Empire of Night

by Justin Somper

  "You're allowed to have a good time," Johnny said.

  "Yes," Grace answered carefully. "But I have to be fair to you...."

  Johnny smiled. "Do you hear me complaining any?"

  " And to Lorcan," Grace said. When Johnny didn't react, she added, softly, "My boyfriend."

  Now Johnny nodded. "I understand," he said. "But Lorcan's a long way away, and he wouldn't begrudge you a little harmless fun, now, would he?"

  Grace looked deep into Johnny's eyes and shook her head. He wasn't going to make this easy for her.

  "Shouldn't we be getting back to the ships?" she said.

  Johnny gazed at her. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he nodded. "All right," he said. "If you're ready. I think we've given Nieve a good enough rest, don't you?"

  He went over and drew Nieve gently away from the edge of the water. "I know you're thirsty, but don't even think about drinking that," she heard him say. "Saltwater would wreak havoc on your insides."

  Watching his tender approach to Nieve, Grace felt awkward. She had kissed Johnny. Not the other way around. If anyone had taken advantage, it was her , not him. Johnny had offered her this amazing treat, and she had repaid him with churlishness. That hadn't been her intention. She decided to clear the air before the ride home.

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  "Johnny," she called, walking over to him. "You know that I like you, don't you?"

  He smiled up at her. "I'm happy to hear that, Grace. I thought maybe you'd made your mind up about me and it was a closed book."

  She nodded. "I had made up my mind, after you left Sanctuary like that. But since we've met up again, I've realized I was too quick to judge. There are lots of different sides to you."

  "Well, thank you," he said. "For taking the trouble to look again." He held out his hand toward her.

  She hesitated. Once more, she had the sensation of the lasso tightening.

  He smiled. "I'm just helping you up onto Nieve's back, Sugar," he said.

  Of course he was. She was mortally embarrassed. Bowing her head, she stepped forward and allowed him to help her up into the saddle once more.

  This time, sitting up there, astride Nieve's golden back, Grace felt perfectly at home. In a flash, Johnny was up behind her, once more circling his arms around her and reaching for the reins. Grace leaned back against him, like he had told her to do before.

  As Nieve began to walk back across the sand, Grace closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Things were getting complicated. She knew it. But she hadn't felt this good in a long time, and she wanted to enjoy every last second of their journey home.

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  26 NO WAY OUT

  "How did Grace seem to you tonight?" Lorcan asked Darcy, as they walked away from the captain's cabin.

  "Better," Darcy said. "Back to her old self, I'd say. Calmer. Much calmer." Catching Lorcan's expression, she added. "You don't agree with me, do you?"

  He shrugged and shook his head. "Maybe I'm imagining things," he said. "I just feel there's this distance growing between the two of us. I wish she would visit me on my own sometime."

  "I'm sure she'd like that, too," Darcy said. "But remember, these astral visits are very draining for her. Maybe she hasn't built up enough reserves of energy yet."

  Lorcan nodded. "Perhaps I should visit her , then?"

  Darcy shrugged. "My gut tells me that you're better off letting Grace take the lead here. She's in a very dangerous

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  position on board that ship. If you suddenly arrived at the wrong moment, though of course she'd be delighted to see you, it could throw her off track and set her back in her mission."

  "You're right," Lorcan said. "I wish you weren't, but I know you are." They had already reached Lorcan's cabin. He held open the door. "Would you come inside, just for a minute? I could use the company."

  Darcy nodded and stepped across the threshold.

  "Apologies in advance for the mess," he said, as he shut the door behind them. His hand swept around the room, which was filled with weaponry, boots and other combat gear, piles of books, and pages and pages of jottings in Lorcan's distinctive spidery writing.

  Darcy's wide eyes took it all in. "Looks like your cabin's become the ship's armory," she said.

  Lorcan moved quickly around the room, doing his best to organize things into piles so that he could clear a space for Darcy to sit down. He indicated the now-empty chair. As she sat, Darcy smiled warmly at her friend. "You know, it's pretty amazing how you've taken up the call to arms. I'm exceedingly proud of you."

