Cast Notes: Morvoren is played by Kate Bekinsale and Humphrey Doggard is played by Timothy Spall.


THE LORD'S FIRE

Captain Philip Swift came up the companionway and out onto the Providence's quarterdeck, donning his cocked hat before approaching the entry port. Norrington nodded to him as he stepped through and began to climb down the ship's side.

"I've sent Gillette to the Black Pearl to assess the situation and keep me informed," he reported, "Good luck ashore, Captain."

Philip nodded, "Very good, Mr. Norrington. Keep an eye on the coast as well. We might need some assistance."

Norrington nodded back as Philip climbed the rest of the way down and into his boat, looking over to where Syrena bobbed in the water. Nia surfaced next to her and looked about. It was an interesting collection of ships. They had arrived off Cornwall's coast and quickly found Jack Sparrow's ship, the Black Pearl, but not the Captain himself. Now the Providence, Queen Anne's Revenge, and Bombay joined the black pirate galleon in the anchorage under the cliffs, making quite a formidable sight for those watching from ashore. No doubt someone had recognized the two pirate ships... it would probably be only a matter of days before the Royal Navy started sending scouts out of Portsmouth to sniff them out.

"Be careful," Syrena spoke earnestly as she bobbed over and held onto the boat's gunwale, "I love you."

Philip nodded, "I love you too, Syrena. Nia, watch out for her."

Nia nodded from where she bobbed in the water and Philip looked up to Groves, "Right, Mr. Groves, take us ashore."

Syrena and Nia turned and vanished below the surface as the Providence's boat started rowing for the coast to meet the boats from the other ships.

Below the surface, Nia and Syrena swam closer inshore, followed by the contingent of other Charles Town mermaids that had come along. The two dozen mermaids dove deep, descending through the murk until they found the seabed. They were looking for the fabled Mermaids of Cornwall, one of the other schools of pure mermaids who kept to their original Holy duty. The mermaids fanned out into a line abreast, looking for any clues of their existence or their whereabouts.

Syrena scanned the rocky bottom about her, looking for any sort of crack or hole that a mermaid could fit into. There were many nooks and crannies, but nothing suitable for an entrance and nothing that led to an underwater tunnel or cave. Now she understood why there was so much mystery about them. If it was hard for another mermaid to find them, then it must be impossible for a man to find them.

They continued their search in silence, using basic hand signal to communicate as they combed the depths.

Philip's boat ground to a halt in the sand and he stood, hopping into the surf and trudging ashore to the group of men that awaited him. Groves got out of the boat and followed, slowing to take a second look at Murtogg and Mullroy in the Black Pearl's boat. They sheepishly grinned and held their hands up in greeting.

"Gentlemen..." Groves nodded back to them with an amused smirk on his face, "I see you survived the maelstrom."

"'Ello Leftenant," Mullroy responded, "that's a nice uniform you got there... what's it represent?"

"The Lord God, our King." Groves answered.

Ragetti looked up from his work on the scrap of wood and shot a glance at Pintel, who arched a brow and nodded in approval.

"Captain Swift." Barbossa greeted Philip as he approached the circle of men.

"Gentlemen," Philip nodded to the others.

The group consisted of Barbossa and himself, his brother Nathaniel, and a man he'd seen before.

"This is Master Gibbs, first mate of the Black Pearl." Barbossa introduced him.

"Mr. Gibbs," Philip greeted him, doffing his hat, "where is Captain Sparrow?"

Gibbs' shoulders sagged, "I haven't the slightest notion. He went ashore on some personal business and hasn't been seen since."

"How long has it been?" Nathaniel asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Two days. We were supposed to acquire some goods and set sail on someone's tail, but Jack never returned." Gibbs explained.

Barbossa shot Philip a sideways glance as he leaned on his crutch, "You've checked all the local pubs and taverns, I presume?"

Gibbs nodded, "Aye. Jack may be an odd sort, but this isn't like him."

Barbossa rolled his eyes, "Well gentlemen, we'd best start searching."

"He was sent ashore by Captain Bartholomew Roberts to find a sword. He mentioned St. Piran's Abbey." Gibbs added.

