Chapter 7
I ran after Will down the alleys, the sticky mud caking my skirt and shoes. It was a long way to the prison, and by the time the stone gray brick building came into view, I was breathing hard and had a stitch in my side. Will didn't lower his pace at all, his sword swinging on his belt.
"Come on, Meg!" he called before disappearing into a doorway. Grumbling to myself, I followed, only at a slower pace so I could actually breathe. Will stood before the only undamaged cell.
"You! Sparrow!"
Jack propped his head up from the hay pile. "Ay?"
"Do you know of the Black Pearl?"
"I do." He caught sight of me and grinned, the gold on his teeth glinting in the light. "Hello, love. Not fully healed from your singing yet."
"How comforting," I said shortly. He grinned wider. I tried to ignore his eyes.
"Where does it make berth?" Will interrupted. "All ships have to anchor at some port."
"Where does it make berth?" he asked incredulously. "I don't know."
"Every ship has to make berth! Where does the Black Pearl anchor?" Will was starting to lose his patience again.
He sighed and sat up. "The Black Pearl berths at an island that you can't find UNLESS you've already been there."
"We need to get there," I said quietly.
Jack shifted his gaze. "If you're going searching for the Black Pearl, you're gonna have to do it along, mate. I see nothing in it for me."
"I'll spring you from this cell," I piped up.
He sighed. "There's no way you can bend iron, lass," he said, drawling.
I studied the bolts on the door. "Will, I daresay that we made these cells, didn't we?"
"Yeah," he agreed, shaking the hinges. "These bolts.they snap under intense pressure and weight." He snatched a stool from across the cell and positioned it so it was diagonal against the wall. Jack watched, uninterested yet interested. I recognized that look on Will whenever he talked to Elizabeth.
"Tell me, mate, why you want to find this ship?" Jack asked nonchalantly, rising.
"They've taken Elizabeth," Will replied. Jack grinned.
"Ah, yes, I remember her-"
I banged my palm on the wall and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Don't even speak it," I hissed, and he was quiet, studying my face. Oh God, those eyes.
"What's you name?" he asked softly, his breath like a soft breeze on my face.
"Margaret Turner," I said. "Meg."
His eyes shifted to Will. "Will Turner," he said, his dark eyes intent on Jack. His face revealed no emotion.
"A good strong name," he said. "Your father's name, I presume."
"Yes," Will replied, sounding slightly surprised.
Jack thought for a sec, then stood up. "All right. If you spring me from this cell, I swear, on an oath of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl.and your bonny lass." He held out a hand wrapped in cloth. I noticed how black his fingernails were.
Will shook. "Deal."
"Good. Now get me outta here."
I tapped Will on the shoulder. "May I?" He stepped aside, smiling.
"Lass, you can't-" He didn't even finish his sentence. With one solid shove, the bench lifted up the door, breaking the bolts and coming away from the doorway. Jack's mouth fell open for a second. I threw the door to the floor with a sharp bang.
"Quick, someone must've heard that," Will said, heading for the other side.
"Not without my essentials," Jack said quickly, snatching them off a peg.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We ran, skirting the city streets until we got to a small tributary that ran into the sea. Soldiers ran everywhere, shouting words I couldn't distinguish. We hid behind the shadows of the old stone bridge, peering at the running soldiers on the docks.
"How are we going to do this?" Will whispered.
"We trade," Jack said simply. "We steal a ship, and switch."
"And how do we do that?"
He turned to us both. "Listen, I'm not going to do this if you aren't behind me all the way, savvy? William, how much will you give for her?"
"I would die for her," he hissed defensively.
"Good then," he replied cheerfully. "Now follow me carefully." He sprang from the bridge, and I quickly followed him before I could think. Will's breath was warm on my neck. Jack slid under a small upside-down boat, reaching out a hand to me. It was cramped, to say the least, and it didn't get better when Will joined us. With a small, almost insignificant signal, he raised it up a little and tiptoed to the water's edge quickly. I held my breath waiting to be seen.
"Hold onto the sides," Jack said quietly, and my fingers grew white from gripping so hard. I gasped as the cold water reached my collarbone. Jack continued to walk on the sand, slowly going down. I tried not to doubt him as my fear of drowning before doing anything drove me mad.
"This is either sheer madness, or brilliance," Will said from behind.
"Most of the time it's both," he replied smoothly. My foot bumped into something wooden, and I jumped over it.
"Watch out for the-"
Crack!
