Pirates of the Caribbean: The Ring of the Abyss
By Anna Summers
Hello, guys! So, SO, SO sorry it has taken me forever. But, this chapter took me quite a while, and is quite long. The end is in sight, I just thought I should tell you. Please read and review! :)
Sorry, no thank yous for this chapter. I kind of just wanted to POST it, so I could be done with it and move onto the next chapter! Happy Readings!
Chapter Twenty
As far as Kate could tell, the Isla de Meurta was no more than a large rock with caves. There had been so many stories about famous pirates traveling to such a place as this, and truthfully, Kate was a bit disappointed.
But the disappointment feeling was not great enough to overpower her nerves. She was violently scared of facing Marona, but she wouldn't tell Jack, even if he already knew. The impenetrable fog was beginning to clear as the tiny rowboat that held Jack, Will, and Kate began to draw nearer and nearer to the Isla de Meurta.
Kate wasn't prepared for the sharp bump that occurred when their boat finally hit a rocky shore, and she barely stopped herself from colliding with Will's back, which was positioned directly in front of her. She began to rise from her seated place, but without a word, Jack put one hand out to stop her as he himself got up and, after climbing over Kate and Will, was the first of the three to set foot on the island.
Jack eyed the island, slowly, cautiously. They had come ashore at a rocky clearing surrounded by caves. Jack had purposely steered his tiny crew in this direction; he knew the Isla de Meurta like he knew the back of his hand, and this clearing was one hardly anyone visited very often. Therefore, they only had a slight chance of Marona or one of his men finding them.
Kate shivered, fearing a member of the Abyss's crew was bound to jump out from behind a rocky piece of a cave and take the three of them hostage. And with Jack in captivity alongside her, who would be there to rescue her?
Jack nodded at Will and Kate, signifying that the coast was clear. Slowly and as quietly as possible, Will pulled the boat that held Kate far enough onshore so that it didn't drift away. Then, Kate exited the boat, and she and Will followed Jack as he expertly led the way through the mass of rocky vaults.
"Jack, where is he?"
"In that cave," Jack pointed towards the largest opening the three had come across, and Kate vaguely heard voices coming from inside. Several wooden rowboats, much like the one that had carried the threesome from the Pearl to the island, were tied together by ropes attached to a wooden stick that was shoved into the dirt ground.
"You're ready for this?" Jack spoke. It wasn't a question, for there was no turning back now. If Kate wasn't ready, it was her own tough luck.
Knowing this, Kate nodded and smiled the bravest and most revengeful smile she could manage.
Will and Jack walked forward a bit more and ducked behind a large rock that was large enough to hide behind, but small in the sense that they had to bend down in order to not be seen. They instructed Kate to do the same, but she herself was positioned a little bit behind the two.
Kate's most horrible nightmare came true when she felt a large, sweaty hand clamp over her mouth. Too stunned to make even the slightest sound that would have saved her just then, she helplessly found herself being carried away from the backs of Will and Jack, who were clearly not even aware that she was being captured. The owner of the sweaty hand that covered her mouth dragged her behind a large rock that was far enough from Jack and Will that they most certainly would not hear her if she spoke. Finally regaining her senses, she began to struggle against the vanquisher. When the kidnapper finally turned her around, she saw to her utmost disgust that it was none other than Pintel the pirate. He didn't uncover her mouth, but began to speak to her in an almost soothing tone.
"Yer back, eh?" his low ground turned into a deep, malicious snicker, "Cap'n said ye'd be back."
Kate decided that if her mouth wasn't being restrained, she'd spit on him.
"Let's go fer a walk, aye? We've been expectin' ye."
Kate wished with all her might that she and Jack had telepathic powers. Surely they realize she was gone by now? She was just getting used to the fact that she would have to face Marona again with her uncle and Will at her side, but now that she was comprehending that she was going to have to do it alone, she began to panic.
She struggled with all her might, but despite Pintel's short and stout statue, he was surprisingly strong, even with only one hand (as the other one was busy with her mouth.) She realized her exertions were fruitless, so she gave up and didn't resist being carried away.
