Vampirates 6: Immortal War (57 page)

At the mere mention of their names, there was thunderous applause throughout the tavern. Jasmine waited patiently until, once more, a hush descended throughout the tavern and all eyes were trained upon her.

“It’s very simple, really,” Jasmine said. “They were two of the bravest, most dedicated pirates you could ever hope to meet. They came from strikingly different beginnings. Cheng Li was born into a famous pirating family and, like many of us, was educated at the Pirate Academy. Connor, on the other hand, only came into the world of piracy by chance, exactly a year ago tonight.” She sighed. “I wish he could be here to mark that anniversary. I wish they were both here. Every choice of word feels like a cliché under these circumstances, but I can’t help thinking
that these two bright lights of our universe were taken away from us much too soon.”

“Hear, hear!” came a voice from the crowd. It was Lisabeth Quivers’s familiar cut-glass tones.

Composing herself, Jasmine glanced about the tavern once more. “I do not intend to dwell on my personal losses. I know that every one of you has lost valued comrades and dear friends through this war. Tonight is a time for celebrating not only our success in achieving this victory but also the enduring friendships we made along the way. I will never forget Cheng Li or Connor. I am confident that their names will be spoken of in our circles for many years to come. But, as important, they will live on in my heart as I know your lost comrades will in each of yours.”

She couldn’t help the sob that came as she reached her last words. It didn’t matter. She had gotten through this, said what she had come here to say. The response to her brief speech was even more rapturous than to Barbarro’s. Jasmine stood, rooted to the spot, as applause and cheers came at her from every angle. Embarrassed, she began walking off the stage, but Barbarro gestured for her to remain and it seemed churlish not to do so.

Jasmine scanned the crowd for her dearest friends and comrades. Somehow, seeing their faces made it all a bit less overwhelming. She saw Ma Kettle herself and Sugar Pie waving and cheering at her. Then her eyes met those of Lisabeth Quivers and René Grammont, who stood at
the front of the pack of captains who doubled up as teachers at Pirate Academy. She nodded in gratitude at their applause, then found herself breaking into a smile as her eyes turned to where Moonshine Wrathe stood, with Cate on one side and Bo Yin on the other. All three were cheering loudly. She hoped she had spoken adequately on their behalf about the comrades who had touched all their young lives.

Jasmine’s eyes moved on—past Commodore Black, who had ceased clapping but nodded at her formally as their eyes met—until, at last, she found Jacoby again. No one was clapping or cheering her more loudly than he was. For a moment, she felt guilt at the complex emotions she had experienced for Jacoby and for Connor. Then, she felt her spirits lift. All that was in the past now. Tonight was a new beginning. A time to honor lost comrades and then to begin again, anew. She didn’t know what lay ahead for her, or for any of them, but she was confident that together they would embark on exciting new adventures. Together, there was no need to be afraid.

“This end is not
the
end,” Lola declared, pacing up and down her cabin. She stopped abruptly and turned to face her comrades. “This hasn’t been in vain. We may have lost this bout, but we’ll be back.” She wasn’t sure whose benefit these words were for—her own or the surviving members of her crew? Now that Sidorio was gone, she was commander in chief of the Empire. They were, she knew, all looking to her to lead them forward, but she had nothing left to give. Feeling cold and rather claustrophobic, she scanned the room, wondering if any of them could sense just how lost she felt.

If anything, the others seemed grateful for the end to the current conflict and for the time and space in which to
come to terms with their losses. They seemed calm in a way she found to be utterly at odds with her own tortured state of mind.

Nathalie was sitting on the chaise, reading a picture book to baby Hunter. “We’re all going on a pirate hunt,” she heard Nathalie recite. It was the boy’s favorite.

Olivier sat opposite, smiling and refreshing Mimma’s glass. Stukeley and Johnny, who had only lately arrived in her cabin, were still standing in the doorway, chatting quietly. The room was full of people, but it was full of the
wrong
people. Where were Jacqueline and Holly? Where were Angelika and Camille? Where were Sidorio and Evil?

Lola began to shake. Her first thought was that she was in need of a drink. She reached for her glass and lifted it to her lips, but her hand was shaking too much and the glass slipped through her fingers. It fell to the floor and shattered, dark blood pooling on the Persian carpet below. Ordinarily, the loss of an antique glass and a stain on her fine carpet would have upset her deeply, but these were no more than trifles in the present scheme of things. She didn’t make any move to clear up the debris; she just stood there shaking uncontrollably. She had never felt more empty or alone.

To her surprise, she saw Stukeley making his way toward her. She was even more surprised when he folded his arms around her. “You’re not alone,” he said. “Whatever you might think, however you might be feeling, you are not alone.”

She had never been in such close physical proximity to Stukeley before. He was somewhat shorter and leaner than Sidorio, and he was surprisingly strong. As their bodies met, she drew fresh strength from his. She felt a wave of calm flowing through her. When he gently released her, she nodded gratefully. “Thank you,” she said.

“We’re all here for you, Lola,” he said. “And we all share in your loss. Sidorio was like a father to me.”

His intent, no doubt, was to comfort her, but the mere word
father
made her turn toward Hunter. Seeing him, sitting happily on Nathalie’s knee, reaching out with his pudgy little hands to the pictures on the page of his book, Lola couldn’t help but think about her other son. She turned back to Stukeley.

“I need your help,” she said.

“Anything,” he readily agreed. “You can count on me, Lola.”

“I cannot do anything, I cannot go on, until I have found my other son,” she said. “I intend to search the seven oceans for baby Evil if that’s what it takes.”

Stukeley nodded somberly. “I’ll be there, with you,” he said. “Every step of the way.” He paused. “But you need to be prepared for the worst. We may never find Evil. Whoever took him may already have done the unthinkable.”

