Black Heart

by Justin Somper

  Suddenly, she froze, realizing that in holding up the notebook she had uncovered the envelope. Glancing down, she saw that the word Grace was clearly visible. Had Connor seen it? Cheng Li set the notebook down once more, covering the envelope. He didn’t seem to have noticed, but she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.

  “Connor,” she said, “I have a good deal of paperwork to crunch through before suppertime. I’ve told you my intentions. Go now and think things through. If you aren’t happy with what I’m suggesting, then it’s imperative you tell me by nightfall.”

  Connor remained in the chair. He was thinking about Grace. About her attachment to Lorcan and the other Vampirates. About her deranged idea that they were Vampirates themselves, that their dad had been a vampire. He had to bring her to her senses, to tear her out of their vile clutches. He had tried gentle persuasion, but it had gotten him nowhere. Nowhere at all. This mission, while not endangering Grace in any way, might finally show his sister the dangers she was facing. This in itself was good enough reason to take part.

  “Connor,” Cheng Li said, “this isn’t some kind of zen meditation chamber. If you have thinking to do, take it out onto the deck, please.”

  He brought his eyes back to hers. “I don’t have any more thinking to do,” he said. “I’ll do as you ask. I’ll take position one. I’ll be the one to assassinate Lady Lockwood.”

  Cheng Li smiled. “I’m very pleased to hear it. Well, off you go then. Go polish your sword and lay out your best clothes. We have a wedding to prepare for.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” he said, standing up and giving her a salute.

  “That reminds me,” Cheng Li said. “I trust Bo Yin and that grotesque pet of hers are settling in all right?”

  “Yes.” Connor grinned. “Sinbad seems especially happy with his new home. Perhaps you’d like to join us for his evening playtime later?”

  “You’re dismissed,” Cheng Li said, sliding on her glasses and dipping her hands into her drawer once more.

  “I do so enjoy these chats,” he said.

  “Don’t be cheeky,” she said. “You may be in position one, but I’m still Captain around here, until further notice.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not in any danger of forgetting that.” He nodded, then pushed open the door and exited into the corridor.

  As the doors swung shut behind him, Cheng Li removed her hands from the drawer and lifted the notebook and envelope once more. Standing up, she approached her father’s portrait and raised her fingers to the small but distinctive scar above her father’s right eyebrow. As she pressed lightly against the canvas, the painting began moving to one side, revealing a safe. Cheng Li deftly maneuvered the gears until the safe door clicked open. She placed her father’s diary and Sally’s letter inside, then closed the door and reset the combination—the latitude, longitude, and geodesic height of the Pirate Academy. Smiling at her ingenuity, she touched the painting once more, this time at the center of the stud in her father’s left ear, and it slid obediently back into position.

  As it did so, she found herself staring once more at her father’s face. It was as if he was smiling at her. “Very good, Cheng Li,” he seemed to say.

  In life, Chang Ko Li had been decidedly short on words of encouragement for his prodigiously talented daughter. Nonetheless, she felt sure he would have been swelling with pride now at how her career was shaping up. Turning away from his image, she settled back down at her desk and opened the attack plans for Operation Black Heart.

  46

  BLOOD WEDDING

  In some respects, at least, it would be a conventional wedding. The bride had chosen the setting—the ruins of a small chapel perched close to the edge of the cliff above Martyr’s Cove.

  “A chapel?” Sidorio had initially bristled at the thought.

  “I know, ” Lady Lola had said in her most soothing tones. “I know. But it’s deconsecrated, darling, and trust me, we’ll make it our own.” And she had not lied.

  The chapel no longer had a roof or complete walls, but the light of the moon revealed the skeleton of its former shape. Glimpses of the original stonework glowed silver in the moonlight, but relatively little of the stone was visible. Around each column and architrave, lavish amounts of ivy and black roses, interspersed with a variety of tribal fetishes, animal pelts, and small skulls were coiled. Lady Lockwood’s wedding designer had certainly risen to the occasion. Nature supplied the rest—the night sky, sprinkled with bright stars and a perfect full moon, made a dazzling canopy.