"Come on!" he pushed her through a path that had blended in with the rest of the rocky caverns, and had been invisible to her before; but it was one she presumed Jack had known about all along, for it lead to the cave where Marona awaited her.
~~~
Elizabeth was bored, and slightly uncomfortable. She was alone with Commodore Norrington, her ex-fiancé, in a small boat, halfway between the Isla de Meurta and the Dauntless, the ship they had just previously departed from.
Norrington was trying to make small talk, and, quite frankly, it was annoying Elizabeth to a remarkable extent. It aggravated her how often he mentioned Will. It was as though he was trying to make her guilt for leaving him show through, when really, there was no guilt involved at all. Elizabeth's goal in life before she had met Will was to marry for love, and only love. When the Commodore had proposed to her, she didn't quite know what to say. So, it might have been a superior thing that fate had chosen that exact moment to send her tumbling down into the water from a long distance from where she had been standing, thanks to the corset that was cutting off her circulation.
But all that was in the past, and Elizabeth rarely thought about Norrington when love came to mind. She was in love with William Turner, and when they had spoken their vows at their wedding she vowed to love him forever. And no one could make her break those vows; not even Norrington.
"So, I suppose you are very well in finances." Norrington said, a bit breathlessly, as he struggled to go as fast as he could with the paddles. As a Commodore, he was rarely required to do paddling himself. Needless to say, he was a bit out of shape. This was plainly obvious to anyone who would have happened to catch sight of him at that particular moment. Tiny beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and he breathed through his mouth as if he had been running long distance. Pathetic, thought Elizabeth.
And what a pointless question! First off, it was frankly none of Norrington's business how "well" the Turners were money-wise. She had had enough of the stupid questions, and was determined to put an end to them.
"Commodore. With all due respect, I am quite concerned about my husband at the moment, and I have no desire to discuss such trivial things."
Of course, she knew this shocked Norrington. What was possibly more important than money?
"Of course. Accept my apology?" he looked at her earnestly and Elizabeth scoffed; as if she had a choice to forgive him or not. She nodded curtly and turned her body so that she was facing the island, yearning for her Will.
~~~
It had been moments since Jack or Will had last spoken, and neither of them had yet realized the absence of Kate. Jack appeared to be studying the caves intently, plotting whatever their next move was going to be in his brain. Finally, he broke the earsplitting silence without even a glance at Will or an imaginary Kate.
"All right." Jack breathed, just above a whisper, "When I say go, follow my lead and --,"
Jack turned around to share his plan with Kate also, but furrowed his brow in utter confusion when he saw that she was clearly not there.
"Kate?" Jack looked around. Will joined in the search, and the two began calling her names in a loud whisper.
"Jack..." Jack glanced at Will, who was staring ahead at the large cave that held Marona's pirates. Walking into the cave was Pintel, holding his hand over the mouth of a young girl that was unmistakably Jack's niece.
"Jack, that's Kate."
~~~
Quite annoyed, and a bit angry with Jack for forcing him to stay, Jonathan paced the deck of the Black Pearl anxiously. He knew it would be quite a while before anything emerged from the island, and he would be bored for quite some time. He glanced at the island every now and then, half-expecting Kate or Jack to appear. But no one did.
To his right, he noticed a figure walking toward him; though it was so dark and foggy, it was difficult to see who. But, as the figure came closer, he realized that it was a crewmember, Anamaria.
"Dinner, son." She spoke to him as though he were a lot younger than her, but looking at her, she couldn't have been more than five years his senior.
"Not hungry." Murmured Jonathan.
"What are ye doin out here anyway?" Anamaria crossed her arms and studied Jonathan.
Jonathan shrugged, "I wanted to help."
Anamaria nodded. "Ye in love with her?"
"With who?" Jonathan turned to face Anamaria, feeling his cheeks turn a deep shade of red. He was glad it was dark outside, and he looked into her dark brown eyes and frowned. Was it that obvious?
"Kate. Jack's niece." Anamaria said simply. "Are ye in love with her?"
