Free Vampirates 4: Black Heart by Justin Somper Page B

Stukeley decided to play it. He reached into his pocket and removed the playing card, then nodded at Johnny to do the same. Both lieutenants placed their cards on the table.
    "We found these on us," Stukeley said. "When we woke up on the beach. We don't know where they came from or who gave them to us, but it seems like a mighty big coincidence, don't you think?"
    Johnny nodded. "It's as if someone is getting the information out of us, then drugging us so we don't remember a thing about it."
    Sidorio raised his eyebrow. "It certainly looks that way."
    Stukeley reached out his hand. "Captain, you have to know that neither Johnny nor I would do anything intentionally to disrupt the workings of this ship. We are absolutely committed to it, and to your command, aren't we, Johnny?"
    Johnny nodded. They both waited on their captain's next word.
    At last, Sidorio spoke. "It's okay, boys. I think I see what's been happening here. Someone's been playing us. Some new ship is making a bid to rule the waves. Well, they've had their fun, but it ends here, tonight!" He brought his fist down on the table. The pile of playing cards flew across the room. There was the sound of wood cracking.
    "There's room for only one crew of renegade Vampirates," Sidorio said. "Mine! I'm going to find out who's in charge of this other ship. And then I'm going to take it over." He smiled, his twin incisors glinting ominously in the lamplight.
    "Change the ship's course," he commanded. "This crew needs blood. And I intend to give it to them. Then we'll see what happens to those who play games with a killer shark."

    10SIDORIO'S DONOR

    At last, Sally awoke. She turned her head and smiled warmly to see her daughter at her bedside. "Hello, Grace," she said, sitting up. But seeing her daughter's expression, she paused. "Grace, you look awful! Whatever's wrong?"
    Grace's voice was weak. "Sidorio!" she exclaimed. "You were Sidorio's donor!" She felt sick at the thought. Of all the Vampirates she might have chosen to have been her mother's partner, Sidorio was the last ... the very last.
    Sally did not deny it. "How do you know?" she asked. "Did Mosh Zu tell you?"
    Grace shook her head. "I had another vision," she said. "I saw it all for myself."
    Sally's eyes were wide with fear. "What exactly did you see?" She pulled herself up to a sitting position, propping pillows behind her back.
    "I saw you getting ready for your first Feast Night," Grace said. "You were with Darcy, in her cabin. She was putting up your hair." Sally's expression softened at the memory. "You looked very beautiful, Mother. You were wearing a pale yellow dress. Do you want to know a funny thing? It was the very same one I wore to my first Feast."
    "You!" Sally said. "You went to a Feast? But you're not a donor, Grace, are you? You can't be!"
    "No." Grace shook her head. "I'm not a donor. But I wore that same primrose yellow dress, loaned to me by Darcy, and I went to the Feast and Sidorio tried to take me as his donor."
    "Sidorio did what?" Sally's eyes popped. Grace felt torn. The last thing she had wanted to do was to cause her mother distress, but neither did she want to hide things from her. If Sally kept asking these questions, she would just have to try to answer them as best she could.
    "It's all right, Mother. It doesn't matter about that night. The captain intervened and it was all right." She decided, for now, to spare Sally the details of how Sidorio had trapped Grace in her cabin and how she'd had to fight him off alone until the captain had rescued her a second time.
    "Go back to the vision," Sally said. "What did you see?"
    "I was sitting there, seeing it all through your eyes," Grace said. "Next, I -- you -- were in the long cabin at the bottom of the ship. You were sitting on the donors' side of the table. You looked to one side and saw Lorcan and Shanti. Shanti winked at you."
    "Shanti," Sally said, smiling. "Dear, sweet Shanti. Such a good friend. I should love to see her