  According to tradition, the groom arrived first. He was dressed in a striking outfit. To call it a morning suit was to utterly fail to do it justice. A custom-made creation by Lady Lockwood’s tailor, it had the approximate shape of a suit. But the main part of the jacket was made of chain mail, the collar and tails of fur, and once again there were thick leather shoulder pads from which emerged metal spikes. “I think we’ve found your signature style,” the tailor had said, presenting Sidorio with one final touch: a crown fashioned of bone and metal, which sat on his head rather like a laurel wreath. “Perfect!” the tailor had declared, and Sidorio could only agree. He looked not only like a groom but like a king—King of the Vampirates, as indeed he was.

  Sidorio’s dark eyes sparkled and his gold teeth glinted as he arrived at the ruined chapel. A string quartet were playing pleasingly discordant music—a rhapsody apparently inspired by the human scream—as Sidorio appeared at the top of the red carpet, accompanied by his ring bearer. Johnny had been dressed by the same tailor, but from his off-the-rack section. He cut a dashing figure in leather and chain mail. He wore his trademark Stetson, of course, but this had been glammed up with bone claws and feathers.

  Sidorio was to have had two ring bearers, but the man originally scheduled to be his second ring bearer, Stukeley, now stood at the other end of the carpet. From here, he would conduct the marriage service. He looked very much the part in a custom-made cassock. It was simple and black, with a line of small buttons, fashioned from bones, down the front. Around his neck, he wore a long gold chain, suspended from which was a pair of shrunken heads.

  This was a strictly intimate and exclusive affair. A small, select, and exquisitely dressed crowd sat on either side of the aisle. Their chairs were covered in animal hide and had legs made from antlers. A table had been set up at the back of the chapel with an array of antique Venetian glassware and a line of bottles, supplied of course by the Black Heart Winery. The hand-picked congregation would be treated to some of Lady Lockwood’s finest vintages to toast the happy couple.

  Later, there would be a party for the masses, beginning on board the Blood Captain, moored below in the bay. Then the party would continue off the ship, wherever the happy couple decreed.

  The groom and his ring bearer strode purposefully down the aisle, attracting smiles and admiring gasps from the assembled guests.

  Sidorio nodded to Stukeley as he and Johnny arrived at the altar. “All set, ‘Reverend?’” he asked.

  “Yes, Captain.” Stukeley nodded, exchanging a knowing glance with Johnny. “I was up all day learning the service.”

  “I trust you’re prepared,” Sidorio said. “Everything must be just right for my Lola.”

  “Don’t worry,” Stukeley said. “This will be a night to remember.” His dark eyes glinted. “We’ll make absolutely sure of that.”

  “Very good,” Sidorio said, turning to Johnny. “Stetson, you have the ring?”

  Johnny nodded, patting the pocket of his long coat. “Right here, Capitán.”

  The music changed to the traditional wedding march, signaling the arrival of the bride. All eyes turned as she made her entrance, flanked by her two ring bearers. The three women looked stunning in couture outfits. Angelika and Marianne were clothed simply but elegantly in tight-fitting sleeveless gowns. They both wore long gloves, and their hair had been swept up and adorned with wildflowers and jeweled combs. Lady Lockwood’s dress was more elabora
te and tightly corseted, in the style she favored, with the whalebones exposed on the outside, and tight-fitting sleeves coiled with snakeskin. The bottom part of the dress was a fairy-tale skirt composed of billowing layers of bloodred taffeta, which her two companions watched closely as she began walking down the aisle. Her face and upper body were covered by a black lace veil. On her head she wore a crown fashioned to match that of the groom, but a touch smaller and more delicate, shimmering with rubies and black opals.

  As Lady Lockwood, flanked by her ring bearers, moved gracefully down the aisle, the congregation murmured in admiration. Her outfit had exceeded every expectation. Of particular interest was her rather unusual wedding bouquet. For in Lady Lockwood’s hands was a solid gold hand crafted with rubies for fingernails and wrapped with black roses and trailing ivy. Until recently it had belonged to Trofie Wrathe. “Something borrowed, do you see?” Lady Lockwood announced with a grin to her friends in the congregation.

