Vampirates 3: Blood Captain (21 page)

“Where is he?” Cate asked, careful to keep her tone light and jovial.

“I don’t know,” Connor replied with a fake grin. He felt his pulse starting to race.

“Connor, this was your primary job,” she said under her breath. “Find him! Fast!”

“Is everything all right?” Salvatore asked, appearing at Cate’s side.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” she said. “Delicious lemonade, by the way. You must give me your recipe.”

Salvatore smiled. “The secret is a few mint leaves,” he said with a wink.

Connor headed off to search for Moonshine. Where on earth had he gone? They’d come back out of
The Diablo
together. So he couldn’t still be there. He had to be somewhere in the fort, but where? Connor scanned the crowd but, with fifty people dressed exactly alike, it was not easy to pick him out. Where
was
he?

Suddenly his question was answered. There was a scuffle at the top of the green and the heftier of the Emperor’s security aides, Alessandro, came into view, appearing to help Moonshine along. Connor’s first thought was that the boy had fainted in the heat. Then he realized that Alessandro wasn’t helping Moonshine so much as dragging him.

“What’s going on?” Salvatore called to his compadre.

“Yes,” Cate said, glued to his side. “What on earth is going on?”

“I’m afraid there’s been an unfortunate incident,” Alessandro said. “Involving one of your team.”

All eyes turned to Moonshine, then to Alessandro. “It would seem that our confidence in the ORC has been misplaced,” he said with a frown.

35

GIRL TALK

Grace couldn’t get to sleep. Whether it was her natural circadian rhythms asserting themselves or the events of the past night, she wasn’t sure. But one thing she
was
entirely sure of was that however long she lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and willed herself to sleep, the more wakeful she became.

Deciding to seek other options, she got up and changed her nightclothes for the clothes she’d been wearing before. She walked out of her room and into the corridor. It was utterly silent. She wanted to see if Lorcan was awake. If so, she could talk to him or even read some more from
The Secret Garden
to him. They had just got to the part where Mary had found the key to the locked, walled garden in the manor grounds. She hoped very much that by now he’d have had time to get over his anger about the ribbon.

She came to Lorcan’s door and decided it would be unfair to knock and wake him up if he was sleeping. Instead, she pushed open the door and stepped into the darkened room. His eyes were dressed and bandaged, of course, just as she’d left him a few hours before. He was still as a rock. She walked closer, but there was no doubt he was fast asleep.

What bad luck! All these nights dealing with Lorcan’s insomnia and the one time she couldn’t get to sleep, he was dozing happily away. Oh well, she was pleased for him. It must augur well for the healing process. She picked up the copy of
The Secret Garden
from his bedside table. It wasn’t any good to him without her to read it to him, but it might be a welcome distraction for her.

She continued along the corridor, still not passing anyone, and took the turn toward the rec room. Perhaps Johnny would be there and they could chat or even play some chess. But as she turned the corner, she could already sense that the rec room was empty. As she poked her head around the doorway, she saw that Johnny’s chessboard was there, but he was not.

Sighing, she sat down and opened the book. She started to read, but part of her didn’t want to get ahead of Lorcan’s place in the story. Besides, she really wasn’t in the mood for reading. She put the new bookmark — a feather she’d found while berrying with Olivier — back in place and closed the covers once more.

She looked down at the chessboard. It appeared to be mid-game. She knew that Johnny sometimes played himself at chess out of sheer boredom. Maybe she should take a page out of his book. She surveyed the spread of pieces on the board.

“I’d say knight to C4 is your best bet.”

Grace jumped at the voice. She had been so focused on the chessboard that she’d had no inkling anyone else had entered the room. She glanced up, but the place appeared to be empty.

“Or maybe use your bishop to threaten the rook.”

Recognizing the voice, Grace was smiling as she turned around. “Darcy!” she exclaimed. “Darcy! How brilliant to see you!”

Darcy Flotsam stepped over from behind Grace and beamed at her. Grace got up to hug her hello. She reached out her arms, but Darcy shook her head. “Sorry, Grace,” she said. “I’m not here for real. I’m on one of those astro-thingies!”

“Astral journeys?” Grace said helpfully.

“Yes, that’s the one,” said Darcy. “Like when I came to see you at the pirate ship that time.”

