Chapter Three

The Game's Afoot!

Lucius sat back in his old chair and assumed his usual pose with his boot heels resting on the corner of Daniel's wheelhouse desk. Both men were enjoying a good cigar and a glass of Madeira.

Shafts of morning sunlight streamed in through the two small attic windows, painting the dust motes dancing in the air. Below the house, the soft sounds of the rush and ebb of the tide made a man long to return to the sea.

Lucius blew a contented smoke ring toward the ceiling. "This is just like old times. When you were all alone in here, except for that skinflint great-nephew of yours. He was no fun at all. He scared too easily."

He scowled. "If we hadn't needed him to bring us our cigars and Madeira, life would have been perfect. Shame about that. But sometimes it feels as if the last hundred years or so never existed."

He flexed his shoulders, rolling the muscles beneath his uniform jacket. "I still feel young and vital." He winced a little as the remembered pain of the wound in his back tugged at him.

"That's because we both died before our time," Daniel replied, drawing deeply on his cigar. "As fate would have it. We didn't want to leave this world with our business unfinished."

"Yes…" Lucius nodded slowly. "Of course, I could not give up my Rebecca for a thousand lifetimes lived to their fullest. Without her, I am less than nothing."

He pointed the butt of his cigar at his good friend. "And you have your Carolyn and now your babies. Your new life is perfect. I never expected us to be thanking the devil for his boon."

"And yet, Carolyn senses all is not well…" Daniel allowed slowly. "But she cannot tell me what she thinks it can be. It's just a feeling of unease."

"A mother's instinct is not to be denied." Lucius shrugged. "But I have scanned all the known realms and there is no immediate threat. I've asked the Admiral and others and they have neither heard nor sensed anything. Perhaps it is simply an attack of feminine anxiety. She has much to protect and to lose."

"Nothing will be lost on my watch," Daniel replied grimly. "I can promise you that. I'll beard the devil himself in hell, first."

He dropped his eyes to study the magical artefact that lay on the desk next to his hand. The knife was sheathed in a dark grey scabbard heavily decorated with gold and precious stones. If he touched it, he knew it would begin to hum, a low vibration that would tingle through his fingers. He'd brought it from its hiding place knowing it would give a warning if any demon made an unexpected return to this realm of the living.

"That's certainly a nice piece of sharkskin," Lucius acknowledged, watching him. "It would fetch a pretty price."

"It is some very fine craftmanship," Daniel replied, half-drawing the knife from its scabbard.

The dark blade seemed to wicker a greeting. Its legend was written in archaic black script down the centre channel. "Thousands of years ago, this weapon was forged by masters of their art from the incorruptible metal of a fallen meteorite. Then they imbued it with spells and incantations against all evil. Its power is unimaginable."

The sunlight glinted off the blade's sharp edge and the strange hum seemed to vibrate in the air around them. "Therein lies its magic. No demon, no matter how powerful, can stand against it. Turner paid dearly the last time for daring to reach for me again. If it is him who seeks to return."

"Well, I sent him back to where he belonged to face the wrath of his master," Lucius replied. "Turner will have fallen all the way to the lowest level of the devil's deep displeasure. I doubt he will never be allowed to come this way again."

Daniel shook his head slowly. "He still has a debt to settle. He will move heaven and earth to get back here to collect what he sees as his payment."

Lucius leaned forward to knock the ash from the tip of his cigar into the ashtray at his elbow. "Well, I used the knife of Arjen and saw to Turner. But I agree, he is not as gone as we would like him to be. We both know muck always rises to the surface again, given enough time. And that demon has nothing but time on his grasping hands."

He turned his envious eyes toward the far wall where hung a wicked-looking harpoon. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, but its lethal purpose was still very evident. "For myself, I prefer a weapon that gives a man a greater measure of certainty when making the kill."

