Vampirates 4: Black Heart (36 page)

Was Lorcan the twins' father? He couldn't be. Could he? It would change everything ... just as he'd said.

35RETURN TO LANTAO

"Connor! Connor Tempest!"

As Connor jumped down onto the wooden pier he hardly had a chance to catch his breath before a small bundle of energy bounced into him and hugged him. Looking down, he saw the beaming face of Bo Yin, the swordsmith's daughter. "Connor! Connor Tempest! It is you!"

"Hello, Bo," he said, shaking with laughter as Bo Yin released him from her clutches. "That's quite a welcome!"

"I'm very pleased to see you," said Bo. "I was on my way to the fish market. There I was, minding my own business, watching the taxi boats, and then I see Connor Tempest! What brings you back to Lantao so soon?"

"I have a new commission for your father," Connor said. "From Captain Li."

Bo Yin looked understandably puzzled. "A new commission? But all those other swords he made before, what happened to them? Was there something wrong?"

Connor shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "They were perfect, like all Master Yin's work. I've come to talk to him about something extra. Something special."

"Intriguing!" said Bo Yin, smiling from ear to ear. Suddenly, her expression changed. "And who's that?"

They turned as Jasmine climbed out of the taxi boat, having concluded a lengthy discussion with its oarsman. Jasmine slipped down her sunglasses and strode along the pier. The oarsman seemed transfixed by her long tanned legs as she walked away. Joining Connor, she shook her head. "Makes you wish they had a course in negotiation at Pirate Academy!" she said, then caught sight of Bo. Smiling, she extended her hand. "Hello, I'm Jasmine Peacock."

"And I am Bo Yin. Very good friend of Connor Tempest."

"Really?" Jasmine said. "Well, any good friend of Connor's is a friend of mine."

Bo Yin nodded, a grin dancing on her face. "Come on!" she said. "Come up and talk to my father." She looped her arm through Connor's and led him briskly along the pier, the fish market already a distant memory. Grinning, Jasmine followed in their wake, soaking up the sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling little harbor.

Bo Yin leaned in close to Connor and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Connor Tempest has a girlfriend," she said.

"No," Connor said, shaking his head. "Just a friend."

"Jasmine Peacock. Beautiful name. Beautiful girl!" declared Bo Yin.

"Perhaps, but ..." began Connor.

"Lots to catch up on," said the irrepressible Bo, winking as she led him up the stairs to the stilt building that housed her father's workshop.

"Back so soon, Bo Yin?" came a familiar voice from beyond a beaded curtain.

"Yes, Pop. And I bring guests!"

"Guests? We're not expecting any guests! What's all this nonsense?" In a moment, a hand appeared, then a face. And then Master Yin shuffled into the room, a diminutive figure. Seeing Connor, he smiled. "Ah, that explains the commotion. It looks like Bo Yin's wishes came true."

Connor blushed. "Good afternoon, sir," he said. "I'm sorry to arrive unannounced. This is my comrade Jasmine Peacock."

"It's a great honor to meet you, Master Yin," said Jasmine, bowing before him.

"Welcome, welcome!" said Master Yin, shaking her hand. "It's a hot afternoon, and you must be parched from your journey. Bo Yin, perhaps some lychee juice would be in order?"

"Coming right up, Pop!" said Bo Yin, hurrying into the kitchen.

"Well, my friends," said Master Yin, "come and sit. Sit! Make yourselves comfortable and tell me, what brings you back to Lantao?"

"This, sir," Connor said, handing Master Yin the note detailing Cheng Li's requirements. So far, the swordsmith had made no response. Now, at last, he lifted his moonlike face.

"An intriguing proposition," he said. "For many years, I have crafted swords for pirate captains from all over the oceans. But this is the first time I have been asked to make swords for such a purpose."

"Are there really vampire pirates?" Bo Yin asked, her eyes wide with excitement and wonder.

"Yes," nodded Connor.

"Cool!" said Bo Yin. "Have you seen them? What do they look like?"

"Quiet, Bo Yin!" said her father. "I cannot think with your ceaseless chatter. Doesn't your pet need feeding?"

"Sinbad!" Bo Yin cried. "I forgot all about Sinbad. Thank you, Pop." She jumped down from the table and ran out of the room.

Master Yin sighed and glanced down again at the note. Then, saying nothing, he set it back onto the table. Was this his way of saying no?

"I can help you," said the swordsmith. "But it will take time."

"We don't have much time," said Connor, unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

"This is a new departure," Master Yin said. "I cannot be rushed."

"How long do you need?" asked Jasmine in a placatory tone.

"At least two weeks," said Master Yin.

"Two weeks!" Connor said. "We were hoping for half that."

Master Yin shrugged, extending his arms, his flattened palms raised upward.

"Is there any chance," Jasmine said hesitantly, "I mean, would it be at all possible to do this within ten days?"

Master Yin looked straight into Jasmine's eyes. "Ten days, you say? All right, then. Ten days." He turned to Connor. "And while I work on the swords, you will both be our guests here."

"That's kind of you," Connor said. "But we have our boat, and provisions."

"No, no, no!" said Master Yin. "I am doing you a favor, and now you will do me one. For ten days, you will be our guests. And for ten days, you will keep my crazy daughter out of my hair!" He extended his hand to Connor. "Deal?"

Connor grinned at the swordsmith. "Deal," he said, shaking the old man's hand.

"I think Miss Yin has a bit of a crush on you," said Jasmine as they taxied back to collect more of their things from the boat.

"Really?" said Connor. "I think she's just grateful for some young company. Any company, in fact. Her father's so grouchy with her."

