Chapter 13

Laurel watched Alex push his breakfast around his plate, she finally reached over and put her hand over his "why don't you go to London and help Connor, at least you wouldn't be sitting here waiting for word and growling at everyone, Cook was almost in tears after you told her the eggs were not cooked properly." Alex looked down at his cold breakfast and nodded "want to come along urchin?" Laurel shook her head chuckling "this is a male thing, sipping brandy and dark mutterings, if you and Connor find the girl and need a women's hand just let me know and I can join you" Alex grinned "dark mutterings huh, it's plain out vile cursing and no getting around it, I'll stop and see Zara and the family before I go, let me know if you need anything while I'm in town." Laurel smiled as Alex left the dining room pleased to see that he was no longer frowning. Laurel popped Alex over to Salvation, he smiled as he walked into the small breakfast room, Zara feeding Tabby her porridge greeted her papa, Alex grinned as Tabby purred holding out her little arms "come mere muffin and give your grandpapa a snuggle" Tabby nuzzled her grandpapa's cheek then pointed a little talon at her dish "hungry huh" Tabby nodded, Alex sat down and started feeding her "where's DeClan and Mal?" Zara started to laugh "DeClan is getting Mal out of the bathing pool for the third time this morning" Alex grinned "shall we teach him Rav tossing" DeClan walking in drying off Mal raised an eyebrow "do I want to know?" Alex grinned then started laughing seeing Mal a soggy piece of toast clamped in his jaws a silly hatchling grin on his face, "when I get back from London I'll teach you Rav tossing it's great fun." Zara asked her papa why he was going to London, with a sigh Alex explained what was going on with the girl Al and that Connor had not been able to find her yet and he had yet to hear from Connor that morning. DeClan with a look of surprise on his face commented "he has the girls whistle, it has her aura and imprint on it why doesn't he just use that to track her down?" Alex frowned "can he do that?" DeClan nodded "he should be able to, if not I can do it for him, it's a very simple thing to do" Alex grinned at Zara "mind if I borrow him for a little while?" Zara chuckled "only if you return him in one piece" DeClan didn't comment, he looked down at Mal "you stay out of the pool while I'm gone, do you understand, unless your mama is with you." Mal looked at his papa his tiny paws clutching his papa's shirt, shaking his head, with a little shriek he climbed up DeClan's shirt wrapping his arms and tail around his papa's neck, DeClan smiled gently stroking Mal's back "I'm just going to be gone a little while, I should be back by the end of the day if not sooner, I'll be here to tuck you in to bed tonight." Mal started to cry great big hatchling tears, shaking his head, Alex chuckled "bring him along" Zara gasped "papa!" Alex grinned "he is just going to find the girl, tell Connor where she is and come home, that's all, nothing's going to happen to the baby" DeClan glanced at Zara then at Mal who was now bouncing on his shoulder shrieking and pointing his talon at the door, "I won't let anything happen to him little one, I promise" Zara sighed "all right but please keep him out of the Thames it's so nasty, do you hear that Mal, you stay out of the water, you DO NOT go in the water there" Mal his eyes wide never hearing his mama use that tone of voice before nodded with a purr. Tabby who had been looking back and forth between everyone whimpered looking at her papa, DeClan smiled softly taking Tabby from Alex "we'll be back soon sweetie, you and your mama can get a room for you and Mal all fixed up" Tabby nuzzled her papa's cheek then licked Mal with a purr, Mal purred back giving a little croon, DeClan gave Tabby back to her mama, then chuckled glancing at Mal who now had his green ribbon tied around his neck in a bow.

