Pirates of the Caribbean: The Amulet Of Atlantis Chapter 21: Unlocking The Amulet's Secret, a pirates of the caribbean fanfic

Chapter 19

The pounding of huge feet attracted the attention of Will and Elizabeth, causing them to look up from the floor and into the vicious eye of Henry Morgan as he descended the steps that led into the brig. This eye radiated a mad sense of violence and hatred for the world that had inhabited this man's soul for countless years. Henry Morgan had transformed into an epitome of evil over his years as a result of a life of unfairness and fatigue after countless battles. Morgan's sole eye stayed focused on Will and Elizabeth as he crossed the floor of the brig at a deliberate pace.

"I do hope that my hospitality is not overwhelming for you, Mr. and Mrs. Turner." Morgan grinned snidely.

"Well, it is rather uncomfortable," Will replied sharply.

"That's good. I wouldn't want you getting too comfortable in here."

"Meaning...?"

Morgan chuckled. "I don't want to give away the surprise. You'll understand soon enough."

"It will do you no good," Elizabeth shot at Morgan. "Jack and us will stop you from accomplishing whatever it is you're planning."

"Jack Sparrow?" Morgan said in a tone that combined amusement with doubt as he stood in front of Elizabeth. "Even if Sparrow is able to make some ill-conceived attempt to rescue you, Mrs. Turner, my men will kill him in an instant."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Will snapped. "You have no idea what Jack is capable of."

"No, Mr. Turner. You have no idea what I'm capable of." Morgan rattled Will's chains as a way to mock him. "However, you will soon find out." Morgan indicated the amulet, which was draped around his neck.

But, unbeknownst to Morgan, Elizabeth had been able to carefully slip her right foot out of her boot and conspiratorially outstretch that foot until it was well inside the loop that held the keys to the locks on the chains. Making sure that Morgan's attention was still devoted to Will, Elizabeth retracted her leg and placed the keys behind her other foot, well out of sight.

"If you hope to use the power of the amulet against us," Will was saying, "your plan won't work. You know that you cannot translate the inscriptions on the Scroll of Lost Souls."

"Aye, I can't," Morgan agreed, "but your fortuneteller friend, Tia Dalma, can. And as she so happens to be with your crew, all I have to do is board your ship and force her to translate it. Once she does, there will be nothing left to stand in my way."

"You're insane," spat Elizabeth.

Morgan glanced at her with the wicked grin he currently wore reflected in his eye. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mrs. Turner."

And with that, Morgan exited the brig.

The moment he was gone, Will turned to Elizabeth expectantly. "Did you get them?"

Elizabeth smiled as she used her free foot to pull the keys back out into the open, her big toe holding them.

Will nodded in relief. "Good. Now, if you can, toss them here."

Elizabeth exhaled deeply, calmed her nerves, and summoned all of her bodily strength before taking careful aim and flicking the keys upward. The keys soared through the air and by fate, it seemed, landed right in Will's ready hand.

When Will caught them, he could not help but grin in triumph. After that, he carefully angled the keys so that the proper one slid into the lock currently binding Will's left hand.

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Before departing from his ship, Henry Morgan made sure that he had locked the door leading to the brig securely. Satisfied that the Turners would not be able to escape even if they did manage to somehow free themselves from the iron shackles, Morgan strutted over to a long wooden plank which connected the two pirate ships and began to make his way across it.

A few seconds later, Morgan had arrived on the deck of the Black Pearl, where his men were standing with weapons clutched preciously in their arms. Morgan walked over to the nearest one.

"Bring up the fortuneteller," he commanded.

The stooge did as he was told. Meanwhile, another crew member of Morgan's approached the captain and handed him the Scroll of Lost Souls, which had been restored to its original size. Morgan took the scroll without saying a word, unrolling it meticulously. Morgan then made sure that the side containing the mystical inscriptions was facing up.

