But I’d be fair — if somewhat firm — with my thronging pirate horde.
At this Ma Kettle cried, “You go, girl!”
But all my dreams of love have come to nothing —
It seems no pirate captain wants a wife.
So it’s time to jump this ship, and give piracy the slip —
Yes, I’ve had it with the nautical life!
I had ocean-faring dreams
But nothing’s what it seems.
Yes, I’ve had it with the nautical life!
Oh, I’ve well and truly had it with the nautical life!
At this, Sugar Pie removed the captain’s hat from her head, shook down her long blond hair, and beamed at the audience.
Grace smiled despite herself. She and Sugar Pie had something in common, she thought wryly. If only it was so easy to give piracy the slip!
A short distance away, a small boat docks at the jetty.
There are three people inside — the ferryman and two passengers.
“This is the place,” the ferryman announces.
“Excellent,” says the heftier of the two passengers. “Stukeley, out you get while I settle our tariff.”
Stukeley needs no further urging. “Ma Kettle’s Tavern,” he says in wonder, as his feet land on the jetty. “I never thought I’d see you again!”
“Don’t go too far ahead!” the other passenger calls after him. “We must be careful.”
“No, Captain. I’ll wait for you just here.”
“Good, Lieutenant,” says the other, turning his attention to the ferryman. “This gold buys your silence,” he says, “but, I wonder, can you be trusted?”
The ferryman nods eagerly, his hand reaching out for the payment. But the other’s fist suddenly closes about the gold. “I’m afraid my trust issues have gotten the better of me again,” he says with a sigh.
The ferryman looks at him in surprise. Something is very wrong here. The surprise soon turns to indignation, then raw terror.
Stukeley has been lost in thought as he watches the glorious waterwheel turning in the distance and hears the familiar slosh of the waters. But now there is a bigger splash close by. He turns and sees Captain Sidorio striding toward him.
“What was that noise?” Stukeley asks.
Sidorio shrugs. “What noise?”
“Isn’t that the boat we came in? Where is the ferryman?”
Sidorio turns. “Ah, yes. The ferryman seems to have disappeared. That is strange,” he says, wiping his mouth and picking at something between his teeth. Turning back, he slaps a firm hand down on Stukeley’s shoulder. “Come on, Lieutenant. We don’t want to linger here a moment longer or we’ll miss your party.”
Stukeley has an uncomfortable feeling. But he knows that Sidorio doesn’t like to be questioned. And, after all, it is Sidorio who brought him back. Sidorio is his captain. And it is only right that he should do the captain’s bidding — whatever it might be. This is a second chance. And Stukeley intends to be the very model of a good and trustworthy lieutenant.
The pirates roared their approval for Sugar Pie, but she raised a finger to her lips to silence them. She held her hat aloft, poised to throw it.
“Whoever catches this, wins himself a kiss from Sugar Pie!”
She sent the hat in a high arc through the air, above the whooping pirates, their arms and hands flailing about like reeds to catch it. It eluded the majority, sailing on toward the tables where the pirates of The Diablo sat. All eyes turned as the hat finally made its descent. It was plummeting toward Connor and Bart, whose hands both reached out for it. Grace leaned back to give the two of them more room. Bart had the advantage in height and he grabbed the hat before Connor could do so.
“Better luck next time, buddy,” chuckled Bart, placing the captain’s hat on his head and playfully pushing Connor aside as he strode off to claim his prize.
“So near yet so far,” said Grace, digging Connor playfully in the ribs. She was enjoying herself now. She felt a flush of guilt, thinking of Jez. But then she remembered Ma Kettle’s words. They were here tonight to celebrate Jez’s life. And there was no doubt in her mind that this was what Jez would have wanted. Why, if he had been here, he’d have been fighting Bart and Connor for Sugar Pie’s attentions!
The show over, the lights went up and Grace saw that a fresh batch of drinks now lined the table. One mouthful of rum had been more than enough for her, but the other pirates lifted their glasses gleefully and threw the fiery liquid down their throats.
“I’m going out to get some air,” she said to Connor.
