Chapter 10: Blood and Broadsides
It wasn't long before the pirates returned with some of the oars. Barbossa and Jack, along with Alice, Pintel and Ragetti, were the first to return to the ship, while some of the others crammed into the rest of the tiny boats, and a few went in search of more oars. Alice went belowdecks with Pintel and Ragetti, on Barbossa's orders, while the captain and Jack went to the cabin. "Ye can trust these two," he had whispered to her before leaving her alone with them.
Alice looked around, recalling when she was in there earlier with Barbossa. The pair looked at her nervously while casting glances back and forth in a silent argument.
"So, you're from the future," Ragetti said in a loud whisper with a nervous smile, and Alice's eyes went huge. Pintel elbowed his cohort. "Sorry," he said quietly.
"He told you?" Alice asked, feeling slightly betrayed.
"It's not a big deal," Pintel stepped toward her and said. She had never seen him act comforting before, and it came across as slightly odd. "No one else knows – just us."
"The captain entrusts us with quite a lot," Ragetti said quietly as he joined their little huddle. "I think we're the only two on this ship he's ever really trusted. Been with him a very long time, we have."
"Since long before the curse," Pintel added.
"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Ragetti added on, the worry clear on his face. "Our secrets stay with us." Alice nodded slowly.
"I wish he would have told me, is all," she said, slightly annoyed.
"The captain's going through a lot right now," Pintel said. "It's even worse now that Jack's returned and we're still cursed."
"What's the deal with Jack Sparrow, anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious about who exactly the man was. The pair looked at each other for a moment and then looked around.
"He used to be the captain of this ship," Ragetti started. "It was him who found out about the treasure."
"Barbossa was 'is first mate," Pintel added in. "He went to ol' Jack one night and convinced 'im to share the location of the treasure."
"Yeah and, when Jack gave him the map, there was a mutiny." The pair looked at each other somewhat apologetically. "We marooned Jack on a small island, and made our way to the treasure."
"Once we got 'hold of it, and learned about the curse, Bootstrap took issue with what we had done. He sent off a piece of the treasure to 'is kid, sayin' we ought to remain cursed," Pintel groaned slightly. "And then we 'itched 'im to a cannon an' sent 'im overboard. Unfortunately fer us, we didn't find out until long after that we needed 'is blood to lift the curse."
"S'why we were looking for Turner. Bootstrap's kid," Ragetti clarified. Alice hummed and nodded in understanding.
"Why was Jack such a terrible captain?" Alice asked. The pair shuffled uneasily.
"Well, he wasn't," Pintel said and Ragetti nodded.
"Then why the mutiny?"
"We were heading for the treasure, you see, but Jack kept avoiding going directly to it, circlin' us round and round. We grew a bit impatient and, well…" Ragetti said with a shrug.
"Weren't our best idea," Pintel said and the two shared a chuckle.
"The price of greed," Alice smirked and laughed softly.
"Sail ho!" came the call from above and the trio looked at each other before scrambling up the stairs. They emerged just as Barbossa and Jack exited the cabin. Barbossa eyed Alice for a moment before running up to the sterncastle, Alice following closely behind him. Barbossa pulled out a spyglass and Alice gazed out; in the distance the Interceptor was clearly visible against the backdrop of white clouds. Jack appeared and stood in front of Barbossa, blocking his view.
"I'm having a thought here, Barbossa," he started, and Alice noticed he was waving an apple around. Barbossa slowly lowered his spyglass, giving Jack a look of skeptical disdain. "What say we run up a flag of truce, I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?" Jack looked pleased with himself.
"No, you see, Jack," he started with a mocking grin, "that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easier to search when they're dead," he finished menacingly. He turned to the bo'sun. "Lock him in the brig," he ordered, and Jack was grabbed away, but not before Barbossa snatched the apple out of his hand. He examined the large bite that had been taken out of it and chucked it out to sea in annoyance. Alice looked at Barbossa.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
"We retrieve the medallion and the girl, take what hostages we can get, and blast their ship to the depths. We'll find Turner, no matter what it takes," he half smiled. "Should be easy enough, but mind you – if they start firing 'pon us, secure yerself away 'neath the stairs," he stomped his foot, indicating the area below them. "Ought ter be the safest place, but tha's not saying much. And here," he handed her one of his pistols from his belt. Alice eyed the heavy weapon. "In case of boarders," he added quietly. "Ye'll only have the one shot, so make it count." Alice looked into his eyes and nodded, noting that Barbossa looked concerned. He returned to his spyglass, watching the Interceptor. Alice looked over the side and saw barrels floating by; they were lightening their load to increase speed, but the Pearl was gaining on them swiftly.