Lola’s eyes clouded and she shook her head. “He’s alive,” she said. “I’m certain he’s alive.” Her hand came to rest over her heart as her eyes met Stukeley’s once more. “A mother knows,” she said.

Cheng Li made her way across to the bar. How many nights had it been since her arrival here? She had lost count. She was still coming to grips with the size of Jack Tar’s Cavern. At first she had thought she’d be restless, eager to return to the fray, but, strangely, this was not the case. Ever since her arrival here, in this vast cathedral-like cavern, she had felt something new. A sense of peace, perhaps.

As she waited to order drinks for herself and her father, she turned and found a familiar face at her side.

“Captain Wrathe,” she said with some formality.

He smiled. “Why don’t you call me Molucco?” he said.

“All right,” she agreed, though whether she could pull this off was another matter indeed.

“So, how are you settling in?” he asked her.

She nodded. “Very well, thank you,
Molucco
.” The word wasn’t quite so strange on her tongue as she had anticipated. “It’s a very relaxing kind of place, isn’t it?”

Her companion grinned and nodded. “Very relaxing,” he said, his eyes taking in the room. “And you’re never lost for good company down here. As I was just saying to Eddie Teach—”

Before he got started on what promised to be a lengthy anecdote, Cheng Li cut him off. “Can I get you a drink?” she asked.

He smiled agreeably. “Why thank you. I won’t say no to a Dark and Stormy.”

“Coming up!” she said as she reached the front of the queue.

“Yes, young lady. What’ll it be?”

Cheng Li opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her attention had been distracted by a face across the bar. There was someone she had been looking for ever since her arrival in Jack Tar’s Cavern. And now, at last, she saw him—right across the bar from her.

“Connor!” she called across the vast circular bar. “Connor, it’s me! Cheng Li!”

The young man turned toward her, prompted by nudges from those at his side. In a flash, she saw that though he was of a similar age and build, it was not Connor. Her heart fell. She saw that she had lost the bartender’s attention now, too.

Molucco pushed through to stand beside her. “You thought that lad was Connor Tempest, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she admitted dolefully. “I’ve been searching for him ever since I arrived here, but I can’t seem to find him. I suppose Jack Tar’s is a bigger place than I realized, but, even so…”

Molucco reached out and put his hand on her wrist. It was the kind of gesture that previously might have enraged her, but now it merely silenced her as she lifted her eyes to his face. He was looking at her with genuine kindness and patience.

“Connor Tempest isn’t here,” he said.

Connor and Grace sat in the small boat making its way across the dark velvet waters.

“Just like old times, eh?” he said with a grin.

She nodded. “Just like old times.”

They had already left the coast behind them and were out in the ocean waters. But the vessel was steady and making good progress through the night. Grace watched as Connor busied himself expertly with the ropes.

“When did you first realize you could split in two?” Grace asked him.

Connor continued working on the ropes as his face turned toward her, illuminated by the full moon. “It first happened during the recapture of
The Diablo
.” He paused,
trapping a bit of rope in his mouth, as he knotted another section. “Then, Jacoby and I had this fight,” he continued. “Over Jasmine, of course, and it happened again. So I knew, going into the last battle, that it was a possibility.” He came to join her at the center of the boat again. “After what you told me about the prophecy, I knew it was my destiny to fight Sidorio. But I was down at the other end of the ship. I couldn’t get to him—not by conventional means—before Cheng Li and the others beat me to it. When the split happened, one of me was able to speed to the center of the ship, while the other one jumped overboard to make my escape.”

Grace nodded. “Did you know that the one taking on Sidorio was destined to be killed?”

Connor’s eyes met his sister’s. “Yes, I think so. I’ve foreseen my death several times. The pieces of the jigsaw seemed to fit. That’s why it seemed a good idea for my other self to get the hell out of there and wait out the rest of the battle.” A dark look clouded his face. “My only regret is the hurt I’ve caused to Jasmine, Bo Yin, and the others.”

Grace smiled reassuringly. “Perhaps it’s better this way. After all, you are going to disappear from their lives for quite some time.”

He nodded. “Yes, according to your book, it’ll take seven years. Seven years of wandering the world, encountering no one I know, and I’ll rid myself of the dhampir gene.” His eyes were bright. “When I come back, I’ll be a mortal again.”

Grace felt a rise of emotion at his words. The thought
of being apart from him for seven years was hard to bear. But she knew how much he yearned to become mortal once more. If this was what it took to bring her brother back a sense of peace, it was well worth it.

“It’s
your
book now,” she said. “I want you to keep it with you during this time away. It will comfort me greatly to know you’re not completely alone.”

“Thank you,” he said, sliding closer toward her. “I’ll come and find you, you know,” he said. “The moment my seven years are up.”

She nodded, determined not to cry. “You better!” she said. “And just think what adventures you’ll have to tell me about then.”

“Yes.” He nodded. She could see how filled with conviction he was for this fresh journey.

“I’d better go,” she said. “Someone’s knocking on my door.”

“I think I can guess who that might be!” Connor grinned. “I wish I could have been there for the wedding—nice dress, by the way—but it’s better like this.”

Grace nodded. All things considered, he was right.

“And I wish I could hug you good-bye properly!” Connor added.

“That’s the problem with these astral visits,” Grace said. She brought her hand to his cheek and, though it did not make conventional physical contact, still the gesture comforted them both. “Travel safe,” she said.

“You, too!”

Grace watched as his eyes turned back toward the ocean. It shimmered with reflections of the moon and stars. Comforted that her brother’s future was now assured, Grace exited the boat and returned to her cabin on board
The Nocturne
.