Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (34 page)

Grace looked up into his chocolate-brown eyes. She shook her head very slowly, registering his disappointment even as she did it, though he did his best to hide it.

"No, Johnny," she said. "Not a thousand times more fun. A
million
times."

384

36 SIDORIO'S SON

Connor sat on the rock on the beach where he had his daily meetings with Kally. This, he had no doubt, would be the very last of their rendezvous. But where was she? Her timekeeping was usually impeccable. Today, she was already half an hour late. Should he be worried for her safety? He frowned. If Kally was in danger, what could he do to save her? There was a whole lot of ocean out there to comb for one diminutive fishtail.

An hour later, Kally still hadn't arrived. Connor had grown hot sitting in the sun. He decided to take a dip. He peeled off his shirt and dived into the cool water. He lingered underwater for a time, enjoying the silence beneath the surface. He felt a little envious of Kally. This was her world, and she could stay down here for as long as she chose to, not having to rely on the limited amount of air

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in a pair of human lungs. As he framed the thought, Connor smiled to himself. In the past few weeks, his body had gone through several profound changes. He was no longer vulnerable to vertigo. His strength was growing on a daily basis. And when he was wounded, as in his bout with Sidorio, his flesh was far quicker to heal. Wasn't it possible therefore that he would now be able to stay underwater for longer? He decided to try the experiment. He checked his watch and began swimming away from the shore.

Ten minutes later, Connor's head bobbed up through the water's surface. Even then it wasn't because he'd run out of oxygen--his lungs felt perfectly comfortable--but because he was feeling cold and wanted to get back into the sun. Elated by this fresh demonstration of his new physical powers, he lay in a star shape on the surface, letting the midday sun bathe him with its warm rays.

After a time, he grew bored of floating and swam back across to the rock to dry off. Lying in the heat, his body grateful for the rest, he drifted off easily to sleep.

"Connor!" He woke to find a familiar pair of rainbow-colored eyes, staring at him from beneath a spiky blue fringe.

"Kally!" He was relieved. "You're so late. I was worried about you."

"Were you?" She seemed pleased. "Well, I'm glad you came and double-glad you waited, dude. I have a nice surprise for you."

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"A surprise?" Connor felt his sense of calm instantly vanish. Surprises were no longer welcome, as far as he was concerned.

Kally turned, brought her fingers to her lips, and sounded a whistle. Connor watched her curiously, then stood up on the rock, turning his gaze in the direction she had whistled. He saw a familiar light boat skimming across the water toward them.

Connor frowned. "Kally," he said, "what have you done?"

Shrugging, Kally slipped backward and dipped underwater. Connor was left to watch and wait as the small boat made its way over to the beach. Now it was close enough for him to see who was on board. He saw Bart wave at him. There had been many times when Connor had been thrilled to see his old friend. This wasn't one of them. Nevertheless, he lifted his own hand. Then he dived back into the water and swam over to the beach.

Connor was waiting on the sand as Bart anchored the small vessel and waded through the shallows. Bart smiled as he crossed the sand toward him. "It's so good to see you," he said, opening his arms and drawing Connor into a hug.

Connor nodded but stepped backward. "It's always good to see you, Bart. But I wish you hadn't come."

Bart frowned. "What did you expect? That you'd send back the message that you were staying here and we'd all just accept it?"

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Connor squinted into the sun. He didn't know what to say. There was the truth, of course, but that wasn't an easy conversation to jump into.

"You mean too much to us, Connor," Bart said. "And I'd hope that, after everything we've been through together, you'd feel the same way."

"The sun's really bright here," Connor said. "Why don't we take a walk?"

Bart nodded and they set off, side by side, along the beach.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" Bart asked.

"It's complicated," Connor said. "I don't really know where to begin."

Bart smiled. "Just talk to me, buddy. Like you always have."

Connor took a deep breath. "The first thing to say is that my decision to stay here isn't a rejection of you guys. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is all about me, what I'm going through."

