Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (20 page)

Jasmine turned away and laughed. "You really think Connor could be the son of a vampire: Sidorio's son? For real?"

When she turned back, she found Jacoby shaking his head. "No way," he said. "Connor's just a regular guy like me and Bart. I've spent enough time around him to see that. Otherwise, I'd have picked up signs. We all would. You know, snacking on blood, keeping out of the light. That kind of thing would give him away."

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"Exactly!" Jasmine was reassured to hear it. But her feeling of relief soon dissipated. She suddenly thought how down Connor had been in the aftermath of his encounter with Sidorio. She remembered how disconnected he had seemed, sitting on the hillside, looking down at the academy harbor. There was no question that he had had a lot on his mind. She remembered the shock of his crying and her efforts to soothe him. Was it possible that there was a genuine connection between Connor and Sidorio? And where did that leave Connor now? How much danger was he in? She couldn't believe she was even entertaining such crazy thoughts.

"They didn't teach us about Vampirates and fishtails at Pirate Academy," Jasmine said. "Perhaps they should have."

"They did teach us to deal with ever-changing threats," Jacoby said. "Maybe they thought that would cover it."

"I don't know," Jasmine said, shaking her head. "Do you ever feel that our world is changing too fast?"

Jacoby reached out his hand to Jasmine again. This time, she took it and squeezed it, just for a moment.

"Look!" Jacoby said, pointing as the water in front of them became rippled. "Something's coming."

A second later, a girl's head popped up from beneath the surface.

"Kally, I presume?" Jacoby said.

She nodded, shaking the water from her spiky blue hair. "You're Jacoby and this must be Jasmine."

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"That's right," Jasmine said, her thoughts still far away, with Connor. "It's nice to meet you," she mumbled, still on autopilot.

"You too," Kally said. "Guess we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other as this mission progresses. Well, I don't have much to report on this occasion. Just to confirm that I've made contact with Connor. Our communications setup is in place."

"Good work!" Jacoby said. "Captain Li will be delighted to hear it."

"How is he doing?" Jasmine asked.

"He's good," Kally said. "Given the decidedly weird circumstances. A bit surprised to see me, I think. But we're cool." Her bright eyes shimmered in the daylight. "Well, I guess that's us done and dusted for today. Same time, same place tomorrow?"

"How are you able to navigate so precisely?" Jacoby inquired.

Kally winked. "My sonar is off the charts, dude."

Jacoby grinned. "Your tail's very colorful, too," he said.

"If you gave me a pearl for every time I've heard that!" Kally said with a laugh.

Jasmine watched the exchange, wishing she could somehow find a way to get some time alone with Kally. The fishtail gave them both a thumbs-up, then turned to duck her head back under the water.

"Wait!" Jasmine called out to her, unable to help herself.

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Kally turned, surprised. "Was there something else?"

Jasmine nodded, crouching down and speaking low in the hope that Jacoby wouldn't hear her. "I have a private message for Connor."

"Sure," Kally said. "Shoot!"

"Would you tell him that what I said to him at Pirate Academy, well, it's still true." She blushed as she finished speaking, but Kally nodded matter-of-factly. "Got it, dude!"

Then the fishtail turned, ducked her petite blue head under the water, and disappeared once more. Jasmine watched the trail of ripples on the surface, and then calm was restored.

Jacoby stepped closer to Jasmine. "I guess we're done here. Let's go and report back to the captain. Unless there's time for breakfast first? I'm absolutely ravenous, though strangely not in the mood for kippers."

Jasmine nodded. Her thoughts were still with Connor. When Jacoby had first used the word
dhampir
, it had seemed too ridiculous. But the more she thought about it, the more it started to make a crazy kind of sense. She realized that it was time to accept two truths. One, Connor Tempest and his sister might actually be dhampirs. Two, whatever Connor might or might not be, she was falling in love with him.

