Commodore Black nodded. "You made the correct call," he said. Then he addressed the group as a whole. "We'll supply both crews with the Vampirate defense kits created by Captain Li and her team."
"I'm happy to stay on and talk you through the new weaponry we have created and our defense procedures," Cheng Li said. "It won't take long, and it would be preferable to reading it from a manual."
"Thank you," Barbarro and Trofie Wrathe spoke in unison. All eyes turned to Molucco.
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"Um, thanks but no thanks," he said. "I have some pressing business of my own to attend to."
Barbarro turned to his brother. "What on oceans could be more urgent than preparing your ship and crew for imminent attack by these demons?"
Molucco was already standing up. Now he placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "What is always the most urgent thing on a pirate captain's mind? Treasure! My new acting deputy has identified a very promising lead, which I intend to follow up on, swiftly."
"Please reconsider," Cheng Li said. "This will take only a few minutes of your day. And the work we have done could save your life and the lives of your crew--my former comrades."
Molucco gazed at Cheng Li and shook his head. "I've given you more minutes out of my days than I can bear to contemplate," he said. Turning to the others, he waved his arms in the air. "Haven't you all forgotten something? A pirate's life was ever a short but merry one. We've faced dangers before and lived to raise the sail again."
"Brother!" Barbarro exclaimed, rising to his feet. "This is a new kind of danger altogether. Have you forgotten Porfirio? You may be ready to lose another brother, but I certainly am not. Reconsider. At least take the defense kit with you."
"All right," Molucco said impatiently. "I'll take the kit if it makes you all feel better and later on, after my business
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is concluded, I promise to read Mistress--I'm sorry, Captain --Li's latest manual from cover to cover."
With that, he swaggered toward the door. As Molucco passed Cheng Li, Scrimshaw leaned out from among Molucco's dreadlocks for a moment. Jasmine thought there was a pleading look in the snake's eye. She shook her head--she was letting her imagination get the better of her now.
After Molucco departed, Captain Grammont spoke. "Might I suggest that we all stay for Captain Li's briefing. It's clear to me that the stakes have indeed risen, and we should all be as familiar with the new weaponry and procedures as possible."
There was a rousing chorus of "hear, hear" along the table.
"Twenty-minute break," Commodore Black announced. "Then we all reconvene."
Jasmine finally got a chance to talk to Cheng Li alone on the academy terrace during the break.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Jasmine said. "I was worried about Connor, but now I know that we're pulling him out, everything's fine."
Cheng Li looked at Jasmine curiously, sipping a refreshing bowl of sea-urchin tea.
"We are pulling him out," Jasmine said, "aren't we?"
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Cheng Li shook her head. "The intel he's delivering is too valuable to us to abort his mission at this point."
A searing pain shot through Jasmine's head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But what you said in there--about how seriously you take Connor's safety..."
Cheng Li nodded. "I'm one hundred percent committed to every member of my crew."
"Then you have to pull him out," Jasmine said. "Today!"
"No," Cheng Li said.
Jasmine's face was steely. "I'll break rank and brief Kally myself if I have to," she said.
Cheng Li smiled softly and took another sip of tea. "Jacoby's already on his way to brief Kally," she said. "I've removed you from that duty. From now on, Jacoby will communicate with Kally solo."
Jasmine's eyes frantically scoured the terrace for a glimpse of Jacoby. He was nowhere to be seen. It must be true, then. He was already on his way to meet Kally.
Jasmine shook her head. "You knew," she said. "Somehow you knew that I'd worked this out. That you didn't come up with this brilliant ruse that Connor is Sidorio's son. He really is a dhampir. You've just played the situation for all it's worth."
Cheng Li smiled at Jasmine. "If anyone was going to work it out, it was you. I know how close you've grown to Connor, even if Jacoby is blind as a bat to this
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development. You're the sharpest mind on my crew. That's why I need you close. Like now. You're going to come back inside and join me in briefing the captains on all our thorough research."
