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Bart frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
"Can we please talk about something besides blood?" Connor asked impatiently.
Bart nodded, glad to see that his friend's eyes were now back to normal once more.
"Tell me about my old friends." Connor found the words exiting his mouth before he had time to censor them. "Tell me about Cate."
"Of course!" Bart exclaimed, smiling. "In fact, there's something I've been meaning to tell you all day. You know how close Catie and I've gotten of late?"
Connor nodded.
"Well, I've made a decision. When I get back to The Tig ..." He swallowed his words, aware of his audience, then lowered his voice. "When I get back, I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"You are?" Connor's face broke into a huge grin. "That's awesome news."
Bart nodded and patted his pocket. "I found my gran's wedding ring. It was in that old sea chest I've been lugging around with me all this time. I'm going to give it to Catie."
"I'm really happy for you," Connor said, reaching out to hug his friend.
"I hope you'll think about coming back for our wedding."
"Sure," Connor said, for want of anything better to say. "I'll think about it."
Watching from a distance, Lola prodded Sidorio. "The
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hunky Australian certainly seems to have cheered up Connor. That's the first time I've seen him smile properly in nights."
Sidorio nodded but frowned. "You do know which ship Bart's from, don't you?"
" The Diablo , right?" Lola said. "Presumably he was one of the lucky pirates out on the lash when Johnny and the girls took over the ship."
Sidorio shook his head. "He was on The Diablo originally, with Connor and Stukeley--when Stuke was on the other side. But now, he's been seconded to The Tiger ."
" The Tiger ?" Lola's eyes widened. "The ship of would-be assassins? The ones who tried to off me at our wedding breakfast? The next ship on our list?"
Sidorio nodded. "Yes, my dear, the very same." He turned to her. "Don't you find it quite some coincidence that he should turn up out of the blue tonight--the very night before we mount our attack?"
"You think the little pirates know something?"
Sidorio shrugged. "We can't rule it out," he said. "Though I don't see how they could. Do you?"
"No," Lola shook her head. "Maybe he is just here to see his old friend. It's clear they have a genuine bond." Her eyes were glued to Bart now. "I wonder, though... do you think he's here to tell Connor something? No, not to tell him but to ask him something. About us? About our ambitions, perhaps?"
Sidorio shrugged. "Who knows? But I don't want him
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going back to The Tiger before Obsidian Darke and his team head out there tomorrow night. It's in our interest to keep that pirate here, under our radar, for the next twenty-four hours."
Lola nodded. Then her eyes grew diamond-bright. "Darling, I have an even better idea. Seeing as he makes Connor so very happy, why don't we keep Bart here indefinitely?"
"What are you suggesting?" Sidorio asked.
Lola leaned closer and whispered in her husband's ear.
"A-hem, a-hem!" Stukeley interrupted. He had climbed onto a chair and was signaling to the rest of the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention for one moment."
"If you break that Chippendale, you'll have far more than my attention to deal with!" Lola cried. There was a ripple of laughter.
"I promise I'll be careful," Stukeley said to Lola, then turned back to address the group. "We have a very special guest in our midst tonight, and I'd like you all to ready your glasses in preparation for a toast to him."
Connor and Bart looked toward Stukeley with alarm. He had captured everyone else's attention, too. Zofia stepped forward to top off Bart's glass. She offered Connor a glass of wine, too, which he reluctantly accepted. It was, all things considered, better than the alternative.
Around the room, the rest of Lola's team busily refilled
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every glass, until each Vampirate was poised. Stukeley continued his toast. "As many of you know, back in the bad old days, I was a pirate."
There were hisses and boos around the room. Once more Connor and Bart frowned. Where was Stukeley going with this?
Stukeley tutted. "Oh, you are a miserable lot," he said, working the room. "Yes, I was a pirate, working alongside young Connor here and this strapping lad, Bartholomew Pearce. Indeed, the three of us were such a tight-knit unit, that we were given our very own nickname: the Three Buccaneers. And we had this saying, didn't we, lads?" He glanced at Connor and Bart, his eyes bright. " Didn't we, lads? "
They nodded mutely.
