The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith;Clay Griffith;Susan Griffith (20 page)

"At least you can speak," the emperor snapped. "We will hear you,
Bloodman. What does your master want?"

The ambassador had the gall to silently upbraid the emperor for such
undiplomatic directness by raising a bemused eyebrow. "His Majesty
Dmitri is regretful of the current state of affairs between our nations."

"How nice." Constantine clamped his scarred hands on the arms of
the throne. "We feel that it's simple enough to bring this current state of
affairs to an end so he can stop being regretful."

"It isn't as simple as it sounds."

"No?"

The ambassador exhaled. "Your daughter's fleet entered vampire territory without permission. We had no idea of your intentions. We
defended ourselves, as is the right of any people."

The emperor's face reddened. His drooping eye began to twitch.
"Vampires are not people. They have no rights. They have no territory.
They are animals."

The envoy continued, "Now your forces have made an unprovoked
attack on Bordeaux. King Dmitri is wary of being attacked himself."

"He's one smart vampire." Clark rattled his saber.

The wiry ambassador extended a trembling hand in Clark's direction.
"There. That is my king's point for all to see. King Dmitri has no desire for
war. He desires the goodwill and friendship of Equatoria. And America."

Constantine shouted, "Get to the point, you insufferable toad!"

"King Dmitri wants a peace treaty."

Senator Clark laughed. "I'll write terms on a bullet and you can take
it back with you in your skull."

Constantine leaned forward angrily. "Are you insane? Some vampire
dresses up its pet as a human and sends it to me? To ask for a peace
treaty? A peace treaty with vampires? Would we make a treaty with a
mad dog?"

"Perhaps if the dog was holding your daughter captive."

The chamber erupted. Many of the privy councilors shook their fists
and shouted scorn. Clark drew his sword with a steely whisper, but Constantine was faster. The emperor bounded off the dais and grabbed up
the ambassador by the jacket and neck.

Lord Kelvin raced up the endless aisle shouting, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!" as the emperor lifted the squealing envoy off the floor.
Kelvin didn't dare lay hands on Constantine, so instead he grabbed the
British ambassador. "Your Majesty, this is not proper! Please, I beg you!"

The emperor threw the little man down on the marble floor, where,
fortunately, Lord Kelvin cushioned his fall. Constantine towered menacingly over the tangle of diplomats while Senator Clark stepped forward
with his sword glinting red-hot in the gaslight.

The emperor's voice was a hoarse whisper. "Get this maggot out of
our sight before we kill it."

"By which," Kelvin added hastily to the ambassador from underneath him, "His Imperial Majesty means that negotiations are concluded for today."

The envoy sat up slowly and disentangled himself from Kelvin. He
said matter-of-factly, "You are making a mistake, Your Majesty. You
should think of your daughter."

Lord Kelvin scrambled to his feet and blocked the furious Constantine, struggling to maintain his professional manner while laying hands
on his emperor. "I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow, Sire. I will escort
the ambassador to its quarters."

The emperor glared at the bloodman with chest heaving and fists
clenched. "You're a filthy animal. They bred the human out of you!"

The little man straightened his mismatched suit and without
looking up muttered, "I am as human as you, Your Majesty. We all are
in the north. How could you know from here?"

Clark stiffened with anger, but Constantine raised a hand to still
him. The emperor's furious breathing slackened, and his sunken, red
eyes drifted over the little man before him. His brow knitted with
rational thought for the first time in this incredible session.

"You're descended from humans," Constantine allowed in a strained voice. "We will pay you handsomely for any help you can render us. And
you can stay here in Equatoria."

"I'm here to sign a peace treaty. There is nothing more I can do."

The emperor clenched his teeth and reached out an imploring hand
that trembled from both shame and fear. "Please. Help us save my
daughter."

The ambassador's eyes shone with the hint of tears. "I have a
daughter too. And a son. And they are both in the hands of Prince
Cesare. If I don't return with the peace treaty, they will be killed."

"There can be no treaty," Constantine said simply.

The man didn't react. There was no reaction suitable.

Lord Kelvin said quietly, "Your Majesty, I suggest we adjourn the
council for today. Everyone needs time to reflect." He led the ambassador
back down the aisle without waiting for a response. Lord Aden stepped
from the ranks of the Privy Council and fell in beside the prime minister
and the British ambassador. After they slipped out, the massive carved
doors closed with an unsatisfying click that echoed through the shadowy
chamber.

Constantine climbed wearily to his throne, where he collapsed with
his face in his hands. The remaining Privy Councilors paid silent obeisance as they filed out.

Senator Clark sheathed his saber. "You should have let me kill it,
Your Majesty. There's no point talking to that useless rag."

Constantine nodded sadly, but stayed silent.

"Don't worry. I'll get Adele back if I have to slaughter every vampire in Europe to do it." Clark began to ponder the outline of his attack
with restrained glee. "A strike on Bruges will give them something to
think about and let them know our intentions are serious."

Although the American frightened the emperor, Clark's intense confidence stemmed the old man's objections. At least the senator was doing
something.

"Your Majesty, if I may." The words came from the shadows.

Both Constantine and Clark looked sharply into the corner. Even the
imperial guards started. Mamoru stepped from the darkness wearing
long silken robes with full sleeves and a lavish brocade pattern of cranes and bamboo in red and gold. He walked with a slow tigerish tread that
betrayed strength and power.

