Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long but stupid school and stupid computer! Man, my computer is making me so mad but I'll get over it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter; it kinda ends abruptly…read and review please. Thanks.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Jelly Legs
There was wind…wind blowing on her face and making little strands of hair tickle her nose. Anamaria kept her eyes closed and just listened, trying to gage her surroundings. Wind meant there was either a draft or…she was outside. She was sitting up as well, and her hands were tied to something ruff like the main mast of a ship.
Opening her eyes, Anamaria let them adjust to the moonlight. There were men walking around on the deck, moving barrels and other boxes, making room for one large crate that five of the crewmen were carrying. It looked like a coffin.
Turning her head to the left, Anamaria was met by Gillette's blood drenched face, leaning against the main mast next to her. Turning it to the right, Anamaria was met with…
"Jack!" Anamaria whispered, trying to get his attention. His eyes were closed but they opened blearily when she said his name. Anamaira couldn't help but smile as she stared into those eyes…so full of expression and relief…and something she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was alive! It had worked! "Jack, what happened? Where are we?"
"Barbossa's ship." Jack muttered. He was pale and looked sick…but he was alive! Anamaria could tell he was trying to keep his voice as strain-free as possible but she could still hear it in the scratchiness of his words. "They…uh…" He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "They took us from the beach and brought us here, 'bout an hour ago."
An hour? Jack had to be lying; there was no way she had been out for an hour. "What are they doing? Anamaria asked, staring at the long crate. "What's in there?"
"Well, why don't I show you?" Barbossa asked, coming forward and cutting the rope that tied all hostages to the main mast. As Anamaria's arms fell to her sides, she suddenly realized the pain on her wrists and saw the bruises and cuts from the rough material of the ropes. A man walked forward and grabbed Anamaria, pulling her roughly to her feet as more pirates grabbed the others.
They led them to the crate and lined them up, facing the crate. Anamaria looked over at the others. Right away she realized Elizabeth and Christian were missing…where were they and how had they got away?
Norrington was nearest her, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, upper arms held tightly in the grasp of a giant man. His powdered wig was missing and she was startled to see that he had dark brown hair, cut so short there was almost nothing there at all. Probably because of lice.
Next to him was Jack. He was hanging off the man holding him and was the only one not looking at the crate before them. He was staring at the sea, tossing gently over the railing, his face blank…lost in thought about something as his legs sagged beneath him. Jelly Legs…he looked like he had just come back from a heavy night of drinking in Tortuga….or like he'd just been flogged, especially with his pale face and the fine trickle of sweat running down his forehead.
Beside him was Gibbs. He looked fine except for the fact that he was swaying badly and his eyes were slightly unfocused. Barbossa watched them, standing beside the crate. Glancing around, Anamaria took in the two crews…Mulan's who were all watching her cautiously, and Ethan Barbossa's crew…the ex-crew of the Black Pearl. It seemed that Marko's entire crew had been decimated by Will. Looking around, Anamaria felt her stomach clench. Where was Will or Bill for that matter?
"Another ten." Marko said viciously. Will closed his eyes tightly and held his breath as the man behind him, Mulan, brought the whip down again, slashing into his back deeply. How many were they on now? He didn't know. All he could remember was the moment they brought him in here, into the dungeon of this ship. How long he'd been in here was clouded by pain.
In the corner of the room, his father was strapped to a turn table, his arms stretched out above him, the ropes cutting deep into his flesh. The man in the corner was asking him questions, sneering, but Will couldn't hear what was being said. He was in to much pain.
"Nine…" Will gritted his teeth, trying not to yell out as they threw salt water on the wound. "Ten." And it was done. With one final slash, the two men came back around and stood in front of him. "That, Turner, was for killing my crew." Marko said, looking over at Mulan. "Don't bring them…I want them for later."
"What about Turner's wife…and the doctor?" Mulan asked, watching Bill in the corner as the man questioning him turned the wheel again, stretching out his limbs.
"Don't worry about them. They have no where to go and we have men on all the ship's decks. They can't get near us. Don't worry."
Elizabeth sat still, leaning against the log. It seemed like days since they had last sat here; getting ready to go after the bottle, when Jack had just died and Elizabeth had just lost her baby. She looked over at Christian who was peering over the log, watching the three ships below.
"It seema like they're all on that one ship there." He whispered, squinting through the dark. Elizabeth didn't bother to turn and look. "I think I can see Anamaria, the Commodore, Gillette and Jack." Christian grinned. "Jack's alive."