“Okay,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. “If you need me, just holler.”
She nodded, moving away from the table. When she glanced back, she saw that one of Sugar Pie’s backing dancers had come over to the table and Connor, along with the others, seemed utterly transfixed by her. Shaking her head in amusement, Grace turned and walked away.
She traced her path back to the entrance of the tavern, careful to avoid the gaps between the decking. Once more, she glanced down into the water below. There she was again, staring back at herself. Like she was drowning all over again. Like before Lorcan had rescued her.
Lorcan. Instinctively, she moved her fingers to the chain around her neck, finding his Claddagh ring. The metal was cool to the touch at first. But, as her thumb and finger lingered there, it began to grow warmer. Was she about to have another vision? She felt a thrill of excitement but also fear. More than anything, she wanted to know the truth about how he was and what had happened to him. And yet she feared what she might discover.
As the ring continued to heat up, she sat down on the decking and closed her eyes, waiting for the wave of nau-sea she had experienced the last time. But, although the ring grew warmer and warmer, there was no accompanying pain or feeling of sickness. Added to which, she heard nothing and there was no dull fog in her head. What kind of a vision was this? Was she doing something wrong? Puzzled, Grace opened her eyes.
As she did so, she gasped. Down in the water, down beneath the decking, she saw Lorcan. He was stumbling along the corridor of the Vampirate ship, his hands reaching out to steady himself. Grace gasped. It was as if she was experiencing the same scene as before but this time as an external observer. It was painful to watch Lorcan struggling so. She wanted nothing so much as to hold out her hand and help him. Instinctively, she found herself reaching a hand down to the water’s surface. She still held tightly onto the ring, which grew hotter all the time. It was an awkward maneuver to say the least, but she was overcome by the strongest of urges to touch the water.
But the instant Grace’s fingers brushed the dark surface, the vision of Lorcan disappeared. The waters became a mirror again, reflecting her own disturbed face and the lights of the tavern back up at her. She frowned.
Then the waters grew dark once more. She leaned closer, waiting for the vision of Lorcan to return. But instead, she saw another face. She shuddered. It was Sidorio. He was looking directly at her — just as he had on the Vampirate deck that fateful night. And now, just as then, his eyes suddenly became empty, then full of fire. He opened his mouth in a horrible smile, the dagger-like incisors seeming to rise up, out of the water.
“No!” Grace cried.
The Claddagh ring was burning her fingers now. She wanted to release it, but somehow she was unable to. Suddenly, her hand jolted forward. The ring had come free of the chain. She was still gripping it between her thumb and forefinger but there was no telling how much longer she could hold it. Any moment now, the heat would force her to release it into the water. No! However painful it was, she couldn’t lose it. The ring was her last connection with the Vampirate ship, with Lorcan. If she let it go, she might never be able to return, never be able to help her friend. It was this thought which, in spite of the pain, enabled her to remain holding the ring, even as the excruciating heat seared through her nerves.
In the waters below, Sidorio watched her. He was laughing at her. What d
id it mean? Was this another vision? Was he close? Was he coming back for her?
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her neck. It pulled her firmly backward. As it did so, she felt the temperature of the ring cool at last. She slumped back onto the decking, gasping with relief and weakness — and pure fear.
12
CONFESSIONAL
“Well, well, well. What have we here?”
Grace opened her eyes and looked up into a familiar face.
“Cheng Li!” she exclaimed.
“Hello, Grace.” Cheng Li nodded, crouching down beside her. “How nice to run into you — albeit in somewhat curious circumstances. If you’re intent on practicing acrobatics, I can think of better places for you to do so.”
Grace looked up at her. Cheng Li seemed softer than Grace remembered her. But they’d only met briefly on The Diablo and her memory had perhaps been tarnished by Molucco Wrathe’s harsh words about his exdeputy captain.
“I wasn’t practicing acrobatics,” said Grace.
“I didn’t really think you were,” said Cheng Li. “But whatever you were doing, you look rather pale. I think I’d better get you something to drink.”
