The murky waves lapped onto the jagged shore, polishing each stone up
like granite knives in the depths of the cavern. The growing fear in her
heart distracted from the rope cutting painfully tight into her wrist.
Eden's Rock was a tiny little island that grew out of the sea into a tall,
narrow pillar-mountain. Without the benefit of shore, the only entrance
was through the dark cavern leading to the coarse altar the rickety rowboat
now glided toward. If the Black Pearl had been docked to meet them, she
would have had no trouble seeing the gaping raven ship dwarfing the
miniscule isle. Now here, in the belly of the cave, her eyes searched
desperately for a swinging lantern, a cocked pistol- any sign that her
pirate allies were waiting to orchestrate her rescue.
Nothing. Not even a single fish splashed up to give her hope.
The boat slammed to a halt against the boulders, and the men scurried out. The captain lifted her out by the arms, and she couldn't help the tortured moan escaping her throat as her weight dangled by her raw wrists. Just as she couldn't quelch the impulse to look up and see the clear pleasure brought to his features by her helpless reaction. "Walk," he commanded, though her bare toes hardly met the ground. As the torches illuminated the way, they shone to reveal a massive engraved slab of solid rock depicting the portrait of a demure, yet breathtakingly enticing woman. Her eyes were thickly shadowed, closed harmoniously in an etheral trance. Her long hair waved up and around her, a pillow to cushion a millennia of sleep.
'Mother,' her mind snapped, instant recognition of a figure that had long since crumbled from pictoral memory into blurred, worshipped myth. Here she lay- her legend, her treasure- yielded now to thee.
The grip sustaining her released, and with a screech her body slammed against the unmerciful ground. The captain stood before her as she clung to the shore, shielding her face with her tousled long hair. "Are you ready to recite for us?" He asked, mockery dripping from his patronizing tone, "or do you need a little reminder first?"
Her head rose, glancing back and forth feverishly. "But Jack..." she stammered with geniune confusion as she rose shakily to her feet, peering over the leering crowd. "...Jack's not here to...to..."
"Trying to back out then, are we?" Ruthlessly he unsheathed the sword from his side, letting it fall just close enough on Tabitha's neck to allow a nick's trickle of blood run down the blade to stain his fingertips. "You'll say it right here, right now," he dictated, drawing out each word as she shuddered against the edge. In this light the iris of his eyes dissappeared into the pupils, creating an abysmal pit of brutal ferocity. "Or else I'll allow the entire crew to fuck you on the rocks until you scream it out."
"Now that'd result in some very scraped knees." The captain stiffened, tightening the grip on the crimson-stained handle.
"JACK!!"
The attention and light turned to unveil the unfazed Black Pearl buccaneer directly behind the vile captain, holding him hostage under his own glimmering sword to the back of his scant head. "Now what's say we make this real easy, eh mate? Let th' girl go, sail yer grimy greenhorned crew back t' whatever port they crawled out o' th' woodwork from, an' you go back to murderin' and plunderin' the civil way with th' blessing o' th' King. Savvy?"
"Say it, you whore!" He roared, bringing his arm slightly back as if poised to slice.
"Don't even think about thinking about sayin' it, Tabitha," Jack said steadily from the wayside. She glanced up at the unflinching captain, over to Jack, back again. Closing her eyes she swiftly landed a kick into the captain's fist, causing the sword to fly out of his hands and land percariously close to her side. Rolling to the side she grabbed the weapon, leaping to her feet with the agility only the highest dose of adrenaline can bring.
"What the Hell, you stupid bastards!" The captain screamed, spinning back to face Jack with the second sword sheathed at his side, "stop her!!"
"Didn't I e'er tell you about being stupid?" Jack sighed as the hulking crew closed in with their own daggers and swords.
"You were too slow," she spat back, poising herself against the slowly approaching pirates. She hadn't actually used-or held-a sword before, but she'd seen some pretty decent things done before. A long time ago perhaps, but...
She could hear the metal smashing as Jack and the captain hammered away at each other, and to her surprise the crew seemed just as captivated. Jack nimbly hopped from rock to rock, tearing at the captain who leered back and shot forward with aggressive hacks.
'Escape...' the concept ran through her mind, her heart screaming for her to do something, anything to stop them. She interminnently creeped back from the crowd, farther and farther, thinking and thinking. 'He'll kill Jack...or Jack will kill him...then the crew will kill us... there's no way...'