Elizabeth smiled slightly and looked up at the moon, peeping through the palm trees, watching her. At least one thing had gone right. "What about Will?" She looked over at Christian but he shook his head.
"No, he's not there. Nor is Mr. Turner…senior." Christian turned around and leaned against the log too. "How are you feeling Mrs. Turner?" He asked.
"This isn't the time for formalities, doctor." Elizabeth said simply. "You can call me Elizabeth." Christian smiled. "I feel about as fine as I can. I'm dying, aren't I?"
"No." Christian whispered, leaning his head against the rough bark of the log and watching her through half closed eyes. She suddenly realized how exhausted he looked. "You're injuries are…"
"Don't lie to me. I may be a woman but I can take whatever you have to say. Don't treat me like I'm fragile, please!"
"Yes then. You will die with out the proper care…the elixir." Elizabeth nodded. "But they have it and I don't see any way to get it." He again turned around and watched the ships below. "I'm going to go down, see if I can find any way to get them free."
"I can't come with you." Elizabeth said, shaking her head. She was drained…exhausted. "I'll stay here and assist you if I can. Later though." Christian nodded and then took off, disappearing around the log and making his way down the slope, through the trees and down to the bay.
Jack leaned against his captor and took in the sickening odor of pit sweat and rotting meat…what the hell was that? It smelled like the man was rotting or had ate something an it was rotting. Either way, Jack knew one thing, it wasn't him.
"You have all gathered here," Said a voice off to his left. Jack turned his head slowly, the weight of it making it flop around on his weak neck, to look at Mulan and Marko walking across the deck with slow and deliberate steps. Marko, Fredrick Marko the slime ball, piss faced, two timing, backstabbing, bloody bastard! Jack felt a smile curl his lips as Marko's eyes fell on him and then shifted to Anamaria.
Marko smiled on seeing her and came forward, making his way through the milling crew easily as they leapt aside to clear a path for him. He reached out and hand and ran it down her cheek.
"Anamaria. You look lovelier by the second." He said, running and hand over her lips. If Jack hadn't hated Marko so much, he would have warned him not to do that because Anamaria liked to bite and, sure enough… "Ouch!" Marko pulled his hand back, rubbing his index finger, which had begun to bleed. With a quick move, he backhanded her into the man behind her. The man caught her and held her up as her head whipped back to glare.
"Hey!" Jack yelled with more strength then he thought he had. "Didn't your mother tell you not to hurt a woman mate?"
Marko turned and smiled at him. "She's no woman. She's simply a whore pirate who's pretending." He looked back at Anamaria and the man holding her smirked.
"I was talking to her." Jack said, nodding to Anamaria and then, lifting his hand he bit his finger lightly. "I was asking her weather her mother ever taught her not to hurt a woman." Marko smiled more widely and came forward until he towered over Jack and the man holding him up.
"You can never lose your wit, do ye Jack Sparrow?" He asked. Reaching out, his fingers snaked around Jack's throat and he pulled him close, making the man behind him let go. Jack, weak from dying, couldn't stand properly and ended up choking as Marko wouldn't let go of him. "You see that crate behind me?" Jack didn't answer. "Once we revive Barbossa, you're taking his place."
With no room for fear, Jack set his face into an unimpressed look and watched Marko defiantly. Pissed, Marko threw Jack sideways and he collided with Norrington. They hit the ground hard and around them, the remaining crew laughed.
"You shouldn't make him mad, Sparrow." Norrington warned quietly. Jack rolled his eyes and looked over at Marko who was ignoring him, walking over to the crate.
"Oh please." Jack laughed, loud enough for Marko to hear. "He's a scary as my hat! Speaking of which…" Jack looked around as though searching for it. "I'd really like it back." Norrington stared at him for a moment and then helped him into a standing position. Jack leaned against him awkwardly, both men realizing how odd this was. "I don't know you cared."
"I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I did." Norrington answered crisply. Jack smiled and didn't answer, his eyes moving back to Mulan who had bent over the crate with Ethan and Marko…the slime ball.
From behind the crate, Ethan pulled out a small bottle and Jack, realizing what it was, took a step away from Norrington and almost ended up on his back again as weakness spread over his legs. "Lift the lid." Ethan said quietly, uncorking the bottle and looking over at Jack through glittering eyes. "Let's release my brother."
Three strong crewmen stepped forward from the circle around them and, with strong bars and axes, managed to remove the lid with most of it still intact. When the cloud of dust had dispersed, Jack was able to just see part of the crate's contents.