  "Thanks, Darcy," Lorcan said, smiling back at her. "You're a pal."

  "It sounded from what you told Mosh Zu that your combat training is going better," Darcy said. "Is that the whole truth, or were you humoring him a little?"

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  Lorcan sat down on the edge of the bed, stretching out his legs. "No, things are going a bit better. Thanks to you as much as anyone. Our last chat was like an injection of steel into me. I threw myself back into the job with renewed vigor."

  Darcy smiled. "Glad to be of assistance!" She leaned forward, her face resting in her hands. "I'm always here for you, Lorcan. You know that, don't you?"

  He nodded. "And I for you. It cuts both ways." He looked up into her eyes. "Truth is it's going a bit better, but I'm a long way from transforming this ragbag crew into a viable fighting force." He paused. "I feel like I've hit a wall." Now he rose to his feet and grabbed one of the swords from the floor. He removed the sheath and executed a few moves before Darcy's eyes.

  "Very impressive!" she said, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

  Lorcan sat down again, the sword resting in his hands. "You're kind, Darcy, but the truth is simple. Sure, I know how to use a sword to defend myself or even initiate a one-on-one attack. But I haven't gotten anything like the repertoire of fighting skills or know-how required to lead a full crew into battle."

  Darcy lifted a book from the pile at her feet. " The Science of War ," she read, flipping through some dense pages and noting Lorcan's many inked annotations. "Well, no one could accuse you of not doing your homework."

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  "I'm doing my best," Lorcan said. His eyes, she noticed, were tired, doubtless from long reading marathons as well as combat sessions.

  "That's all anyone can ask of you," said Darcy.

  Lorcan shook his head. "You're wrong there, Darcy. The captain sent word that when he returns he wants the crew of The Nocturne to be a viable fighting force. Ready to defend itself against attack from pirates, Vampirates, whoever. I'm charged with making that happen. It's not good enough merely to do my best. I've got to find some way to make a real breakthrough." He shook his head. "Reading these books is all well and good, but nothing short of a miracle is going to turn this situation around."

  Darcy considered his words. Then she shut the heavy pages of The Science of War with a loud snap. "I've got it!" she said. "You don't need any more books. You need to draft in some genuine, firsthand military expertise."

  "Darcy!" Lorcan exclaimed. "I swear, you're a genius!" He hung his head. "But how exactly do I go about finding some?"

  "Good point," Darcy said, a little deflated. She drummed her fingers on the heavy tome and began racking her brain. "Maybe we're tackling this problem from the wrong direction," she said.

  Lorcan looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

  Darcy leaned forward, her eyes wide and bright.

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  "Maybe we should ask ourselves: in this kind of situation, what would Sidorio do?"

  "Hmm." Lorcan considered her words. "What would Sidorio do, indeed?" He nodded, mulling this over for a minute or two. Then he raised the sword once more. "I've got it!" he said.

  "What?" Darcy inquired excitedly.

  "He'd kidnap a pirate captain," Lorcan exclaimed.

  "Oh," Darcy said, trying to sound supportive. "So is that what you'd like to do?"

  Lorcan shook his head, despondently. "Kidnap isn't r
eally my style."

  Darcy nodded, opening up The Science of War once more. "Back to the drawing board, then, I guess."

  "The next attack is scheduled for tonight," Connor told Kally as they sat on a rocky beach, a safe distance away from The Blood Captain and The Vagabond . "The target is The Albatross ."

  Kally nodded. " The Albatross . Got it."

  Connor ran a hand through his hair. Despite the swim, it was already almost dry from the heat of the morning sun. "Stukeley's going to lead the attack. He has a particular grudge against the ship's captain, Narcisos Drakoulis--a nasty piece of work." His hand gripped a rock at his side. Now he grabbed it and hurled it into the ocean.

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  Patience was not Kally's strong suit. "Spill, Connor! What went down between this Drakoulis and Stukeley?"

  "It's really very simple," Connor said. " The Albatross is the ship Jez Stukeley died on."