Bart frowned. "I was worried from the start of this mission, bud. I thought it was madness for Cheng Li to send you out here solo."

Connor shook his head. "It's not the mission," he said.

Bart stopped in his tracks and turned. "I don't understand."

Connor paused, too. "I've been going through a lot of changes," he said.

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Bart reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "I know, buddy. I've watched you grow up before my very eyes. From that first night when you came on board
The Diablo
. Remember that?"

Connor nodded.

Bart put his arm around Connor's shoulder as they continued along the beach. "We were at each other's side when Jez was killed, and we helped each other through that. And when you killed for the first time, you know how worried I was about you."

Connor nodded. "I know."

"You're like a brother to me, Connor Tempest," Bart said. "I'm here to help you through whatever curveball life throws at you. Cate feels the same way. And Jacoby and Cheng Li and Bo Yin. Connor, everyone misses you. Everyone wants you to come home."

Connor took a deep breath. "What about Jasmine?" he asked. "Has she said anything to you about me coming back?"

Bart shook his head. "Not in so many words, but I know she's fond of you, too. Why do you ask?"

Connor threw caution to the wind. "Something happened between me and Jasmine when we went to Lantao."

"I see." Bart's eyes narrowed. "Well, she's kept that to herself, and, as far as I know, she and Jacoby are still a couple." Seeing Connor wince, he added, "Connor, I can understand you being torn up about this. You're a decent guy, and Jacoby's a friend of yours. If you and Jasmine

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have fallen for each other, that's okay. Come back and sort it out. In my experience, these situations are rarely as bad as they seem."

Connor smiled. "Thanks for the advice," he said. "But it's a lot more complicated than that."

Bart shrugged. "It's a long beach, and I'm in no hurry."

Connor suddenly stopped in his tracks, scanning the water. "Where's Kally?" he asked.

"She's fine," Bart said. "Splashing around somewhere. I told her I wanted some alone time with you."

"We should turn around," Connor said. "I need to head back to
The Blood Captain
. And you must get back in your boat and return to
The Tiger
."

Bart shook his head. "We've barely started talking, buddy," he said. "I came all this way for you. Give me some more time."

"The clock is ticking," Connor said. "You know about the attack tomorrow night on
The Tiger
. You should be there to fight."

"I'll be back in good time for that," Bart said. "With you at my side."

"I'm not coming back, Bart," Connor said. "I know it's hard for you to understand, but there are things you don't know about me."

"Then tell me," Bart said, frustration evident in his voice. "Because all you've given me so far is some cock-and-bull story about you and Jasmine Peacock. I'm not

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getting back into that boat until you give me a much better reason than that." His eyes bore deep into Connor's, and Connor knew his friend would stand by his words.

"All right," Connor said. "I'm going to tell you everything. But then you have to go back without me."

"Start talking," Bart said.

"You know Cheng Li's story that she persuaded Sidorio I'm his son, right?"

Bart chuckled. "Sure, I know it. They say there's no fool like an old fool. I guess that holds true for immortals too."

Connor felt his heart hammering as he opened his mouth once more. "He believed it because it's the truth. I
am
Sidorio's son."

Bart was speechless for a moment. "This is a joke, right? You're about to deliver a killer punchline?"

Connor shook his head. "It's no joke. Our mother had a relationship with Sidorio, and she bore him two children. Grace and I are both dhampirs--half-mortal, half-vampire. There's a lot more to the story, but those are the key facts you need to know."

Bart was, unsurprisingly, taken aback. "How long have you known this?" he asked.

"Not long," Connor said. "Cheng Li found out before I did. She told me, and Sidorio, as we were making our retreat after the attack on his wedding."

"You've known all this time but you didn't tell me?" Bart said.

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Now it was Connor who was lost for words. "What was I supposed to say? How could you possibly understand?"

"I'm your friend, Connor," Bart said now. "Whatever happens to you, I want to be there for you. All right, this is fairly extreme. So, you're half-human and half-vampire. Well, that's got to be better than one hundred percent vampire, right?"

