Demons of the Ocean (22 page)

"This gives me no satisfaction," the captain said, "but you have left me no alternative. Your ways are not the ways of this ship."

"No," Siodorio said. "No, they're not."

"As of this moment," the captain said, "you are no longer a Vampirate. I can no longer have you aboard this ship." He looked out into the distance. "Though I shudder to think what havoc you will wreak out there."

"Well, prepare to be dazzled!" Sidorio said, climbing up onto the guardrail.He glanced from the captain to Grace."This isn't the last of me," he said. "This isn't the end of my story."

With that, he turned and dived off the ship, deep into the ocean. Grace looked down as the dark waters received him."Come, Grace," the captain said, drawing her away, "let's go back inside."Before she'd had the chance to take in these incredible events, Grace heard the sound of feet running along the deck and there, suddenly, was Lorcan. He looked panic-stricken and out of breath."Grace, thank goodness. I went past your cabin and I saw the door was open. I saw blood on deck. And Sidorio is nowhere to be found... I thought... I couldn't help but think..."

"As you can see, Midshipman Furey, Grace is safe and well. It appears that I owe you an apology, however. I thought you were being overprotective of Grace, but it appears I do not know my own crew as well as I thought. Sidorio ended the life of his donor tonight."

"But," said Lorcan, his mind racing to catch up, "what happened? Where is his donor? Where is Sidorio now? Did he hurt you, Grace?"

"The book is closed, Midshipman Furey," said the captain. As ever, though his words were only whispers, his authority was without question. He stood up.

Grace shuddered, thinking again of Sidorio throwing the donor's blood-sapped corpse over the side of the ship. Now the captain, too, was drawing a veil over it. Was life really so disposable?"I do not want Grace put in any more danger during her stay on the ship. I'm making you her official protector. Do not let her out of your sight. Do everything you can to see that she comes to no harm. Do you understand?"Lorcan nodded soberly. "You have my word, Captain. With the last of my breath, I shall fight to protect her."

CHAPTER 34

THE STRANGER

It was late in the night when the swimmer heaved himself up onto the dockside. His limbs were a little tired but mostly he felt renewed energy and a definite satisfaction at his exertion. He was pumped in a way he could not remember. His mind was racing as much as the energy bubbling through every cell in his body.He drew himself up to his full height and glanced back at the dark ocean, through which he had journeyed. He'd seen altogether too much of that ocean. It felt good to be back on dry land. He turned away and looked up along the boardwalk.There were lights flickering ahead and the clamor of voices. Then came a single voice, singing. He began walking toward it, trying to catch the words that drifted through the night air.I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates,A tale as old as true.Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient shipAnd its mighty fearsome crew.Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient shipThat sails the oceans blue...That haunts the oceans blue.It was a boy's voice, the swimmer registered. A voice that was just starting to break. Up ahead lay the inn. His sense of direction had been as flawless as ever. This was the place. This was where all the pirates gathered. And, though it was late in the night, here they were, clustered around a young boy with a breaking voice who sang a song to an old melody.The vampirate ship has tattered sailsThat flap like wings in flightThey say that the captain, he wears a veilSo as to curtail your fright

At his death pale skinAnd his lifeless eyesAnd his teeth as sharp as night.Oh, they say that the captain, he wears a veilAnd his eyes never see the light.You'd better be good, child--good as gold,As good as good can be.Else I'll turn you in to the vampiratesAnd wave you out to sea.There was something about the boy, something familiar. He couldn't work out exactly what it was. His head was throbbing. The exertion of the long swim was starting to catch up with him. So too was his hunger. A hunger such as he had not felt for a long, long time.Yes, you'd better be good, child--good as gold,Because--look! Can you see?There's a dark ship in the harbor tonightAnd there's room in the hold for thee!(Plenty of room for thee!)

The boy had seen him now and though he continued the song, he let a note or two slide, distracted by the swimmer's heavy footprints. And who wouldn't have been distracted by a stranger such as this? A stranger whose very height and muscled build was enough to block out even the moonlight.Well, if pirates are bad, And vampires are worse,Then I pray that as long as I be,That though I sing of Vampirates,I never one shall see. Yea, if pirates are danger, And vampires are death, extend my prayer for thee--That thine eyes never see a Vampirate...

...and they never lay a hand on thee.His song finished, the boy stood there, staring at the swimmer, who had stopped just a few paces short of the table. Now others turned around to see what had caught the boy's attention. Suddenly, they were all looking at him.