"Yes," Stukeley continued, more loudly. "And this is how it went." He raised his glass in the air. "One for all!" He turned expectantly to the others. "Come on, boys! One for all..."
Connor and Bart rose to their feet, glasses in hand, but as they opened their mouths to speak, another voice was heard.
"And all for one!" Johnny cried, standing and raising his own glass.
Sidorio's distinctive laugh boomed around the room. "It seems that where once there were three buccaneers, now there are four!" he said.
"Very good, darling!" Lola laughed throatily and raised
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her glass aloft. "Friends, family, crew members!" Her eyes swept the room and settled on Bart. "Honored guests! A toast to the Four Buccaneers."
"The Four Buccaneers!" chorused the rest of the gathering. Glasses were raised, and Bart watched as, all around him, blood was drunk in his honor. His eyes moved from Lola to Sidorio to Stukeley, who jumped down from the antique chair to join him. Bart's eyes traveled along the row of Lola's attractive crew--was it his imagination or were they all staring at him?--and onto Grace, with her strange new tattoo and her cowboy boyfriend. At last his eyes settled on Connor. Bart saw Connor raise his glass to his lips and the blood hunger flicker in his old friend's eyes. Was Connor now drinking blood, too? He could no longer tell the difference.
Bart set his own glass down on the table, but his hand was shaking and his glass tumbled over, spilling a fan of red across the stark white damask tablecloth.
"I'm sorry," he said, turning to Connor. "I'm sorry, I can't do this. I need air..." He pushed back his chair and weaved through the crowd, desperate to find the door.
Connor abruptly set down his own glass and headed for the exit.
Lola stepped forward to survey the wine spill, but her efficient crew was already cleaning up the table.
As Lola left her husband's side, Obsidian Darke seized the opportunity to approach Sidorio.
"Captain," Darke said, reaching into his jacket. "I have
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made my list for the attack tomorrow night." He removed a square of paper from his inside pocket and opened it out before passing it to Sidorio. "This is the crew I would like to support me."
Sidorio glanced down at Darke's predictably precise handwriting and smiled. "You've chosen well," he said. "What you lack in quantity, you have more than compensated for in quality. These are all of my best fighters, present company excluded, of course."
Darke nodded. "Do I take it that I have your permission to enlist these men and women, Captain?"
Sidorio nodded, folding the list and passing it back to Obsidian Darke.
"Excellent," Darke said, putting the square of paper away again. "There are two more names I wanted to add to the list, but I was unsure of the protocol."
Sidorio arched an eyebrow. "Which other names?"
Darke cleared his throat before continuing. "Connor and Grace."
Sidorio's interest was piqued. "You'd like my son and daughter to participate in this attack?"
Darke nodded. "Of course, I have heard of your son's fighting ability. And I saw it with my own eyes when he got the better of you a few nights back. If what I've heard through the grapevine is true, your daughter is equally tal
ented."
"They have good genes," Sidorio said with some pride. "Darke, you may take Grace into the attack with you, but
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Connor is unavailable." Sidorio smiled broadly. "Tomorrow night will be my son's initiation into blood-taking."
"I see," said Darke. "Well, of course, that's a momentous... moment in any young vampire's life..."
Sidorio waggled his finger. "Connor's not merely a vampire," he said. "He's a dhampir."
"Quite so," Darke said. "Well, it appears that I shall have to make do with one twin only." He nodded at Sidorio. "Captain, I thank you for the loan of your daughter."
"Make sure no harm comes to her," Sidorio said. "Or there will be consequences."
Darke nodded. "Understood, Captain." Seeing Lola making her way back toward them, Obsidian Darke hastened his speech. "And now I shall return to The Blood Captain and map out the attack in more detail."
"I hope you're not leaving on my account," Lola said as she returned to her husband's side.
