I opened the door above me and pulled myself up into the hut. The room I found myself in was dimly lit by a few flickering candles, mostly melted so that the flames danced on the wet wax. There was a large pedestal table in the center of the room, covered in strange artifacts and deep burn marks. There were several jars hanging from the low ceiling, so many in fact, that I had keep ducking or stepping around them to find a comfortable spot to stand. But, nowhere did I see the root of that enchanting voice.

But, Her voice came again, from the dark recesses at the rear of the hut "Ah, Jack Sparrow, I knew you would come to me sooner or later." Her voice was low, but strong. It felt curvaceous as it caressed me, like the way a young woman feels when she presses herself against my back.

I answered Her, "I'm sorry, madame, but I'm Jaques Sperrit. I've just come about my friend. He's been -"

She stepped out of the shadows before I could complete my speech. Before me stood a tiny old woman, probably around five feet tall, but as thin as a rail. She looked delicate and she tread so lightly on the floorboards, they didn't creak as they did under my boots. Her dark skin was weathered and wrinkled, but I could see she had lovely features. Once, she must have been a great beauty. She wore a long, flowing set of skirts in violets and blues and had wrapped her torso in some sort of black material. She had the same material wrapped around her hair. She approached me and looked up into my eyes. I searched hers.

"I know why you tink you come to me, Jack Sparrow. And I know who you tink you are. But, do you really know why you're in Tia Corinnina's home? Or who you really are?"

I shook my head, "No. I-"

She laid a hand on my arm and pulled me closer to the table, cutting off my words again. She was surprisingly strong and her touch warmed my clammy skin. Memories danced through my head: my mother lifting me and twirling me on the stage at the Opera, my journey across the English Channel on the Tempest, racing on horseback with Cary at my side. I felt warmed to my very center. I was giddy with the good feelings this woman's touch brought me. When she broke contact, I felt chilled, but I was still calm and glad.

Tia Corinnina moved around the table and sat in a high-backed chair. Her eyes fell closed. I knew better than to speak. She let her hands wander over the deep burns on the table, into and over it's many scars. I watched as a pattern formed beneath her long, surprisingly smooth fingers. Finally, her eyes snapped open and she rolled her shoulders.

"You do not have dose answers because it is not time for you to know dem. Right now, you must make peace wit your friend," she began. She patted me arm and a giddy shiver ran down my back. I longed to hold her so I could fell warm and happy again. Somehow, I knew it wouldn't be allowed.

"Come up, Cap'n Kensington," she called and I heard the door swing open again. Soon, the room was filled with the crew that had come with me. I felt a little pang of jealousy as I'd wanted more time alone with the Tia Corinnina. But, I shook it off, immediately, knowing Kensington probably had more right to be here than I did.

The woman patted Kensington's arm and he smiled down at her, "Ah, my darling, you look more beautiful than even the day I met you!"

She swatted his arm and gave him a grin, "Oh, you shouldn't drop such compliments at my feet,Cap'n. You might turn my head." She laughed and the warm sound filled the room and made my insides melt. She disappeared into the shadows and I heard her moving things around and mumbling to herself. She reappeared soon enough with a glass vial that contained a glowing amber liquid.

She placed it in my hand and closed my fingers over it. It felt cold there and I shuddered.

"Now, Jack Sparrow, listen to Tia Corinnina carefully. You must drink this before you dive into da sea to find your friend. It will last only for two hours. You will not need to take air once you've swallowed it, but it will wear off and if you are not back to the surface, you will drown."

I nodded and looked the bottle again. It gave off the same eerie glow that Cary had beneath the sea. Tia Corinnina spoke again, "You will not be able to save your friend. Once a mermaid has taken him, he is surely dead. But, you must make peace wit him." I nodded. I was sure I could save him, but I didn't want to say so before Her. She smiled up at me, knowingly, "Don't do not'ing foolish, you hear me chil'? An' when you are done, you come back to me. Den you shall hear of your destiny." I nodded again, eager to be back in the sea. "Now go! Before the sun sets, you can dive into any part o' dat sea and you will find the mermaid lair. If you should wait 'til after the sun has set, you mus' find the spot where dey took him. Don't wait!"

Kensington placed his hand on my arm and we descended the rope ladder to our longboat. I didn't have to speak my urgency and Cotton and Pell rowed with renewed vigor. We were back to the sea just as the first star was visible in the east. I took off my boots and my coat. I gulped down the vial and just as I was about to jump out the longboat, Kensington wished me luck. I smiled at him, "I won't need it Captain."

I was long underwater by the time the crew and Captain Kensington doffed their hats and placed them over their hearts. For one lesson I'd never learned is that one should never refuse luck.

