Connor again took hold of the tiller and set his course toward The Diablo. His first, mysterious shore leave was officially over.
Out in the ocean, a sleek windjammer drifts in the darkness.
Sidorio surveys the deck of The Lorelei. The surviving fishtails sit slumped in their chairs. They look weak and wretched. Blood drips from more than one of their oilskins.
“Now,” Sidorio says. “I heard word you needed a new captain and, lucky you, I’m available to take up the post right away.”
He is unfazed by the looks of contempt emanating from Kally, Teahan, Lika, and the other survivors. Contempt is just one step away from respect in Sidorio’s book. He smiles.
“I was impressed with you today,” he says. “I can see you could be quite a tricky bunch if you raised your game just a notch. You have a few nifty moves. Nice appetite for violence, too. We can work on that, crank it up to the next level.”
He turns, seeing Flynn hobble along the deck toward him—a broken man. Sidorio shakes his head. “I don’t think we’ll have much need of you, though, Grandpa. Not in the new scheme of things.” He chuckles. “You make yourself comfortable, and we’ll figure out what to do with you later.”
Sidorio looks at the rest of them. He can sense he has their full and undivided attention now. They are petrified of him. Just the way he likes it.
This is the beginning of a new journey. It is an invigorating thought. After all these years at sea—these endless years—Sidorio’s true voyage is at last ready to begin. It’s as if he has woken from the deepest of sleeps. As if he has swum up from the darkest of depths. And before he rests again, everyone who navigates the oceans will know his name. Know it, respect it, fear it. There is much work to be done.
About the Author
Justin Somper is a bestselling author whose Vampirates books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Justin trained in sword-fighting to help him write the fight scenes in the Vampirates series. He is currently working on a new adventure series, Enemies of the Prince, which will be available in 2014.
Justin invites you to visit his website at www.vampirates.co.uk
Visit our website at www.vampirateship.com
Also by Justin Somper
VAMPIRATES: Demons of the Ocean
VAMPIRATES: Tide of Terror
VAMPIRATES: Blood Captain
VAMPIRATES: Black Heart
VAMPIRATES: Empire of the Night
VAMPIRATES: Immortal War
Copyright
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2013 by Justin Somper
Cover design by Alison Impey. Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
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First e-book edition: January 2013
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
ISBN 978-0-316-23253-1
Contents
Vampirates
Welcome page
Dedication
Chapter One: Shore Leave
Chapter Two: The Contest
Chapter Three: Brawl
Chapter Four: The Lorelei
Chapter Five: Night Swimming
Chapter Six: Fishtails
Chapter Seven: Rift
Chapter Eight: The Shark
Chapter Nine: Hell Bay
Chapter Ten: In Deep
Chapter Eleven: End Of
Chapter Twelve: Surfacing
About the Author
Also by Justin Somper
Copyright
Vampirates: Dead Deep Page 6