Jonathan shrugged, trying to pass it off as not that big of a deal. But, she had honestly stumped him, and now he had to come up with something equally embarrassing to ask her.
"Are you in love with Jack?"
It had worked. Anamaria fidgeted nervously with her hands, and looked as though she was about to walk away.
"Hard to say."
Jonathan nodded, understandably. He stood still, lost in thought. Then, a wonderful idea came to him.
"Alright, facing facts, we're both in love, right?"
Anamaria got a youthful glint in her eyes, and she smiled shyly, "Yes."
"Let's go. The people we love are in trouble."
"Go?" Anamaria's voice was astounded, "G—go where? There?" she gestured towards the Isla de Meurta.
"Be daring, you're a pirate!" Jonathan took Anamaria's shoulders excitedly. Anamaria stared back at Jonathan, unsure.
"Do it for Jack."
~~~
Pintel dragged Kate into the large rocky vault and through a tiny passageway. When they emerged from the darkness, Kate found herself staring in awe at a large room filled with a beautiful assortment of pilfered gold and such that the pirates had stolen from places all around the Caribbean.
Various pirates of all shapes and sizes, the men that she had seen while being held captive on the Abyss, greeted her with snarls and snickers and unclean gestures of all sorts as she entered timidly.
At first, Kate was in awe of the beautiful treasure, but as soon as she spotted one particular person, her stomach filled with butterflies and she forgot instantly about the gold.
Marona walked towards her with an evil grin on his face. Kate held her ground and frowned at him in disgust as Pintel removed his large callused hand from her mouth. She wiped her face off furiously, ignoring her nervousness, and walked straight up to Marona so that her nose was just inches from his.
"Kate." He nodded shortly in a small greeting.
"Sirus," Kate returned the greeting with a cock of her head.
"Welcome back. We missed ye,"
"Sure." Kate replied, "How'd you know I'd come back?"
"Well, lass." Said Marona wittingly, "I knew if ye were with yer uncle, ye'd come back, because Jack Sparrow ne'er gives up without a fight, ye see. Hard man to please."
"Better man than you." Kate didn't break eye contact, and she astounded herself at how brave she was being.
But Marona didn't get angry with her little snap; he only smiled and backed away, much to Kate's relief. (One, because the stench of his breath was making her eyes water, and two was simply because she was deeply afraid of the man.)
Kate noticed Marona glance at her finger, and she realized she would have to explain to him why she didn't have the ring. Unless...
Unless he didn't know that she didn't have the ring.
Kate smiled, thrilled with her idea. True, lying to Marona was not the easiest ticket to saving her own skin, but it was a way to distract and bribe him. She felt like she had power. She had power over Sirus.
~~~
Commodore Norrington and Elizabeth Turner's small rowboat had gotten in the atmosphere of Isla de Meurta, and the two were carefully paddling through the masses of debris.
"Hurry! Commodore! Hurry!" Elizabeth pushed as she watched the shore of the island inch closer and closer to them. She knew her way, for she had been taken there when she had been a captive of Captain Barbossa on the Black Pearl not six years prior. She could almost see the rowboats that the Abyss crew had docked just onshore of the island. Inside that massive cave was her Will with Kate and Jack. The Commodore looked slightly annoyed.
"If I go any faster, we'll collide with debris and sink."
"If you go any slower, Will may never see the light of day again!"
Exasperated, Norrington picked up the pace a slight bit as he muttered under his breath.
"Of course, Mrs. Turner. Anything for dear William Turner."
~~~
"So, Sirus." Kate began, staring into his dark eyes, "I suppose you'll be wanting my ring back."
Marona's eyes narrowed, "Course, lass. It was never supposed to be yers in the first place."
Kate scoffed; of course it was hers.
"So, where is it, then? Hand it over." Said Marona as he held one long dirty hand with yellow fingernails out in front of her.
Kate tried to make up a quick story, "I...gave it to my uncle Jack. For safety."
