Jack and Jess followed Will and Elizabeth for a time, until they came
to a cross-corridor. Jess bid them happy hunting, and she and Jack took
the left-hand passageway while the others took the right. Jess unsheathed
her sabers, and paused for a moment to tear the bandages off her hands.
They had been tight on her flesh, but now hung loose and cumbersome on her
bones. "Where does this passage come out?"
Jack considered for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration, then he replied, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, this one is a direct route from where we left the boats to the room where the chest is. I figured we'd better guard this one ourselves."
Jess held up a hand for quiet. "Listen!" she hissed. The faint sounds of startled cries, gunshots, and the clash of metal on metal drifted down the passageway. "They're here." All at once there was silence, and then fainter and farther away, the sound of a victory cry.
"Not anymore," said Jack, satisfaction evident in his voice.
"We've got company coming," she muttered, and Jack could hear, still far off but getting nearer, the sounds of five or so pairs of feet.
"What do you want to do, just stand and fight or," he grinned wickedly, "Make things interesting?"
Jess smirked, and handed him one of her sabers. "Interesting, I think. Kill me from behind, please?" She turned her back to him and spread her arms. Obligingly, Jack ran her through, leaving the saber embedded in her body. She toppled forward to land facedown in a shaft of moonlight, her "dead" fingers still clasping the hilt of her other sword. She looked for all the world like one of the men who had 'fallen behind' and been left where they fell. "Get going, then!" came her slightly muffled voice from where she lay.
Jack retreated around a blind corner and settled in to wait, his own sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. It did not take long. Torchlight flickered on the walls as a party of Connolley's men quite literally stumbled across Jess's body. Jack could hear curses and something shatter- a dropped lantern, perhaps.
"What in blazes-" said a gruff voice.
"Keep moving!" said a second voice, slightly higher than the first. "Or you'll be left behind like that one!" Their footsteps resumed. Jack gave them a five count, then lunged around the corner and fired without bothering to aim.
His shot hit the man in the lead right between the eyes. The remaining four stared in shock at their fallen comrade, then at Jack. "Hello, lads," he said brightly, his dark eyes glittering, and charged, swinging his sword. Jess chose that moment to leap to her feet, yank the blade out of her back, and attack from the rear.
To be fair, it must be noted that the remaining four put up a courageous fight, but the conclusion of the battle was inevitable. When it was over, Jess stood bathed in moonlight, brushing bits of glass fastidiously out of her hair- or rather, what was left of it. "The idiot tripped over me and dropped a lantern on my head!"
Jack laughed. "Never mind, love; I'm sure he won't do it again!"
"Yeah, right," Jess muttered, ignoring his attempt at levity. "I'd be willing to bet most of them are well into the caves by now, those that are still alive. Connolley seems to be sending out groups of five or six, judging by what we've seen and heard. If we take this passage down to where the boats are and take a different passage back towards the treasure rooms, we may be able to come up behind some of them."
Jack nodded curtly and sprinted off down the corridor. Jess followed close at his heels. As they ran, they passed through shafts of moonlights, transforming instantly back and forth from skeletons to their normal selves.
Jack led the way past where Connolley's men had left their boats and up a long corridor. While her sense of direction was somewhat less than reliable underground, Jess was fairly certain they were headed back towards the treasure rooms. Ahead, she could hear the sounds of fighting. Rounding a corner, they ran full tilt into a pitched battle.
Ana Maria, alone and unaided, was holding off three of Connolley's men, but Jess could see she was beginning to tire and falter. Her back was against the rocky wall of the corridor as she fought desperately. One of the men she was fighting stepped back a pace, out of reach of her blade, raised a pistol, and shot her. She gasped, but kept fighting.
Not waiting to see any more, Jess lunged at the man who had shot Ana Maria as Jack raced in to finish off the other two. Jess slashed at her opponent, but he turned and sprinted away up the corridor. She let him go and turned to help Jack finish off his second opponent. It was over in seconds, and they both turned as a low moan issued from behind them.
Ana Maria was leaning heavily against the wall, panting. Her sword hung loosely in one hand; the other was pressed tight to her stomach. "Ana Maria? You all right, love?" Jack asked, taking a step forward. He transformed instantly as stepped into a narrow beam of moonlight.
"I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered. She tried to stand, but fell forward against him into the moonlight. Nothing happened. Her appearance did not change.
"No," he breathed. "Oh, no... why?" he asked her.
"I... want no part... of any curse," she gasped. "I wanted... to live... or die... by my own... skill. I didn't... take... a medallion."
She went quite limp, and her hand fell away from her ribs, dark with blood. "I'm... sorry..." She was gone.
Jack laid her gently on the floor. His face was unreadable, an emotionless mask.
"Jack," said Jess quietly, "The man who... who killed her. I think it was Connolley."
