Free The Geomancer by Clay Griffith

if they were witnessing a revelation.

C HAPTER 8
    Gareth drifted on the wind with Nadzia and the others. He could see Adele’s small form below, afoot, using her remarkable ability to mask herself from the attention of vampires. All vampires but him because of the event. Any humans would see her, of course, but likely care little.
    Gareth wore dull clothes he had brought from Britain and sported a cloak with a hood to obscure his face as much as possible. He had removed his gloves again to avoid anything that might attract attention from vampires. If he was recognized as Gareth, he would likely be killed as a traitor to his own kind. The irony that he had to go masked in clan territory to hide his true identity, rather than to create the character of Greyfriar, was not lost on him.
    The old city of Bruges nestled inside a circle of canals in the dim daylight. Corpses bobbed in the stagnant, slushy water. The ruined buildings were covered in rank winter ivy. Decaying spires and crumbling step gables oversaw filthy streets and alleys littered with dead bodies. Dark shapes floated in the sky above the medieval cityscape. Human figures moved about the streets, hunched and furtive, knowing they could be seized and killed at any moment. Gareth and his group gave a wide berth to the many vampires swarming around a great brick belfry before they settled onto a nearby square.
    Nadzia started toward a building with a high step gabled front and many smashed windows. It looked like it had been a private mansion once. Gareth hissed at them to stop. They froze, mortified by his censure.
    â€œWe wait for her,” he ordered. “And stop staring at me.”
    Nearly an hour passed and they were watching the figures floating overhead, noting those who came and returned. Finally Gareth straightened because from the far corner of the square, Adele strolled out of the shadows. She stopped to gain her bearings, then saw Gareth and the others. When she reached their side, she said, “Sorry it took so long.”
    The five vampires jumped in alarm, suddenly hearing but not seeing Adele. Nadzia stared about in awe. The males backed away, growling deep in their throats.
    â€œEasy,” Gareth murmured. “You’ll attract attention to her.”
    Adele’s face glistened with a sheen of perspiration. Hiding in the ley lines was taking a toll on her. It never had before, not to this extreme at any rate. She looked up at the vampires clutching the rooftops and circling above. None had altered their course or attention. They hadn’t seen her.
    â€œCan we get inside?” she said. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay hidden from sight.”
    Nadzia nodded and led the way into the grey building, stepping over the shattered wreckage of a heavy door. They found themselves in a vast hallway. It was plain and unornamented, with columns and arches along the walls.
    Several other vampires slouching inside looked up at the arrival. They were all young. They offered nods of greeting and stares of interest at the hooded Gareth. Not one of them had the stature or the fierce stare of a warrior. None of them spared a glance for Adele, so she was obviously invisible to them. Her teeth were clamped shut from the strain of staying concealed.
    â€œThey’re no threat,” Gareth whispered, into empty air to everyone’s view. “You should release your cloak.”
    With a shuddering breath, Adele let the shimmer fall away. The vampires yelped with shock at a human woman suddenly appearing before them. One of them cried out and claws appeared.
    â€œNo!” Nadzia shouted. “Don’t! You don’t understand!” The vampire with claws out glared at her.
    Adele grasped the pommel of her dagger, but Gareth touched her sleeve, urging her to stay her hand. He shoved back his hood and the other vampires stared at him without recognition. Gareth was a little disappointed that his dramatic gesture fell