Ack! Sorry about the big delay in getting the rest of this fic up. I didn't get that done before leaving town like I'd hoped to. One more chapter after this one...
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After Jack for the thousandth time corrected the lack of title, he let his body go limp, effectively surprising Askew enough to escape his grip. Askew recovered quickly though and almost before Jack could roll over, the man was swinging the dagger at his chest. Jack caught the knife-wielding hand and deflected the slash. He twisted around so that he was on his knees, still holding Askew's right hand that clutched the knife tightly. It seemed like they were caught there, struggling with the knife for an eternity. Jack's arms shook with the strain of holding the other man off. He could see that the dagger's sharp point was slowly being forced alarmingly close to his chest. Jack pushed back with all the force he had left but only managed to move the knife's trajectory slightly. Askew leaned into his knife arm, using his higher position to his advantage as his weight gave it more force. The dagger lunged forward, headed straight for Jack's heart.
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Will watched in stunned shock as Jack had fallen to the floor. It had taken a moment before it registered that Jack's throat had not been slit, not yet at any rate. Askew was positioned over Jack; they were struggling for control of the dagger. Standing halfway across the large room, Will found himself again in the horrid position of watching Jack yet being unable to help him. With the two of them moving around like that, there was far too much risk to Jack for him to try throwing a weapon and taking Askew out.
Suddenly Will realized there was no water separating them this time. He wasn't forced to stand idly by as Jack was again trapped in the clutches of his enemy. Will started to run to where Jack and Askew were fighting. He saw Askew's men coming to surround him as they moved from their previously statue-like, unmoving positions around the walls of the chamber.
Still running to Jack, Will yelled, "Now!" Suddenly, in the middle of the room, the chests and barrels of treasure came to life as lids were thrown open and sides kicked away. Thirteen angry, and previously very cramped, pirates sprang into action. Along with the crewmembers who had delivered the "treasure", they immediately threw themselves into assorted sword and fist fights with Askew's men.
Knowing the crew would keep Askew's pirates at bay, Will finally arrived at the tussling pair just as the dagger was about to reach its target. Will drove right into Askew with his shoulder. As the man had been leaning all his weight downwards, trying to force the knife into Jack, he was easily thrown off balance and knocked off.
Will stood over the fallen man, his boot resting heavily on Askew's collarbone, his sword point hovering dangerously close to the Captain's face.
"Bastard!" Askew seethed, his face contorted in undisguised hatred. Looking away from Will, and his ominous sword tip, Askew could see his men losing. "You cheated!"
Will smirked, cocked his head, and said, "Pirate."
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Handing over the chore of watching Askew to another crew member (with explicit instructions to kill the man if he dared to move but an inch), Will turned to Jack. He crouched down, looking over Jack in concern. When Jack tried to get up, Will half supported, half pulled him into a standing position.
"'s allright, Will. 'm okay," Jack slurred as he struggled to keep standing. He was beyond dizzy and appreciated the hand that Will put on his shoulder to help steady him. He especially appreciated that Will held his non-injured shoulder, as the wound had begun to bleed and throb again.
"No, you're not," Will said insistently, worry clearly in his eyes. "What happened to you?"
Before Jack could answer, a booming thud shook the building. Had it been merely cannon fire, that might well have been the end of it until the next shot, but the slight shaking of the floor beneath them continued. The fighting pirates stopped, both crews froze, several men in mid-swing. Everyone waited to hear cannon fire but instead there was the ever increasing rumble of something else. Dust and mortar began to fall from the ceiling, and the shaking grew in strength.
"My God, the building's going to collapse," Will said quietly, thinking of the crack. Suddenly everyone else in the room figured out the same, or at least that something was dangerously wrong. Fighting opponents turned from each other, abandoning their battles as the shaking grew even more severe, the groaning and rumbling louder still. In the blink of an eye, chaos had broken out and everywhere there were pirates scurrying for exits. Small bits of rock began to fall from the ceiling and cracks snaked their way across the stone walls. The lit torches fell from their holders. From their resting place on the floor, the torches cast a strange, off balanced light into the increasingly dusty air.
Will wrapped an arm around Jack's waist and started them moving. Despite focusing on navigating through the sea of panicked pirates, Will was aware of the sticky, wet feel of blood under his hand.
"Jack?" he asked over the din of shouting men and groaning building.
"Right 'ere," Jack said as he limped alongside Will. "Where's Askew?"
Will looked back to where they'd left the man. He saw the sailor he'd put in charge of guarding Askew dive out of the way just as a huge chunk of the heavy stone and wood ceiling fell. Through the dust, Will couldn't make out whether it had landed on top of Askew or not, but the debris was now resting where the Captain had been moments before.
"It's not him we need to worry about at the moment," Will said, hurrying their pace. They had to step over debris, careful not to trip.
When Jack and Will finally made it to the far doorway, the rumbling and groaning had become constant and so loud that it was nearly deafening. They had narrowly avoided the large, falling hunks of stone. Just as they moved out of the room and into the relative safety of the hallway, Will heard a horrific noise. It could have been just the sound of the ceiling finally caving in, but Will could swear he heard something else too: a voice scream his last name before the sound of falling rock drowned out everything else.
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Tbc...
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Captain Blackbird, ellennar, Gaze, Heldin, Dan-yell: Thanks for reviewing last time and sorry to leave you hanging at such a big moment in the story.
Heldin: Go rent Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Seriously, if you dig the cool bad guy thing you'll like it.