The cave smelt of death and decay, and the source was plain to see. Half-decomposed bodies and skeletons missing various limbs littered the sides of the caves, testaments to the booby traps of the cave. Elizabeth could feel her stomach churning, and she fought to urge to vomit.
Bill took the lead, using a small torch that one of Barbossa's lackeys had handed him before shoving him inside of the cave. With Bill's free hand, he held Elizabeth's small hand against his, leading the young woman down into the cave's cache of treasures and danger.
He felt Elizabeth's hand slid out from his, and he looked over to see her staring at a piece of gold affixed to the wall.
"What's this for?" she asked, as she put out a hand to touch it.
"No!" yelled Bill, reaching forwards and pulling her back. "It might be rigged."
Elizabeth's look of curiosity turned to one of fear. "Really?" she asked softly, looking over to Will's father.
He nodded, and bent over to pick up a stray rock. Instructing her to hold the torch, he aimed and threw the stone right at the piece of gold, hitting it dead-on.
Almost immediately, the ground in front of them seemed to shake, and Elizabeth could feel her balance slipping. She reached out to the cave's wall, and held on. A hole appeared right here she would of been standing, had she touched the gold. She leaned forwards, peered inside and found to her horror several skeletons strewn about inside.
As she looked down in shock, she heard Bill's voice say softly: "Don't touch anything."
They continued to walk down the tunnel, the roof seemingly getting lower and lower as they went. Elizabeth saw many other curious things affixed to the walls and the ground, and several times they stopped so that Bill could check for more booby traps.
Soon enough, they reached a section in the cave where the roof rose about two feet, and Elizabeth's slumped back was able to straighten again. As she was doing so, she didn't notice that Bill had stopped and she crashed right into his back.
"What is it?" she whispered, peering over his shoulder.
A gasp escaped her lips, and her jaw dropped.
Gold! It was everywhere, filling every corner and crevice of the small cavern. It was piled high, almost touching the roof in places, gold of every shape and size. Also amongst the gold were silver tiaras, bronze crowns and platinum chains, all encrusted with jewels, some as big as Elizabeth's fist.
An object in the centre of the room was what caught Elizabeth's eye, though. Upon a plain stone slab lay a crystal orb, which rested on a velveteen sheet. She made to walk towards it, but Bill grabbed her arm once more.
"We go together." he said simply, and she understood.
They strode forwards carefully, looking around themselves for more hidden booby traps. Finding none, they reached the stone counter. Across the front of it was carved an inscription, in a language that Elizabeth didn't recognise. Bill did though, as he started to read it out loud.
" 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, a life for a life, if you dare to trust.' " he read in his soft Cockney accent.
"What does that mean?" asked Elizabeth after he had finished.
Bill straightened up and paused to consider this. "I take it to mean that if you want to bring Willow back, you'll have to sacrifice someone else's life... or your own."
She went quiet then, and the cave was silent save for their soft breathing. Long moments passed, before Elizabeth took a deep breath in, and cleared her throat.
"All right then. Do you have a knife, Bill?" she asked calmly, determination etched onto her lovely features.
"I won't let you do this, Elizabeth. Even if this does work, Willow needs her mother. Let me do it." he pleaded, looking into her emerald eyes.
She looked back into his, which were so much like her Will's, and in turn, so much like Willow's. She knew what she had to do.
"Give me your dagger, Bill." she said once more, as if he had never spoken. He didn't move.
"Dagger!"
With a sigh, he pulled out his dagger, and handed it over after a moment's deliberation. "Elizabeth, let me. You don't have to do this!"
She ignored him, and went up to the altar, and placed the dagger down onto the soft velveteen sheet. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened once more, Bill could see the moisture glittering in her eyes.
"Tell-tell Willow I love her, and I'll always be there for her. And..." he voice died then, and she cleared her throat quickly. "And if you see Will, tell him that I always will be his Elizabeth."
Bill's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he nodded to Elizabeth's requests. He knew that she had made up her mind, and that nothing would stop her.
She picked up the orb, and cradled in her hands. She whispered something inaudible to it, and Bill saw a distorted image of a small girl inside, and realized that it was Willow. The image then disappeared, and the orb went dark once more.
The young woman seemed to know what to do, and lifted up the knife. It shined in the flickering light of the cave, as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she raised it high, and prepared to plunge it down into her own heart…
*Another cliffhanger! I really am quite evil, aren't I? Muahahahaha!
Anyways, I'm sorry that I made you all wait so long for this chapter, I was in Saskatoon for the long weekend for my dad's reunion of some kind… whatever. Lol.
The story seems to be making itself longer, so there SHOULD be only two more chapters after this one, but who knows…
I am about to start the next chapter, so it should be up tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.
Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Oh, and a special thank you out to Lady LifeCharm, who seems to enjoy reading every piece of fanfiction I have ever written! (although I can't understand why!!!)
I'll be making all of my dedications in my last chapter, and EVERYONE who reviewed will be mentioned!
That's about it for now,
~Aelan*