Jasmine bit her lip. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave you here and go after Jacoby. Or, better yet, go after Connor myself."
Cheng Li set down her tea bowl. "Lieutenant Peacock, the depth of your loyalty is one of your most impressive traits," she said. "But, number one, you signed up to the articles of my command and, number two, you have spent your entire life training to play a vital role in pirate history. Since you were a child of seven and first sailed through the academy arch, you have been waiting for your moment. That moment is now. There are bigger issues at stake here than one young pirate or, indeed, young dhampir."
Jasmine shook her head and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Cheng Li knew that her words had hit home. When push came to shove, Jasmine Peacock was made of the exact same material as herself. Her every bone, her every impulse, was committed to the cause.
"No doubt you're feeling quite a mixed bunch of emotions toward me at this precise moment," Cheng Li said. "Trust me, this will soon settle. And please be assured that I have no intention of losing Connor at this point. If you want to play your role in keeping him safe, stay close to me and do as I say."
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"Do I have a choice?" Jasmine asked, lifting her thumb to wipe away the tear.
"Do any of us?" asked Cheng Li, turning and leading the way back inside.
Hours later, Jasmine sat back down at Cheng Li's conference table and found herself looking at the captain's notepad and the brief scribble made during their earlier meeting.
As Cheng Li sat down opposite her, Cate laughed. "Did you actually write 'Action, CL--kidnap Vampirates for CM'?"
Cheng Li looked across at Cate, puzzled. "Yes," she said. "Do you have a problem with that?"
The two women locked eyes. Cate shook her head. Every time she thought she had the measure of the captain, something happened to force her to reassess.
" She may not have a problem with it, but I surely do."
The voice came from the other end of the cabin. Both Cheng Li and Cate were immediately on guard, their eyes sweeping the room, swords at the ready. It was then that they noticed that the chair behind Cheng Li's desk was out of its usual position. It slowly spun around toward them.
"You!" exclaimed Cheng Li. A smile broke across her face. "Well, if I can forgive anyone for trespassing into my
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cabin, it's you." She locked eyes with the interloper. "Though, really, we have to stop meeting like this!"
He nodded, stood up from the chair, and made his way over to join the women.
"Cate Morgan," Cheng Li said, with an air of formality, "I'd like you to meet Lorcan Furey. Lieutenant Furey, this is my combat consultant, Cate."
Lorcan reached out his hand and gripped Cate's. "Ms. Morgan, your reputation precedes you," he said. "In fact, you're the reason I'm here. I need your help."
Cate looked as if her eyes would pop out of her head. " You're the Vampirate Lorcan Furey?" she stammered. "And you came to see me ?"
He nodded, fixing her with his piercing sky-blue eyes. "One and the same," he said. "Though to bring you up to speed, we are now calling ourselves the Nocturnals, so as to distance ourselves from Sidorio and his kin."
Cheng Li nodded approvingly. Just like the last time they'd met, she found it impossible to take her eyes off the young Vampirate. If anything, he seemed to have grown more captivating since that visit. It was an effort to compose herself, but somehow s
he managed. "Take a seat, Lieutenant Furey. What did you mean before, when you said that you needed our help?"
"It would perhaps be more accurate to say that I've come on behalf of the Nocturnals--the benign Vampirates, if you will--to propose an alliance."
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"An alliance?" Cheng Li considered the delicious possibility of an alliance with Lorcan Furey.
"Let me guess," Cate said. "You want to kick Sidorio's sorry butt out of the oceans, but you can't do it alone."
"Bingo," said Lorcan, smiling and nodding at Cate. "I rather thought you might be feeling the exact same way."
