Chapter 13: 1742 Blackbeard

Jack felt how coldness crept up his back and grasped for him with its icy claws.

So he decided retreat to be the only acceptable possibility at the moment if he wanted to prevent the men from being punished right here and now.

No one aboard dared to move and while everyone was staring at the opened door the just overwhelmed members of the crew freed themselves from their bonds and so did Angelica who shook off her minders with a gruff move.

Nothing of what was going on aboard promised any good.

Jack knew, that those who attached themselves to the mutiny could barely count on clemency and while he feverishly searched for a way out of this precarious situation he hoped the same time to get a chance to prove his skills as best as possible – he wanted to make a try to negotiate...

"What's going to happen next?" Caithleen's voice dragged him out of his dark thoughts.

"Think, we will come to know this soon enough. But Caithleen, listen to me. There's something I expect from you, love."

He was astonishingly stern and she asked: "What is it?"

"Want you to give me a promise! Want you to stay alive!" He let his gaze sink into hers: "Equal what will happen to me! Savvy!"

Before she was able to give him a reply they heard heavy steps coming from the Captain's cabin. All those who still weren't convinced that they sailed aboard the "Queen Anne's Revenge" got disabused now.

The man who appeared on the deck within this moment was the incarnated terror of the Caribbean and the sevens seas.

Legendary! Wicked! Infamous!

Even the most venturous and courageous pirates having their shelter on Tortuga, in Port Royal or on any other pirate hideout named him only under-the-counter.

The Captain of the "Revenge" was Edward Teach better known amongst pirates, merchants and sailors as Blackbeard.

Jack tried to hide his surprise and his scare and he wasn't the only one staring at the Captain in disbelief and with wide opened eyes. All the men who fought for their freedom and their lives just a few moments ago beheld Edward Teach – confused, surprised, frightened.

Blackbeard was an impressive man.

Tall and strong as he was, there was not doubt that he felt superior to every single man aboard. Paired with the legends he was surrounded by and the pure horror which befell all those who heard his name or came across him, his appearance let him really be second to none and made him a loose cannon on top of all.

Jack watched him attentively because he wanted to know which the indulgences of the man were.

Teach's eyes were reddened and bloodshot – an unmistakable sign that he drank too much and slept too little. The price of power!

Jack wasn't able to spot any more from the face of the man. A long, bushy and black beard covered the biggest part of his face and a part of his breast. In its ends some colored ribbons were woven in. Underneath his broad brimmed hat a bandana restrained his long black hair. A broad belt hung over his shoulder, a second was wrapped round his waist. They kept three pairs of pistols, a cutlass and a dagger which were both covered with dried blood.

No one needed to tell Jack what that meant.

Much more remarkable of the sinister Captain was indeed something different: His head seemed to smoke.

An effect caused by a number of lightened fuzes of which Jack already had been told years ago. They stuck in Teach's hat and induced the illusion the man had been chosen by the devil itself to sail the seven seas.

To Jack the most remarkable thing concerning the Captain was his sword – a heavy weapon with a broad blade, on which snatch his hand still kept hold on.

Jack knew he would be in a hopelessly inferior position if he would have to fight against this man so all he could count on was his talent to play his enemies off against each other.

"What's going on here?"

The Captain spoke with a low voice and absolute advisedly but every man aboard was able to hear what he said: "As it seems my crew suffers from a lack of discipline! How is this possible?"

His voice was dangerously calm but it had a threatening undertone.

Angelica cleaved through the men: "Sir! A part of the crew tried to gain control over the ship!"

"Is that so? Mutiny then?" He nodded and went on within the same silent tone: "Haven't I done everything for you? Suffered you aboard my ship, shared the captured prey with you? And now, within a moment of privacy, of retirement and reflection you dared to attack your Captain from behind and started to commit a mutiny."

"For every man there is that one single moment some day when he's not longer willing to let himself be enslaved!"

Jack turned round in surprise. It was the young cleric who got up the nerve to make head against the Captain.

He gave the boy a sign not tempt fate and luck again and whispered: "Don't think that's wise boy!"

Philip shook his head: "I'm not afraid! Nothing will happen to me!" He turned again towards Teach and added: "Can't you understand that your men weren't able anymore to bear your disposal and the punishment you threatened them with?"

He made some steps towards Blackbeard and withstood his gaze effortlessly.

Jack held Caithleen back when she wanted to help the boy. He was honestly impressed by the courage the young man owned.

"Don't!" He whispered: "The boy is courageous and clever! Even if he might lose his head for it."

