"Land?" Elizabeth asked, looking toward the door of Barbossa's cabin. "But we're looking for the Kraken. The Kraken can't attack in shallow water, so why-"
"Silence doesn't agree with ye, does it, Miss Swann?" Barbossa snapped. He let her wrist fall from his grip, where it bumped against her thigh limply. She continued to stare at the doorway, dazed, until a pair of breeches and a sweat-stained shirt flung in her face brought her back to the current situation.
"Change," Barbossa ordered, pocketing extra shot and powder before reaching for his pistol.
"Now?" Elizabeth gaped, horrified. "I must protest at-"
"For once, just shut up!" the pirate snarled, pushing her aside as he strode to the door. "I am goin' t' the deck, where I cannot see ye naked. Ye will come out t' the deck, attired properly, and ye'll be prepared t' leave ship. An' keep the dress fine; I'll be wantin' t' see ye in it again."
With that, Barbossa unbarred the door and left, slamming it behind him. Elizabeth didn't waste a moment in changing out of her gown and into the foul garments, swiping a belt from the shelves to cinch in the billowing shirt. Her possible feelings for Jack and the quandary involving the price Tia Dalma would be asking for were pushed aside for her to ponder just what was going to happen next. Barbossa's agitation had increased, if slightly, at the calling for sighted shore, so he must have been expecting this happening all along.
Once Elizabeth stepped out of the captain's quarters, she was instantly pulled aside. She found herself looking up into the anxious eyes of Will, who was gripping her by her elbow.
"What did he do?" Will demanded, his grasp tightening somewhat. "Are you hurt?"
"No, Will, I'm fine," Elizabeth reassured him, her stomach fluttering as she gazed into his rich, dark eyes. See, she told herself, I do love Will!
"But you were in there for a while, and when Barbossa came out..." Will's eyes traveled down her body and ehis face contracted. "Why are you wearing his shirt... and his belt..." he frowned.
"He told me to change," Elizabeth said simply. "No no! Not with him in the room!" she added quickly as rage flashed across Will's features. "Honest, he did absolutely nothing to me. He was as courteous as he could possibly be. Trust me."
At her final words, the concern and fury melted from Will's body, only to be replace by the melancholy Elizabeth had witnessed over the past week. He let his grip on her arm slip away, and he nodded in assent.
"Trust you. Yes, of course," he murmured before walking toward the helm.
"Will!" Elizabeth pleaded, hurrying after him, but her attempt to make their situation right was put on hold by Barbossa ordering all hands on deck.
"There she be!" the captain grinned, standing with Gibbs at the helm with the meager crew gathering together. "The Isla del Monstruo. The place where th' Kraken resides."
"But the Kraken cannot maneuver in shallow waters," Gibbs pointed out, eyeing the dark lump on the horizon with some hesitation. "How can it leave near an island?"
"Firstly, do not be contracdictin' me, mate," Barbossa snarled. "Secondly, the Isla del Monstruo has no shallows. Each side drops directly t' the sea floor. Steep cliffs, full o' caves: th' perfect home for a monster. And thirdly, th' Kraken doesn't live near th' isle; it lives in it."
"Where did I put m' Bible, Pintel? I feels th' need fer spiritual savin'," Ragetti whispered at the edge of the group.
"Ye'll not need savin', ye swab, because we'll all get out alive. Plus one," Barbossa snapped. "Now, full sails t' the island. Half furl three ship lengths t'ward it. Drop anchor, and prepare for the trip. Get torches, lanterns, bottles o' rum, and scarves. Aye, ye heard me, Pintel, scarves. Cotton, Ragetti, make haste with constructin' a stretcher; we'll be needin' it on th' way out."
The cliffs of the Isla del Monstruo rose straight from the foam crested waves. The rock was a dark hue, almost black in the afternoon sun, and was pitted from centuries of churning tides. Gibbs could only get the junk five ship lengths from the island before he deemed it unsafe to continue; the waves were so violent there that any stray ship risked being torn upon the cliffs. The junk was moored, and everyone climbed into the long boat, laden with scarves, torches, lanterns, alcohol, and a poorly constructed stretcher. Pintel and Ragetti were put in charge of rowing, and Gibbs steadied the boat against the rough stone walls once they were in reach.
"How do we get up?" the midget asked, leaning back to view the sheer mass before them.
"We don't get up; we go in," Barbossa said. "Mr. Gibbs, there is a shelf in the rocks above us, aye?"
"Aye, Cap'n, I'm sure we could climb up to it," Gibbs nodded, eyeing the hole suspiciously. "But Cap'n, this seems a fool's errand. How do we know that this will take us-"
"This is th' one, Mr. Gibbs, and ye'll not contradict me again!"
A silence fell over the group as the crew fidgeted uneasily, looking over the pocked ebony stone and the heaving waves beneath them. Barbossa glared at Gibbs, who grudgingly threw the bow rope over his shoulder and stood up. Searching with his fingertips for fissures, Gibbs grabbed hold of the rock and climbed up the face. It was barely a seven foot venture up, and soon Gibbs was tying the rope off on an outcrop of the shelf.
"Who's next?" Barbossa barked, baring his yellowed teeth at the group.
One by one, everyone climbed up the rock with little difficult; the handholds were plentiful and the ascent was short, with the only hindrance being rock slick from sea spray. Elizabeth, in her climb, quavered near the top, but was quickly pulled up into the arms of Will. Their eyes locked, and Elizabeth could have sworn Will leaned in toward her, lips parted for a kiss; but shortly after Elizabeth was brought up, Will pulled back and nudged her away from the edge of the shelf.