Philip and Nathaniel looked at one another and Philip spoke, "St. Piran's Abbey is where I completed seminary."

Barbossa looked down at the sand for a moment and nodded, "Very well. You will start your search there. Mr. Gibbs and I will start our search inland."

"One more thing," Philip caught them as they turned to leave, "Syrena discovered from a reliable source that Bartholomew Roberts is the Devil's man, the commander of the Armada of the Damned. Where is he, Mr. Gibbs?"

"Jack returned with the sword and gave it to him. The Royal Fortune set sail for the Caribbean minutes later." Gibbs recounted.

"He has the sword..." Philip blinked, "What sword?"

"St. Piran's Blade." Gibbs explained, "It was made during the sixth century and is rumored to burn in the hands of a man with a pure heart."

"And Roberts has that sword?" Nathaniel exclaimed.

Gibbs nodded and Barbossa started crutching off, "Then there's not a moment to waste, gentlemen! Every second we spend ashore is another second he has to put distance between us!"

Nathaniel approached Philip and touched his arm, "I'm coming with you, brother."

Philip nodded and looked up at the cliffs, "I was just about to ask you to join me."

"Where shall I go?" Groves asked, standing behind them.

"Go with Captain Barbossa and Mr. Gibbs," Philip gestured, "They could use an extra man."

Groves nodded briskly and trotted off to catch them, then Nathaniel exhaled deeply.

"How did you get caught up in this again?" he asked as they started up the beach towards a dirt road.

"It's a long story." Philip answered as he rested his palm on his spadroon.

"We've got time." Nathaniel gestured to the road winding up the bluffs overlooking the beach.

The two brothers continued to briskly make their way inland, Nathaniel listening to Philip as he told him everything.


Syrena and Nia had nearly reached the cliffs by now. Still, their search had rendered nothing. There were a couple rotting remains of small fishing vessels that had no doubt wrecked on the shoals over the years, but aside from that, the only sights were what Mother Nature had to offer.

Nia swam a little further down into a crevasse, peering into the shadows and pausing. There was a tunnel that continued down into darkness, one that was certainly large enough for a mermaid to fit into. She drifted back up and grabbed a rock, tapping it on another to grab Syrena's attention. Syrena looked over and Nia pointed, gesturing with her other hand. After signaling the other mermaids that something promising had been found, Syrena and Nia swam down into the crevasse. It reminded Syrena much of the entrance to the Tortuga mermaids' lair, but as the crevasse leveled out and took on a more man-made appearance, she knew this would be different. They swam through the tunnel, which led back under the cliffs for a good distance.

That's when Syrena noticed it. There was light filtering through the water, light that was too bright to be that of deep sea fish. It was golden in color too. The tunnel started to angle up and suddenly they broke the surface, finding themselves in an underground chamber. It was lit by torches hung along the walls and looked like the interior of an old church, albeit without windows. It was round with a vaulted ceiling, lined with pillars, between which there were statues of men wearing ancient armor. In the center of the room, the floor rose up out of the water to a pulpit, encircled by large candles fixed on tall iron rods.

The water around the raised pulpit churned and something grabbed Syrena around the waist, pulling her under. She swung her tail about, writhing to free herself, but whatever held her was too strong. Then she realized that whatever was wrestling her down had arms, a head and shoulders, and a tail like her own. She tried to work her arms in to push the other mermaid off, but she was finally brought down to the floor of the chamber. Then a spear shot through the water towards her face and she caught it, using all her strength to push it back and the wielder with it. Suddenly, as soon as it had started, the aggressive mermaid let go and pulled her to the surface.

Syrena coughed and blinked, looking about to find Nia. She bobbed next to her, and they were surrounded by at least two dozen mermaids armed with spears and tridents.

"How did you find us, sisters?" one of them snapped.

"We looked for the entrance to this... this room." Nia answered.

The first mermaid approached her, "That's quite obvious. How did you know we are here to begin with?"

"We heard there were other pure mermaids out there," Syrena spoke up, doing her best to look bold despite feeling otherwise, "we wanted to find you."

