Vampirates 1.5:Dead Deep by Justin Somper Read Free Book Online Page A

they both looked over at the three pirates.
    Connor turned back to Bart. There was no more he could say. Ultimately, it was Bart’s decision.
    “Don’t worry, buddy,” said Bart. “I know what I need to do.”

Chapter Ten
In Deep
    “Wow!” Connor said, spotting a shoal of silvery fish swimming just below the ocean’s surface. “The water’s so clear here,” he said. “I bet the diving is great!”
    João laughed. “You’ll find out soon enough! Think you’re ready?”
    “You bet!” Connor said, beaming down at him. He couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. Even from the side of the boat, he could see the wealth of colorful sea life waiting there for him. Sitting in his wetsuit, the sun beating down on him, Connor couldn’t believe how well things had turned out. The Three Buccaneers were together again! The fishtails seemed to have taken Bart’s change of heartin good spirits. Even Kally had said that she was cool with it. And Flynn had laughed and said that he wasn’t ready to give up his captaincy just yet. It had all been a storm in a teacup—a storm brought about by the exhilaration of shore leave, perhaps, and the strange magic of The Lorelei and its crew.
    “I can’t wait to get down there,” said Jez, coming to sit besideConnor, dressed in his wetsuit. “Should be pretty special, huh?”
    Connor nodded. He was raring to go. They’d been working on their breathing all morning, and he felt ready. It was called pranayama , and it was designed to slow your heart rate before your descent. The slower your pulse, the farther down you were able to dive.
    Bart came to join them. Kallywheeled her chair up alongside him.
    “Kalypso!” Flynn cried from the stern. “Can you come up here for a moment?”
    Kally shrugged and turned her chair around. “No rest for the wicked!” she said, giving Bart a friendly punch before whizzing off up the deck.
    “She seems to have taken it really well,” Jez said, zipping up his suit.
    “We had a good talk,” Bart said. “We’ll definitely keep in touch.”
    He sat down with his friends. Together, they prepared themselves for the dive. As Connor followed João’s precise instructions from the water, he could already feel his pulse starting to slow. His body was perfectly calm, though he was aware that deep in his core he was excited and fully adrenalized. The dive atHell Bay was such a cool way to finish their weekend!
    He sat beside Jez and Bart, their flippered feet dangling over the edge of the boat. Beneath them in the water, two of the fishtails—Loic and Musimu—had swum down to the ocean floor to fix a weighted line.
    “How deep is it?” Bart asked as Loic surfaced.
    “You don’t need to know that,” Loic replied,smiling. “This isn’t about going deep. It’s about discovering the water in a new way—discovering yourself in a new way.”
    “He’s right,” said João. “The most important thing is to keep your body and mind relaxed at all times. Don’t push yourself to swim down too fast. Take it nice and slow to maximize your oxygen supply. Just follow the rope. We’ll be close by.” João noddedhis head. “Okay, one at a time—first Connor, then Jez, then Bart.”
    Connor looked at his comrades. Each extended his right arm, and the three touched hands in a fist.
    “One for all and all for one!”
    “Okay,” called Bart. “We’re coming.”
    Connor slipped on his mask and duck-dived into the water. As he hit the surface, he looked backup to see Jez jumping down to join him. But then he noticed Flynn approaching Bart. He said something Connor couldn’t hear.
    Bart called down to him, “I’m just gonna help Flynn with the mainsail. You guys start without me. I’ll follow you in a jiffy.”
    Connor gave him the thumbs-up. Suddenly, a shaft of sunlight fell on a circle of water in front of him. To hisamazement, he could see Grace’s face. Her eyes were fixed intently upon him as she spoke.
    Danger. Underwater.
    This was