OMG! Everyone came back and reviewed! Plus, I got NEW reviewers! I FEEL LOVED! Everyone gets a HUGE invisible cookie. Enjoy, its air flavored. Hmmm, hope no one's allergic…
Again, I must thank Sanquinedarkness666 for typing this for me. It never would have been posted without her.
Smithy – Thank you for clearing that up for me. Well, I hope you enjoy chapter 3.
Obliviongates – Glad you like Jackie. I wasn't sure if he'd go over well or not. Hope this wait wasn't too long for you, 'cause here's the next chapter.
Staci – Yep, the angst should start in the … next chapter I think. Weeeee. Torture is fun.
Williz – I'm cool? Wow! I think that's gotta be the first time I've heard that. OMG, I feel so special. Glad you like his name. Here's the next chapter.
Zareen – I hope the part with the teacher doesn't disappoint. …Although, personally I think it'd be cool to have Jack "talk" to some of my teachers. #cough# Algebra 2 teacher #cough#
Em – Thanks for the compliment. Here's the next chapter.
Here's chapter 3. It's not as good as I'd like ('cause I'm really picky) but it does it's job, which is to get everything ready for the torture. Yay, torture!
Anyway read, and once you're done PLEASE review!
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BlackSword
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Chapter 3
As Jack had promised, he was now taking young Jack Turner to school. To himself alone would he admit the main reason for accompanying the boy; he wanted to warn some of the other kids to leave Jackie alone.
"There it is," Jackie said softly. "School," his voice carried the distaste of anyone who was regularly bullied.
"Hey, Jackie," Jack said, stopping the boy, "look, I've never been to a school before, so could you convince that teacher of yours to let me sit in? Before I tell her of your… upcoming absence?"
"Sure, Captain Sparrow."
"One other thing," Jack said. While we're there, call me Captain Jack. They'll know I'm a pirate if they hear the name Sparrow."
Jackie nodded, "Okay, Captain Sp… Jack." He quickly led the pirate to the school and led him inside. "Wait here," he instructed the pirate as they reached the doorway.
Jack remained, but carefully watched the boy, curious as to what would happen.
Jackie made his way through the schoolroom, ignoring the dark looks he got from his classmates. At least, he did until one stepped in front of him and, placing one hand on the smaller boy's chest, asked, "What are you doing here? I half expected you to have been murdered by those pirates you love so much, the bunch of dirt bags."
Jackie was about to retort when their teacher interrupted, "Skyler, none of that now. Wait until after school." Jackie shot Skyler a triumphant look, and then quickly followed his teacher back to her desk.
"Mrs. Lawrence?"
The woman looked up, "Yes, Jackie?"
"Well, I have a friend with me, actually he's more my father's friend, but… can he stay here with us. He wishes to see the school."
"May I inquire the name of this man?"
"His name is Captain Jack. He's a… merchant mariner," Jackie lied, using the occupational name his father often used for pirates when he didn't want others to know their true jobs.
"A captain? Merchant mariner?" his teacher repeated. "Of course he may stay. We would love to have someone of such high esteem here."
Jackie grinned and motioned for Jack to come in. As he did, the class gasped as they caught sight of the pirate, and even the teacher stared as he walked in. Jack smiled and made a slight sweeping bow, then seated himself in a chair next to Jackie's desk.
"Well, Captain Jack, it is an honor to have you here. Now class, we were discussing civil law in the Caribbean. Today, in light of the events of last night, we will learn about the laws against piracy and the consequences for committing acts of piracy."
Jack's eyes widened slightly, Oh, great. Why'd they have to discuss this today?' He glanced at Jackie, and tried to gauge the boy's reaction. The boy looked distinctly unpleased.
"Now, piracy consists of uncommisioned robbery and/or plunder of towns for one's own personal gain. The robbery can occur on sea or off, that matters not. Now, who can tell me the punishment for such acts?"
The boy named Skyler's hand shot up. The teacher nodded at him, indicating she was ready for his answer. The boy said, "The pirates are first arrested, then tried and either hung or beheaded." When he finished saying this, he turned towards Jackie and gave an evil smirk, mimicking someone getting hung.
"Skyler!" The teacher's voice held a sharp edge, "not in the classroom."
"Uh, I was merely indicating, ma'am, that all pirates should be wiped off the face of this world. Make a great holiday of it. The pirates get bloody, horrible deaths and we all celebrate," Skyler quickly lied.
