Real Vampires: Glory and the Pirates

by Bartlett, Gerry

  “You’ve kill’t me!” He stared down at the blood gushing from his stomach then clutched himself as if he could stop the flow.

  “Not if you surrender. Crawl into one of those cells and I’ll send for someone to tend your wound.” I kicked his foot, keeping my eyes on that man in front of Fiona.

  “Don’t do it, Bailey! You’ll only end up at the end of a rope. That’s where the Scots think all Irish belong.” The man Fiona held at gunpoint had given the order. “I’m Donovan. These men answer to me. We won’t go down without a fight.”

  “Looks like the fight is lost. You heard her. Drop your sword and get in a cell.” Fiona now held the gun with both hands, trying to keep it from wobbling.

  Fi looked tired, biting her lips as she concentrated on her aim. The heavy gun was obviously making it a challenge.

  “Fiona? Are you all right?” I didn’t like the way that man never took his eyes off of her. He was going to try something, I was sure of it.

  “I’m fine. Keep talking, Donovan. I’ll shoot you if you move.” Fiona had the brave talk right even if she looked worried.

  “She means it. Throw away that sword and get into a cell, Donovan. If she doesn’t shoot you, I’ll cut your Irish throat.” I was having a hard time watching both him and Bailey. Bailey moaned then ripped off his jacket and wadded it to press on the wound. He started inching his way into a cell and I didn’t see him as much of a danger. But then I couldn’t be sure, could I? The other man I’d cut hadn’t moved, but what if he was faking? It was Donovan I was most worried about. He was on his feet and staring, clearly ready to make a move.

  “You think I’ll let a woman take me down?” He dove toward Fiona, his sword aimed at her heart. The gun blasted, my ears ringing as red bloomed on his chest. Donovan was dead before he hit the floor. I knew it instantly even before I ran over to check for a heartbeat.

  “Fiona! That was an amazing shot.” I realized she’d slumped on the floor, the pistol at her feet.

  She looked at me, her eyes bleak. “I know. I have always had a true aim.” She bent her head and wept into her arms crossed on top of her knees.

  “I killed him!” she wailed.

  “Yes, you did. He wanted to go down fighting. That was obvious.” I settled next to her, watching closely the two pirates who still breathed. Two dead and two severely wounded. We’d certainly defended the castle. Fiona sobbed one more time then sat up and wiped her eyes.

  “You were so brave, Fi. I’ll never forget how you shot him. You never hesitated.” I gave her a hug.

  “I did it, didn’t I?” She sniffed then pulled out her bag and carefully began cleaning each pistol before reloading them. “You should make sure those two get into the cells and lock them up. Or do you need my help?”

  “I can manage.” I stood and dragged a complaining Bailey by his collar until he was lying in the cell. I found a smaller key next to the one I’d used on the dungeon door and it worked to lock the cell. “I’ll send our housekeeper down here to dress your wound, Bailey. She’ll set you to rights.”

  “Don’t bother. Donovan was right. I’m heading to the gallows.” The man fell back against the wall. “Leave me be. Check on O’Toole. The other one, his name was Kelly, if you care. He’s dead, I guess.”

  “Yes.” I did care, but I wasn’t going to let Bailey know that. “If O’Toole is the one with the short beard, I think he might live. Let me see.” I had slashed O’Toole’s chest but hadn’t hit his heart. I leaned down and listened. Yes, his heart still beat. I dragged him into a cell and locked that door. It might be a bad sign that he hadn’t waked yet but he was still breathing.

  The smell of all that blood made me hunger but not for the blood of any of the dirty men in the cells or those lying dead in the dungeon. I wondered if we should stay where we were or report to someone what we’d found here. Could more men be coming? I asked Bailey.

  “Why should I tell you anything? You’ve as good as kill’t me.” He was surly.

  I didn’t blame him for his attitude. But I did blame him for taking part in the raids that had caused such misery for the villagers living here.

  “I can arrange care for you, decent food and even ale if you cooperate. It will make your last days pass more easily. Surely that is something. I can even delay your trip to Edinburgh.” I watched him through the bars. I wasn’t sure about that last promise. The prisoners we’d taken before had been marched off to Edinburgh the very day they’d been captured. Captain Burnett wanted to please the king and show him our success here. Bailey was pale but should last until he could be taken to Edinburgh for trial if we didn’t delay too long.