The last time Jack had seen Barbossa, it had been about a week after he had escaped from his hanging, when the crew had gone back to load up on treasure. Since then, he hadn't set foot on Isla de Muerta, contrary to popular belief. Jack himself had made the story, to cover his tracks, saying that he had made a home on the dreaded Isle and was served by mermaids and scantily clad women.
Poor Barbossa. If Jack hadn't still held a grudge against the man for stealing his ship, he probably would have felt sorry for him and a little ashamed of shooting him in the chest. Barbossa was now just a pile of bones…well, a pile of bones again only he didn't walk or talk anymore. His body lay in the box, cloths still on but ratty and torn. One bony hand rested on his rib cage, the other on the hilt of a shining sword. Jack sighed, at least he was dead.
Ethan smiled, as though seeing his brother like this was the best thing in the world, and then looked over at Jack. "Sparrow, do you see what you have done?" Jack raised an eyebrow at being addressed like this but stayed silent, wondering where this was going and realizing he couldn't care less. "My brother…you may have beat him but it was…will be, a short lived victory."
"No." Jack answered. "The victory was in watching the surprised look on his face as he bled out; knowing he was going to die…and I had won."
"He'll have the same pleasure." Ethan answered. He looked over Jack's shoulder. "Bring him here." Suddenly, Jack was ripped out of Norrington's grasp and dragged over to the casket. Ethan grabbed the back of his head and pushed it down, into the wood, his nose just inches from Barbossa's. Jack grimaced at the smell of rot and decay but was too weak to do anything about it but stare down at the empty eye sockets and the chasm where his nose should have been. "Get a good look; you'll be like that very soon."
Jack managed to laugh. "What? The East India Company, slimy bastards, failed to kill me. Tortuga failed to kill me. Emily failed to kill me…" Jack closed his eyes. That had just slipped. On the far side of the crate, he could almost feel Anamaria's eyes on him. Quicly, he covered it up. "All those bar wenches…all of them, failed to kill me! Barbossa, you're brother who was a…" The pressure of Ethan's hand on the back of his neck made him hold his tongue. "Failed to kill me not once, but twice! Will didn't kill me. Why do you think you'll have the pleasure?"
"Wait." Ethan growled. "You will be a pile of bones."
Jack sighed. Clearly his little speech had fallen on deaf ears. "I tried it once; Will didn't think it suited me." Ethan pulled him back up and shoved him back to his captor who held him upright. Ethan walked slowly over to the casket and suspended the bottle over his brother's bones.
Elizabeth crawled to her feet; tears spilling down her face. The pain in her stomach was over whelming…it felt as though someone had been tearing her insides out through her belly button. 'It's just the baby.' She told herself silently, placing a hand on her stomach. 'Her little body is just…' Just what? Pushing it out of her mind, Elizabeth leaned on the log and peered through the darkness to the ships below. There was movement on deck but her head was swimming and her eyes screwing up in pain and dizziness. She had to find help, Christian couldn't do it alone.
Moving forward, Elizabeth pushed into the trees, not sure of what she was searching for. She needed to find someone…anyone to help. Weakly, she ran into trees and tripped over shrubs, pushing deeper and deeper into the dense forest around her until she heard it, the sound of the waterfall again and the feeling of being watched intensified. Maybe they could help? Somehow, anyway she needed someone.
The waterfall's pool was dark now, a small gap in the foliage showing her the cascading waterfall, white and ghostly in the moonlight. She watched the dark water below but it was empty; there was no one there.
Where were they? Where was her mother and her baby? They had been there just hours before, to great her. Maybe she had to get closer? Elizabeth stumbled down the muddy banks until she reached the water's edge and scanned the icy black pool. There was someone out there, in the middle of the water.
A woman was walking towards her through the waist high water, her form foreign to Elizabeth's eyes. It wasn't her mother…or Anamaria. The woman was tall with muscular arms and legs, both visible beneath the damp white sleeves and skirt she wore. On her back was a sword and a bow, partially hidden behind a flowing veil of black hair; on her forehead was a small tiara with a jewel. She was so beautiful.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth called out, watching the woman approach. The other didn't answer but continued to wade through the black. "Will you not answer me?" She was so tall! She had to be taller then the Commodore and as muscular as Will. She had high cheekbones, now at this close range, Elizabeth could see small jewels sunken into her brown skin, out linining her eyes and a small red dot on her forehead.
