Pirates of the Caribbean
Legend of the Dragon's Claw
By Amos Whirly
Chapter Three: Shadows of the Past
"Oh, Mum! Can't I stay up a bit longer?" Tori wailed as Elizabeth tucked her into the small trundle bed. "I want to talk to Mr. Smith!"
"Now, Tori," Elizabeth reproved gently, "you can talk to Mr. Smith in the morning. Right now, it's time for you to go to sleep."
"Oh, Mum."
"Don't 'Oh, Mum' me," Elizabeth kissed her daughter's forehead with a laugh. "You'll have plenty of time to listen to him later."
"All right."
"All right," Elizabeth kissed her again. "Goodnight, darling."
"G'night, Mum."
Elizabeth stood, checked Little Will's cradle where the toddler was sleeping soundly, and hurried out of the room. As she bustled down the hallway and into the dining area, she saw Jack and Will sitting close and talking quietly.
"Elizabeth!" Jack threw his arms in the air as soon as she was in sight. "What a wonderful meal! Are you sure you want to stick around with William here? No one on board the Pearl can boil water without burning it. It's been nigh on a year since I had a good plate."
Elizabeth giggled at the praise and gathered his dishes.
"Thank you for the offer, Jack, but I'm quite happy here," she took his plates to the kitchen.
"Can't blame a man for asking, though."
Will shook his head.
"It's really wonderful to see you, Jack," he said. "I never expected you to show around these parts again."
"I hadn't planned on it to be sure," Jack winked at him, "but certain information crossed my path that just happened to lead me to your door, dear William."
"What kind of information?" Will leaned forward.
"Earlier you said you were looking for a man," Elizabeth returned to the table and sat next to Will. "What man is it?"
"Will," Jack settled himself in his chair, "have you heard of a man named Aden McClintock?"
"Aden McClintock?" Will repeated, furrowing his brow. "Of course. He's a sword collector from Scotland, down visiting from Edinburgh. Why?"
"I've gotten word," Jack rested his elbows on the table, "that old McClintock's come into possession of a certain dagger. They call it the 'Dragon's Claw.'"
"A dagger?" Elizabeth smiled. "What's so important about a dagger, Jack?"
"Well, you see," Jack shifted in his seat, "nothing. There's nothing important about the Claw. In fact, it's almost worthless as a weapon because it wasn't forged to be a weapon. It's not even sharp enough to cut lard."
"So why do you want it?" Will asked.
"The Claw itself isn't important. It's the hilt."
Will and Elizabeth traded a glance.
"The hilt tells the precise location of a secret island that's filled with treasures beyond your imagination," Jack's eyes were shining. "I hear tell it's diamonds and rubies and sapphires and emeralds—stones precious enough to turn the Queen's eye. And the best part about it, mate, is that no one else knows about it but me."
"That I find hard to believe," Will commented.
"But it's the truth, mate," Jack made an insulted face. "I heard about it as a young lad, and everyone else who could have possibly been interested in it is dead."
"So what's your plan?" Will sipped his steaming tea.
"Find McClintock, borrow the dagger, find the treasure, and bring the dagger back," Jack shrugged. "Savvy?"
"I don't think McClintock will let you borrow the dagger, Jack," Will smiled. "He may not even let you in the front door."
"Aye, but that's what you're for," Jack smirked. "A fine, upstanding man of moral character such as yourself surely wouldn't be associated with a black-hearted pirate, would you now? I figure, if McClintock trusts you, he'll trust me."
"There's your problem, Jack," Will was still smiling. "McClintock doesn't trust anyone. I've seen his collection once because I've made two swords for him, but he doesn't let just anybody come in, he doesn't let anyone see his collection, and he certainly doesn't let anyone take anything out of his show room."
"S'pose he'll let me make a copy?"
"I suppose anything's possible," Will grinned.
"One thing's certain, he won't abide you at all in that get up, Jack," Elizabeth pointed out. "You'll need a bath and a clean change of clothes before you go to see him."
"Elizabeth, darling," Jack scratched his nose, "are you trying to tell me something?"
"If you don't want to be accused of being a pirate while you're here, Jack, you'd best not look like one," Elizabeth nodded. "I'll draw you a bath."
She rose and hurried out of the room.
Jack and Will watched her go.