Connor shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. Like I said, I've been going through a lot of changes," he said. "You remember my vertigo?"

Bart nodded. "Of course."

"Gone," Connor said. "And if you thought I was strong before, you should see me now. Plus my body has this new ability to heal."

Bart shook his head in amazement. "You're sounding like some kind of superhero," he said. "This is great, Connor! When you come back to
The Tiger
, you're going to be an unstoppable force."

"I keep telling you," Connor said, "I'm not coming back."

Bart's face was pained. "But I still don't see why. I mean, I completely get how all this crazy stuff would shift your worldview, throw you off center. Of course it would. And here you are dealing with it all on your own..."

"I haven't exactly been on my own," Connor said. "Grace is here, too. And Stukeley."

"Jez?" Bart said. "Of course."

"He's been showing me the way," Connor said. "After all, he's been on a similar journey."

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"But he's a regular vampire, right?" Bart said. "Not a dhampir, like you?"

Connor nodded. "That's right, but he and I do have one thing in common."

"You have lots of things in common with me and all your other pirate mates, too," Bart said forcefully.

Connor couldn't hold back anymore. "Yes," he said. "But there's one big thing that separates us now and joins me to Stukeley and Sidorio and the rest of the Vampirate crew."

"You don't need to say it." Bart closed his eyes.

"I do," Connor said. "Because if I say it, you might just understand that nothing can ever be the same. If I say it, you might just jump back in that light boat, sail away, and forget you ever knew anybody by the name of Connor Tempest."

"No," Bart said, raising his hands to his ears. "I don't want to hear it."

"I'm hungry for blood!" Connor cried. He reached out and tried to displace Bart's hands. "I, Connor Tempest, need and want blood."

Bart dropped his hands and shook his head. There were tears in his eyes. "Not you," he said. "Not you." Then almost a whisper. "Not you."

Connor frowned. "I didn't want to put you through this. I don't want to put any of the others through it. That's why it's better if I stay here. Now, perhaps, you'll understand."

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Bart nodded, his face crestfallen.

"I'm going back to the ship now," Connor said. "It'll be dark soon, and they'll wonder where I am." He looked up at Bart. "I'm hopeless at good-byes," he said. "So I'm just going to turn and keep walking along this beach, and you're going to get into your boat and go. Okay?"

Bart nodded. "Okay," he said, the small word heavy with all the sadness of the world. He stood on the sand, watching impotently as Connor set off on his lonely journey.

394

37 THE UNINVITED GUEST

After his painful encounter with Bart, Connor stepped out onto the deck of
The Blood Captain
with a heavy heart. It hadn't been easy telling his longtime friend to go away and forget about him. In truth, Connor had never felt lonelier. Just when he needed friends like Bart the most, something inside him was telling him that--for their protection more than his own--he must push them all away.

The deck was deserted, and Connor was grateful to be the first of the group to arrive. A cool night breeze was blowing, and Connor inhaled it, hoping the deep breaths would help calm his tormented mind. He walked over to the deck rail and gazed out at the ocean. The sky was already velvet-black, and the sea took on the same dark tones. It was like looking out into an infinite void. Connor

395

was unsure whether it was the thought or the breeze that made him shiver.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, his shoulders arched as he turned to see who it was.

"Good evening, Connor."

Connor found himself staring into the cold, appraising eyes of Obsidian Darke.

"Lieutenant Darke, good evening."

"You seem somewhat agitated," Darke said. "Something on your mind?"

"No." Connor shook his head. "I'm just hanging out, waiting for the others to go over to
The Vagabond
for Tiffin."

"Tiffin," Darke said. "Nonsense, if you ask me. A hive of vampires buzzing around as if they're at a cocktail party. A complete and utter waste of time--even for those of us with unlimited rations of time at our disposal."

"If you think that," Connor said, "why bother going?"

Darke considered his words, then shrugged. "Your father wants me there, and we must all march to the beat of your father's drum. Isn't that so? He is, after all, King of the Vampirates. For now, at least."