“If you have any more questions, just come and find me,” Jasmine told Luna as they left the mess hall after a tasty dinner of halibut, wasabi mash, and sea vegetables.
“Thank you,” Luna said. “You’ve been so kind.”
Jasmine shrugged off the compliment. “And if I’m not available, Bo Yin will be pleased to help you, won’t you, Bo?”
Bo Yin smiled brightly. “Absolutely.”
“Thank you,” Luna said. “Yin,” she added contemplatively. “Of course! Your father is Master Yin, the legendary swordsmith. I’ve heard all about him.”
Bo Yin beamed. She never tired of hearing people praise her father. It helped her to feel closer to him while they were apart.
“Well, this is me,” Luna said, tapping the door of her cabin. “Good night to you both, and thanks again for making me so welcome.”
As she disappeared inside the cabin, Jasmine and Bo Yin proceeded along the corridor. At last, Bo could ask Jasmine some of the questions that had been building up over the past few hours, starting with…
“So, basically, that girl is here to give Jacoby regular drinks of blood?”
“Yes.” Jasmine nodded. “That’s about the sum of it. Though I believe she’s trained in several kinds of healing, too.”
“So she’s a donor—with benefits,” Bo Yin said, cracking a grin. Jasmine bit her lip as Bo Yin continued merrily on. “I’ve heard about the donors, of course, but I never thought they’d be so, well, so like us.”
Jasmine paused and turned to her friend and comrade. “She’s just like us, Bo, when all is said and done. Luna’s just another soldier doing her bit for the war effort.” As she finished speaking, she saw a figure ambling along the corridor toward them.
“Hello, Connor Tempest!” Bo Yin exclaimed. “Where have you been hiding all day?”
Connor smiled amiably at Bo Yin but did not answer her question. Instead, he glanced cagily toward Jasmine. “Did he make it back okay?”
“Yes, Connor.” There was an arctic chill to Jasmine’s voice. “Jacoby came home at first light.
“I’m glad,” Connor said, with genuine feeling. “I’ve been holed up downstairs all day, updating the logs.” He yawned. “I’ve been concentrating so hard and long, I can barely see straight.” Faced with Jasmine’s glacial glare, Connor turned his attention back to Bo Yin. “Who knew there was so much bureaucracy at the heart of war? And paperwork was never my strong suit.”
“Poor excuse, Connor—even from you,” Jasmine said, careful to avoid the slightest contact with him as she moved onward.
Connor watched her go, the pain evident in his eyes. Bo Yin grabbed his arm. “Don’t take it to heart,” she whispered. “Much going on in Jasmine Peacock’s head right now.” So saying, she smiled once more at Connor, then hurried off to her cabin.
Finding himself alone again, Connor headed toward the upper deck. After a long day shut inside, the prospect of fresh air was not just appealing but necessary to him.
The deck was almost deserted, save for those members of Cheng Li’s crew on the first phase of the night watch. They greeted Connor as he passed but, to his relief, did not attempt to draw him into conversation. After his latest difficult encounter with Jasmine, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, tormented as they were.
He wandered to the prow of the ship, feeling a certain sense of peace restored by the sight of the star-filled sky. In times past, he had searched the heavens for familiar constellations. Perhaps that would soothe him once more now.
But, as he reached the front of the ship, he saw that he was not alone. The starlight illuminated a familiar frame, standing with his back toward Connor. Connor hesitated, wondering if he could conceivably turn around and edge back inside or to the other end of the ship without being rumbled. But it was too late. The figure turned around and Connor Tempest found himself face-to-face with his erstwhile comrade, sometime friend, and occasional rival, Jacoby Blunt.
“You made it back then.” Connor’s words were awkward. “That’s good.”
“Is it?” Jacoby said, looking hurt. “I guess I interpreted your absence from the welcome-home committee to mean you had mixed feelings about my return.”
“What? No!” Connor shook his head. “Cheng Li had me holed up downstairs with a mountain of paperwork.”
Jacoby smiled ruefully. “Almost as though she was trying to keep us apart.”
Connor shrugged. “Why would she want to do that?”
“You tell me.”
Jacoby’s eyes bored into Connor’s and sent a chill through his bones.
Connor hesitated, his eyes still locked with Jacoby’s. “There’s no reason. You know how important procedures are to Captain Li.” He smiled. “But, I guess, now that you’re back, you’ll be taking some of those boring responsibilities back from me.”
Jacoby’s expression changed. “Are you really okay with that? Me resuming my role as deputy captain…?”
“Sure.” Connor nodded.
Jacoby continued. “Things getting back to how they used to be… well, as close as they can be.” Once more his eyes bored into Connor’s. “Buddy, I have to ask you a question, and it’s really important to me that you give me an honest answer. Will you do that for me, as a mark of our friendship?”
“Yes,” Connor said, feeling a sense of impending doom. Had Jasmine confessed to their relationship, or had Jacoby been tipped off by another member of the crew? They had been as discreet as they could, but secrets weren’t easily kept aboard
“Are you really okay with me being a vampire, buddy? Because I know how much you hate vampires, so I could completely understand if…”
Connor let out his breath, the tension receding. “No!” he said. “I mean, yes! I’m
“You’re sure?” The relief in Jacoby’s eyes was evident.
“I’m one hundred percent sure,” Connor said, nodding.
Jacoby leaped forward and gave Connor a bear hug. “Thanks, man! You have no idea how much that means to me. You and Jasmine and Cheng Li are the most important people in my world. You guys, well, you’re what got me through all those times I came close to giving up.”
As Connor listened to Jacoby, his relief soured into the familiar stench of self-loathing. Jacoby clearly thought he was another kind of person altogether. Someone you could depend on; someone who wouldn’t betray you. He wanted to do something, to salve his conscience, but he wasn’t sure what.
“It’s good to have you back,” he found himself saying. “A lot’s happened while you were away. There are a few things we need to catch up on.”
“Sure, sure,” Jacoby said. “But not tonight, eh, Connor? I’ve been waiting all day to get out here, back onto this deck that feels like home.” He climbed up onto the deck rail and sat there, perched right at the front of the ship like an eagle. “I’m just going to sit here and look out at the sea and the stars. There were so many times when I was locked up in that prison when I never thought I’d get to see the stars again.”
Connor nodded, feeling genuine sorrow for his friend’s ordeal. “Do you want to be alone?” he asked. “Or, if you like, I can point out some of the constellations to you?”
Jacoby grinned and patted the spot beside him on the deck rail. “Grab a pew! It’s high time I learned my Aquila from my Ophiuchus!”