"Was it, now," said Jack softly, dangerously.
He set off at a run in pursuit of Ana Maria's killer. Jess followed.
They reached the room where the chest of medallions rested atop a heap of treasure. Liam Connolley of the Bane stood gazing into the chest, his back to Jess and Jack as they raced into the room. Without a moment's hesitation Jack raised his pistol and shot Connolley between the shoulder blades. The tall man stiffened, then began to laugh. He turned to look at Jack, still laughing, and spread his arms wide. "You are too late!" he shouted. "I have what I came for- immortality!" He descended and strode toward them. Jess raised the tips of her sabers warningly. Connolley ignored her, his gaze still on Jack, who stood with his arms folded, silent.
Connolley towered over him. "What now will you do, Jack Sparrow?" He smiled triumphantly, but seemed genuinely interested in Jack's answer.
Jack glared up at him, and answered, "It's Captain Jack Sparrow, actually. As for what I will do, well, you killed a member of my crew. Therefore, I think it's only fair that I take a shot at killing you." He unsheathed his blade and brought the tip to rest inches from Connolley's throat.
Connolley laughed again, drew both of his own swords, and adopted a guard stance. "You are welcome to take a shot at killing me, as you so quaintly say. I daresay it will be amusing to watch, as I cannot die-" His left-hand blade shot out, Jack parried, but then Connolley twisted the sword out of Jack's hand and sent it flying with a complicated disarm. -"And now, you are in no condition to fight me anyway." He swung out with his right hand and bashed Jack on the side of the head with the hilt of his saber. Jack went down hard, and lay very still.
Connolley's colorless, evil eyes met Jess's, and he said quite amiably, "Interesting, isn't it, how the curse stops you from being killed, but not from being knocked out. The heathen gods must be very simple- minded beings, no?"
"You would know far more about simple-mindedness than I," Jess retorted, taking a long step to her left, to clear ground.
"Very droll, girl, but I suggest you put less thought into clever insults, and more into how you plan to escape me." His voice got louder, and he seemed to grow taller and more menacing as he continued, "You have no one to save you now. Jack Sparrow is defeated, your allies are nowhere to be found. There is no one to help you; you stand alone."
"Not alone!" called a strong, clear voice from somewhere off to Jess's right. Will Turner had come in through a side passage and now stood proud and tall in defiance of Connolley's pronouncement.
"Never alone!" came a woman's voice, and Elizabeth appeared at his side, her rapier in her hand, her eyes filled with fire.
"So," Jess said coldly, her eyes blazing, "You were saying...?"
Connolley sneered and lunged for her, trying the same disarm he had used on Jack. Jess blocked him contemptuously, raking his arm with her blade, adding insult to injury. He snarled and struck downward with both blades. Jess blocked, and he pressed down on the crossed swords, trying to use his height and weight to bear her to the floor. Jess strained, but he was incredibly strong. "Too bad for you, girl," he growled, applying even more force. Jess gave him a polite smile and kicked him- hard. He staggered back with a grunt of surprise and pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will wince slightly in sympathy as he and Elizabeth hurried to Jess's aid.
Elizabeth circled, looking for an opening as Jess and Will pressed Connolley back, one step, then another. Jess risked a glance at Jack, but he was still apparently out cold. Elizabeth saw her chance and darted in as one of Connolley's swings left his side momentarily unprotected. She left a shallow puncture wound on his ribs, but he recovered and dealt her a massive slash across the torso. It didn't kill her, naturally, but it was enough to send her flying backwards off her feet.
Jess didn't see where she landed. She and Will spread out until they were on either side of Connolley, trying to flank him, but he was incredibly fast, holding both of them at bay with relative ease. Jess could feel her arm muscles (when she had them) burn as she blocked strike after powerful strike. Will was also feeling the strain, she could tell. Youthful exuberance could only do so much for a person, it seemed. His face and clothing, when he wasn't in the moonlight, were drenched with sweat, and he was gasping for breath.
Jess began to hope vaguely for a miracle of some kind. Things could continue this way quite literally forever, and it was looking more and more likely by the minute. Jess locked blades with Connolley again- and Will made his move. He sprang back a pace, dropped his blade, seized a heavy gold statue in both hands, and brought it down on Connolley's head with all his strength.
Jess leapt smartly out of the way as Connolley collapsed in a heap. Then she knelt, pulled off her sash, and bound his hands tightly behind his back. Elizabeth picked herself up from where she had fallen and bound his legs together at the ankles with her belt, and gagged him for good measure.
Jess cleaned her saber blades on his clothes and sheathed them. She then knelt down next to Jack. He was, of course, still breathing, so she filled a nearby vessel with water and splashed the entire contents into his face. He awoke with a start and a curse then spotted Jess. Raising himself into a sitting position, he regarded her a trifle unsteadily, then said, "I take it we won, then? Excellent. Of course, you couldn't have done it if I hadn't been in the right place at the right time."
