There was no other way to describe it: Jack and I were running for our lives.
Jack wasn't even bothered by the length of rope still attached to his foot; all that mattered was getting to the Black Pearl before she cast off and we became trapped here. It was a wild, panicked sprint through the jungle to the shore, then down the beach. I didn't even bother to fly, I didn't think of it at the time, my mind was so muddled. I dared not look back for fear of realising just how close the natives were to catching us, or Jack, at least. We could see the Pearl already in the water thanks to the rising tide, and nearly lost among the rising waves were the two pirates who had tried to steal her.
"OI!" Jack called down the beach, hoping he would be heard by his crew. I knew that even if they didn't hear Jack, the sound of the Pelegostos would be enough to alert the crew. I hoped they wouldn't leave without us; certainly Will didn't want to leave without Jack, but the horde of angry natives did complicate things a bit. We could see the crew scrambling to cast off before the mob reached them.
Jack looked back over his shoulder and, realising how close the natives were, he shouted and began running a bit faster. They were practically nipping at our heels. "OI!" Jack shouted once again to the crew, almost begging them to wait a few seconds more.
As we splashed through the shallows, Jack and I passed a dog standing on the beach. It took me a moment to realise that this was the dog from the jail in Port Royal; the one who guarded the keys. "Good doggie!" Jack yelped to the mutt as we passed. I had to laugh. Could this day get any weirder?
Jack and I shouted together as we leapt over the small waves to catch up with the ship. I finally went airborne as Jack grabbed desperately for the loose net of ropes hanging over the edge of the Pearl. After the third time, he managed to get a firm grip, and we both let out a sigh of relief as he pulled himself up and wedged his feet through the holds for support.
"Yes! We made it!" I cheered, whooping for joy. "Ha ha!"
Jack grinned and waved towards the natives, who, realising they had lost their chief, wailed after him in the shallow water. A few of them even seemed to be crying. I didn't feel very sorry for them.
"Alas, my children!" he called out to them loudly, "this is day you shall always remember as the day that you almost…"
Jack was cut off by a sudden wave crashing into us from behind, and for a small moment he completely disappeared from sight. I squealed as I got caught in the cold water, having failed to fly out of its reach in time. It left the both of us utterly soaked and Jack feeling a bit extinguished.
"Captain… Jack Sparrow…" he muttered. He sighed and reached up to climb on board.
"Wait a minute, Jack," I said. "Let me get this rope off your foot." I struggled with it a bit, but was soon able to tug the knot over the heel of his boot, making sure he was free of it. Then we both climbed aboard the relative safety of the ship.
I spared a last glance at the Pelegostos as their protests were interrupted by the barking of the dog, still on the beach. The entire group was quiet for a second, before they set off chasing the mutt back down the coast. I sighed, wishing the dog all the best, and turned my attention back to my assignment.
Gibbs ran up to Jack as the two pirates who had tried to steal the ship: none other than our old 'friends' Pintel and Ragetti, who tried in their own little way to butter up to their new captain. They placed Jack's coat on his shoulders and when Jack glanced at Pintel, he snapped into a salute. It was quite amazing really, how the two of them joined the crew so easily and practically without question. I had to admit I was almost glad to see them. I thought they were funny, despite their sometimes dubious intentions.
"Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out to open sea," Gibbs suggested to Jack gratefully.
Jack pointed to Gibbs to accent his speech, and spoke swiftly and surely. "Yes to the first, yes to the second, but only insofar as we keep to the shallows as much as possible," he said with a nod and a frown.
Gibbs sighed. His captain was still afraid of the open ocean, and that wasn't good. "That seems a bit contradictory, Captain…"
"I have every faith in your reconciliatory navigational skills, Master Gibbs," Jack sighed. "Now where is that monkey? I want to shoot something," he hissed venomously, narrowing his eyes once again. The face paint on his cheeks was running together, making him look a bit run-down.
