Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (6 page)

"I'll bet," Stukeley muttered under his breath.

"A family reunion," Johnny said, smiling guilelessly. A fresh thought occurred to him. "So, if Grace and Connor are your children, are they like us? Are they vampires?"

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"No." It was Stukeley who answered the question. He was already ahead of his comrade. "They aren't vampires, they're
dhampirs
--half-mortal, half-vampire. Incredibly powerful beings."

"What else would you expect?" Sidorio declared proudly. "Connor and Grace are
my
children--blood of my blood. You couldn't ask for more powerful genetics. And Lola will be their stepmother." His face lit up. "You know, I expect
that's
what she wants to talk to you about. Making the twins welcome, that kind of thing."

"It will be good to see Grace again," Johnny said with a grin. "I always felt I had unfinished business with her."

"Careful, Stetson," Sidorio said, giving him a swift clip around the ear. "That's my daughter you're talking about."

"We'd better go," Stukeley said, ushering Johnny toward the door. "We shouldn't keep Lady Lola waiting any longer."

Sidorio nodded. "Quite right," he said. "Enjoy your Tiffin, boys!"

As his lieutenants departed, Sidorio turned and glanced back down at his ship, his nascent empire. He felt a rare excitement running through his veins. Times were changing. He had Lola at his side now, as well as his trusted lieutenants. Soon Connor and Grace would be here, too. And wait until he shared more of his and Lola's Grand Plan with Stukeley and Johnny. It would send their heads spinning!

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6 TIFFIN

Sidorio's two lieutenants were met on the deck of
The Vagabond
by one of Lady Lola's officers. Zofia was an attractive, young-looking woman whom Stukeley remembered seeing, but not talking to, at Sidorio and Lola's wedding. He now took the opportunity to strike up friendly conversation, but she resisted his advances. Perhaps she was shy. She led the two lieutenants down the ship's main corridor, walking ahead of them until she came to a standstill in front of a cabin door. "The captain is waiting for you in here," she announced, knocking twice on the door.

After a brief pause, the door opened and Lady Lola herself appeared on the threshold. Her face was bright. "Stukeley! Johnny! How lovely to see you both." She

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kissed the air on either side of their cheeks, then ushered them inside.

"Will that be all, Captain?" Lola's underling inquired.

"Yes, thank you, Zofia. I'll be taking Tiffin with the boys now. I don't wish to be disturbed. You know how I hate Tiffin to be interrupted!"

"Very good, Captain," answered Zofia, nodding and turning away.

A fresh thought occurred to Lady Lockwood. "Zofia, dear, would you ask Mimma to come and see me later, before she goes off duty?"

"Aye, aye, Captain." Zofia saluted Lady Lockwood, then exited the cabin, closing the door behind her.

"Well, don't stand on ceremony, boys," Lady Lola said, beaming at Stukeley and Johnny. "Take a seat. Make yourselves comfortable. I've prepared some Tiffin for us."

"What exactly
is
Tiffin?" Johnny asked, sitting on an antique love seat upholstered in silver velvet.

"Tiffin is a term for a light meal or snack," Lola explained. "It originated at the time of the British rule in India." She held out a small silver platter. "Blood candy, Johnny? I think you'll find them absolutely delicious. It's my own recipe."

Intrigued, Johnny lifted a candy from the plate and slipped it into his mouth.

Lola watched as his face registered delight at the new and exquisite taste. "Good, aren't they? Stukeley, would you care to try one?"

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"No thanks," Stukeley said, wrinkling his nose.

Unfazed, Lola set the platter down in front of Johnny. "Help yourself," she said. "They're there to be eaten."

Now Lola herself sat down on an elegant chaise and continued her friendly chatter as she inspected the decanter and glasses that had been set out on the low central table before her. "I gather that originally there was a slang term--
Tiffing
--which meant to take a little drink or sip." She smiled, extracting the stopper from the cut-glass decanter and pouring the dark liquid inside carefully into three glasses. "I'm sure you'd agree," she continued, "that we all enjoy a little drink, don't we?"

She passed a glass to Johnny and another to Stukeley. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted.

