Vampirates 6: Immortal War (37 page)

“Thank you,” Luna said. “Yin,” she added contemplatively. “Of course! Your father is Master Yin, the legendary swordsmith. I’ve heard all about him.”

Bo Yin beamed. She never tired of hearing people praise her father. It helped her to feel closer to him while they were apart.

“Well, this is me,” Luna said, tapping the door of her cabin. “Good night to you both, and thanks again for making me so welcome.”

As she disappeared inside the cabin, Jasmine and Bo
Yin proceeded along the corridor. At last, Bo could ask Jasmine some of the questions that had been building up over the past few hours, starting with…

“So, basically, that girl is here to give Jacoby regular drinks of blood?”

“Yes.” Jasmine nodded. “That’s about the sum of it. Though I believe she’s trained in several kinds of healing, too.”

“So she’s a donor—with benefits,” Bo Yin said, cracking a grin. Jasmine bit her lip as Bo Yin continued merrily on. “I’ve heard about the donors, of course, but I never thought they’d be so, well, so like us.”

Jasmine paused and turned to her friend and comrade. “She’s just like us, Bo, when all is said and done. Luna’s just another soldier doing her bit for the war effort.” As she finished speaking, she saw a figure ambling along the corridor toward them.

“Hello, Connor Tempest!” Bo Yin exclaimed. “Where have you been hiding all day?”

Connor smiled amiably at Bo Yin but did not answer her question. Instead, he glanced cagily toward Jasmine. “Did he make it back okay?”

“Yes, Connor.” There was an arctic chill to Jasmine’s voice. “Jacoby came home at first light.
Most
of the crew were gathered in the mess hall to give him a rousing welcome,” she said. “It was wonderful to witness such a show of support and solidarity.”

“I’m glad,” Connor said, with genuine feeling. “I’ve
been holed up downstairs all day, updating the logs.” He yawned. “I’ve been concentrating so hard and long, I can barely see straight.” Faced with Jasmine’s glacial glare, Connor turned his attention back to Bo Yin. “Who knew there was so much bureaucracy at the heart of war? And paperwork was never my strong suit.”

“Poor excuse, Connor—even from you,” Jasmine said, careful to avoid the slightest contact with him as she moved onward.

Connor watched her go, the pain evident in his eyes. Bo Yin grabbed his arm. “Don’t take it to heart,” she whispered. “Much going on in Jasmine Peacock’s head right now.” So saying, she smiled once more at Connor, then hurried off to her cabin.

Finding himself alone again, Connor headed toward the upper deck. After a long day shut inside, the prospect of fresh air was not just appealing but necessary to him.

The deck was almost deserted, save for those members of Cheng Li’s crew on the first phase of the night watch. They greeted Connor as he passed but, to his relief, did not attempt to draw him into conversation. After his latest difficult encounter with Jasmine, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, tormented as they were.

He wandered to the prow of the ship, feeling a certain sense of peace restored by the sight of the star-filled
sky. In times past, he had searched the heavens for familiar constellations. Perhaps that would soothe him once more now.

But, as he reached the front of the ship, he saw that he was not alone. The starlight illuminated a familiar frame, standing with his back toward Connor. Connor hesitated, wondering if he could conceivably turn around and edge back inside or to the other end of the ship without being rumbled. But it was too late. The figure turned around and Connor Tempest found himself face-to-face with his erstwhile comrade, sometime friend, and occasional rival, Jacoby Blunt.

“You made it back then.” Connor’s words were awkward. “That’s good.”

“Is it?” Jacoby said, looking hurt. “I guess I interpreted your absence from the welcome-home committee to mean you had mixed feelings about my return.”

“What? No!” Connor shook his head. “Cheng Li had me holed up downstairs with a mountain of paperwork.”

Jacoby smiled ruefully. “Almost as though she was trying to keep us apart.”

Connor shrugged. “Why would she want to do that?”

“You tell me.”

Jacoby’s eyes bored into Connor’s and sent a chill through his bones.
How much did Jacoby know?

Connor hesitated, his eyes still locked with Jacoby’s. “There’s no reason. You know how important procedures are to Captain Li.” He smiled. “But, I guess, now that
you’re back, you’ll be taking some of those boring responsibilities back from me.”

Jacoby’s expression changed. “Are you really okay with that? Me resuming my role as deputy captain…?”

“Sure.” Connor nodded.

Jacoby continued. “Things getting back to how they used to be… well, as close as they can be.” Once more his eyes bored into Connor’s. “Buddy, I have to ask you a question, and it’s really important to me that you give me an honest answer. Will you do that for me, as a mark of our friendship?”

“Yes,” Connor said, feeling a sense of impending doom. Had Jasmine confessed to their relationship, or had Jacoby been tipped off by another member of the crew? They had been as discreet as they could, but secrets weren’t easily kept aboard
The Tiger
; there were eyes and ears all over the ship. Connor’s heart was hammering as Jacoby opened his mouth once more.

“Are you really okay with me being a vampire, buddy? Because I know how much you hate vampires, so I could completely understand if…”

Connor let out his breath, the tension receding. “No!” he said. “I mean, yes! I’m
completely
cool with you being a vampire.”

