I shouldn't be writing this, I shouldn't be writing this…winces I should be working on my novel for my creative writing class, I shouldn't be working on this. sighs It's all because I went to see Pirates again at the dollar theatre last night. I knew this would happen. Oh well, good for you guys, eh?
The Lady: I'm sorry this seems to be dragging on. I'm not a skilled writer, and I'm still developing, so there will be some "dead air" in some areas. Thanks for your honesty.
Secrets of the CaribbeanWritten By: Riley Barton
[Chapter Twenty-Five]
Jack couldn't sleep. He had awoken five times throughout the night and he had just woken up for the sixth. He tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, eventually lowering one hand since it had stretched the area where the sword had cut into him. He couldn't get Scarlett's last words out of his mind. More than anything, she had said. She couldn't hate him that much. They were pirates. She should know that pirates are free spirits and don't think before they act. Even after all these years, how could she still hate him for that one act? That isn't an excuse. The thought came unbidden, and Jack blinked as it crossed his mind. Not wanting to face it, he struggled with the blankets, stumbled to his feet, and went to the balcony doors. He unlatched them and stepped outside.
The wind came at him, twisting his dark hair into further knots and clanking the beads in his hair together. He squinted against the harshness of it and looked around. He was well aware that he only wore a simple pair of pants, but he was fairly certain he had worn less than that for a long part of his life. He leaned against the cold steel railing and let his eyes roam. They drifted to the balcony a few feet away: the balcony in Scarlett's bedroom. He grunted, looking elsewhere. Something, however, caught his eye. He took a double take, squinting to see if the rope hanging from her balcony railing was a figment of his imagination. It wasn't.
"Damn," he grumbled, spinning around and hurrying back inside. He made for the door that led out into the hall when he saw the doorknob turn. Jumping slightly, he searched for a place to hide.
"'Oo is it we're lookin' fer agin?" a voice asked as the door swung back, admitting two pirates.
The second backhanded the other, glaring at him fiercely. "Hesh up, Feroz," he hissed. "We's lookin' fer the runt."
Feroz rubbed his sore cheek. "What were tha' fer, Holic?" he replied in a whining voice. "Oi only axed a question."
Holic made to backhand him again when he paused. He slowly shook his head and started for the bed. Seeing it empty, but the sheets obviously disturbed, he spun round, drawing his sword from its scabbard. His eyes flickered across the length of the room. "Feroz, someone's outta bed," he whispered. Feroz's eyes grew wide as saucers and he clumsily drew his own short sword.
The two men began to search the room, closing the balcony doors and the bedroom door to keep the hiding man from escaping easily. After a few minutes the search proved futile, and they met near the door. Feroz looked up at Holic with a nervous look. "Ye don't think it were Sparrow in 'ere, do yeh?"
Holic shook his head gruffly. "Oo ever were in 'ere ain't no more, Feroz. Let's leave."
The two pirates, keeping their swords out, left the room and closed the door behind them.
Jack grunted in pain as he lifted himself back onto the balcony. He kneeled on it, wincing at the burning pain that was running up his left side. He should have fought them; killing them would have been easier than hanging from the balcony for a few minutes. A hand went to the sore area, hissing as one of his rings struck it.
Using the balcony railing as support, he lifted himself to his feet and hobbled to the balcony doors. He pulled open one of the doors, mildly surprised that it hadn't been locked, and walked inside. The two pirates had left his room in a right state, but he ignored it. He slowly opened the door leading into the corridor and cautiously looked out. There was a pirate standing at the end of the hall and another disappearing into a room he knew to be the upstairs study. He placed his attention at the pirate standing further down the corridor. He was thinking furiously of what he could do to distract the burly man when someone else did it for him. A small wiry man appeared and motioned for the pirate to follow him.
Jack took his chance and slipped into Scarlett's room, unnoticed. He closed the door, sighing in relief, only to be met with a sword at his nose tip. His kohl-lined eyes narrowed and followed the blade to the hilt and up to the face of the man who held it.
"Lookee what Oi found," the man croaked. He sounded as if his throat box had been removed. That, or he had a frog in his throat, Jack reasoned with a small smile. "A lil' sparrow come t' join me. 'Ow sweet."
Jack smiled, reaching up and gently pushed the sword out of his face with a fingertip. "Aye, mate, just thought I would stop in fer a spot o' rum. Got any?"
Marcinek blinked stupidly for a brief second. "Hesh up, ye bilgerat. Oi ain't go th' time t' meddle with ye. Oi'd kill ye but Oi s'pose the Cap'n will want t' deal wit' ye firs'."
Jack forced a laugh. "How thoughtful of you. I, however, must decline th' invitation." He nimbly hopped to the side, only to have the pirate prick his nose with the sword tip again. "'Fraid not, then," Jack mumbled.