Connor glanced up as Mercer walked in "still no luck?" Connor shook his head "I did have a chat with Neil and Revanche this morning and they have all ready started putting out the word, I'm going to go meet with Ruckle in a little while and see what he has been able to find out." Connor stood up when his father and DeClan appeared, with a grin he saw a little head sticking out from under his papa's jacket "Mercer, you know my father Alex, this is DeClan and his son Mal" Mercer shook hands with Alex and DeClan and chuckled at Mal who was now hanging on the front of Connor's shirt purring and nuzzling his neck. Mal let out a shriek, his little jaws snapping as Mercer plucked him off of Connor's shirt with a laugh "I like the bow laddie, come to look over your Uncle Connor's ship have ya? now, now don't bite me boy, I bite back" Mal distracted by Mercer's velvet coat put his little paw on it with an interested purr and a look of inquiry. Mercer grinned "I'll leave you three to talk, the lad can go on deck with me, we'll discuss the finer points of a gentleman's attire" DeClan frowned for a moment, Alex grinned "Mercer will take good care of Mal, we just won't leave them together long enough for him to turn Mal into a dandy" DeClan nodded looking at Mal "remember what your mama told you" Mal nodded his head enthusiastically with a big grin. DeClan watched Mercer leave with Mal then turned to Connor "why haven't you used the whistle to track down the girl?" Connor frowned "the whistle?" DeClan nodded "do you have the whistle with you? it should have the girls imprint on it, let me see if I can find her" Connor reached in his vest pocket and handed DeClan the whistle a bemused look on his face "I never would have thought of that" DeClan held the whistle and pressed it between the palms of his two hands, concentrating he frowned, his voice sounding almost hollow and trance like "the girl is hurt, the large man stands over her, they are hiding in the back room of a pub, the name of the pub is the Bear and Bull, there is another man there his name is William or Willy, he fears she is dying." DeClan blinked several times then handed the whistle back to Connor "you need to get to her quickly, she is in bad shape, I'll go with you the tavern occupants look dangerous even at this hour" Connor sent Mercer a message saying they were going to get Al, Mercer with a chuckle said he would keep the little lad occupied and to just sing out if he needed reinforcements, a moment later DeClan, Connor and Alex disappeared.

DeClan stood in the doorway as Alex and Connor walked into the back room, Savas moved closer to the pallet on the floor a wicked looking knife in his hand, Willy turned with a snarl "get out, this ain't a room for the patrons, nobody asked ya back here" he told Alex then frowned at Connor "what's the Captain of the Sea Dragon doing here? this ain't your sort of high class tavern." Alex had brushed past Willy, looking at Savas he nodded down at the girl "we want to help her, not hurt her, let me take a look at how badly she's injured" Savas a fierce frown on his face moved aside slightly, not taking his eyes off Alex as he knelt down. Allora groaned feeling a hand pulling the bandages away from the stab wound on her side, she opened her eyes and stared at Alex for a minute, then shook her head "you were at my brothers funeral, I remember you, you had your arm around my father holding him up when they put David in the crypt, I don't remember your name" Alex nodded "Alex Breeton, we're here to help you Allora" Allora rolled onto her side and moaned grabbing a basin and vomiting "I'm not dead yet, I'll make that bastard pay for everything he's done, were you there when my mother and father were laid next to David?" Once again Alex felt the deep choking grief he had felt the day Edward and Sharon had been buried "yes I was there, now let's get you taken care of so I don't have to see another of Edward's children buried." Alex stood up and looked at Savas "we're going to take her to my house" Connor shook his head "I think the Sea Dragon would be safer, no one can get close to it without word going out between my crew and Mercer's, Uncle Joe has to many people coming and going, it would be to easy for someone to slip into the house" Connor knelt down next to Allora who snarled "get the hell out of my face Breeton, you got your money and I sure as hell am not going on your ship" Connor chuckled "I don't think you have much choice, Al" putting his hand on her forehead he sent her into a deep sleep then picked her up "you know where the ship is berthed Willy, bring Savas, we want all the information you can give us about Charles Montcliff and what's going on" Willy glowered at Connor and Alex but nodded. A moment later Alex, DeClan, Connor and Al were in Connor's cabin, Connor laid Al on his bed, pulling off her boots he tossed them aside, he reached up and started to pull off the old knit cap frowning as it stuck, rolling her over slightly he sighed seeing the dried blood matted on the cap and the little bit of hair that was showing. DeClan and Alex glanced at each other as they watched Connor start to take off her shirt, "son, I'm going to send for Bitsy, why don't you hold off on that" Connor looked over his shoulder at his father "she needs to be out of these dirty clothes so I can see how badly she's hurt" Alex nodded "I know that but let Bitsy take care of it, Connor, I don't think Allora would appreciate you stripping her down to bare skin, she isn't a child, she's a young woman" Connor frowned "Al is just a kid, it's not like I'm going to molest her or anything I'm just trying to help" Alex who had all ready sent Bitsy a message nodded "I wasn't suggesting anything like that, I know you're trying to help but females are odd creatures about being stripped naked in front of strange men" Alex replied with a chuckle seeing the dawning light in Connor's eyes and the color that was now spreading across his cheeks.

