Author's Notes: Here we are, folks! Be prepared for plot and action. Oh, lots of action!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 23
The Brethren Court met in a room that was in many ways no different than many others carved from within the cliff. Though considerably larger than the rest, the size of a small ballroom, it still felt small with its low ceilings and dark walls. Torches flickered against the walls for light, giving the room an eerie glow. The brightest spot in the room was dead center at a large, scarred table. Nine chairs sat around the table, one taller than the rest, and half of those chairs were already occupied.
The room itself was crowded. Not one of the Pirate Lords had come to the meeting alone, and so nearly a hundred deckhands moved throughout the room, one hand around a drink and another at their sword. Their voices were a loud hum in the air, almost like in a busy tavern, but there was little laughter and certainly no singing.
To Barbosa's delight, the only sound he could hear were arguments.
It hadn't taken any effort to plant the idea in their heads. He had only needed to let one sailor at the docks overhear him muttering about Calypso's return, and within hours the word had spread throughout the entire Cove. Some believed. Some thought it was rumor. Arguments about strange seas and mysterious sightings roared in the deceptively large space, echoing off the cold rock walls, and it was music to his ears.
"Jones is here," he heard someone say. "Saw him down by the docks."
It was nothing more than fortuitous timing that allowed Barbosa to reach the door just before Killian. He smiled at the younger Captain, falsely at first, though his lips gained a genuine, sinister edge when his eyes landed on Emma. Yet another opportunity presented, and such a lovely one, too. Perhaps after he killed Jones, he'd take her aboard his ship for entertainment.
"Captain Jones," he greeted. "I see ye made it out of the Locker. Pity you couldn't stay."
Killian's answering smile was mocking. "Life's full of disappointment, mate. Best get used to it."
He let Jones walk past him, smirking slightly when he noticed Jones's hand briefly reach toward Emma before falling back to his side. Even without the possessive touch, the way he pointedly kept himself between her and the entire room was a clue in itself. Jones actually cared for the wench. That made it even better.
Barbosa returned to his seat just as Elizabeth appeared from the back of the room. She wore brown leather pants with a blood red shirt beneath a dark blue vest that hugged her figure like a corset. She looked infinitely more polished than she had in the Locker. Her skin had regained some color, and her lips were no longer chapped. With her pretty face and her gently curled honey brown hair, Elizabeth Swann did not immediately look like a Pirate King.
Until she drew her pistol from her belt, pointed it at the ceiling, and fired.
The noise in the room ceased instantly. "Let's get started, shall we?" she suggested lightly. "I, Captain Elizabeth Swann, Pirate King, officially declare this a meeting of the Brethren Court."
Killian took his seat, carefully choosing a place in the middle with Jack two seats to his left. His eyes roved around the faces at the table, knowing names and reputations but not faces, a fact that was dealt with easily enough when Elizabeth announced each of them. He briefly studied each captain with a seemingly impassive gaze that only faltered when he met Barbosa's twitchy smirk directly across from him.
His only reaction was to narrow his eyes, even as his gut warned him that something wasn't right.
Elizabeth drew his attention by clearing her throat. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here," she said. "We have an urgent matter to discuss. I know that some of you have heard the rumors about the sea goddess Calypso being free once more . . . those rumors are true."
"Bollocks," a Lord said from the end of the table. Cormack was his name. "It's impossible. Davy Jones himself locked her away."
"You're a piss-poor sailor if you can't recognize unnatural seas," another Lord shot back, sitting on Killian's right. He was the oldest at the table, grizzled and gray, but with shoulders as broad as an ox. "And you're an idiot to think that Davy Jones's magic isn't fallible."
"Captain Irons is right," Elizabeth cut in before Cormack could retort. "The magic that the first Brethren Court used to bind Calypso has broken."
"And how did that happen, might I ask?" Barbosa said quickly with a smarmy smile. "It's not as if any of us have been to the Locker recently."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "The witch Tia Dalma assures me that it is possible to stop Calypso once more."
"Not stop. No, not stop," a lilting voice corrected. Weaving through the crowd to the table was a strange woman. While her mocha skin was flawless, her hair was a wild mass of dark curls and her black eyes seemed unusually wide and open, almost dazed, as she glanced around the table. "Not stop," she repeated. "Kill."
Jack raised his hand. "I have a question," he said, holding up a finger. "It is my understanding that Calypso being a goddess makes her immortal. Killing what can't die seems a bit . . . difficult."
"I did not say that you would be killing a goddess." Tia Dalma began to slowly circle the table, her too-seeing eyes stalking the room. There was something hypnotic about the way she moved that drew every eye. "To kill an immortal, one has to become mortal. There is magic that can do this. But it requires sacrifice."
"And what kind of sacrifice is that?" Killian asked, nearly managing to sound bored.