Clunk! Her back slammed into the moist granite, her fingers tracing the goddess's hands. "The poem!!" She gasped aloud, her mouth falling open as she spun around to face the enchantment. "Here I finally find myself, forsaken to the sea. The greatest treasure known to man is yielded now to thee."
Nothing. Not even a single fish splashed up to give her hope.
The boat slammed to a halt against the boulders, and the men scurried out. The captain lifted her out by the arms, and she couldn't help the tortured moan escaping her throat as her weight dangled by her raw wrists. Just as she couldn't quelch the impulse to look up and see the clear pleasure brought to his features by her helpless reaction. "Walk," he commanded, though her bare toes hardly met the ground. As the torches illuminated the way, they shone to reveal a massive engraved slab of solid rock depicting the portrait of a demure, yet breathtakingly enticing woman. Her eyes were thickly shadowed, closed harmoniously in an etheral trance. Her long hair waved up and around her, a pillow to cushion a millennia of sleep.
'Mother,' her mind snapped, instant recognition of a figure that had long since crumbled from pictoral memory into blurred, worshipped myth. Here she lay- her legend, her treasure- yielded now to thee.
The grip sustaining her released, and with a screech her body slammed against the unmerciful ground. The captain stood before her as she clung to the shore, shielding her face with her tousled long hair. "Are you ready to recite for us?" He asked, mockery dripping from his patronizing tone, "or do you need a little reminder first?"
Her head rose, glancing back and forth feverishly. "But Jack..." she stammered with geniune confusion as she rose shakily to her feet, peering over the leering crowd. "...Jack's not here to...to..."
"Trying to back out then, are we?" Ruthlessly he unsheathed the sword from his side, letting it fall just close enough on Tabitha's neck to allow a nick's trickle of blood run down the blade to stain his fingertips. "You'll say it right here, right now," he dictated, drawing out each word as she shuddered against the edge. In this light the iris of his eyes dissappeared into the pupils, creating an abysmal pit of brutal ferocity. "Or else I'll allow the entire crew to fuck you on the rocks until you scream it out."
"Now that'd result in some very scraped knees." The captain stiffened, tightening the grip on the crimson-stained handle.
"JACK!!"
The attention and light turned to unveil the unfazed Black Pearl buccaneer directly behind the vile captain, holding him hostage under his own glimmering sword to the back of his scant head. "Now what's say we make this real easy, eh mate? Let th' girl go, sail yer grimy greenhorned crew back t' whatever port they crawled out o' th' woodwork from, an' you go back to murderin' and plunderin' the civil way with th' blessing o' th' King. Savvy?"
"Say it, you whore!" He roared, bringing his arm slightly back as if poised to slice.
"Don't even think about thinking about sayin' it, Tabitha," Jack said steadily from the wayside. She glanced up at the unflinching captain, over to Jack, back again. Closing her eyes she swiftly landed a kick into the captain's fist, causing the sword to fly out of his hands and land percariously close to her side. Rolling to the side she grabbed the weapon, leaping to her feet with the agility only the highest dose of adrenaline can bring.
"What the Hell, you stupid bastards!" The captain screamed, spinning back to face Jack with the second sword sheathed at his side, "stop her!!"
"Didn't I e'er tell you about being stupid?" Jack sighed as the hulking crew closed in with their own daggers and swords.
"You were too slow," she spat back, poising herself against the slowly approaching pirates. She hadn't actually used-or held-a sword before, but she'd seen some pretty decent things done before. A long time ago perhaps, but...
She could hear the metal smashing as Jack and the captain hammered away at each other, and to her surprise the crew seemed just as captivated. Jack nimbly hopped from rock to rock, tearing at the captain who leered back and shot forward with aggressive hacks.
'Escape...' the concept ran through her mind, her heart screaming for her to do something, anything to stop them. She interminnently creeped back from the crowd, farther and farther, thinking and thinking. 'He'll kill Jack...or Jack will kill him...then the crew will kill us... there's no way...'
Clunk! Her back slammed into the moist granite, her fingers tracing the goddess's hands. "The poem!!" She gasped aloud, her mouth falling open as she spun around to face the enchantment. "Here I finally find myself, forsaken to the sea. The greatest treasure known to man is yielded now to thee."