"Haul on the main brace! Make ready the guns," Barbossa called out to the crew as he lowered his spyglass. "And run out the sweeps," he said with a grin to the bo'sun, who had returned from securing Jack away in the brig. Alice, still looking over the side, saw the gun ports open, cannon muzzles rolling into view. Her attention was called to the large Jolly Roger being run up the ensign staff, flapping in the wind as it was hoisted. She looked over the side once more to see long oars slipping out just below the guns and beginning to row, adding to their already considerable speed. Barbossa's monkey appeared, hopping onto his shoulder as he strode to stand in front of the helm. Alice joined him and he put an arm around her waist; she looked up and he glanced at her, giving her a smug smile before returning his gaze to the ship ahead. She was scared, but she felt considerably calmer being near him.
The Interceptor lurched and seemed to suddenly drag before twisting; it looked almost as though it was moving backwards for a moment before it changed directions suddenly. Barbossa dropped his arm and the monkey ran off as he stormed forward.
"They're clubhaulin'!" he yelled in anger. "Hard aport! Rack the starboard oars!" he called out to the crew, and the bo'sun repeated his orders loudly. Alice almost lost her footing as they swung the ship around to come alongside the Interceptor. "Get below!" he snapped to Alice, and she stared for a moment before she realized what was about to happen. She bolted around him and down the stairs, running beneath them and peeking her head out. She watched the other ship come straight for them and thought they might collide until it corrected its positioning. She drew back and curled up into a small ball in the corner; she wanted to watch the action, but she had never been in a situation anything near to this before, and she trusted Barbossa to know what was best for her right now.
The crews were both shouting loudly and incoherently at each other, making quite the ruckus. From above she heard Barbossa, loud and clear through it all, as he gave the order to fire. The ship rumbled hard beneath her and she could feel the vibrations as the cannons rang out, the sound of them almost deafening. The other ship fired back and Alice had to cover her face as debris and shrapnel rained everywhere. The attacking blasts could be felt throughout the ship, and smoke was everywhere. The broadsides stopped for a time while cannons were reloaded, and she could hear pistols and muskets ringing out from every direction. She uncovered her face and peered out between the steps.
"Strike your colours, ye blooming cockroachers!" she heard Barbossa yell at the other ship as he came striding into view along the main deck. "Hands!" he called to the crew. "Grapnels at the ready! Prepare to board!" Men clambered to the center grate and grasped up grappling hooks threaded with heavy ropes. As they ran to the starboard side, a cannon rang out and there was a loud crack, like lightning hitting a distant tree. Alice watched in horror as one of the masts came crashing down from the Interceptor. Barbossa strode out as it fell onto the Pearl; he stood so that a hole blasted into the sail saved him from being crushed as it fell around him. The men had all paused and looked around for a moment as the ship groaned.
"Pistols and cutlasses, men!" Barbossa called out. "Koehler and Twigg, to the powder magazine! And the rest of you: Bring me that medallion!" he all but screamed. Still being fired upon, those who weren't firing back threw their lines and swung across to the other ship. Alice spotted Jack come up from belowdecks and rush to the railings; she could see him pause to look around, obscured by smoke from guns. A man swung across from the Interceptor and she readied her pistol, but he was quickly done in of by a cutlass of one of the Pearl's crewman. Barbossa stood still, surveying the actions aboard the Interceptor intently. His monkey appeared a short time after, returning to his shoulder and Barbossa laughed.
"Why, thank ye, Jack," she heard him say, and moved to see Jack Sparrow perched on the mast that had fallen, creating a bridge between the two ships. She didn't hear Jack's response, but Barbossa returned with "not you; we named the monkey Jack," which caused Jack the squint at the Captain. "Gents, our hope is restored!" Barbossa yelled, and Alice could see him waving the medallion in his hand. The entire crew cheered loudly, waving about their cutlasses. Jack gave a half-sarcastic smile before the other men pulled him fully onto the ship and ran across a gangplank. The crewmembers that had crossed to the Interceptor returned along this plank, hostages in tow. Alice caught sight of Elizabeth who was kicking and screaming more intently than when they had first been captured in Port Royal. Barbossa ordered to the crew to give some distance between them and the Interceptor, and the ship slowly began to move away, turning to come around on the opposite side of the battered vessel. The hostages were packed together on the deck, being bound in a single mass with rope. Alice came out of her hiding spot as this was occurring and stood beside Barbossa, gazing at the Interceptor as he turned the medallion over in his hand with a smile.
