Immortal War

own.

Connor considered racing downstairs but knew his other self was already there, claiming the upper hand in a fresh duel.

“Connor!” Moonshine cried, entering the downstairs room. “How did you get down here so quickly?”

He didn’t answer, too confused and not wanting to lose his concentration now.

With the fresh influx of pirates, the battle was soon contained within the main cabin, and it didn’t take long for the pirates to gain the upper hand here, too. The remaining Vampirates, and they were still numerous, had been pushed to the back end of the ship. Not all of them were armed, and even those that were now recognized the odds were against them.

Connor stood shoulder to shoulder with Cate and Jasmine. Wiping a stray hair from his forehead, he gave the command. “Take them!”

The pirates were poised. But Jasmine raised her hand. “They’re not all armed,” she said. “Shouldn’t we at least offer them clemency?”

Connor shrugged, then turned to Moonshine. “There’s no sign of Cheng Li, and since this is your ship, Captain Wrathe, you better make the call.”

Moonshine assessed the situation. Connor, Jasmine, Cate, Bo Yin, and the others waited on his word.

“Take them!” he cried, raising his own sword aloft.

At this command, the pirates moved in for a coordinated endgame.

But now one of the Vampirates pushed to the front and raised his arm, bearing a handkerchief that was just about recognizable as white, though somewhat bloodied.

“Cate! Mistress Cate!” he cried out. “We surrender.”

“Wait!” Cate called out. She stepped forward, curious to know who had addressed her.

“Who are you?” She beckoned the Vampirate forward.

“Don’t you remember me, Mistress Cate? I served under Captain Wrathe, and latterly your good self, for many a year.”

Cate stared at the Vampirate for a time then clicked her fingers. “Antonio?”

The man nodded, smiling suddenly and revealing two oversize canines. “That’s right, Antonio.” He stretched out his arms to either side. “And this here is Lukas, and over there Jack, who used to be called Toothless, and De Cloux.”

Cate surveyed the men. Connor did, too. He recognized each and every one of them, and others besides. They had been loyal crew to Molucco—to the very last it seemed. The Diablo had been taken when the ship was docked at Ma Kettle’s. The first assumption had been that it was largely deserted at the time, but evidently that was not the full story. Johnny and his troops must have found plenty of Molucco’s original crew and “converted” them. For there was no doubt that these pirates were now Vampirates.

“Please, Mistress Cate,” Antonio said now. “We beg you for clemency. Not one of us was a willing recruit to the Vampirate force. We had no choice in the matter.”

Glancing at her comrades on either side, Cate nodded. “We accept your surrender,” she said. Her eyes turned to Moonshine. “The Diablo is once more under the command of a Wrathe. Captain, it’s your command now.”

There was no time to savor the victory. Moonshine swiftly organized his team to secure the vessel.

“Connor, take the pirates you need and secure the prisoners! Jasmine, I want you and your team to check the rest of the lower cabins and ensure we’ve achieved one hundred percent success here.” Jasmine gave Moonshine the Federation salute and led Bo Yin away.

Moonshine turned to Cate. “Come with me,” he said.

“Where?”

“To the captain’s cabin,” Moonshine said. “Cheng Li should have dispatched the Cowboy by now. It’ll be ready for us to take over command.”

“Us?” Cate said, surprised to find Moonshine nodding and smiling at her.

Down beneath the surface waters, Johnny still clasped Cheng Li in a viselike grip. Clearly, he had no intention of letting her go. She was finding it harder and harder to keep the air in her lungs. Her body felt weak in a way that was utterly alien to her. She no longer had any doubt. She would not be making it back from this.

It was as if Johnny had read her thoughts. For now he turned his eyes to her and all the pain and fury she had seen there before was gone. Instead, he looked peaceful. Her first thought was that perhaps the water had quenched his burning, but she saw that this was not the case. If anything, his disintegration was gathering momentum. Yet still his face—his eyes—were suddenly peaceful and, in a way, quite beautiful. Feeling on the verge of delirium, she thought of Lorcan Furey. Beautiful Lorcan Furey. If only he were here to save her now.

At last, she felt Johnny’s grip loosen, though she realized that this was involuntary. It seemed that his strength was finally being depleted. He seemed to shrug at her as his arms set her free. She found herself floating away from him and her heart leaped. She was floating up to safety. But it had better be quick. Her lungs felt as if they were about to explode.

Connor watched as Cate and Moonshine set off. Once, he might have felt envy at Moonshine’s sudden prominence, but now he felt only satisfaction at a job well done and a certain confusion as to the events of that morning. One of his men, Scott, came over to his side. “Want some help?” he asked. Connor nodded gratefully.

They called forward their teams and rounded up the prisoners, leading them out into the corridor and up to the higher deck. “Obviously they can’t go outside while it’s light,” Scott said. “Let’s contain them in the dormitory cabin upstairs for now.”

Connor nodded, letting Scott go on ahead while he took up the rear. As he followed the prisoners up the stairs, he saw a door push open on the upper corridor. No one but him noticed as a figure stepped out.

Connor found himself looking at his own self. They were identical in every way. Now the second Connor slipped his sword back into its scabbard and lifted a finger to his lips. He stepped closer to Connor, closer and closer until… Connor felt another searing headache. The pain drove him to close his eyes for an instant. When he opened them again, the ache was gone and so was his other self. He shook himself, feeling suddenly energized, and followed the prisoners up to their holding bay.

“Well?” Cate asked as she and Moonshine crossed the threshold into the captain’s cabin. “How does it feel to be a full-fledged captain?”

Moonshine’s face was streaked with blood and sweat, but he smiled from ear to ear and punched the air. “It feels great!” he exclaimed. Then his face grew more serious and his voice husky. “What’s happened here? Where’s Cheng Li?”

They both assessed the scene of devastation—the torn blinds, the broken timber, and the shards of broken glass. The air was still thick with ash. Moonshine found the soles of his boots were sticky with blood. Taking another step, he glanced down at the bodies of Cheng Li’s slaughtered escorts.

His eyes met Cate’s once more, but he no longer looked as if he was claiming a victory. “I don’t like this, Cate. I have a bad feeling about what went down here.”

Cate nodded. Her own blood was running cold as she stepped forward and looked out through the broken window. She didn’t know what she expected to see. Cheng Li treading water? Her body floating on the waves? Cate saw neither—only the mirrorlike surface of the callous ocean. “Cheng Li!” she cried out. “Has anyone seen Captain Li?” Her question was met only by silence.

Suddenly Moonshine pushed past her. “I’m going in,” he said.

“No!” Cate reached out a hand to restrain him.

“I’m a strong swimmer,” Moonshine declared. “If she’s down there, I’ll find her.”