Darke shook his head. "As ever, it is business that calls me away. Thank you for a most entertaining Tiffin." He turned and made a hasty path to the door.
"That man gets more detestable every night," Lola said.
"Yes," Sidorio agreed. "I'm beginning to hope that one of the Vampirate assassins gets the better of him."
Lola laughed and clinked her glass against his. "I'll drink to that," she said.
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Darke lost no time in striding across the deck toward the walkway leading back to The Blood Captain . It was windy out on deck, and he raised his hood. As it flapped in the breeze, he glimpsed Connor on the other side of the deck, talking to his pirate friend. For a moment, he considered turning back and speaking with them. But the night air was brisk and time, as ever, was short. As was his habit, Obsidian Darke kept his head down and proceeded briskly about his business.
Connor and Bart stood together at the guardrail of The Vagabond . "I've got to go," Bart said.
"Yes." Connor nodded.
Bart looked down at his light boat, idling in the water below. "I'd tell you to jump in, buddy, but I see now that it could never work."
Connor sighed. "If only it were that simple. I'd love to come back to you and Cate and Jasmine and the others. You guys gave me a home when I had none, and I'll always be grateful for that."
"Everything's different now," Bart said. "You're right. You belong here, with Stukeley and the others. I know what a great friend he can be--and I hope he will be a good one to you now, because, buddy, you badly need someone in your corner."
"Let's not draw this out," Connor said, doing his best to
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rein in his emotions. "I told you before I'm terrible at good-byes."
Bart nodded, his eyes empty and broken.
"Will you tell the others the truth about me?" Connor asked him.
Bart hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "No," he said. "They don't need to know."
Connor smiled gratefully. "Would you tell Jasmine that I wish things could have been different?" Then he shook his head. "Actually, better you don't say anything to her. Hopefully she'll find happiness again with Jacoby." Tears pricked at Connor's eyes. "I'm so pleased for you and Cate," he said. "You two belong together. You're everything that's good and true..." His voice faltered and he was unable to finish.
Bart stepped forward and hugged his friend. "You don't need to say anything more, buddy. And neither do I. We both know what we mean to each other."
Connor nodded, hugging Bart and trying to shut out the thought that it would be the last time he did so. As Bart finally released him, Connor spoke softly. "I'm going back to my cabin on The Blood Captain . I need to be alone for a while."
Bart nodded and, as Connor walked away across the deck, he climbed over the guardrail and made his descent to the light boat waiting below.
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Bart wasted no time. He had to get away from this place and back to normality as swiftly as possible. He couldn't afford to think about Connor or Jez. It was too painful, too paralyzing.
He lit his hurricane lamp and strung it to the mast of the boat, then pulled up the anchor. As it landed with a thud in the center of the small craft, Bart realized how heavy his heart felt. Ignoring this, he scanned his charts. He had no fishtail to guide him on this return journey, but he would do just fine, navigating home by the stars. It would keep his mind occupied.
Once he'd gained a little distance, he permitted himself to turn back and take one last look at the two Vampirate ships, moored side by side in the water. Then, to his horror, he spotted three more ships moored alongside. At the end of the line was The Diablo , the latest addition to the Vampirates' ever-expanding fleet. There was no mistaking the galleon's distinctive lines. He knew they'd taken it, but somehow he hadn't quite believed it. Now he saw it was true. He shook his head. No more, he thought. They wouldn't succeed in taking The Tiger . He turned away, vowing not to take another backward glance.
As he did so, he noticed a pair of hands on the starboard side of the boat. "Kally?" he said, surprised. She had said that she was heading back to The Tiger before night fell.
"Who's Kally?" asked a familiar voice as a svelte figure, clad in a scarlet scuba suit covering all but her face, hands, and feet climbed deftly into the light boat.
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Bart watched dumbfounded as the head of the scuba suit was peeled back. Lola Lockwood shook out her raven locks. "That's better," she said, smiling at him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I'm heading home now."
Lola looked a little offended. "After the welcome I gave you, Bart, I'm a little offended you didn't say good-bye to me in person. And have you forgotten that you are still wearing my husband's clothes?"
