Part 3
Stepping onto the dock at Tortuga, Will's face screwed up and not just from the smell that hit him. The place unfortunately hadn't changed in the slightest. It was still a filthy, dangerous looking hell hole of debauchery. Not that he had expected any different.
Glancing behind him, he saw the pirate he had hitched a ride with securing his boat safely to the dock while his small crew offloaded their cargo. The day after he had told Elizabeth of his plans, he had instructed his apprentices that he was going away on business for a time, and that they were to continue as well as they could without him. He didn't see much reason for concern. They were both bright, hard working boys and should manage admirably.
Once assuring them he would return as soon as possible, he had headed down to the dock and began to scout the place carefully for what he was searching for.
A pirate, trying to blend into the background while picking up supplies for his ship - something that happened more than the authorities would care to admit.
Will had spotted the perfect candidate in no time at all and had hence followed the man around for an hour just to be sure. The pirate looked so suspicious in his furtive actions and unmistakable attire that Will was surprised over and over again when he wasn't accosted by the troops patrolling the area. Still, he eventually returned to his small ship, supplies in tow, and that was when Will approached him. Of course at first the man had been highly reluctant to do anything even remotely resembling a good deed. He soon changed his mind however when Will showed him the fine selection of swords he had brought with him as a bargaining tool. It was not long after this that they had loaded the fresh supplies into the ship's hold and were on their way to Tortuga.
Now it was night and their arrival had gone unnoticed by the throngs of drunken pirates, intent upon spending their plunder on rum, women and gambling. Pirates had expensive hobbies. It was what kept them going back to sea time and time again when any other man would retire on the loot they could accumulate if they so wished.
Will turned briefly to the pirate who had ferried him here as he picked up the small sack of belongings he had brought with him.
"Do you know of the Black Pearl?"
"Aye," the man said, barely looking at him as she struggled with the rope. As far as he was concerned, he had upheld his side of the bargain. The blacksmith was now little more than an irritant.
"What of her whereabouts?" Will continued when it became apparent that no further information would be following that statement.
"She's been docked here in Tortuga these last few weeks," he said, dismissively, "Word has it Jack Sparrow's barely been out of a tavern since then so I doubt she'll be leaving any time soon, either."
Will nodded his thanks even though the pirate chose to ignore them and turned to walk towards the town. This was turning out easier than he had ever could have hoped.
---
The first place Will decided to look was the tavern Jack had taken him to on his last and only other visit to the island. Like the rest of Tortuga it hadn't changed much either, being as heaving with pirates, smoke, whores and rum as ever he could recall it being. The floor was slick with spilt liquor and dangerous for even the steadiest sea legs to walk on. Most in here weren't in the least steady though and Will found himself stepping over the drunken form of more than one pirate as he fought his way carefully through the throng while at the same time trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. To stand out too much in this crowd could be a dangerous thing indeed. Realising that it was foolish to simply look for the roguish pirate amongst this rabble, Will resigned himself to having to ask someone. He chose a young woman, the least intimidating of the wenches working here. She told him that last she'd seen Sparrow he had been drinking in the corner alone. Drown his sorrows for a reason she wouldn't or couldn't divulge. He thanked her and she smiled lasciviously, saying there was much more she could do for him than the good Captain ever could. Will hurriedly retreated.
Walking into the darkest corner of the room, he finally saw the man he was looking for sitting alone, his head resting on the table and a mass of tattered black hair obscuring his face from view. Even so, the form was unmistakably his. Will smiled, unexpectedly feeling great warmth at seeing the pirate again.
"Well," he said with a grin as he took a seat opposite the man, "I'd expect I was the last person you should ever envision seeing in this place again."
Jack didn't stir.
Will frowned. Leaning in for a closer inspection he could hear a soft snoring coming from under the pile of hair. Moving it aside gingerly, he saw Jack was indeed fast asleep and drooling slightly on the table. He was not exactly the dashing sight Will suspected he often thought he was.
Picking up a nearby tankered of what smelt horribly like grog, he wasted no time in pouring the contents unceremoniously over Jack's head.
Jack snorted and woke up with a start, his head shooting off the table as he looked unsteadily around, trying to discover what had happened. When he saw Will, he frowned a little and squinted as if trying to focus properly. A moment later he grinned so all his gold teeth were showing.
"Will, lad!" he greeted jovially, "Ye all right?"
And with that his head slumped to the table again. There was a long pause and Will thought perhaps he had fallen back asleep. He was just looking around for something else to throw over him when Jack's head leapt off the table again in a sudden moment of realisation.
"What the bloody 'ell are ye doing 'ere?" he asked with a frown, rubbing his head as though it were aching, "Aren't ye meant to be in Port Royal making good with that fine lass of yours?"
Will, knowing he could do better than explain his reasons, simply handed him the letter that he had kept safely tucked within hand's reach throughout his journey. It was a testament to their still slightly uneasy friendship that he trusted him enough to show it without hesitation.
Jack looked puzzled, but at Will's urging took the note and read it silently to himself. His frown deepened as he did so, a disturbed look etching itself into his features. Once he had finished, his dark eyes looked up at Will again, a more serious look planted here than the young blacksmith could ever remember seeing.
"'Ave ye told anyone about this?" he asked quietly.
"Only Elizabeth," Will answered solemnly. He understood the need for discretion.
"Good," Jack said, shortly.
He held the letter to the nearest candle and set it alight.
"What are doing?!" Will protested, angered and shocked. He tried to salvage it, snatching at Jack's hand, but the pirate used his free one to keep him back whilst the other held the letter out of his reach long enough so that all he dropped to the grubby table were ashes.
"You remember what it said, don't ye?" Jack asked.
"Yes, but-"
"Then tis better that no one else read that letter," Jack said darkly, "There are some things pirates won't even hear talk of. Isla de la Perdido Almas is one of them."
Will looked confused.
"The Island of Lost Souls," he translated, in a conspiratorial whisper, "The oldest pirate legend. It's a cursed place - death most 'orrible comes to any man who sails within a hundred leagues of it. Their souls then doomed to live in a tormented wasteland for the rest of eternity. Even the bravest pirates shudder at the mere mention of it."
Will raised a doubtful eyebrow. Jack certainly seemed to have no problem talking about it and adding a rather inappropriate dramatic flair as he did so.
"I'm not brave," he clarified, "Just daft."
Well Will could hardly argue with that.
"So lad," Jack said, taking a swing out of the bottle of rum he had stashed at his feet for safety, "I expect ye travelled the treacherous waters 'ere to ask for my 'elp. You wanna find yer old man."
"Yes," Will replied eagerly, glad Jack had broached the subject first, "You always said he was a friend of yours. And he was supposedly killed because he spoke up for you against Barbossa. He was loyal-"
"Ye can forget the spiel, boy," Jack interrupted, with a dismissive wave, "I'll 'elp ye."
Will frowned, "But didn't you just say that it was a cursed place full of certain death?"
"Aye".
"I just thought you might need a little more persuading."
"I've faced worse," Jack said with a shrug. He got unsteadily to his feet, pulling Will up by a handful of shirt, "Come along, then."
"Where are we going?" the blacksmith asked.
"Well," Jack said cryptically, leading Will out of the tavern, "if yer want my 'elp then ye gotta do a little something for me first, savvy?"
"If this involves retrieving your ship again...", Will warned.
Jack shook his head, "It ain't the ship, boy. It's the crew."