He admired the long length of its once highly polished hardwood that had been carved with fantastical designs and the outline of gruesome beasts. There were dark stains among the carvings that had been made by the blood of its many victims. The solid wooden haft ended halfway along the weapon, giving way to a stout shaft of dark grey metal that terminated in a wicked-looking arrowhead with viciously barbed points.

Strong hemp rope had been firmly fixed around the butt of the wooden shaft and then the end ran into a heavy coil of faded and dusty rope that hung on a hook on the wall beside it. Lucius had seen enough of such lethal weapons to know that any whaler worth his salt wouldn't wish to lose such a prized weapon to any sounding beast of the ocean.

He shook his head. "I could have used your fabled harpoon at the times when Turner took the form of a sperm whale to hunt us down. He almost sank my ship once. Near stove in the timbers with a flick of his great tail. We only saw him off by pouring oil on the water and setting it on fire."

"It is a fine weapon," Daniel acknowledged, following his friend's thoughtful gaze. "And another relic of a bygone time."

He lifted his shoulders. "It seemed as if there could never be any end to the great whales. And suddenly there were none to be caught. There are hard lessons to be learned in this time about the things we did back then."

"That's as may be…" Lucius grumbled, staring down at the glowing end of his cigar. "But, God, how I do so miss those days. A man could be certain of his enemies. Turner might have been a base coward, but he always managed to put up a good fight before we bested him."

He settled his backside further back into his rump-sprung chair. "And the pirates who would have robbed us blind and the ladies of the night who more often did."

He chuckled richly. "And the old Bey of Tunis who wouldn't fail to try and cheat you at chess if you didn't have eyes in the back of your head. A man was a man then, and the devil got the hindmost."

"But the past truly is a foreign country," Daniel replied softly, seeing and understanding his good friend's pain. "They did things differently there. We could not go back, even if we wanted to do so."

Lucius considered him bleakly. "A man can dream, can't he?"

Daniel grimaced. "My father taught me how to swim to save myself from a shipwreck by throwing me out of his boat down in the harbour one blastedly cold, April morning. I was seven years old. I managed to swim ashore and the dockers gave me a tot of rum as my reward. Right then, standing there among all those hard-bitten men, I was so sure I could have walked on water."

He flicked ash from the glowing end of his cigar. "If I decided to teach Danny to swim in the same way, I know I would be divorced before breakfast and shown the door of my own house!"

"Aye…" Lucius nodded. "I was only six when my father threw me over the rail of his ship and commanded me to swim around the vessel three times before they dragged me back aboard more drowned than alive." He grinned. "I needed two tots of rum just to thaw me out! Then a third for good measure. My poor head ached for days afterwards but I felt I had become a man. My mother soon knocked that thought from my head."

Daniel huffed a laugh as he shook his head. "Maybe some times in our lives are better not to be repeated. There are a few good points to this century."

He smiled slowly. "We are both very lucky men to have found the one woman in this world we cannot live without and realised it in time."

"To the ladies we love…" Lucius saluted with his glass of Madeira. He drained it before holding it out for a refill.

Daniel followed suit with his own glass before refilling both. "Keep your eyes and ears out for any ripples in the fabric of the universe," he advised. "If there is a threat somewhere out there, I want to be the first to know of it."

"Aye, aye, Captain Gregg…" Lucius saluted him with his cigar hand.

His eyes turned back to the lethal harpoon hanging on the wall as he drew deeply on his cigar. His fingers itched to heft the weapon and find something worthy to hurl it at. Like George Turner's worthless hide.

His lips thinned with disappointment. A demon-killing knife was well enough, but he'd always preferred a weapon that required some good, old-fashioned muscle and a strong heart to weld it and make it count.

※※※※※

Danny stood back and puffed out his small chest as he waved his hand expectantly at the cat. "You comin', Bruiser?" He looked toward the house.

"Yeah, comin'?" Lucy added, not to be outdone. She too waved an enticing hand at the animal.

Bruiser yawned again and then rose slowly to his feet. He descended from the back seat with all the dignity of an emperor stepping down to greet his fawning subjects. The twins immediately sank down to their knees on either side of him and began to pet his muddy coat with loving hands. They took their time picking out the leaves and burrs.

