Free Vampirates 4: Black Heart by Justin Somper Page A

observing his two lieutenants from high up in the crow's nest. Now he decided to make his presence felt. He climbed out of the platform and somersaulted down onto the deck, landing right in front of them.
    "Good of you to join us," Sidorio said, his voice full of darkness.
    "Hello, Captain," said Stukeley nervously.
    "And where have you two been?" Sidorio asked. "You're late. Again."
    "We were on the beach," Stukeley said. "We went to feast, just like everyone else."
    "I see," Sidorio said, staring deep into Stukeley's eyes. "So tell me, did you find anything to feast upon?"
    His lieutenants were silent.
    "Well?" Sidorio's voice boomed out across the deck.
    "I think so," Johnny said.
    Sidorio raised an eyebrow. "You think so, Stetson. What do you mean, you think so?"
    Johnny trembled. "It's just that --"
    Stukeley took over. "I'm really sorry, Captain, but the truth is we're having trouble remembering. Maybe we took too much blood or something ..."
    Sidorio gazed from one lieutenant to the other, his eyes blazing. "I'm getting mighty tired of you two rolling in hours after everyone else, with a dazed look on your faces. You're supposed to be my deputies, remember?"
    "Yes, Captain," said Stukeley. "I'm sorry."
    "Me, too," said Johnny, hanging his head.
    "You said that last night," Sidorio said. "And the night before that. And on each occasion, neither one of you has had a clue where you've been or what you've been up to. Either that or you're lying to me." He shook his head. "And lying to me would be a very big mistake. Huge mistake!"
    "We're not lying," Johnny said, shaking his head.
    Stukeley frowned. "Something strange must be going on."
    Sidorio scowled at both his lieutenants. He was still furious with them.
    Stukeley's eyes scanned the deck. "Captain," he said, "what's up with the rest of the crew? They don't look like they've feasted tonight."
    "Ten out of ten for observation," Sidorio snapped. "They haven't feasted. Someone else got to that town first."
    "Someone else?" Stukeley said, confused. "What do you mean?"
    Sidorio glared darkly at his two lieutenants. "You had better come with me," he said.
    As they stepped inside the captain's cabin, Johnny walked straight over to the table. It was covered with playing cards. All hearts. All black.
    "Look!" he said to Stukeley. "Just like ..."
    Stukeley's eyes blazed a warning, which silenced Johnny instantly. "What are these?" Stukeley said, turning to the captain. "Where did they come from?"
    "We found them in the town tonight," Sidorio said. "The streets were littered with dead bodies, and on each corpse was one of these cards."
    Stukeley stepped closer. The cards were exactly the same design as the ones hidden in his and Johnny's pockets. The only difference was that the lieutenants' cards were marked with black lipstick and these were smeared with red blood.
    Stukeley's brain finally kicked into gear. "There's another Vampirate ship! That's what you're saying, isn't it? Another Vampirate ship is getting to the towns ahead of us."
    Sidorio nodded. "This is the third time it's happened. My crew is going hungry. And the hungrier they get, the more out of control they become. Except the two of you. You two seem to be getting blood from somewhere, only you don't seem able to remember it." He looked at them suspiciously.
    Stukeley gazed at the blood-tinged cards, then lifted his eyes back to the captain. "It wasn't us, Captain! And it doesn't look like the work of the Nocturne. Not unless they have radically altered the way they do things."
    Sidorio shook his head. "This has nothing to do with the Nocturne," he said. "A new Vampirate ship must have taken to the seas. Maybe they think they're having a little fun with us, second-guessing where we're headed next and then beating us to the pass."
    Stukeley frowned. "Maybe they're not guessing," he said. "Maybe they've found a way of getting the information firsthand."
    "What do you mean?" Sidorio asked.
    It was a risky move, but