Nice one, thought Kate. Now not only will he kill me, but he'll kill Jack too. Kate could tell that Marona was trying to keep his anger in, and she silently prayed that he would fight the urge to slaughter her. Around the pair, shocked pirates gasped and waited for Marona's call to kill the girl and retreat to find the holder of the ring.
But Marona gave no such call. He smiled such a strained smile that the blue veins on his neck began to show through his thick, leathered skin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kate was suddenly pulled back into her past when she remembered the same frustrated look he had gotten when her father had made him get out of bed early in the mornings. Marona's eyes popped back open shortly thereafter.
"So, I 'spose yer uncle's somewhere on this island, eh?" he glanced shortly at Pintel, who nodded.
"He's here, Cap'n. Him 'n ol' Bootstrap Bill's child. Bet they'll be back for her soon." He shot Kate a fleeting look and Marona nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
"Very well then." He stepped forward so that he was uncomfortably close to Kate again. "If the ring wont come te us, we'll go 'n get it ourselves." He turned his head, and Kate had to keep from gagging as the stench of his hair that obviously hadn't been washed for a very long time hit her nostrils. Head turned towards his crew, he bellowed so loudly that Kate jumped.
"Find them!"
All at once, Marona's crew yelled an agreement, before turned and trudging loudly out of the large cave. A few of them made repulsive gestures and whistles at Kate as they passed by her. Weapons of all kinds suddenly appeared: torches, swords, knives, and hand-grenades. The pirates made sickening motions with the weapons, as if plotting what sort of death to give Captain Jack Sparrow once they found him.
Marona backed away, his eyes never leaving her. She silently cursed herself as she watched the crew make their way swiftly out of the caves. She knew it was rash and stupid of her to have led the murderous pirates to her dear uncle, who had been so kind to her. But it was a well-known fact to him, and to anyone, that Jack was much more qualified to fight off pirates than Kate was.
But, alas, Kate was not home free. She once again faced her worst enemy; and now she was alone in the room with him. She kept her body turned in the direction of the entrance of the cave, where the last pirate had finally disappeared into, and refused to turn around. She could feel Marona's eyes on the back of her neck.
"Ah, so yer mad at me?"
Kate whipped around, astounded. Mad at him? That was a very un-pirate-like thing to ask. Mad? Kate was beyond mad.
"No, Sirus, I am thrilled that you've sent your crew to kill my only relative. Thank you." Kate spat sarcastically.
Sirus Marona laughed, "Ah, Katie, Katie, Katie."
Katie swallowed. No one that she could remember had called her 'Katie' since her father died. Back then, the entire crew had called her Katie, it was her nickname. She had been their baby.
"Surprised after all we've been through together, ye don't even consider me family. Ye used to call me 'Uncle Sirus.' Do ye remember?"
Was he trying to win her over? Why was he being so nice?
"No." Kate snapped, "I don't remember. And I can't believe you would even think I would call you family. You're no better than any bastard scallywag out there."
"I am a better man as any! Better man than yer father! Better man than yer uncle!" Marona roared.
With that little outburst, Marona yanked a piece of rope that was tied to his belt off and walked towards Kate. He turned her around jerkily and tied her hands behind her back, swearing under his breath and muttering curses. Kate winced as the roughness of the splintery rope pressed into her wrists. Marona grabbed her by the loose-curly light brown hair that tumbled down her back, as he led her over to a closed treasure chest that stood seemingly in the center of the large cavern.
Marona let go of Kate's hair in a forward jerk that send her tumbling to her knees amongst piles of gold. She looked up at him and saw that his face was beet red with rage. Eyes still on Kate, he lifted his right leg and kicked the stone chest open. Kate rose to her feet circumspectly, and the sight inside nearly took her breath away.
There were so many of them...hundreds. Hundreds of gold medallion pieces with skulls on them stared back at Kate from their place in the massive chest. This must be the treasure Jack was talking about! Thought Kate.
The Treasure of Cortez!
Jack's previous words instantly flashed across her mind.
Not just any fire, love. It must be the fire of the burning treasure. Regular fire strengthens it.
