"Well, that ought to waylay them for at least a day," said Jack carelessly,
guiding the Navis Fugacis away from the now dismal Fell Strike. "It will
take them a few hours to repair the damage, not to mention decide on a new
captain."
"What? Why?" asked Will.
"What, didn't I tell you?" said Jack. "Sorry. Mind like a sieve. I personally dealt with Captain Machiavel. Well, I had no choice, did I?"
"Well, that's good," said Will. "But when they do come after us again, they will be angrier, and we do not have a crew."
"We'll have to find one then, won't we?" said Jack.
They were now sailing into an area consumed with dense fog. They could only barely see each others' silhouettes through it as they got further and further through.
"Is this safe?" asked Aragorn. "We might crash."
"Don't worry, I have it all under control," said Jack. With that, he span the wheel to the left and let go. Elizabeth, Will, and Aragorn all nearly fell over in surprise.
"What are you doing?" demanded Aragorn angrily.
"I am trying to get us to a place where we can get a new crew," said Jack.
"This doesn't seem very safe to me," said Will, brushing his moustache.
"Not safe?" said Jack. He began bending over backwards laughing. Then he suddenly straightened up and said seriously, "'Course it isn't safe. But it's our only hope."
"Couldn't we just go to Tortuga?" suggested Will.
"Nah, the place will be teeming with British soldiers if I do," said Jack. "As soon as they get word I'm in Tortuga (and they will, they've got a few grasses there), they'll be round there for their pound of flesh quicker than the Aztecs.
"Speaking of Aztecs, I should probably tell you about our crew," said Jack.
"What do you mean?" asked Will nervously.
"Well, technically speaking, we're not actually entering Aztec space," said Jack. "However, when I was last here, I discovered a group of them that had settled here."
"No, they were wiped out a hundred years ago," said Elizabeth.
"Well apparently a few of them escaped Cortez," said Jack. "They haven't built that much of a settlement up, but they do have a temple and a few houses."
"Can we trust these Aztecs?" said Will. "They're bloodthirsty people. They practice human sacrifice!"
"We probably can't trust them," said Jack. "Last time I only survived because I happened to have quite a store of gold on board and I was able to barter freedom."
"Do we this time?" said Will.
"Not as such," said Jack confidently. "However, we can persuade them with the idea that if they join us, they will be able to fight battle and spill blood again."
"Will they buy that?" said Aragorn.
"Don't know," said Jack.
"Well, if they mean to sacrifice me," said Aragorn, drawing out Andùril, "they will have to put their own necks on the line."
"Well, everyone in good spirits?" said Jack. "No worries, then."
They sailed deep into the evening, the fog thinning, but the sky becoming darker. They were sailing through a very thin channel between two peninsulas of very thick jungle. The gnarled trees stretched their roots into the water. They even grew right on the inlet.
Around them were the sounds of the jungle: parrots and toucans cawed in the foliage, occasionally a jaguar would snarl or roar. At one point a spider monkey leapt onto Jack's shoulder, filched his hat and made off into the jungle with it. Jack was most displeased.
The jungle became darker, more foreboding as they moved on. And the river became faster and more turbulent. The going became rough.
"Stop!" said Jack all of a sudden. "Drop the anchor!"
Will and Aragorn laboured to throw the anchor overboard and the ship halted.
"What is it, Jack?" asked Will.
"There it is," said Jack.
Aragorn, Will, and Elizabeth looked around.
"I see nothing," said Aragorn.
"To the left, just in front of us," said Jack.
Aragorn walked up to the front of the ship and looked to the left. Will soon joined him.
"I'll be damned," said Will.
There was a very narrow gap leading through the jungle trees. It was long and treacherous, as there were many gnarly roots stretching across it. At the end, light was shining through the opening.
"That is where we are going," said Jack, coming down from the wheel. "Elizabeth darling, you'd better stay and hold the fort, so to speak. Everyone else ready?"
Will sheathed his rapier and put a ball and powder into his pistol. Aragorn gripped Andúril tightly. Jack drew his cutlass and tucked his trusty pistol into his belt.
"Let's go," he said.
They stepped off the ship and into the muddy trail, and began walking down it.
"Do these Aztecs trust you?" asked Will.
"No, certainly not," said Jack. "They do not trust many strangers. They prefer to go on with their lives. Their motto is: eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may be gruesomely sacrificed."
"One of those heart-removal things?" said Will.
"More than likely," said Jack carelessly.
Aragorn tripped on a tall root and fell onto his knees. Will went back to help him up, but Jack just kept walking.
"I hate that man," snarled Aragorn.
"You'll like him before the end," said Will. "On my first trip with him, I thought of him just as you do."
"Come on," called Jack, "let's go!"
After another five minutes of difficult walking, they walked out of the jungle into an enormous clearing. Around the area there were stone buildings. There were small ones, mere houses; large ones emblazoned with human skulls, extremely chilling; and in the middle there was a behemoth ziggurat. It was steep and the stairs were tall.
"Right, we're going up there," said Jack, pointing to the temple at the top of the pyramid.
Aragorn and Will stood staring open-mouthed at Jack, who took no notice of them and moved rather boredly towards the structure. Will and Aragorn followed shortly after. When the three of them reached the pyramid, their tedious journey to the top began.
