The Rift Walker Read Online Free

then spoke the words that the real Gareth had never uttered. “And I will never leave you.”
    The language was stilted and silly, but an ache of regret overcame Adele, forcing her to look away from the brightly lit tableau. Her mind cast back to the last contact she had had with Greyfriar on the sinking airship. Faced with the chance to return home, Adele had wanted to stay with Gareth. It was Gareth, however, who had convinced her it simply wasn't possible. She had to return home and fulfill her duty, even as Gareth stayed in Britain to face his.
    She had tried to push the painful memories away during the past months, but even if it had been possible to forget, Alexandria wouldn't let her. The Greyfriar was everywhere. Adele's adventures in the north had galvanized the citizens and spawned a small industry dedicated to feeding the common people's hunger for stories about them, real or imagined. That included her younger brother, Simon, who was mesmerized by the legend of Greyfriar. No one really knew what had happened in the north, but that didn't stop the publishers and playhouses from exploiting a good story. Countless books and plays had been rushed into print, leading to numerous productions chronicling the romantic escapades of Princess Adele and the Greyfriar, two daring, star-crossed lovers in their fight against vampires. Most of them ended with the princess and the masked hero embracing and embarking on a lifelong love. Few, if any, involved Adele's Intended, the American Senator Clark, in any meaningful way; his presence was a blight on a proper romantic story. They all had happier endings than the truth.
    Every time Adele saw one of these shows or read one of the books, her melancholy returned with renewed vigor. Perhaps that was why she kept coming back. She didn't want to forget the pain. It was all she had left of that life, and of him.
    The stage darkened over the two actors as they kissed and embraced, and the music rose to a heart-swelling crescendo. Adele didn't cry, although there were plenty of tears in the house. She merely sighed wistfully as ladies dabbed at their eyes, overcome by the romance. If only they knew , she thought. Then the image of plebian Alexandria screaming for the head of bloody Prince Gareth on a pike sobered Adele. The fantasy of the two lovers faded like promises on aged parchment. They could never be together. Gareth had been right about that.
    “Did you enjoy the play?” the Persian woman asked.
    “It had its moments.” Adele glanced about to see the crowd dispersing through the double doors at the rear of the house. She was sad that the play was over, because that meant the evening was closer to ending. Soon she would once again return to her crowded yet lonely wing of Victoria Palace. Adele's time as a free commoner was all too fleeting. “What did you think of it?”
    “Greyfriar is most mysterious. You never know what lies behind those smoked glasses and cowl. At times he is frightening.”
    Adele was surprised. That was not the usual drippy response one got when discussing the heroic Greyfriar. Immediately she leapt to his defense. “You shouldn't judge on looks alone. His deeds speak for his heart. That's surely enough, don't you think?”
    “He is very dashing in his uniform. One couldn't help but fall in love with him.” The Persian woman adjusted the lovely burqa shrouding her features. Her hands were covered with exquisite henna tattoos, as if her skin were a mere canvas to an artist's brush. They were as mesmerizing as the dark depths of her eyes. “I especially enjoyed the ending. Greyfriar is a man any woman, any princess, could worship.”
    Adele blushed a shade of crimson and joined in the woman's gentle laughter.
    The woman said, “The vampires were very frightening, don't you think?”
    “Oh yes. But they got a lot of it wrong. Vampires don't use swords. Their sense of touch is very poor. It's difficult for them to handle tools, unless they dedicate