Vampirates 4: Black Heart (22 page)

"What's that?" Cheng Li asked. "He's holding something in his hand."

"It's a playing card," said Connor.

"Yes," nodded Captain Grammont. "And a strange one at that. Do you see? It's the queen of hearts, but it's not red like it's supposed to be. It's black."

21MORNING LIGHT

It was the fifth day of the voyage back to Crescent Moon Bay. Grace stood on the upper deck of the Nocturne. In some ways, returning to the ship itself had been the most natural thing. But it had been an adjustment coming back without the captain. Grace could only hold on to what hope Mosh Zu had given her that he was taking the time to heal his wounds properly. Then again, she was seeing the ship through new eyes after everything that Sally had told and shown her. It was strange but wonderful to think of her mother being here, up on the deck, sharing suntan lotion with her friends and listening to guitar music. Sally seemed so frail now, but Grace had seen how full of life she had been back then.

Leaning against the deck rail now, she thought again of her mother's first sighting of her father, sitting out there on that rock on his red-and-white-striped towel. Thinking back to the vision, she suddenly made a fresh connection. She had seen that towel! She had held it in her hands once when she was clearing out the linen cupboard. The red had faded to the palest pink, and the fibers had grown brittle with age and sea salt. She had put it out for the garbage collection, but the moment her father had glimpsed it lying there, he had scooped it up into his arms as tenderly as if he were lifting an infant. "I think this towel has a whole lot more life left in it yet," he'd said to Grace with a wink. She had watched in puzzlement as he folded it up carefully and placed it back on the shelf, without further explanation. Now it made perfect sense.

Grace was so deep in thought, she was utterly oblivious to the young man jogging along the deck toward her. As he ran by, he slipped on a slick of ocean spray and careered into Grace. They both toppled to the deck.

"I'm so sorry," said the young man, helping Grace back up onto her feet. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said. "I'm fine. Don't worry. It was my fault -- I was in a bit of a daze."

"You certainly looked lost in thought," he said. "What were you thinking about, I wonder?"

"It's a long story," she said.

"My favorite kind!"

Grace's eyes turned to get a better look at the young man in front of her. He was good-looking, with short, cropped hair, gray eyes, and a lean body.

"Do you run every day?" she inquired.

"Without fail!" he said. "Well, they like us to keep fit."

"Us?" Grace echoed.

"Us donors," the young man clarified.

"So you're a donor?" she asked. Like my mother, she thought.

"Yes." The man nodded. "But my Vampirate recently jumped ship to go off with Sidorio and the rebels." He pulled at his T-shirt and revealed a nasty wound at the top of his chest. "Didn't stop him from getting a bit nasty beforehand!"

Grace frowned. "That looks sore."

The donor shrugged. "It's okay. A lot of the donors had it worse than me. I'm told it will heal pretty quickly."

Grace had another thought. "If your Vampirate jumped ship, where does that leave you?" She thought of Shanti. "Isn't it dangerous to be a donor without a partner vampire?"

The man nodded but smiled. "Fortunately, I've already been paired up with another Vampirate. And this time, I'm confident I won't get mauled. He's a really nice guy, called Lorcan Furey."

"Lorcan!" Grace exclaimed.

"You know him?"

Grace nodded.

"Wait a minute!" said the donor. "I bet I can guess who you are." Without missing a beat, he exclaimed, "It's Grace, isn't it!"

She flushed. "Yes, that's right. I'm Grace. And who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the donor extended a hand. "My name is Oskar. It's so nice to meet you, Grace. Lorcan has told me a lot about you." He smiled. "I really hope we can be good friends."

"Yes," Grace said, thinking of her tense relationship with Shanti. "Yes, that would be very nice."

"Well, what are you doing right now?" Oskar asked. "'I'd like to get to know you better, and there's no time like the present!"

Grace hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Oskar asked. "Is there somewhere you have to be?"

Grace made an instant decision. After all, it would be a while before they reached the bay, and Sally was still sleeping.

"No, I don't need to be anywhere just yet," Grace said. "But I need to make one thing very clear to you, Oskar. I don't do running!"

He laughed heartily. "That's okay," he said. "I've clocked enough distance already this morning. Let's just take a seat and shoot the breeze! It's a glorious morning, don't you think? A day to celebrate just being alive!"

Grace grinned. Oskar's presence was as warm and energizing as the morning light. Just what she needed.

Grace spent a very enjoyable few hours with Oskar. Indeed, he was such easy company that, after only a morning with him, she felt she knew him better than she had ever known Shanti.

I've made a new friend, she thought to herself with some pleasure. And better yet, he's one who'll be awake in the day so I won't be alone anymore. But then, she mused, she had always had the option of socializing with other donors aboard the Nocturne. Why had it never occurred to her to do so until now? It was as if her fascination with the Vampirates had clouded her reason. Certainly, her determination to keep to the Vampirates' nocturnal rhythms had made it hard for her to function through the day as well as the night. But maybe it went deeper than that. Maybe deep down, if she was given a choice between donors and Vampirates, she would always choose the Vampirates, as Connor had said.

Grace shook herself. Oskar was looking at her quizzically. "What are you thinking?" he said. Grace wasn't sure she was quite ready to tell him, so she changed the subject.

"It's so funny that you're Lorcan's donor," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Funny how, exactly?"

