Terence looked around the dungeons of the palace. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of the dear captain spending the last day here. He knew it was wrong but he didn't care. "Captain Roberts?" Leah whispered as she held a torch to the bars of the cell. But no one was inside! "Over here lass." A familiar voice called from three cells down. Leah and Terence hurried over to the cell and Leah poked her torch in for a better look. There, lying on the dirty ground, was Captain Rogers. Terence was about to make a comment about someone in their natural habitat, but he knew it would only upset Leah so he kept it to himself. "Captain Rogers I need your help." Leah said as she searched through the folds of her dress for the keys. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you'd be tired of sulky and come running to me." "Watch what you say." Terence threatened. "Oh you brought him with you." Roberts said. "Do you want to be rescued?" Terence shot back. "Gentlemen, Leah hissed, please be quiet and stop arguing!" "Roberts we need your help to get to the sorcerers hideout and you need our help to get out of prison." "So I suggest a trade. You help us, we help you. Agreed?" Roberts seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Come on, Terence hissed, we haven't got all night!" "You might not, but I do!" Roberts said smugly. "Roberts if you want free you have to listen very carefully!" Leah said trying to intervene. "We need to get to the fortress on the cliff; you know how to get there, if we help you escape will you take us there?" Roberts didn't reply. "Well?" Terence hissed. "What's it going to be?"
The stars sparkled in the sky like tiny diamonds. The ship "Revenge" sailed along the water silently, like a phantom. Everyone was asleep except for the helmsman and the night watch. Morgana watched from her spying bubble, time to get to work!
James woke with a start, he thought he heard someone calling him! He quickly got up, put on his boots and walked on to deck. As he reached the deck the salty air whipped his face. It was freezing! It shouldn't be this cold! He looked around deck. Something didn't feel right! "Over here captain!" A female voice beckoned from the side of the ship. He turned and saw the strangest thing! A very thin older woman sat on the edge of the ship. As James walked closer his mouth dropped open as he saw that the woman had the lower body of an octopus! In all his adventures he had never seen anything like this! "Can I help you?" He asked still staring. "It's not polite to stare." The woman said. "I… I'm sorry I uh…" "Look handsome I don't have all day so let's get to the point." The woman said. "You seem like a smart man, so I've got a proposition for you." "I'm listening." James replied. The woman smiled and continued. "See I have this great deal going on where I help this power hungry maniac out and I get half the profit. Problem is, I am having some trouble getting rid of this really irritating thorn in my side. Every time I try to do something about it, it ends up blowing up in my face. So I figure if I have the problem come to me I can deal with it my way, on my terms." James listened intently. It sounded fairly simple. "So what I need is for you to bring this irritation to me to be dealt with in a proper manner." The woman continued. "Sounds simple enough, James replied, but what's in it for me?" "See I knew you were a smart man!" The woman said smiling wickedly. "For your services, I can give you whatever it is your heart desires." James thought about this for a moment. "What do you mean heart's desire?" He asked slightly confused. "I mean whatever your heart desires!" The woman replied. "Money, power, prestige! Whatever you wish for! But mind you, you will only get one wish! So you'd better make it a good one!" "Sounds fair to me." James said. "So who do I have to kill?" "You don't have to kill anyone, the woman replied, you just have to bring her to me and I'll deal with her myself!" "Who?" James asked. "Why the little siren you have aboard your vessel right now! The Princess." James was absolutely shocked. "Wait that's who was causing you all the trouble? Talk about weak and defenseless! What did she do? Talk you into defeat?" "I WILL NOT BE MOCKED!!!" The woman screeched at him. "Okay! Okay! Calm down lady!" James replied. "So I bring the princess to a place of your choosing and in return, you grant me my greatest wish?" "That pretty much sums it up." The woman replied. "So how about it handsome? Do we have a deal?" James thought for a moment then held out his hand to shake on it. The woman smiled a cold cruel smile that chilled James right down to the bone. She grasped his hand and shook it vigorously! "Deal!" They said at the same time. "So when do I get my wish?" James asked. "Not until I have that little brat in my grasp!" The woman replied harshly. "Here!" She said making something appear out of thin air. "This, she explained, is a perfect pearl. There are only seven in the whole world. When you have completed your part in the deal the pearl will begin to glow, at that moment you may use your wish. That's how the pearl works. Not a moment before." James was a little disappointed. He was hoping for his wish now. But he had to do his part. He could understand that. "Now, the woman began, all you need to do is head directly south and you will in one weeks time reach a place where the cliffs almost block the sky. From there keep heading south into the giant crevice and follow the water path for two days, at the end of the second day you will see a huge fortress towering high on one of the cliffs. Bring the Princess to this fortress and I will handle it from there, and you are free to have whatever your heart desires." James nodded in agreement. "This is really going to work out very nicely for both of us!" The woman replied. "Just don't forget your end of the deal and I won't forget mine!" She said beginning to cackle. The cackle turned into a cruel laugh that seemed to echo throughout the night sky. Then just as suddenly as she had come the woman disappeared!
James woke with a start! He was lying in his bed and his boots were right where he had sat them the night before. He wondered if it had all just been a dream but the he felt something in his pocket. He reached down and from out of his pocket he pulled out a perfect pearl! It wasn't a dream! James smiled as he thought about his one wish and all he had to do was deliver the princess to the sea woman! This was going to be way too easy!