Read Vampirates 3: Blood Captain for Free Online

her head. “I can’t do it, Grace. I can’t climb that path.”
    “You don’t have a choice,” Grace said, still calm. “I’m taking Lorcan up that mountainside because the captain tells me there’s a chance he’ll be cured of his blindness up there. Not a certainty, but a chance. And yes, it is my fault that he’s blind and so yes it is my fault that he isn’t sharing with you and that you’re growing wrinkly and old.” She couldn’t stop the rush of emotions and words. “All of this is my fault, Shanti — not yours, mine . But at least I’m trying to make it better. If we can just get to the top of this mountain, I think we can sort this out. So for Lorcan, and for you — though I really don’t like you very much — I’m prepared to give this a try. Now, either you come with us or we leave you here, but as long as Lorcan is willing to climb with me, I’m going on.”
    Shanti was speechless for a moment.
    “I’m willing,” Lorcan said.
    “Then I’ll lead,” Shanti said, stepping past Grace and striding up the path.
    “Good work, Grace.” She heard the whisper in her ear, realizing with a start that it was not Lorcan but the captain who was speaking to her. How could he hear her from so far up ahead?
    In some ways, Grace thought, it was a blessing that it was so dark. You could block out the fact that the path was bordered by nothingness on one side. You had to block out that fact, as much as you could. As long as you kept focused on the steadiness of your footsteps, and remained alert to the turning points, it really wasn’t so bad. Shanti was taking the responsibility of leading very seriously and calling out to Lorcan every time he needed to turn. The captain had slowed his pace, too, so that he was never very far in front.
    Once more, Grace found herself totally absorbed in the rhythm of her movements. She lost track of how far they had come, how high they had climbed. All she knew was that they had to keep going. For however long it took. It was strange making a journey that seemed to have no end point but, in a curious way, it was also a relief.
    A noise ahead of her drew her back from her musings. Alarmed, she saw that Lorcan had tripped. He had fallen on the path, thank goodness. But his feet had sent rocks tumbling down the mountainside.
    “Are you okay?” Grace asked, reaching out a hand to him.
    “Yes,” he said, gathering himself on his feet. “I don’t know what happened there.”
    “It’s my fault,” Shanti said. “The path is narrower and more broken up here. I should have said.”
    “It’s okay,” Lorcan replied. “No harm done.” Grace could see his smile in what little light there was.
    “Oh,” moaned Shanti. “I can’t see the captain. Has he gone on ahead? It’s so hard to keep up!” She hurried along the narrow track, practically running to keep sight of the captain.
    “Be careful!” Grace cried. “Not so fast!”
    But Shanti wouldn’t heed the warning. She was determined to catch the captain. As Shanti disappeared around the corner, Grace told Lorcan, “I’ve got to catch up to her, to stop her. Wait here!”
    “All right,” he agreed, relieved to catch his breath.
    Grace pressed on ahead. She hadn’t got very far when she heard a cry, followed by something that sounded very much like crumbling rock. She felt a wave of dread even before she heard Shanti’s strangulated cry. “Help!”
    “Shanti!” Grace cried, striding ahead.
    As she turned the corner, the sight that confronted her confirmed her worst fears. Shanti was suspended over the side of the mountain, a sheer drop beneath her. The path had given way around her and all that was keeping her from falling into the abyss was a precarious-looking shrub. A shrub that, by the looks of things, could uproot itself at any moment.
    “Shanti!” Grace cried once more, crouching down and extending her arm. “Take hold of me. I’ll pull you up.”
    Grace had never seen such raw terror as she