The Cornish mermaid cocked her head as she looked at Syrena, "You're pure?"

Syrena and Nia nodded.

"Where are you sisters from?"

"I am Nia, leader of the Charles Town mermaids," the African mermaid introduced herself, "and this is Syrena, a one of a kind in her school from Whitecap Bay."

"You are a Whitecap Bay mermaid?" the Cornish mermaid asked in surprise, "I heard they have become the worst of the corrupted ones."

"She is also the mermaid who has fallen in love with a man." Nia commented.

A murmur ran through the Cornish mermaids and their leader spoke, "You? You are the mermaid the shanty tells of? Have you kissed him?"

Syrena nodded, "The pirate Blackbeard came to find the Fountain of Youth. When they captured me, Philip protected me from the other men. He carried me through the jungle. He even suffered wounds for me and faced death without regret. Forgiveness for accidentally getting me captured was all he wanted, so I kissed him and saved his life."

"Where is Philip?" the leader asked.

"He is ashore, looking for someone." Syrena told her.

"Bring him to us," the leader responded, "we must give something to him."

Syrena nodded and she turned to leave, then Nia spoke, "What is your name?"

"I am Morvoren, Queen of Mermaids." she replied simply.

Nia and Syrena paused, staring back at the mermaid that bobbed in front of them.

"I thought..."

"That I was dead?" Morvoren finished Nia's sentence, "That's what most mermaids think. After the Sirens won, I went into hiding to preserve our roots."

Syrena's brow furrowed in disbelief, "How?"

"Davy Jones protected me," she answered, "I was his creation, the first mermaid, from which all pure traditions came. He took me aboard his ship and brought me here."

Syrena and Nia's jaws were slightly open in awe, then bowed their heads.

"Go, young Syrena," Morvoren instructed, "Go and find Philip, then bring him to me. The pure-hearted man must have his weapon for the battle that comes."

Syrena and Nia nodded and ducked back below the surface, swimming back into the tunnel for the coast outside.


Barbossa, Gibbs, and Groves walked the streets of Perranporth, looking about for a good place to start asking questions. They walked in silence, eyeing the townsfolk carefully as they passed by.

"There's an inn," Groves pointed out, "I think that would be a good place to start."

Barbossa nodded, "Then off you go, Mr. Groves."

The former naval officer nodded and crossed the street, stepping inside and looking about. It was an average establishment, much like any other inn found in Britain. He approached a finely dressed man having the midday fare and stood before his table.

"What do you seek, sir?" he asked crisply, wiping his mouth with a cloth.

"The whereabouts of Jack Sparrow." Groves answered bluntly.

The man set his fork down and stopped chewing on whatever was in his mouth and arched a brow.

"May I ask why?"

Groves pulled back the chair opposite him and sat down, resting his elbows on the table as he leaned in.

"I've an old grudge against the bugger," Groves explained, "He led my ship on a chase halfway around the world, which ended in a hurricane off Tripoli."

"You were a Dauntless man?" the other man sat back in his chair, "That's bloody unfortunate."

"To say the least," Groves nodded, "Jack Sparrow ended my naval career. I've had to take up privateering since and it has been my personal vendetta to take that man's life."

"I was about to ask about the non-regulation uniform," the other nodded, "I was a quartermaster aboard the Interceptor... before Beckett's seizure of Port Royal."

Groves smiled in surprise, "Well, isn't this a small world?"

The man nodded, "It certainly is. I'm Humphrey Doggard, quartermaster of the East India Company dock here in Cornwall."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Doggard. I am Theodore Groves, second officer of the privateer Providence." Groves nodded politely, "Now that you know why I want to find him, do you know where he is?"

Doggard shook his head as he took a sip from his glass of wine. He licked his lips as he set it down and cocked his head, "It's out of my jurisdiction, Mr. Groves. He was collected by the Lancashire Lads two days ago."

Groves nodded, "What were those boys doing all the way down here in Cornwall?"

"A forced march," Doggard answered, "I spoke to one of their officers and he said they're preparing for North American station in Nova Scotia."