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29 SLUMBER PARTY
Once more, Grace was out riding on the beach through the darkest hours of the night. With every night, she was becoming a more assured horsewoman. Tonight, at last, Johnny allowed Nieve to increase her pace from a canter to a gallop. Grace flushed with pride and excitement; she knew that it was a mark of his confidence in her. It felt second nature to her now to entwine her fingers through the soft strands of Nieve's snowy white mane and lean back into Johnny's chest. As Nieve thundered across the border of land and water, Grace tightened her hold but felt a deep thrill pulse through her. Salt spray splashed up onto her face. She turned to Johnny and saw that he was drenched, too. He was laughing, his mouth open to reveal teeth as smooth and white as Nieve's mane. These midnight rides had become so special to the two of them.
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It was a secret they shared--a deep and powerful secret. As Nieve increased her pace once more, Grace was thrown back into Johnny's arms. He caught her and steadied her. Then he leaned forward and kissed her fiercely on the mouth. She did nothing to resist....
Grace awoke with a start, her heart still hammering as if she truly had just been out riding. It was a shock to find herself alone and still within the confines of her cabin aboard The Vagabond . She had grown accustomed to taking a siesta after Tiffin, finding that a little nap left her feeling refreshed and full of energy for the rest of the night. But tonight, she felt far from refreshed. Her dream had seemed very real. She could smell the sea air and taste the salt on Johnny's lips. Lips that she ought not to have been kissing, even in a dream.
She took some calming breaths and came to a decision. She had to talk to Lorcan. She couldn't remember the last time they had talked properly--not since she had arrived on The Vagabond . She had allowed herself to get distracted--initially by Lola and later by Johnny. She realized that, with everything going on here, she had convinced herself that checking in with Lorcan wasn't important. She felt guilty admitting this even to herself. Right now, there was nothing she wanted more than to hear Lorcan's voice, see his face, feel his arms encircle her.
She closed her eyes and spoke his name. Wherever he was, he would hear her calling to him. As she had been trained, she visualized his cabin door before her. With
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every second, she made it more and more concrete in her head. Once more she spoke his name. Still, there was no response. She tried a third time. Silence. She drew her focus even more deeply into the vision until she could see her own hand on the door, twisting the handle and pushing it open.
"Grace!"
It wasn't Lorcan's voice but that of a young woman. Grace frowned.
"Grace! Wakey, wakey!"
She realized that the voice was not coming from within her vision but outside her cabin. Frowning, she opened her eyes and looked over to the doorway. It was ajar and Mimma's head was poking around, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Sorry, hon, I didn't mean to interrupt your slumbers."
"It's okay," Grace said. "Actually, I wasn't sleeping."
"No?" Mimma said, breezing into the room as if she owned it. "What exactly were you doing then, sitting there with your eyes tight shut? Meditating?"
Though she had grown to like her and, to some degree, to trust her, Grace was reluctant to tell Mimma the truth. Instead, she raised her palms. "Actually, to tell you the truth," she said, "I was sleeping."
Mimma laughed. "I knew it!" she said. "You can't pull the wool over old Mim's eyes." She plunked herself daintily down on the bed and unzipped her bag, busily removing handfuls of items and laying them out on the bed.
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Grace watched her with curiosity. As she did so, the door opened again and Jacqui and Nathalie swept into the room. Both were carrying bags--Jacqui's was like a small briefcase; Nathalie's was broader and made of wicker.
"Hi, Grace!" trilled the new arrivals in unison as the cabin door swung shut behind them.
"Hello," said Grace, adding, rather unnecessarily, "do come in!"
Jacqui and Nathalie came to stand on either side of Mimma, nodding approvingly at the array of makeup she had lined up on the coverlet. Then, they set their own bags down on the bed. Jacqueline snapped open her briefcase. Inside its dark interior, various strips of sharp, shiny metal flashed. Grace leaned forward to get a better look, but before she could do so, Jacqueline stepped in front of her. What was going on? Grace was a little unnerved as Jacqueline began running her fingers through Grace's hair. "Like this?" she heard Jacqueline say, "or like that?"
"Like that!" Nathalie said.
"Definitely," agreed Mimma.