Will nearly cracked a rib laughing. "That's right- on the floor, unconscious and out of the way, for once!"
Jack considered for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration, then he replied, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, this one is a direct route from where we left the boats to the room where the chest is. I figured we'd better guard this one ourselves."
Jess held up a hand for quiet. "Listen!" she hissed. The faint sounds of startled cries, gunshots, and the clash of metal on metal drifted down the passageway. "They're here." All at once there was silence, and then fainter and farther away, the sound of a victory cry.
"Not anymore," said Jack, satisfaction evident in his voice.
"We've got company coming," she muttered, and Jack could hear, still far off but getting nearer, the sounds of five or so pairs of feet.
"What do you want to do, just stand and fight or," he grinned wickedly, "Make things interesting?"
Jess smirked, and handed him one of her sabers. "Interesting, I think. Kill me from behind, please?" She turned her back to him and spread her arms. Obligingly, Jack ran her through, leaving the saber embedded in her body. She toppled forward to land facedown in a shaft of moonlight, her "dead" fingers still clasping the hilt of her other sword. She looked for all the world like one of the men who had 'fallen behind' and been left where they fell. "Get going, then!" came her slightly muffled voice from where she lay.
Jack retreated around a blind corner and settled in to wait, his own sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. It did not take long. Torchlight flickered on the walls as a party of Connolley's men quite literally stumbled across Jess's body. Jack could hear curses and something shatter- a dropped lantern, perhaps.
"What in blazes-" said a gruff voice.
"Keep moving!" said a second voice, slightly higher than the first. "Or you'll be left behind like that one!" Their footsteps resumed. Jack gave them a five count, then lunged around the corner and fired without bothering to aim.
His shot hit the man in the lead right between the eyes. The remaining four stared in shock at their fallen comrade, then at Jack. "Hello, lads," he said brightly, his dark eyes glittering, and charged, swinging his sword. Jess chose that moment to leap to her feet, yank the blade out of her back, and attack from the rear.
To be fair, it must be noted that the remaining four put up a courageous fight, but the conclusion of the battle was inevitable. When it was over, Jess stood bathed in moonlight, brushing bits of glass fastidiously out of her hair- or rather, what was left of it. "The idiot tripped over me and dropped a lantern on my head!"
Jack laughed. "Never mind, love; I'm sure he won't do it again!"
"Yeah, right," Jess muttered, ignoring his attempt at levity. "I'd be willing to bet most of them are well into the caves by now, those that are still alive. Connolley seems to be sending out groups of five or six, judging by what we've seen and heard. If we take this passage down to where the boats are and take a different passage back towards the treasure rooms, we may be able to come up behind some of them."
Jack nodded curtly and sprinted off down the corridor. Jess followed close at his heels. As they ran, they passed through shafts of moonlights, transforming instantly back and forth from skeletons to their normal selves.
Jack led the way past where Connolley's men had left their boats and up a long corridor. While her sense of direction was somewhat less than reliable underground, Jess was fairly certain they were headed back towards the treasure rooms. Ahead, she could hear the sounds of fighting. Rounding a corner, they ran full tilt into a pitched battle.
Ana Maria, alone and unaided, was holding off three of Connolley's men, but Jess could see she was beginning to tire and falter. Her back was against the rocky wall of the corridor as she fought desperately. One of the men she was fighting stepped back a pace, out of reach of her blade, raised a pistol, and shot her. She gasped, but kept fighting.
Not waiting to see any more, Jess lunged at the man who had shot Ana Maria as Jack raced in to finish off the other two. Jess slashed at her opponent, but he turned and sprinted away up the corridor. She let him go and turned to help Jack finish off his second opponent. It was over in seconds, and they both turned as a low moan issued from behind them.
Ana Maria was leaning heavily against the wall, panting. Her sword hung loosely in one hand; the other was pressed tight to her stomach. "Ana Maria? You all right, love?" Jack asked, taking a step forward. He transformed instantly as stepped into a narrow beam of moonlight.
"I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered. She tried to stand, but fell forward against him into the moonlight. Nothing happened. Her appearance did not change.
"No," he breathed. "Oh, no... why?" he asked her.
"I... want no part... of any curse," she gasped. "I wanted... to live... or die... by my own... skill. I didn't... take... a medallion."
She went quite limp, and her hand fell away from her ribs, dark with blood. "I'm... sorry..." She was gone.
Jack laid her gently on the floor. His face was unreadable, an emotionless mask.
"Jack," said Jess quietly, "The man who... who killed her. I think it was Connolley."
"Was it, now," said Jack softly, dangerously.
He set off at a run in pursuit of Ana Maria's killer. Jess followed.
