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  Intrigued, Johnny lifted a candy from the plate and slipped it into his mouth.

  Lola watched as his face registered delight at the new and exquisite taste. "Good, aren't they? Stukeley, would you care to try one?"

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  "No thanks," Stukeley said, wrinkling his nose.

  Unfazed, Lola set the platter down in front of Johnny. "Help yourself," she said. "They're there to be eaten."

  Now Lola herself sat down on an elegant chaise and continued her friendly chatter as she inspected the decanter and glasses that had been set out on the low central table before her. "I gather that originally there was a slang term-- Tiffing --which meant to take a little drink or sip." She smiled, extracting the stopper from the cut-glass decanter and pouring the dark liquid inside carefully into three glasses. "I'm sure you'd agree," she continued, "that we all enjoy a little drink, don't we?"

  She passed a glass to Johnny and another to Stukeley. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted.

  Lola wrapped her long fingers around the third glass. "Anyway, one of the traditions I uphold on board The Vagabond is the nightly taking of Tiffin with various members of my crew. It's a chance for us all to get to know one another better." She raised her glass, poised, it seemed, to make a toast.

  "We're not your crew," Stukeley said bluntly.

  Johnny flashed a look at his comrade, then glanced apologetically at Lola, before smiling amiably and taking another blood candy from the platter.

  Lola sipped her drink calmly, seeming only amused. "You may not like it, Jez--"

  "Please don't call me that," he interrupted her. "That's my old, mortal name. I'm called Stukeley now."

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  "My sincere apologies," Lola said. "As I was saying, Stukeley , you may not like it, but the fact is now that Sidorio and I are married, we are all part of the same crew."

  "Perhaps." Stukeley shrugged. "But from what he tells us, you'll continue to be based here and he'll remain on The Blood Captain ."

  "For the time being, yes," Lola said, calmly. "We'll continue to run our parallel operations until we have expanded the fleet and fully integrated our command structures. But don't be under any illusions, Je--I'm sorry, Stukeley . I must get that right! Don't be under any illusions, my dear--the day that my husband and I integrate our commands is not so far away."

  "We'll see," Stukeley said, swigging defiantly from his glass.

  "I'm not sure I care for your tone," said Lola, returning her own glass to the table with some force.

  Johnny glanced anxiously from Lola to Stukeley. In his view, this confrontation could only end badly.

  "Come on, mate." Stukeley addressed him directly. "I knew this Tiffin thing was overrated. Let's get back to our own ship. We have decisions to make." He stood up and was halfway to the door when Lola spoke.

  "Not so fast," she said. Something in the tone of her voice succeeded in rooting him to the spot, just as deftly as if she had lassoed him. "The three of us have unfinished business."

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  "The three of us?" Johnny echoed, his anxiety increasing.

  "Yes." Lola nodded. "Like I said before, Tiffin is a chance to get to know each other better. To share some secrets. And we three have one very big secret between us, don't we? A true elephant in the room, you might say."

  "What secret?" Stukeley asked, regaining some of his former bluster, though he stood rooted to the spot.

  "Think," Lola said, standing and striding toward him, her long tulle skirt swishing against the polished floorboards. She came to a standstill beside Stukeley, extended her forefinger, and tapped his skull. "Think hard , Jez!"

  "Ouch!" Stukeley said, raising his hand to push her away.

  Lola laughed. " Ouch , he says. Ouch! This from the man who plotted for me to be destroyed on my own wedding day."

  Johnny gasped.

  Stukeley's mouth hung open.

  "Well," Lola said. "At least neither of you insults my intelligence by trying to deny it." Seeming suddenly calmer, she returned to the center of the room and lifted her drink. "Why don't we all sit down again?"

  Stukeley followed and sat, carefully, opposite her--as if fearful that the antique chair he perched on might be embedded with a land mine. "You said before that this was a secret we three shared." He paused. "Does that

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  mean that you haven't revealed your suspicions to your husband?"

  Lola smiled, her dark eyes scrutinizing first Stukeley, then Johnny. "My husband does not know of your devious plot. And I have no intention of telling him--why, the last thing I want to do is upset him." She sipped her drink. "I'm sure that's the very last thing any of us would want."