"Lobster trap," I said quietly. Will grunted, trying to shake off the crude wooden structure, then gave up. I hoped no one would notice the barrel floater moving thru the water to the Dauntless.
Jack turned to face me. "Hold onto me, love."
"Hell no."
"Can you climb up a wet, slimy chain as quickly as you can a vine?" he said sharply, his eyes glaring. I shook my head. "Then hold onto me." I put my arms around his neck carefully, trying not to strangle him. He grabbed one of my legs and wrapped it around his waist, then did the same with the other one. I felt like some strange monkey. "Will, you follow. Savvy?"
"Yeah." Without another word, Jack scurried up the chain. I held my breath as the cold water met my face unceremoniously, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Jack didn't make a sound. I gasped when my face hit the water.
"Climb up, I can't do it by myself," he gasped, clutching the rudder. I nodded and moved over as Will's soaking head popped up, and he gasped for air. Jack had already started to climb.
"The minute I get ahold of your sword, I'm ripping up this dress," I muttered. He grinned. I shinnied up the Dauntless, landing gracefully on the tiny balcony in back, then continuing to climb up to the wheel deck. Jack crouched behind it, and he pulled me close.
"Be silent," he whispered, like I was making a sound. Will thudded to the floor behind me with a grunt, and Jack rolled his eyes. "Wrong Turner," he muttered, shaking his head. I smiled. He turned to me. "Just...stay here, okay? Stay hidden until I say to come out."
"Why me?"
"I don't want.anything to happen to you," he said before thinking. I looked at him, surprised, then nodded. He unsheathed his pistol, then motioned for Will to follow him. They peered down the stairs, and Jack sauntered down the steps, making his move.
"Nobody move," he proclaimed. "You've been taken over by pirates."
"Arrr," Will cried. "Avast!"
The men looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Jack glared at Will, who gave him an innocent, I'm-a-total-idiot look. I groaned, trying not to laugh out loud.
"A ship cannot be run by two men," one of them said. "You won't even get past the bay."
Jack cocked his pistol and held it to the man's forehead. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" he said in a low voice that absolutely screamed RUN FOR IT NOW!!!!!!!
"All men to the boat!" he cried, and they turned and ran. Jack looked over at the wheel and motioned me to step out. I crept over to Will, who squeezed my shoulder.
"Smooth move, ace."
"Shut up, Meg."
I ran after Will down the alleys, the sticky mud caking my skirt and shoes. It was a long way to the prison, and by the time the stone gray brick building came into view, I was breathing hard and had a stitch in my side. Will didn't lower his pace at all, his sword swinging on his belt.
"Come on, Meg!" he called before disappearing into a doorway. Grumbling to myself, I followed, only at a slower pace so I could actually breathe. Will stood before the only undamaged cell.
"You! Sparrow!"
Jack propped his head up from the hay pile. "Ay?"
"Do you know of the Black Pearl?"
"I do." He caught sight of me and grinned, the gold on his teeth glinting in the light. "Hello, love. Not fully healed from your singing yet."
"How comforting," I said shortly. He grinned wider. I tried to ignore his eyes.
"Where does it make berth?" Will interrupted. "All ships have to anchor at some port."
"Where does it make berth?" he asked incredulously. "I don't know."
"Every ship has to make berth! Where does the Black Pearl anchor?" Will was starting to lose his patience again.
He sighed and sat up. "The Black Pearl berths at an island that you can't find UNLESS you've already been there."
"We need to get there," I said quietly.
Jack shifted his gaze. "If you're going searching for the Black Pearl, you're gonna have to do it along, mate. I see nothing in it for me."
"I'll spring you from this cell," I piped up.
He sighed. "There's no way you can bend iron, lass," he said, drawling.
I studied the bolts on the door. "Will, I daresay that we made these cells, didn't we?"
"Yeah," he agreed, shaking the hinges. "These bolts.they snap under intense pressure and weight." He snatched a stool from across the cell and positioned it so it was diagonal against the wall. Jack watched, uninterested yet interested. I recognized that look on Will whenever he talked to Elizabeth.
"Tell me, mate, why you want to find this ship?" Jack asked nonchalantly, rising.
"They've taken Elizabeth," Will replied. Jack grinned.
"Ah, yes, I remember her-"
I banged my palm on the wall and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Don't even speak it," I hissed, and he was quiet, studying my face. Oh God, those eyes.
"What's you name?" he asked softly, his breath like a soft breeze on my face.
"Margaret Turner," I said. "Meg."
His eyes shifted to Will. "Will Turner," he said, his dark eyes intent on Jack. His face revealed no emotion.