"I mean, you being a boy and being Lorcan's donor," Grace said, blushing. "I suppose I just assumed that because Shanti is a girl, her replacement would be a girl, too."

Oskar shrugged. "Plenty of the Vampirates are paired up with donors of the same gender."

She nodded. Now that he said it, she remembered seeing this for herself at the Feast nights she'd attended.

"Grace," Oskar said, "I know that you and Shanti didn't get along. Lorcan did tell me that. He was very concerned to find a new donor who would get along with you."

Grace was surprised. "He said that?"

Oskar nodded. "You're very important to him, Grace. And no, he didn't say that in so many words, but he didn't need to. His feelings for you are abundantly clear." He smiled. "Grace, I meant what I said before about us being friends. Lorcan's a great guy and all, but when push comes to shove, I'm just his MBS."

"His MBS?" Grace asked, unfamiliar with the term.

Oskar smiled. "Mobile Blood Supply."

"No," Grace shook her head. "Don't put yourself down."

Oskar shrugged. "It's okay, Grace. I'm not under any illusions. I know how I fit in around here. I have my reasons for doing this, and I understand the deal I'm making."

Grace stared at Oskar. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "If it isn't too personal a question." Though she was interested to hear his answer, she was also thinking of her mother's motivations. The one thing she declined to talk to Grace about was what had led her to the ship in the first place.

"It's okay," Oskar said with a grin. "Look, Grace. I'm a pretty okay specimen, right? And I've been given this golden ticket to immortality. In other words, I get to travel the world and stay this young and cute forever!" He winked at her.

Grace smiled. Her first instinct was to dismiss his sentiments as shallow, but maybe that would be hasty. The world was a harsh place. She knew something of that, growing up close to the breadline in a dead-end town. Hadn't she stood in the lamp room of her father's lighthouse, looking down to the waters of the bay, longing for escape and adventure? In her case, adventure had come and found her. But what if things had been different? Maybe she would have sought it out, anyhow. Maybe she would have made the same pact as Oskar and Sally had. Who was she to judge them? When push came to shove, who didn't want to stay young forever and have a life of excitement and ease? Once more, Grace thought of Sally. Things hadn't lived up to their promise for her. But why? Why had things gone wrong? Was it because of her dad? Or Sidorio? Or both, perhaps? Grace hoped this voyage was going to give her some answers.

"How come you're so interested in the relationship between Vampirates and donors, anyhow?" asked Oskar. "Thinking of becoming a donor yourself?"

Grace shook her head, remembering the time when she had offered to become Lorcan's donor. "No, I'm not thinking of becoming a donor, but my mother was one. I guess I'm just interested in finding out more about how it works."

"Your mother?" Oskar said, surprised. "You know, I thought you looked kind of familiar."

Grace beamed. "You knew her!" Suddenly, it clicked. "You're Oskar!"

"Yes, Grace, I told you that before."

"You play the guitar. You used to have much longer hair, but I recognize you!"

He shook his head in confusion. "You recognize me? You're losing me."

"It's complicated," she said. "But my mother's name was Sally. She was friends with Shanti and another donor named Teresa."

Oskar stared, openmouthed. "Of course! I remember Sally! And you look so much like her. I don't know how I didn't make the connection before. How is she? Where is she?"

"She's right here on the ship," Grace said.

Once more Oskar's face betrayed his confusion.

"Do you know about the souls the captain was carrying?" Grace asked him.

He nodded, his face filled with concern. "I always wondered what had happened to her. Is she okay?"

"She's doing all right, under the circumstances," Grace said. "But she's weak, very weak." She paused. "You probably know this already, but most of the other souls who came back with her have now faded." She felt a lump in her throat. "But although she's frail, Mother is holding on. We're headed back to Crescent Moon Bay to visit my father's -- Dexter's -- grave." She paused. "She asked to. I think it will help her." It was impossible to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"I remember Dexter, too." He smiled at Grace. "A lovely guy. Really genuine." He paused. "So you're taking Sally home?" Oskar asked Grace.

She shrugged. "It's not her home. She never went there. I'm not even sure it's my home anymore. It's the place I came from, and I have some good memories of it. But there's no one there for me now. Dad's gone. Connor's out at sea. There's no life for me to go back to there." She turned to face him, feeling a wave of cold panic. "Oskar, I don't think I have a home anymore."

He smiled at her. "I understand how you might feel that way," he said. "I've thought the same thing myself. But maybe home isn't a place. Maybe it's a feeling you have inside of you, being around the people who matter to you. Maybe your home is right here, on board this ship."

Grace thought about this. "Yes," she said at last, feeling suddenly reassured. "Yes, I think that might be true."

For a time, Grace and Oskar sat there in companionable silence, watching the waves and lifting their faces to the soft breeze and the warm sun.

Then Grace noticed something up ahead. "Oskar!" she cried out excitedly, leaping up.

He laughed and clutched his chest. "Careful, Grace! That was a cry to wake the dead."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, but I think we're nearly there. Look, that's the lighthouse! My lighthouse!" It surprised her to feel such a wave of emotion sweep over her. Perhaps Crescent Moon Bay held more importance for her than she had acknowledged.

A red-and-white-striped lighthouse was becoming visible high on the cliffs around the next bay.

"I must go and get my mother! I'm sure she'd like to see this. Come with me -- quickly!"

They raced across the deck and through the door into the labyrinth of internal corridors. Grace was out of breath as she rapped on Sally's door.