"Trust me, Connor. I'm a girl. I know a crush when I see one."

"Bo's only twelve," Connor said. "I'm fourteen."

"Girls mature faster than boys," Jasmine said with a smile. "And you can't deny that she's very pretty. You two are perfect for each other."

"Except," said Connor, shaking his head, "I've always had a thing for older women."

It was Jasmine's turn to laugh. "Really? That's news, Connor. So tell me who's your type? Captain Li? No, she's probably too young for you. How about Captain Quivers? Or Ma Kettle?"

"Not that old," said Connor softly, daring to look Jasmine straight in the eye. "Only a couple of years older than me."

"Really?" said Jasmine, her lips framed in a smile. To his surprise and delight, she didn't look away but instead held his gaze. He was taken back to the first time he'd seen her, limbering up for the morning run on the academy porch. He had been dazzled by her silky black hair and her green eyes. Now he was more than dazzled. But Jasmine was Jacoby's girlfriend. And Jacoby was his friend. This couldn't happen. Could it?

"All settled, Connor Tempest?" asked Bo Yin, popping her head around the door to his room. She had caught him changing into a clean shirt, and as he turned to face her, bare-chested, she flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry!" she said. "So sorry! I'll come back later."

"It's okay," he said. Maybe Jasmine was right. Maybe Bo did have just the tiniest of crushes on him. It was flattering. She was a nice girl. And now that Jasmine had mentioned it, very pretty.

"I just wanted you to meet Sinbad," said Bo Yin.

"Sinbad?" Connor asked. Did Bo Yin have a brother he hadn't known about? Then he remembered. Bo Yin had mentioned Sinbad when her father had asked her if she had fed her pet. What kind of pet would Bo have, he wondered? A rabbit? A little songbird?

"Come on, Sinbad! Don't be shy!" said Bo Yin, crouching on her knees.

Connor came to kneel beside her, waiting expectantly.

Suddenly, the most hideous creature he had ever seen in his life came scurrying into the room. A cross between a bat and a rat, it had mad, luminous yellow eyes, rodentlike teeth, and oversize ears. Stray wisps of hair stuck up from its forehead as if it had recently suffered a terrible shock. But strangest of all were the creature's paws. It appeared to have thumbs and fingers. They were all long and thin, curved and wizened like the fingers of a fairy-tale witch. But on each hand, the middle finger was at least three times the length of the others. The creature gazed up at Connor, then glanced down and proceeded to sniff his shoes.

"Ha-ha!" said Bo Yin, "Sinbad likes you! Sinbad likes your shoes!"

"What on earth is it?" Connor asked.

"He's an aye-aye," Bo said. "Isn't he cute?"

Connor shook his head. Cute wasn't the first word that sprang to mind.

As the sun set in Lantao harbor, Connor set the table for dinner, while Bo busied herself at the stove making laksa, assisted by Jasmine.

"Have a taste. Tell me what it needs," said Bo, passing a spoon to Jasmine. Bo watched intently as Jasmine blew on the broth, then took a sip.

"More shrimp paste?" inquired Bo. "Or lime juice? Perhaps some extra chili?"

"Nothing," said Jasmine. "Absolutely nothing! Bo, this is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!"

Bo beamed from ear to ear. "Maybe I can come back with you and be a cook aboard the Tiger."

"You'd get my vote," Jasmine said.

"Careful!" joked Connor. "She really doesn't need any encouragement."

"What's so funny?" Bo asked. "Cheng Li is a pirate. Jasmine Peacock is a pirate. Why not Bo Yin, too?"

Connor flushed. He'd forgotten how seriously Bo Yin took her dreams of being a pirate. It seemed that the more Master Yin poured cold water on them, the stronger they grew.

"Of course, you can be whatever you want to be, Bo," he said with a smile. "But you wouldn't want to leave Sinbad all alone now, would you?"

Bo frowned and turned her back. Connor could tell he had upset her. He'd have to learn to treat her with more sensitivity. For now, he decided to check in on Master Yin. He found him inside the workshop, stirring a pan. Like daughter, like father.

"I'm sorry," said Connor. "I did knock, but I don't think you heard me. Are you eating in here? Bo Yin is busy making the best laksa ever."

Master Yin beckoned Connor over. "I'm not making soup, Mr. Tempest," he said. He took a dishcloth and wrapped it around the saucepan, then carried the hot pan over to his workbench. A sword was waiting there. Master Yin picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in the pan, then began painting the tip of the sword with the varnishlike substance.

"What is that?" Connor asked.

"Take one silver sword. Paint with compound of aconite and hawthorn. Silver, aconite, and hawthorn. All poisonous to Vampirates." He lifted the sword and passed it by its hilt to Connor. "There!" he announced. "A recipe for success. The first of the fifty swords Captain Li requested."

"Wow!" Connor said, holding the sword in his hand.

"Yes, wow," said Master Yin. "Enough for one day, I think. My stomach is rumbling. What's that you say about laksa?"

36A CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE

Grace was waiting alone on the deck of the Nocturne as the sun set. It seemed to take an eternity. Were some sunsets actually slower than others or was it just that when you were waiting so urgently for the sun to set, the moon took forever to rise and darkness to come?

She was tempted to look over the edge of the ship, to see if there was any sign that Darcy was coming to life. But she didn't dare. She didn't want to give Darcy any clue that she was waiting for her, and while the figurehead was inanimate until the hours of darkness, her eyes, even while wooden and painted, were sharp.

So Grace was resigned to standing on the deck and waiting, listening for the strange cracking sound as Darcy's limbs came back to life and then the splash as she dived down into the waters below for her nightly dip.