Just then, Tia Dalma was escorted up from the brig, where the rest of the crew had been taken. The bard was forcefully brought over to stand at Morgan's side. With an indifferent expression, Morgan angled the scroll so that it was facing Tia Dalma as well.

"You know what these inscriptions say. I want you to translate them for me."

"Give me one good reason," Tia Dalma said defiantly.

Quick as a flash, Morgan whipped out his pistol. He pulled back the hammer with his thumb and placed the barrel against Tia Dalma's head.

"How's that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Tia Dalma eyed the weapon warily and swallowed loudly. She then took the scroll from Morgan's grasp and held it up in front of her with shaking hands. For a moment, Tia Dalma found that she could not speak; her mouth had suddenly become parched.

"Read it," Morgan spat venomously.

Breathing heavily, Tia Dalma rested her eyes upon the first line of inscriptions. She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to grant Morgan the immeasurable power that came with the Amulet of Atlantis. However, what choice did she have? The barrel of Morgan's gun was beginning to press painfully into her skull, and she reluctantly made her decision.

Tia Dalma swallowed hard again and gave a deep, shuddering exhalation of air. She cleared her throat and then began to translate the inscriptions.

The moment she did, everything surrounding the ships swirled out of focus and a loud hissing noise filled the air. A blinding white light shone, and before anyone could fully comprehend what was transpiring, the light faded and the hissing subsided. Everyone opened their eyes to discover that they had been teleported back onto the surface of the ocean. The shining sun was visible only for a fleeting instant before it was blocked from view by a swarm of dark gray clouds that had taken over the entire sky. Rumbles of thunder started to boom ominously, growing louder with each syllable that Tia Dalma uttered. Lightning flashed behind the clouds as a strong gust of wind gradually overcame the pirates.

Tia Dalma raised her voice over the howl of wind as she, Morgan and his men stood their ground despite the boisterous gusts of air. The amulet suddenly began to glow a bright sapphire blue color around Morgan's neck. At that moment, Tia Dalma completed the translation and the scroll was swept out of her hands and taken away by the wind. Everyone on deck staggered back a few feet, both because the amulet was glowing as bright as ever and a crack even louder than the thunder had pierced the air. The crack seemed to have originated from under the ocean, probably on the seabed. The crack was ensued by a rumbling which rocked the ship violently. Everyone fell to the deck as a result.

But in spite of it all, Morgan was able to make his way toward the railing of the ship and look over the side at the raging waves in the ocean. The rumbling soon grew louder and before Morgan knew it, a huge and crudely formed mass of rock shot out like a cannonball from the ocean's surface. Morgan jumped back and observed in awe as the piece of new land continued to travel upward until it stopped abruptly. Morgan inched toward it cautiously, extending his rough hand to gingerly touch what had just emerged from the sea. The feel of it told Morgan that it was genuine, the rocky texture was sharp and scraggly, though to Morgan, it felt wonderful.

All around them, more jagged rock landmasses erupted out of the ocean, creating an image that would forever be imprinted in the minds of everyone who was witnessing this hellish transformation. This portion of the Caribbean was slowly turning into a desolate wasteland that appeared to be more of a graveyard for every living creature on the face of the planet.

As this was all happening, Jack was clinging to the side of his ship for dear life. He watched, horror struck, as crude landmasses were forming all around him. Making sure that he would not lose his grip, Jack whipped out his compass once more and opened it. This time, the dial did not spin around in every direction; it was pointing directly toward Morgan's ship. Jack looked doubtfully from the compass to the ship and back again. He then glanced at the deck of his ship, wanting so much to destroy the amulet and stop this madness, but his instincts told him to follow the compass.

Jack replaced his compass and pistol, took a deep breath, and dived into the ocean a split-second before a blue force field closed in around the Black Pearl.

Will, Elizabeth and Michael were finally free of the shackles. They took a moment to gather themselves before dashing over to the steps that led to the main deck. They did not get far, however, because something large and powerful suddenly crashed through the bottom of the ship, sending the Turners flying to one side and crashing against the far wall.