Ch. 9 Into the Jungle
"Wait down here. I'll get a better view of the area." Adam's crew halted in place as their captain warped to the top of the trees.
"You've been a great teacher, Will." Ryan patted his apprentice on the shoulder. Will shrugged.
"I learned from the best." Adam reappeared in front of the group.
"There's a small village up ahead. We should stop there and search for supplies." The crew continued to cut through the vines and leaves of the jungle. The heat and mist made it hard for anyone to keep moving for too long. Lenora couldn't stop sweating.
"Hey Jordan, how about you turn to ice so we can cool off?" Lenora watched as her friend willingly changed form and felt the cool air radiating off her frozen body. "That's much better." Bonnie looked ahead and saw sunlight piercing through the trees ahead.
"I think I see the village!" Bonnie shouted. Everyone made a break for the trees; exiting the wild jungle and entering civilization. What they saw horrified them. There were villagers running from something unknown force of destruction. Then they saw the clockworks, and in front of them was Kane. The clockwork king picked up an official looking villager in his right hand.
"Hello, pirates. It is so nice of you to join us." Kane slowly backed up to the edge of the jungle. "Have you met my new council?" Nine figures came out from behind Kane and stood on either side of him. Each had some connections with the pirates. Adam and his crew saw as Sly Pedro Davis, Finn Dorsal, a rebuilt Queen, General Yancy Ford, Ford's personality matrix Sigma, the Minotaur, and Count Bastille de Brass take up Kane's side, but two of Kane's new council stayed behind the crowd. "I thought I could use a little diversity, even if it means recruiting pirates. Tell me, Mr. Silver," Kane asked, "Do these pirates mean anything to you?" The two mystery members stepped out from behind the other seven members of Kane's council. One wore dark green witchdoctor garbs with brown boots and wielded a staff, with a snake entwining it, and a pistol while the other wore dark blue witchdoctor garbs with black boots and wielded a staff, with a dead raven at the top, and a broad sword. Both had long blond hair with the younger of the two girls' hair being a tad bit shorter. Adam's eyes grew as he saw the two pirates.
"Mary? Hannah?" He stared in disbelief as two people he once called friends stood by his greatest enemy. "What are you doing here? Why are you with him?" The blast from the past both gladdened and confused Adam.
"We're here because you betrayed us." Hannah had deep anger in her tone. "You abandoned us and left us for dead on our last supply run together." Adam stepped back in shock.
"That's not what happened at all. We were pinned down. I charged at the clockworks to buy you guys some time to escape. I saw you get onto the ship!"
"Yeah, but the ship had already been overrun by clockworks. You sent us to our death." The elder Winchester's logic had gone far out the window.
"I didn't know." Adam stated, knowing he couldn't have accounted for a boarding party. "I always thought you had managed to get away."
"Hannah," Mary started, putting her snake entwined staff in front of her sister, "If he didn't know, then we can just walk away from this. We don't have to fight." Lenora pointed her right dagger toward Mary.
"You should listen to her. Adam had nothing to do with what happened that night. He became as much a prisoner of Kane as you two did. The only difference is he escaped." Hannah chuckled.
"You think I only want revenge for that night?" Hannah raised her staff. "He broke my sister's heart. He didn't come back for us. He didn't even try to contact us." Brave pointed his rifle at Hannah.
"You know, it's kind of hard to send a letter asking how someone is when you're fighting a war. I haven't seen my daughter in months," Brave shouted, "How's that for heart-breaking?" Kane motioned for the Winchesters, Pedro, Queen, and the Minotaur to follow him into the jungle.
"The rest of you, entertain out guests." Kane disappeared with the villager still in hand. Ford pushed his fist together. A strange indiscernible garble exited his throat. Sigma floated in front of his owner.
"General Ford says, 'with pleasure,' I would run if I were you." Adam saw the path Kane's new friends were making through the trees and underbrush.
"Lenora, Bonnie, Wing, and Jordan, we're going after Kane. Ryan, Will, Brave, Autumn, and Ratbeard, you stay here and keep them occupied." The five pirates disappeared into the merciless jungle. Ryan looked at his shoulder, then at the four assailants.
"Alright, who's up first?"