  "There's a price to this," Stukeley said, "isn't there? A price to your silence."

  Lola laughed, but it was a hollow laugh--devoid of warmth, somewhat mocking. "Yes, Stukeley. There is a price. There's always a price to pay for your actions. Especially when your actions include attempted murder."

  "Let's not beat around the bush," Stukeley said. "What is your price?"

  Lola refilled her glass, drawing out the moment. "It's very simple," she said at last. "Like I say, my husband doesn't know what you arranged for me, and I have no intention of telling him. Just as long as you do exactly what I say."

  Johnny finally mustered the courage to speak. "Exactly as you say?"

  "Yes, Johnny, dear," Lola said. "Oh, don't look so worried! I'm not going to command you to set fire to yourself or anything extreme like that." She shook her head. "I just have a few bits and pieces--a few matters of ship's business--with which I could use a helping hand from two talented young Vampirates such as your good selves."

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  "You have plenty of crew already," Stukeley said. "Why do you need us? Ask what's-her-name... Zofia."

  "I need you two boys for a special mission," Lola said. Safe in the knowledge that she had their full attention, she rose and walked across the room to a small bureau. On it was a silver platter, and on this were two envelopes. She picked up the envelopes and passed the first to Johnny and the second to Stukeley.

  The lieutenants glanced down at Sidorio's distinctive handwriting.

  "Grace," Johnny read.

  "Connor," read Stukeley.

  "Invitations," Lola said. "Your first job will be to deliver them by hand." She sipped her drink. "Your second job is to ensure that both invitations are accepted."

  "We can't force them to come with us," Johnny said.

  "Now, Johnny," said Lola, smiling broadly. "I've heard you can be very persuasive. You too, Stukeley."

  "So we go to their ships, give them their invitations, and bring them back with us?" Stukeley said.

  "Quick on the draw as ever," said Lola, miming the trigger release of a gun with her fingers.

  "I don't know about this," Johnny said.

  "Don't you see, Johnny," Stukeley answered, turning the envelope over in his hands. "We don't have a choice. She's outsmarted us."

  Lola reached out her hand and laid it on Stukeley's shoulder. "Now, now," she said. "There's always a choice.

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  Just like there's always a price. You just have to weigh up your odds."

  "You mean if Sidorio finds out we tried to kill you."

  "If Sidorio finds out you plotted to spoil the happiest night of his life and take away from him the very thing he holds most dear." Her eyes sparkled. "Me!" Laughing, she snatched up their glasses. "I think that's enough Tiffin for one night, boys." She set the glasses on the tray and began pushing them toward the door. "What's that old saying? Fish and visitors stink after three days. In your case, I'm afraid the stink has come a little sooner. Good night!" With that, she pushed them out into the corridor and closed the door firmly behind her.

  Hearing their receding footsteps, she returned to the center of the room, lifted the decanter, and refilled her glass. She had earned another drink, and there was nothing better to soothe her frazzled nerves than a nice glass of Commodore Kuo. W
hat a shame this was the last bottle of that rare and pungent vintage.

  It was high time she restocked the cellars.

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  7 WORSE THAN DEAD

  "We are gathered here tonight to bid farewell to two members of our crew." Cheng Li's eyes sparkled in the candlelight as she gazed across the dim tavern at the subjects of her speech. They stood arm in arm beside the bar, surrounded by crewmates who had quickly become good friends. "Cate, Bart, we are all exceedingly grateful for your crucial input into Operation Black Heart. It was a complete success, and our work has been recognized by the Pirate Federation as one of the single most important missions in Federation history."

  At her words, there was an enthusiastic burst of applause from the roomful of pirates.

  Cheng Li nodded, waiting for the noise to subside before continuing. "Speaking personally, it has been wonderful to have you both as colleagues once again. I

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  only wish your stay aboard The Tiger could have been longer." A wry smile played on her lips. "I don't suppose if I stand another round of drinks, you might reconsider?"

  Over the ripple of laughter, Cate called back. "As much as I like it here, if you want to extend our contract, you'll have to speak to Molucco!"