  Kally let out a whistle and shook her head. "This is one messed-up set of circumstances, my friend."

  Connor nodded, a grim smile playing on his lips. "You're right about that. And there's no easy way out of it." He looked despondently across the water to where the two Vampirate ships sat, dormant during the hours of light.

  Kally nudged her friend. "Don't look so sad, Tempest. Even if the attack is set for tonight, we've got time. I'll set off now to rendezvous with Jacoby and Jasmine. They'll relay the intel to Cheng Li, and she can get word direct to The Albatross . Why, I can take it to Drakoulis myself if need be." She smiled. "There's no speedier, more reliable means of communication than sea-mail!"

  Connor ignored her joke. He shook his head.

  Now Kally frowned. "You said before that this Captain Drakoulis was a nasty piece of work. Are you saying that you actually want this attack to go ahead?"

  Connor conjured up a vision of Drakoulis, bragging to Molucco Wrathe as Jez Stukeley lay bleeding to death. There would be worse things than knowing that Drakoulis had gone to meet his maker. But that wasn't what was on his mind.

  "It's not a question of what I want, Kal. If Cheng Li tips off Drakoulis and he's prepared for the attack, then

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  Stukeley and Sidorio will know that someone close to home broke ranks. It won't take them more than five seconds to work out the most likely candidate."

  Now Kally understood. "You!" she said.

  Connor nodded. "Either we let this attack go ahead as planned and do nothing to prevent it, and the whole crew will be killed or converted to Vampirates." He paused. "Or we tip off Drakoulis and my cover is blown."

  "Let me get this straight," Cheng Li said, frowning at Jacoby and Jasmine from the other side of her desk. "The Vampirates' next attack will happen tonight. The target is The Albatross . And Connor is desperate--your word--for us to turn a blind eye and just let it happen?"

  Jasmine nodded. "That's about right, Captain."

  "Connor makes a good point," Jacoby added. "If we act to prevent this attack, his cover is immediately blown. We'd have to be ready to pull him out from behind enemy lines immediately."

  "Of course, we could do that," Cheng Li said. "If we chose to."

  Jasmine was disconcerted by the captain's words. Why wouldn't they choose to?

  Cheng Li made a steeple of her hands and rested her chin on them, as she often did when she was sifting through complex problems. "In the scenario you present,

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  not only would we have to rescue Connor, but any inroads that he has made within the rebel camp would be instantly and irretrievably lost." Cheng Li sat silently for a moment, then pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. "From Kally's reports, it would seem that Connor has now established himself strongly with Sidorio and key Vampirate personnel on both The Blood Captain and The Vagabond ." Now Cheng Li turned to Jacoby, her almond eyes boring into his. "Wouldn't you agree?"

  Jacoby nodded. "Yes, Captain. It's my understanding that he has successfully convinced the crews of both ships that he is Sidorio's son and is fully a part of the family."

  Jasmine wondered how hard a job that had been. She pushed the thought away, determined not to reveal her suspicions to her colleagues.

  "Having played the Vampirates for the fools they are," Jacoby continued breezily, "Connor is now privy to information at the very highest level."

  Jasmine nodded. "As our early warning regarding this attack demonstrates."

  Cheng Li's eyes were bright. "In other words," she said, "we have succeeded in our mission of placing a Federation operative right at the very heart of the Vampirate command. From here on in, they can't make one move without us knowing about it." She snapped her fingers with satisfaction.

  Jasmine's eyes remained fixed on the captain. Cheng Li returned to her desk. For a moment, she stood in front of

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  her father's portrait, and Jasmine could see the identical look of strong-jawed determination in father and daughter. Then Cheng Li sat down behind her desk once more.

  "I've made my decision," she said. "Listen carefully. Here's what we're going to do."

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  27 BLOOD BROTHERS

  "Connor, open up! Hey, Connor, let me in!"

  Connor opened his eyes, wincing at the sound of a fist hammering on the metallic cell door.

  "Open up!"

  Realizing that the voice belonged to Stukeley, Connor rolled off his bunk and staggered, bleary-eyed, to his cabin door. The hammering continued, unrelenting.