"Oh, be careful…" Carolyn couldn't help saying as she watched them work.

Her small son looked at her and shook his head. "Making him clean."

"Yeah, clean," Lucy parroted faithfully.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear," Olivia soothed. "Bruiser is still young, but he would not hurt them for the world." She smiled. "He would never dream of biting the hand that feeds him."

"Then we'd better rustle up some tucker for him, quick smart," Martha replied. "I don't like the way he's looking at me and licking his lips."

"Bring him along inside, children," Olivia commanded with a theatrical wave of both hands. "Let him look around his new home. Call him and he will follow you."

Like magic, the children all followed her lead and trooped inside, escorting the newest addition to their family. The cat obliged as he listened to their calls of encouragement, walking beside them with great dignity. His huge plume of a tail waved behind him like a flag.

The first family member to disapprove of the introduction of the cat was Scruffy. He had been enjoying a quiet siesta beneath the captain's chair beside the kitchen door when the cavalcade walked into the house, all chattering at once. He sprang immediately to attention, his fur standing on end as he growled a warning.

"Scruffy…" Jonathan warned. "It's all right, boy. It's only a cat."

Amusement took all three adults as the cat stared at the dog and the dog stared back at the cat. Bruiser stopped and sat down between his small twin guards, looking only mildly interested in his new living arrangements. He yawned again, displaying those enormous white teeth and blinked at Scruffy in slight reproof as the dog continued to bark at him.

"Take the poor dog outside before the cat decides to eat him as an appetiser," Martha commanded, shaking her head. "I still don't like the look in his eyes."

"Come on, Scruffy…" Candy clicked her fingers at their pet. "Let's go outside and play."

Scruffy gave one final bark and obviously decided that retreat was the better part of valour since the huge white cat was bigger than him. He stalked off after Jonathan and Candy as they lured him outside with an offer to play his favourite game of toss the ball.

"I'll get it some food. I'm sure I have one or two of the larger cans of pet food…" Martha disappeared into the kitchen.

"What on earth's going on down here?" Daniel demanded to know as he descended the staircase. "A man can't find any peace in his own house. And what is that great beast? Who let it in here without my permission?"

Carolyn turned with a ready excuse on her lips. Her husband was pointing a stern thumb at their new pet. "It's a cat," she replied.

"I can see that…" Daniel descended to the final step. "But why is it here?"

"He's our new kitty," Danny replied quickly, folding his arms across his chest. "He's Bruiser."

"Maine Coon," Lucy added empathically, imitating her brother's stance.

"I can see what breed it is," her father replied. "But what is it doing here? You could almost throw a saddle on it. I didn't want anything that big around the house."

"He wants to be your new cat," Olivia offered helpfully. "I found him all lost and alone on the side of the road. He was so sad. I just knew I could find the right home for him. My spirits told me."

Daniel looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Thank you, Olivia. It's good to see you again." He nodded to her with a brief smile. "But perhaps it would have been better to leave him right where you found him. Surely, it's already got a home and they will be missing him. There's probably even a reward."

"Oh, no, Daddy," Lucy replied immediately with a horrified tone. "Bruiser got no home. This his home now. Keepin' him. Mum said so."

"Yeah…" Danny brightened. "Keepin' him." His small chin jutted out in an exact replica of his father's when he was mad about something.

"Are you, indeed…" Daniel regarded him closely.

Carolyn and Olivia tried not to smile at the tense standoff. Two small children facing down their tall, determined father who was staring down at them. Daniel also crossed his arms across his chest and his bottom lip jutted just a little within his beard.

"I'm afraid we did promise them they could have a cat," Carolyn reminded him softly as she moved closer to take his hand in hers, forcing him to loosen his stance. "And this is a cat. And he is homeless."

"I remember..." He sighed as he looked down at her. "Very well, for you. But it'll have to earn its keep. I do not expect to see a single mouse or a rat around here for miles." He leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. "But on trial only. The owners may still show up."

