Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own pirates of the Caribbean. I've been on the ride at Disney World or Disney Land. Whichever one is in Florida, I've been on. I can never keep them straight.
A/N: This is probably the busiest chapter out of this whole story. There's so much going on at once. I hope none of you get too confused.
I really appreciate the reviews that I have gotten so far. You have no idea what they really mean. I really live off of reviews so it's hard to keep updating when there isn't any feedback at all so if you have gotten this far, please review. Please! I know I said this just a few chapters ago but as I keep watching the hits count go up and not the reviews, I wondering if a) you think this sucks and don't want to tell me or b)you think I'm just going to keep updating even if you don't review. Well, if it's the first one, just give me some constructive criticism so I can at least work on making it better even if you don't like the story. If it's the second, well, just don't count on it.
Chapter 15
The morning came to the pirates aboard the Cicatriz silently that morning. They had been awaiting the arrival of the Black Pearl but there would still be a few hours before the sails would show in the horizon. It had been relatively quite aboard ship with no man wanting to give away their location. Most of Morgan and Jonathan's men had begun to play cards while others began to wake from their nightly slumbers and allow the night watch to take their leave.
Morgan was one those who was awoken with the dawn. She had had a restless sleep filled with dreams of British and other nightmares of her past. It had gotten worse when she had come upon deck and spied British troops still in Allenport with her spyglass. Morgan watched as a group of troops marched past the dock on their way through town. Morgan felt trapped aboard her own ship. She could not come and go as she pleased into the town that lay in front of her. White had not felt this trapped since she had been a child. Morgan also wanted her knife that was waiting for her at the blacksmith's but it seems she would not get it until she returned again in a few months.
"Something the matter, Morgan?" Jonathan asked with a slight smirk after he had listened to her curse at the British.
She stared at the small town. "The bloody British. They occupy land that was once mine. Why do they see fit to always steal from me?"
The remark threw her brother. "Always steal from you?" he asked curiously.
Morgan realized she might have said to much and turned towards him with a glare. "What do you want, Jonathan?"
"I shall be going into town today to receive a payment from an informant of mine. Is there anything I should get for you, Captain, seeing as how you are stuck here?" he asked as sweetly as he could.
She stared at him with unreadable eyes as she thought it over. "Come to my quarters before you leave. There's a note I want you to bring to the blacksmith's," she responding before turning back towards the town.
Jonathan nodded. "As you wish," he replied before leaving her.
After seeing another British officer, Morgan finally had enough. Turning heel, she headed towards her cabin to write out the note for Jonathan. She had wanted that knife and hoped by the end of the day it would be hers. A knife like that could help her in battle when the odds were possibly against them. She needed it.
"Jack?" Annamaria asked as she stared across at her Captain in the bring.
He looked almost asleep like the rest of the crew who was settled into the brig with them but she knew different. She had seen him a moment ago when he had lifted his head up to look at them before settling back down again. He looked back up at her when she called.
"What was that last night, Captain?" She asked him boldly. "That piece you took out of your compass."
Jack hadn't known that anyone had noticed what he was doing last night. It had been a secret until then but now, the secret was out. He sighed. "Henry White gave me this compass. Told me it was nothing but bad luck to him. Never told me why." Jack replied as he looked down at it next to him. "It gives the bearings to Isle de Murte but White left an important piece of his past in there as well. That's what you saw last night - it's a compass to the Island of Lost Souls. When Henry White gave it to me, he knew someday someone might come looking for it."
Annamaria studied him. "Perhaps Henry White had a reason for what he did," she finally said slowly. "Perhaps he thought you were the only one who deserved it."
"He was a smart man. I don't put it past him for having a purpose as to why he gave it to me. Maybe it'd be better if he didn't." Jack Sparrow shook his head. "It's a cursed piece, Annamaria. Cursed Henry White and cursed me as well." He turned away from her and faced the wall of his cell.
They were silent for a moment. "So what do we do now?" she asked as the others began to stir.
"Wait," Jack replied before studying the wall in silence. Outside, he heard the splash as a boat was lowered into the water from the Cicatriz. It was followed by the sound of muffled voices descending down towards it but he couldn't decipher anything that was being said.
"I'll return in less than an hour,"
Jonathan told Morgan as he tucked the note she had given him into his
belt. He hurried down the line to the boat then that awaited him
already occupied by some of Morgan's men.