  "Okay," he cried. "Wait up; I'm coming." He opened the door and his friend charged into the cell, a ball of energy and excitement, his eyes bright.

  "I'm back!" Stukeley declared.

  Connor nodded. "So I see. But from where?"

  " The Albatross !" exclaimed Stukeley.

  The words cut through Connor's confusion. Immediately, he understood. Stukeley had returned from his

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  takeover mission. The Vampirates had successfully claimed their second pirate vessel.

  "You should have seen him!" Stukeley said. " Narcisos Drakoulis ." He spat out the captain's name with obvious disgust. "Cowering at my feet--begging for mercy." There was a grim smile on Stukeley's face as he continued. "I never begged him for mercy, did I, Connor? You remember that day."

  Connor nodded, frowning. Of course he remembered that day. Jez Stukeley had fought and lost a duel with Drakoulis's prizefighter and bled to death on the deck of The Albatross . That had been one of Connor's darkest days; a day that had woken him up to the brutality of his new profession. The match between Jez and Drakoulis's champion, Gidaki Sarakakino, had been unevenly matched. Jez had never stood a chance. But now the tables had been turned.

  "Did you kill Sarakakino, too?" Connor asked.

  Stukeley met his stare. "Actually, no. I let him go." Connor was surprised. "You know why? Because he was only doing his job. Doing his captain's bidding, just as I was acting out of duty to Captain Wrathe."

  Connor nodded. "You won't know this," he said. "But after you died, straight afterward, Sarakakino came over to us. He said that you fought well, that you carried no shame."

  Stukeley nodded, smiling. "I'm glad I spared him. And only him." There was a distant look in his eye, then it passed and he shook his head. "But look, I'm in the mood

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  to celebrate, and who better to party with than my old mucker, Mister Connor Tempest?"

  Connor was unsure. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

  "You and I are going to the Blood Tavern. The one at Limbo Creek. You remember the place?"

  How could he ever forget? "I'm happy for your victory," Connor said, aware that he sounded far from joyous, "but I'm not really comfortable in that place."

  Stukeley's face fell.

  "Couldn't Johnny go with you?" Connor suggested. "Or Sidorio?"

  Stukeley shook his head. "Johnny's off gallivanting with your sister. And Sidorio, well, I'll give you three guesses as to whose company he's keeping."

  "Lady Lola's," Connor s
aid.

  "Bingo!" Stukeley mimed the release of a gun. "Anyhow, it's you I want to celebrate with, Connor. You're my friend." He stepped forward and enveloped Connor in a bear hug, whispering in his ear. "We're blood brothers, you and me."

  Connor felt his insides run cold at the words. But, like it or not, there was a certain unshakable truth to them. Once, they had been as close as brothers; now perhaps they would be once more. And what, if not blood, united them?

  As Stukeley released him from his clutches, he stared into Connor's eyes. "What's up, mate?" he inquired.

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  Connor weighed his options. He needed to talk to someone, and there was no better confidant than Stukeley on this particular subject.

  "My hunger for blood has risen."

  Stukeley nodded, waiting for his friend to elaborate.

  Connor felt some of his burden lift as he continued. "It happened when Sidorio took me along on the first attack. It was one of the reasons I was so freaked out. Not just by the bloodshed around me but the fact that I..." He faltered. "That I could feel my own hunger for it." He dropped his eyes.

  "Connor." Stukeley's voice was softer now. "This isn't something to feel bad about. It's a cause for celebration."

  "Is it?"

  "This, my friend, is a red-letter day." Stukeley looped his arm around Connor's shoulder. "Come on! Your old pal Stuke is going to take you out to the tavern and treat you to your first pint of blood."

  Connor shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm not ready. Not yet."

  "We'll see," Stukeley said. "But either way, you're coming with me. I'm not taking no for an answer. I told you before, there's no one better than me to guide you through these changes. Speaking of which, mate, would you please change your shirt? That one stinks worse than mine, and you haven't even come from a battle!"