Lola wrapped her long fingers around the third glass. "Anyway, one of the traditions I uphold on board
The Vagabond
is the nightly taking of Tiffin with various members of my crew. It's a chance for us all to get to know one another better." She raised her glass, poised, it seemed, to make a toast.

"We're not your crew," Stukeley said bluntly.

Johnny flashed a look at his comrade, then glanced apologetically at Lola, before smiling amiably and taking another blood candy from the platter.

Lola sipped her drink calmly, seeming only amused. "You may not like it, Jez--"

"Please don't call me that," he interrupted her. "That's my old, mortal name. I'm called Stukeley now."

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"My sincere apologies," Lola said. "As I was saying,
Stukeley
, you may not like it, but the fact is now that Sidorio and I are married, we are all part of the same crew."

"Perhaps." Stukeley shrugged. "But from what he tells us, you'll continue to be based here and he'll remain on
The Blood Captain
."

"For the time being, yes," Lola said, calmly. "We'll continue to run our parallel operations until we have expanded the fleet and fully integrated our command structures. But don't be under any illusions, Je--I'm sorry,
Stukeley
. I must get that right! Don't be under any illusions, my dear--the day that my husband and I integrate our commands is not so far away."

"We'll see," Stukeley said, swigging defiantly from his glass.

"I'm not sure I care for your tone," said Lola, returning her own glass to the table with some force.

Johnny glanced anxiously from Lola to Stukeley. In his view, this confrontation could only end badly.

"Come on, mate." Stukeley addressed him directly. "I knew this Tiffin thing was overrated. Let's get back to our own ship. We have decisions to make." He stood up and was halfway to the door when Lola spoke.

"Not so fast," she said. Something in the tone of her voice succeeded in rooting him to the spot, just as deftly as if she had lassoed him. "The three of us have unfinished business."

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"The three of us?" Johnny echoed, his anxiety increasing.

"Yes." Lola nodded. "Like I said before, Tiffin is a chance to get to know each other better. To share some secrets. And we three have one very big secret between us, don't we? A true elephant in the room, you might say."

"What secret?" Stukeley asked, regaining some of his former bluster, though he stood rooted to the spot.

"Think," Lola said, standing and striding toward him, her long tulle skirt swishing against the polished floorboards. She came to a standstill beside Stukeley, extended her forefinger, and tapped his skull. "Think
hard
, Jez!"

"Ouch!" Stukeley said, raising his hand to push her away.

Lola laughed. "
Ouch
, he says. Ouch!
This
from the man who plotted for me to be destroyed on my own wedding day."

Johnny gasped.

Stukeley's mouth hung open.

"Well," Lola said. "At least neither of you insults my intelligence by trying to deny it." Seeming suddenly calmer, she returned to the center of the room and lifted her drink. "Why don't we all sit down again?"

Stukeley followed and sat, carefully, opposite her--as if fearful that the antique chair he perched on might be embedded with a land mine. "You said before that this was a secret we three shared." He paused. "Does that

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mean that you haven't revealed your suspicions to your husband?"

Lola smiled, her dark eyes scrutinizing first Stukeley, then Johnny. "My husband does not know of your devious plot. And I have no intention of telling him--why, the last thing I want to do is upset him." She sipped her drink. "I'm sure that's the very last thing any of us would want."

"There's a price to this," Stukeley said, "isn't there? A price to your silence."

Lola laughed, but it was a hollow laugh--devoid of warmth, somewhat mocking. "Yes, Stukeley. There is a price. There's always a price to pay for your actions. Especially when your actions include attempted murder."

"Let's not beat around the bush," Stukeley said. "What
is
your price?"

Lola refilled her glass, drawing out the moment. "It's very simple," she said at last. "Like I say, my husband doesn't know what you arranged for me, and I have no intention of telling him. Just as long as you do exactly what I say."

Johnny finally mustered the courage to speak. "Exactly as you say?"

"Yes, Johnny, dear," Lola said. "Oh, don't look so worried! I'm not going to command you to set fire to yourself or anything extreme like that." She shook her head. "I just have a few bits and pieces--a few matters of ship's business--with which I could use a helping hand from two talented young Vampirates such as your good selves."

