Demons of the Ocean (7 page)

"Why?"

"He doesn't want to scare you. Oh, I'm making a hash of this..."

"Yes. Now you are starting to scare me."

"That isn't my intention. Truly, Grace, it's the last thing I want to do."

"Then stop talking in riddles!" she said in exasperation, then felt she might have overstepped the mark.

"Riddles?" he said. "I can see why you would think that, but it's not such a puzzle really."She sighed. Every one of his answers seemed designed to open up yet more questions."You'll be wanting to know about your brother," he said.She was surprised by his directness on this subject. She had wanted to ask him about Connor ever since he had entered the cabin again, but she had been waiting for the right moment. It was vital, she realized, to gain his trust."Do you have news of Connor?" she asked, trying to maintain a neutral voice and not reveal how much she desperately needed to know."The captain says your brother is alive and well."

"He says that? How does he know? Is Connor on board this ship?"

"I can't tell you anything more."

"You have to, Lorcan. You said I should be patient and I have been. You've talked in riddles about this ship and why I must be kept cooped up here like an animal, and I haven't pushed you for answers. But when it comes to my brother, I have to know everything. It's too important."She looked deep into his eyes, feeling something akin to vertigo as she tumbled into the depths of blue."All I can tell you is to trust the captain. If the captain says your brother is safe, then you must believe that."

"But how? How can I? How does he know?"

"The captain knows many things," Lorcan said, "more things than I could ever keep in my head if I lived a thousand years."She didn't understand, but she could see that she had got as much of an answer as he would give... for now. She'd have to wait. Gain his trust further. Then he'd tell her more. She'd seen already that Lorcan had a habit of letting slip a little more than he intended. In the meantime, she needed to find out more about the captain. You couldn't trust a disembodied whisper, and that--at this point--was all the captain was to her.Suddenly, they heard the sound of voices outside. "Come back here!"

"No, you've had enough..."

"Enough? I'LL tell YOU when I've had enough!" Frowning, Lorcan leaped to the curtain. Both he and Grace listened but heard no more. Until..."No! Let me go!"

"Don't try to fight me. You know you won't win." Lorcan charged past Grace, toward the door."I have to go."He threw open the door and leaped out into the corridor. The door swung back shut. Grace waited for the sound of the key in the lock but it seemed that Lorcan was in such a hurry he had forgotten to lock her in again. Her heart raced. The scene outside had given her a chance.Grabbing the pile of clothes, she threw off the embroidered nightdress and quickly put on her old things. She was just knotting the laces on her shoes when she heard voices again, outside her window."Leave him, Sidorio. He's weak." It was Lorcan. "And my hunger is strong."

"You've supped already tonight. You've had your share."

"It isn't enough."

"You know it is. The captain tells us..."

"Maybe I'm tired of being told things by the captain. Maybe I'm ready to make my own decisions."Though unsure exactly what they were talking about, Grace had heard enough to be extremely worried. This time, she wouldn't just listen. She darted around the cabin, blowing out the candles. As the last flame was extinguished, she found herself cloaked in utter darkness. It took her a moment to get her bearings and for her eyes to find their hold in the darkness. But then she stepped up to the curtain and drew it slowly back.She pressed up to the glass and looked outside. Lorcan's back was toward her. He seemed to be fighting somebody--presumably the man he called Sidorio."Go to your cabin," she heard Lorcan cry.At that, a third figure darted past the window. An old man. A face pale and contorted with fear. Empty eyes.Lorcan and Sidorio wrestled and Lorcan was pulled around. Suddenly, Grace could see Sidorio's face. He was looking right at her. It was the most horrific sight she had ever seen. The man's features were horribly distorted-- his eyes like pools of fire, his mouth engorged with blood. He looked more like a wild, rabid dog than a man. He seemed not just to be looking at her but into her.Suddenly, Lorcan turned and saw her looking out of the glass. The shock in his eyes was evident.At that, the curtain fell from her hand. It didn't feel so much as though she had let it fall--more that it had been tugged free. Regardless, the porthole was closed to her once more. She tried to pull it back, but it felt as heavy as iron. She must be growing weak--or else, some dark magic was at work.Then, one by one, all the candles she had extinguished flickered back into life. How could this be happening? Grace stood, amazed, as the cabin was filled with light again. She raced toward the door but, as her hand touched the handle, she heard the crunch of the turning lock. She twisted the handle but it was too late. Once again, she was locked inside the cabin. Who was doing this? It couldn't possibly be Lorcan. He couldn't move that fast.Turning back to the bed, her eyes fell on a cup and saucer, sitting on the table. A spiral of steam rose in the air--as if to underline the fact that the cup had just been delivered to her as suddenly and mysteriously as the bowl of soup.She approached the cup and saucer, filled with fear and amazement. Giddily, she inhaled the overpowering scent of hot chocolate, infused with orange and nutmeg. It awoke a gnawing hunger deep within her--a hunger she had been unaware of only moments before.The more she saw of this ship, the more time she spent on board, the less any of it made sense."Drink the hot chocolate," said a voice inside her. It belonged to a whisper inside her head. "Drink."She had heard that voice before. It belonged to the captain.