He opened his mouth. "I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates," he said.And then panic combined with exhaustion and hunger and his vision blurred. And everything went dark.Connor looked down at the stranger, as Bart poured another drop of rum into his mouth. The man was soaked through. Where had he come from at this time of night? His clothes were strange, out of place and time. And he had looked so strangely at Connor as he'd sung the Vampirate shanty. Perhaps it had distressed him and that was why he had fainted.With a splutter, the man came back to life, turning to spit out the rum."Here, buddy, have some more, it'll do ya good," Bart said.The stranger shook his head and turned his face away. "No more."

"Would you rather have some water?" asked Cate, close by."Nothing," the stranger said slowly.And, curiously, now that he had returned to consciousness, he did seem to have fully recovered. He even shunned their offers of help to lift him, easing himself up and onto the bench nearby.

"What's your name, stranger?" Captain Wrathe asked. "Where have you come from?"The stranger said nothing, but turned back to look at the ocean."Have you come from another ship?" Bart asked."Give him time to answer," Captain Wrathe said. "He seems to be in shock."

"It was the shanty," Connor said. "He heard me singing about the Vampirates."At the mention of the word, the stranger spun his head toward Connor."Vam-pi-rates," he said very slowly.Connor could not breathe, such was his anticipation. "I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates," the man said, his voice low and cracked.Connor could not hold back any longer. "I'm looking for a ship. The Vampirate ship. Have you come from it?"Connor felt the locket vibrating against his pounding heart. This had to be the breakthrough. This had to be his way back to Grace.But the man looked at him with wide, empty eyes.Connor could not let go. "I think my sister is on that ship.

 She's my age. We're twins. Her name is Grace."The stranger's expression had altered even before Connor had finished speaking. His mouth had broken into a smile at the mention of Grace. A smile of recognition, perhaps.

And now he was looking into Connor's eyes and nodding. "You're twins. Grace."He did know something. Connor was so full of questions, he did not know what to ask next. Before he had a chance to speak, he heard Cheng Li's voice."Tell us about the Vampirates," she said. "How can we fight them? Will they try to take our blood?"The stranger looked at her in wonder, frowning, as if in pain. Then he nodded."Did they take your blood?" she asked, with a rare softness. "Is that it? Were you a prisoner of the Vampirates? Did they take your blood before you escaped? Is that why you're so weak?"

"Blood," was all he said before his eyes closed again."No," Connor cried. "Please, sir, don't let go now. We need you to tell us where that ship is. We need to know if my sister is there."

"Grace," said the stranger, then, "danger."

"Come on," Captain Wrathe said. "There's no time to lose. Round up the crew and prepare the ship. We'll take him with us."Captain Wrathe looked down at the poor stranger, whose eyes flickered for a moment, then closed."They must be terrible demons to weaken such a strong man as this," Captain Wrathe said sadly. "If only we knew the chink in their armor. If only we had a clue."

The stranger's eyes flickered again and he clutched Connor's arm with his hand."He has something to tell us," Bart said. "Maybe if I try some more rum?"The stranger shook his head and squeezed Connor's arm again. Though he was weak, his grip was strong and Connor flinched at the pain."What is it?" Connor asked. "What is it that you want so badly to tell us?"

"Attack when night becomes day..." He seemed to struggle to get the words out. "At their weakest in the light."The effort of the words was too much for him and his eyes closed and once more he slumped back against the table.Connor thought he would explode. At last, at last he had his clue to finding Grace! But what if it was too late? What if they had feasted on her and weakened her like this? What if they had left only a fragile shell?"Connor," Captain Wrathe said, spotting his concern. "You keep steady, do you hear me? Believe that she's all right. And trust me, my young friend, we will take our revenge for whatever they have done to her. This man has given us a great gift. He'll take us to their ship and we'll do the rest. We're going to find your sister, my boy, and we're going to destroy these demons."

Lying there on the bench, his eyes shut tight, Sidorio wanted to do nothing so much as laugh. These poor fools had swallowed his performance hook, line, and sinker. He had forgotten how much fun it could be playing with mortals' minds. And he couldn't wait to see the Vampirate captain's reaction when a ship of vengeful pirates arrived at daylight. Could revenge really be so easy as this? For the first time in a long, long time, he awaited dawn with delicious anticipation.

CHAPTER 35

IT BEGINS

Lorcan and Grace stood on the deck of the ship. Grace had been reluctant to return directly to her cabin after what had happened there with Sidorio."We could go back to my cabin, if you prefer," Lorcan said, "but we must go back inside soon."

