Demons of the Ocean (8 page)

"Yes," Connor said, impatient for her to continue."There's no easy way to say this, boy. If it's a ship of demons--of Vampirates--what do you suppose they want with your sister?"She might as well have pierced his heart with an icicle. Connor felt her words cut through him but he couldn't disregard the truth of them. What a fool he'd been. Here he'd been clinging on desperately to the idea that Grace had been rescued by the Vampirate ship. But even if she was on board, it wasn't a rescue. And even if she was still alive this very morning, she might not be for long. Cheng Li had said before that drowning was a gentle way to die. Death at the hands of the Vampirates was unlikely to be quite so peaceful.

CHAPTER 13

BROKEN MIRROR

"How long have I been here?" Grace asked, as Lorcan stepped into her cabin, bearing a tray of food."And a good day to you, too!" he said, smiling."How long have I been here? How many days?"

"Let me see," he said, setting the tray down on the desk opposite her bed. "Why, I believe it's been... three days and nights. No, no, I'm wrong. Make that four."Four days and four nights. Grace trembled. If he hadn't told her, she would have had no clue. Since her arrival on the ship, she had found it impossible to keep track of time. Of course it didn't help that her watch had stopped and that there was no clock in the cabin. Being stuck in here, with the curtain drawn, she was mostly deprived of daylight.

She felt tired so much of the time that it added to her sense of disorientation."I brought you some hot porridge," he said. "You must be hungry."She was hungry but she had questions for him and he was becoming far too skillful at deflecting them. He'd lull her into eating the food and then she'd feel tired and lose focus on what she'd been waiting to ask him. And, after a time, she'd close her eyes and drift off to sleep. And when she woke he'd be gone--her questions unanswered. But no--not this time."Lorcan, where is my brother?"

"I don't know that, Grace," Lorcan said. "You know I'd tell you if I did."

"It's been four days," she said. "I want to see Connor. I need to know where he is. I need to know he's all right." She was close to tears from a mixture of exhaustion and frustration."I'm sorry, Grace. Truly I am. But I have no answers for you. Only the captain can answer those questions."

"Then I must see the captain," she said, suddenly purposeful. "Would you take me to him?"

"I'll have to talk to him first. I can't just take you to his cabin."

"Why not?"

"I'll talk to him, Grace."

"Today? Tonight?" She clasped her head. "Is it day or night? I don't know."

"It's night, Grace," he said, taking her trembling hands and holding them for a moment. "Yes, I'll talk to him tonight," he said softly. "Now, will you not taste some of this porridge while it's still hot?"

"It will stay hot," she said. "It always does. Just like these candles never burn down." She got up and stared into one of the glass lamps. "I've been here four days and these candles are always lit, except the one time when I blew them all out. And then they all lit up again. Explain that to me!"Lorcan smiled and shook his head. "I told you this was no ordinary ship."

"But what kind of ship is it?"Her question hung there. He looked into the space between them as if waiting to pluck just the right words from out of the air."'Tis the kind of ship where girls grow tired and weak if they don't eat. Come on, Cook made it especially for you. It would break her heart to see it uneaten, so it would."

"If you want it, you eat it," she said.He shook his head. "I have no hunger."

"All right. All right. If it will make you feel any better, I'll eat your porridge."She

 brushed past him and sat down at the desk. There, on the tray was a large white bowl full of hot porridge. It did smell good. Also on the tray was a jug of cream and a bowl of brown sugar crystals. As usual, the spoon had been wrapped in a starchy white cloth napkin. And, as usual, Grace found the food impossible to resist. She unwrapped the napkin from the spoon and sprinkled sugar over the porridge. She watched as the heat of the oats melted the sugar crystals into a deliciously thick syrup. Then she plunged in her spoon and ate hungrily."There now, you'll feel better for that," said Lorcan, who had sat down on the edge of the bed while she ate.Porridge was supposed to give you energy. She remembered that from home economics class. But, like all the food she ate on board the ship, this left her feeling full but tired. Grace turned away from the desk and faced Lorcan again."Are you drugging my food?"