"You don't want to help him?"

"Not now, love! Trust me! It's not the opportune moment."

"Maybe I should be much more patient, but creatures like this Captain nearly destroyed our lives."

"You're really lion-hearted, Caithleen Stevens, but believe me, this will not help us much this time."

Caithleen only nodded and watched what would happen next. The young priest seemed still to be unimpressed by the astonishing presence of the Captain.

"You dare to interfere?" Teach beheld the young man like an insect he would like to scrunch: "Are you not afraid I could get you out of my way?"

"You can do to me whatever you want to, but there is another place and there you have no power – neither over me nor over all those poor souls aboard your cursed vessel!"

"Do you really believe that every soul can be saved and that every soul is worth to be saved?" Teach's gaze got deep in Philip's eyes: "That would mean, your God would be willing to save even my black pirate soul?"

"If you would honestly regret he would do it!"

The Captain laughed and it sounded like a bad omen.

"Don't you think this was enough of that idle talk about saving some more or less lost souls and the situation aboard your for sure impressive but not really extraordinary vessel? As I came to know you're on a quest, aren't you? So if I'm not wrong, mate, and I'm not supposed to be wrong anyway, there is something, you're searching for. Aye? Well, in this case I would suggest you to go on searching for your whatsoever, send your men back to their stations and go on with this comfortable sea passage. Eh...?"

Jack pushed Philip aside and put his most naive mien ever on.

"I will deal with you later, Sparrow! First I have to take care of these betrayers I have aboard my ship." Teach looked at the men: "You dared to lead a riot against me! You tried to dispose me and to take over the ship!" The dangerous undertone within his voice got more and more threatening and pestering, while his hand clutched his sword, moving it seemingly nervous.

Caithleen kept taps on him and on his ship and a bad feeling crept inside her.

A groaning and moaning went through the whole ship, the rigging seemed to sigh and to stretch – as if a giant woke up after having slept for centuries and stretched his limbs.

"There's something amiss!" She whispered next to Jack's ear: "This vessel is alive!"

"Are you certain?"

"Jack, my soul was bound to your ship and brought it to life for about fifteen years. I can feel it. Something's definitely wrong!"

They weren't able to think about it any longer.

Teach raised his voice and shouted at his men: "You're all in the know what you did! It was mutiny! And you all know what happens to mutineers! Mutineers will hang!"

Within minutes the "Revenge" came to life.

The men run scared and they tried headless and desperate to get to another place, when hawsers and ropes wound round their bodies, arms and legs like living beings. It didn't last long until all those who had been involved in the mutiny hung within the rigging like flies within a spider's net.

"Caithleen!" Jack searched for her totally appalled but he got torn from his feet the same moment as well.

"And now", Teach beheld the men with a kind of satisfaction: "you will tell me who it was who incited the mutiny!"

Anxious silence spread round the whole vessel. No one dared to say a word or even to breathe.

"Oi!" Jack fell out of the rigging only held by the rope wrapped round his boots: "Captain! Want to report a mutiny!"

Blackbeard seemed to be less surprised by his try to draw the whole attention towards him: "It's a worthy try Sparrow, but I know that the seed for this trial had been sown long before you showed up aboard my ship. Otherwise this flock of sheep would never have been that keen to follow you. At best you're the shepherd of this blinded herd. No! The initiator of all this is someone else!"

The Captain stared at the faces of the helpless men and one after the other lowered his gaze. All but one! The ship's cook!

"You?" The question nearly sounded amused: "The cook? That's fitting!"

One move was enough and the rigging released the men.

"Oh bugger!"

Jack fell to the ground with a curse upon his lips and got up the same moment. He feared the vengeful Captain would not calm down until the poor devil got his punishment.

He knew several ways and possibilities how to punish a man but he wasn't willing to let the men suffer in his place: "Captain! Leave it well alone! The crew already got its punishment while being forced to eat what he's cooking! Lock him in the brig and..."

"Don't tell me how to lead my ship, Sparrow!" Teach turned round to Philip: "Tell me clergyman, you say every soul is meant to get its second chance. Does this apply for our cook as well?"

It took Philip not long to think it over: "God doesn't make any difference!"

"Then you should start praying for him!" The Captain called for his quartermaster: "Ready a boat and leave it to the cook!"

The man panicked as if he knew what was waiting for him.

Jack watched how they pushed him across the whole deck and forced him to climb down into the boat. He bent over the rail and saw how the boat departed from the "Revenge".

