Author's Note -
Well, another week, another chapter. I'm leaving on a cruise in about 5 hours and am very excited. I should be able to post another chapter by Saturday the 26th. Hopefully, you all have a wonderful two weeks ... I know that I will. :-)
A-
Author Thanks
Chapter 18
Dimonah Tralon - Thanks! Hope you enjoyed both chapters.
TriGemini - Thanks! Enjoy!
Lil Bit - Tanks, poppet. Hmmm ... I wonder. Too true, I can't escape you, chil' ... but I can avoid you, lol. Enjoy!
The lady of the shadows - Thanks! Happy times are good. Enjoy!
Moulin-Rouge-Pirate - Thanks! Please, no angry mobs ... I grly to avoid them. Too right, no one tips ... I work at an ice cream store and tips come few and far between. Enjoy!
AJ-Sparrow - Thanks! Enjoy!
CaptainTish - Thanks! I'm glad that you understood it ... I know it was a bit complicated but I'm glad that it does make sense. Anyways, enjoy!
Trinity144 - Thanks! Typing? Yes, that's what you hear, lol. Enjoy!
lady lorethei - Thanks! Appreciate the tip, mate. Never have to work, huh? Yippee! Enjoy the chapter!
tvmademma - Thanks! Enjoy!
KAYLA - Thanks! I'm really glad that you like both my stories! It's always nice to have more fans. Please don't end up in a crazy home ... those aren't too much fun, I've heard. Enjoy!
jisAtsU silLENce - Thanks! Happy dances are fun, lol. Enjoy!
Cayenne Pepper powder - Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Enjoy!
Jinxd n cursed - Thanks! I'll be sad too when its finished but trust me, this story won't be the last you hear from me, I assure you. Enjoy!
Maeg Lalaith - Thanks ... although I'm not sure what to make out of 'gjghjgfj' but, reviews are appreciated none-the-less. Enjoy.
Freak in Corner - Thanks! Enjoy!
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Chapter 19
Freak in Corner - Thanks! Why was the chapter so short ... mainly because I wanted to update but didn't have enough time to write more ... and it was more fun to leave such a cliffie. Mwhahaha. Enjoy, mate.
S.S.I. - Thanks! Yeah, I know, cliffies are evil ... but it's all good. Enjoy!
jisAtsU siLENcE - Thanks! Shame on me? Okay, I'll go stand in the corner or something. Enjoy!
RMB - Thanks! Okay, don't panic. The world is not going to end. Please don't pass out. I didn't make you wait a month this time. :-) Enjoy!
AJ-Sparrow - Thanks! Please don't die. Enjoy!
TriGemini - Thanks! I can't tell you ... wait and see. Enjoy!
CaptainTish - Thanks! Yep, I'm back and ready for more. My school has conferences on Wednesday and Thursday along with an inservice for teachers on Friday. Enjoy!
lady lorethei - Thanks! Enjoy!
Trinity144 - Thanks! Gah! Flying monkeys! Run! Enjoy!
Eccentric Banshee - Thanks for the review, matey. When I get back, I want to catch up on your story ... I've been so busy lately that I've missed a few chapters. Rion's yours once I'm done with him, lol. Enjoy! (both the chapter and the torture, lol)
A-
Last Time -
Rion saluted me mockingly as his finger toyed with the trigger before slowly pulling it back...
Beyond the Horizon
Chapter 20 - On Opposing Sides
"NOOO! Don't!" I screamed, lashing out as hard as I could.
And then...
Then, I felt someone pushing me down, a warm weight covering my body and a deep voice talking soothingly. "Christy, wake up. Calm down. It's okay. Christy."
I opened my eyes to see Jack lying on top of me, keeping me from flailing, no doubt. "Jack?"
Jack slid off of me and lay beside me on the bed. "Last time, I checked."
"What happened? Why are you -?"
"On top of you?" he finished, smirking mischievously.
I nodded.
"You were kicking and screaming, love. Didn't calm down. Had to do something," he explained.
"Oh."
"Bad dream?"
I nodded.
"Want to talk about it?"
I shook my head swiftly. "Not really."
Jack ran a hand along my cheek. "What happened?"
I rolled onto my side and faced away from him. "Don't want to talk about it."
"Suit yourself," he said, turning away, giving me my space.