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"You have plenty of crew already," Stukeley said. "Why do you need us? Ask what's-her-name... Zofia."

"I need you two boys for a special mission," Lola said. Safe in the knowledge that she had their full attention, she rose and walked across the room to a small bureau. On it was a silver platter, and on this were two envelopes. She picked up the envelopes and passed the first to Johnny and the second to Stukeley.

The lieutenants glanced down at Sidorio's distinctive handwriting.

"Grace," Johnny read.

"Connor," read Stukeley.

"Invitations," Lola said. "Your first job will be to deliver them by hand." She sipped her drink. "Your second job is to ensure that both invitations are accepted."

"We can't force them to come with us," Johnny said.

"Now, Johnny," said Lola, smiling broadly. "I've heard you can be very persuasive. You too, Stukeley."

"So we go to their ships, give them their invitations, and bring them back with us?" Stukeley said.

"Quick on the draw as ever," said Lola, miming the trigger release of a gun with her fingers.

"I don't know about this," Johnny said.

"Don't you see, Johnny," Stukeley answered, turning the envelope over in his hands. "We don't have a choice. She's outsmarted us."

Lola reached out her hand and laid it on Stukeley's shoulder. "Now, now," she said. "There's always a choice.

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Just like there's always a price. You just have to weigh up your odds."

"You mean if Sidorio finds out we tried to kill you."

"If Sidorio finds out you plotted to spoil the happiest night of his life and take away from him the very thing he holds most dear." Her eyes sparkled. "Me!" Laughing, she snatched up their glasses. "I think that's enough Tiffin for one night, boys." She set the glasses on the tray and began pushing them toward the door. "What's that old saying? Fish and visitors stink after three days. In your case, I'm afraid the stink has come a little sooner. Good night!" With that, she pushed them out into the corridor and closed the door firmly behind her.

Hearing their receding footsteps, she returned to the center of the room, lifted the decanter, and refilled her glass. She had earned another drink, and there was nothing better to soothe her frazzled nerves than a nice glass of Commodore Kuo. What a shame this was the last bottle of that rare and pungent vintage.

It was high time she restocked the cellars.

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7 WORSE THAN DEAD

"We are gathered here tonight to bid farewell to two members of our crew." Cheng Li's eyes sparkled in the candlelight as she gazed across the dim tavern at the subjects of her speech. They stood arm in arm beside the bar, surrounded by crewmates who had quickly become good friends. "Cate, Bart, we are all exceedingly grateful for your crucial input into Operation Black Heart. It was a complete success, and our work has been recognized by the Pirate Federation as one of the single most important missions in Federation history."

At her words, there was an enthusiastic burst of applause from the roomful of pirates.

Cheng Li nodded, waiting for the noise to subside before continuing. "Speaking personally, it has been wonderful to have you both as colleagues once again. I

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only wish your stay aboard
The Tiger
could have been longer." A wry smile played on her lips. "I don't suppose if I stand another round of drinks, you might reconsider?"

Over the ripple of laughter, Cate called back. "As much as I like it here, if you want to extend our contract, you'll have to speak to Molucco!"

Cheng Li's nose wrinkled, as if assaulted by a particularly noxious smell, at the mention of her fellow captain's name. "Yes, well," she pushed on, somewhat flustered, "that's all I had to say... except to wish you both well. Oh, yes! And also..." She paused, gaining her composure once more. "To raise a toast to the rest of you." She lifted her tankard. "To the crew of
The Tiger
--the most kick-ass bunch of pirates on the ocean!"

As the crew roared its approval with shouts, whoops, stomps, and fresh applause, Bart leaned closer to Cate. "Did she
actually
say kick-ass?"

Cate nodded, smiling. "I fear Jacoby's
patois
is rubbing off on her."

Cheng Li waved at the pair and began moving briskly through the crowd.

"Thank you both for everything," she said, arriving at their side. "I truly wish I could persuade you to stay on a more permanent basis. We may have successfully eliminated Lady Lockwood, but our larger mission regarding the Vampirates is only just beginning."