Heart of Glass

A Pirate's Daughter's Adventure

Chapter 5

I quietly sat in between Will and Sirius, while Jack sat up front upon the boat, directing which ways for Sirius and Will to paddle.

I kept my eyes down, avoiding the awful sights of the skulls and bones, along with the smell of rotting flesh.

"What code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?" Will whispered quietly.

"Pirate's code," I answered," Any man that falls behind, is left behind."

"I'm surprised you still remember the code," Jack somberly commented, as he kept leading the boat. But I could tell he was tempted into quizzing me is set of pirate rules he told me as a child.

Will sadly sighed," No heroes amongst thieves, eh?"

Jack scowled," You know, for having such a bleak outlook in pirates, you're well on your way to becoming one."

I frowned up at Jack, while he began to list," Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga-"

That was when Jack noticed Will's eyes caught the glimpse of the gold at the bottom of the little river.

"-And you're completely obsessed with treasure."

"That's not true," Will pouted," I am not obsessed with treasure."

"But it doesn't hurt." Sirius grinned, as I watched him reached down and grab a handful of whatever laid at the bottom.

I saw Jack smirk for a second, before he went back to looking at Will," Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

With that, they pulled the boat up on an embankment of treasure, and Jack jumped up onto the ground.

Will got out next, then he reached down and helped me up, and Sirius came up after me.

But Sirius quickly captured my hand, after Will let go of it, and felt him slip something cold and wet upon my ring finger.

I looked down, and saw a gorgeous diamond upon a band of gold around my finger.

I looked up at Sirius, with a smile, while he leaned down and kissed my lips. "Think of it as a gift," he whispered in my ear," and a promise for the future, when we get out of this mess."

I smiled as wide as I could, while Sirius began pushing me up the hill of the treasure, and into a side cavern, where I heard voices echoing.

"Gentlemen, the time has come!" I crouched down, listening to the familiar voice, but not quite sure whose face to place with the voice. "Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near at end."

"Elizabeth," Will whispered, as I saw him poke his head up, into a hole that looked down into the main cave.

But Jack grabbed his vest and pulled him back slightly, while I lifted my own head up.

There I saw my father. My father.

I wanted to jump down the hole, and run up to my father, but I saw the tall young girl behind him, being held hostage, with a gold coin hanging around her neck, along with all the familiar pirates standing around them.

But I didn't see Bootstrap. Weird. Jack was right. He must have been thrown off of the ship.

"For ten years we've been tested and tried, and each man jack of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!"

His crew cheered loudly, while I distinctly hear Ragetti shout," Suffered, I have!"

"Punished, we were." My father continued, looking more like the cold hearted man he told he was all those years ago," The lot of us-disproportionate to our crimes! Here it is-"He threw off the chest's lid, crashing it down onto the ground of built up treasure. "The cursed treasure of Cortes himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned. Save for this."

He pointed his long boney finger at the medallion hanging from the girl's neck.

"Jack!" Will whispered in alarm, as he began to scramble towards the cave entrance, to save whom I assumed was Elizabeth.

But Jack and Sirius both grabbed him, and pulled him back by me. "Not yet. We wait for the opportune moment."

"Eight hundred and eighty-one," my father ripped the medallion off of her neck," we found but despaired of ever finding the last."

"When's that?" Will growled to Jack," When it's of greatest profit to you?"

"May I ask you something?" Jack snapped back," Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Do us a favor? I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here and try not to do anything stupid."

I frowned at Jack and Will. Both of their heads were not in the right place to be even here in this cave, with a whole crew of deadly pirates.

"And who among us had paid the blood sacrifice owed to the heathen gods?"

"Us!" the crew shouted again.

"And whose blood must yet be paid?" My father taunted, while I saw the sheer fear upon Elizabeth's face.

"Hers!" the pirates chanted.

My father continued to wail his propaganda," You know the first thing I'm goin' to do, after the curse is lifted? Eat a whole bushel of apples."

I bit my tongue trying to suppress the giggle. He had always been found of apples. Especially green apples.

But then I saw him pull out a knife," Begun by blood, by blood undone."

Suddenly I heard a soft thud, and saw Jack lying down upon the ground next to me, unconscious.

"Sorry, Jack," I heard Will whisper," I'm not going to be your leverage."

"Will!" I shrieked quietly, ignoring the voices I heard behind me.

But then I saw Sirius, also holding a paddle. They both had hit him.

"Come on," Sirius whispered dropping the paddle, holding his hand out for me to take. "Let's go back to the boat."

Will shook his head, and held his paddle threateningly towards me. "I'm getting Elizabeth back, and she's going to help me."

"No!" Sirius hissed

Suddenly I heard a shot go off.

I froze, praying nothing happened to Elizabeth. I knew Will loved her, just liked Sirius loved me. And I wasn't going to let something happen to her.

"Sirius," I whispered to him," Go back to the boat. I'm going to help Will get Elizabeth back."

"No, your not," Sirius whispered desperately, as he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly.

"Come after me," I whispered, before I kissed him. "Don't ever stop chasing after me."

I saw in Sirius's eyes the hurt, and the protective love he had for me. But I held his face in my hands, and he instantly softened, before he kissed the palm of my hand.

"Be careful." He whispered again, before kissing me, one more time.

I nodded, as I reluctantly let him slip from my hands, and watched him slowly sneak back out of the cave, and heard the soft splash of his boots against the water, before I looked back at Will.

I took a deep breath, before giving him a reassuring nod," Go, get Elizabeth. I'll distract them."

Will nodded in thanks, before I grabbed his wrist, he looked up at curiously," You are going to help Sirius get me back! I'm risking my life, and my love, for Elizabeth! It is the least you could do for me."

Will nodded in understanding of our deal, while I watched him crawl down whole to get Elizabeth, who was lying on the ground.

I took one deep breath, not knowing how to introduce myself exactly. But I looked down at Jack's unconscious body, and an idea came racing to my mind.

With that I roughly shook my head, and ruined my beautiful hair style, and rubbed dirt against my dress, making me looked neglected and abused to a certain extent.

And I began running, like someone was chasing after me. And I began running to my father, and when I reached the cave, I had created such a racket with my running and panting, and the rattling of the treasure and small stream of water below my feet, everyone was starring at me.

I panted loudly, before I centered my eyes upon my father. He starred at me oddly at first, as did the rest of the men.

"Father!"