Chapter Fifteen

I saw him fall.

For the space of a heartbeat, Aharon let go of the spell that he'd hidden behind. Dangling that evil box, his eyes flashed, his grin full of boisterous confidence.

And then he let go.

I did not hear his splash, because Fr. Dominic let loose an inhuman screech. I ran toward the priest, catching hold of him as he attempted to climb the railing. The steward who'd helped me carry Br. James into the priest's rooms grabbed his other arm, and together we wrestled him away from the edge.

Fr. Dominic continued screaming, sounds that might have been words. They might also have been the babbling of an unhinged mind. His cacophony brought others running: two stewards, or three, a young man from the room next door, and finally—blessedly—Will.

Getting the priest into his room took all of us. We had to practically carry him, and he writhed and thrashed in ways I wouldn't have thought possible if I hadn't witnessed it.

"He must be suffering from some neurosis." I hollered so I'd be heard over his noise. "Will, bring me my bag."

It took him a moment, but he appeared at my side. Leaving the stewards to pin the priest on his bed, I drew up some morphine in a hypodermic needle. No one questioned me, although the technique was only a few years old. "I need to reach either the large muscle in his shoulder or one in his thigh."

He wore his typical black robe, one with a front closure. The stewards opened the thing to his hip, where we found a tunic made of black cotton. One brave man grabbed the hem and wrenched it up, exposing Fr. Dominic's pale white thighs.

"Hold his leg still." Putting a hand on his knee, I jabbed the thickest part of the muscle with the hypodermic needle and depressed the plunger. The jab made him shriek, though his voice had gone ragged, and slowly his thrashing ceased.

Straightening, I eased away from the bed. I set the hypodermic needle in its case and returned it to my bag. On the way, I caught Will's attention. I gave a significant glance at the case, my prize, where I'd left it on the table. Will came closer and I murmured, "Take it to my rooms and put it under the bed."

Assuming I wasn't able to give the case to Aharon directly, he'd know to look for it there.

If he'd survived the plunge.

With no fanfare, Will took the case and left the room. The next several hours were a frenzy of caring for the priest and for the passengers who'd been affected by his demon spell. Will returned without the case, so I sent him to watch over David Anderson in room forty-four. I needed to give Fr. Dominic two more shots of morphine, and by the time the sun rose, I was sorry I didn't have enough of the drug to keep him unconscious until we reached Southampton.

D

My first stroke of luck was the engine. The crew hadn't repaired it yet, so the heavy turbines weren't churning the water. Good thing, or they might have churned me.

When I let go of the railing, I'd tossed the box as far as I could. I hope it sank to the bottom of the sea. My next challenge was keeping my head above water. My galabiya and kaftan had felt so comfortable when I put them on, but wet they weighed almost as much as I did. I sculled, planning my next steps.

The row of porthole windows wasn't far above my head. Never a strong swimmer, I managed to paddle my way to the ship's side. Kicking hard, I reached with one hand and hooked my fingertips over the top of one of the portholes. This is where I learned something else about my vampire nature: I was strong. Strong enough to drag myself up by my fingertips. Strong enough to crawl up the side of the boat like a determined crab.

Strong enough to hoist myself over the railing, despite the weight of my sodden robes dragging me down.

The rain hadn't let up, though the wind and the surf had calmed. No one was on the deck nearby, and since I'd begun to feel hungry, I didn't bother hiding in shadows. I didn't want to use any more energy than necessary, since I had no idea what would happen next.

Moving quickly—or as quickly as possible, given the weight of my robes—I headed for the stairs. My first stop was the doctor's rooms. As I'd expected, no one was there, and as I'd hoped, the case was under the bunk. For a moment I simply sat, hands on its smooth leather, and imagined Hugh carrying it here and leaving it where he knew I'd look.

We'd said that I would find a way to reach Gibraltar. From there, I'd find another ship to take me to Alexandria.

What we hadn't discussed was how I'd do any of those things, most especially what I'd do when I reached Alexandria.

Flipping the case open, I was surprised to see an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and found a note.

Davies,

Enclosed please find ￡25, which should cover the cost of passage to Alexandria. When you reach your destination, feel free to return the icon to the church of your choice. I'd very much appreciate if you could bring the case with the remaining items to the tea shop on El-Abassi Street and ask for Eshram Dhahi. He will give you instructions for what to do next.

Thank you,

Carrington

I read it once, and then I read it a second time. I knew the tea shop he'd mentioned, and in fact, I'd met Dhahi more than once. My suspicious nature might have raised its head, but the money was real enough. Hugh St John might have been the doctor and the thief, but Will Carrington may well have been the director, controlling events from his role of assistant and valet.

With the box and the envelope in hand, I crossed the small room. I had my hand on the doorknob when an idea struck me. I reopened the case and took out the figurine, the one Hugh had been holding when I discovered him. The thing warmed my hand, reminding me of Hugh's scent, his taste.

"I'll leave you here, then," I murmured, and while the thing was quite solid, I had the sense somehow it nodded its head. Setting the figurine under the bunk, I took the case and made for the door. My clothing had left a puddle of water on the floor, and I was half-tempted to strip and borrow things from St John's wardrobe because my own would dry stiff with salt.

No, I wouldn't steal from St. John. I'd find someone else's closet.

Using the shadows to hide me from any wayward passengers, I headed for the lower level.

I still needed to find my way off this boat, but it was nearly sunrise. Figuring Fr. Dominic had bigger problems, I hid myself and the case in the closet where I'd spent the days at the beginning of our voyage.

I had just a moment to enjoy the memory of Hugh's kisses when darkness took me.

My second stroke of luck happened as soon as sunset released me from captivity. Before I opened the closet door, I heard voices. Two crewmen, talking in worried tones.

"Something ain't right here, and I for one don't want to stick around and see who dies next."

"You're not lying, but we'll be heading out to sea with the tide."

"Unless we take one of the lifeboats and paddle to shore."

There was a moment of silence, as if they were both wondering if they had the nerve to go through with such a daring thing.

I had no such doubts. Opening the closet door, I met them both with a smile. "Gentlemen,' I said, using all the charm I possessed, "I believe we have something in common."