"And the Pearl
better be back by then," he shouted up towards her as the began to
row towards the small town.
"Keep your threats to yourself," Morgan yelled to him over the side of the ship as he grumbled to the men in the rowboat. She had no need for whining upon her ship and knew that Jonathan couldn't stand up to her on his own. His attitude now was beginning to wear upon her.
In Allentown, Norrington had just left his small room that he had been able to rent from a pub owner. There had been no other signs of Morgan White than those that had come to him yesterday. The Commodore had thought that perhaps she had been on one of the ships that had left the busy ports of Allenport that day but there was no way for him to be sure of that yet and he did not want to leave on a wild goose chase only to find she had been there all along. He had received no news of her and did not expect that he would see his informant if Morgan had learned of him.
As James Norrington started down the street for his daily walk, an emaciated old man stood waiting for him on the back steps of a rickety house. He motioned the Commodore to come nearer and Norrington contemplated the idea. He wasn't sure if he trusted the dirty man beckoning him but a voice in his head told him that it would be alright.
When he had come close enough the old man whispered to him. "Are you the man that seeks Captain Morgan White?"
"Yes," Norrington replied in the same manner beginning to worry that the voice might have been wrong.
"Well," the old man replied as he put his hands in his pockets. "Come back here in an hour and I'll give you some information on her whereabouts."
James regarded him carefully. "Alright," he replied before handing the man a coin. "For your services," he explained as the old man looked down on it with interest.
"Ah," the man replied before he giggled with glee at it. He nodded to Norrington before backing into his house and closing the door.
Norrington stood there for a moment and stared at the dark wood that had just been shut in his face. He stepped off the porch a moment later, still confused at what had just taken place but he realized that perhaps today he might get a bit further than he had expected.
The Cicatriz had become busy as the men had noticed the Black Pearl slowly sailing into Allenport. At the dock, Jonathan watched the Pearl sailing slowly towards him. His eyes gleamed with excitement, just as his sister's were out at sea.
"Boys!" he shouted to Morgan's men that had also gathered to watch the ship sail in. "Let's go meet the Black Pearl," he commanded as he stepped back into the boat he had left not even twenty minutes ago.
Morgan's men did not disagree with him and hurriedly left some of the crates on that dock that they had begun in pack in anticipation of another long journey at sea. They knew there was something that was important about that ship since it would have been demolished and sent to the bottom of the sea like so many others before it. No, they knew there was something about the Black Pearl and whatever it was that Jonathan wanted with it, they wanted to be there to witness it.
Below in the brig of the Cicatriz, the crew of the Black Pearl could tell something was happening topside. If they strained their ears hard enough, they could hear shouts from the deck but of what significance to them, they couldn't tell. As they silently tried their hardest to listen to what was going on above them, a figure had crept down the stairs unnoticed by any men on Morgan's ship. He looked up the staircase cautiously, hoping that he hadn't been followed before he continued towards the cells. In his hands, he carried a large boiling pot which he mixed gently.
Jack had suddenly noticed the presence of the individual and turned towards him curiously. "Philip?" he asked.
"Aye, 'tis I, Jack," the older man smiled. "Bringing ye breakfast. It will be a long day for all of us so I mit as well feed ye now," Philip replied as he pulled his ladle out of the stew.
Jack brought forth the plate he had used for days and Philip filled it to the brim with the hot stew. "It'll be yesterday's leftovers but I warmed them up for ye. Considered that you could use a warm meal."
The men mumbled gratefully as Philip filled up their dishes and bowls with food. After devouring part of his stew, Jack looked up at the older man. "What is the news topside?" Jack asked.
"The Pearl, Jack," Philip replied.
"The Pearl?" he asked with wide eyes.
"Aye, the Black Pearl's arrived. Jonathan's boarding her as we speak. It's why I'm feeding ye instead of Tuck," Philip said before moving towards the other cell.
Members of Jack's crew put their dishes out hungrily and Philip filled them all. "Bless ye, sir," Duncan told him gratefully as others added murmurs of their own thanks.
Philip only nodded his head. "I'll be bringin' ye water next," he responded after filling the dishes to the brim.
The crew of the Black Pearl dug in eagerly as Philip walked away. He knew in a few days that they would surely be on their way to whatever it was that Morgan was after. Then, he didn't knw if he would be able to help them anymore.