"Adjusted to poverty rather well, has she?" Jack smirked.
"Yes," Will swirled his tea. "Yes, she has. I was—I was afraid of taking her out of the environment she was used to. The maids. The butlers. The fancy clothes and high society. I was afraid—"
"Afraid she'd leave you?"
"Aye," Will turned to look at Jack. "But she didn't. She tells me every day that our love and our family is more important to her than all the high teas and hoop skirts in all of England."
"And it's a shame you two don't get a long."
Will laughed, "You haven't changed a bit, Jack."
"You might be surprised," Jack leaned back in his seat.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Aye?"
"How are you so certain that no one else will be coming after this Dragon's Claw?"
"Let's just call it personal experience, mate," Jack smiled and stood up.
"Jack?"
"Aye?"
Will looked up at him.
"I'll help you find McClintock," he vowed. "And I'll try to get the Claw from him for you. But that's it. No more adventures for me."
"Pirate's in your blood, Will. I've told you that before. Sure you don't want to feel the spray of the sea on your face again?"
"I'd love to, Jack," Will smiled faintly, "but there are more important things to me now than treasure hunts and adventures."
Jack faced him fully.
"I have a family now, Jack," Will continued somberly, "and I have a responsibility to them." Will pursed his lips. "I want you to stay here the night, Jack, but after that—"
"I don't want to impose."
"You're not an imposition, Jack," Will shook his head, "but trouble does seem to follow you. And I don't want anything to happen to my family. They're all that matters to me, and I won't run the risk of them being hurt for any reason."
"We're square, mate," Jack grinned. "I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."
Will nodded, and Jack moved down the hallway to where Elizabeth had gone.
* * *
He sat in silence smoking a pipe, tobacco smoke winding around his head. The darkness of the room seemed immense as the moon remained behind a bank of clouds.
Jack had almost forgotten what it was like to be clean. He had washed and scrubbed for nearly two hours before the thick layer of grime had come off. Elizabeth and Will provided him with a pair of pants and a clean shirt to wear. Regretfully, he had removed his bandanna and had tied his hair back, successfully hiding the braids and the beads. On gazing at himself in the mirror, he barely recognized himself.
He stared at his fingers, all traces of dirt scrubbed away.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Will stepped in.
"All set?"
"Aye," Jack answered, not moving from his position on the floor. "Trying to get used to being clean again."
"Not a bad thing," Will came in and sat down next to him.
"Not quite sure I like it," Jack lowered his pipe and smirked, "but Elizabeth has a point. No way of getting into McClintock's good graces without presenting something of a positive persona."
The moon slid fluidly from behind the clouds and shone bright light into the small room. Will gazed for a moment at the numerous scars that covered Jack's arms and back.
"Jack."
"Aye?"
"I don't want to be a pest."
"But you want to know how I'm so sure I'm the only one after this treasure, is that it?"
"Yes."
Jack sighed heavily and stood, dragging heavily on his pipe and blowing the fragrant smoke out the open window.
"Well," he cocked his head, "to understand the story, you'll have to understand something about me."
"I'll never understand you, Jack," Will joked.
"Aye, that's true," Jack grinned.
"What do I need to know?"
"Well, for starters," Jack leaned his back on the windowsill and dragged on his pipe again, "I was born in London. Lived there for well on seven years before my parents decided to take a little cruise to the Caribbean."
"Your parents?"
"Aye," Jack smirked. "Nobles."
"Your parents were nobles?" Will sounded dubious.
"Hard to believe isn't it?" Jack spread his arms at his sides. "The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, scallywag and gentleman of fortune, is the son of a nobleman who frequented the Queen's court."
"You're joking."
"What? You don't trust me?"
"Of course, I trust you, Jack, but that's terribly difficult to believe."
Jack sat down at Will's side again.
"I was destined for the finest schools in England, mate," Jack was still grinning. "My parents had grand aspirations for me. But they decided to take a little pleasure trip to the Caribbean, and on the way we ran into some misfortune."
"Pirates?"
"Aye," Jack turned away, "but not the kind you're accustomed to hearing about now-a-days."
"What did they want?"
"Blood," Jack set his empty pipe on the floor. "The gold and the jewels and the women were a bonus, but ultimately their only goal was to kill everyone on board the ship. And kill they did."
"But you survived."