-------------
Well, now I know what you are thinking. "We waited all that time for that short a chapter?!" I'm very sorry, but I've been busy lately. I will be more punctual from now on.
"What? Why?" asked Will.
"What, didn't I tell you?" said Jack. "Sorry. Mind like a sieve. I personally dealt with Captain Machiavel. Well, I had no choice, did I?"
"Well, that's good," said Will. "But when they do come after us again, they will be angrier, and we do not have a crew."
"We'll have to find one then, won't we?" said Jack.
They were now sailing into an area consumed with dense fog. They could only barely see each others' silhouettes through it as they got further and further through.
"Is this safe?" asked Aragorn. "We might crash."
"Don't worry, I have it all under control," said Jack. With that, he span the wheel to the left and let go. Elizabeth, Will, and Aragorn all nearly fell over in surprise.
"What are you doing?" demanded Aragorn angrily.
"I am trying to get us to a place where we can get a new crew," said Jack.
"This doesn't seem very safe to me," said Will, brushing his moustache.
"Not safe?" said Jack. He began bending over backwards laughing. Then he suddenly straightened up and said seriously, "'Course it isn't safe. But it's our only hope."
"Couldn't we just go to Tortuga?" suggested Will.
"Nah, the place will be teeming with British soldiers if I do," said Jack. "As soon as they get word I'm in Tortuga (and they will, they've got a few grasses there), they'll be round there for their pound of flesh quicker than the Aztecs.
"Speaking of Aztecs, I should probably tell you about our crew," said Jack.
"What do you mean?" asked Will nervously.
"Well, technically speaking, we're not actually entering Aztec space," said Jack. "However, when I was last here, I discovered a group of them that had settled here."
"No, they were wiped out a hundred years ago," said Elizabeth.
"Well apparently a few of them escaped Cortez," said Jack. "They haven't built that much of a settlement up, but they do have a temple and a few houses."
"Can we trust these Aztecs?" said Will. "They're bloodthirsty people. They practice human sacrifice!"
"We probably can't trust them," said Jack. "Last time I only survived because I happened to have quite a store of gold on board and I was able to barter freedom."
"Do we this time?" said Will.
"Not as such," said Jack confidently. "However, we can persuade them with the idea that if they join us, they will be able to fight battle and spill blood again."
"Will they buy that?" said Aragorn.
"Don't know," said Jack.
"Well, if they mean to sacrifice me," said Aragorn, drawing out Andùril, "they will have to put their own necks on the line."
"Well, everyone in good spirits?" said Jack. "No worries, then."
They sailed deep into the evening, the fog thinning, but the sky becoming darker. They were sailing through a very thin channel between two peninsulas of very thick jungle. The gnarled trees stretched their roots into the water. They even grew right on the inlet.
Around them were the sounds of the jungle: parrots and toucans cawed in the foliage, occasionally a jaguar would snarl or roar. At one point a spider monkey leapt onto Jack's shoulder, filched his hat and made off into the jungle with it. Jack was most displeased.
The jungle became darker, more foreboding as they moved on. And the river became faster and more turbulent. The going became rough.
"Stop!" said Jack all of a sudden. "Drop the anchor!"
Will and Aragorn laboured to throw the anchor overboard and the ship halted.
"What is it, Jack?" asked Will.
"There it is," said Jack.
Aragorn, Will, and Elizabeth looked around.
"I see nothing," said Aragorn.
"To the left, just in front of us," said Jack.
Aragorn walked up to the front of the ship and looked to the left. Will soon joined him.
"I'll be damned," said Will.
There was a very narrow gap leading through the jungle trees. It was long and treacherous, as there were many gnarly roots stretching across it. At the end, light was shining through the opening.
"That is where we are going," said Jack, coming down from the wheel. "Elizabeth darling, you'd better stay and hold the fort, so to speak. Everyone else ready?"
Will sheathed his rapier and put a ball and powder into his pistol. Aragorn gripped Andúril tightly. Jack drew his cutlass and tucked his trusty pistol into his belt.
"Let's go," he said.
They stepped off the ship and into the muddy trail, and began walking down it.
"Do these Aztecs trust you?" asked Will.
"No, certainly not," said Jack. "They do not trust many strangers. They prefer to go on with their lives. Their motto is: eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may be gruesomely sacrificed."
"One of those heart-removal things?" said Will.
"More than likely," said Jack carelessly.
Aragorn tripped on a tall root and fell onto his knees. Will went back to help him up, but Jack just kept walking.
"I hate that man," snarled Aragorn.
"You'll like him before the end," said Will. "On my first trip with him, I thought of him just as you do."
"Come on," called Jack, "let's go!"
After another five minutes of difficult walking, they walked out of the jungle into an enormous clearing. Around the area there were stone buildings. There were small ones, mere houses; large ones emblazoned with human skulls, extremely chilling; and in the middle there was a behemoth ziggurat. It was steep and the stairs were tall.
"Right, we're going up there," said Jack, pointing to the temple at the top of the pyramid.
Aragorn and Will stood staring open-mouthed at Jack, who took no notice of them and moved rather boredly towards the structure. Will and Aragorn followed shortly after. When the three of them reached the pyramid, their tedious journey to the top began.
-------------
Well, now I know what you are thinking. "We waited all that time for that short a chapter?!" I'm very sorry, but I've been busy lately. I will be more punctual from now on.