Vampirates 6: Immortal War (10 page)

“I’ll leave you to your work, Deputy Peacock,” said Cheng Li.

Jasmine collected her things and headed for the door. Cheng Li strode forward to open it for her. “Remember,” she said, “it’s always easier to fight the demons out there than the ones in here.” She tapped the crown of her own head.

“I don’t have any demons,” Jasmine said.

“Yes, you do,” Cheng Li replied. “We all do. And the more we try to deny them, the bigger and more dangerous they grow.” Her voice became more businesslike. “Keep me posted on any changes to
The Diablo
’s position.”

Jasmine nodded. “I will, Captain.”

Looking over Jasmine’s shoulder, Cheng Li could see that Connor was already making his way along the corridor toward them—ready for his own meeting with the captain. Cheng Li turned around discreetly and stepped back inside her cabin. She hovered just inside the doorway, listening carefully to the exchange between her two deputies.

“Hi,” said Jasmine.

“Hey,” answered Connor. “How are you?”

“Okay,” she said, her voice seeming to suggest the very
opposite. Then, “Connor, I really need to talk to you. We spend all day racing around this ship, but we never get the chance to talk to each other—not properly.”

There was a pause, then a sigh. “I know,” he said. “I feel the same. Let’s try to make some time tonight, okay?”

“Yes,” she said, more brightly. “I won’t keep you from your meeting. See you later!”

Their words were prosaic enough, but Cheng Li knew that the two of them were embroiled in a close and often challenging relationship. She suspected that had Jacoby Blunt still been around, Jasmine would have broken up with her long-term boyfriend and declared her true feelings for Connor. As it was, with Jacoby’s situation still a mystery, his presence lingered like a restless ghost.

Cheng Li walked soundlessly back across her cabin and sat down once more at her conference table, ready to greet Connor.

Between sips of mango juice, Connor confidently led Cheng Li through all his areas of responsibility. Since Jacoby’s disappearance, Cheng Li had made yet another daring decision in appointing Connor as her joint deputy. He lacked the formal training from which she, Jasmine, and Jacoby had benefited at the academy. Nonetheless, Connor possessed a rare instinctive gift for piracy, which was all the more startling given how new he was to this world. It was less than twelve months since Cheng Li herself had rescued him from certain death in the ocean.
Now he was utterly changed; the transformation from shipwrecked orphan to full-fledged pirate was complete.

He was, she reflected as she listened to him now, something of a throwback to the old days of piracy. Another Molucco? The thought crossed her mind.
No
, she thought.
No, we’ve caught him in time to prevent that
.

One of Connor’s greatest gifts was the goodwill he inspired in almost all those around him. This had first struck Cheng Li through the strong bonds he had formed with his crewmates. Lately, she had found a new way to harness this gift of Connor’s. Since the beginning of war, Cheng Li was no longer merely captain of one ship but overseer of a further twelve. And it was Connor who acted as the chief point of liaison with the other twelve captains.

“Captain Gresham’s crew was particularly badly hit in the last battle,” Connor told her now. “Over thirty of them are still in recovery in the field hospital at Pirate Academy. I’ve talked direct to Nurse Carmichael and she says she won’t release them for at least another week.” He smiled. “Actually, I negotiated her down from ten days.”

Cheng Li returned his smile. “So we’re caught between the Scylla of Christabel Carmichael and the Charybdis that is Wilberforce Gresham. What do you suggest?”

“I thought we could lend Captain Gresham some crew members from the other ships until Nurse Carmichael gives his lot the all clear.” Cheng Li nodded approvingly as Connor continued. “I was going to suggest offering ten
of our own pirates and five each from four other ships in the fleet, but, with our plans for
The Diablo
, I think we should keep our crew intact for now. I’ve prepared a transfer list for you to approve when the time comes.” He passed the document across to her.

Captain Gresham’s dilemma resolved, there were only a couple more items on Connor’s list. As he finished talking, Cheng Li leaned back in her chair. “Before you go, there’s one more thing to discuss,” she said.

“Sure,” he said, looking up from his sheaf of papers. “Shoot!”

“Molucco’s will,” Cheng Li began.

In response, Connor held up his hand. “I’m sorry you had to hear about my legacy from somebody else. But really, there’s nothing to talk about,” he said. “It doesn’t change anything.”

Cheng Li toyed with her fountain pen. “It will change everything, Connor. And the more you push it away and ignore it, the more of a tidal wave will hit.”

“All right,” Connor said, barely reining in his impatience. “Then I’ll just give the money back to the Wrathes. I’m sure they won’t say no.”

Cheng Li shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. There’s Federation revenue and taxes to deal with, for one thing.”

Connor frowned, annoyed that there seemed to be no way out of this conversation. “Okay then,” he said. “I’ll donate it all to the Federation itself. For the war effort.”

Cheng Li smiled. “That’s a noble thought, Connor, but please don’t be rash. Molucco’s bequest has the power to change your life.”

“I still don’t know why he gave it to me,” Connor said. “We were enemies when he died. He said so himself.”

Cheng Li gritted her teeth. She’d done plenty of cleaning up on behalf of Molucco Wrathe when he was alive and she had been his deputy. It was galling, to say the least, to find herself in the very same position six months after his death. But Connor had become too important to her for her to let this go without a fight.