I lay in silence for a few long moments, thinking about the dream as I stared up at the ceiling. "You ... you were taken by the crew. They beat you. I ran after you ... but Rion ... he was about to ... to ... to shoot you and I couldn't do anything at all ... and ... you were about to die."
Jack was silent for a long time. "Well, it was just a dream," he said, his voice its usual cocky self yet there was something else, an undertone that hinted to something ... something which I didn't know what it was.
"Yeah, just a dream," I whispered back.
A-
Days passed slowly, as days tend to do when there is nothing to occupy oneself with and I made steady improvements. My condition was watched carefully by Esperanza and under her care and the frequent use of cinchona bark tea, I regained my old strength. To walk small distances took immense amounts of effort on my part but nonetheless, walking alone was an improvement.
However, as my strength improved and I grew stronger, I came to realise that I really was a prisoner here. I was still treated very well by Esperanza and Diego but there was tension underlying everything. It seemed that every day I made improvements, I saw Jack less and less. At first, it seemed like nothing, Esperanza or Diego would get Jack after a shorter amount of time each visit. Then, the number of visits per day shrunk. After that, I went a day, sometimes two, without seeing Jack. Every time I asked about him, I was shrugged off and I was assured that nothing was wrong. But, next thing I knew, it had been a week since I had been allowed to see Jack and I was truly getting worried.
"Where is he?" I asked Esperanza, frustrated at the lack of answers.
"He is fine," she replied, smiling reassuringly and patting me on the head patronisingly. "Drink this," she added, handing me a mug of tea.
I shook my head firmly. "Where IS he?"
"Don't worry about it. Just drink your tea."
"Not until you tell me where the bloody hell Jack is!" I said firmly, slamming the mug down onto the bedside table.
Esperanza grabbed my wrist in a gentle yet firm grip. "You don't want to exhaust yourself, it will only make things worse."
Wrenching my hand from her grip, I walked towards the door as fast as I could possibly manage and surprisingly, Esperanza didn't make any attempt to stop me, didn't call out for her husband or anyone else. Instead, she followed me, keeping about five feet behind as I walked down the hall, keeping my hand on the wall. I had a sickening feeling of deja vu.
When I had gotten to the door of the cabin that I thought Jack was being held in, I leaned against the frame, my strength fading. "Jack," I whispered through the door. "Jack, are you there?"
There were a few long moments of silence where my heart thudded like a drum in my chest.
"Christy?" a familiar male voice called through the door.
"Jack!" I cried, relief flooding into my body.
"Christy, where are you?"
"Right outside the door."
"You can walk? You're better?"
"Much ... thanks to the kiss of life," I said, hoping that he could hear the smile in my voice.
"Not a problem, darling," he replied, his voice showing his amusement.
I was feeling increasingly more fatigued the longer I stood and I leaned more heavily against the doorframe. "I miss you, Jack," I whispered weakly.
"Christy, don't worry about me. Get yourself better. Get yourself strong. All you need to focus on is getting better. Don't worry about me. Don't worry about anything except getting yourself well. That's what's important. I'll take care of everything else," Jack said quickly.
I slumped down further on the door and leaned heavily on the doorframe.
Esperanza came over to me and tried to help me up but I waved her away, frustratedly. She sighed and walked down the hall without saying another word.
"Jack."
"Christy, get back to bed. Rest. You need it," Jack said, the captain-sternness back in his voice.
I sat in the doorframe for several long moments silently before I heard footsteps coming back towards me. I craned my head around and saw Esperanza and Diego coming down the hall.
"Senorita, I am glad that you are well but I must insist that you go back to bed," Diego said in a stern tone, which was negated by his smile.
"No, I don't think I will," I replied stubbornly.
"Take her back, Captain. Don't let her escape again," Jack said through the door.
I scowled at the door but allowed Diego to help me up. He kept a hand underneath my elbow as we made our way slowly back to the cabin.
"Please drink the tea and rest, Senorita and if you promise to stay in bed, I'll allow Captain Sparrow to visit you more frequently. But you are not to go exerting yourself until you are able," Diego said quietly.
"Fine," I said, pouting like a small child.
Esperanza handed me the mug of tea.
I took it and drank it quickly.
"Gracias, Senorita," he said before kissing Esperanza on the cheek and leaving.
I leaned back against pillows, glad that my nightmare had not come true ... this time.
A-
ON THE PEARL, THE MORNING AFTER THE ATTACK
Colin was awakened by a shock of cold water splashed upon him. He groaned and turned over.
