Chapter Sixteen

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Clashing swords, wounded clothing, high egos. . . I was starting to believe this duel would go on forever! That was, until, I saw Jack and Loyal, safe and sound, running towards the still ongoing battle between the necromancers and the crew of the Black Pearl.

"This means nothing," Ivory hisses between clenched teeth, obviously having seen Loyal's return as well.

"No, but it means quite a lot," I quip.

Looking out over Ivory's shoulder, I notice the edge of the large blue lake is growing closer and closer. Deciding to take advantage of my dominant position, I quickly snake one leg out, as my right arm lunges forward, the sharp tip of my sword almost piercing her abdomen. In response, Ivory jumps back to dodge the sudden movement, simultaneously tripping over my outstretched foot and slipping most unstealthily into the shimmering water. And if it wasn't for her long, skinny fingers grabbing a tight hold about my left wrist, I would have grinned in victory.

The moment my head is beneath the water, my hazel eyes snap open. Ivory is not in sight, but something still weighs me down, far from the surface. I squint, trying my best to free myself from the tight clutch.

My longues and chest burn, needing the relief of oxygen to fill them. I'm beginning to grow lightheaded, but I resist in shutting my eyes for fear of slipping away. I struggle to see, but after a moment, a thin white hand registers as it wraps tighter about my ankle.

My hair floats about my face in a crazy haze in the water, hiding my eyes in a black blanket. My lack of air finally catches up with me, and my kicking form grows still. I've almost lost all consciousness when a strong arm wraps itself about my middle, and almost hesitantly, the hand grasping my ankle fades away.

The next thing I remember is a demanding caress against my lips and an almost painful pressure on my chest. Abruptly, air fills my longues, pushing out the water from my throat and throwing me into an intense coughing fit.

"Andie?" a familiar voice calls.

My weary eyes open, and I'm surprised to see a soaking wet Jack Sparrow hovering over me, with Rodney and Emmet kneeling at my sides. The pirate's dark depths search mine, but I don't know what he's looking for. My breath is coming in quick bursts, my chest rising and falling heavily.

"Are ye all right?" Rodney asks.

I nod, but my head is pounding. "Where's Ivory?" I ask, staring back as Jack's entire crew is standing about, watching us, but none of Ivory's accomplices are in sight.

Jack's eyes move from my own to the lake behind me. "I didn't see her."

"You mean she never surfaced?" I ask.

Jack shakes his head, sending little water droplets this way and that. "No. I figured ye were goin' to, but ye never did, so I dove in after ye. Love, what happened down there?"

I sit up the best I can. "She was pulling me down by my ankle. I couldn't get away."

Jack outreaches a dirty hand to help me up. I instantly look for Loyal, my eyes searching through the cliques of men. I don't see him, nor Mercy.

"She took him back to the tavern," Jack explains, easing my worry. "They're both fine."

I smile, but don't have the nerves to thank him for all that he's done. Saving my life, most importantly. That will have to wait. "What happened to the rest of them?"" I ask, referring to the other necromancers.

"They. . . vanished.," Jack replies, placing one hand on my waist as though he's afraid I cannot keep myself up.

"They just disappeared?" I ask, dumbfounded, although the unusual is most normal for me.

He nods. "And as it seems, Ivory has done the same."

"Or drowned," I consider. "But how can someone just vanish into thin air? Is that even possible?"

"Apparently," Jack replies. "But I think we should be gettin' back to the tavern, savvy? Mercy seemed a bit nervous to be alone with a wanted fugitive. We should probably get there before someone else finds out Loyal's in town. We'll come up with our next move there."

"All right," I say. "Good idea."

But Jack still orders half the crew to stay and keep watch, just in case Ivory surfaces or decides to reveal herself. Obviously, Jack agrees that this is not yet the end of the battle.

88888

The pounding silence between my brother and I is more than deafening. The tension is so thick that I cannot even look at him. I hate my friends for leaving us in here alone. Mercy said we needed time to "catch up", but we all know what is really about to happen; I will demand to know why the hell Loyal got me into this mess in the first place, and he will yell and argue with me for leaving in the first place.

I wasn't expecting it, but suddenly, Loyal pulls me into a tight, loving embrace. I instantly go rigid, but after a moment, I relax. "I'm glad you're all right," he whispers.

"Me too," I reply. "Who else would save your ass?"

Loyal laughs, a sound from home that I've missed all along. "I see you still haven't lost your sense of humor."

"Loyal," I say, ignoring his comment. "What happened with Keaton Weiss?"

His smile fades. "I just got here, Emery, don't you want to just catch up first? We have time."

"We might not," I argue. "We don't even know where Ivory is."

"All right," he gives in. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Starting with why you were in Helena Port in the first place, and ending with why you killed him."

Loyal takes a breath. "I'm not going to lie to you," he says. "Keaton was going to blackmail us. When you left, I wasn't going to let you run off unprotected. I sent him after you, told him to keep his distance, but to keep a sharp eye."

"So that's how Ivory knew everything she did," I concluded. "Because Keaton knew it all from working with you." Loyal simply nods, and I adjust Jack's coat around my shoulders and damp hair. His scent is stained into the deep blue fabric; the spice of Caribbean rum and the salt of the sea. It gives me a sense of comfort and stability.