  “Ale? Fine food?” He licked his lips. “Who are you anyway?”

  “I am mistress to Lord Campbell, Guardian of the Coast. I have a certain power here. I can arrange things for your comfort.” I realized I still held a bloody knife and leaned down to wipe it on Donovan’s jacket.

  Bailey scowled. “Have you no respect for the dead?”

  “Not for this dead man. He led you in here, didn’t he? How many men did he bring with him into the castle? How did he arrange that? We have guards on the hill where the passage starts. How did you get past them?” I picked up my sword. It still had blood on it. My hands were shaking as I cleaned it. How many times had Jeremiah and Valdez told me never to put away a blade dirty? Those lessons had been like a game. This reality made me sick to my stomach.

  “Answer me, Bailey, or do I have to start cutting on you to get my answers? We could always wait for Lord Campbell. He is quite expert at pulling answers from reluctant prisoners.” I wiped my sword clean on the same jacket. I hated defiling the man lying dead at my feet but felt like I had to make a point. I didn’t tell poor Bailey that Jeremiah’s trick to get answers was mind-reading and not painful at all.

  Bailey turned away and tears ran down his face. “Torture. I’ve heard the tales.” He sniffed and seemed to come to a decision.

  “There were six of us. Janus, known to you as McFee, Wylie and us four. Wylie probably made it back to the ship. Don’t know about Janus. Last I saw him, he was in the forest outside the castle. There’s your answer. Now bring me something to drink. Something stronger than ale, if you please. How about Scots whiskey? I’ve got a taste for it since we’ve been raiding and it will dull some of this pain ye gave me with your blasted knife.” He glared at me.

  I didn’t bother to read his mind. Why would a dying man lie? He told me how the spies they had managed to put in place had all gone back to Ireland, tired of living among the Scots they hated. He too was tired and felt defeated.

  “I’ve known of only one woman who could wield a sword and a knife like you just did. Our Zarah. She was a fine leader, gone too soon.” Bailey wiped the tears from his face. “They say a woman drove her to kill herself. Was you the one who done it?”

  “I was there. I saw her fling herself from the tower in despair. She knew she was beaten and didn’t want to face trial in Edinburgh.” That got me a blast of hatred and filthy words. I didn’t like them but ignored them.

  “How did you get into the castle this time?” I glanced at the passageway I had gone down before. “We had the passageway well guarded.”

  “Not that way, ye stupid bitch.” Bailey laughed until he cried out and grabbed his stomach. “Guess ye was satisfied with the first passage ye found, wasn’t ye? Typical English. Takin’ the easy way. Yeah, ye sound like one of ̕em. Came from Lunnen, didn’t ye? Ye have no idea what them has taken from us Irish over the years. We got nothin’ left.”

  “It doesn’t matter where I come from. Answer me.” Yes, I was sorry for what the Irish had suffered. It was too bad they thought raiding poor villages was their only answer.

  Bailey shrugged then winced in pain. “Ye should have kept exploring, that’s all. This passage ye opened on yon wall? It isn’t the only one. Go t̕other way and follow that one north. You’ll come out on the other side of the hill.”

  That made me want to
scream in frustration. He was right about one thing. We should have looked for more passages.

  “I’m sorry for your loss and your pain. But you hurt a lot of innocent people, Bailey. I met Janus in the forest. He claimed he was the real leader and had even trained Zarah. He was not the right man to follow.” I left Bailey shouting at me and joined Fiona.

  “I think we’ve got them all. At least for now.” I helped her to her feet. “How are you feeling?”

  “Not proud. I thought I would be. Instead, I’m sick at what I’ve done. Killing another human? I’m sorry I didn’t aim to just wound him.” She looked down at Donovan’s body. “I could have shot him in the leg, I think. That would have stopped him. I know with the first one I had no choice.”