As if on cue, something small dropped onto deck from the rigging, landing with a small thump and causing everyone's attention to immediately go to it. We all looked down at the small rolling object, then up and saw the monkey climbing about, having just lost his stolen possession: Ragetti's wooden eye. The gangly pirate happily picked it up, spat on it to lubricate it, and popped it back into place as though it was nothing. I sighed in disgust. Pirates.
Jack got his hands on a pistol courtesy of Pintel, and cast a predatory glance upwards. He just managed to take aim before he was halted from shooting by Will, who came bounding across the deck. He looked urgent to speak with Jack, judging from the serious expression that dominated his striking features.
"Jack," he said, jumping right to the point and getting the pirate's attention. "Elizabeth is in danger!"
Jack started up towards the helm, acting disinterested, like it wasn't really his problem. "Hmm…have you considered keeping a more watchful eye on her? Maybe just lock her up somewhere?"
"She is locked up in a prison, bound to hang for helping you!" Will argued bitterly. As he followed Jack and myself, the blacksmith's tone soon became angry. Apparently, he believed that Jack should take some responsibility for everything that had happened. Jack picked up on this, and had to disagree.
"There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes," Jack said simply, obviously implying that it wasn't his fault Elizabeth and Will had broken the law and helped him to escape. Now they were the ones who had to live with it.
Scowling, Will grabbed a sword off LeJon, a crew member we passed. The sound of it unsheathing alerted Jack and he turned around just as Will leveled the blade near his throat. LeJon, sensing that this probably wasn't something he needed to be involved with, was wise and made haste in ducking away from the pair and slinking down the stairs. "I need that compass of yours, Jack," Will said, nodding towards the device hanging from Jack's waist, his brow furrowed in determination. "I must trade it for her freedom."
"Jack, I think it's time for that new plan we were talking about. Remember?" I said. "The one about going to see her?"
Jack gave no notice he had heard me, but I know that he did. As though it was nothing, he moved Will's sword aside and addressed his first mate, who was standing at the helm. "Mr. Gibbs!"
"Captain," Gibbs replied, business-like. I caught a sharp tone to his voice. He wasn't pleased Will had threatened Jack so, though like LeJon, was wise enough to stay out of it.
Jack slid up beside him, speaking his next words with as much caution as he could muster. "We have a need to travel upriver."
Gibbs suddenly got nervous as he realised what Jack meant, though he probably hoped he was wrong. He really didn't want to go upriver. "By need, do you mean a trifling need?" he asked hopefully. "Fleeting? As in, say, a passing fancy?"
Jack frowned and shook his head, much to Gibbs' chagrin. "No, a resolute and unyielding need," he told Gibbs indubitably. He left no more room for argument from his side of things.
However, Will thought he still had plenty of room to argue. "What we need to do is make sail for Port Royal with all haste!"
"Oh yeah, fan-tastic plan, Will," I muttered with a healthy dose of sarcasm. "Sail the last major pirate threat into a port where we're sure to be caught and hanged. Brilliant!"
Jack seemed to have more confidence now that he had a plan to get help, so he could face Davy Jones. It was obvious now that he was not safe on land. The East India Trading Company was slowly but surely closing the noose on pirate-friendly ports, and any areas they had not taken over were mostly too dangerous for Jack to stay on, save Tortuga, and probably Singapore. He couldn't run anymore, and had no choice but to fight. A familiar old sparkle entered Jack's eyes and it made me smile to see him act a bit more like his old self.
"William," he said, his patience being tested by the gung-ho blacksmith once again. He knew how to manipulate Will to his advantage though; how to turn Will's eagerness to save his beloved into energy spent helping him, Jack, get what he wanted. It kind of made me feel sorry for Will, really. "I shall trade you the compass if you will help me to find… this."
Jack pulled out the cloth with the drawing of the key on it and held it up for Will to see. Will frowned at the picture, not really understanding its importance. "You want me to find this?"
"No," Jack corrected airily, letting his art of verbal manipulation shine though. He spoke slowly and carefully, making sure Will understood, as though he was a small child or something of the sort. "You want you to find this, because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating in your discovering, the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle, ol'…what's-her-face. Savvy?"