"But the bastard was greedy, and wanted our families rank and fortune," Loyal continues. "And when I declined, he promised to kill you, sending me every last gory detail. Keep in mind, this was a man of his word. He was determined, and if he didn't get what he wanted. . . well, I wasn't going to let any of that happen."

"Loyal-"

But he instantly cut me off. "Don't chide me, Emery. I did what I had to do."

And he's right. I know I would do the same for him. "I understand."

Loyal observes my reaction for a moment. "Have you spoke to Chester?"

"Vaguely."

"Did he mention our accord?" My brother asks.

I got completely still. "What accord?"

"I agreed to accompany him here, only if you came back home with me," Loyal says. "For good."

That hallow feeling in my stomach spreads until it posses every muscle in my body. "What?"

He leans forward to take my hand. "You're coming home, Emery. You don't belong here."

"I don't belong anywhere," I reply, harshly pulling my hand back from his grasp. "But especially not back in England."

"You need to be with your family," he argues.

"I am with my family!" I say. Mercy, Emmet, Chester, even the crew of the Black Pearl; they're the closest I have to kin now.

The green in Loyal's hazel eyes glitter famously. "This is because of the pirate, isn't it? You don't want to leave because of him."

"No," I deny instantly, a little too quickly to be persuasive. "It's not because of Jack."

"Then what is it?"

"I have my own duty, Loyal. Your job is to be the next Duke, when the time comes. And mine is to help people. I have my own calling just as you do," I explain.

"And you're not the only one with that calling," Loyal replies. "Chester told me all about this duty of yours. The world won't crumble at your absence, for there are others who keep the balance as well. Besides, you won't be dead. Just back in England, where you're meant to be."

88888

"Love?"

I look up from the small, half empty suitcase to see Jack Sparrow standing curiously at the doorway.

"Yeah?"

He raises an eyebrow and closes the door behind him. "What are ye doin'?"

I stuff the last pair of lace garters -my favorite- into the old suitcase beside the last of my clothing. "You were right, Jack," I commend him. "Loyal is taking me back to England with him. I don't belong here, just as you said."

He takes a step closer to me. "I didn't mean that."

I don't say anything, just continue to pack the few things I've kept here all this time. When I come to that familiar golden locket of my mother's, I hold it up before my eyes. "I don't know why my father gave me this," I say. "I suppose he couldn't bare to look at it any longer."

Jack takes a seat at the edge of the bed. "I know what ye told Ivory about losin' someone ye cared for," he looks up at me. "Were ye talkin' about yer mother or someone else?"

I go still. "Someone else."

"Did he work in the stables by chance?" Jack asks.

I nod. "But it's all behind me now."

"One more question," the pirate says. "And then we'll put it at rest." I raise an eyebrow in response, waiting for said question. "How do you know how Keaton would react if he was summoned?"

I take a moment to respond. "I looked into it, a few years back, when he died. When someone is raised from their grave, their soul is dormant. It's gone. So basically, Ivory would just be rasing a lifeless corpse."

Jack inhales this, but says nothing more about it. Instead, he pulls me closer and wraps those strong arms tight about my waist. "Did ye love him?"

I smile. "You said no more questions."

He looks up at me from under heavy lines of black coal, smudged abundantly around his chocolate eyes. "Last one, I swear."

I trace the sharp lines of his jaw gently with my fingertips. "There's a difference between loving someone and falling in love with someone. As you said, I did care for him, but our relationship was more of an infatuation than anything."

Jack lays back on the bed, pulling me with him, chest to chest, hips to hips. "Kind of like us."

"Yeah," I lie. "Kind of like us."

I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit off or confusing. I'm working on it, and tried to answer everyone's questions.

Also, I'm hoping for about five more chapters of this story. Aka, I'm wrapping it up. But I do have my mind on a sequel, although I'm not promising anything. I have the beginning of a storyline worked out, so if I come up with the rest, I may just have to write it.

The "Surfacing" sequel is coming along, but very slowly, so I'm not sure when this will be up and running.

And about "Wayding Waters": I'll update it someday.

I love you.

dreadlockedpencil: Haha. I hope you don't go into withdraw. That probably wouldn't be good...

Down2MarsGirl: I have no idea what it means. Maybe we're soul mates? Haha.

LoLoMo: I'm glad you liked. About the snakes: it's said that snakes are a sign of evil, and in an earlier chapter I had associated that certain animals (like black cats & snakes) are attracted to Andie because of her curse.

ComfortablyNumb89: Aw, I'm glad you liked "Surfacing" as well. I hope this chapter was not disappointing, because the fight between Andie & Ivory was not the big bang, which I'm sure a lot of you were hoping for or expecting.

SuperMonkey289: Yep, a sequel. But I have no idea when I'll get it all in order. It's still in the works. I hope your questions were answered in the chapter. If not, just ask me again. I'll be glad to explain.

Lyra Potter: I hope this chapter answered your questions, my darling. I tried to get everything in, but I may have missed something.

CaptainMarySparrow: Glad to have you back.

Funky flamingo: Hope you weren't hanging for too long again. I updated as quickly as I could!

Terradaina: Which part was sudden? I wasn't happy between the conversation between Jack & Andie either, to be honest. I was obviously having a bit of trouble writing that part. But I didn't think Jack should be more angry, considering that he already knew Andie wasn't who she seemed. They both mentioned that pretty often, I think. He was somewhat offended, but he wasn't going to make a huge deal about it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for your constructive criticism.