"I was eight or so when they attacked the ship," Jack stared absently out the window. "I was outside watching the waves when the first shots rang out. I think my parents were some of the first to go."
"You think?"
"I wasn't watching," Jack turned to him with a rueful smile. "When all the ruckus hit a highpoint, I sneaked aboard the other ship and hid in the hold. To this day, I'm not really sure how long I was down there. Could have been two weeks before they found me, but find me they did and dragged me topside to see the captain. I can't remember the blackguard's name, but he was an old, toothless rat. He wanted to kill me, but the first mate stopped him. Apparently, they'd lost their cabin boy in the fight, and they needed a new one."
"So you were elected?"
"Mm," Jack nodded. "Life at sea as a captain is challenging enough, mate, but sea life as a cabin boy is one step lower than hell."
Will pursed his lips as Jack turned and gazed at him.
"You didn't think I started out as a captain, did you?" he smirked. "No. No, I started out scrubbing decks and latrines, cooking, and washing, and I had more than my fair share of whippings, I tell you." He cursed. "I hated that man."
"I had no idea, Jack."
"Most people don't," Jack stretched out on the wooden floor.
"But what does this have to do with the dagger?"
"You see, Will," Jack looked up at him, "the old captain wasn't just old. He was ancient. He'd been around the world at least five times. When he was younger, he went on a voyage to China."
"China?"
"Aye," Jack nodded, "and—well—we really don't know what happened there, but somehow he got his hands on the Dragon's Claw. We figured he killed some poor bloke and stole it. That was his way, after all."
Will arched his eyebrows.
"It was a beautiful piece," Jack's gaze returned to the window. "Beautiful. Worth more money than I've ever seen."
"I thought you said it was worthless."
"As a weapon, yes. But as a treasure, absolutely not. There's not an ounce of steel on the whole bloody thing. All gold and silver and jewels. The hilt's of jade and ivory, stained red and carved like a dragon. And all over it were these little symbols. I never got a really good look at it."
"What happened to it?"
"Well," Jack said, "one night, the old captain drank a bit too much wine. The first mate found him dead in his cabin the next morning. At least, that was the official story. But I didn't care. The old fool was dead. The first mate became captain, and, frankly, life turned a lot more cheery."
"How?"
"Well, Jenkins—that was the first mate—liked me. Don't really know why. But he did. He let me work up through the ranks on the ship 'til I was actually doing real sailing work. Jenkins taught me everything I know about the sea."
"Really?"
"Aye," Jack's face looked suddenly sad. "He was like a father to me."
He cleared his throat, and whatever emotion had been present in his eyes disappeared.
Jenkins also got the dagger," he continued. "He kept it in his cabin, locked up in the safe. No one was allowed to see it."
Will folded his arms around his legs, eyes still focusing on Jack.
"About a year after the old captain died," Jack sighed, "we ran into trouble. I was fifteen if I remember right. It was a dark night. New moon and cloudy. A ship ran up on our starboard side and started blasting us. Before we knew it, they were boarding. We couldn't get to the guns fast enough. The sneaky blackguards moved faster than I'd ever seen. They wore black—masks and gloves. No boots. Some kind of sandal. And the just killed. Never seen anything like it." His voice trailed off. "Heard one of the names—something like Wang Yu Shon or Shon Yu Wing. Something."
Jack stood and walked to the window.
"They wanted the dagger," he said. "Something about it being a matter of honor. I saw them take the dagger. I saw them kill Jenkins, and I fell overboard."
Will was silent.
"A few days later, the British fleet picked me up," Jack shrugged. "Locked me up, but I got out. I found the Pearl when I was twenty or so, and the rest is history."
Will cleared his throat, "Why is the dagger important now?"
"I heard that McClintock had it," Jack answered, the sparkle returning to his eyes, "so I figured, why not?"
"And you're certain no one else knows about this treasure?"
"From what I understand, Will," Jack grinned, "McClintock's had the dagger for ten years, and no one's even tried to take it from him." Jack turned to him. "The way I see it, if these fellows needed to reclaim their honor, they'd have taken it back from him years ago."
Will nodded.
"Thanks for telling me, Jack."
"Don't mention it," Jack shrugged, still gazing out the window. "And I mean," he turned to Will, "don't mention it. The last thing I need is people thinking I've got a heart."