"Mister Colin, sir, you need to get up," the voice of a young boy said sharply.
Colin opened his eyes partway. "What happened?" he grumbled before he pushed himself up. But instead of feeling the relative softness of his bunk, his hands pushed down upon something smooth and hard. Colin instantly came out of the early morning fog and his eyes snapped the rest of the way open. He was sitting on the deck of the Pearl, Tad the cabin boy standing in front of him, holding an empty bucket. 'Now I know where the water came from, at least,' Colin thought as he wiped his face from the remaining water. The hot Caribbean sun beat strongly down upon him as he got to his feet.
"Mister Colin, what happened?"
Colin looked down at the small boy. "What do you mean what happened?" he asked, not knowing what the boy was on about. He rolled his head slowly, wincing at every painful pop his neck made. Why did his neck hurt so much? And his head as well? Colin searched his thoughts, trying to find the solution to this mystery. He hadn't had too much to drink last night ... that wasn't the problem, in fact, he hadn't had anything to drink last night because he was steering the ship. But ... why did he wake up on the deck? He should have been relieved and off duty before he had fallen asleep. And there was still the aching pain in his head and neck.
While Colin was lost in thought, a faint scratching noise penetrated his thoughts. He looked down to see Tad running one foot along the deck.
Wait!
Scratching ... feet.
Scratching ... feet.
The scratching noise meant something. Something ... something in his memory from last night. Colin screwed up his face in thought as he traced back the events of the previous night. Nothing really had happened for the longest time and then everything happened.
A small scuffle.
The scratching noise.
Blackness.
That sweet uncomplicated world of blackness ... the world also called 'knocked out.'
Tad, impatient with Colin's long thinking, pulled on his sleeve.
"What, Tad?" he asked, frustrated to be interrupted.
"Sir, the captain and Miss Christy are gone," the boy whispered.
"WHAT!"
"The captain and Miss Christy are gone and no one has seen them all day."
Colin's heart stopped beating for a good minute before he decided on a course of action. "You, boy, get all crew members, tell them to meet up 'ere now."
Tad sprang into life and no less than two minutes later, the crew had assembled and Colin ordered role to be called. All crew members were present and accounted for except...
"Where's Rion?" Colin called.
"The brig, sir," a man by the name of Tall John called out.
"Right," Colin said, happy that at least all the crew was still there.
"Mister Colin, sir ... the brig's empty," Tad said in a whisper of a voice.
Colin stared down at the boy. "What?" he gasped, horrified.
"Door's open and everything. Nuffin' in it's place," the boy said.
Colin stared around the crew. "Who be on guard duty las' night?" he called to the assembled crowd, anger filling up inside of him.
"Me," a man called out. Upon closer inspection, it was Parkers, a relatively recent addition to the crew, had been sailing with the Pearl for around a year.
"You, there, with me. Rest of you, see if ye can find any information bouts where Rion was from," Colin ordered before gesturing Parkers to him. "Wha' happened?"
"Ye see, sir, I got a bits drunk last nigh I guess I fell 'sleep too close to the brig," Parkers explained, sounding abashed.
Colin took a deep breath and said, calmly, "Okay, now lookee 'ere. Don't be drinkin' when ye be on duty. I knows Captain woulda punished tha' sort of behaviours but since we need everyone, it'll be up to him when he gets back. Now get ova there and find out about Rion."
Parkers scampered off, glad to have escaped scot-free.
Colin allowed the crew a good few minutes before he asked, "Who of ye knows where Rion be from?"
There was a bit of muttering before someone called out, "Cadiz."
"Cadiz?"
"Aye!" chorused the crew.
"We'll be heading to Cadiz then. Get on with your duties," Colin said simply before motioning to Mister Gibbs. "I need ye to plot out the quickest route to Cadiz ... it seems the best place to start, do you agree?"
"Tis a fool's mission but I think yer right," Gibbs said.
"Thank ye, Mister Gibbs. There be maps in Jack's cabin," Colin said before dismissing him. Colin had to admit that although he wasn't too accustomed to leadership roles, he had to be able to handle this ... for the sake of Jack and Christy. Taking the helm once more, he guided the Pearl east.
Author's Note -
Okay, like I said, next chapter should be up around Saturday, March 26th. Until then, may the rode rise to meet you and may the sun smile down upon you.
Mange Klemmar
CrazyCanoeingGIT