Mrs. Lawrence sighed, "A noble wish, one many of us share. Unfortunately it's not that easy. If it were… oh what a glorious day it would be. For all of us." She had developed a slightly wistful look and sighed again.
Jackie looked shocked. "Surely you don't mean that Mrs. Lawrence!" he exclaimed. "Pirates aren't the dregs you believe them to be! They-"
"Jackie! Hold your tongue! I did not give you permission to speak," his teacher interrupted. The other children snickered softly as Jackie turned slightly red from the rebuke. "Now, since we are discussing pirates…Captain Jack, would you please share with us your opinions of them?"
Jack hesitated, unsure of what to do. If he told them his true opinion, trouble would start, and if he didn't, he would cause Jackie to look even more a fool to his classmates. "Well," he said slowly, "pirates do break the law, but that doesn't make them the scoundrels most think of them as." He paused, and then sighed; he was tired of playing this pretending game and now that he had seen that Jackie had been right about the way the other kids had treated him, he no longer had to play along. "You don't even know a pirate when you see one. You all thought I was a respectable man 'till just now when I let you know I was a pirate."
A series of gasps echoed through the room and Jack heard Skyler mutter, "Figures."
"And you," Jack continued, pointing his now drawn sword at Skyler, "you'd best leave Jackie alone- either that or memorize how to count to ten, because if you pick on him again, you'll only be able to count to eight on your fingers. Savvy?"
Skyler stared speechless at him, not comprehending the last word and too scared to say anything in response to what he had understood.
"Also," Jack said, turning to the teacher, "Jackie will be out of school for a while. He'll be with me aboard my ship. Savvy?"
It was obvious she didn't understand what "savvy" meant either because she just stared at him.
"Come on, Jackie. Time for us to be off," Jack said, re-sheathing his sword. He turned and noticed several children blocking his exit. "Boo!" he said softly. It had the desired effect though, and the smallest three boys actually screamed in terror as they scrambled out of his way.
"Jack," an exasperated voice said, "I believe I told you to be civil. That does not constitute scaring these children to death."
A slight grin formed on Jack's face and he turned, "Aw, Will. I was just 'aving a bit of fun with 'em."
Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. Seriousness filled his eyes then, and he said, "Jack, you can't just walk out the door. There are people waiting outside for you. They'll kill you if they see you."
Jack stiffened slightly, "Will, why are you here then?" His eyes flickered slightly to Will's wrist, letting his friend know what he meant.
Obviously Will understood, because his left hand reached over and gently rubbed the brand hidden on his wrist. His eyes clouded slightly in thought, then they cleared as he turned his attention back to his son and Jack. "Come on, we can escape out one of the other ways."
Jack nodded, then glanced back at Skyler, "Remember what I said." He turned back to Will and bowed slightly, "Lead the way." His drunken smile filled his face as he said this.
Will shook his head slightly; it was about all one could do when dealing with Jack and his seemingly drunken moods. Will knew Jack was sober, though it often didn't seem that way. He glanced down at his son and said, "Come on, Jackie. You're coming as well."
Jackie's teacher suddenly snapped out of her shock. "Mr. Turner," she snapped, "it is one thing to involve yourself in acts of piracy, but it is another entirely to involve your son. I must protest. If you choose to involve yourself with those… those bastards," she hissed, shocking everyone- Jack included- with her language, "that is your choice, but leave your son out of it."
Jackie's large brown eyes grew even wider. "My father is not a bastard!" he exploded. His face was tight with anger and his small hands balled into fists.
Mrs. Lawrence looked sharply at the boy, "Jackie! Watch your language! Besides, I didn't call him that, I called Jack Sparrow and the other pirates that."
Jackie's eyes narrowed, "Captain Sparrow is not a bastard and neither are pirates. And for your information-" The boy was cut off as his father's hand slipped over his mouth, stopping him from continuing. Only then did he realize how close he had come to blowing his father's secret.
His teacher raised her eyebrows. "What were you going to say, Jackie?" she inquired.
The boy looked down. "Nothing," he mumbled once his father took his hand off his mouth.
Skyler- mistaking Jackie's unwillingness to talk as because of language instead of being unable to tell his father's secret- snorted. "Don't worry about it, Jackie," he sneered in a slightly offhand tone, "whatever you were going to say, it's probably nothing I haven't already called you." It didn't seem to matter to him that Jack was still in the room, along with Will.