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22 CHANGES

As Lorcan stepped into the captain's cabin (he couldn't help thinking of it this way, even though it had been occupied by Mosh Zu for a good while now), he found Mosh Zu and Darcy waiting for him, sitting in chairs by the hearth. Darcy glanced up, with evident relief. Though she smiled, it was all too easy to detect the stresses and strains beneath the surface. Mosh Zu's smooth features were harder to read. He nodded to Lorcan and raised his hand in welcome.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Lorcan said. "And for the state I'm in." He looked disheveled, his hair plastered to his forehead and his clothes damp from the rain, which had begun falling heavily out on deck. "I intended to clean up after combat training, but time ran away with me."

Mosh Zu shook his head. "No problem. You made it

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ahead of Grace's expected arrival. How did the latest training session go?"

Lorcan sighed as he sat down on the sofa, his wet boots resting on the rug. "The usual mixed bag," he said, stretching one arm along the sofa's edge. "Some of the crew are really throwing themselves into it. They understand how important it is and how much things are changing in our realm."

"What about the others?" Darcy inquired.

Lorcan shook his head. "They don't get it at all. Their heads are buried in the sand. They want, and expect, things to be just as they always were."

Darcy frowned and shook her head. "Don't they remember what it was like when Sidorio and the others rebelled?" Her face grew yet more troubled. "And when he came back and Jez... I mean Stukeley... when Stukeley led the revolt against the captain himself? It was on a Feast Night. They were all there. How could they not remember?" Darcy was looking at Mosh Zu as she finished speaking, but it was Lorcan who answered her question.

"They choose not to remember. They shut it out. Pretend that everything is just as it always was. When I tell them that the captain has sent word that we must prepare ourselves for a new era, they just look vacant. It's as if some of them have already forgotten him."

"No!" Darcy gasped.

"And others just assume that when he does return, the

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old routines will continue. They can't accept that things will never be the same for us." Lorcan looked up guiltily into Mosh Zu's almond eyes. "I'm sorry to complain," he said. "I am doing my best, but this isn't an easy mission."

Darcy shook her head. "It's
my
fault. I was charged with persuading the crew that times are changing and that they need to change with them. I thought I was making inroads, but I see now that most of them have just been turning a blind eye."

Mosh Zu rose to his feet, smiling. "Please, both of you, don't be so hard on yourselves. This was never going to be a swift process, and from my observations you are both doing a far better job than you give yourselves credit for." He stood by the mantel, looking warmly at them both. "I never expected this to be easy, my friends, but I do believe that you will succeed. If I have any advice for you both, it is to focus first on those who
do
understand the situation. Get them ready and then let them spread the knowledge to the others, like ripples in a pool."

Lorcan nodded. He noticed Darcy looking strangely at him for a moment, but as he met her glance, she pulled away and addressed Mosh Zu.

"Do you have any more news of our captain? Of when he's coming back? I'm sure Grace will ask us when she arrives."

"Yes," Mosh Zu said. "I expect she will."

Just then, he looked to the door. "Come in!" he said.

The door did not open but, suddenly, Grace was inside

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the cabin, standing before them. She was all smiles. "I made it!" she said. "I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I can see the three of you and the cabin."

"And we can see you," Mosh Zu said. "Welcome, Grace. You look well." Smiling at her, he sat down again and beckoned to her to come closer.

Grace walked toward the others, though in reality she was still in her cabin aboard
The Vagabond
, and this was only an astral projection of herself. She was dressed in a long white toga, embroidered in gold and silver thread. Her hair had been teased into elaborate ringlets and braids. Gold earrings dangled from her ears.

Darcy clapped her hands. "That's quite an outfit you have on, Grace. And your hair!"

Grace lifted her hand to her head, smiling. "Do you like it?" she asked. As Darcy nodded, she continued. "It took absolutely ages to do. Nathalie and Jacqui did it for me, while I did readings of them and some of the other girls to pass the time. Oh, and the toga was made for me by Lola's favorite designer. We're having a portrait painted later--me and Connor, Sidorio, and Lola. Lola thought it would be fun if we dressed up in Roman outfits. The stitching is
real
gold."

Darcy reached out her hand, frustrated that she couldn't actually touch the fabric. "It looks amazing," she said. "I can tell how fine it is just by looking at it."