"Elizabeth Turner?" She asked. Elizabeth was shocked, how did she know her name? And how could she talk without moving her lips? "I know what you are thinking. You are thinking 'How can she be knowing who I am? How can she be speaking to me?' I know everything about you, Elizabeth Turner." The woman reached out and placed a hand on Elizabeth's stomach. "I am sorry for Alinasa. She felt threatened."
"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked. The woman smiled and let her hand drop.
"I am Morliana, a princess of India. Of course, you are knowing that already…yes?" Elizabeth nodded. "You know who I am, as I am knowing you. I know why you are here." She now spoke slowly and deliberately, as though weighing every word in an accent so foreign; Elizabeth was trying to translate still.
"Will you help me then?" Elizabeth asked, though she could guess the answer.
"You doubt I will help you and you are right. I will not." Elizabeth mad to protest and argue her case but Morliana beat her to it. "No. It is all for selfish gain. The bottle, through the powers it is having, wield to great and awful a curse. I am no longer in possession of it."
"But surly you want to stop them from using it!" Elizabeth cried. "They want to use it for selfish gain, not us…"
"Is not bring back Jack Sparrow for selfish gain?" Elizabeth closed her mouth. Anamaria had loved Jack, she wanted him back. Was that a selfish thing to do? "Is not bringing your husband and child back, a selfish gain?"
"I am human though." Elizabeth answered. "And right now, I need help. We need help." Morliana shook her head and turned away. With out thinking, Elizabeth waded into the water after her and grabbed her arm but, instead of grabbing flesh, she felt only mist beneath her fingers and drew back. Startled, she tried to regain her composure as Morliana continued into the darkness. "But you were in love once!"
The other stopped and slowly turned, cocking an eyebrow. "What?" She asked.
"Raoul Markling." Elizabeth answered quietly as Morliana began walking back towards her. "You loved him. He was the Captain of the Fated Parting and you left with him to get away from Perdolin." Morliana stared at her in the dark. "I love Will and my child, Anamaria loves Jack and he loves her…I'm sure. You know what we're thinking before we do. You know what we're feeling before we do but somehow, you become clouded by yourself! Help me. Help them."
Morliana looked away from her at last and seemed lost in thought for a while. Suddenly, there was a rustling all around them. Elizabeth turned and saw dark female shapes dissolving out of the darkness on the banks of the pool.
"You have your warriors. And surely, once the curse is lifted and the bottle consumed, you can leave this place and got back…back to him." Morliana smiled in the darkness.
To My reviewers:
DragonHunter200: Hey, sorry about your reveiw last time where it deleated most of it! Yeah, i'm glad i'm safe from the fangirls now, i was getting a little worried there. lol. Yeah, I must admit, I loved the blood part to, it was fun to write except I didn't like the praying part. I had to change it like...30 times until I got it close to spmething I could live with. I'm glad your kittens are...thriving. lol. Get working on your rum story man, i miss it. No pressure or anything.
Toxic-Beetle: Hi. Well, since you've only read up to chappie 12 i won't give anything away. I don't know where you are now but i hopw you enjoy the story. Good luck with you're honeymoon with Jack, i had one last night and it was great. We divorced this morning. I woke up...lol. Good luck!
Irish-bird: Jack's a complicated man, you know? There is no nice little ending for him or anyone near him until the end of the tale. It's just the way it is. I'm glad you like it so far, hold on, there's so much more coming yet.
padme17: A punch in the face is nothing? Aren't you a kind person. lol, i'm just messing with you. Nah, Anamaria will have a sore face but she'll get over it. Keep reading and reveiwing.
Lord Harven: Thank you, I hope your farther then Chapter one now but if you aren't, you won't read this answer to your reveiw for a while. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Gaze: No, I don't think finding out you were dead would be something you come back from really fast, even if you are a sexy pirate. Just leave Jack and Ana alone? What, are you crazy! Absence makes the heart grow fonder aparently and besides, who said that they were going to have a happy ending anyway...duhn duhn duhn! Lol, I'm glad your enviro club is going good. Good luck!
forceflow46: I got my laptop back but all the stuff I had on it was erased! Oh well, at least it woks, eh? Yep, I said sequal. I've already written a bit of it and i'm combing this story for things i left out that will tie in and such. I've left some small clues that will play a big role in the next one so...
Rose Noire le Mort: I'm sorry about stopping where I did last time but i had so much content I couldn't put it into the last chappie. I hope I made up for it but I love writing cliffhangers. I don't like reading them but they're fun to write. LOL, Sorry. I hope this chappie made up for it.
