Free The Geomancer by Clay Griffith Page A

flat. He had grown embarrassingly amused by the expressions of veneration that his mere presence generated down by the coast.
    â€œNadzia, is that you?” came a voice from the shadows. “What happened? Did you find the Greyfriar?” A figure descended a wide staircase. The male vampire wore black trousers and a white shirt. His auburn hair was long and tangled. There was something strangely familiar in the shape of his youthful face, the curve of his chin. His blue eyes were like gemstones as they darted across the scene. He squinted with concern at Adele, but then he saw Gareth.
    The young vampire froze.
    After a long moment, he looked at Nadzia, who gave him a beautiful smile of confirmation. His feet slipped out from under him and he fell hard onto the bottom step as if his legs would no longer support him. He gaped at Gareth, but couldn’t force his mouth to make sounds. He pushed himself forward, sprawling on the floor. He pressed his face against the stone and breathed, “Prince Gareth. My lord.”
    All the vampires in the chamber scrambled to kneel. Fifteen dark shapes on the dusty floor. Adele stepped closer to Gareth, surveying the strange tableaux around them.
    She asked, “Are you sure you don’t know these people?”
    The young male on the floor murmured, “We’re not ready.”
    â€œReady for what?” Gareth asked, then barked, “Stand up! I don’t want to speak to your backs.”
    They all remained locked in place except Nadzia, who rose slowly and pulled the young male off his face. He resisted at first, but finally struggled begrudgingly to one knee.
    Nadzia said, “This is Kasteel.”
    The young male, Kasteel, looked angry or afraid, as if disturbed that his name had been spoken in Gareth’s presence. He glanced quickly at the great lord to determine what insult had been done.
    â€œKasteel.” Gareth reached out. “I am Gareth of Scotland.”
    Kasteel stared at the proffered hand without understanding.
    Gareth realized that shaking a hand was a human trait he had absorbed. Vampires had no use for it. So instead he took the kneeling figure by the arm, eliciting a hiss of fear from the lad, and drew him to his feet. “You seem to know me, but I fear I don’t know you. Do I?”
    â€œNo, my lord.”
    â€œWhy do you address me as my lord? Are you attached to Dmitri’s clan?”
    â€œNo, my lord. I never had that honor.”
    Gareth scowled. An honor that would likely have seen the lad dead along with all the other members of the British clan. “Then why—”
    â€œI’m sorry, my lord,” Kasteel interrupted weakly. “I wanted to accomplish so much more before you judged us. How did you even know of us?” The vampire looked horrified and fell on his knees again. “I’m sorry, my lord. Forgive me! Of course you know. There is nothing you don’t know.”
    Adele gave a bemused grunt but remained otherwise still.
    Gareth settled onto an embrasure shelf inside one of the arches. “Kasteel, stand up. Again. Explain yourself. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
    Kasteel took several steeling breaths and launched into what seemed a prepared speech. “We serve your goals. We believe, like you, that the days of the clans are at an end. They are bloated pathetic cadavers that have no use.” The young vampire clenched his hands into fists. “It is the only way forward for us. You have shown us the future.”
    â€œHave I? How did I do that?”
    Kasteel smiled as if being tested on a subject he knew very well. “You left the court in London. You abandoned your clan and their polluted ways. You lived alone in Scotland, treating your humans not as disposable herds but as reliable sources of nourishment.”
    Gareth again regarded Adele. She was watching the fervent Kasteel with fascination.
    Kasteel stood with mounting enthusiasm. “You