  At last, the bride and her entourage reached the altar.

  As Sidorio reached out for her hand, Lady Lockwood passed her bouquet to Angelika. “Be sure to take good care of it, my dear!” she said, then turned back to Sidorio. “My, how handsome you look! You should always wear that crown, my love. It sets off your teeth perfectly.”

  He blushed at her praise. “You look more beautiful than ever,” he noted.

  The bride and groom knelt on the cushions placed before Stukeley. Marianne carefully arranged Lady Lockwood’s voluminous train, then stepped aside to join Angelika.

  Lady Lockwood’s two ring bearers were facing Johnny, who removed his dress Stetson and winked at them amiably. Both women winked back. As their tattooed eyes closed, two perfect black hearts appeared on their faces. It was a shame, in a way, what was going to happen later, mused Johnny. There would have been some definite upsides to a merger of the two crews.

  Sidorio glanced at his other lieutenant. “Well, then, Reverend. Let’s get this show on the road!”

  Stukeley raised his hand toward the quartet, and the music at once came to an end. Then he coughed lightly and stepped forward to address the congregation. “Dearly beloved! With great joy, we come together tonight to join this man, Quintus Antonius Sidorio, and this woman, Lady Lola Elizabeth Mercy Lockwood, in eternal matrimony.”

  The bride and groom’s eyes locked upon each other.

  “This marriage we bear witness to tonight,” Stukeley continued, “is no ordinary marriage. For when I speak the words eternal union, I mean exactly that. These two are immortal and so can never die. Nor will their love.” He surveyed the congregation, warming to his role. “And now, by the powers invested in me by… the groom, I will proceed with the wedding vows.” He nodded toward Sidorio. “You’re up, Captain.”

  Sidorio turned to face his bride, his voice ringing out across the ruined chapel and beyond. “I am immortal, and so is my love. I am all-conquering, and so is my passion. I am as infinite as the oceans and as mighty as the night.” His voice grew a little softer. “I promise you, my dear Lola, that I will be a loving and loyal husband to you. I will share with you my passion, my power, and my love beyond tide and time.”

  Lady Lockwood’s eyes sparkled brighter than the stars above as she began her reciprocal vow. “I am immortal, and so is my love. I am all-conquering, and so is my passion. I am as infinite as the oceans and as mighty as the night. I promise you, my darling Sidorio, that I will be a loving and loyal wife to you. I will share with you my passion, my power, and my love beyond tide and time.”

  Stukeley, feeling completely in his element, glanced at the attendants on either side. “And now, the rings,” he announced.

  Johnny and Marianne stepped closer, each dropping a ring into Stukeley’s waiting palm. The rings were surprisingly simple—crafted of human bone with private messages chosen by the bride and groom inscribed on the inside.

  Stukeley held out his palm, offering the rings to the bride and groom. “Each of you has a ring for the other. Would you now exchange them?” He nodded, and groom and bride lifted the rings from his palm and reached out to slide them onto each other’s ring finger. As they did so, Stukeley spoke once more. “These rings are an eternal reminder of this moment, and this night, and of the promise you have made to each other as you experience, now and forever, the oneness of your union as husband and wife.”

  Sidorio nodded, squeezing Lady Lockwood’s slender hand in his own.

  The rings exchanged, Stukeley geared up for his final crescendo. “Because they have so affirmed, in love and knowledge of each other, I do declare that Quintus Antonius Sidorio and Lady Lola Elizabeth Mercy Lockwood are now husband and wife!”

  The bride and groom rose to their feet and embraced, Sidorio dipping Lady Lockwood low to the chapel floor. The congregation gasped in delight and broke out into spontaneous applause.

  Sidorio grinned at his bride. “Hello, my Lady Sidorio,” he said.

  She beamed up at him. “Lady Lockwood Sidorio,” she reminded him. “That’s what we agreed, remember, my sweet?”

  Johnny leaned across to Stukeley, whispering, “Great job! You may have missed your vocation.”

  Stukeley grinned. “The doves!” he reminded his comrade.