"What?" He laughed."You heard me. Every time I eat or drink something, I feel so tired. Then I sleep for hours at an end--or what I think is hours. I really have no sense of time."

"Grace, you nearly drowned the other day. When I found you, there was barely a flicker of life in you. The body and mind take time to heal. Has it not occurred to you that maybe you just need to sleep?"It did make sense when he put it like that. Lorcan Furey had a remarkable knack for calming her dark fears. He seemed able to make sense of everything, but when he left her--when she awoke alone--all that gnawing, pulsating dread crawled back inside her head."I'm going to go," he said, standing up. "I shall find the captain and ask him for news of your brother. You're right. You must have news of him. It isn't fair."He strode to the door."Are you sure I couldn't just come with you? Oh, I'd do anything to get out of this cabin for a bit."He shook his head. "I must go alone. But I understand. Really, I do. I'd hate to be cooped up in here--though it is one of the best cabins on board and," he pointed to the small washroom, "one of the few with en suite facilities. But, like I keep telling you, it's for your own safety. I shan't be long and while I'm gone..."

"I know," she said, "I know--don't look out of the window."

"I was going to say--try not to worry. But yes, since you mention it, please keep the curtain drawn."She nodded. He smiled at her and then slipped out through the door, locking it behind him.She was tired again. Of course she was. There had to be something in the food. And although she kept blowing out the incense, it seemed to keep relighting itself, sending its heady scent of vanilla and jasmine through the cabin. At first, she had thought the smell delicious--now it was cloying. She felt so sleepy. So very sleepy. No. She had to stay alert. This was too important. She had to stay alert and await Lorcan's return. She looked around the room once more for something to distract her. Her eyes fell onto the notebook and pens on the desk. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration.She lifted the food tray off the desk and laid it onto the floor. Then she picked up one of the notebooks, smoothed it open, and took up one of the pens."Day four," she wrote. "Porridge. Lorcan has gone to ask the captain about Connor. Also asked him about candles and if my food is drugged..."She looked down at the words. It was not exactly poetry, but it might help her to better keep track of time.Just then, she heard noises on the deck--footsteps and voices. She set down the pen and walked over to the curtain. With the window shut, it was possible to hear voices only if they were right outside or if people shouted. For now, the noise was indistinct. That meant that people were not directly outside and that she could probably chance a look out.It wasn't the first time she had disobeyed Lorcan's warning--not the second, nor the third. She had grown practiced at pulling back the curtain only a fraction and blocking out the candlelight by pressing her face close to the windowpane.She did so now, once more, looking from side to side, searching for any sign of the crew. The deck looked empty at first. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a gaggle of people milling about by one of the guardrails. She tried to catch their voices but they were too far away."Come closer," she whispered.As if her words had enchanted them, the people moved away from the guardrail and walked into her field of vision. Grace pressed more tightly to the sliver of glass, desperate to ensure that not one flicker of candlelight showed from inside the cabin.She watched the people pass by. She heard fragments of sentences but nothing she could piece together. One of the crowd, she realized with a start, was the man who had stared at her that other night when she'd been caught looking out of the window. Sidorio--that was his name. And he hadn't so much as stared at her as through her. She remembered the way his face had mutated, his eyes like pools of fire. But now he seemed like a normal man. It was as if she had simply imagined the strange metamorphosis. Perhaps she had. Perhaps it had only been a feverish dream.She heard the lock turning once more. Lorcan. Quickly, she dropped the curtain and jumped back onto the bed.Lorcan slipped back inside, once more turning the key in the lock."I have spoken with the captain," Lorcan said."Thank you." Her heart was racing. "What did he say? Is Connor here?"

"He told me to tell you that your brother is safe but he is not on board this ship."

"Not on board? Then how does he know he's safe?"

"The captain knows."She felt her frustration flooding over her again. "So when is the captain coming to talk to me?"

"That can't happen tonight, Grace."

"So you're taking me to him."