“Do they serve non-alcoholic drinks here?” Grace asked. “I had a mouthful of rum and I’m feeling a bit queasy.”
“Hmm, you might find that’s what happens when you suspend yourself upside down over stagnant water! What exactly were you doing down there?”
Grace smiled. “It’s a long story.”
“My very favorite kind.” Cheng Li smiled at Grace and extended a firm but graceful arm towards her. “Come along, dear. We’ll share a pot of Sea Lily Tea. That, as they say, should put some color back in your cheeks.”
Cheng Li led Grace back inside the tavern. Up ahead, in the VIP section, the pirates of The Diablo were getting rowdier by the minute. Grace saw Connor in the thick of it, but he was evidently too preoccupied to notice her. Cheng Li reached for Grace’s hand and led her to a dark stairway to one side of the tavern. They climbed up the narrow stairwell, emerging in an upstairs gallery. It was lined with booths. Each booth was separated from its neighbor by wooden panels, which were intricately carved with images of ships and waves.
The booth they entered reminded Grace of a church confessional. It overlooked the downstairs bar but there was a red velvet curtain you could draw across to shut out prying eyes and drown out some of the hubbub below.
This Cheng Li did, with a sharp tug. “There,” she said. “Now, we can be private.”
It was dark inside the booth and Cheng Li’s face was illuminated by a single candle, flickering from a glass lantern in the center of the table. The meager light softened Cheng Li’s features, reminding Grace that in spite of her aura and rank, her companion was actually only a few years older than herself.
Cheng Li was quite different from how Grace remembered her. Her glossy black hair had grown in the months since they had last met and she had styled it a little less severely. Then Grace noticed that Cheng Li wasn’t carrying the twin katanas on her back. Now that she was a tutor at the Pirate Academy, had she relinquished her weapons?
“What does it take to get some service around here?” Cheng Li said, extending her hand out of the booth and snapping her fingers. Grace spotted the katanas laid out on the bench. Not relinquished, then, just resting.
One of Ma Kettle’s servers arrived at the booth. It was, Grace was surprised to see, a boy. He bowed low. “How may I be of assistance?”
“Bring us a pot of Sea Lily Tea,” Cheng Li said.
“Right away, Mistress Li!” He scurried off.
Cheng Li smiled at Grace. “It really is a nice surprise running into you,” she said, “I’ve thought of you often.”
Grace flushed at her words. “It’s good to see you too,” she said, a little embarrassed.
The serving boy swiftly returned, bearing a tray crowded with jugs, glasses, and different-sized caskets. Could all this be just for the two of them? Clearly there was quite a ritual to this tea drinking.
Grace could feel Cheng Li’s eyes upon her as she watched the serving boy. He placed two prettily painted tea glasses on the table. Next, he set a tall glass teapot in the center. It was empty, Grace noticed. Bowing, the boy opened a small onyx casket. It was full of flower buds. Taking a pair of silver tongs, he carefully dropped two of the buds into the glass teapot. He closed the casket and took up an elegant silver pot, pouring hot water in a high arc over the buds until the tall glass pot was almost full.
“Now be patient!” he smiled, removing the casket and the tray. “Oh, I almost forgot, here’s some honey.” He set down a small black jar, a tiny spoon jutting out from its lid.
Cheng Li dropped a coin onto the tray. “Close the curtain after you,” she said.
He smiled and bowed once more, then disappeared, drawing the curtain around the booth. The two young women were completely enclosed.
“Now watch,” Cheng Li said, indicating the glass teapot.
Grace followed her gaze. The clear water had turned a pale shade of pink — a shot of more intense color spiraling through the clear liquid as if a used paintbrush had been dipped inside. Grace saw that the two tiny buds at the base of the pot were spinning about like the smallest of sea creatures. Then, very slowly, the buds began to open out. Petals gradually fanned out from each bud, like arms gently stretching after a long night’s sleep. As the petals extended farther, the two flowers touched. All the time, the water was turning a deeper and deeper pink — like the sky at sunset.
Now the buds were fully open and began to rise to the top of the pot — until the flowers were floating together on the surface of a jewel-pink ocean.