Once I was submerged, I felt lighter than I'd ever felt in the water. I could see better and the fish didn't even swim away from me. I found I could open my mouth and I didn't take in any water. When I looked down at my hands, I saw that webbing had bridged the gaps between my fingers. I could swim very fast. I felt something trickle down my neck and when I reach up to touch it, I felt narrow slits open and close there. I had grown gills!

However, I had no idea where to find the mermaid's lair. So, I just swam down. I knew when we'd reached the river mouth that the water should have been shallow, but it wasn't. I just swam ever deeper. When I looked above me, all I saw was black ocean and soon enough, I found myself swimming towards an underwater city.

Rising up from the floor of the ocean was a great tower of hard-looking red coral. Around the tower stood several smaller structures made of other types of coral, rocks, seashells, and waving green kelp. Mermaids swam to and fro, many stopping to stare lasciviously at me as I swam through the underwater corridors between the lower buildings. They all looked like the first mermaid I'd seen the night before: green and scaly, with flowing orange hair. I avoided their gazes and swam for the tower. I knew that's where Cary would be.

I swam into the entrance of the tower, past several more mermaids. Many of them were decorating themselves with bits of shell as jewelry and kelp and anemones for their hair. None of them tried to stop me. This should have disturbed me, but I was too eager to find Cary to notice.

I found him quickly, as he was in a large room that seemed to be the center of castle. He was still in the orb, but the light that had been so bright the night before had dulled. His eyes were no longer closed however, and his mouth was pink again. However, his clothes had been removed and I could see that his skin had begun to grow patches of scales.

I swam before him and it seemed a long moment before he looked at me and when he finally did, he was surprised. "Jaques?" he asked. He shook his head as if to clear it and blinked his eyes several times. "What are you doing here?" I could hear him perfectly through whatever the gold sphere was made of.

I was afraid that I would not be able to speak, but my voice was my own when I opened my mouth. "We're leaving. Can you get out of there?"

He backed away from me into the far side of the orb and shook his head. "Not a chance. The mermaids have made me their king."

"Yes, right, well they're going to eat you once they've had their way," I searched the orb for an opening or a crack, but in vain. "Help me look!"

He just shook his head again, "I told you I'd never live on land again, Jaques. And now, you've seen to it that I was right."

"Don't be crazy, Cary. You can just come with me and you can sail home to England. Hell, I'll even pay your passage," I said as I began to search around for something to beat the floating ball with, but again came up empty handed. I was sorely bemoaning the fact that I'd left my cutlass with Kensington.

Cary reached through the orb and grasped my arm. I looked down. Where his arm had exited the sphere, the flesh was melting back as the seconds ticked by. Soon, his bones were exposed and it began to flake away as well. I knew that if I took him out of the orb, he would die. Just as surely, I knew if I swam to safety, he would die. He pulled his arm back in and instantly, it regenerated. Cary just stared silently at me.

I pressed my palms into my eyes, willing the image of his dead arm away from my memory. It clung there, no matter how hard I tried. "Forgive me, Cary."

"Leave me, Jack. You condemned me to death the moment we mounted our horses at the manor. At least allow me one last bit of pleasure at the hands of the mermaids," came the reply. I lowered my hands and started at him. I knew I wasn't worth his forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, Cary. You are like my brother, my best friend. I'm -," I broke off. I swallowed another apology, knowing it was too late.

"Go, Jack. One day we'll meet again," Cary said, his voice a bit softer than it had been. I nodded, turn and swam away. In my wake, I heard the mermaid's laughter.

I shot up through the water, but I knew I'd already tarried too long. My gills were fading and my lungs were going to want air. I didn't stop to look at my hands, but I knew the webbing was disappearing. I kicked harder. Finally, my head broke the surface and I gulped in breath. I slipped under, but I was too tired to kick. My last thought as I lost consciousness was of Cary's boyish laughter from our past and the haunting laughter of the mermaids that had chased me to the surface.

"He's openin' his eyes, mama!" came a girlish squeal from above me. I felt a torturous pain bolt through my brain, but I did open my eyes. I tried to sit up, but whoever had spoken held me back, "Hush, now, Jack Sparrow, you're safe wit' me. Come, mama, come see!" she called out. Her voice, so like Tia Corinnina's, sounded like a screeching cat to me at that moment. I closed my eyes, once more, but did not sleep.

Then came Tia Corinnina's voice, "Oh, chil', you done good! Now, fetch me some Elixir of Vitality. I have a feeling the young cap'n will be of a need." I felt her warm hands touch me forehead and the pain was gone. I was able to sit up. Tia Corinnina was with me, smiling kindly. "You waited too long, Jack. But, my daughter done brought you back."