CHAPTER 12

A GENTLE WAY TO DIE

Breakfast on the pirate ship was organized chaos. The mess room, appropriately named, was full to bursting with pirates when Bart led Connor inside."Quick, grab those seats, mate. They'll be gone in a jiffy."Somehow Connor managed to slide through the hordes and plant his butt on a wooden bench, stretching out his hand to save a place for Bart. The men opposite him looked up from their plates."Haven't seen you before," one of them said. His mouth opened to reveal a desert of space, broken only by a few stumps of rotten brown teeth and scraps of food."He must be that kid that Mistress Li fished out of the stew," said the man next to him, leaning forward to get a better look.

Connor nodded, trying to ignore the man's foul breath. "I was shipwrecked. Cheng Li rescued me."

"Did she indeed?" said the first one. "So now what? You gonna be a pirate?" He chewed away on a piece of bread, considerably challenged by his lack of functioning teeth."Maybe," Connor said."Think you got the guts for it, boy?" the other pirate asked, studying him intently. "Takes a lot of guts to be a pirate."

"A lot of guts, that's right," echoed his toothless neighbor. "And the Stinkbomb here, he knows all about guts. I say he knows all about guts!"With that, the toothless pirate prodded his mate in the center of his bulging belly. He was unable to hold in his laughter. Great guffaws blasted through his ugly face and he showered Connor with a spray of half-chewed bread crumbs. The other one--"the Stinkbomb"--tittered nasally before letting out three loud farts in quick succession.Thankfully, at that moment, Bart arrived at the table bearing two plates laden with food. He scooted into the seat next to Connor and plunked the plates down on the table."I see you've made the acquaintance of Toothless Jack and the Stinkbomb." Under his breath, Bart added, "Two of the most useless excuses for pirates you'll ever meet."Connor smiled and looked down at his groaning plate. He wasn't sure what everything was, but it smelled pretty good and he was starving. There were eggs in there somewhere, and some mush that tasted a bit like porridge and was satisfyingly filling. A charred chunk of something--possibly bacon, maybe saltfish--whatever, it tasted good. And a hefty piece of watermelon. It all slipped down like a treat."Reckon you needed that, buddy."

"Mmm," Connor said as he licked his lips, "is there any more?"

"You'll be lucky, Oliver Twist," Bart said. "Why do you think I piled the plates so high to begin with? The trick here is when you see food, grab it--and grab as much as you can. The kitchen's well stocked at the moment but that ain't always

 the case. Now, why don't you go and fetch us a couple of mugs of tea? Milk, no sugar, thanks."He pushed Connor in the direction of the counter. Connor did the best job he could of weaving through the bustling pirate throng. They were a mixed bunch--young, old, fat, thin, tall, small, and every nationality you could think of. As many women as men... and they seemed just as noisy and unruly as their male counterparts.At last, he could see the hatch that led into the galley. He surged forward, and a young man, with a round face the color of beets, liberally sprinkled with acne, cried, "Yesss?"

"Um, two teas, please."Almost before the words had left his mouth, two large enamel mugs of steaming tea were thrust into his hands.