Grace nodded. “I remember.” It didn’t matter to her whether she could touch Darcy or not. It was just great to have her here to talk to. She sat down again, grinning from ear to ear, and indicated a chair for Darcy.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming like this,” Darcy said, hovering above the chair. “I couldn’t sleep and there was no one about to talk to on
The Nocturne
. Besides, I missed you, Grace. I miss our girlie chats.”

Grace nodded. “I know
exactly
what you mean. And you couldn’t have picked a more perfect time to come. I couldn’t sleep either. Lorcan’s dead to the world . . .”

“How
is
Lorcan?” Darcy asked, her voice and eyes brimming with concern.

“Oh, he’s doing better and better,” Grace said. “The physical damage is beginning to heal. It’s going to take time, though. But Olivier — he’s one of Mosh Zu’s assistants — well, he made up this special salve and it seems to be working. But the wound isn’t just physical. Mosh Zu thinks that Lorcan’s blindness might be psychosomatic — in part, at least.”

“Cycle-so-what-ic?” Darcy said, going virtually cross-eyed.

Grace smiled. “Psychosomatic. It doesn’t make the condition any less real, but it means it’s caused by mental rather than physical factors. The most usual cause would be stress, so Mosh Zu thinks Lorcan’s stressed about something.”

“Well, it must be something big if it’s made him go blind,” Darcy said.

Grace nodded, thinking about the discoveries she had made through Lorcan’s ribbon. Part of her wanted to confide in Darcy. Darcy had always proved a most understanding listener. But she knew that the conversation would only bring them both down. It could wait for another time. For now, she was in the mood for chitchat and, for want of a better phrase, “girl talk.”

“So tell me,” Grace asked. “What’s been happening onboard
The Nocturne
since I left?”

Darcy’s eyes bulged. “
So
much, you wouldn’t believe!” she said.

“Well, go on,” said Grace. “Start talking. I don’t want you being summoned back to the ship before I’ve heard at least
some
of the good stuff.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Darcy said. “I think I’m getting better at this astral travel thing. The captain gave me a few pointers. But look, here’s the thing.” She looked fit to burst. “Grace, I think I’m in love!”

“
In love?
Wow! That
is
major news. Who’s the lucky man?”

“Why, Mr. Jetsam,” Darcy said. “You know that I’ve been waiting all this time for Mr. Jetsam, my one true love?”

Grace nodded. “Well, yes, but you don’t mean to say that someone actually called Mr. Jetsam has come into your life?”

Darcy shook her head and then tucked her hair behind her ears. “No, no, I don’t expect that to happen. But I know, deep in my heart — or the place where my heart used to be — what kind of man my Mr. Jetsam would be, and I think he’s come onboard the ship.”

Grace was thrilled. “Well, what’s his name, then?”

“He’s called Stukeley,” said Darcy, her voice suddenly dreamy. “His full name is Jez Stukeley.”

“Jez Stukeley,” Grace repeated.

“What’s wrong?” Darcy asked.

“Nothing.” Grace shook her head. “Nothing at all.”

“Don’t lie to me, Grace. I may be on an astral visit, but my mind is as sharp as a tack. There’s something in your voice. A warning.”

“No,” Grace said. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I knew a Jez Stukeley. He was a good friend of Connor’s, onboard
The Diablo
. He died a few months ago.”

“Why yes,” Darcy said. “I know that. And it’s the same Jez Stukeley. I mean, it’s not like it’s that common a name! There’s nothing common about my Jez. And it was Connor who brought him to the ship.”

“
Connor
came to
The Nocturne
?”

“Yes!” Darcy said. “Him and that big muscly friend of his . . . I’ve forgotten his name.”

“Bart,” Grace said with a smile.

“That’s the one! Bart. Connor and Bart came to
The Nocturne
, with Jez. They brought him to seek the captain’s help. You see, Jez crossed over during a duel.”

“Yes,” said Grace. This was starting to make some sense. “I know. It was during my time on the ship. I was at his funeral.”

“Oh yes,” Darcy said. “Of course, you would have been there. I’m sorry.”

Grace shook her head. “No problem. Carry on!”

“Well, it seems that after the coffin was thrown into the ocean, Sidorio found it and broke into it and sired Jez to be his assistant. He’s a Vampirate now, just like me.”

“Jez is a vampire now?” Grace exclaimed. This was big news indeed.

“No, silly. Not a vampire. A
Vampirate
! Just like me!”