Now Grace saw Nathalie lift a box out of her own bag, followed by a glass cake stand. Winking at Grace, Nathalie set the cake stand on the low table by Grace's chair. "I just love a slumber party, don't you?" she said, arranging tiny pink macaroons on the cake stand.
"Slumber party?" Grace said. "I don't think I've ever been to one before."
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"You're joking?" Jacqueline said, turning toward her. It was then that Grace noticed the rather large pair of razor-sharp scissors Jacqueline was brandishing in her hand.
"What are those for?" Grace asked somewhat nervously.
"Why, to cut your hair, of course," Jacqueline said, brandishing them as if they were a lethal weapon. "We thought it was time to sharpen up your look."
Mimma nodded. "You're quite a natural beauty, Gracie, but even natural beauty needs a little work to bring it out."
Nathalie smiled and held out a tea plate and napkin to Grace. "Have a macaroon. They're to die for, and you know what they say: pink calories don't count!" Grace found herself reaching out to the stand and taking a macaroon from it. She didn't even bother setting it on the plate, instead dropping it straight into her mouth. It was absolutely delicious, as light as air.
"Another?" Nathalie grinned, pushing the cake stand in Grace's direction.
As Grace nibbled more politely on the second cake, she found that Jacqueline had already draped a towel around her shoulders and spritzed her hair with water. Now she was combing it out busily.
"Now then," Mimma addressed her, kneeling at her feet. "Time for an important decision!" She held up two small glass bottles of nail polish. "Which do you prefer?" Grace was surprised that her own preference was being
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sought. She pointed to the vial in Mimma's left hand. "That one, I think. The darker one."
"Good choice," said Mimma, throwing the other bottle over her head.
Grace reached out and helped herself to another macaroon. "Would anyone else like one?" she asked, realizing that she had consumed almost half of them single-handedly.
Seeing her expression, Nathalie smiled. "Don't worry, Grace. There's plenty more where those came from. Enjoy! This is a night of treats for you!"
"It certainly is," said Mimma, holding Grace's big toe steady as she applied the first drop of paint. "Now, tell us about you and Johnny!" she said with a wink.
Grace felt suddenly hot. Her head raced with images of herself and Johnny on horseback. The dream she had not long woken from.
"You're blushing!" Nathalie said in her singsong voice.
"Of course she's blushing," Jacqueline said from above Grace's head. "She likes him. And who can blame her? Johnny's hot!"
"We're just friends," Grace protested.
Mimma said nothing, but her r
aised eyebrow spoke volumes.
"He certainly seems to enjoy taking you out riding," said Jacqueline.
"You know about that?" Grace said, deflated. "That was supposed to be our secret."
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"Now don't look so dejected," Mimma said, the red of Grace's toenails reflected in her eyes. " He didn't say anything."
"We saw you," Nathalie explained. "You looked like you were having heaps of fun. And, from what I could see, you're quite an accomplished horsewoman."
Grace blushed, partly from the memory and partly from the compliment. "I really shouldn't be talking about Johnny," she said. "And I shouldn't have gone riding with him. I already have a boyfriend. His name is--"
"Now Grace, we're all friends here." Mimma's voice drowned hers out. "So no one's going to judge you. That's right, girls, isn't it?"
Nathalie and Jacqueline murmured their assent.
"Johnny is quite a catch, I reckon," said Mimma. "We've all been batting our lashes at him since we made his acquaintance, but it seems he only has eyes for you!"
"You know he used to ride rodeo?" Jacqueline said. "He's as wild as a stallion, Grace, but maybe you can tame him."
"He's the most dreamy looking of Sidorio's crew," added Nathalie. "There's no question about that. His skin is like caramel--and those eyes!"
Nathalie passed Grace another cake. "So?" she said.
As Grace lifted it to her lips, she found that all the frantic activity around her had suddenly stopped. Mimma had frozen, brush in hand. Nathalie was dead still, her hand on the cake stand. Even Jacqueline had put down her scis
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Vampirates 5: Empire of Night Page 21