Marcinek moved to knock Jack out with the hilt of his sword when he stopped, his mouth dropping open. Blood tricked down from the corners of his mouth and down his chin, dripping onto the crisp carpet below. His eyes glazed over and the sword dropped from his hands. He slipped to the ground a moment later, causing Jack to hop-skip back a few steps to avoid a collision. He stared down at the body with raised eyebrows and a quirky frown, noticing the bloody hole in the back of the man's neck.
"Talking never got us anywhere before, Sparrow, so why did you expect it to work now?" Scarlett asked grudgingly, stepping from the shadows. She held a fireplace poker in her hand, blood dripping from its point. She tossed the poker on top of Marcinek's body and made for the bedroom door.
A playful smile tugged at Jack's lips and a twinkle appeared in his eyes as they scanned Scarlett's clothing apparel. A thin, flimsy pair of black satin breeches graced her long legs, hovering just below her hips, and the white cotton shirt looked far too small since it stopped an inch below her breasts and fit snuggly against them. He bit his lower lip and clenched his hands into fists. It was either keep temptation at bay or risk being killed by your previous lover. The latter was definitely not an ideal way to die.
"Got any weaponry on you?" Jack asked, coming up behind her. "I left me effects in th' room."
"You," Scarlett whispered, "are not going anywhere. You are going to sit your little ass in that seat over there and wait. The sooner that body of yours heals, the sooner you leave."
"How exactly do ye plan on killin' all these villainous pirates all by yer onesies, love?"
"With Will's help, dumbass. Now go." She grabbed the doorknob while with her other hand she reached behind a bookcase and removed a sword sheathed in its scabbard. She removed the sword and passed Jack the scabbard. She smiled innocently. "Now you aren't without protection." She opened the door and stepped out, making to close the door. Jack's foot, however, was in the way, and she didn't have time to worry about it.
Scarlett's sword swung up to block an oncoming attack from Holic, shoving him back against the wall. He slammed against it with a thud, the clashing of swords already having gained the attention of a variety of rogue pirates. She swung every which way, blocking and parrying thrusts. She managed to receive a variety of cuts, and only managed to seriously injure one man in a rather long period of time. She backed down the corridor, glancing over her shoulder every once in a while. She had to get to Carver before these pirates did. If they haven't already, she thought grimly. Her strength increased at the thought of her son being held captive by pirates and she managed to back many of the pirates against the walls and to the floor. She rammed her shoulder into the door when it was clear, spun inside, and closed and locked the door. She turned around and went to Carver's bed. She felt her nerves calm as she saw a lump warm beneath the covers. The pirates hadn't made it to his bedroom yet, thank God.
As she drew near to the bed, she realized something was drastically wrong. The lump wasn't moving, or breathing for that matter, and it seemed slightly larger than her son was. Her heart in her throat, she yanked the covers back to reveal pillows stacked in a neat line. "Oh, God," she whispered.
Pirates were pounding on the door and she almost lost it when she heard Aubrianna scream. Blinking away tears, she made for the door. She yanked the door open, wildly swinging her sword at any pirate that got in her way. She could hear swords other than hers ringing somewhere else in the manor –Will. She killed the two pirates with quick, angry thrusts at their chests and sprinted down the corridor for Aubri's bedroom. The door was open, hanging on by one hinge. She ran inside, gasping in dismay at seeing the older woman slumped down by the edge of her bed. She went to her, pressing her fingers against the woman's wrists. Nothing. Angry tears fell down Scarlett's face as she rolled back on the balls of her feet, scrambling away as quick as she could. She let herself cry for a short while, unable to bring herself to her feet. The only woman who had loved her other than her own mother was dead, and all because of her. Ansgar was after she and Jack, not Aubrianna. She had only been in the way. Trembling, she lurched to her feet, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.
"Scarlett!"
"In here, Elizabeth!" Scarlett shouted, hurrying into the corridor.
The brown-haired beauty grabbed a hold of Scarlett's arms as they met in the empty, torn corridor. "I've been looking all over for you," she gushed. "Will and Jack are fighting the last of them, but, Scarlett, I can't find Carver anywhere."
Scarlett blinked away the second onslaught of tears. "I've got to find him," she whispered, pulling away from Elizabeth and sprinting down the stairs. All the paintings and tapestries inside the manor were destroyed and the front entranceway doors were completely torn off. What had once been a clean entrance was now a departure of destruction. She parried a thrust from a pirate, making her way out the gaping front doorway. She had to find Ansgar. Find him, and she knew she would find Carver.