"Curious of you to ask, Captain Jones," Tia Dalma stopped walking as her eyes locked unwaveringly on him. "The sacrifice is one no man would willingly make. His heart. Davy Jones bound Calypso with his heart all those years ago, just as Calypso bound him to the sea. The same heart must make this sacrifice once more."
"Jones is still bound to the sea," Killian argued, though a thread of doubt lanced through him. "If what you're saying is true, just as Calypso was freed, so would he."
"Aye."
"I think we're all missin' a rather important point," Barbosa said as he abruptly rose from his chair to walk around the room. "Why are we jumping to kill the sea witch? Seems a bit rash not to consider all our options."
"Freeing the sea from Calypso's control is the best option for all of us, Barbosa," Elizabeth asserted firmly.
"That's a fine, logical opinion to have, your Majesty," Barbosa returned. "But let us not be hasty." He turned to the crowd. "Calypso may be prone to a few fits of temper, but who of us here haven't enjoyed a bit of a woman's fury before? We've all weathered a few storms, and the sea is always a'changin'. Why are we runnin' scared now?"
There were murmurs in the crowd. Barbosa barely resisted a smile as he continued, throwing his arms out. "We're not a bunch of cowards," he said. "We're pirates. And pirates know an opportunity when they see one. Aren't we forgettin' Calypso's greatest gift? She's got the power to grant wishes."
Jack shared a wary glance with Elizabeth before he too jumped to his feet. "Oh, yes, let's trust the sea witch to embrace us greedy, grimy, scallywags that locked her away in the first place."
"There is no way to know if the witch is truly free of her bonds," another Lord said quietly, but firmly. "None have seen her. This entire discussion is mere speculation at best."
"Aye, but that's where you're wrong," Barbosa said with a slow smile. "Because I have seen her." His declaration was met with fierce whispers. "And I've spoken with Her Greatness, and I can tell ye, lads, she is more powerful than you could ever imagine. She has the power to cure even death, and I should know." He took a long, deep breath of air, truly tasting it for the first time in years. "She broke my curse, restored me to life as a flesh and blood man."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "And what did she ask for in return?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yes, nothing!" Barbosa snapped before his broad, salesman smile appeared. "She asked for nothin' but my fealty, and it's something I've gladly given her. And she encouraged me to tell all of you that she would do the same for the rest of you rotten bastards!"
The air in the room began to vibrate with selfish possibility as every pirate in the room began to shout their agreement and their desires. Tucked away in the crowd yet pointedly behind Killian's chair, Emma felt her stomach drop with dread. Her skin crawled as she listened to those closest to her, shouting about treasures and promises of immortality and beautiful women. Yet those were tame, and as she continued to listen, fewer and far between.
What she heard most were threats.
Threats of vengeance, of justice, of retribution. She heard calls to arms to seize ships, to sink ships, to mutinies . . . every selfish desire a pirate could have, and Barbosa had offered instant gratification without price.
And everyone was falling for it.
"We can have it all, lads! The entire sea, our greatest desires, if only we pledge ourselves to Calypso," Barbosa continued. "Now, who's with me?"
The answering roar made Emma's blood run cold.
Elizabeth began to call for order but to no avail. Finally, she growled and lifted her pistol once again to the ceiling. She fired twice, sending a spray of splinters from the ceiling raining down on Jack, who frowned in annoyance as he shook the dust from his hat. "Silence!" Elizabeth glared at Barbosa for a heavy second before her eyes trailed threateningly over the entire room. "Before you throw in your lot with the ever so honorable, Captain Barbosa," she sneered, "perhaps you should consider that we have no way to prove his claim is true."
"Oh, I can solve that easily, enough, love," Jack said as he quickly drew his own pistol and leveled it at Barbosa, only to have Barbosa's men react with cocked pistols of their own and drawn swords.
Jack's crew that he'd gathered in Tortuga reacted in the same second, and when Elizabeth rose, her own crew that had sailed the Empress in her absence drew their blades, as well.
And then the air sang with metal as everyone in the room picked a side.
Three of the Captains on Barbosa's side of the table rose to his defense, along with Cormack at the end, who drew on Captain Iron's Crew, which made Killian—to Emma's surprise—rise to the eldest Captain's defense. She had thought he would side with Jack.
Then she remembered his words.
I'm on our side, love.
Killian wasn't willing to draw a line in the sand. Not yet.
She was backed against the wall with Vincent's shoulders directly in her line of sight. She huffed in irritation as she drew her own blade and stepped out from behind him. Her eyes flicked from face to face, ready for an attack, until she caught a pair of black eyes. Tia Dalma stood peacefully in the chaos and gave her a secretive smile.
