Vampirates 5: Empire of Night by Justin Somper

captain's throne warm. You've fallen into the same trap again, Grace. You're living another lie. Oh, I know that you feel loyal to the poor captain and others aboard this ship. But The Nocturne is dying, Grace. Half the crew have deserted it to join Sidorio. Not because they are lacking in discipline but because they have finally woken up to what they are and accepted the nature of their true being. It was no longer appropriate for them to report to a captain who hid for all those years behind a mask, even before he completely disappeared from view. His time is over."
    Grace felt a visceral reaction to Lola's brutal words. "Mosh Zu..." she began, but faltered.
    Lola didn't miss a beat. "Mosh Zu is here, yes. And he has many gifts, Grace. But he is no leader. Remember, Grace. What did Mosh Zu do when Sidorio stormed Sanctuary? He just let more Vampirates flee. The world of the Vampirates is changing, Grace, and you have to make a
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    decision. Are you going to fade into obscurity here, out of some misguided sense of loyalty, or are you going to take your rightful place at your father and brother's side, at the heart of a new empire? The empire Sidorio and I are building together. For you and for Connor. For all of us." Lola's eyes blazed with ambition. "Our empire of night."
    Grace lowered her eyes. "Please leave," she said softly, but with utter conviction.
    "I'll go in a moment," Lola said. "It's time I returned to The Vagabond in any case. There's just one more thing I want to say to you before I go."
    Grace waited as she felt Lola's piercing gaze on her once more. "Face up to who you are," Lola said. " What you are." She reached out to the bedside table and lifted the envelope that still rested there. "Don't be so quick to dismiss an invitation that others would kill for." She held the invitation out to Grace, but Grace made no move to accept it.
    Grace found she was trembling, but whether from fear or anger, or a combination of the two, she was unsure. "I didn't ask for this," she said, her voice tight. "I didn't ask to be different. I was happy before. Just being ordinary. Back with Dad and Connor in the lighthouse. Home in Crescent Moon Bay."
    Lola snorted. "You don't believe that any more than I do. You may not have asked for this, but you're fascinated by the world you've discovered and that you now find yourself a part of. You've been showered with the rarest
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    of gifts, Grace. But this bounty doesn't come without a price. You have an obligation--to yourself and to your father."
    "Sidorio?" exclaimed Grace. "I owe him nothing!"
    Lola's eyes were on fire as she stared once more at Grace. "On the contrary, my dear, you owe him everything . You owe him life. You owe him your immortality. Don't be mistaken, Grace, darling. If you had been a regular mortal you wouldn't have lasted a single night on this ship before someone had drained your blood. They all knew you were different, special, from the very start. It was only you who was voyaging alone in the dark." Lola strode forward and reached for Grace's notebook. Grace watched with alarm as Lola opened the book and began sifting through the thin pages. Grace had poured a lot of time and energy into the book of crossing stories, and she couldn't bear for Lola to tear it, just to make her point.
    "It's all right," Lola said, closing the book between her palms. "I'm not going to harm your precious opus. But don't you see, Grace? You're so fascinated by everyone else's story that you've missed the point. Yours is the best crossing story of all."
    Lola dropped Grace's notebook down onto the bedclothes once more. "I've said all I came here to say. When you're ready to stop scribbling your jottings and start living your life--your true life--we'll look forward to welcoming you, your father and I."
    Lady Lola Lockwood Sidorio, Grace's wicked step
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    mother, opened the cabin door and made her exit. As the door swung behind her, Grace stood reeling in the center of the