Constantine relaxed. "Did we send for you?" He was genuinely
unsure.

"No, Sire. I apologize for coming unbidden."

"You saw, then. What did you think?"

The samurai rested a hand on the hilt of his ornate katana. He
rubbed his chin as he eyed Clark with frank openness and a faint smirk
on his lips. Then he turned back to Constantine. "I admired your
restraint in not killing the man. But I feel pity for the ambassador as
well. We all have our duties."

Clark bristled. "Pity? For that toad? Who are you, sir, if I may ask?"

"I am Mamoru. I am Princess Adele's private tutor."

"Really, Your Majesty, I see no reason for a schoolteacher to be here."

Constantine was weary. "We value Mamoru's opinion. Or we
wouldn't have him as Adele's tutor."

"But these are affairs of state and war."

The emperor said, "Mamoru led the Japanese assault on Kyoto to
recover their imperial relics. He's familiar with both affairs of state and
war. He chooses to teach."

"But still, he's-"

"Enough, Senator!" Constantine shouted, red-faced. Then he fell
back into his chair with a narrow and impatient gaze, gnawing distractedly on his knuckle, like a father exhausted by bickering children.

Mamoru offered, "Senator Clark, we have the same goal-the safe
return of our beloved princess, Adele. And I believe I can help you."

Clark put one booted foot on the dais and smiled sarcastically,
inviting Mamoru to continue.

The samurai priest made a slight bow. "I believe another unfocused
assault by your forces will cost the princess her life."

"Do you now?" Clark retorted. "Well, I believe different. Those
creatures know what would happen to them if they harmed Adele."

"More likely they do not care. If you attack, Senator, the princess
will die. You must instead go directly into London and take her away.
Quietly. Without pomp. If that is a possibility for you."

"Well, here's a lesson for you, schoolteacher," Clark scoffed. "London
is a big place. Maybe you know where she is?"

"I do." Mamoru pulled a scroll from his sleeve. "And I have a map."

Clark threw up his hands in disgust over this foolishness.

Constantine sat up with a hungry gleam in his eye. "Mamoru, are
you sure?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. My sources are excellent."

Constantine stepped down past the American and took the scroll.
"The Tower of London?"

"Yes, Majesty. She is kept in these rooms."

Clark rolled his eyes. "How can we trust this? What are his
sources?"

Constantine said, "If Mamoru says she's here, she's here. When did
you get this?"

The samurai replied, "Only today it arrived by courier. The intelligence is barely days old."

The emperor smiled. "Magnificent! We'll have her back right out
from under their noses. Thank you, Mamoru. Thank you."

Mamoru bowed deeply. "It is my honor to serve you and Princess
Adele."

Constantine slapped the map against the senator's brass-buttoned
chest. "Go. Go today. Take whatever you need."

Clark was nonplussed for the first time. He stammered, "Your
Majesty, I need more than this scrap of paper to commit my boys to a
mission so deep inside vampire territory. I don't know this Jap from
Adam."

Constantine glared at the American. "We could easily send our own
troops. But we're giving you the honor of rescuing our daughter, the
future empress and your future wife. Either go or don't. That is your
judgment as a commander. But if you refuse, sir, you'll see the Second
Coming before your wedding."

"I have a treaty with Equatoria."

"You are looking at Equatoria." Constantine closed his eyes for a few
seconds as his aggression melted. He reached up and dragged the heavy
crown from his head, standing bareheaded with his wispy hair askew and sweat-tipped. "And a father. Son, you can trust Mamoru's intelligence as
you would the sunrise. So, I pray you, give me your answer. Will you
help me?"

Clark studied the emperor, who was now just an old man worn down
by the loss of his daughter. No man could look into that worried face,
the eyes filled with terror and faint hope, and not be moved. The senator
was not made of stone, he reflected on himself. This was just a man
asking another man for help. Plus, to have the greatest ruler in the world
beg for his help was more than Clark could've hoped. If he brought
Adele back from London, there was nothing he could not ask of the
Equatorian court.

Senator Clark had long known, for a certainty, that he was the only
man who could accomplish the miracle of destroying the vampirs. To do
so, he had agreed to marry a woman for whom he cared nothing. He
needed to control the power of Equatoria to forge a war machine sufficient to aid him in liberating mankind. It was a terrible burden, but he
bore it selflessly.

The American slapped the emperor on the shoulder. "Oh, never fear!
I'll go, by God. I'll go. And I'll bring her back, if she's there. And if she
isn't, I'll be back." He grinned and winked at Mamoru. "I'll be back to
see you, schoolteacher."

O O WITH ME, if you please."

Gareth was not asking, despite his pleasant formality. For the first
time, he was insisting. Still, unlike his brother, he did not brandish his
claws or make a hint of violence toward Adele, but the princess had little
doubt Gareth would seize her and take her if she refused to go. For a perverse moment, she contemplated forcing him to follow through on his
implied threat. If she made everything difficult, Gareth would enforce
his demands only when it was most important and merited the exertion.
However, his manner seemed to pose no danger for her. And she needed
to choose her battles carefully.

Adele went to gather her cloak, although it was not cold outside.
The sun was bright and the day warm. She felt hints of spring even
through the constant aura of death. Perhaps she was growing accustomed to that aura now. She hardly smelled the decay.