Jackie and Will both tensed and Jack quickly put a hand on Will's shoulder to keep him from going after the boy that had spoken so flippantly about his son. Jackie- though he had no one to stop him- merely stood there, hands balled into fists, staring at his tormenter.
"Will," Jack said quietly, trying to distract him from Skyler, "you said we needed to get out of here. How do you want us to do this?"
Will shook off his anger and answered, "This way. Follow me. Come on, Jackie." Jackie looked over at his father and quickly grabbed his hand. Jack couldn't help but smile; Jackie certainly enjoyed being close to his father. Will glanced at Jackie's teacher, "Excuse us."
With that, the three of them left, following Will out a little used side door to avoid the people outside waiting to kill them.
Once they were back aboard the Black Pearl, the large ship left port. Jackie was with his mother, giving Jack and Will a chance to talk some more in private.
"That kid was a jerk," Jack commented.
Will nodded his agreement but didn't say anything. Jack noticed and decided to move the subject away from Skyler.
"Don't worry, I guarantee you Jackie will be at the top of his class when he gets back. He'll learn more, out here, by experience, than he would in a stuffy classroom," he assured his friend.
"I know," Will said quietly. He glanced up at Jack, and Jack noticed a look of question in Will's eyes. "Jack," he began uncertainly, "when you go to port next, to drop us off, may I stay on the Black Pearl with you? I want Jackie and Elizabeth to stay at the port, but I would like to help you take care of Blacksword."
Jack's eyes widened slightly, though he had been expecting the request. "It'll be dangerous. Are you sure you want to risk yourself like this?" He shrugged slightly, "After all, you have a wife and kid to think about."
"I'm sure," Will repeated, nodding his head as he did so. "You know I can help. I would like to stay."
Jack slowly nodded, "I can always use someone I can trust, and I'll admit, you're one of the only people I trust. I trust you with my life. The only reason I'm hesitant about this is because I don't want you to get hurt."
Will laughed slightly, "Don't worry about that. I'm a better swordsman than you. But on the off chance that something does happen to me, I want you to look after Elizabeth and Jackie for me, okay?"
Jack froze momentarily. He knew he had to say yes but was hesitant to do so. If he did, it was like admitting that Will could be hurt, and that was something he tried not to think about- a subject he tried to all together avoid.
"Will," he sighed," you know I will, but nothing's going to happen to you." He paused, and then added, "If the impossible happens, and I die, I want you to have the Pearl. Or if you don't want her, could you give her to AnaMaria or Gibbs? I left them in Tortuga somewhere."
Will laughed slightly, "That's even less likely than something happening to me."
Jack grinned, "That's why I said if the impossible should happen." His smile slowly faded, "Actually," he said seriously- which was rare for him, "It seems more likely to happen. Honestly, how many scars do you have, not from being a blacksmith? I guarantee you I have more, because I've been hurt more than you."
Will thought for a moment before answering, "One. The one on my palm from when we got rid of the curse." At that, he turned his hand to Jack, showing the faint scar that still remained from his last adventure with the pirate.
Jack nodded and showed his palm to Will; he also had a similar scar from the curse. In order for Jack to kill Barbossa, they had both had to sacrifice some of their blood to the Aztec gods, place it on a cursed coin, and replace it in the chest. Both the scars and the memories were a constant reminder of the consequences of greed.
"You only have one?" Jack asked in surprise. "I have more than that on half of an arm." He sighed, and then shrugged, "Well, I guess I shouldn't expect different from the best swordsman in the Caribbean."
Will's face turned slightly red at the compliment. "I doubt I'm the best in the Caribbean,"
Jack couldn't help but smile at his friend's modesty. Will probably was the best swordsman in the Caribbean, if not the whole western hemisphere. Of course, Jack would never admit Will was better than him though. "You're right, 'cause you'll never be better than me."
Will raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really?" A smirk slid across his face. "I seem to think otherwise."
Jack gave Will one of his infuriating grins. "You do, huh? Well we've got to fix that. Get out your sword."
Will slowly pulled out his sword; he knew the fight was only for fun and that Jack wouldn't be trying to hurt him. "Are you sure, Jack? I wouldn't want to embarrass you."
"You? Embarrass me? Not probable," Jack laughed. In truth, though, he knew it was actually quite probable Will would embarrass him- not on purpose of course, but simply because of his skill. He pulled out his own sword. He was looking forward to this.
