Vampirates 3: Blood Captain Read Online Free Page A

necks, where they could keep an eye on one another.
    There was a ripple of laughter around the tavern. It served as an escape valve after the high tension of Barbarro’s arrival. Connor took advantage of the break from silence to give Bart a nudge. “You didn’t tell me Scrimshaw had a brother,” he said.
    Bart grinned. “I have to keep some surprises up my sleeve,” he said.
    As they spoke, the tall woman behind Barbarro stepped forward. She walked gracefully and was dressed in a regal coat, the same pale gold as the hair swept up onto her head.
    “That’s Barbarro’s wife,” Bart hissed.
    “Trofie!” exclaimed Molucco.
    “Did he say Trophy ?” Connor asked. “That’s an odd name.”
    “It’s Trofie — F-I-E. Scandinavian, I think,” Bart said.
    “She’s a lot younger than Barbarro,” Connor said.
    “Yes, I think this face suits her.”
    “What do you mean, this face?”
    “Let’s just say it changes from time to time,” Bart said. “Snip, snip . . . if you know what I mean.”
    Trofie extended her right hand. It glowed as golden as the rest of her, all except for her ruby-red fingernails. Connor watched as Molucco bowed before his sister-in-law and kissed her hand. This didn’t seem to entirely please her, for as Molucco stood up again, she reached into a pocket, pulled out a small handkerchief, and wiped her hand. As she did so, Connor was surprised to see the light bounce off it. Looking more closely, he saw that Trofie’s right hand was made of metal. It was literally as gold as her hair. And what he had taken for red-varnished nails were, in fact, actual rubies. He had never seen anything like it.
    “What’s with her hand?” he asked Bart.
    “Ah, yes,” said Bart. “There are conflicting stories about that. The official version is that Trofie was captured and held hostage by one of Barbarro’s rivals. He threatened to cut off her fingers unless she revealed the location of Barbarro’s secret treasure cache. Story goes that Trofie kept her silence for five days. And every day, they chopped off one of her fingers. On the sixth day, Barbarro rescued her, killed her captors, and took her to a surgeon who reconstructed her hand out of gold.”
    “Wow!” said Connor. “That’s amazing.” It made him sick to think of such wanton violence. “So what’s the un official version?”
    “Well,” said Bart. “Trofie Wrathe likes a jewel or two and Barbarro Wrathe believes in treating her to whatever her heart desires. Rumor has it that she got to the point where she had so many rings she literally couldn’t lift her hand. In the end it was a choice between her rings and her fingers.”
    “And she chose . . . ?”
    “She had her actual hand removed — apparently it’s in safekeeping in formaldehyde somewhere in case she ever wants it back — and then had her rings melted down to create this new gold hand.”
    “Wow!” Connor said again. “Which version do you think is the truth?”
    Bart shook his head. “Search me,” he said. “Chances are, we’ll never know. I certainly wouldn’t dare ask her. She scares me.” Bart shivered.
    Connor turned his full attention back to Trofie. “I’m very sorry for your loss,” he heard Trofie say to Molucco. Her voice was icily precise.
    “Madam,” answered Molucco. “The death of Porfirio Wrathe was a devastating loss to us all. To the whole world of piracy, in fact.”
    Trofie nodded. Then she looked back over her shoulder. Connor saw she was beckoning to the lanky boy who had come in with them. “Moonshine, come and say hello to your uncle.”
    The boy rolled his eyes and ambled forward. He was dressed casually in black drainpipe jeans and a leather biker jacket. “Uncle Luck,” he said. “How’s it hanging?”
    Trofie dug a golden finger into his ribs.
    “Ow!” Moonshine moaned. “That hurt!”
    “Show your uncle some respect!” she said.
    But Molucco beamed. “No need for formality where family’s concerned,” he