED a rocky pinnacle where he
saw saw the sun setting behind the distant towers of Marseilles.
Airships floated over the city, some small and barely flyable, others fat
merchant vessels. Marseilles was one of the richest trading cities on the
vampire frontier.