  “Oh, yes!” Johnny reached excitedly for the gilded cage containing twelve White Rock doves. He passed this to Stukeley, who set it before Sidorio and Lady Lola and released the catch. Lady Lola reached inside, taking one of the creatures into her hands, caressing its delicate little body. The second dove padded out from the cage into Sidorio’s hand. Together, the bride and groom joyously began releasing the snow-white doves into the night sky. The birds circled prettily in the soft moonlight.

  Stukeley nudged Johnny again. “The hawks!” he said.

  Johnny presented the bride and groom with a second cage. This contained two accipiter hawks. Sidorio opened the cage door and took out one of the hawks, passing it to Lady Lockwood. “What a handsome chap!” she cooed to the congregation’s delight as the proud hawk rested for a moment on her wrist. Sidorio lifted out the second hawk. Then bride and groom turned to each other and released the hawks before melting into a deep kiss.

  Above them, the hawks soared into the air and began attacking the twelve doves. They made short work of it. The sky began to rain white feathers spattered with blood. A dove’s inert and bloody body fell and landed in Sidorio’s hands. He laughed and presented it to his bride, who glowed with delight. It was the perfect symbol of their dark and eternal union. The congregation rose to their feet and clapped with wild enthusiasm.

  The applause was accompanied by cannon fire, and the congregation gasped once more as a flood of tiny purple petals showered over them. The confetti fell like blossoms from the night sky. It was the final coup de théâtre in a perfectly executed ceremony that would be ingrained in their collective memory for a long, long time to come.

  As the confetti covered the bride and groom, Sidorio beamed at his bride. “Nice touch,” he said, “wife.”

  She looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean, husband?”

  Sidorio scooped up some of the petals and sprinkled them over her face. “This!” he said with a grin.

  “I didn’t organize it,” Lady Lola said. “I thought it was your surprise, my darling! Something you and your handsome lieutenants plotted!”

  He shook his head. Lady Lola shrugged. “Well, it must be a little extra treat from our wedding designer. How thoughtful of Stefano, and what a perfect end to a sublime ceremony.”

  “You have tears in your eyes, my sweet,” Sidorio said. “How can you be sad at a moment like this?”

  “I’m not at all sad, my darling,” Lola said. “My eyes are stinging, for some reason.”

  Sidorio frowned. “That’s strange. So are mine.” He noticed with rising alarm that his new wife’s eyelids were swelling up right in front of him.

  “Actually,” she said, “I’m really feeling quite strange. My lips are numb, my darling, and as great a k
isser as you are, I don’t think that’s the reason.”

  “No,” Sidorio said, experiencing the same numbness in his own lips and sensing it spreading rapidly through his body. Puzzled, he turned toward the congregation. They appeared to be suffering from the very same symptoms. It was as if they had frozen, like statues, their faces grimly contorting with pain. Suddenly fearful, Sidorio felt his own body become still, as if constricted by armor. Though his suit was tight-fitting, he knew it was more serious than that. He stared down the aisle, awash with confusion.

  As he did so, a host of uninvited guests sprang forth from behind the ruined chancel and strode out into the nave. There were fifty of them, each bearing a sword—a specially engineered silver sword coated in a compound of hawthorn and aconite, the same substance that had floated down from the sky in the form of confetti.

  “Let’s make this quick!” ordered Cheng Li.

  Connor leaped into the center aisle, his eyes immediately assessing the scene. The elite crew of the Tiger began streaming into the chapel from both sides. Bart and Cate headed the troops on one side, Jacoby and Jasmine on the other. Connor glimpsed Moonshine’s arrival, then turned and called to Jasmine. “How much time do we have?”

  “There should be another cannon of confetti coming right about now!” Jasmine cried. Her words were drowned out as a fresh cannon sounded and the skies above began to rain purple petals once more. The congregation was literally petrified. Though the Vampirates could not move for the moment, they could see and hear exactly what was happening. They knew that something had gone very wrong at the wedding of the year.

  At the altar, Johnny and Stukeley were experiencing the same physical pain as their colleagues. In spite of this, their eyes were bright as they stared straight down the aisle at Cheng Li and Connor. Things were proceeding exactly as they had planned.