"Was I -?" I began.

"Not for very long, chil'. Don't worry yourself. It happens to most men in your particular line of work," she said with a wink. "Lucky for you, your body is hale and healt'y."

I nodded. Suddenly a young beauty filled up my vision and captured my attention away from Tia Corinnina. She blushed under my steady gaze.

"Oh, Jack, please meet my daughter, Dalma. She did most of your caretakin', as I wanted her to learn," the older lady said.

Dalma dipped into a low curtsy. I nodded my head. I know a blush had crept over my features. I'd never encountered such a beautiful creature anywhere in Caribbean or abroad. She was dressed in a ball gown, though old and moldering, it nipped her perfectly at the waist and displayed her fine curves. The low neckline of the gown displayed her long neck, flawless shoulders and perfectly round breasts. Her skin was the same shade as her mother's but it was smooth and supple and slightly pink. Her lips were painted dark and her chocolate brown eyes were lined with Kohl. Her light brown locks flowed freely and were twisted the same as I had done mine.

Suddenly, I was grateful for my mother's insistence on a gentleman's manners even for a boy with no real prospects. I bent low at the waist and kissed her delicate hand. "Mademoiselle, it is my pleasure."

The girl smiled down at me and nodded her head, "Mademoiselle, is it, Jack Sparrow? I tink I like dat very much. Very much, indeed." She giggled and I released her hand.

Tia Corinnina cleared her throat and spoke, "Well, Dalma, I must go out. Ameerah is havin' her firs' babe and I need to be der before da birtin' begins. I tink you an' Jack can discuss payment, eh?"

Dalma nodded. Tia Corinnina looked at me and smiled. "The Cap'n will be along tomorrow to collect you," she began and then gave a long pause, "I know I shall never see you again, Jack. An' the stars, dey tol' me not to reveal your destiny jus' yet. But, you'll be back here, I know. I know." She took my hands in hers and kissed them. And, just like that, she was out the door and down the ladder. I turned back to Dalma.

"Payment?" I asked, sitting back on the table. "What payment do you require?"

Dalma smiled at me. Her smile was slow and sensual, and much like her mother's voice had given me gooseflesh, Dalma's smile did the same, "Treasure, Jack. Dat's all any woman wants."

I smiled at her, relieved, "Well, love, if it's treasure you want, treasure you shall have. How long do I have to procure said trinkets?"

"No, Jack, s'not trinkets I want. I want your treasure," she stepped closer to me and held out a bottle of amber liquid. I took it and smelled it. "Rum?"

"Aye, the Elixir of Vitality," she bridged the gap between us with one last step. She ran her hands down my shirtfront and across my abdomen. I shivered and took a swallow of the strong liquid. Vitality, indeed.

"My treasure, eh? Who's to say it hasn't already been taken?" I asked, feeling only slightly incensed. After all, a gorgeous woman was now standing between my legs.

"A woman knows, Jack," she said, looking up at me from under her long, dark eyelashes. I ran my hands over her collarbone and shoulders, and down her arms until I landed them on her small waist. I knew she was not wearing a corset. She leaned up as I leaned down and she possessed me with her kiss. It was short and sweet, but it utterly took my breath away.

"Oh, does she?" I gulped. She was right, of course. I had never taken a woman to my bed. I'd been tempted on so many occasions, but something always held me back. Cary had done so before I'd even arrived in England, so all I knew, I knew secondhand. Luckily, Dalma seemed prepared for this. She took my hand and wordlessly led me into the dark part of the hut.

Around a few low cases of jars holding various oddities and some boxes, Dalma had made a sort of nest. There were a few soft looking blankets and low, flickering candles. She led me to her makeshift bed and pulled me down to sit with her. She explored my face with her fine-boned fingers, running them along my cheekbones, my jaw, and down my neck to my collarbone. She followed the same path with her lips, dropping kisses here and there, leaving my skin tingling for more. She parted my shirtfront and pushed it off of my shoulders.

I reached behind her and found the row of buttons to her gown and swiftly freed her from the garment. Her dress fell away to reveal flawless mocha skin, showcased in the candlelight. A sigh escaped my lips and before I could speak, she captured my mouth with hers.

She wrapped herself around me and loved me. It was unlike anything I'd known before. The more she explored, tormented, and teased me, the more I wanted. When I finally tumbled her beneath me, I explored every inch of her, finding what spots made her cry out and exploiting them until she pushed my hands away and pulled me into her. Ecstasy came hard, fast, and delicious.

As I wrapped my arms around her and we drifted off to sleep, I knew Jaques Sperrit was gone for good.