X Marks the Spot
Chapter Nine
David and Regina walked out of the Mayor's office once Jasmine and Aladdin left, then entered the station where they saw Black Beard was lying upon the cot within the cell where they left him alone, unaware that he had escaped for a brief time with Gold's help as the Dark One had frozen time so that the heroes were all unaware of the villains' plans. The pirate sat up and turned around to look between the sheriff and Evil Queen again when he heard them enter the room. He simply laughed when they approached him.
David glared at him while he asked curtly, "What's so funny? You seem pretty cheerful for a man who just failed to kill his enemy and failed to steal back a ship that doesn't belong to him. And never will."
Before the villain could speak, Regina continued, "I'm sure he is pretty angry at himself for all that. But I'm betting he had another plan in mind just in case. And I'm also willing to bet he won't tell us whatever that is. Not without a little motivation."
"I wager Hook must have fallen ill by now?" Black Beard answered smugly as he stood to face them head on despite the cell's bars between him and them. "Tell me, exactly how is it that he's suffering?"
"How about you tell us?" David replied angrily. "You're the one who did something to make sure you didn't fail. Was it the ball from your pistol that cursed him? That must have been how you got whatever's affecting him into his system. Tell us what you've done, or Regina will use means that won't be so pleasant for you. She isn't the Evil Queen any longer, but she still has all of her power."
Their prisoner laughed haughtily again, then retorted, "Do you really expect me to believe she'll resort to dark magic so she can get me to talk? You both are heroes and if there's one thing I do know, it's that true heroes won't go so far no matter the circumstances. They're too good. But I am responsible for what's happening to him. Hook and I go a long way back and it's time that I finally make him suffer for all the trouble he's caused me."
Regina chortled and then responded, "What I can do isn't dark magic. I don't have to resort to dark magic to get you to tell me. And I don't need any magic to tell me that you had help from someone. You certainly don't have the means of creating whatever curse or spell is affecting Hook."
"I was the one who infected him," Black Beard answered sternly while he glared at the sorceress standing in front of him as she attempted to read his thoughts until she quickly learned that someone or something was preventing her in doing so. "I happily take all the credit for what will soon be the end of Captain Hook. It's a pity that he's lived for over two hundred years all alone and has only now found love within the last few."
"You don't actually know what magic is affecting him, do you?" David asked skeptically upon realizing that though he's admitted to hurting their friend, Black Beard hasn't yet actually told them what he's done. "You brag about being the one who's killing your enemy and yet you haven't once mentioned how you've done it. I guess whoever helped you wasn't very forthcoming."
It was then that Regina received a text message from Henry and quickly showed it to David, then she turned back to the villain as she spoke up saying, "It appears that the two of you seem to have developed some kind of psychic connection, or something like it. You're in his mind. Aren't you?"
Black Beard smiled cruelly and then replied, "Go ahead and try to figure it out for yourself. Try to invade my mind again. But I promise you that you won't find what you're looking for. I've met many powerful beings long before I arrived here in this town you call Storybrooke, any one of whom could have given me the power to destroy my nemesis."
"He's right," she responded as she turned back to David. "I can't read his mind. He's somehow blocking me. Or the person helping him is."
"Someone's come here with you from the Land of Untold Stories," the sheriff continued angrily when he suddenly grabbed the pirate by the collar of his jacket through the bars and held him roughly against them in front of him. "Haven't they? Tell me who it is!"
Black Beard only laughed, then all of a sudden a thought donned on Regina and she grabbed her friend by his arm as she said, "It's possible it wasn't a new villain with a grudge against Hook or the rest of us is behind this at all. My doppelganger could be the one helping him. She would have the power to keep me from invading his mind and she'd be only too eager to use a pirate like Black Beard. I'm going to go have a chat with her and my sister. You should get back to Emma and Hook."
David nodded and released their prisoner, then whispered, "Be careful. Let me know if you need help in reasoning with her. And Regina, thank you. I know you're dealing with a lot right now. Between Robin's death and Zelena being a struggle while she's figuring out whose side she's really on, we're all here for you. All you need to do is ask."