Bart was trying to get the measure of the situation, but he was tired and hadn't reckoned on this strange turn of events. He realized that, whatever else, he had to keep Lola talking.
"Is that what this is about?" he asked, essaying a smile. "You're coming to claim your proper good-bye? To get your husband's clothes back?" He began unbuttoning the shirt, but Lola shook her head.
"Good-bye is such a final word," she said. "This is only au revoir ."
As he continued unbuttoning Sidorio's shirt, Bart's fingers suddenly froze. He noticed the pearl-handled dagger in Lola's hand. Where had that come from? His own sword was beyond his reach. No worries , he calmed himself. He was a heck of a lot bigger than her. He could easily overpower her and throw her over the side. He remembered the last bout of combat training Cate had given him and prepared to defend himself.
But before he knew it, Lola had Bart in a stranglehold.
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He felt utterly paralyzed by her grasp. They were locked together in a horrible parody of an embrace. Lola's mouth was close to his ear, and she spoke to him softly now. "I thought a dashing young pirate like you would wish to die by the dagger. Yes, darling, that's right. I'm going to kill you now. But there's no need to be frightened." Her eyes gazed upon him with a strange tenderness. "I'm going to stab you very cleanly through the heart. It will be sudden and largely painless."
She was mad, utterly mad, but Bart was powerless to do anything but listen to her ravings. "You'll fall into something akin to a deep sleep," she said. "We call this state the anteroom, because it's a holding point for the next stage of your journey." Her voice was as gentle and reassuring as a mother singing a lullaby to her baby. "You'll sleep and, during that time, we'll take you back to the ships. There, my husband will complete the process. He will sire you, Bart. And you will be one of us. Connor will be so happy, don't you think? I could tell he didn't want you to leave, and now you never will. So you see, my sweet little pirate, it truly isn't good-bye but only au revoir ."
As she spoke these last soft words, Lola took the pearl-handled dagger and, true to her promise, stabbed it clean through Bart's chest. But before the point even pierced his flesh, Bart Pearce knew that his b
ig old heart was irreparably broken. He thought of Connor. He thought of Jez and Molucco. He thought of Cate. And then, nothing.
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39 FAMILY PORTRAIT
Connor pushed open the door to Lola's cabin and was surprised to find it quiet and empty. No, not empty.... As he closed the door behind him, he realized there was one other person in the room: Grace. She was standing beyond the table, in front of an easel that had been draped in red velvet. Now, as she became aware of Connor's presence, she turned to face him. At first it was a shock to see her sporting the black heart tattoo around her left eye, but then he realized that she had in fact been wearing it the past few nights--though it was only now that he seemed to be seeing her properly for the first time.
"Where is everyone?" Connor asked, approaching the table. A spread of food had been laid out for them, although by usual standards, the quantity was modest--more like a picnic supper than a feast.
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"They're all getting ready for the attack," Grace said. "There's a note here from Lola." She pointed to the table, but Connor didn't bother picking it up. "She says that she and Sidorio will be along later and we should go ahead and help ourselves."
Connor hesitated, somehow reluctant to sit down at the table.
"The attack tonight," Grace said. "It's against your ship, isn't it? The Tiger ."
Connor nodded. "Yes--though strictly speaking, The Tiger is Cheng Li's ship."
Grace's eyes met his. "Aren't you worried for her and your other comrades?"
"Sure, I'm concerned," he said, "but if anyone can defend themselves against Vampirates, it's the crew of The Tiger . In fact, if anyone needs to worry, it's Obsidian Darke. He's the one leading the rebel attack."
Grace shivered at the mere mention of Darke. There was something unsettling about him. She stepped toward the table and surveyed the spread. As usual it looked delicious but, since she had started drinking blood, her hunger for Chef Escoffier's treats had dwindled. Grace suddenly turned back to Connor, her eyes bright. "You've warned Cheng Li about the attack, haven't you?"
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