The last time the two of them had fought had been for real. They both had held no reservations about killing the other. Of course that had been before they had become friends.
Jack smiled as he remembered that day, and he could tell by the look on Will's face that the younger man was caught up in the same memory. "I won that fight, you know," Jack couldn't resist pointing out.
"You cheated," Will reminded him. His hand tightened on the hilt of the sword as he waited for Jack's first move.
"So I did," Jack admitted, "but not this time." With that he lunged, bringing his sword down hard. Will spun out of the way and feinted to the left before reversing and coming hard to the right. Jack managed to block both, but he couldn't help the shock that rolled through his arm as he did so. Will might not be the strongest person around, but his technique and skill more than made up for it.
Jack attacked again, knowing if Will was having to defend himself, he couldn't be attacking him. Jack pressed his advantage as long as he could. Will backed up a step then stopped, refusing to give anymore ground. He blocked them, quickly moving his sword to intercept Jack's blade. Jack stepped closer, trying to force the young blacksmith to retreat further.
Will blocked the last blow of the short sequence Jack used, and as he did, to the pirate's complete surprise, he flipped his wrist, locking the blades together, ending Jack's attacks. He then spun his sword and drove Jack backwards. He didn't give the pirate a chance to recover, but continued to attack.
Finally, one of Will's attacks slipped past Jack's defense and the young man had to stop his blade short. The sword stopped less than an inch from Jack's throat. Jack stood, dark eyes wide, staring at the sword at his throat in surprise. Will moved the blade away and re-sheathed his sword.
"Not bad," Jack finally said as he slowly put away his sword. 'Not bad at all,' he thought to himself. It was obvious that Will was even better than he had been nine years ago. "When have you found time to practice? You're married and have a kid."
"Doesn't mean I can't practice," he said with a shrug. "Besides, I've been teaching Elizabeth how."
Jack nodded slowly, "What about Jackie? Have you worked with him at all?" He had a feeling that once the boy learned to fight, the boy- like his father- would far surpass the skills of most other fighters in the Caribbean, possibly the world.
"A little. The only reason I haven't done more with him is because Elizabeth doesn't want him to learn how yet. She believes he shouldn't learn how to fight until he gets older," Will said.
"Bet he's upset about that," Jack said with a smile. "The kid seems to be the sort of person who enjoys things like that… he also seems like the type who doesn't like being told he can't do something because he's too young or too small."
Will nodded, rolling his eyes as he did so. "To a fault. If anyone tells him he can't, goes and tries to prove them wrong. He's gotten hurt many times doing that." He sighed and shook his head.
Jack smiled slightly, "Almost reminds me of you. About being told you can't do something." Before Will could protest he quickly changed the subject. "After we take care of Blacksword, you are going to want me to drop you off at the port we're going to leave Elizabeth and Jackie right?" Part of him hoped Will would say no; the same part that had often wished Will would join him on the Black Pearl, but he knew better than to expect it.
Will didn't answer immediately. Personally, he wanted to stay on the ship, but needed to talk to Elizabeth. He would stay on the Black Pearl if she was unwilling to, but he also didn't know if Jack would be willing to have all of them on board. "I'm not sure," he said finally, "but if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to stop by there. Where are you going to drop them off, anyway?"
Jack forced himself not to smile and he answered, "We're going to stop at Port Bryant next. They should be safe there."
Will nodded his agreement, "I've heard Port Bryant is a lot like Port Royal. They'll be fine there."
Jack decided to ask something that had been bothering him. "Where was Commodore Norrington when the crew and I were raiding Port Royal? I half expected him to come and try to arrest me. We met with no resistance; where were the guards?"
"Commodore Norrington is on his way to England to report to the Queen on the status of the city. The guards either went with him or remained behind." A slight sneer flickered across his face, "The one's still there are cowards."
"In other words, you were completely defenseless," Jack said, sounding slightly upset at the thought. Not that it bothered him that he hadn't met with resistance, but it did bother him that if it had been anyone else they wouldn't have had any resistance either. "Don't worry, Port Bryant will be better protected, trust me. I speak from existence."
"Trust you?" Will teased, "That can't be good."
"Hey, I'm dishonest, therefore I can be trusted to…" he stopped when he noticed the look on Will's face, "I guess you've already heard that, haven't you?"
Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Pirates."