  I rolled Donovan over. There was that sword in his hand. “It might have. But he could have hurt or killed both of us with this sword. You did the right thing, Fiona. Don’t play that game of ‘if only.’ It will drive you mad.” I pushed her to the stairs. “Why don’t you go up and tell Fergus what happened here?”

  “I can’t leave you alone.” She gasped when Valdez suddenly appeared behind me. “Where did you come from?”

  “I was in the passageway. Did you really think Bailey told you the truth? There were four more men in that passageway I had to deal with. You can thank me later.” He checked Donovan. “He’s dead all right. That was an excellent shot, Countess. I had just finished off the last man when I saw what happened. Not many marksmen could have hit a man in mid-jump like that.”

  Fiona flushed and looked down at her feet. “I thank you, Valdez. I’m surprised you didn’t interfere. It is your duty as Gloriana’s bodyguard.”

  “I had her back. She managed well on her own and remembered her training.” He actually smiled at me. “Share this story with your husband and Lord Campbell, though, and I am afraid they will not take it well. Both MacDonald and Jeremiah are fine fighters, but they don’t want their women in the middle of a battle.”

  “You are right about that.” Jeremiah appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “Gloriana, I smell blood and death. What have you done?”

  Robert MacDonald pushed in behind him. “Fiona, are you all right? Are those pistols in your hands?” He sniffed the air. “Who did you shoot?”

  “Robert, you won’t believe it but I, I killed two pirates!” Fiona threw herself into his arms.

  “How did you acquit yourself, my love?” Jeremiah stared at the men locked in the cells. “Are those your work?”

  I walked up to him, sliding my sword into its scabbard. “It is indeed. My pirates are only wounded. I managed to question the one in the cell on the right.”

  “Did you?” He looked over my head at Valdez. “And you stood by while this was going on?”

  “No, indeed. There is a pile of bodies down the way, if you want to count them. Gloriana took care of this lot though. Handily.” Valdez met his gaze steadily.

  “We won the night, Robert.” Fiona pulled back. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “It certainly is. Though if your cousin the king got word that you’d put yourself in harm’s way like this I might be looking for my head. Campbell as well.” Robert rolled a body over and then looked back at his wife. “Dead center through the heart. A fine shot, my darling.”

  “Thank you.” Fiona stared down at the man she’d killed. “I am horrified by it.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “You are right. If Jamie got word of this . . ?” She shook her head. “I fear he’d lock me up in an asylum. Four men against the two of us, Glory. I’m the one who made us go forward and take them on. What was I thinking?”

  “That we could defend ourselves.” I refused to be ashamed of that. I waited for Jeremiah’s verdict. He was always so protective, treating me like I was helpless to defend myself. I glanced at Valdez and he hid a smile. Oh, yes, that mind reader knew how I chafed at a woman’s role.

  I stared at the two dead men, then at the two in the cells. “Jeremiah, I suppose you would have preferred that we join Madame daVinci on the battlements. We could stand uselessly there while the guards made sure no pirate came near us.”

  “Hush, my love.” Jeremiah took me in his arms. “I am proud of you. I can think of very few men who could have taken down as many pirates as you and Fiona have done this night. And you even managed to question one of them?”

  I leaned against him, savoring the strength I found in his arms. “Yes. He said they were the last four in the castle. Now Valdez said he lied. I should have read his mind. I did learn there is another passage we need to guard.”

  “Excellent.” He kissed the top of my head. “I find having a warrior woman of my own is a very fine thing. What say you, MacDonald?”

  “For once, we agree, Campbell. Our women have done well. Now dry your tears, Fiona. We are invited to a wedding. Our bishop asked if he could preside and I said we’d attend.” Robert kissed her damp cheek. “But he would be scandalized to see you in that garb. Britches! They certainly show your assets off to the world.” He patted her bottom.

  “Robert, behave.” Fiona sighed. “I am devastated. You must understand that.”

  “Yes, my dear,” he said with a wicked twinkle in his eyes, “shall we retire to our room so I may comfort you?”

  “Certainly. I cannot wait to leave this horrid place and breathe some fresh air.” She wrinkled her nose. “Gloriana?”

  “I quit breathing a long time ago.” I held onto Jeremiah. “We will be at the wedding as well. Go on up. I’m sure a servant will show you to your bedchamber. The gentlemen could use a wash too, don’t you think?”