“Wow,” Grace said, intrigued by this small piece of theater.
“Now it’s ready to drink,” Cheng Li said, reaching for the pot and pouring the hot tea into Grace’s glass. Steam spiraled up and hit Grace’s nostrils. The tea had the most unusual and intoxicating perfume.
“Some people like to add a spoonful of honey,” Cheng Li said, nodding at the small black jar on the table, “but I prefer mine without.”
Grace decided to follow Cheng Li’s lead and lifted her glass to her lips.
“Wait,” Cheng Li said. Grace paused, wondering how much more there might be to this ritual.
“A toast,” Cheng Li said, raising her own glass to meet Grace’s. “To new friends!”
“New friends!” Grace echoed.
They gently chinked the delicate glasses. Then Grace took a sip of the Sea Lily Tea.
“Well?” Cheng Li said, her smoky eyes flashing at Grace. “What’s the verdict?”
“I think it’s the most delicious drink I’ve ever tasted,” Grace said.
Cheng Li nodded and smiled. “I thought you’d like it,” she said. “Sea Lilies are a rare delicacy, full of good things. They’re hard to come by — but Matilda Kettle has connections.”
“Matilda?” Grace was surprised. “I thought she was ‘Ma’ as in ‘Mother.’ ”
Cheng Li shook her head. “No, dear, her name is Matilda.”
“But Molucco called her Kitty before.”
“People call her many names, but her real name is Matilda.”
Grace sensed that Cheng Li knew many, many secrets. She took another sip of tea, feeling its sweet warmth flood through her body. It felt as if all the tension she had been carrying around had drained away. Was it possible that just a couple of sips of the delicately perfumed tea could have such a strong and immediate effect?
“Now,” Cheng Li said. “Tell me everything.”
Where should she begin? There was so much she could tell. So many thoughts and experiences that she was suddenly burning to get off her chest. So many questions too.
But could she trust Cheng Li? She was aware of her companion’s reputation — the former deputy captain was talked about aboard The Diablo with a mixture of fear and disdain. Connor, though, had spoken highly of her — describing her as harsh but fair — and his opin
ion mattered far more to Grace than that of Captain Wrathe or his all-too-easily influenced subordinates. But one thing that Connor had told Grace gave her real cause for concern. He had told her of Captain Drakoulis’ insinuation that Cheng Li had been spying on Molucco — that this was the reason for her arrival on The Diablo, and for her sudden departure.
“What would you like to know?” Grace said at last, deciding to let her companion start off. She would proceed with caution and then make her own decision as to Cheng Li’s trustworthiness.
Cheng Li shrugged. “Well, for a start, how do you like life aboard The Diablo?”
It was a simple question but Grace took a moment to compose her answer. Cheng Li waited, taking another draught of tea.
“I like it well enough,” Grace said.
Cheng Li observed Grace with her bright almond eyes. Clearly she was waiting to hear more. Grace decided to take a chance.
“I don’t know that I want to stay there forever.”
“Really?” said Cheng Li, one eyebrow raised quizzically.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t Connor signed up to the articles now?”
Grace nodded. “Yes,” she said quietly.
Cheng Li took a sip of tea. “That’s a little bit of a problem.”
Grace hardly needed reminding of that. The articles were a constant thorn in her side.
“The articles are generally considered to be binding for life,” said Cheng Li. She gazed at Grace. “But there are always ways around little problems.”
Grace’s heart lifted. Was Cheng Li about to throw her a lifeline?
“Tell me, how is Connor faring on the ship?”
“Pretty good,” Grace said.
Cheng Li smiled. “Only pretty good? The word on the nautical newswire is that he’s a pirate prodigy!”
“He’s doing really well,” Grace said. “He’s shaken up by Jez’s death. We all are. But Jez and Connor ...and Bart...were especially close.”
“Yes.” Cheng Li sipped her tea ruminatively. “Of course — the Three Buccaneers and all that.”
Grace nodded. “Connor will bounce back. He’s happy enough living the pirate life.”
Vampirates: Tide of Terror Page 8