The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith (41 page)

Gareth gave a maniacal shout at his victory as he released the limp
hunter. Then he whirled to face the second creature, eager to destroy
another brute. But this one was cunning. It could smell the power
surging in its target and refused to be taken by it. The hunter soared up
to gain distance and then turned to face Gareth. There was no glare of
surprise or anger. A hunter was too simple for that. It was a killing
machine, trained specifically to hunt and kill its target.

Now that it had regained some position of dominance, it came at
Gareth.

The prince wrenched aside as long claws sliced the air where he had
once hovered, but the hunter twisted its agile body, and one of its clawed
feet stretched out and ripped an open gash the length of Gareth's thigh.
He grabbed the hunter's hairy leg and pulled it toward him. He
wouldn't allow it to circle and strike again, slicing him until he weakened. Gareth was no match for its agility and speed. The only way to
take down the beast was to stay close, where his strength, before it faded,
was the advantage.

The hunter screamed in protest as it was captured. It slashed again
and again with claws and teeth. Gareth could feel blood loss weakening
him. It was hard to command his limbs to hold this furious beast. He
was losing the fight to protect Adele.

The fear of this creature attacking her gave him a renewed strength to endure its savage mauling. He wrapped his arms around the head of
the creature, ignoring the fact that he left open his chest to the beast's
attack, then summoned the vestiges of his fading strength and twisted.
The beast let out a wail that abruptly ended with a dull crack, and its
body went limp in Gareth's grasp.

The battered prince let it go and watched it tumble to the earth far
below as drops of his blood followed after. He was badly wounded, he
knew. His vision greyed; he needed to descend to the ground before he
lost consciousness, but there was a voice behind him.

"Strange how the hunters led me to you." The words were laced with
suspicion and spite.

Flay.

Wearily, Gareth faced her. Members of the Pale were with her. It
showed her utter gall in bringing so many of her soldiers into his realm.

He snarled through blood-flecked lips, "I don't allow vampires in
my land. Particularly my brother's underlings."

Flay sneered in anger, but she fought through it with feigned deference. "I am pursuing an escaped prisoner, the princess Adele. The
hunters tracked her here, Great Lord." She stared down to the earth far
beneath them at the crumpled cadaver of one of her pets. "I know she is
here. Somewhere."

"Leave. Now."

Flay smiled cruelly over her sharp canines. "Though she is technically your prisoner, Cesare has graciously offered to retake responsibility
for her."

"How kind. I decline."

"Cesare is coming with an airship to transport the prisoner once I
have located her." Flay waved an elegant hand toward the distant castle.
"Perhaps you will lend me your hospitality while we wait for your
brother."

"You will not set foot on my land. Withdraw!" Gareth was stalling
with the only weapon he still had strength to wield, playing the outraged nobleman. He had to buy precious time before Cesare arrived with
reinforcements.

The war chief resented his haughty tone. Her every gesture said she wished to attack and be done with this foolish charade of respect. Gareth
had had his chance with her, and he had spit on her proposal.

Flay kept tenuous rein on her anger. "You are making a mistake."

"Probably the worst I've made since failing to tear your head off in
London." He could feel the blood draining from his failing body. He
held himself erect, lest she suspect his weakness. "Go! I won't tell you
again."

Her eyes simmered into steel. She turned abruptly and flew southward with her retainers following after.

Gareth remained where he was till they were distant spots in the sky.
Then his strength left him and his density increased. He drifted helplessly to the ground far below, his dripping blood reaching the destination before him.

A WAS AT Gareth's side as soon as he staggered into
the castle. The servant dipped a shoulder under his lord's arm.
Gareth was already throwing off orders, his mind occupied by only one
thought: flight.

"Cesare is on his way. We don't have much time."

"Your wounds are-"

"Nothing. Where is Adele? She must be kept out of sight till we're
ready to leave."

"She is waiting in her room."

The prince nodded gratefully.

"Gareth!" Adele ran to him, her face flushed with anxiety.

The prince cast an inquisitive eye at his servant, who was glaring at
the princess.

"She was in her room," Baudoin intoned.

Adele wrapped her arm around Gareth's side. Even though she was
no longer on hallowed ground or invoking her power, a harsh electricity
buzzed through the contact. It mattered little to Gareth. He was comforted by her physical presence, and he relished that she felt no fear
around him. The pain paled by comparison.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed as she saw his torn frame.

"It can keep. Cesare is on his way. You must get to safety."

"How soon?"

"I don't know. But we must be gone from here before he arrives."

Her eyes were shining. "You're coming with me?"

"Of course, I trust your safety to no one but myself."

"Thank you." Adele returned her attention to his injuries. "We need
to bind your wounds first. Or we won't get far."

"My wounds will heal. There is no time. Gather your things...."

"Morgana has already taken care of that for me. Besides, I don't have
much, and I expect we will be traveling light. I have enough food for several days, then we may have to forage. Anything else I haven't covered?" At
the end of the hallway stood a small pile of satchels and supplies.

The corners of Gareth's mouth lifted in a pained smile. "No. I see
you've met every contingency."

"Exactly."

Baudoin asked, "Shall I pack Greyfriar?"