  “I do indeed.” She took Robert’s arm. “Now tell me what you think of these britches, sir.”

  “I could show you, but we must hurry. We have dawn to consider, you know.” He pinched her bottom then winked at me. “We will see you at the wedding. Don’t wait if we are late.”

  “Come, Gloriana. No doubt you are as eager to get away from the scent of death as Fiona is.” Jeremiah drew me up the stairs. “I am not certain I want to bed a woman in britches, but I must say you wear them well.”

  “Thank you, Jeremiah.” I stopped him and gave him a kiss, despite the fact that he was filthy with soot from cannon fire. “I’d wanted to fight but the reality, the blood, and watching the light go out of a mortal’s eyes…? Well, it wasn’t a treat, no matter how wrong the cause or evil the man might be.”

  “It never gets easier, Gloriana.” Jeremiah leaned me against the stone wall and touched my face. “I’m sorry you had to deal with it. I’ve always wanted to spare you this.”

  “I know. Now tell me the outcome this night. Are the pirates truly beaten? I think I hear cheers in the courtyard. We already let the ale flow free earlier. It seems to be making the guards merry.” I tugged him up the stairs again, eager to wash and change into a dress for the wedding

  “Yes, the pirates left here with only one ship, sails in tatters and low in the water. They’ll be lucky if they make it to their home port. We sank the other two. Burnett has rounded up two dozen men and they’ll stand trial in Edinburgh, along with the two you put in the dungeon here. I doubt we’ll see any more raiding on the coast for a very long time.” Jeremiah grinned proudly, so handsome in his pride that my heart did a little dance in my chest.

  “The king will be delighted.” I was sure there would be another reward in my lover’s future. What would it mean for both of us? A different posting?

  “Yes, I will have quite a report for him. Even MacDonald took down a few pirates with his sword. Captain Burnett was in the thick of the fighting and has now stayed behind to assure himself that there were enough guards on the prisoners. It seems even on his wedding day his duty comes first. I will make sure he gets full credit for his diligence.”

  “That should assure his future with Lady Anne.” I knew she would be willing to follow her captain wherever the king sent him next.

  “He directed two of his own men to find Clyne along with a heavy purse to assure Lad
y Rose that the man did indeed get on a ship for France.” Jeremiah urged me along to our room. “Burnett was determined to start his married life with no lingering problems in that quarter.”

  “He’s certainly a fine man.” I didn’t think Clyne deserved the purse, but it had probably been a wise decision to hurry the man on his way. “Lady Anne chose well.”

  “He told me that Lady Rose is going back to Edinburgh to live with her sister. He wasn’t sorry to hear that, I’m sure.” Jeremiah threw open our bedchamber door.

  “Lord Campbell.” Colin approached us in the hall. “Mistress Gloriana.”

  “Yes, Colin. What is it?” Jeremiah smiled at him. “I hear you acquitted yourself well this night. Fergus told me you fought at the drawbridge when a group of pirates attacked there.”

  Colin flushed. “Thank you, my lord. I’m here about my wedding. Mercy and I are soon to go before the bishop. It is her fondest wish for you and Mistress Gloriana to be our witnesses. If it isn’t asking too much. I know you must be tired but I would be most grateful if you would honor us.” He looked down at his dirty britches and shuffled his dusty boots. Not wedding attire.

  “We were planning on it. But you must promise me you will take a few minutes to wash up and change clothes, Colin.” I had to say it. “Mercy will be dressed in her best so you must do the same. It is your special night after all. Hurry, and we’ll meet you in the chapel.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Colin looked at Jeremiah. “And you, sir?”

  “Of course. Glad to do it for someone from home.” Jeremiah shook his hand. “Go now. Gloriana is right. Must look your best for the bride. We’ll be waiting for you.” He glanced at me. “Perhaps Gloriana will want to wear a dress to the wedding.”

  “What? You don’t approve of my attire?” I knew he didn’t. I laughed at the look on Colin’s face. “Don’t worry, Colin. I will change for Mercy and for you.” I poked Jeremiah in the stomach. “Not because my lord and master says so.”