"Any of you so much as thinks the word 'parley', I'll 'ave your guts fer garters," Pintel threatened, pistol in hand, as he an Ragetti walked around the other crew. With a deafening crash, the other ship ripped apart in a fiery blaze as the magazine exploded. Hearing a shriek, Alice spun around in time to see Elizabeth, having somehow freed herself from the rest, rush Barbossa, screeching at him while pounding him with her fists. He grabbed her arms and forced her face close to his.
"Welcome back, miss," he growled with a smile, and she struggled against him. "Ye took advantage of our hospitality last time – it holds fair now ye return the favour," he laughed and shoved Elizabeth into the arms of the waiting crew, who immediately began to jeer as they groped her ravenously. She screamed in protest, and Barbossa watched in amusement, Alice looking on in horrified uncertainty, until his attention was called back to the side of the ship.
"Barbossa!" a man yelled, and they both turned to face him. Alice just barely recognized the man standing there, tightly gripping the rigging, as the same person she saw in the foyer of the mansion on the day of Norrington's promotion ceremony. Everyone aboard the ship looked at him as he hopped onto the deck, grabbed a nearby pistol, cocked it, and pointed it at Barbossa. "She goes free!" he threatened.
Barbossa strode over to him as he spoke. "What's in your head, boy?"
"She goes free," he repeated with a glare. Barbossa walked right up to the end of the pistol.
"Ye've only got one shot, and we can't die," he smirked. The man looked around, and Jack muttered something. He immediately lowered the gun and returned to his perch on the rail, rigging in one hand and pistol in the other. "You can't," he said, aiming at the crew, but then he moved the pistol to the underside of his jaw. "But I can." Barbossa glared at whatever Jack had said and then looked back at the man.
"Who are you?" he asked in a slightly exasperated tone.
"No one, he's no one," Jack said and ran to Barbossa. "Distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though: Eunuch," he finished pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the man, and Alice eyed him warily.
"My name is Will Turner; my father was Bootstrap Bill Turner," Alice gasped as the man said this, her eyes widening as she stared at him. "His blood runs in my veins."
"He's a spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill, come back to haunt us!" Ragetti said behind her.
"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker," Will threatened.
"Name yer terms, Mr. Turner," Barbossa stated and Alice slowly stepped nearer to the captain.
"Elizabeth goes free!" he said and she could almost feel Barbossa roll his eyes.
"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"
"And the crew," he gestured toward them with his pistol before returning it to his jaw. "The crew are not to be harmed." Barbossa paused for a moment before taking a few steps closer to Will.
"Agreed," he drew out with a smile. He ordered the captives be taken to the brig, save for Will, Elizabeth and Jack, who were lashed to the mast to keep them from conspiring with the rest. Barbossa turned and headed for the helm, Alice in tow. "Make for Rumrunner's Isle," he told the helmsman with a grin, and the man gruffly laughed in response, a cruel smile taking over his face.
"Where are we going?" Alice asked Barbossa.
"A small bit o' sand that barely qualifies as an island," he chuckled. "'Tis where we marooned Sparrow ten years ago, before we first headed to Isla de Muerta, when we were still mortal men, the lot of us. Seeing as we are returning to that place to break the curse that was set upon us then, it seems only fitting that we replay that action as well," he said looking at Alice in amusement. She mulled it over, her brows knitted together.
"I'm not one for superstition, but doesn't it seem like you're tempting fate? Considering what happened last time?" she asked, her brows now raised. Barbossa squinted at her, his amusement only half disappearing.
"What more could happen to us? We're already cursed men."
"Those words have always led to trouble, in my experience," she said pointedly and Barbossa laughed.
"There is nothing in this world that will stop me from breaking this curse," he smiled and Alice decided to give up her worried disagreement. She had a bad feeling, but she tried to bury it deep down.
"What about the others?"
"I figure we send the lass off with him," he started, but Alice interrupted.
"Elizabeth? Why?" she asked with concern.
"She cost us valuable time, both ten years ago and now," he answered, staring at her pointedly. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it, unsure of how exactly to refute that.
Her stomach growled and she groaned. "Have at the galley, girl," he chuckled. "There be not much left, but I'm sure ye'll find something to tide ye over." She smiled weakly and nodded before making her way to the forecastle.