Chapter 6
"Jack…"
Jack's eyebrows twitched in irritation, but otherwise he didn't stir.
"Oh come now Jack, don't play hard-to-get with me. I know you are awake."
As the familiarity of the voice was accompanied by a cool brush against his cheek, his eyes snapped open, focused and alert. His whole body unintentionally tensed, expecting the worst.
"See Jack? That wasn't so hard."
Jack slowly sat up, looking around him cautiously in an attempt to locate the voice's source. All he could see in any given direction was a thick, gray mist. Experimentally, Jack stretched out a hand, hoping to feel his way out of this situation. When his fingers brushed against the wall of fog, blazing hot energy coursed up his arm, causing him to wince in pain while his hand trembled. He quickly withdrew his hand and examined it. The pain faded instantly, but red welts covered his fingers where they had met with the misty barrier.
"Sorry Jack, but you won't be getting out that easily."
Jack tensed again, his gaze shooting all around the mist-bound clearing.
"Who are ye? Where are ye? Ye seem t' know mine so well-"
The voice's laugh echoed eerily, the feminine sound ringing like falling rain, tolling bells, and shattering crystal all at once. "Oh, I know so much more than just your name, Jack."
"Tha's nice, but who are you?" Jack asked again, being sure to stress his question.
~*~
The small cart rolled along, the wheels occasionally catching in rain-made ruts in the pebble road, causing the dead weight in the back to jump with the cart's motion. The wispy tendrils of fog reluctantly swirled away from the animal and the cart that followed behind it. A strange crunching sound from along the deserted roadside caused the cart's driver to pull back on the reins, signaling a full-stop. The beast of burden gladly fell to a stop, shaking its head as if rejoicing in the short break.
The cart's driver cautiously peered into the thick miasma, attempting to locate the sound's source. After having scanned both sides of the road, the driver collected the reins and clucked to the donkey, tapping its hide with the whip.
"Git along," the driver instructed, needlessly voicing his command.
The donkey took one step forward, and then froze. Its ears pricked, nostrils flared, and white showed around its eyes.
"Wha's wrong wit ye? I said 'git along'!" The driver snapped, smacking the donkey's flank smartly with the whip.
As the crack of the contact echoed through the eerie mist, the donkey lost its cool composure. The creature reared once, touched, and then reared again, this time managing to eke a crack from the wooden cart. After touching down momentarily, it was back up, rearing and bucking for all it was worth.
A sharp snap emanated from the cart as the harness buckled and the donkey bolted, tipping the cart to one side in the process. The cart splintered, sending up a spray of gravel where it went down. The driver and the tarp-covered weight in the back were thrown clear of the debris.
The driver recovered at the sound of boots and two sets of hooves crunching on the gravel. He recognized one set of hooves as the retreating donkey's, but the other steps were completely alien to his ears.
As the steps of both man and beast drew closer, the driver raised his bruised and scraped body to his hands and knees. The footsteps stopped and he, in turn, looked up only to be met with the hilt of a sword to the side of his head.
~*~
"Does that really matter? After all, my job is to help you see the truth."
"An' what is tha'?" Jack asked, slightly annoyed that the voice refused to show itself or give him its title.
"Jack, really, we've been through this-"
"Then why're ye still in me head?!"
The voice didn't answer and the yelled question reverberated through the vapor, the repetitions in voices other than his own becoming unnerving.
"Ye gonna answer?" Jack asked, his voice not as strong as he would have liked.
Unknown to him, the mist began shifting around his ankles, forming itself into thick tentacles and circling him, constantly moving closer to his person.
~*~
Ana scowled down at the motionless body at her feet. Not a moment later, she shook dark hair from her eyes and sheathed her cutlass. Dropping the reins of the horse she had borrowed from a local stable without permission, she turned her attention to the broken cart lying on its shattered side. Rounding the vehicle, she set her sights on the large bundle of canvas lying dust- and gravel-covered on the ground. Curiously, she ventured nearer and, kneeling, she lifted the edge of the tarp. What she saw made her take in a sharp breath.
"Jack?!"
~*~
"Don't you dare insult me so!" The voice shrieked.
At the piercing screech, the tendrils of mist lanced out, puncturing Jack's shoulders, sides, and thighs. The spears sent fire energy through him and the power burned him both internally and externally. The burning feelings caused him to call out in pain.
~*~
The pirate grimaced and his body contorted, trying to escape some unknown pain.
"Jack! What's wrong?!" Ana asked urgently, removing the tarp from his body and pulling him into her arms.
~*~
"Jack, give it up. You know you cannot win against the truth. All you think you know is lies. They left you because you betrayed them. There's nothing left for you to fight for."
As she said this, ropes of white-hot energy circled Jack's body like a large snake, then began to squeeze. The pressure not only caused great agony, but it made breathing more and more difficult. Moments later, Jack's body fell still in the burning bonds, hanging nearly lifeless and suspended only by the twining mists.
"Yes…" The voice's sinister purr echoed throughout the darkening fog.
[a/n: Please review, it lets me know your opinions on what you're reading.]