Black Andrew, or Blacksword as those outside his crew called him, scowled darkly at his first mate. "You," he hissed angrily, "were supposed to kill Captain Sparrow when he made port in Delothe."
"But Captain Andrew," Chris, his first mate, whimpered, "he had a kid with him. The boy was in the way. Even I won't kill a child in cold blood."
"Then you should have found some other opportunity to kill him. Take him by surprise and gut him," Black Andrew yelled, green eyes flashing.
"I tried," he yelled back. "Once again, there were complications. There was another man with him. From what I heard, he is one of the best fighters in the Caribbean. He ruined my only other chance to kill Sparrow."
Black Andrew's hand clenched tight in anger, and as it did, a glowing aura engulfed his fist. He slammed it into the table in front of him and a crack echoed through his quarters. When he moved his fist, the aura had disappeared, leaving behind a wide crack through the thick mahogany table and a deep, fist-shaped burn that had sunk slightly into it.
Chris had shrunk away from his captain, which was quite comical to see, given his large size. His blue eyes were huge and filled with fear as Black Andrew turned back to him.
"First of all, it was your job to make sure he died, we don't want him to interfere with our plans. Second of all, you insult my talents. I am the best swordsman in the Caribbean, not somebody who associates with the likes of Captain Sparrow."
"Will Turner," Chris supplied. "His father was Bootstrap Bill Turner, one of Sparrow's original crew."
Black Andrew shrugged, "His family is of no matter. But… he seems as if he could be of interest. Where are they landing next?"
Chris smiled; this, at least, he did know. "They will dock at Port Bryant next."
A smile slid across Black Andrew's face, one that made a chill run up Chris' spine. "Perfect," he hissed evilly, "we'll follow them there. You kill Captain Sparrow, and I'll be left to kill Will Turner, and reclaim the title of the best swordsman in the Caribbean." The smile disappeared, "Warn the crew. We're heading to Port Bryant."
Jack sat alone in his room, trying to decide which bottle of rum to drink. Will, Elizabeth, and Jackie were in port; Will was only making sure his wife and son got settled in before he came back. Jack had just decided which bottle and was in the process of uncorking it when a soft knock interrupted him. "Come in," he grunted.
Miguel and Paul slowly came in and both looked as if they needed to ask him something. "Captain," Miguel said, hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped to his side, "why are we still here?"
"Yeah, we dropped off your friends, wouldn't it be wise to leave before the guards become… aware of our presence here?" Paul pointed out. Jack gave a half smile; in front of most, Paul attempted to sound like a pirate- uneducated- but in truth, Paul was actually one of the best educated pirates Jack had met- after Miguel.
"I'm waiting," Jack explained, "because Will shall be accompanying us on our… little adventure."
"He's coming with us?" Miguel repeated. "Are you certain that is wise, Captain?" Miguel's eyes widened as he realized he had just questioned the Captain, something punishable by death on some ships.
"It's alright Miguel. And so you know, I am also hesitant to have him with us, but he insists so…" Jack shrugged, "what can I do?"
Paul's green eyes flickered, "He's a blacksmith, how can he assist us? He'll just get himself killed."
"He may be a blacksmith, bur he's also the best swordsman in the Caribbean. He's better than me even," Jack said. He would admit it to them, but never to Will. "Don't tell him I admitted it though," he added
Miguel and Paul stared at him, then glanced back at each other. "Better than you?" Miguel asked.
"Better than me," Jack confirmed. It was difficult for him to suppress the smile that wanted to slide across his face; Miguel and Paul much resembled fish at the moment, what with their mouths opening and closing in shock. "Don't worry, with him along, we've got a much better chance of defeating Blacksword."
Miguel cocked his head, as if he thought he heard something. "Sounds like he's back. Good, now we can leave and start the hunt."
Jack nodded and began to dismiss the two, but then stopped. "Remember, you're not supposed to say a word about his superior swordsmanship." They nodded their compliance, and then continued on their way out the door.
Jack smiled as he made his own way out; this would be interesting, and he was looking forward to sharing another adventure with Will.
One Week Later"It simply doesn't get much better than this," Jack sighed happily. He swayed even more than normal at the moment, because of the simple fact that he was slightly drunk. Not enough that he passed out or had no clue what was going on, just enough that he was slightly more… perky than normal.
Will eyed the bottle of rum Jack still held cautiously. "Jack, I think you had best stop now. I don't want to have to drag you back to the Pearl."