Emma frowned but before she could decipher what the witch could possibly mean, Barbosa's laugh drew her attention. The man stood without a single weapon in his hand as he faced the barrel of Jack's pistol. "We both know ya won't do it, Jack," he taunted. "Not like this. But I'll take you up on askin' for proof." He withdrew a knife from his belt and slit his palm. Blood dripped down his wrist as he held his hand up for everyone to see. "I've got blood in my veins again," he said. "And if you're still looking for proof I've been blessed by Calypso, ask Captain Jones. He ran me through just last week!"
Killian's jaw ticked. "I'll gladly do it again," he said.
"No, I don't suppose you'd mind giving it another go," Barbosa jumped onto Killian's words with a wide, feral smile. "After all, I doubt ye want the rest of us here knowin' what you know."
Though he had no clue what Barbosa meant, Killian merely cocked an unfazed eyebrow. "And what's that?"
"There's a particularly interesting reason why you want to kill Calypso, I think." Barbosa took a step forward. "It was Davy Jones that bound Calypso. Aye, that's true enough. But it's not his heart that will bind her again. His heart is dead. And if you're wantin' to make her mortal, well that means you'll need mortal blood. But not just any blood. No, it's got to be the same."
Emma made the connection just a second before Barbosa announced it to the entire room.
"It's a Jones' blood we'd be needin'." Barbosa grinned. "Isn't that right, Captain?" He turned toward the men that backed him. "You see, lads, Killian Jones isn't just the youngest Pirate Lord of the realm . . . He's the grandson and sole mortal heir of the one and only Davy Jones."
Fuck.
Killian's mind raced as half of the room advanced on him like dogs straining on a leash. Yet he didn't move. He stared unblinkingly at Barbosa before casting a fleeting glance around the room. "However touched I am by your concern, Barbosa, my kinship with Davy Jones means very little to me," he said dryly with a slight smile. "And I would be careful, mate. I never said anything about killing Calypso."
"Then explain something to me," Barbosa entreated politely. "How can we trust you mean what you say when you're the one who returned the heart to Davy Jones?"
"If that were true, then that would also mean that I'm the one who released Calypso in the first place," Killian retorted, sounding impressively bored and annoyed. "So perhaps you should thank me."
"Ye still haven't picked a side."
"An astounding observation."
"I don't trust a pirate who won't pick a side."
"And I don't a trust a pirate who serves anyone other than himself."
"Perhaps the problem is the act of trusting in general," Jack interrupted lightly, only to have both Killian and Barbosa glare at him. "Just a thought," he said. "You see, I am a dishonest man," he continued. "And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you have to watch out for," he said, pointing vaguely at Barbosa, though his eyes met Killian's briefly as he finished, "because you never know when they're going to do something incredibly stupid."
Killian and Jack fired their pistols at the same time, yet to Emma's surprise not one bullet went toward Barbosa. Killian's shot landed in the chest of one of Lord Cormack's entourage while Jack's shot hit a seemingly random deckhand on the other side of the room. And in the split second it took the room to react, Emma realized what the two had done. What was meant to look as an attack was actually a diversion.
As Cormack's crew surged to attack Killian, they ran into Irons's crew first, which drew the men away from the door and allowed Vincent to roughly shove her toward the exit, all while Jack's shot pit everyone against the other out of sheer necessity. Emma looked over her shoulder as Vincent continued to push her forward, and upon seeing no one behind them, immediately began to struggle against him.
"I'm not leaving them," she argued, jerking her hand from his grasp. "Vincent, I can't leave him."
Vincent stared at her incredulously. "I don't bloody well care, Emma. I'm followin' orders," he snapped, grabbing her hand again. "Let's go."
"He's going to get himself killed!"
"The Captain can take care of himself. He's survived worse."
"Worse? Everyone in that room wants him dead! I'm going back."
"The hell you are!"
Emma raised her sword to his chest. "Don't make me do it," she warned. "Please, don't."
Vincent's eyes narrowed, though his lips twitched in surprise. "You won't do it, Emma," he said. "You're not like the rest of us."
"Maybe not," she agreed. "But I'm not leaving here without him. So either you help me or go. Warn the crew. Tell them to prepare to get underway."
"Emma—"
The sounds of fighting grew louder.
"Go," she snapped.
"If I let you go and you die, he'll kill me."
"That won't happen. Trust me." Emma glanced at her hands. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."
Every ounce of finesse that Killian wielded with a blade had been traded for pure, blunt force. This was no duel. This was a melee.
Blades struck at him from all sides in such a random array that it was impossible for all of them to be aimed for him, yet he was nonetheless forced to find some way to parry the greater majority. It was impossible to defend against them all. His arm burned from a cut and his right leg protested his weight with every step from a gash on his thigh.
His thick leather coat protected his back and his sides from swords, but it did little to stop the stray bullet that clipped his collarbone.
He'd lost sight of Jack minutes ago and hoped that the pirate made it out alive. He owed the potentially mad man. Only insanity could lead a man to believe that causing this mayhem would be his best chance at getting out alive. A diversion had been Killian's only option. No one would have let him leave the Court alive if he hadn't made the first move.