This was much more punishment than necessary so the more was Jack surprised when he heard the next order: "Bring her alongside!"

"He won't let him escape!" Jack turned round and to his relief it was Caithleen standing at his side. She was unharmed and added: "The poor devil is lost!"

They looked on silently how the "Revenge" veered. The boat lay in front of her now and as much as the man within it tried, he wasn't able to row fast enough to escape.

The Captain ordered: "Fire!"

Flames sputtered out of the bow and enwrapped the boat. Caithleen stared into the fire and the flames like paralyzed. She wasn't able to move and her eyes were filled with pure horror. Jack knew what she was thinking about. When the wind carried over the screaming of the man she desperately tried to cover her ears. Jack grasped her hand – it was ice cold.

Caithleen's whole body shivered and he didn't mind if the men stared at him when he dragged her into his arms: "Ssshh! Love, calm down! I'm with you!"

"Jack! I can't forget about it..."

"Yes!" He sighed: "I know! I can't either!"

He beheld the Captain who contentedly watched how the burning boat floated on the waves: "This will be a lesson to all of you! And now up to your stations! All of you!"

Disgust an anger raised within Jack and his hand just grasped for his sword when he heard the voice of the priest once again: "Enough! Stop that! It's still not too late!"

"Not?" Blackbeard laughed: "Then let me see what I can do to change that!" Once again he ordered: "Fire!"

"No!" Horror showed up upon the face of the young man, when a second wave of fire hit the boat.

That was the moment when Caithleen freed herself from Jack's embrace. She threw away her hat, dragged the ribbon out of her hair and drew her sword.

She pushed Jack and Philip aside and cleaved towards Teach: "You rotten bastard! You vile creature! You name yourself Captain and claim to command a ship? You're nothing but a miscreant, Edward Teach!"

"Caithleen! Don't!" Jack yelled and wanted to follow her but Philip held him back: "What are you doing!" Jack hissed: "I can't look on helplessly again, how she...! I'm not willing to watch how he kills her!"

Caithleen looked at him over her shoulder: "Believe me he won't kill me!" She pushed past some of Teach's men: "Out of my way, or you will follow the cook! Got my promise!" Unimpressed by everything what happened around her she went up the stairs and her eyes were glowing from anger and pure hatred: "You're nothing but a coward, Captain Blackbeard!"

She nearly spat it out.

Teach gazed at the young woman standing in front of him.

Untouched first and unimpressed, but when she came closer his eyes widened barely noticeable: "Who are you, lass?"

Was it possible? Jack meant to find a hint of concern maybe even fear within the voice of that heinous pirate.

Caithleen stood there – a small and beautiful figure and a monster in human form next to her – and she did not move back when he built up in front of her.

"I'm Caithleen Stevens!" She said – determined and fearless: "I'm the daughter of Captain Jeremy Stevens! He was a pirate to the core but he was not a monster like you! You're nothing! Every single man of your crew is much worthier than you!"

It seemed as if he wasn't really listening to what she said.

Instead of he asked: "You're neither dead nor alive, lass! Who are you?"

"I'm just a humble pirate lass! And you own no power to make me bow to you!"

Within a split second her blade whizzed past his face and he lost some strands of his beard.

Instead of drawing his own sword Teach grabbed her wrist and twisted it as long until she let go her blade: "And now, Miss Stevens, we will go on with our little conversation, if you will be so kind!" He stared at Jack and added without turning his gaze away from him: "Quartermaster! Take her to the mast! Think a dozen lashes will expel the daring out of young Miss Stevens!"

"No!" Jack felt as if his heart had been torn out of him when he had to watch how the man with those terrible dead eyes dragged Caithleen across the whole deck to enchain her to the mast: "Let her go!"

He tried in vain to break free from the firm grip Teach's men held him with.

"Oh no, Sparrow! How could I? While you provided me the best pledge to reassure myself of your undivided attention!"

Captain Teach was contented, the more when he got aware how Jack reacted to his order. The infamous Captain Sparrow was pale from sorrow and condemned to look on helplessly when they tore the shirt off the body of the woman he loved...

"Captain!" The quartermaster hesitated! He had discovered the scars upon Caithleen's back and the branding upon her shoulder.

"You heard the Captain's order! Go on!" It was the voice of Angelica Malon...

Author's note:

The description of Captain Edward Teach / Blackbeard is based upon a description of him within a book about piracy and the most infamous and the most popular captain's sailing the seven seas within the golden age of piracy.

(Tip: Pat Croce: "Pirate Soul")