Lorcan stared at Grace, wondering what had happened to the feisty companion he'd left on the beach only a few

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days before. He saw Mosh Zu observing her shrewdly, too. At last, she paused to notice Lorcan. She turned and looked directly at him. Though it was what he'd been waiting for, the strength of her gaze unsettled him. He felt deeply self-conscious. "I look rough," he said apologetically. "I just came from training."

"You look good," she said, her eyes seeming to trace every line of his body. There was a new look in her eyes that could only be described as hungry. She smiled and sat down in the seat beside him. "All that training is doing wonders for your physique."

Lorcan flushed, anxious to change the subject. "So you're having a portrait painted with the others?"

"Yes," Grace said. "A family portrait. Lola's idea, of course--she's into that kind of thing. I'm sure Connor's dreading the thought of sitting still for hours on end, but apparently Lola's got some legendary artist to do it. Caravaggio, I think he's called."

Her words rushed out at breakneck speed and Lorcan struggled to keep up, let alone stem the flow. At last, she drew a breath, allowing him to speak. "It sounds like you've settled in well," he said. Looking at Mosh Zu, he added, "A bit too well, perhaps?"

Mosh Zu smiled and shook his head. "We wanted Grace to infiltrate the renegade empire, and it sounds as if she is doing that very successfully."

Lorcan noticed Darcy giving him a knowing look once

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more as Mosh Zu turned to Grace. "How are
you
finding the experience so far?"

Grace smiled brightly at Mosh Zu. "It's fine," she said. "To be honest, it's much less scary than I expected. In their own way, Sidorio and Lola are doing everything possible to make me feel welcome. And the girls--Mimma, Nat, and Jacqui--well, they're really friendly to me." Seeing Darcy's eyes drop, she added, "They'll never be as good friends as
you
, though." Darcy smiled fleetingly, then shot Lorcan another glance.

"How's Connor holding up?" inquired Mosh Zu.

"He's good, too. Though, to be honest with you, I haven't seen that much of him. He's been kept busy on
The Blood Captain
, and I'm mostly on
The Vagabond
. We see each other at Tiffin--this nightly get-together for key personnel of both ships--but that's about it." She raced to get the words out.

She had, thought Lorcan, a new energy to her; a somewhat nervous energy. Maybe it was the stress of being somewhere new and bearing the burden of such an important mission. He fervently hoped so.

"Have you seen much of Johnny?" he asked her.

Grace reached out her hand and, though she couldn't touch him, laid hers on top of his. "Not so much," she said. "Except to say hello to." Lorcan bit his lip. Noticing this, Grace added, "Trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

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"I do trust you," Lorcan said. "Of course I do." He frowned. "It's Johnny I don't trust."

"Tell me what's going on with all of you," Grace said brightly. "How's your combat training going, Lorcan? And Darcy, what about your mission? Oh, and tell me, Mosh Zu, has the captain returned yet?"

Her words were spilling out faster and faster now. Lorcan and Darcy looked at Mosh Zu with dismay.

Mosh Zu replied to Grace, seemingly unconcerned by the change in her demeanor. "The captain has not yet returned," he said. "But he will, very soon. He is getting stronger night by night. He is looking forward to being among us all again."

"That's good," Grace said. "Please, when you next see him or talk to him, send him my..." She broke off, distracted. "Did you hear that? Someone's at my door."

Mosh Zu nodded. "You had better go," he said.

"Grace!" It was Mimma's voice. "They're all waiting for you in the captain's cabin. Signor Caravaggio is setting up his paints, and Lola says to get a move on."

Grace looked apologetically at her comrades. "I'm sorry. I had better go. I wish..."

"It's okay," Mosh Zu said.

"We'll see you tomorrow night," Darcy said firmly. "Same time."

"Yes," Grace said, a touch absentmindedly. Then she called out to Mimma, "I'm coming, hon!"

Frustrated, and overflowing with emotion, Lorcan

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reached out to Grace. "Be careful, Grace! Please, be careful!" But his hand fell straight through her image and, before he had even finished speaking, she had completely faded from view.

Lorcan stood up and smashed his fist angrily against the arm of the sofa. He let out a deep sigh, then turned to face the others. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I'm really worried about her. They're getting to her. She looks different. She sounds different. She has this weird new energy. I knew it was a mistake sending her in."