"Yay!" The twins danced around before them. "Dad said we's get to keep him!"

"I don't believe I said that…" Daniel replied with mild reproof.

"Yes, you did…" Carolyn lifted his hand to kiss the backs of his fingers. "You're putty in their hands. You might as well get used to it. We have at least another sixteen years of this."

"Unconditional surrender and run up the white flag?" her husband questioned with raised brows. "Never. It's not in my nature. A truce only while I gather my defences."

"Oh, I think you may find that that particular ship has already sailed," Olivia said with a knowing smile as the twins crowded around their father to hug his legs gleefully. "You've already been boarded and taken over."

"I refuse to accept that fate." Daniel regarded the cat thoughtfully. "Lord know how much food an animal of that size will eat. Does anyone know how old it is?"

With unblinking blue eyes, Bruiser watched his new humans discussing his fate. He licked his lips. His sharp nose could smell food being prepared and he was dying of hunger.

He gave a plaintive miaow and waited patiently to be fed. Surely one of them, big or small, would soon notice the depth of his desperate plight?

※※※※※

In the darkness of the evening, George Turner stepped back into the physical world through the flaming crack in the fabric of the air. It closed behind him with a single clap of thunder and a flash of light.

He walked onto the deserted sands of Schooner Bay beach and stood looking all around. Behind his heavy-rimmed spectacles, his dark eyes glittered dangerously.

His face was set and filled with fury. It had taken him the better part of two years to worm his way slowly back into his master's good graces. Of course, time mattered not to the ruler of the underworld. An eternity could have passed.

At first, Lucifer would not even grant his fawning servant an audience. Then he relented and sent down messages to his deeply disgraced underling. Tasks were set and reset, steadily increasing in difficulty. Turner had done unspeakable things and made rash promises that would have made him cringe if he cared to dwell on such things long enough.

He would make it right this time. This time he would win and sweep the board. He raised one hand and shook his fist at the uncaring face of the moon. "I'm owed a debt and I intend to collect it this time!"

※※※※※

Mrs Harriet Mitford drew her car slowly to a halt beside the closed gate to Gull Cottage. She turned off the engine as she frowned at the car already parked there. It wasn't a vehicle she knew. She wondered who the visitor could be even as she knew whoever it was, they were certainly not family.

"Where I am family…" she murmured sweetly, patting the slight curve of her abdomen before she opened her driver's door and stepped out into the quiet of the evening.

Below the house, the sound of the waves washing in and out against the sandy shore underscored the silence. The lack of city noises grated on Harriet's nerves as it always did. She could still not reconcile what her dearest cousin Carolyn saw in the place. Of course, she'd insisted that the place was perfect for a writer.

That too had grated on Harriet's very sensitive nerves when Emily had told her of Carolyn's success as a writer of lurid romances full of pirates and all things nautical. They agreed to keep the information between themselves. Harriet had not even told Hazel.

"Well, we both know where she gets such wild ideas from, now don't we?" She stood beside her car, rubbing her hand over her abdomen in small, loving circles. "We can only be grateful that she saw fit to use a pen name. The one sensible thing she has done."

Suddenly, from somewhere down on the beach, there came a single clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. Harriet frowned at the odd happening.

"And I see the odd weather around here hasn't improved any either. It truly is the most awful place for anyone to live."

She turned back toward the house. "But we have such wonderful news to share, don't we, my darling…" She patted her abdomen again lovingly. "Such wonderful news. I simply cannot wait to share it with my dear, dear Carolyn. It has been too long since we last saw each other…"

That was why she hadn't telephoned to announce her intention to visit Gull Cottage again. She wanted everything to be a complete surprise. She was so thrilled to be able to impart her exciting news. She couldn't wait to see her cousin's face. After almost three years of marriage, a miracle had finally happened.

"Now everything is perfect, just perfect…" Harriet sighed as she opened the gate and walked through on her way to the front door.

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