"Now is not the time, Grace. The captain has many other tasks to attend to."Many other tasks? What could be so important as this? What kind of monster was the captain to ignore her pleas? How could he be so cruel? She was close to tears.Lorcan turned his back to her, as if he was about to leave the room."Don't leave me here alone," she said.He turned, smiling. "I'm not leaving." He had something in his hands. It was the hand mirror that she'd found on the lacquered chest. The one with no glass."Take this," he said.She looked at him questioningly."Trust me. It's a gift from the captain."A gift? A gift of a broken mirror? She was getting to dislike the captain more and more. Was this his idea of a joke? "Take it from my hands," Lorcan said.Grace shrugged. It would do no harm to take it, though a fat lot of good it would be to her. But as she held the ornate mirror in her hands, something strange happened. A trail of mist began to waft around her. It was coming from the mirror itself--from the panel where the looking glass should have been. She looked up at Lorcan, confused, but she could barely see him, the mist was forming so quick and so thickly. Before she knew it, she was standing in the center of a thick white cloud. It made her feel thoroughly dizzy.And then, the mist cleared. But she was no longer in the cabin. She was on an outside deck. She looked down at the deckboards. They were a natural brown--unlike the red-painted boards she'd seen earlier. She drew her eyes up again and there, standing less than a meter away from her, was Connor."Connor," she said, smiling broadly and running toward him. But as she ran, he moved farther away from her. Or rather, he remained the same distance away. She stopped running, realizing that she had not, in fact, moved."Connor," she called once more. He did not seem to hear her.She understood. This was a vision--as real as it seemed. She could see Connor and hear him, but it was strictly a one-way process. Never mind, this was better than nothing--much better.It was definitely Connor, though he was wearing someone else's clothes--the clothes of a seafarer. But he seemed happy enough. She watched as he ran over to a broad beam. It was a mast. He was pulling on a rope. She realized that he was hoisting a flag. She looked up and saw the skull and crossbones. Connor was on a pirate ship!Then the vision grew misty once more. She was losing him. It was over too soon!"Just a bit longer," she begged. "Please, just a bit longer." But the mist was thickening around her. And then, as it began to thin again, she found herself back in the cabin, holding the broken mirror.Lorcan was standing before her."There now, did you like the captain's gift?"She nodded, feeling a complete sense of calm and euphoria. "Yes. Yes, I did. Please thank him for me."

"Of course," Lorcan said."Tell him... tell him that I understand."Lorcan looked at her quizzically. "You understand? What do you understand, Grace?"

"Everything," she said, smiling softly. "I understand everything now."Still Lorcan looked puzzled."I hardly need explain it to you," she said."I think you better had, Grace. I have no idea what you're talking about."She shook her head, a little amused by his charade."What I mean, Lorcan, is that I understand I'm dead. ] realize now--I drowned that night. You didn't rescue me--not in the conventional sense anyhow. You fished me out of the water and you brought me here. To this... this waiting place. But Connor's fine. He's alive. I see that now--the captain let me slip back to look at him, just for a moment. Oh, I feel so happy, Lorcan, I can't tell you. I feel so happy, even though I'm dead!"

CHAPTER 14

THE DAWNING

Grace slept more soundly than she could remember. It was strange how being dead felt so much like being alive--but at least she knew now why her sense of time was so distorted. Perhaps it also explained why she was so tired--maybe her mortal body was growing too heavy for her and it would soon to be time to leave it behind.She opened her eyes and found, to her surprise, that Lorcan was sleeping, slumped over the chair by the porthole. He

 had never slept in her cabin before. Was this significant? she wondered. Was she about to pass on from this waiting place? Where was she going? Perhaps, she thought excitedly, her father would be waiting for her there.What time was it? Grace still had no way of telling without looking through the porthole. She slipped down from the bed and walked over, past Lorcan, to the curtain. Brushing it carefully to one side, she saw that the darkness was thinning, no longer pitch-black but a smoky gray veil. Dawn must be on its way. But was this the same dawn that greeted the living or were they somewhere else? Grace was eager to find out. If only Lorcan would wake up. She had a whole new raft of questions for him.Grace let the curtain fall back again. As she did so, the ship lurched in the waves and she lost her footing, stumbling back onto Lorcan. He awoke with a start, a look of panic in his eyes."I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you. I tripped."