  Cheng Li's nose wrinkled, as if assaulted by a particularly noxious smell, at the mention of her fellow captain's name. "Yes, well," she pushed on, somewhat flustered, "that's all I had to say... except to wish you both well. Oh, yes! And also..." She paused, gaining her composure once more. "To raise a toast to the rest of you." She lifted her tankard. "To the crew of The Tiger --the most kick-ass bunch of pirates on the ocean!"

  As the crew roared its approval with shouts, whoops, stomps, and fresh applause, Bart leaned closer to Cate. "Did she actually say kick-ass?"

  Cate nodded, smiling. "I fear Jacoby's patois is rubbing off on her."

  Cheng Li waved at the pair and began moving briskly through the crowd.

  "Thank you both for everything," she said, arriving at their side. "I truly wish I could persuade you to stay on a more permanent basis. We may have successfully eliminated Lady Lockwood, but our larger mission regarding the Vampirates is only just beginning."

  Bart nodded. "I think I speak for us both when I say that we've enjoyed working with you again. You were

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  born to be a captain, Cheng Li. But like Cate said before, the terms of our loan were for a specific mission--Operation Black Heart. If you want to discuss extending our contract, you'll have to go back to..."

  "Molucco!" Cheng Li said sharply, as if keen to get the name out of the way as quickly as possible. "Yes, well, perhaps I shall."

  Cate reached out her hand to Cheng Li's shoulder. She smiled softly at the Federation's youngest and most ambitious captain. "Thanks for bringing us in on this mission, Cheng Li. I must say, I found the challenge of developing combat techniques against a new kind of adversary quite intriguing." Cate's eyes twinkled. "I'd certainly be open to taking that a stage further, if something could be worked out."

  Cheng Li nodded. "I'm delighted to hear that." Her eyes darted across the tavern. "Look, there's Jasmine and Bo Yin, wanting to talk to you. Let's go over, if you can bear to leave your boyfriend for five minutes."

  Cate and Bart exchanged a glance. He released her from his embrace.

  Cheng Li looped her own arm through Cate's. "You're such an important role model to the next generation of young women pirates, you know. Well, I suppose we both are!"

  Before Cheng Li and Cate could move, Jacoby and Connor appeared, their arms laden with foaming mugs. Distributing fresh drinks among the group, Jacoby turned to

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  Cheng Li. "Hot diggity, Captain, what is this place? The Full Moon Saloon! Deeply ironic, given the lack of lighting in here. When you said you were taking us out to celebrate, I felt sure we'd be heading back to Ma Kettle's Tavern."

  Cheng Li raised her eyes exasperatedly. "Why does everyone act like Ma Kettle's is the only tavern around? Can't we broaden our horizons and try somewhere different for a change?"

  Jacoby was unconvinced. "But Captain, Ma Kettle's has such a rich piratical history!"

  " Precisely! " Cheng Li said. "It's more like a museum than an inn these days. It's where the old fossils go. It's impossible to have a conversation there without turning around and finding one Wrathe brother or another sticking his beak into your business." She turned to Cate. "No offense."

  "None taken," said Cate, stifling a laugh.

  Cheng Li had one further pearl of wisdom for her deputy. "We're the new wave of pirates, Jacoby. We don't follow tradition. We make our own way!"

  With that, she propelled Cate forward toward Jasmine and Bo Yin.

  Once the women were out of earshot, Bart grinned at Jacoby. "Face it, buddy, the only reason you're angling for Ma's is because you're hoping for a sight of the delicious Sugar Pie."

  Connor grinned at the mention of Ma Kettle's trusted second-in-command.

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  Sugar Pie made pirates from all around go weak at the knees but, that aside, she had become a good friend and trusted confidante of Connor's.

  Jacoby shook his head emphatically at Bart's accusation. "That is so unfounded. I only have eyes for Jasmine."

  Connor listened to this exchange warily. Jacoby was still blissfully ignorant of his own fast-developing relationship with Jasmine. They had kissed. Twice. And it had changed everything. He knew it and Jasmine knew it. But, for now, Jacoby was still in the dark.