“You’re sure?” The relief in Jacoby’s eyes was evident.

“I’m one hundred percent sure,” Connor said, nodding.

Jacoby leaped forward and gave Connor a bear hug. “Thanks, man! You have no idea how much that means to
me. You and Jasmine and Cheng Li are the most important people in my world. You guys, well, you’re what got me through all those times I came close to giving up.”

As Connor listened to Jacoby, his relief soured into the familiar stench of self-loathing. Jacoby clearly thought he was another kind of person altogether. Someone you could depend on; someone who wouldn’t betray you. He wanted to do something, to salve his conscience, but he wasn’t sure what.

“It’s good to have you back,” he found himself saying. “A lot’s happened while you were away. There are a few things we need to catch up on.”

“Sure, sure,” Jacoby said. “But not tonight, eh, Connor? I’ve been waiting all day to get out here, back onto this deck that feels like home.” He climbed up onto the deck rail and sat there, perched right at the front of the ship like an eagle. “I’m just going to sit here and look out at the sea and the stars. There were so many times when I was locked up in that prison when I never thought I’d get to see the stars again.”

Connor nodded, feeling genuine sorrow for his friend’s ordeal. “Do you want to be alone?” he asked. “Or, if you like, I can point out some of the constellations to you?”

Jacoby grinned and patted the spot beside him on the deck rail. “Grab a pew! It’s high time I learned my Aquila from my Ophiuchus!”

Grace sat on her bed, back in the cabin Lorcan had brought her to when she’d first arrived on
The Nocturne
. She remembered waking up, back then, and finding herself dressed in a pretty nightdress that, it transpired later, Darcy had lent her. Grace smiled to herself. That had been the first of many such loans from Darcy. Now she was still dressed in the utilitarian clothes she had fled Sanctuary wearing. Except for her shoes, which lay discarded on the floor, and her coat, which she had thrown over the chair tucked under the little writing desk. The same desk she had leaned against when Sidorio had entered the cabin and threatened her all those months ago. Had he known then he was her father? No, of course not. He had just seen her as a potential blood source.

This room was crowded with memories at every turn.
But they were only distractions. She had to think through everything Obsidian had shared with her. Things were coming to a head and she had tough decisions to make.

The knock on the door was, at first, an annoyance. But as she heard a soft, familiar voice ask, “Grace, may I come in?” her heart leaped and she jumped down from the bed.

“Lorcan!” she cried as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. She ran into his arms and he held her there, pressing her against the folds of his greatcoat. Her face nuzzled the nape of his neck. She realized to her surprise that his hair had been cut short. It was a shock at first, but she rather liked it. “Oh, Lorcan,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“And I you,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you yesterday.” He smiled and took her hands in his. They sat down, side by side, on the four-poster bed. “As it happens, I was in the company of your brother at Ma Kettle’s Tavern.”

“You were with Connor?” Grace said, surprised. “Of course! Obsidian said you were with the pirates. I just didn’t make the connection. How did he seem to you?”

Lorcan smiled, deciding not to burden her just now with Connor’s true state of mind. “He seemed well.”

“Really?” Grace inquired, turning toward him.

Lorcan nodded. She seemed to be reassured. “But, as fond as I am of Connor, I knew I was with the wrong Tempest twin on their birthday.”

Grace shook her head. “I’m glad you were with him.”

Lorcan reached into the folds of his coat. “I brought you this, by way of a birthday gift.” He held his hand out to hers. His palm was folded but, as Grace looked down, his fingers opened. Sitting in his palm was a platinum ring, with a small diamond.

“Lorcan!” Grace exclaimed. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

He smiled. “Just like you,” he said. He had smiled at her many times, but in that instant there was a deeper connection between them than she had ever felt before. Despite all her fears, she suddenly felt calm. It was as if Lorcan were her anchor amid the turbulent sea.

“Shall we see if it fits?” he asked.

She nodded, wondering which finger to offer him. Was this ring more than a birthday gift? Suddenly, she felt flustered. There was so much going on right now.

“This ring?” she said tentatively. “It’s absolutely beautiful. But what does it mean?” Her eyes met his. Lorcan Furey’s eyes had never looked bluer.

“It means I love you, Grace,” he said, smiling once more. “But I have a feeling you may know that already.” As he spoke, he lifted her right hand and slipped the ring onto her fourth finger. “It’s a perfect fit,” Lorcan said, clearly pleased.

“Just like us,” Grace said. “Oh, Lorcan, I do love you.” As she spoke the words, she could feel tears falling. She tried to draw them back but was powerless to do so. It
seemed that no matter how powerful she became, she thought ruefully, she could still not prevent her tears from flowing.

“Hey,” Lorcan said, squeezing her hand. “Why are you crying?”

Grace didn’t want to voice it but she couldn’t prevent herself. “I’m not ready to die,” she said.

Lorcan nodded. “You’re thinking about the prophecy, aren’t you?”

She paused, gratefully accepting a handkerchief and drying her eyes. “You knew about the prophecy, too?”

Lorcan shook his head. “No. I only found out from Obsidian just now, when I arrived back. He knew you might be upset and he thought I ought to know.”