Miguel and Paul- who had decided to accompany Jack and Will on this small stop- laughed. "Don't worry, boy," Paul reassured Will, "the Captain knows his limits."
"And I've got two or three bottles left to go before I reach mine, Jack put in quickly. He smiled, "At least this time we found out some useful information to go along with the rum."
Will rolled his eyes, "The bartender suggested a place where we might be able to find out more about Blacksword's 'curse'. I'm not expecting much."
"Don't worry so much. We paid him for the information; it'll be worth it."
"God, you're drunk," Will said, shaking his head. "You really should stop." He sighed, but it sounded slightly more like a groan as Jack drained the rest of the bottle, tossing the now empty bottle aside and pulling out another full bottle. Will reached over and pulled the rum away from the pirate captain. "Stop, Jack," he commanded, handing the rum to Miguel and Paul.
Jack stared at him in surprise, then pouted slightly. His dark eyes flickered to the bottle his crew held, but he just sighed. "Let's go," he said, now eager to get going because he no longer had his rum. "The cave he told us about is just on the other side of town."
Jack slowly led Will, Miguel, and Paul to the dark, dank cave on the other side of town. He stood at the mouth of the cave, staring thoughtfully at the gaping opening. Will stood silently at his side, his own mind reflecting much of what was in Jack's.
The last time they had wound up in a cave, Jack had wound up with a sword running through his chest and only the small fact that he had been cursed had saved his life. He'd felt the pain- the curse hadn't protected him from that- bur death had eluded him.
"Are you okay?" Will asked softly, carefully watching Jack. He couldn't but wonder if maybe they had found something Jack was afraid of.
"Fine, just trying to remember what those… hangy-down thingies are called," Jack quickly lied. Will might be his closest friend, but he was a pirate and had his pride, so he occasionally found lying to the other man justified.
Will smiled- he knew Jack was lying but didn't feel like saying anything. "They're called stalactites, Jack. Stalactites," he informed the pirate.
"Stalactites? Okay, I learned something today."
The small group then entered the cave, carefully picking their way through the loose rock and slippery stones. "What exactly… are we… looking for?" Paul asked as he struggled to keep his feet when several rocks under him shifted sharply.
Jack shrugged, "Not sure. I'm just hoping this floor holds; it seems a little… unsteady." As he said this, the rock he was on shifted sideways, pitching him to the side. He started to fall, but was quickly grabbed and hauled back up before he could hit the ground.
"I told you, you had too much to drink," Will said, gently letting go of Jack after making sure he wouldn't topple over again. Jack smiled his thanks, and Will nodded, brushing off the thanks. He hadn't done anything Jack wouldn't do for him.
After that, the four men were even more careful and they slowly drew closer to the main chamber. "Wow," Paul gasped slightly, "this place is huge!"
The others didn't respond; they were too awestruck to hear. The cavern was easily 5 miles wide and 2 miles deep. The ceiling was 3 miles high, and they could only guess at how deep in the earth they were.
"Okay, let's take a look around and see if the bartender gave us accurate information," Will said, shaking himself free of the shock that had engulfed them all. The cave was anything but similar to the cave in which he and Jack had fought Barbossa, but none-the-less, Will was eager to finish so they could leave, and he knew Jack felt the same.
"Yeah, let's split up so we can get out of here," Jack agreed. He slowly left the small group, heading toward one end of the cavern. "Call if you find anything."
For about two hours, the four men searched the cavern, yielding no results. Then, as the third hour started to roll around, Miguel yelled, "I think I found something."
Paul, Will, and Jack came over and stood behind him. Miguel was staring at the wall and, on it, was small writing in a language they didn't recognize.
"Well, this helps," Jack muttered darkly. "The bartender didn't tell us we'd need a translator."
Miguel stared at him. "You can't read it?" he asked, his voice echoing hid surprise. "It's only basic Latin."
"I don't know Latin. All I know is good ole' English and a little of the oriental languages."
Miguel looked at Paul, and then Will, both of who shook their heads. "I'll read it to you," he said with a sigh, "since it seems I'm the only one who can."
His dark eyes turned back to the writing, quickly scanning it. Jack glanced at Will, who shrugged slightly. Latin was beyond him.
"According to this, 'to he who sells that which makes him special, the benefit shall come from the… lord of the dead'," Miguel said, voice lowering slightly.
Jack's caramel eyes widened. "Creepy," he commented, earning a soft laugh from Paul and Miguel.