Will looked at Jack blankly as the words sank in. My smile began to grow as Will took the cloth from Jack gingerly, as though the soggy fabric would somehow scald him. "This is going to save Elizabeth?" he asked, not fully believing it.
"In a nutshell…?" I tried.
Jack paused and lowered his eyes and tone. "How much do you know about Davy Jones?" he asked gloomily, locking his eyes on Will's. I put a hand to my mouth to hide the grin that appeared. Jack was imitating the way I had asked him about Davy Jones when we first met. Or had I been imitating him?
Will thought about it for a few seconds. "Not much," he admitted. Instantly, the dark mood seemed to lift, and Jack was right back to his conniving self once more. He nodded.
"Yeah." He pointed to the cloth in Will's hand. "It's going to save Elizabeth." He nodded and smiled, before turning away. No need for Will to know anymore than that just yet.
Jack and I looked out over the ocean that had suddenly become so dangerous for him, but now there was a new determination to survive on our faces. I wanted to hold on to this moment for as long as I could, because I knew that things weren't going to be this good again for a long time.
Gibbs cast a look at Pintel and Ragetti, who were milling about on the deck below us. "Er, captain, what do you think we should do about those two?"
"I recognize them from Barbossa's old crew," Will commented. "They were trying to launch the Pearl when we found them, even if it did mean we were about to get away from the cannibals before they caught us. Do you think we can trust them?"
Jack caught my eye, trying to ask my opinion without really seeming so. I shrugged. "I don't know how far you can trust them, but they are reasonably hard workers and you never knew how useful they could be in the big scheme of things. I'd keep them along." Jack mused on this for a moment, then looked back to Will.
"Probably not," Jack answered Will. "But, what with the recent… departure of some of my crew, we could use an extra few hands." Jack raised his voice to address the two scallywags. "Oi, you two! What were you doing, trying to launch my ship?"
Pintel and Ragetti jumped slightly, and looked up at him with matching expressions of nervousness. "We was salvaging it!" Ragetti replied timorously. His buddy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
"We was getting it ready for you, cos we knew you'd be coming back for it!" Pintel offered hopefully. He didn't sound as convincing as I'm sure he thought he did.
Jack rolled his eyes. "It doesn't really matter, Jack," I told him. "Let them stay. Put them to work. They won't mutiny against you again, trust me. "
Jack did just that. "Well, are you going to stand around all day, or are you going to earn your keep? Get a mop and swab the decks!"
Pintel gave another quick salute and almost bumped into his one-eyed friend in his haste. "Come on," he grumbled to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away in search of the mops. I smirked.
"I think they may know this ship even better than you," I mused. "After all, they were on her for ten years while they were cursed and you…" Jack was shooting me daggers and I wisely shut up. "Sorry…"
The monkey continued at chatter at us from his hiding place in the rigging. I frowned up at him. "You know, Tia's going to want payment." Jack gave me another look to tell me he was very aware of that fact. "And I know you want to get rid of the monkey." I smiled at Jack. "Captain Sparrow, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Obviously, Jack was. "Mr. Turner," he said. "If you wouldn't mind making yourself useful, we require the capture of a certain troublesome and still-cursed primate. If you would be so kind as to construct a cage and somehow put him in it, I would be much obliged."
Will blinked at Jack, then squinted up at the monkey. "Why do you need to catch the monkey?"
Jack frowned. "You ask too many questions. Just do it before we need to drop anchor again, savvy?"
Will still seemed reluctant. Jack sighed. "Think of it this way; catching the monkey will help save Elizabeth."
Anger flashed through Will's eyes. "That's not funny, Jack," he snapped. He sighed nevertheless, not eager to argue with Jack Sparrow at this point and time. "Fine, I'll catch the stupid monkey."
"Good luck," Gibbs said to Will.
"Thanks," Will muttered as he walked away.
I smiled. This was going to be fun to watch.