A/N: Now, there is the new chapter, and things are getting... worse.
darklight03: No, I can safely say it was neither Jack nor the Commodore, who gave Susannah the ring. I can, in addition to that, confirm, that neither of them will take long to step by on the pirate island... to pay the little seeress a respect... of sorts. The first one will be coming in the next chapter, I think... unless I change my mind about that
Chapter 24
Terror revealed
„Lieutenant Gillette!"
He turned, surprised at the voice calling out to him from the bottom of the stairs which led up to the high perches of the fort. The sun had risen behind a wall of clouds, but the day promised to be hot nonetheless, a humidity lying upon their shoulders, clinging clothes to sweat-soaked bodies and making every waking step an agony.
There were days when he hated it.
Of all the officers currently at Port Royal, Lieutenant Gillette was surely by far the one who felt least at home here. He had joined the Caribbean fleet for the same sake as almost everybody else – because of the glory, the money, the carreer, the order... and a dozen other reasons he could name if he wanted – but he would be counting the days, cheering each one past that brought him closer to homely shores.
He also was the only of the officers having left a family at home, which maybe explained all of it.
However, to sum it up, he had never been altogether fond of either carribbean sun or carribbean rain, and yet he could not deny that Elizabeth Swann, standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking up at him, a colorful spot against the grey walls around him, carried a certain beauty.
He could well understand the apparent attachment of the Commodore to her, and, like probably every soldier of the garrison, regretted the outcome of things, having wished the Commodore success in his dealings.
He had, however, always known that the young woman was, indeed, headstrong.
He wondered what it was, that brought her to him.
Being a polite man, he stepped down from the high perches to acknowledge her presence with a small bow.
„Miss Swann. What can I do for you?"
„May I have a moment?" she asked, her eyes squinted in a thoroughly questioning, thoroughly curious manner. There was something very unladylike in the way she watched him.
He bowed again, just the hint of it, actually and gestured her to follow him to step aside out of the full attention of anyone who might accidently look up at the fort.
„I have... heard, that you are fond of riddles."
How unelegant a way to put it, he thought. Indeed, Gillette harboured a hearty interest towards secrets and mindgames, playing a game of wits with two of the lower ranks by posing riddles and puzzles for the others to solve. He wondered, how it had come to her attention, and opted for Norrington, in the end. The Commodore knew of this particular interest of his and might have told it to Elizabeth. She was sure of her ground and there was nothing to do. He could – even on his best intentions – not deny what she was saying.
„That might not be too far off the mark", he agreed cautiously, and Elizabeth smiled.
„Well.. Lieutenant... I have..."
She seemed at loss for words for a moment, continued then, slightly embarassed.
„... I have been playing a game. With Will... Mr. Turner, I mean, actually. He has posed me a small riddle for me to solve, but... well, I cannot figure it out." He felt a smile creep on her face. This sounded very improper, and yet very much like Miss Swann. „I was wondering...", she continued, „ I know, you are a busy man. But if it would give you some joy, and... well, also to help me, I confess... I would be eternally grateful, were you to... just take a look at it."
Gillette was intrigued. He was well aware, that this might be a weakness, but this challenge seemed harmless enough.
„You are asking me to help you cheat in a game... of your fiancee and yours?"
She shrugged, apparently embarrassed.
„Well. Sort of."
Now his smile was genuine. There was something about Elizabeth Swann that made people like her.
„Well. I can take a look at it, but I will not promise anything."
She seemed thoroughly relieved, when he agreed to help her and handed him a small piece of paper which he read thoroughly.
„To understand the urgency of these occurrencies, dear friend, it may be enough to remind you that we are finding ourselfs in a quite precarious position. Even London might not be sure any more, you should remember, that in places, that are far from anything you might be able to eat, dangerous ideas always are afoot. And to remember, that all this was in our dear London, not even out there, where you are, close to – so to speak – the line of fire."
„This is a very weird riddle, if it even is one", Gillette mused, lookng into Elizabeth's expectant eyes. „And if this is a riddle, there is maybe more than just one thing hidden inside."