Gareth replied, "No. I have him hidden in various places if we make
it to the mainland."

"You mean when we make it to the mainland, don't you?" Adele
noted. "I have no doubt we'll reach Equatoria."

"I do," he answered, reaching down for a satchel, but Adele quickly
picked it up and eased it onto his shoulders.

"You do?" she asked anxiously.

"It will be very difficult."

"We'll fight as hard as we can." Adele's demeanor altered again to
the strong-minded princess he had come to know. She quickly distributed the supplies between them both, taking the heavier load for herself,
and left her hand lingering on his. "That's all we can do."

Baudoin observed the tender touches between his prince and the
human female. Such concern for Gareth's well-being on her part was disturbing. Even more distressing was the gentle look on his prince's face,
almost thoughtful and even grateful. Perhaps it was a result of his weakened state.

"My lord?"

"My friend." Gareth straightened with weary resolve and motioned to Baudoin. "I want you to leave Edinburgh before Cesare arrives. It
would be safer for you."

"No," was the simple reply.

"What?"

"It is best I stay. I can mislead Cesare and direct him away from you."

Gareth shook his head resolutely. "No. He is my brother. You won't
be able to fool him. It is too dangerous."

Baudoin adjusted a strap on one of the packs, easing the strain on
Gareth's wounded shoulder. "I know Cesare quite well. I did raise both
of you. I have never shirked my duty before. I will not now."

"This is much more than just covering my masquerade as Greyfriar.
Cesare will stop at nothing to regain the princess."

"Then why not give her back to him?" Baudoin simply asked, perfectly willing to sacrifice the human female to safeguard his prince.

Adele stiffened beside Gareth, her eyes darting between the two
vampires.

"Because I don't want to," was Gareth's simple reply.

Baudoin heard exactly what he didn't want to hear in that one
straightforward remark. His lord cared for the human princess, and
there was nothing Baudoin could do to stop it. No vampire had ever
dared place a human life before a vampire's. If nothing else would start
a civil war, that would.

The servant did not know what future lay before them, but he would
not abandon his charge. The prince had always been headstrong and
unusual, causing great strife within the clan. Perhaps with any luck, the
prince's inconvenient infatuation would fade over time, and this would
all become just an annoying memory.

Baudoin shrugged his shoulders. "Then I don't want to leave the
castle. If I can stall your brother only an hour, it's useful. It is my decision to make, not yours."

Gareth glared at his faithful friend, but he knew that he had already
lost the battle. Baudoin had always accepted risks without question. But
that did not mean the prince worried less for him. Cesare would strike
him to hurt Gareth.

Gareth gave an answering sigh. "So be it. But don't let my brother use his influence to march his forces into Edinburgh. He only wants the
princess and me. If he tries to occupy the city, just send him toward us.
We will make do as best we can. All servants need to leave the castle.
And send word to all my subjects to go into hiding."

"Where will you go?"

Gareth said, "North."

"The stones?" the servant asked, but Gareth didn't answer. Which
was his answer. Baudoin eyed the bloody state of his liege. "You won't
make it. It's too far."

Gareth's mouth opened in surprise at the bluntness. Baudoin was
never one to mollify, but this defeatist attitude was new. "I don't have
much choice."

Baudoin withheld a disparaging comment. There was no solution to
this problem. Gareth couldn't hope to outrun Cesare overland, and he
couldn't take to the air for any length of time with the girl. But the
prince would not abandon Princess Adele. "You had best leave immediately, then. You're wasting time."

Gareth clasped Baudoin on the shoulder. "We will see each other again."

"Of course." Baudoin could feel the weakness in the grip of his charge.

Gareth and Adele made their way through the castle and into a
cramped, ill-used stairway. After descending far through the darkness,
they reached a small barred opening set at the rear of the castle. They
were hundreds of feet above the tumbled buildings, with a sheer cliff
face between them and the ground.

Adele said, "I seem to remember a front door on the castle."

Gareth took out a rusty key and unlocked the iron door, swinging
the heavy grate back until it slammed against the rocks. "This way is
faster. I don't know how close Cesare is."

Adele took one look down and grimaced. "It's not that I'm afraid of
heights, but that's a long way down without a rope."

"Hang onto me."

"But you're weighted down already! And wounded!"

"I can manage you. It won't be a leisurely fall, but we'll survive.
Come on. Wrap your arms around me."

Adele obeyed, mindful of his injuries. She was relieved that he did not wince in pain as he took her weight and stepped off into the air.
They dropped. Adele screamed, but they lurched and slowed into a more
controlled plummet. The stones raced upward beside them at a dizzying
pace. Adele's clothes flapped loudly as the strong crosswinds buffeted
them. Gareth managed to keep them upright as they sank toward the
overgrown lane below. They were coming down too fast. He was struggling. His gasping breaths near her ear were agonizing.

They landed hard on the cobblestones, and Gareth slammed down onto
his knees. Adele held him tight as he slumped. He felt as light as air for a
second, but then his density returned full force and she couldn't hold him.

"Gareth!"

It took a few moments before he responded. He struggled to his feet,
easing his weight off her. "Let's go."