After everyone was up, Barbossa gave orders for the torches to be lit. Mr. Cotton brought out flint, and soon everyone but Elizabeth, Barbossa, and the midget were holding aloft flames.
"Now," Barbossa began, lighting the wick of his lantern, "'tis dark and cold, so follow closely. Noise travels quickly, so keep words t' the minimum. And we're keepin' t' the Code."
"Whoever gets left behind, stays behind," Will whispered beneath his breath.
"Follow," Barbossa barked, turning toward the tunnel. "We've got a lot b'fore us."
The tunnel was damp and dark, full of echoing drips and hollow footsteps. The way was barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast, but high enough for the men to walk easily. With a shudder, Elizabeth recalled her initial visit to the Isla del Muerta, where Barbossa had originally planned her death to be among the caverns of the island. She watched the pirate lead the group down through the sloping path and wondered how much power Tia Dalma had over the man to make him serve the crew of his enemy and murderer.
An hour went by, followed by a second, and Elizabeth was beginning to feel weary of walking. The tunnel had never let up in its downward course, and she was beginning to wonder if it led to the ocean floor itself. Droplets of moisture had slid down her neck, making her shiver at the icy feeling. The quiet had almost become painful between the crew as well; the random staccato of drips hitting puddles was almost enough to snap the sanity of any of them.
"Will," Elizabeth whispered finally; her voice reverberated against the tunnel walls, causing Barbossa to narrow his eyes at her over his shoulder.
"Why is it always ye that can't follow a simple direction?" he growled, turning back to the dissipating gloom ahead of them.
"'Tis not helping the morale of the crew, Cap'n, to not be able to talk," Gibbs offered, his voice booming through the tunnel. "Perhaps if we-"
"Per'aps if I were t' cut yer tongues out and tempt th' Kraken with 'em, eh?" Barbossa snapped.
"Cotton's already got no tongue, Cap'n," Ragetti offered.
"Shut th' blazes up, I didn't ask ye!"
"Will," Elizabeth murmured as the rest of the crew quarreled around them. "Please tell me what is wrong."
"Now is not the time to discuss such matters," Will said beneath his breath.
"Will, please!"
"Not here."
"Will, I love you!"
Through the dim glow of the torches, Will's head snapped in Elizabeth's direction, his mouth somewhat agape. It took a moment for Elizabeth to realize just what she had said, and she couldn't tell if it came from desperation or that fluttering feeling in her stomach when Will looked at her.
"I love you," she whispered, looking up at him as they walked on.
Will's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed, and he turned his attention forward again. Elizabeth fought back a scream and clenched her fists in frustration. Then, sliding down the inside of her wrists and in between her fingers, Elizabeth felt Will take her hand and squeeze it in his own. Her breath hitched, and she savored the elation as he leaned between them to murmur, "I -"
"SILENCE!"
Everyone stilled their voices, looking toward Barbossa, who had halted a few paces down the path. He glanced back at them, placing a gnarled finger to his lips, and continued down the tunnel.
The crew stepped out from the tunnel into a massive cavern, footfalls booming across the expanse. Elizabeth marveled at the sheer size of it, at least three times the size of the Isla del Muerta. Liquid gold was racing across the floor, and it took her a moment to realize most of the chamber was water. The fire of the torches and lantern was making the surface quiver with light, casting an ochre light upon the craggy ceiling and walls.
Elizabeth pushed ahead to Barbossa and, tugging on his sleeve, mouthed, "What is this place?"
Barbossa merely scowled at Elizabeth and shook her off, facing the water with the solemnity of a hangman preparing for the gallows. The rest of the crew shifted restlessly, wringing their hands and casting nervous glances at the water. How can pirates who depend on the sea fear it so? Elizabeth thought to herself, but she quickly got an answer.
In the center of the water, where the fire's light strained to shimmer, a curling tendril rose from the surface before sinking back down. A moment later, a second something appeared a little closer to the rocky bank, and then a third. Both tendrils disappeared and the surface grew still.
"Wot was that?" Pintel whispered, hiding with Ragetti at the back of the cavern.
"Hold yer ground," Barbossa hissed.
"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die," Ragetti was muttering to himself.
"Be silent."
"Where did it go?" the midget asked, looking to Barbossa. The captain refused to answer, glaring stubbornly at the pool.
"It's waiting," Elizabeth said hoarsely, her hands closing unconsciously around Jack Sparrow's compass.
Not a soul stirred. The water was a sheet of glass, still and calm. The only sounds were the sputtering of pitch on the torches and the wheezing breath of Ragetti. Elizabeth closed her eyes, feeling the tension build. It crawled across her skin, inquiring if this was really worth it, if she really needed to risk everything- and everyone- to bring back Jack.
Yes, that voice whispered back, yes.
The surface of the pool shattered, torrents of water shooting up to the ceiling. A piercing howl, shrill and demonic, ripped through the quiet as a mass launched itself out of the water. Curling arms went out to the stone floor and walls, dragging a slick body the size of a ship onto the rocky shore. A mouth appeared, stained fangs that resembled spars of wood contracting in a circle around a dark hole. Screams rang out, curses were yelled, and Elizabeth fell to her knees as the monster writhed toward them.
The Kraken had arrived.