Groves stood, "Thank you, Mr. Doggard. Your information has been most helpful."

"Anything for one of Norrington's Own," Doggard replied, "It's a bloody shame, what happened to him. He was well on his way to having his own flag."

"He did get his own flag... just not with the Navy." Groves informed him.

"The John Company?" Doggard asked.

"Yes, Lord Beckett reinstated him and sent him after the pirates of the Caribbean."

Doggard shook his head, "I feel sorry for the man. He deserves more."

Groves nodded, "That he does, Mr. Doggard, that he does."

"Say, I'll keep an ear open for Jack Sparrow." Doggard commented, "Seeing as I control the Royal Navy's supplies around here..."

Groves nodded in thanks and stepped out of the inn, spotting Barbossa and Gibbs waiting for him and another man. He looked ragged, wearing a red coat and a big hat with a feather in it. His hair was pulled into dreadlocks and his face was well worn.

"What have you found, Mr. Groves?" Barbossa asked wryly.

"Sparrow was taken by the Lancashire Regiment of Foot when they came through on a forced march." Groves reported.

Gibbs nodded, "This is Captain Teague... Jack Sparrow's old man."

Groves' eyes widened and he cocked his head, "I can see that..."

"It appears that the King had a warrant out for Jack's arrest over his... colorful departure from London several weeks ago," Barbossa announced, "We must find the others... we've an elaborate rescue mission to plan."

The four men started down the street towards the edge of town, unaware of Doggard as he watched them through the window of the inn's tavern.


"You were captured by Blackbeard, found the Fountain of Youth, fell in love with a mermaid, and now you're looking for Captain Sparrow and St. Piran's Blade?" the minister asked with an impressed grin on his face.

Philip nodded. He was sitting in one of the pews with Nathaniel as his old teacher stood before them.

"Well, I can't tell you exactly where Captain Sparrow is. All I know is that he came by here looking for St. Piran's Blade as well, then got carted off by soldiers stopping through on a march," he continued, "but I can tell you where St. Piran's Blade is."

"Bartholomew Roberts has it," Nathaniel said, "we know Captain Sparrow got it for him."

"St. Piran's sword and St. Piran's Blade are two different things..." the minister answered wryly, "the first of which Roberts possesses, thinking it is what he wants."

Philip held up his hands, "What you are saying, Father, is that Roberts does not have St. Piran's Blade?"

"That is correct. He has an old relic, something that St. Piran did carry, but not what he intended for use against the Devil," the minister explained, "Gentlemen, St. Piran was a man of God. He knew just as well as we do now what the best weapon to use in Spiritual warfare is."

Nathaniel blinked and looked down as Philip cocked his head, "I'm afraid I don't know, Father."

"You do know," he nodded, "you've just been bombarded by so many legendary things in the past month that you're forgetting to remember that the most important things are actually the most well known and simple things."

Philip thought for a moment, "The Bible says to wield the Lord's Fire. Is that not the Word of God?"

The minister nodded, "It is."

"Then what is St. Piran's Blade?" Philip asked.

The minister gestured for them to stand, leading them outside to walk towards the Holy Well overlooking the cliffs and the sea. The wind came in little gusts that blew the skirts of their coats about.

"St. Piran knew the most potent weapon in a Holy man's arsenal was the Word of God - the Bible. However, he also knew there would be times in this world which merited the use of other weapons..." the minister began, "He prayed that God would allow him to collect a literal and tangible manifestation of the Lord's Fire, for use in pitched battle when Spiritual warfare became visible to the entire world."

They began to walk along the cliffs, down towards the gravel road that lead back to Perranporth.

"St. Piran's Blade is a physical manifestation of the Lord's Fire, a Holy presence for man-made weapons much like the Holy Spirit is the Lord's presence in our bodies," the minister informed them, "It does not inhabit a particular sword, but rather any sword wielded by the pure-hearted man God intended to have it."

They continued down the road towards the outskirts of town, leaving the abbey behind.