„I know.. it is weird. But... if it were a riddle. Would you be able, to finde something in it?"
Norrington reread the paper, then thinking aloud.
„The clearest part would be what he meant my places, that are far from anything you might be able to eat... This at least seemes to point towards somethign specific, the rest seems to be rambling that is composed around the actual riddle... except maybe for the mention of London. That should be the core of these lines."
He took a moment before he continued.
„So we end up wit 'far from anything to eat' and London."
He frowned, pensievely.
„A place, in London, where there is nothing to eat... if should pose the actual riddle."
„I don't think there is such a place", Elizabeth contradicted, frowning. „Poor places, yes, but I do not think he meant that."
„So something metaphorical", Gillette concluded, still thinking. The idea came just by chance.
„When you are far from anything to eat, then you are hungry, right?"
Elizabeth nodded, a trifle confused.
„Maybe he means Hungerford."
„Hungerford...", she echoed, the name of a part of London city. Gillette was smiling, apparently glad to have solved a riddle, but she was still not much smarter. If the words of the Lieutenant were true, why would anyone go through so much trouble to give her father a hint to... Hungerford, London, of all places?
Two days passed before Elizabeth decided to take further actions. She had told Will of the whole story, of course, but he had been as clueless as her whether to take the message between the lines seriously, or whether they were just seeing specters. However, the odd influence Crystabella Halvery was quickly gaining with the governor was strangely correlated with the warning of the spanish in this message. The spanish, of all the things.
The two agreed that this was a bit too much of a coincidence.
They did not, however, want to know, what course of action this message demanded.
Chance presented Elizabeth with a possibility, these two days after her conversation with Lieutenant Gillette. She strolled through the garden at leisure, thoroughly bored and once more waiting for Will, when she saw, between two rhododendron bushes, her father softly conversing with Lady Halvery. They were standing close to each other, confidently exchanging words that were to low for her to hear. Elizabeth felt rage boiling at this sudden image of intimacy. She caught glances of Crystabella, who was half turned towards her, while she could only see her father's back, saw her beseeching, dark eyes, the way she caught his gaze again and again, her expression so earnest that it was painfully obvious that it was, indeed, not.
Elizabeth seethed with rage. She considered jumping out, yelling at her, spilling out her fury towards the woman that, so evidently, was destroying her life, her family, and much, that she cared for.
On second thought, however, she decided for a better course of action.
For thoroughly occupied as Crystabella Halvery seemed, she should be, indeed, completely unable to have an eye on her daughter. Which put her in the fortunate position of searching her out without her mother interfering.
There was even a small, sly smile, when she turned around towards the house. Sneaking, she had been taught by Captain Jack Sparrow, and a master teacher he had been.
She knew the room that her father had given to Leonora, one of the guest rooms that were sometimes occupied. When she had been little, she had loved the room for its view on the hills, but she had not been in there for a long time.
No one answered her polite knock, and Elizabeth, deciding that it was now or never, entered the room unbidden.
Leonora sat at the window, looking out into the hills without even seeming to acknowledge the presence of the Governor's daughter, who had come to search her out. Elizabeth drew nearer, softly, without understanding why she was walking on tiptoes, and spoke to her, when she was only a meter away.
„Leonora?"
She blinked, but did not react otherwise, her demeanor dreamy and detached. She was dressed nicely as if to go out, a beautiful, and expensive dress, the hair wound up at the top of her head, a rich, black mass of strands, stunning to behold, and yet, the scenery had the making of a doll, of a picture, very nice to the eye but completely bereft of life.
Elizabeth went to her, dared to put a hand upon her shoulder to gain her attention. She repeated her name, softly, and with slow motions, Leonora Halvery turned her head.
Her gaze was empty,as if she did not see the governor's daughter, even now, when she was standing directly before her. She blinked, frowned, but still to herself, while Elizabeth put a second hand onto her other shoulder.
There was something glimmering in the eyes of the spanish girl, some notion buried deep, and Elizabeth began to hope.
„Leonora", she repeated a third time, wondering, why she had the feeling of having to reach her within a deep well, even though they were standing close.
