Vampirates 4: Black Heart by Justin Somper

room she knocked softly -- loud enough to alert the guru if he was awake but not so loud as to disturb him if he was resting. She was delighted to hear him cheerily cry, "Come in!"
    As she entered, he nodded and smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Grace. How are you today?"
    "Very well," she said. "I've just been outside. It's a lovely morning. The sun is so strong already! The view down the mountain is incredible!"
    Mosh Zu smiled to see her in such good spirits.
    "I wonder," Grace said, "it's so beautiful outside. Do you think it would be all right to take my mother out?"
    Mosh Zu considered her request for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea. It will be good for Sally to feel the sun on her skin once more."
    Grace was elated. "I'm so pleased. I thought I should check with you first, but I really want to show her the gardens and everything." Already she was back at the door, eager not to lose a moment. But suddenly, a dark thought crossed her mind, and her earlier, fragile optimism slipped away.
    Mosh Zu saw her face drop and walked swiftly over to her. "Grace, you're thinking about our previous discussions, aren't you?"
    She nodded. As hard as she tried to put it out of her mind, she couldn't escape the brutal truth that she and her mother were already on borrowed time.
    Mosh Zu looked her in the eyes. "Grace, I have only one piece of advice for you. Try to see this time with your mother as a gift." He paused, smiling. "Not just for you but also for her."
    Grace sighed. He was right -- she knew he was. She walked soberly across from the guru's quarters to Sally's room, her thoughts becoming calmer with every step.
    "Mother," she said, knocking on the door. "It's Grace. May I come in?"
    "Yes, of course, Grace." The voice was faint but cheerful. Grace pushed open the door.
    Sally was sitting on the bed, propped up against a heap of pillows. Something about her mother's manner alerted Grace to the fact that they were not alone. She turned and saw Lorcan sitting on a chair by the side of her mother's bed.
    "Good morning!" he said.
    Grace could not disguise her surprise to find Lorcan there. It was so unusual for him to be up and about at this time. She had the feeling she had interrupted the two of them, somehow. "Lorcan," she found herself blurting out, "what are you doing here?"
    He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Catching up with a very dear old friend."
    "Less of the old, thank you!" said Sally, grinning nevertheless. "I'd lob one of these pillows at you if I had the strength! But don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Reinforcements have arrived!" She grinned at Grace. "Haven't they, my darling?"
    "Yes," answered Grace, sitting down on the bed, delighted to see spirits. She turned back to Lorcan. "So you had better be on your best behavior!"
    "All right, you win!" he said, producing a white handkerchief from his pocket and waving it in surrender.
    Grace laughed. Her initial discomfort had evaporated. It was good being here with Lorcan and Sally. She felt a sense of completeness that had been missing from her life for too long.
    "Look at the two of you," Lorcan said. "A perfect pair. Your hair, your eyes, that same sprinkling of freckles, the identical way your noses wrinkle when you smile. You're a complete match!"
    "Yes," Sally agreed, turning Grace's face gently toward her. "When I look at you, my darling, it's like I'm gazing into a magic mirror. I see myself at your age." She sighed. "I want so much for you to be happy and safe and cared for. After I'm ... After I'm ..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
    Lorcan stood up and approached the bed. He reached out his arms and enfolded mother and daughter. "Grace will be well looked after, Sally. Always. Have no fear of that." He planted a kiss first on Sally's head, then Grace's. Then he tenderly released them both and stepped back toward the door. "I'd better go," he said. "I've been neglectful of my duties, though it has been lovely