"He's cracking up!" I yelled.
"I don't think so," Harkat said nervously, studying Spits as he focused on his net, lips drawn back over his teeth, eyes burning with a frightening inner light.
"They never asked where the meat came from," Spits continued, swishing his net through the water. The souls in the Lake parted and swam around the net automatically, but their glum expressions didn't change. "Even when we'd been at sea fer months on end, and all the other supplies had run out, I was able t' slap up as much meat as they could eat."
The pirate paused and his mouth grew tight with anger. "When they found out, they said I wasn't human and didn't deserve t' live. But they knew. Deep down, they must've guessed, and they went on chewing regardless. 'Twas only when a new man caught me and made a fuss that they had to admit it. Hypocrites!" he roared. "They was a stinking bunch o' lying, double-faced hypocrites, fit only t' roast in the fires o' hell!"
Spits's face grew crafty and he laughed maniacally, drawing his net out, checking its condition, then lowering it back into the water. "But since the devil couldn't be bothered with 'em, I'll treat 'em to a fire of me own. Aaarrr! They thought they'd seen the last o' Spits Abrams when they tossed me overboard. But we'll see who has the last laugh when they're draped on a spit, sizzling slowly over my flames!"
"What's he talking about?" I croaked.
"I think I understand," Harkat whispered, then spoke to Spits. "How many of the people that you fished from the sea did youkill ?"
"Most of 'em," Spits giggled. "In the heat o' battle, nobody took any notice of them what jumped overboard. I kept the occasional one alive, t' show off t' the cap'n and crew. But I slit the throats o' most and hid the bodies in the galley."
"And then you carved them up, cooked them and served them to the pirates," Harkat said hollowly, and I felt my stomach churn.
"What?" I gasped.
"That's Spits's big secret," Harkat said sickly. "He was a cannibal and he turned his crewmates into cannibals too!"
"They loved it!" Spits howled. "They'd've gone on eating Spits's grub fer ever and said nowt if that new lad hadn't walked in on me while I was carving up a nice fat vicar and his wife! After that, they acted disgusted and treated me like a monster."
"I've eaten human flesh," Harkat said quietly. "Little People will eat anything. When I first came back from the dead, my thoughts weren't my own, and I ate with the rest. But we only ate the flesh of those who'd died naturally. We didn't kill. And we didn't take pleasure from it. Youare a monster, even to someone like me."
Spits sneered. "Come off it, imp! I know why ye're really here t' feast yer chops on Spits's stew! Shan boy too!" His eyes fixed on me and he winked crookedly. "Ye thought I didn't know what ye was, but Spits ain't as dumb as he lets on. Ye're a bloodsucker! Ye fed from me when ye thought I was asleep. So don't play the innocents, lads 'twon't work!"
"You're wrong, Spits," I said. "I drink blood to survive, and Harkat's done things in the past that he's ashamed of. But we aren't killers or cannibals. We don't want any part of your unholy feast."
"We'll see if ye think that way when ye smell the cooking," Spits cackled. "When yer lips are drooling and yer bellies growling, yell come running, plates out, begging fer a thick, juicy slice o' thigh."
"He's completely out of his mind," I whispered to Harkat, then called aloud to Spits. "Have you forgotten the dragons?We'll get roasted and eaten if we stand around gabbing!"
"They won't bother us," Spits said confidently. "The Tiny man told me. He said as long as I stayed within eight feet o' the Lake, the dragons couldn't harm me they can't come this close. There's a spell on the Lake. Unless a living person jumps or falls in, the dragons can't come near."
Spits stopped dragging on his net and gazed at us calmly. "Don't ye see, lads? We don't ever need t' leave. We can stay here the rest of our lives, fishing fer dinner each day, all the water we can drink. Tiny said he'd drop by if we made it, and promised t' provide me with pots and material t' build fires. We'll have t' eat our catch raw till then, but I've ate humans raw before not as tasty as when cooked, but ye won't have cause fer complaint."
"That'syour dream!" Harkat hissed. "Not to return to our world, but to stay here for ever, fishing for the souls of the dead!"