The frown deepened, she pursed her lips, opened them, as if to say, then closed it again. Elizabeth watched her carefully, trying to find out, what was going on with her.
And then, the spanish girl spoke, softly, her voice trembling, with intensity or strain, she could not tell which.
„Help me..."
The governor's daughter flared up at the plea, and yet stared at her surprisedly. Somewhere in Leonora's eyes, hidden before but now apparent, there was a battle raging.
„What..."
Elizabeth asked, but never managed to finish.
„Help me... Elizabeth. She is..."
Her eyes rolled back, her breath came in sharp gasps. She had startled to tremble, as if she fought some unseen force. Elizabeth felt a shiver run down her spine.
„... after your father", Leonora pressed out, more a hiss than words, gulping for air.
Elizabeth was not surprised, but still, she was shocked to hear it spoken, to have fear given form. Her thoughts chased, from the Lady to her father, to the very strange letter, and she decided to jump at the chance.
„What about Hungerford?"
Something stirred within Leonora, her hands clenching and unclenching.
„Market...", she rasped. „The house. Where..."
„What?" Elizabeth, having thought that it was a long shot indeed, leaned in to better hear her.
„There..." Leonora pressed out. „... died..."
Susannah shook her slightly.
„Who. Who died there? Leonora tell me?"
The spanish girl opened her eyes, wide, terror plainly etchend into her features.
„Run, Elizabeth."
The governor's daughter recoiled.
„What do you mean?"
„Coming... she... coming... run fast... help me... run... Hungerford... run..."
Leonora shook and trembled as in a fit – bitterly reminding Elizabeth of some of the harsher memories of the last days of her mother – blood and saliva trickling out of the corner of her lips.
„Run... coming..."
She toppled off the chair and fell to the floor.
Elizabeth, gripped with terror, did as she was told.
The door snapped shut behind her. Steps were coming across the corridor, steps too quick for what she would have thought Lady Halvery to be capable. But she did not wait for her to appear. Her heart pounding, she ran to the opposite side, hurried down the steps and across the kitchen, which was deserted at this time – thankfully – out the back door and through the gardens. Faintly, she considered going to her father, but she was afraid, way too much afraid of what she had seen of the trickery of Lady Halvery, for Leonora's state of mind was obviously her doing alone, and she could not bear to see her father this way, or – even worse – to have her turn down to the ghost of a spanish woman.
And thus she turned to the only safe haven in this town she still could imagine.
„Elizabeth! Oh my god!"
Will Turner stared at her, but only for a second, before he galvanized into action. Elizabeth had entered the forge completely disheveled, her dress dirty, her face streaked with tears, the hair windswept and unruly.
He had never loved her more dearly, and he had hardly ever felt more worried for her.
He hurried towards her, not minding that his hands were still dusty from work, that he was still wearing a leather apron to protect his simple clothing from the smoldering fires of the forge.
She did not midn either, apparently, for she threw herself into his arms, breathing heavily, and he enfolded her in an embrace, puzzled and concerned.
„What is going on, Elizabeth?" he whispered into her ear. „Tell me..."
He beseeched her, and Elizabeth, spirited as she was, recovered quickly, looking at him with fevered eyes.
„Will, I must leave", she breathed.
„What do you mean by leave? Leave where? And why?"
„Halvery", Elizabeth answered, then shaking her head.
„Will, I don't have time. I have to leave. For London, if I can."
He stared at her as if she had become completely mad.
„What are you saying."
„Will, please, please." She looked at him beseechingly. „The lady... at the residence. I have talked to Leonora. She is... oh my god, she is very, very dangerous. I do not know yet, but I have to find out. I have to save my father, Will."
Will Turner thought about this for only a moment. Then, he nodded.
„Very well." He turned, stepped into the neighboring room to retrieve some clothing.
„If we are to do this, you should better dress differently." He handed her a shirt and breeches, boots and a hat. She turned the small package in her hands, then nodded, numbly. She had known Will for a long time, but his unquestioning loyality never failed to amaze her. She tried a smile, found an answering one on his lips, and as she softly said „Thank you", his eyes lit up with fondness.
By a matter of minutes, they were on their way.