The moon was shining down onto the lawn at the front of the manor, basking the yard in a romantic elegance. Scarlett couldn't help thinking it was wasted. With her sword drawn she walked briskly down the front steps to the ground below, halting as her name was called. She looked straight ahead. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. There stood Ansgar, a grin plastered on his face with his sword held in his hand. Her eyes traveled down to the small boy clutched in Ansgar's vice-like grip. Carver looked at her with teary eyes, too frightened to speak. She swallowed, tears burning her own eyes. She walked purposefully forward but stopped again as Ansgar placed the sword at Carver's throat.
"Uh-uh," Ansgar said, shaking his head. "One more step and I'll slice the boy's head off."
Scarlett didn't flex a finger. "What is it you want, Ansgar?" she shouted to him "Whatever you want I'll make certain you have it."
The ringing of swords behind her had died down long ago. It seemed the rapid beating of her heart was the only noise around. Even the crashing of the ocean waves was muffled by her heartbeats. "Scarlett," Will whispered, coming forward to stand alongside her. He was breathing heavily and blood trickled from cuts and other wounds he had sustained from the pirates. Elizabeth came up on her other side, and Jack came forward on Will's left. The four stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing Ansgar and the remaining men from his crew that he had brought with him. Each was staring down the other, daring them to move.
"Anything I want, Miss Scarlett?" Ansgar called. "What if I told you the one thing I want is somethin' ye couldn't give me? What then? I guess yer pathetic wager attempt is dry, and that means you 'ave nothing to barter with fer the life of your son."
"Name your price, Ansgar," she replied, shaking. "Whatever you want. I guarantee I'll get it to you; just don't take him."
Ansgar looked to Jack. "And you, Sparrow, would ye be willin' t' give me anythin' fer the boy?"
Jack didn't look at Scarlett. He didn't respond, but soon nodded his head. "Aye," he said.
Ansgar smirked. "Even the Black Pearl?" Ansgar's men erupted in loud guffaws. Garret shook his head. "Ye think I'm doin' this just so ye can give me something?" he mocked them. "This is revenge, kiddos. This ain't no mere friendly attack. I've planned this fer weeks. I've been wantin', longin' to see the fear and anger on yer faces. This is payback fer what you did all those years ago." A violent anger seemed to overtake the rogue pirate captain, and in his anger accidentally nicked the neck of Carver, who jumped and gave a small cry in pain.
Scarlett lunged forward, quickly being yanked back by Will and Elizabeth.
"Seems yer mates have better heads on their shoulders than ye do, Bane." Ansgar sheathed his sword and motioned for one of his mates, Feroz, to carry the boy. "Th' rest of yeh," Ansgar shouted to the other crewmembers, "cripple 'em so they cain't foller us."
The select few from the crew of the Cobra ran their bony fingers along the edges of their cutlasses, swords, and daggers, licking their lips in anxiousness.
"Scarlett, go after Carver," Will said. "We can take care of these rats."
Scarlett could only nod. She backed away, letting her friends advance. Elizabeth hung back, knowing she wouldn't be of much use. Her plan was to stand back and attack with her golden candelabra only when needed. Scarlett patted her on the shoulder before disappearing into the darkness. She raced through the trees, ignoring the lashes of pain as branches snapped into her face and tore at her nightclothes. She didn't even care about her appearance. All that mattered was getting to Carver. She headed down the many familiar streets she and Jack had run down throughout their childhoods, every nook and cranny memorized in her mind. She tore down each like a panther in the darkness, her stomping footfalls barely making a sound as they flew across the ground. Stones pricked her bare feet and glass cut into her heels, but she pressed on. Her son's life depended on this. She reached the wharf in time to see Ansgar walking up the board leading onto the Cobra's deck, followed a few paces behind by Feroz carrying Carver. With a guttural shout she went after them. The man in the crow's nest saw her coming and shouted a warning to his captain below. Ansgar motioned for two of his other men, Ludwik and Maury, to take care of her.
Scarlett met them head-on, a sudden adrenaline rush being the only thing keeping her moving so swiftly. Drifting on the edge of unawareness, she fought, lunging at the two men twice her size and blocking attacks that brought her to her knees too many times to count. They pushed her closer to the wharf's end, and she tried to steer them in the opposite direction. Ludwik and Maury kept at it, pressing her closer and closer to the dock's edge. She thrust her sword into Maury's stomach, only to find he was no longer standing there. Her vision began to blur and she fell backwards. The last she remembered was feeling the harsh cold of ocean water coming up to meet her and seeing the red water drift past her.
Author's Note: Yes! Another chapter done, but, I feel sad. whimpers I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter… No bother. grins I don't mind, just so long as I get a lot for this one. wink Anyone think this would be the last battle? Oh-no, I've still got to fix this love-hate relationship between our two favourite people. Thanks to those of you who are still reading and reviewing my story. I am forever in your debt. bows Now go ahead and click that little button there. Go on, I know you want to!