Hearing a roar of laughter from top side, DeClan sighed "I better go see what Mal is doing" Bitsy giggled as she appeared "that son of yours DeClan is so cute, now what's the problem?" Bitsy saw Al and frowned "oh my, why don't all of you depart so I can take care of him" DeClan was all ready on his way top side, Alex said "it's a she not a he, her name is Allora" as he pulled Connor out of the cabin. DeClan was just standing laughing looking at his son, Mal was wearing a velvet powder blue jacket with a froth of ruffles around his throat, his little wings sticking out through slits in the back of the jacket, the green ribbon now a bow in the center of the ruffles, on his little head was a tricorn hat with a tiny plume, pulled out around his little wrists were ruffles to match those around his neck, over one eye was a black patch, on his shoulder a tiny stuffed parrot. The crew were laughing and gawfing as Tommy showed Mal a sailor's jig, Mal grinning widely shrieked trying to dance the jig with Tommy, Mercer sat on a coil of rope clapping his hands and laughing. Harker saw Connor and called out "ya shoulda seen the wee lad climb the rigging's Captain, he's a natural, Captain Mercer there better watch out or the lad will be taken his place at the head of the fleet" Captain Mercer grinned "why do yea think I'm teachin the laddie how to dress the part, hmmmmmmmm is that old Willy creeping up the plank? and who might that be with him?" Connor sighed "leave off Willy, we need him, the other's name is Savas, he's a friend of the girls." Mal seeing Savas let out a shriek and latched onto the front of his vest with a croon, patting his cheek, Savas looked down at Mal still feeling a little leery, he nodded and gave Mal a small tentative pat, walking over to Connor his hands held out as if to catch Mal if he slipped, Savas gave him a questioning look, Connor said silently "think what you want to say I will hear you, someone is seeing to Allora right now" Connor frowned as a language he wasn't sure of flashed through his mind, turning to his father he said "doesn't Zara speak Russian?" Alex nodded glancing at Savas. Both DeClan and Alex frowned neither sure they wanted Zara on a ship full of hardened sailors, Connor caught the glance "no one is going to bother my sister if she comes on board now are they?" he said very loudly, as one all the men shook their heads "hell no Captain, we ain't that stupid" said Pat. Tommy whispered a few minutes later to Pat and Harker "I may not be stupid but gawd all mighty look at her" staring opened mouthed at Zara, Mercer stood up and with an elegant bow introduced himself, Zara smiled then caught sight of Mal now hanging from the upper riggings with a gasp she glanced at DeClan. DeClan smiled "he is fine little one and having a wonderful time" Zara not daring to look up again sighed "who did you want me to talk to Connor?" Connor told her to silently talk to Savas, Alex took Tabby from her "Mercer, would you like to meet the muffin, Mal's sister" Mercer a look of surprise on his face walked over and peeked in the blanket at a sleepy Tabby "awwwwww now look at her, why what a tiny doll, let me hold her for you Alex" scooping Tabby blanket and all out of Alex's arms "here now laddie, don't get your undies in an uproar" Mercer quickly told Mal who was now on his shoulder hissing and showing his fangs "just saying hello to your itty bitty sister" Tabby her eyes wide looked up at Mal with a purr her tiny paw reaching out as he stretched his neck down and nuzzled her, as the others crowded around to see Tabby, Mal sat on Mercer's shoulder watching closely, DeClan stood back with a smile on his face, Mercer grinned at DeClan "hope your good at fisticuffs, one day your going to be beatin the dragons away from her, she's a tiny darling and if her human looks anything like her mother, well maybe yea better start carrying a cutlass" the smile slid from DeClan's face as Mercer laughed. Zara turned to Connor "he is worried about Al and want's to know where she is and he wants to see her to make sure she is being taken care of" Connor sighed "Bitsy is seeing to Al right now she will let us know how things are in a little while" Savas nodded and went to sit down out of the way of the others.