"To protect this power, God led Davy Jones to create mermaids, pure-hearted beings, the angels of the sea. They guard St. Piran's Blade, and only a man pure enough to win a mermaid's heart is pure enough to wield it."

Philip and Nathaniel stopped, looking to each other as the minister turned.

"You are God's intended man, Philip. This is His plan for your life. You are a Soldier of the Cross, the Wielder of St. Piran's Blade."

Philip looked at the ground, "I am not worthy of such a commission."

"Most including myself would agree," the minister told him, "but God needs men to fight in His name on the ground, both in Spiritual and literal senses."

"We must go, brother," Nathaniel put his arm around Philip's shoulders, "We still have a fighting chance."

"No, you do not. There are no chances," the minister said with sudden energy, "This war shall be our victory, in the name of our Lord God. It is merely a matter of those who have been chosen to fight stepping onto the field of battle to claim that victory."

Philip looked up, "Where is St. Piran's Blade?"

The minister pointed down at the beach below the cliffs. There was a white spec on the water.

"It is where only she can take you," he said, "Go, Philip, meet your destiny the King has intended for you."

Nathaniel and Philip started walking again and the minister spoke after them, "There is a chest in the crypt. Do not forget to retrieve what is inside it."

Philip nodded and they continued down the road towards the turn that led down to the beach.


"Philip!" Syrena called to him as he and Nathaniel came down the beach.

"I'll be here waiting for you." Nathaniel said after him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

Philip walked into the water and shivered at its temperature, approaching Syrena until he had to swim to her.

"I know what St. Piran's Blade is." Philip told her.

"I know where it is," Syrena replied, "Wrap your arms around me."

Philip hugged her and she wrapped her arms about him, kissing him passionately as she pulled him under the surface, leaving Nathaniel standing on the beach with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"Well done, brother..." he commented to himself as he watched them vanish. Just as he watched them leave, Barbossa's voice carried across the beach to his ears.

Syrena swam down through the water, holding Philip close to keep him warm as the cold waters of the Celtic Sea grew darker. She kicked hard, propelling them down to the rocky seabed and into the crevasse they had found. They swam through the tunnel and Philip's eyes widened as he saw the light shining through at the other end. Soon, they surfaced and he coughed, blinking as he tried to get the water out of his eyes. Syrena wiped the water away and kept her arms around him as Morvoren approached.

"Philip, I am Morvoren, Queen of the Mermaids and guardian of St. Piran's Blade." she introduced herself.

"I am Philip Swift, Captain of His Holy Majesty's Ship Providence." he replied.

"His Holy Majesty's Ship?" Syrena whispered in his ear, "Nice touch."

"I thought you'd like it." he looked back at her.

"As we speak, the Devil's man sails to command the Armada of the Damned," Morvoren continued, "Be quick, take what has been intended for you and go to the defense of the Lord's Creation."

Syrena let go and he swam for the pulpit that rose up out of the water, looking about the room for the chest that the minister had spoken of. He spied it sitting on the floor next to the pulpit, just out of view from the entrance to the crypt. Philip climbed up out of the water and shook the excess off as he ascended to the pulpit. The other mermaids drifted into a circle in the water around it, watching with mixed expressions. Some smiled with joy while others watched respectfully.

A Bible sat on top of the pulpit, its pages free of both dust and the yellowing that comes with age. The print in it was Old English, which Philip could read thanks to seminary. The pages were opened to Ephesians, Chapter Six. Philip quickly found verse seventeen on the page and smiled at the words.

And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

"What shall I do?" Philip asked Morvoren.

"What would you do?" she asked back.

Philip looked back to the Bible and licked his lips, blinking as he thought.

"God, what shall I do?" he asked.

Syrena watched from down in the water, her brow furrowed as she watched him intently. A small smile broke out onto her face as she saw him open his mouth and close his eyes, holding his hands up and lifting his head. He remained still for several moments, then his eyes fluttered open and he looked down. Then he slowly drew out his spadroon, placing the blade between the pages and shutting the Bible over it. He picked the Bible up, holding it in his left hand as he grabbed his spadroon in his right. Philip gently drew the spadroon out from between the pages, as if the Bible were a scabbard. When he finished, he looked down at the sword.