  Bart grinned at Jacoby. "Jasmine's a wonderful young woman, no question, but few pirate lads have been able to resist the charms of Sugar Pie." He tapped his own chest. "I know whereof I speak." He shook his head and glanced fondly toward Cate. "Of course, that was in my younger and wilder days, when I was footloose and fancy free. That's all behind me now."

  "Yeah, right," Connor interjected. "You're the grand old age of twenty-three now!"

  "Exactly!" Bart said, taking a draft of beer before continuing. "Tempest, cast your mind back to the very first night we met. Remember what I told you then?"

  Connor knew exactly what his mate was alluding to. "A pirate's life is a short but merry one."

  Bart nodded, wiping the beer-foam mustache from above his lips. "Right on, mate! I've been luckier than most in avoiding the enemy cutlass all these years I've

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  roamed the oceans. But who knows how much longer my luck will hold?" His expression became more somber. "After all, think of Jez."

  "Who's Jez?" asked Jacoby, unaware what a loaded question this was.

  Connor and Bart exchanged a glance, both waiting for the other to take the lead. After an awkward silence, Connor spoke. "Jez Stukeley was a good friend of ours, aboard The Diablo . He was the most talented fighter on the crew. He got killed in a duel on board The Albatross , the ship captained by Narcisos Drakoulis."

  Jacoby was confused. "If Jez was such a great fighter, how come he lost the duel?"

  "You should have seen the guy he was up against!" Bart said. "Drakoulis's prizefighter, Gidaki Sarakakino. He was like a gladiator--twice the size of me , if you can imagine, but incredibly agile."

  Connor picked up the story, his expression dark. "We should never have been on that ship anyhow. It was a trick--an act of revenge against Molucco Wrathe. Jez died because of Molucco's shortcomings, not his own." Frowning, he took a deep swig from his tankard.

  "Jez sounds like a great guy," Jacoby said. "I can tell how much you both miss him."

  Bart's eyes suddenly brightened. "They had a nickname for us. The Three Buccaneers. Catie came up with it."

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  "The Three Buccaneers," Jacoby repeated, nodding. "I like that." He raised his tankard. "A toast, my friends! To Jez and the Three Buccaneers!"

  Without hesitation, Connor and Bart raised their glasses and slammed them against Jacoby's. "The Three Buccaneers!" they bellowed in unison.

  "I haven't heard that expression in a while," Chen
g Li said as she, Cate, Jasmine, and Bo Yin returned to join the lads.

  "The boys were just telling me about Jez," Jacoby informed the newcomers.

  "Poor guy!" said Jasmine.

  Cate laid her hand on Bart's arm. "Did you see him at the wedding?"

  Bart nodded glumly.

  "I don't understand," said Jacoby. "How could you have seen him at a wedding, or anywhere else for that matter, if he's dead ?"

  "Think!" Cheng Li said. "Which wedding did we all recently attend together?"

  Jacoby racked his brain for a moment. "Sidorio and Lady Lola's?"

  Cheng Li nodded.

  "I still don't understand," Jacoby said. "If Jez is dead, how could he be at a wedding?... Oh! Oh, I think I get it." He trembled as he spoke.

  "He was killed," Bart confirmed. "We buried him at

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  sea. But Sidorio found his corpse and sired him to be his lieutenant. He's known as Stukeley now, and he's Sidorio's joint deputy."

  Every time Sidorio's name came up, Connor felt as though he was being stabbed in the heart. Did the others have any sense of his discomfort? Apparently not.

  Bart's eyes were sad and empty, while Jacoby's were as wide as portholes as he questioned Bart further. "Your old friend Jez is working for Sidorio, King of the Vampirates?!"

  Once more, Connor felt a stab in the heart. Yes , he thought. King of the Vampirates and, by the way, my father .

  "Well," Jacoby breezed on. "Look on the bright side... at least he's not dead... only resting." His attempt at humor was lost on the others.

  Bart shook his head. "There's no bright side, mate. Jez is worse than dead."

  Connor turned to Bart, his heart racing. Before he knew it, he had opened his mouth and was asking Bart a question--a question he felt compelled to ask even though he was far from sure he was ready to hear the answer. "Do you really think that? That it's worse to be a vampire than to be dead?"