"Move it along, sonny," bellowed the pirate behind him, nearly blowing out one of Connor's eardrums.The room was full of action. As he weaved his way back to the table, Connor passed pirates arm wrestling across empty plates and rolling up the first tobacco of the day, while others got in a quick game of cards before their labors began in earnest.Toothless Jack and his foul-smelling mate passed Connor on their way out of the mess."Have fun, Captain Courageous!" Jack grinned.Connor frowned and pushed on as the Stinkbomb noisily let rip once more. Connor was mightily glad he was sharing a cabin with Bart.He had almost reached the table when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he found himself facing Cheng Li.His heart began pounding. She was the last person he wanted to see."I need to speak to you," she said. "Let's go outside." Connor looked over at Bart, who stood up and began walking toward them."I'll talk to the boy alone," Cheng Li said. "Leave those teas here."It was a sunny morning but nevertheless a strong wind was blowing around the deck. The sound of the billowing sails, as they passed underneath, was deafening. Some of the pirates were already busy going about their duties--repairing the rigging, cleaning the cannon, climbing the rigging to take their watch. Cheng Li led Connor to a sheltered spot on the foredeck. It was quieter here and they were all alone."I wanted to apologize," she said.Connor could hardly believe his ears. It was the very last thing he had expected to hear."Yesterday was a terrible day for you, boy, and I fear that I was not as considerate of your feelings as I might have been."

"Thank you." He couldn't think what else to say.Cheng Li looked strangely at him. He realized that she was trying to smile. It appeared to be a torturous effort for her facial muscles and eventually she gave up."How are you doing today, anyhow?"

"I'm okay," he said. He felt better than okay, actually. Food and sleep had restored his energy levels and he still felt the strange sense of calm that had come out of nowhere and flooded through his body the night before."It would seem that even Bartholomew's snores didn't prevent you from sleeping," she said. Although she didn't quite manage a smile, her eyes sparkled just a little."Almost," Connor chuckled, "but not quite."

"And so, today, you begin your new life as a pirate." He nodded. "Any idea what to expect?"

"Not really." He shook his head, looking around the deck. More of the pirates had come up from breakfast and were joining the others in their chores. It seemed there was a lot to be done and everyone knew their places."It's a good time to join up," Cheng Li said to him, "especially for someone like you, who has... who needs a change. Piracy is changing, Connor. Our powers grow daily. If you work hard and learn fast, you could find it a very good life. There's a lot I can teach you."Connor remembered Bart telling him about Cheng Li's training at Pirate Academy. Clearly, she was ambitious and committed. He was flattered that she saw potential in him and couldn't help but feel rather guilty that he had no real interest in being a pirate. But she didn't need to hear that, nor did Captain Wrathe, Bart, or any of the others. His one and only goal was to find Grace--to find that ship that none of them believed existed but that he had seen as clearly as he now saw Mistress Li, standing there before him."I've been thinking," she said. Her voice was utterly businesslike again. "Last night, I lay awake in my bunk and I reflected upon what you told us."Again, Connor could hardly believe his ears."I thought about that shanty of yours and about how you described seeing the ship just before I rescued you."

"You... you believe me?"

"I never doubted that you thought you saw it. I've just been puzzling over whether such a ship could really exist."

"It could," Connor said. "It does."Cheng Li shook her head. "You have no proof, Connor."

"The shanty..."

"That isn't proof. A song won't help you to find your sister."

"Last night," he said, "just before I went to sleep, I had this image of Grace sleeping safely on the ship." He smiled at the memory. The image had been so strong he had almost been able to feel the softness of her pillow."Excellent," Cheng Li said. "So, we now have one vision, one dream, and an old song to go on. Really, boy, that's about as much use to me as a paper cutlass. I'm looking for hard facts and you're giving me whims and fantasies."Connor frowned. Did she believe him or didn't she? "I'm telling you everything I can," he said."It's probably safest to give up on this," she said crushingly. "It's probably best not to get your hopes up. Captain Wrathe would berate me severely if he knew I was even having this conversation..."

"I won't tell him," Connor said, desperate not to lose her--albeit shaky--allegiance.Cheng Li looked out to the horizon. "Could there really be such a ship?"

Connor smiled. He knew that there could be. He could feel it in his veins. The Vampirate ship was out there somewhere and Grace was aboard. It wasn't just a matter of him believing it now. Whatever her bluster, he could tell that Cheng Li believed it--wanted to believe it--too. He had an ally."Of course," she said, "there's one rather important fact we've overlooked."Connor turned to her."Let's suppose, just suppose, for a moment that the Vampirate ship does exist. And let's suppose that this ship does have your sister aboard ..."