"Only draw your weapon in the name of the Lord," Morvoren spoke, "It is your duty."

Philip's eyes widened as the blade of the spadroon began to glow, turning red as if it had been recently hammered out on the smith's anvil. It grew brighter, turning slowly to orange, then yellow, until it burned white hot. Philip held the spadroon up, squinting as he looked at it. Syrena smiled and Philip's eyes met hers.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, I carry this weapon." Philip declared.

"Now you must go, for the Devil's man still plies the sea." Morvoren reminded him.

Philip sheathed the spadroon; the blade suddenly stopped glowing and returned to its normal appearance as he let go of it. He paused and touched the pommel. Nothing happened. Philip grabbed the handle and started to draw it and the blade immediately started glowing again. He smiled as he returned it and looked to the chest.

"It is not really a breastplate, but functions just the same." Morvoren noted as Philip opened the chest.

Inside was a folded garment of clothing. He drew it out and unfolded it. It was a black coat with long skirts, bucket cuffs, and a shoulder cape. It looked like a cross between a frock and a clerical cassock, complete with a silver sash to wear about the waist. Beneath the coat and sash was another folded piece of black cloth. He noticed an eyelet and some white amongst the folds. It was a Cornish flag.

"You spoke correctly when you said you commanded His Holy Majesty's Ship Providence," Morvoren added, "Fly the colors of the King high."

Philip set the cassock frock and sash back into the chest and shut it, then picked it up and carried it down to the water's edge. Two of the Cornish mermaids swam over to take either end as Syrena came forward to take Philip.

"I love you, Philip." she said quietly before kissing him again. They plunged back beneath the surface and started back out of the tunnel.

Philip held onto Syrena tightly as they swam through the dark depths, feeling her arms around him and her hips as they bumped him with each kick of her tail. They exited the crevasse and started back up towards the surface and finally broke it. The other two mermaids surfaced with the chest behind them and they started swimming over to the beach.

Nathaniel, Barbossa, Groves, Gibbs, and Teague watched the spectacle from ashore, then Teague spoke.

"That boy's just lived the dream of every man I've ever met on the high seas," he murmured as Philip let go of Syrena and started sloshing up out of the water, "Do you know how many men would want to be in his boots right now?"

"Their romance is hardly lustful," Nathaniel defended, "That's why Philip's the only man to have done it."

"What have you found, Captain Swift?" Barbossa asked.

Philip drew his spadroon and held it up for the rest to see. Everyone's jaw dropped and Gibbs started crossing himself.

"I thought Roberts had it?" Groves stuttered.

"He had St. Piran's sword," Philip explained, "but not St. Piran's Blade!"

Teague cracked a sly smile that soon diminished.

"Where's Captain Sparrow?" Philip asked, "And who are you?"

"I am Captain Teague... Jackie's father," Teague introduced himself, touching his forehead in a jaunty salute and bowing his head, "and my son... is in the Tower of London awaiting execution."


Author's Note: Surprise! I managed to squeeze out one more chapter before I leave! This one "flowed onto the paper" rather easily, but I assume that's because so much is going on. I don't know about you, but when I write, I literally begin to watch a movie in my head, copying what I see and hear with my fingers on the keyboard. You know you're in a groove when the characters just start speaking and it comes naturally... you don't have to think, you just listen. I even surprised myself with the last part. The Tower of London? What? How in the heck are they going to get Jack out of this one? It sounds harder than springing him from Davy Jones' Locker in my opinion! Again, I will not promise you another chapter before I leave. Who knows, the Lord has a thing for making time that you don't think exists, but don't get your hopes too high. Besides... I have my work cut out for me. Philip and co. have to break Jack Sparrow out of the British Empire's Alcatraz... in the heart of London. Talk about going into the lion's den (pun intended)! Before I leave, thank you so much for your well wishes and prayers! It means a lot! I guess you could say I am going into the world like Philip Swift to do the Lord's Work... let's just hope I don't get captured by pirates while I'm over there! Ha ha!