Will, though, asked, "Can you tell what origin this is? It doesn't sound like something from around here."
Miguel shrugged, not understanding why it mattered. "If I had my guess, I'd say Roman. Probably someone who still believed in the ancient Roman gods was upset about the conversion to Catholicism and came to the Caribbean to get away from the church. That's just my guess."
"So you're saying that, if this is to be believed, Blacksword sold his soul to the lord of Death of the Romans-" Jack said.
"Uh, Pluto, I believe," Will quickly interrupted. Miguel nodded; it was the most logical choice. After all, Pluto was the god of the underworld and the keeper of dead souls.
"Okay, sold his soul to Pluto," Jack continued, "and that's why he has his powers."
"Probably explains his heartlessness too," Paul commented.
"Probably," Will agreed. He then turned back to Miguel and asked, "Is there any way for us to get rid of his powers?"
Miguel shrugged and studied the writing some more. "I don't think so," he slowly said. "Unless we can find a way to restore his soul."
Jack was already shaking his head, "First of all, I don't believe in that Roman god shit. Second, even if I did, I wouldn't go into their version of hell for the opportunity to restore Blacksword's soul. So I guess we'll just fight him, bloody powers and all." He glanced at the others to see their reaction.
Will shrugged, "Either way, I'm in. Doesn't matter to me."
Paul and Miguel looked at each other, and then back. "You are the Captain; we will follow you through whatever you lead us."
Jack smiled, "Let's get out of here. We have discovered all we're going to. Plus, I'm ready for more rum."
The four quickly made their way back through the cave, moving much faster now that they knew which stones were sturdy and which weren't. As they approached the mouth of the cave, they noticed five figures blocking the way.
"Captain Sparrow, I presume?" asked the first, obviously the leader. He wore a long, blue coat- one quite like the one Commodore Norrington wore- and a light powdered wig marking his status. "Commodore Higsby," he said, offering his hand to the pirate.
Jack seemed slightly taken aback and at first he gazed at the outstretched hand warily. Slowly though, he shook it. "That's right. These here are my crew: Miguel Sanchez and Paul Langley. That's Will Turner, a friend of mine."
Commodore Higsby nodded, "Good, I was afraid Turner might not have been with you anymore. Good."
Jack eyed the man suspiciously, "You're not going to arrest us, are you?" He tensed slightly, as did Paul and Miguel. Only Will remained calm and relaxed.
Higsby laughed, "No, quite on the contrary, actually. I've come to enlist your help."
"And them?" Jack asked, nodding to the men behind the Commodore.
"Them? They came to protect me, nothing more."
"You said you needed help," Will reminded, speaking for the first time.
"Yes, I did. Captain Sparrow, you and Mr. Turner docked at Port Bryant about a week ago, correct?"
"What of it? We didn't raid or plunder if that's what you're suggesting," Jack said defensively.
"That's not what I meant. But another group did, and-"
"And you want Jack to help you get the pirate who did it?" Will guessed.
"Yes, it takes a pirate to know a pirate. The city is okay, though, and almost everyone is accounted for," Higsby answered.
"Almost?" Will repeated, fear starting to seep into his voice as he realized if this had occurred after he had dropped off Elizabeth and Jackie, they would have been in grave danger.
"Don't worry, Mr. Turner. Your wife is fine; safe and sound," Higsby assured him.
"What about my-"
"Anyway," Higsby interrupted, continuing to explain the situation, "what I mean by 'almost' is that we have reason to believe one person in was taken as hostage. We want you to rescue them."
"Okay," Jack slowly answered, his mind still stuck on the fact that Higsby had purposefully avoided Will's question. "What's in it for me?"
"Nothing," answered Higsby, "but since you are already after the pirate, we figured you could rescue him as well."
"Already after him? You mean it was Blacksword that attacked the city?" Jack asked in disbelief.
"Yes, and since he came there after you and Mr. Turner, we thought it's only fair that you help us."
"Came after us? How do you mean?" Jack asked.
"The reason he attacked was because he wanted to kill you and Mr. Turner. He was looking for the two of you," Higsby said darkly.
Jack glanced at Will and a silent understanding passed between them. If this was their fault, then they didn't have much choice- it was their job to help.
"Okay, we'll help," Jack finally said, "so who do we need to pick up? What poor, unfortunate soul did he take?"
Higsby smirked grimly, "Jack Turner."
TBC