They reached the room where the chest of medallions rested atop a heap of treasure. Liam Connolley of the Bane stood gazing into the chest, his back to Jess and Jack as they raced into the room. Without a moment's hesitation Jack raised his pistol and shot Connolley between the shoulder blades. The tall man stiffened, then began to laugh. He turned to look at Jack, still laughing, and spread his arms wide. "You are too late!" he shouted. "I have what I came for- immortality!" He descended and strode toward them. Jess raised the tips of her sabers warningly. Connolley ignored her, his gaze still on Jack, who stood with his arms folded, silent.
Connolley towered over him. "What now will you do, Jack Sparrow?" He smiled triumphantly, but seemed genuinely interested in Jack's answer.
Jack glared up at him, and answered, "It's Captain Jack Sparrow, actually. As for what I will do, well, you killed a member of my crew. Therefore, I think it's only fair that I take a shot at killing you." He unsheathed his blade and brought the tip to rest inches from Connolley's throat.
Connolley laughed again, drew both of his own swords, and adopted a guard stance. "You are welcome to take a shot at killing me, as you so quaintly say. I daresay it will be amusing to watch, as I cannot die-" His left-hand blade shot out, Jack parried, but then Connolley twisted the sword out of Jack's hand and sent it flying with a complicated disarm. -"And now, you are in no condition to fight me anyway." He swung out with his right hand and bashed Jack on the side of the head with the hilt of his saber. Jack went down hard, and lay very still.
Connolley's colorless, evil eyes met Jess's, and he said quite amiably, "Interesting, isn't it, how the curse stops you from being killed, but not from being knocked out. The heathen gods must be very simple- minded beings, no?"
"You would know far more about simple-mindedness than I," Jess retorted, taking a long step to her left, to clear ground.
"Very droll, girl, but I suggest you put less thought into clever insults, and more into how you plan to escape me." His voice got louder, and he seemed to grow taller and more menacing as he continued, "You have no one to save you now. Jack Sparrow is defeated, your allies are nowhere to be found. There is no one to help you; you stand alone."
"Not alone!" called a strong, clear voice from somewhere off to Jess's right. Will Turner had come in through a side passage and now stood proud and tall in defiance of Connolley's pronouncement.
"Never alone!" came a woman's voice, and Elizabeth appeared at his side, her rapier in her hand, her eyes filled with fire.
"So," Jess said coldly, her eyes blazing, "You were saying...?"
Connolley sneered and lunged for her, trying the same disarm he had used on Jack. Jess blocked him contemptuously, raking his arm with her blade, adding insult to injury. He snarled and struck downward with both blades. Jess blocked, and he pressed down on the crossed swords, trying to use his height and weight to bear her to the floor. Jess strained, but he was incredibly strong. "Too bad for you, girl," he growled, applying even more force. Jess gave him a polite smile and kicked him- hard. He staggered back with a grunt of surprise and pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will wince slightly in sympathy as he and Elizabeth hurried to Jess's aid.
Elizabeth circled, looking for an opening as Jess and Will pressed Connolley back, one step, then another. Jess risked a glance at Jack, but he was still apparently out cold. Elizabeth saw her chance and darted in as one of Connolley's swings left his side momentarily unprotected. She left a shallow puncture wound on his ribs, but he recovered and dealt her a massive slash across the torso. It didn't kill her, naturally, but it was enough to send her flying backwards off her feet.
Jess didn't see where she landed. She and Will spread out until they were on either side of Connolley, trying to flank him, but he was incredibly fast, holding both of them at bay with relative ease. Jess could feel her arm muscles (when she had them) burn as she blocked strike after powerful strike. Will was also feeling the strain, she could tell. Youthful exuberance could only do so much for a person, it seemed. His face and clothing, when he wasn't in the moonlight, were drenched with sweat, and he was gasping for breath.
Jess began to hope vaguely for a miracle of some kind. Things could continue this way quite literally forever, and it was looking more and more likely by the minute. Jess locked blades with Connolley again- and Will made his move. He sprang back a pace, dropped his blade, seized a heavy gold statue in both hands, and brought it down on Connolley's head with all his strength.
Jess leapt smartly out of the way as Connolley collapsed in a heap. Then she knelt, pulled off her sash, and bound his hands tightly behind his back. Elizabeth picked herself up from where she had fallen and bound his legs together at the ankles with her belt, and gagged him for good measure.
Jess cleaned her saber blades on his clothes and sheathed them. She then knelt down next to Jack. He was, of course, still breathing, so she filled a nearby vessel with water and splashed the entire contents into his face. He awoke with a start and a curse then spotted Jess. Raising himself into a sitting position, he regarded her a trifle unsteadily, then said, "I take it we won, then? Excellent. Of course, you couldn't have done it if I hadn't been in the right place at the right time."
Will nearly cracked a rib laughing. "That's right- on the floor, unconscious and out of the way, for once!"