"No, no, I'll be okay. I have to go back there sometime. Just a few minutes more, though," she said. "It's so beautiful tonight with all the stars."

"All right, but just a few minutes more. It's getting late and the sky is beginning to lighten. We must be inside before Darcy sounds the Dawning Bell!"Grace nodded. She remembered how he had cowered from the light in her cabin before. She would not put him through that pain again.

The Diablo coursed through the open waters, in pursuit of the Vampirate ship. The stranger had recovered sufficiently to give the captain directions, though he had struggled to remember his own name. At last, he had turned to Captain Wrathe with a flicker of a smile and said, "Caesar." Now "Caesar" was at the captain's side, while Connor, Bart, Cate, and Cheng Li stood close by.The deck was packed tight with members of the crew. News had spread fast that Connor's twin sister was alive but in grave danger, and every pirate was preparing for the fight of their lives. Connor was touched by their unwavering support."You're one of us now, Connor," Captain Wrathe told him, "and every pirate looks out for his brother."Cutlass Cate and Cheng Li gave the crew a joint briefing, telling them to beware of an enemy they knew next to nothing about. Cate had pressed Caesar for what information he had, but he just kept repeating, "Attack as night becomes day and victory will be yours."At last, they saw the shadow of a ship up ahead. That must be it. The captain turned to Caesar expectantly. He nodded. Connor's heart was beating fast. Bart placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Not long now, buddy," he said.The deck of the ship seemed to be quiet. Captain Wrathe slowed the speed of The Diablo to reduce the noise. He wanted to make the most of the element of surprise. The cannons were loaded and the Three Wishes were half-suspended in readiness. Soon merry hell would break loose--but until the last possible moment, he wanted silence.Finally, the captain turned to Cate. "Please make the final preparations for attack."

"Not yet," interrupted Caesar. "Too dark."

"We can't take the chance of waiting any longer," said Captain Wrathe. "You've been wonderfully helpful, Caesar, but we'll take our chances now."

"Besides," Cheng Li said, "look, the light is coming from the east."Caesar trembled, his eyes flickering again as they had at the tavern."Are you all right?" Cheng Li asked."I'm a little cold," he said, his eyes almost shut. "Perhaps if my work is done, I might go inside for a while and rest."Captain Wrathe nodded."I'll help you to a cabin," Cheng Li said, reaching out her arm and leading the poor, broken invalid across the deck.Captain Wrathe turned to Cate again. "Make the preparations, Cate. Now."

"No."Connor stepped forward.The others turned to him questioningly.

"Look, the deck is almost deserted. I can see only two figures and I think one of them is Grace. Let's do things differently. Let me go in there alone."Cate shook her head. "You can't do that, Connor. I'm sorry, but you just don't have enough experience of combat. And besides, we don't want to lose you."

"I'm sure that's Grace," Connor said. "If we charge in, it will scare whoever's with her and who knows what he'll do. Maybe if I just go in myself, I can quietly take him out without alerting the rest of the crew."

"It's too dangerous," Cate said.But Captain Wrathe shook his head. "It's Connor's call. It's his sister on that ship and we must do things his way."Connor smiled at the captain. "Thank you," he said, immensely grateful."How about I come along as backup, buddy?"

"No, Bart. Thanks for the offer, but this is something I must do alone."

"At least take this," Cate said, passing Connor her precious rapier."I can't," Connor said."Don't make me pull rank on you," Cate said, placing the handle in Connor's gloved hands."Thank you, thank you all."Cate went to tell the waiting pirates that there had been a change of plan.

Connor stood at the front of the ship, between Captain Wrathe and Bart."The moment I saw you, Mister Tempest, I knew you were a hero in the making," said the captain. "But you know what? You already are one."Connor heard the words but could not respond to them. The ship was almost alongside its neighbor now and he had to stay utterly focused on the deck ahead. Everything he had been through had brought him to this moment. He had seen Grace, at least he was pretty sure he had seen her. But now the deck was utterly empty.Above him, the pirates carefully drew down one of the wishes. They had oiled it after the last attack and it was much quieter now. Still, every scrape of metal made Connor's skin crawl. Nothing must alert the Vampirates that he was coming. Nothing must lessen his chance of success.As soon as the wish was horizontal, he turned toward Captain Wrathe, Bart, and Cate, who had rejoined them. There was no time for dramatic good-byes. Besides, he'd be back in a short time. Wouldn't he?"Get a bloody move on," said Bart. "We want to meet your sister while she's still a young woman!"With a smile, Connor jumped onto the wish and ran across it to the other deck.