"What in heavens name was that?" Mr Gibbs had seen the light shoot up into the air.
"Batten down the hatches!"
"Bloody parrot! Mort! The jolly boat, let's get ashore. Cotton, you stay here, keep an eye on the ship,"
"Batten down the hatches!"
"And shut up that parrot!"
Elizabeth pointed to the stars, "What are they?"
"That's our treasure map." Savannah told her.
The jolly boat carrying Gibbs and Mort reached the shore. Mr Gibbs helped Elizabeth to her feet, while Mort just stood and stared. Jack was looking out over the ocean, as if he had realised something no one else had.
"Captain? What is it?" Ana Maria, who was wet after having landed in the water asked him.
"We're going to find out what's beyond the horizon,"
The stars glittered in the night sky, forming their pathway, hopefully leading to the unknown Isla de Corona. Will was on deck, this eyes reflecting the stars, glinting in the moonlight.
That's the way to find my father, he thought. We'll get there, and we'll find my father, I have no doubt of that. These people knew him, well, some of them did. And they knew him well. Much better than I did. They believe he is alive, and knowing that, Now I do too.
This must be the first time anything like this have ever happened. Trust it to happen to me. What do they expect me to say? Oh yes, let's go and find my father who lied to me every day of my life in his letters. Merchant. Ha, closest he got to a merchant was probably running one through.
How do I know I will like him when I find him? Parents aren't always the easiest people to get on with. And how do I know he will like me? If he felt he had to lie to me, then maybe he doesn't care, or didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. What am I supposed to say? Hey dad, long time no see?
And what about Elizabeth? Again, it's my fault that she is aboard a ship full of pirates, that she's on a dangerous 'adventure', and could easily get killed. How can I expect her to want to go though all of that just for me?
"Will," His thoughts were interrupted by his wife, who made him jump when she placed a warm hand on his cold arm. He turned quickly to face her.
She could see in his face that he had been thinking about everything, and she was worried about him.
"I always knew who I was," She said, quietly, "Where I was from. I can't imagine what this must be like for you, but I want to be here with you." She said, "If you still want…"
"What?" Will's mind caught up with his ears,
"With all of this happening, with your life changing…"
"Elizabeth," Will said, "I was thinking that it would be the other way around. You have everything to lose staying here with me,"
"No I don't." She said, "I have plenty of unimportant things to lose. But if I didn't stay, I'd lose the only thing I care about keeping."
"We don't have to do this," Will held her face in his hands, "We can return to Port Royale, forget everything. Go back to the way it was."
"No we can't. You couldn't do that. Not now we know what we do." She took his hands from her cheeks and held them in hers. "Don't think I don't know what you are doing," She said, "You are not going to chicken out from meeting your father."
"I am not trying to 'chicken out'!" Will said, a smile creeping to his lips. Elizabeth pushed him away playfully,
"Yes you are,"
"No I'm not," Will grabbed her and kissed her. Breaking their embrace, Elizabeth said,
"You are," And then there was silence. For quite a long time.
Savannah stood in the middle of the Galley, glancing around, taking in her surroundings.
"Hungry?" Clay stepped out from behind the crates. "No? Then why are you here?"
"Calm down Mr Clay," Savannah said, coolly, but with a small smile. "I always said the Galley was the best part of a ship."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Not the helm? Not on deck? I find that hard to believe."
"The galley is the centre of the ship. It's where everyone meets, it's where every one talks."
"Ah,"
"You discovered my secret." She smiled,
"You do seem like the type of person who likes to know what's going on."
"Likes to? My dear Mr Clay, I always know what's going on."
"Oh aye?"
"Aye."
"Then you'd be able to tell me some things, seeing as we both share a love of knowledge." Clay said, hinting, "Why be we going off on this mad hunt followin' stars when all we have to go one is a box of magic tricks?"
"The captain seems to think it's a good idea," Savannah said vaguely. She was not planning on mentioning anything else on the subject. "And the captain always has the last word, right?"
"Right." Clay smiled. He knew from the start he was not really going to get any information out of Savannah. He had met people like her. They kept themselves to themselves, and concentrated on other peoples lives instead of their own.
There is one very important fact to be known about Thomas Clay. He is an excellent judge of characters. And he is also an even more excellent judge of bad characters. He was drawn to dangerous people, because he found them interesting.
Savannah Flint is a complicated woman, he thought, and it's often people like her who end up exploding because of built up pressure in their minds. They concern themselves too much with other peoples problems and ignore their own, until they build up to such an extent that they become uncontrollable. Now, this would be an interesting person to have a nervous breakdown.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"I can well believe that." Savannah stood up and left the galley. Clay watched her leave and then went back to his work.
Jack caught Savannah leaving.
"Going somewhere?" His voice made her turn around.
"Cabin."
"Need some company?" Jack gave her a cheeky grin that only he could pull of without getting smacked in the mouth. Savannah raised her eyebrows,
"We have known each other for over nineteen years, and still you spend most of our conversations trying to bed me."
"I've always thought absence makes the heart grow fonder luv, and you've been absent for quite some time." Savannah did not smile.
"Yes. I have."
"How about coming to my cabin?"
"For what?"
"For whatever you want,"
"In that case," Savannah drew herself up closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I'll be havin' some of that fine vintage brandy you be keeping locked away." Jack grinned,
"It's not my way to take a woman when she's drunk luv,"
"That's good then, isn't it?"
I will take your advice to heart, to be sure Rae Roberts, and than ye for y' review!!!