“I see,” Grace said distractedly. She was still reeling from the news that Connor had visited
The Nocturne
. How had he known where to find it? Did he share the same kind of bond with the ship that she did? This was a surprise, and no mistake. “You said that Connor and Bart brought Jez to seek the captain’s help. What kind of help?”

“Well, you know that Sidorio’s missing, presumed dead? Certainly, that’s a blessing in so many ways. But not the least of it is that Jez was completely under his control. Well, you can imagine, can’t you? Being a sire to another vampire is like being a parent . . . and you can imagine the kind of parent Sidorio would make.” Darcy’s eyes bulged once more. Grace shuddered at the thought.

“After Sidorio went missing, Jez was all alone in the world. He did some bad things. But how could he have stopped himself? It’s hard adjusting to the Afterdeath. And he had no one to help him. Not like us, on board
The Nocturne
with the captain, or them what’s here with Mosh Zu. Jez was so lost he was . . . well, he was thinking of ending it all.”

Grace was wide-eyed once more. “Is that possible?” she asked. Her knowledge of vampires dying — or whatever the next stage after dying was — was minimal.

“I don’t know,” Darcy said. “But I think there’s no end of ways to torment yourself in this world — that is, in your world and in mine.”

Instinctively, Grace reached out her hand to Darcy’s, though it only slipped through the phantom wrist. “We live in the
same
world, Darcy.”

“Well, yes,” Darcy said. “But you know what I mean.”

“So how is Jez since he joined the crew?”

“Oh, he’s much better. Really happy, I think. In fact, he’s been a breath of fresh air aboard
The Nocturne
.”

“And is he taking to the Feast and the donor relationship all right?” Grace asked.

Darcy frowned at this. “You did have to go and bring that up, didn’t you?”

“Sorry,” said Grace. “Is he having trouble with his donor?”

Darcy shook her head. “No, he isn’t. But I am! The captain’s gone and given him that Shanti as a donor.”

“Shanti?”
Grace was initially surprised, but then it made sense.

“Yes, well, after she came back from Sanctuary with him, she had no vampire partner of course, and that wasn’t doing her any good so I’m sure it seemed like the obvious solution. But I really wish it hadn’t been. Truly, Grace, I do. She’s so jealous of us. We all know that there’s a special bond between vampire and donor. I have a very special relationship with my Edward. But it’s different from my relationship with Jez. It’s different from a love relationship.”

“What does Jez say about all this?” Grace asked.

“Oh, he says that it’s all in my mind. He says that there’s nothing between them, that it’s just a business relationship. But you know what Shanti’s like. You’ve seen how possessive of Lorcan she was.”

“Yes.” Grace nodded. “Well, be careful, Darcy. I know you think you’re in love, but I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

“I don’t
think
I’m in love, Grace,” Darcy said airily. “I
know
it. I feel it. Jez
is
my Mr. Jetsam. I felt it from the moment he stepped aboard the ship.”

Grace wasn’t so sure. She’d have to keep an eye on this situation, as best she could. But she wasn’t about to rain on Darcy’s parade. “I’m really thrilled to see you so happy,” she said. “He’s certainly put a spring in your step and a glow on your cheeks!”

“Oh no, he hasn’t!” Darcy smiled. “That’s my own very special new rouge. I’ll let you borrow it when I next see you for real . . . Yes, hello. Who’s there?”

Grace was confused. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

“Oh, it’s you, darling! Just a moment! I’m just in the middle of something . . . Grace, I have to go. He’s outside my door. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cut this astral visit short. It was great seeing you!”

“You, too!” Grace said, standing to say goodbye. But as she looked up, Darcy had already faded into the ether. Typical! thought Grace. The minute she finds a man, Darcy disappears from view. Grace sat back down again, glumly surveying the chessboard.

“Have you been messing with my pieces?”

“Johnny!” She looked up to find him grinning down at her. He was dressed in a toweling dressing gown, his customary bandanna still knotted loosely around his neck.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said.

“Me neither.”

He sat down on the chair beside her. “Were you talking to someone? Just now, before I came in?”

Grace shook her head, deciding it was simpler to tell a white lie. “No,” she said. “No, I was just chatting away to myself.”

Johnny spiraled his finger close to his head. “I won’t be friends with you any more if you lose your marbles,” he said. “Just thought you should know that, Grace.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, cowboy,” she said. “Now, sit down and make your move. You’re black tonight.”