“Try not to let your thoughts of Molucco or of the rift between the two of you cloud your thinking about this incredible gift. You were an orphan with nothing but the rags on your back when we met. Now you have the chance to do whatever you want with your life.”

Cheng Li could tell that her words had hit home.

Connor sat staring at her, silently, for a time. Then he shook his head. “I appreciate what you’ve said. I mean it. But, Captain, you—alone of everyone on this ship—know the truth. You alone know who and what I really am. And no amount of money on this blue earth can change that.”

So
, thought Cheng Li,
at last we come to the heart of this
. “I know that you are still coming to terms with being a dhampir,” she said. “But it isn’t in any way impeding you from being a valuable member of my crew or of playing a central role within this conflict.” She paused. “Indeed, given that we are now in strategic alliance with the
Nocturnals, you might say that it’s a positive advantage that my joint second-in-command is immortal.”

Connor shook his head. “You and I both know that this alliance is only born out of pragmatism. Once the threat of Sidorio is eliminated, the old dividing lines will soon reemerge.”

Cheng Li frowned. “You underestimate what a revolution in thinking there has been at the heart of the pirate world. And, in so many ways, you and your sister are responsible for it. Before you and Grace came onto the scene, all we knew of the Vampirates was that old shanty and a slew of bogeyman stories. We were guilty of lazy thinking. But as the cracks began to emerge in the Vampirate world, with your father’s… with Sidorio’s rebellion and his allegiance to Lola Lockwood, well, we’ve seen a truer picture not only of the evil that stalks the oceans but of the goodness, too. Over the past six months, I have come to know Obsidian Darke as a trusted ally. I won’t lie to you—he can be frustrating as all hell to work with—but I have no doubt whatsoever that he is a good man.”

Connor shook his head once more, pushing back his chair. “He isn’t a man,” he said. “Nor is his deputy, my sister’s great love, Lorcan Furey. And nor am I. We’re none of us men. We’re monsters, demons!” Tears welled in his emerald green eyes.

Cheng Li rose calmly from her own chair. “You are
all
men,” she said. “Whatever else you may or may not be, you are all good men.”

At these words, to her surprise, Connor leaned toward her. Then, to her even greater surprise, she found herself opening up her arms and drawing her deputy into a hug. As her arms gripped his shuddering body, she realized that a terrible tension had been building within him. “Let it out,” she found herself saying. “Connor, let it all out.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, drawing back from her arms.

“Here,” she said, passing him a handkerchief. “Dry your eyes.”

“Thanks.”

Cheng Li watched him, then caught his attention once more. “Connor,” she said softly, “you
are
taking that berry tea that Grace sends over, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“Good. Because Obsidian assured me that it was—”

“I’m taking it,” he said. “Every night. Just like Obsidian and Grace said to.”

Cheng Li nodded. She had no desire to come across as any more maternal than she had already. “Keep taking the tea,” she said. “And keep up the excellent work!” Her eyes brightened. “Not one of us knows quite what this voyage has in store for us, but I happen to think that life would be pretty boring if we did.”

Connor finally cracked a grin. “Right now, I could handle a big bowl of boring,” he said, offering her back the now-sodden handkerchief.

Cheng Li wrinkled her nose. “You can keep it.” She glanced once more at her clock. “Well, I think we’re both
up to date. Do you want to go and ask Cate to join me? We’ve got an attack to plan.”

Bo Yin was just about to finish her shift in the crow’s nest. As she glanced below once more, she saw a lanky figure jump up onto the deck of
The Tiger
. She scanned the deck to call for reinforcements but saw, to her horror, that it was empty. She wanted to cry out—
There’s a war going on, people!
—but she kept her cool. She was just going to have to deal with this situation herself. Stealthily, she climbed to the edge of the crow’s nest. Then, letting out a piercing war cry, she somersaulted down to the deck, landing perfectly on her toes, with her sword outstretched toward the intruder.

The trespasser—a tall teenage boy—laughed. “So it’s true what they say about you lot. Slash first and ask questions later.”

Bo Yin’s eyes narrowed. “You!” she said.

“That’s right, pookachoo,” he said. “Me! I’m a bit of a legend in pirating circles. The Next Big Thing! I’m not surprised you’ve heard all about me.”

Bo Yin nodded. “Nothing good, though,” she said, unable to suppress a smile.

“Cheeky!” Moonshine grinned back at her. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Bo Yin,” she said. “You may have heard of my father.
He
is a genuine legend in pirating circles.”

“Indeed he is.” Moonshine nodded, clearly impressed. “For my fifth birthday, my dad took me to Lantao to watch your dad make me my first sword. It was the best birthday gift ever.”

“You’ve been to my father’s workshop?” Bo said, somewhat disconcerted.

Moonshine nodded. “Yes, I have.” He smirked. “Hey, I remember this crazy little kid racing about all over the place, wanting to play-fight with me. That wasn’t you, was it?”

“Maybe.” Bo blushed. “I don’t remember.”

Moonshine’s eyes bore into hers. “Well, Bo Yin, it’s nice to catch up with you after all these years. Now, will you spare me the cutlass so I can beg an audience with your esteemed leader? Or should we have a duel right here and now?”