It wouldn't have mattered what he said. Barbosa had made him a threat. Leaving him be, even if he had no intention of killing Calypso, was simply a risk that no pirate would be willing to take. Not when they felt they had the world at their feet.
And so he had stalled, trying desperately to think of a solution, to find a way to get Emma out at the very least. He refused to think of what would become of her if he were killed and she was left to the Court, and when he'd just managed to glimpse her blonde hair twirling around the doorframe, the relief he'd felt could have brought him to his knees if he'd let it.
And so you could imagine his consternation when he saw that same blonde hair ducking under a blade.
Emma furiously fought her way to Killian. He was just a few feet to her left but with at least three swords coming at her, it felt like a few miles. She ducked under a blow that would have taken her head and then sprang up to parry the next blow, shoving the sword away and kicking the man in the chest. He fell into someone else who slit his stomach from hip to hip.
She reached Killian just in time to protect his back from a thrust that would have torn right through a lung. She slapped the blade away and didn't hesitate to drive her sword through his heart. Her back knocked against Killian's when she took a step backward to face off with another pirate.
Killian leaned against her, and she pressed back. It was the only reassurance they could afford at the moment, and it would have to do.
Together, they moved toward the door. It was a bit easier now. Everyone else was concerned only for themselves. Killian and Emma were the only two working as a team, and in this moment, they had never been more in sync. But they were still horribly outnumbered, and while they were making progress towards their escape, it wasn't fast enough.
Emma tried not to panic as she took on three pirates at once. She could deal with one. Two was a stretch but doable if she was clever. But three? She needed far more practice.
So while she wasn't surprised when she felt a sharp sting on her arm, she still cried out in pain. A cry that, somehow, Killian managed to hear over the chaos around them. "Swan!"
She immediately pressed her back against his to reassure him but had to step away a second later in order to fight. But she wasn't used to fighting in pain. Her cut was on her sword arm, and it felt deep, though she couldn't possibly look to check without finding a sword in her gut. Her fingers began to feel numb, and she began to panic.
And so when she caught a hint of silver in the corner of her eye, a blow that she knew she couldn't parry quick enough, Emma's reaction to throw up her free hand was purely instinct.
The blinding wave of magic that shot from her hand, however, was on another level entirely. The blast sent a dozen men sailing into the walls and into others, causing a massive, if bloody, domino effect that Emma didn't bother to examine even in her brief second of shock. Instead, she reached behind her, her hand locking around Killian's forearm, and ran for the door.
Some of the fight had drifted into the hallway, but what little resistance that they met was quickly dealt with as Killian jerked his arm from her grasp to take the lead. Their pace didn't let up even when they'd wound through countless empty hallways and the sounds of the fight had long since faded. There was only the echo of their footsteps and their heavy breaths until Killian abruptly stopped, grabbed her shoulders, and shoved her against the wall.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" he shouted, shocking Emma and himself with the level of anger in his voice. He shook her sharply. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"
"Me?" Emma scoffed. "What about you?! I saved your ass!"
"I never asked you to do that," he snapped.
"Yeah, well, you'll never have to." Emma's glare faltered as she continued to stare at him, her eyes falling to a bleeding cut above his eye. She wanted to reach out to touch his face, to wipe away the blood, but her arms were still pinned to her sides. Her chin wobbled as she met his slowly cooling gaze. "I promised I wouldn't run."
Killian squeezed his eyes shut. His jaw ticked in frustration. He wanted to be angry with her. And he was angry. He was nearly blinded by it. But stronger emotions began to overwhelm his rage at her careless disregard for her own life. Love and fear crept through his veins. Fear, because it was what ultimately fed his anger; and love, because by the Gods, he loved her so much that it scared him.
He couldn't lose her.
But she was right there, in his grasp, and he wanted to strangle her.
And kiss her.
And hug her.
He growled, his forehead connecting with hers. "I can't decide what I want to do to you," he admitted.
He heard her breath hitch, and then she made his decision for him.
Emma slammed her lips against his, not bothering with finesse or skill. The kiss was sloppy and wet and hot and everything that she needed in that moment. Killian's hands left her arms to hold her neck, his thumb a rough caress against her jaw as he forced her mouth to open more. She moaned into the deeper kiss and pressed against his hips.
Instead of spurring him on, her action made Killian pull away. He stared at her, breathing hard, his gaze unbearably soft yet unquestionably torn. Slowly, he angled his head to kiss her once more, and this kiss couldn't be more different. It was simple. Soft. Innocent. It felt like the magical, fairytale first kiss that she'd never gotten as a kid.
Then Killian said, "I love you, Emma."
Annnddd cut!
Muahahhahahahhhahaha!
See you next time, folks! - "I just needed to say it." - Killian
-AC