"A good strong name," he said. "Your father's name, I presume."
"Yes," Will replied, sounding slightly surprised.
Jack thought for a sec, then stood up. "All right. If you spring me from this cell, I swear, on an oath of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl.and your bonny lass." He held out a hand wrapped in cloth. I noticed how black his fingernails were.
Will shook. "Deal."
"Good. Now get me outta here."
I tapped Will on the shoulder. "May I?" He stepped aside, smiling.
"Lass, you can't-" He didn't even finish his sentence. With one solid shove, the bench lifted up the door, breaking the bolts and coming away from the doorway. Jack's mouth fell open for a second. I threw the door to the floor with a sharp bang.
"Quick, someone must've heard that," Will said, heading for the other side.
"Not without my essentials," Jack said quickly, snatching them off a peg.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We ran, skirting the city streets until we got to a small tributary that ran into the sea. Soldiers ran everywhere, shouting words I couldn't distinguish. We hid behind the shadows of the old stone bridge, peering at the running soldiers on the docks.
"How are we going to do this?" Will whispered.
"We trade," Jack said simply. "We steal a ship, and switch."
"And how do we do that?"
He turned to us both. "Listen, I'm not going to do this if you aren't behind me all the way, savvy? William, how much will you give for her?"
"I would die for her," he hissed defensively.
"Good then," he replied cheerfully. "Now follow me carefully." He sprang from the bridge, and I quickly followed him before I could think. Will's breath was warm on my neck. Jack slid under a small upside-down boat, reaching out a hand to me. It was cramped, to say the least, and it didn't get better when Will joined us. With a small, almost insignificant signal, he raised it up a little and tiptoed to the water's edge quickly. I held my breath waiting to be seen.
"Hold onto the sides," Jack said quietly, and my fingers grew white from gripping so hard. I gasped as the cold water reached my collarbone. Jack continued to walk on the sand, slowly going down. I tried not to doubt him as my fear of drowning before doing anything drove me mad.
"This is either sheer madness, or brilliance," Will said from behind.
"Most of the time it's both," he replied smoothly. My foot bumped into something wooden, and I jumped over it.
"Watch out for the-"
Crack!
"Lobster trap," I said quietly. Will grunted, trying to shake off the crude wooden structure, then gave up. I hoped no one would notice the barrel floater moving thru the water to the Dauntless.
Jack turned to face me. "Hold onto me, love."
"Hell no."
"Can you climb up a wet, slimy chain as quickly as you can a vine?" he said sharply, his eyes glaring. I shook my head. "Then hold onto me." I put my arms around his neck carefully, trying not to strangle him. He grabbed one of my legs and wrapped it around his waist, then did the same with the other one. I felt like some strange monkey. "Will, you follow. Savvy?"
"Yeah." Without another word, Jack scurried up the chain. I held my breath as the cold water met my face unceremoniously, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Jack didn't make a sound. I gasped when my face hit the water.
"Climb up, I can't do it by myself," he gasped, clutching the rudder. I nodded and moved over as Will's soaking head popped up, and he gasped for air. Jack had already started to climb.
"The minute I get ahold of your sword, I'm ripping up this dress," I muttered. He grinned. I shinnied up the Dauntless, landing gracefully on the tiny balcony in back, then continuing to climb up to the wheel deck. Jack crouched behind it, and he pulled me close.
"Be silent," he whispered, like I was making a sound. Will thudded to the floor behind me with a grunt, and Jack rolled his eyes. "Wrong Turner," he muttered, shaking his head. I smiled. He turned to me. "Just...stay here, okay? Stay hidden until I say to come out."
"Why me?"
"I don't want.anything to happen to you," he said before thinking. I looked at him, surprised, then nodded. He unsheathed his pistol, then motioned for Will to follow him. They peered down the stairs, and Jack sauntered down the steps, making his move.
"Nobody move," he proclaimed. "You've been taken over by pirates."
"Arrr," Will cried. "Avast!"
The men looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Jack glared at Will, who gave him an innocent, I'm-a-total-idiot look. I groaned, trying not to laugh out loud.
"A ship cannot be run by two men," one of them said. "You won't even get past the bay."
Jack cocked his pistol and held it to the man's forehead. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" he said in a low voice that absolutely screamed RUN FOR IT NOW!!!!!!!
"All men to the boat!" he cried, and they turned and ran. Jack looked over at the wheel and motioned me to step out. I crept over to Will, who squeezed my shoulder.
"Smooth move, ace."
"Shut up, Meg."