The burning treasure was this treasure! But, how to set such a thing on fire was beyond Kate's understanding. Jack's words also reminded Kate of Marona's lies, and she debated whether or not to confront him.
Not that Marona would have cared; his eyes were fixated on the gleaming chest, and he didn't look as though he would have torn them away for all the gold in the Caribbean.
After a moment, Kate began to wonder if Marona had died staring into his paradise. He was not moving, and she didn't recall his hungry eyes blinking even for an instant. But finally, Marona began to speak, still staring at the treasure.
"Remember what I told ye about fire killin' the ring power?"
Kate nodded slowly, glancing at the gold.
Marona's eyes at last tore away from the treasure and he looked at Kate, while speaking in an almost soft tone.
"I lied." He admitted.
"I know."
"Yer uncle Jack?" Marona almost laughed at this, Kate nodded again.
Marona gave a little hmph and stroked his fingers through the chest. He glanced at her.
"I dare not pick any up." Marona informed her, "I'll be cursed."
Kate gave Marona a questioning look and he went on to tell her about the Cursed Treasure of Cortez. Kate listened intently, hanging on his every word. His words reminded her of the years back when he had told her stories and she had listened, loving the way his chest rumbled when he spoke.
"So, you're telling me," Kate began, "That if I were to remove a piece from that chest, I would turn into a skeleton?"
"That is until ye end the curse with yer blood."
"But what if--,"
Kate was interrupted by the sound of four grunting pirates coming into the cave. They walked in pairs. Between one set of two men was Will Turner. Between the other set was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow. Both had their hands tied behind their back, and they smiled weakly when they made eye contact with Kate.
"Uncle Jack!" Kate stepped towards him, but Marona yanked her back and walked ahead of her. He stared at the crewmembers that held the two men, waiting for an update on the location of his beloved ring.
"Well?" Marona pushed.
"He ain't got it, sir. Says he's no idea where it is if the girl doesn't have it."
Kate tensed her entire body and prepared for the worst; even prepared herself for death at this point. Elizabeth was nowhere to be found, and she was their only hope to retrieving the ring. Marona turned to her, and grabbing her by the shoulders, shook her until she felt dizzy.
"Where is it? Where is the ring? Ye lied to me! Again! Was last time not enough! No, ye just keep comin' back fer more, don't ye? Well, where, damn you, where is my ring?"
Kate hadn't prepared for this situation as well as she'd thought, and she was at a terrible loss for words. Marona stared mercilessly back at her, before grabbing her hair again and yanking her down. She yelped in pain as he kicked her roughly on her place on the ground. She could hear Jack yelling at Marona to leave her alone, but nothing could have prepared her for the voice she heard next.
"It's right here, Captain Marona!"
Kate, Marona, Will, Jack, and the other four pirates turned around to the entrance of the cave, where they stood gawking with expressionless faces of utter and complete surprise. Will smiled a smile that stretched seemingly all the way to his ears, and he nearly laughed he was so joyful. Jack grinned a golden grin, having never thought he would be so ecstatically happy to see Elizabeth Turner.
"Who are you?" Marona demanded.
"I've got your ring right here!" Elizabeth stepped forward and held up her left hand for everyone to see. There, on her finger was the ring everyone had been searching for.
Marona thought for a moment on his options. Elizabeth watched, horrified, as he took out his pistol and pointed it directly at Kate's heart.
"I'm goin' te make ye a deal, lass." Said Marona, "Hand over the ring and she won't die, but make one wrong move and I'll pull this trigger. And we'll have no more little Kate Pearl."
Marona's threatening remarks left Kate motionless and everyone else very tense. Elizabeth wasn't brought up to deal with this sort of pressure. The fates of four people were now in her hands, and she limply held her hand out. There was nothing left to do but surrender the ring.
~~~
Cliffhanger! Don't ya just hate those? Well, I apologize for the long update. Spring Break is a week from today, and I've had to get a lot of shopping done. Plus, I've had like a gazillion tests, unfortunately, so you know how that goes! Read and Review!
Anna Summers