"Aaarrr!" Spits laughed. "Tiny told me all about it. The souls don't have bodies in the water them's just ghosts that we see. But once they're dragged on to dry land, they become real, the way they was before they died. I'll be able t' kill 'em again and carve 'em up any way I like. An unending supply including the souls o' the cap'n and most o' the others on thePrince o' Pariahs ! I can have revenge on top of a full stomach!"
There was a heavy thud behind us the male dragon had returned and set down close to where we were standing. I raised a globe to throw at him, but then I saw that he wasn't coming any closer. Spits was right about the dragons not being able to approach the Lake.
"We can't let you do it," I said. Focusing on Spits, I started walking towards him.
"Ye can't stop me," he sniffed. "If ye don't want t' stay, ye can leave. I'll fish up the imp's soul and ye can take yer chances with the dragons. But there's nowt ye can do t' make me go with ye. I'm staying."
"No," I said. "We won't let you."
"Stay back!" Spits warned, lowering his net and drawing a knife. "I like ye both ye're decent sorts fer a vampire and an imp! but I'll slice the skin clean off yer bones if I have t'!"
"Don't try, Spits," Harkat said, stepping up behind me. "You've seen us in action. You know we're stronger and faster than you. Don't make us hurt you."
"I ain't scared o' ye!" Spits shouted, backing away, waving his knife at us. "Ye need me more than I need ye! Unless ye back off, I won't fish yer soul out, and this'll all have been fer nowt!"
"I don't care," Harkat said softly. "I'd rather blow my chance and die, than leave you here to torment the souls of the dead and feed upon them."
"But they're bad 'uns!" Spits howled. "These ain't the souls o' good people they're the souls o' the lost and damned, who couldn't get int' heaven."
"It doesn't matter," Harkat said. "We won't let you eat them."
"Crazy pair o' landlubbers," Spits snarled, coming to a halt. "Ye think ye can rob me o' the one thing that's kept me going all these years alone in this hellhole? 'Twasn't enough fer ye t' rob me o' me whisky now ye wants t' take me meat away too! Well damn ye, demons o' the dark damn ye both t' hell!"
With that shrill cry, Spits attacked, slicing wildly with his knife. We had to leap back quickly to avoid being gutted by the raging ex-pirate. Spits raced after us, whooping gleefully, chopping with his knife. "Gonna slice ye up and cook ye!" he howled. "The dead can wait I'll feast onyer flesh tonight! I'm gonna see what ye're made of inside. I never ate a vampire or imp before 'twill make fer an interesting comparison!"
"Spits!" I roared, ducking out of the way of his knife. "Stop now and we'll let you live! Otherwise we'll have to kill you!"
"Only one man'll be doing any killing today!" Spits retorted. "Spits Abrams, scourge o' the seas, lord o' the Lake, sultan o' chefs, king o'"
Before Spits got any further, Harkat slid inside his stabbing range and grabbed his knife arm. Spits screamed at the Little Person and punched him with his free fist. When that didn't have any effect, he pulled a whisky bottle out of his sack and prepared to break it over Harkat's head.
"No you don't!" I grunted, seizing Spits's forearm. I squeezed tightly, until I heard bones cracking. Spits screeched painfully, dropped the bottle and spun away from me. I released him and he retreated sharply, breaking free of Harkat's grip, collapsing on the ground a couple of metres away. "Quit it!" I yelled as Spits staggered to his feet and drew another bottle, cradling his injured arm across his chest.
"Never!" he cried. "I've still got one good hand. That'll be enough t'" He stopped when he saw us freeze, our eyes widening. "What're ye up t' now?" he asked suspiciously. We couldn't answer, only gaze wordlessly at the space behind him. Spits sensed that we weren't trying to trick him, and whipped around to see what we were staring at. He found himself gazing up into the fierce cold eyes of the male dragon.
"Is that all that's bothering ye?" Spits hooted. "Didn't I tell ye they couldn't come next nor near us as long as we stayed "
He trailed off into silence. He looked down at his feet, then at us, then at the Lake which was about four or five metres away from where he was standing!
Spits could have made a run for it, but didn't. With a bitter smile, he shook his head, spat into the grass, and muttered, "Aaarrr!" The dragon opened its mouth wide when Spits said that as though he'd been awaiting an order and blew a huge ball of fire over the stranded ex-pirate. Spits disappeared in flames and Harkat and I had to cover our eyes and turn aside from the heat.