"Buonas noches!" Marti appeared just in front of Elizabeth, making her jump out of her skin,
"Marti!" She gasped for her breath, "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Marti grinned,
"I have that effect on people." She said, swinging down from the pole she was gripping with her knees, "Good to see I still have the touch." Elizabeth smiled and shook her head,
"I'd swear you and Jack were related." She said, "Both as bad as each other." Marti looked at what her companion was carrying.
"Where'd you get those?" Elizabeth was holding a pair of leggings, not unlike the ones Savannah wore, and a shirt.
"Below deck," Elizabeth said, "Dresses aren't very practical, I have discovered." Marti raised her eyebrows,
"That's true." She grinned, "You're goin' t' make a grand pirate, you are," She said. Elizabeth blushed slightly,
"Well, I married one didn't I? I can't expect to live in Port Royale all my life." Marti frowned,
"Are you serious? Are you and Will goin' t' live out here?" Elizabeth shrugged,
"I don't know what's going through Will's mind at the moment. To tell you the truth, this whole thing with his father is having quite a large effect on him." Marti nodded,
"He's not the only one."
"You knew his father well, didn't you?" Marti grinned,
"Bill Turner was like a big brother," She said, "There ain't anythin' he didn't taught me, that's worth knowin' anyway." Elizabeth translated this to being a good thing. Marti was quite hard to understand sometimes. It was as if her version of English had been picked up from several, very different sources. "The man saved me life, when I was very… teeny, as Jack so often reminds me. And I guess the time has come for me to return the favour." Marti suddenly remembered something, "Ana is looking for ye. Something to do with the English girl." She said, "I wish you luck Elizabeth. And say hats off to y'. There ain't no man on this ship barrin' Jack who dares tackle her. You an' Ana be brave women." Elizabeth laughed,
"Well, I had better find her then." She said, "We'd hate too keep dear Miss Jones waiting now, wouldn't we?"
Jack emerged from his cabin and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun. He glanced around the ship. Elizabeth, Marti and Ana were on their way to where he was standing. Jack stared at Elizabeth, as if trying to work something out.
"Elizabeth," He called her over, still studying her, "You look… different…"
"I changed my clothes." She said, smiling. "After the incident with the storm, I discovered that dresses are not exactly practical for this voyage."
"I tol' her she's goin' t' make a great pirate," Marti said, "We were looking for young Will."
"Hoping to scare the bejezus out of him." Ana joked. "Have you seen him?"
Jack felt his stomach sink, and he had the feeling that he was about to discover something he didn't want to. Stepping cautiously past the girls, (and only swaying a bit, he hadn't had much to drink) he stuck his head round the corner of his cabin. There was Will, watching the ocean. He looked up to the crows nest and saw Savannah sliding down the pole. She landed lightly and gave him an 'I told you so' look.
"Oh my god…" Elizabeth's voice interrupted his thoughts and made him turn around, slowly, as if he knew, or had a general idea that what he was about to see was not going to be good.
There, looming behind the Black Pearl, was the biggest ship Jack had ever seen. Bigger than the pearl, it dwarfed it. It brought with it a cover of fog, which ran out slightly ahead of it. Jack turned to the girls and they knew automatically what to do. Jack barked out his orders to the rest of the crew.
"Gibbs! Head for that island, we can use it as a cover. Ana, Teeny, get to the canons, load the long nines. Mr Clay! Get on deck, now!"
From her cabin below deck, Rosaline could hear Jack's voice. She couldn't make out the words, but she could hear the worry. His voice did not sound like one that worried regularly. Hearing canon fire and feeling the ship shake she soon knew why. Her face went white. More pirates, she thought. And it was more than probable these ones would not be so… well, they'd be pirates.
"All hands on deck!" Ana Maria cried, as Marti loaded the canon. Clay, Cotton and Mort rushed to their aid. Clay went above deck to help secure the ship, while Cotton and Mort loaded another canon.
"Fire!" Jack's voice rang out loud and clear below the deck and soon after, the canons released their load on the other ship.
Savannah ran across the deck, and skidded when she reached Jack,
"We have to get to that island!" She yelled, "They aren't going to storm the ship, they're trying to sink it!"
"We can't get there any faster now you've bloody told me that!" Jack said, exasperated, "Get below, help load the canons. I'm not loosing this ship again!" Savannah looked indignant for a moment, but knew what had to be done so she headed below. As she was doing so, a shot blasted through the lower decks, thankfully, not where the crew was.
"Jack!" She called to him, "Rosaline is below deck!" Jack's eyes grew wide as he realised where the previous shot head been directed.
"Get below! Load the canons, and fire as much as you bloody well can!" He told her. He took to the steps leading down to the cabins.
The walls were destroyed and there was a clear cut corridor formed through them, with no sign of Rosaline.
"Roz? Rosaline!" He yelled. There was no sound, and no sight. He pulled open the door to her cabin, but there was no one inside. "Roz, where are you?"
"Who are they?" Elizabeth asked Marti, as they recovered their position after avoiding another shot aimed their way.
"No idea," She said, coughing, "They just came from no where! They can see we are a pirate ship! I do not understand it- get down!"
"Where are you?" Rosaline could hear Jack's voice. She was in a corner, she didn't know where. When the blast had hit she had just ran where she could and prayed the next shot would not be where she was. She was huddled, with her knees against her chest. She felt paralysed with fear. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. Tears were flowing like rivers in flood down her cheeks. She wanted to cry for help, even from Jack, but she couldn't find her voice. All she could do was silently pray that he would find her.
After a good few minutes of searching, Rosaline's prayers were answered. Jack pulled aside what was left of a cabin door that blocked her corner and saw her.
Her white cheeks were red from crying, and her glistening eyes looked up at him in desperation. Not knowing what else to do, Jack scooped her up into his arms and headed to a higher deck where there was less risk.
They were about to take the last flight of steps to the level where the rest of the crew were fighting with all they had when yet another shot blasted through the ship and took out the steps.
"Me bloody ship!" Jack yelled, stumbling backwards. Rosaline screamed when she blast occurred and Jack felt her arms tighten around him. He could feel how strong her fear was, but for some reason, he didn't think it was fear of being shot. He looked through the hole that had been made in the wall of the deck and saw that the water below was quite shallow. There wasn't that much distance, and Rosaline could get to shore if she swam. "Roz," He said, "You have to get to shore." He put her feet down, but still held her arms. He knew that at the moment, if he let go of her, she would fall. "Come on lass, a bit of cooperation please?" He leant out of the hole, giving her clear passage. "Jump," He said, "You-" Jack never got to tell her what else he was about to say because one of the crew on the attacking ship had seized the 'opportune moment' it had seemed, and took aim with a pistol. Luckily for Jack, it was not fantastic aim, but still good enough. He yelled out in pain. He could feel in his back where the bullet had hit him, and could feel shooting pain al through his body. Stumbling backward, he slipped through the gap and fell into the ocean below.
"Jack!" Rosaline suddenly felt her voice return to her, and then some. "JACK!" She yelled, louder than she ever had done before. Then, not really knowing what she was doing, or why she was doing it, she dived out of the ship into the ocean.
By pure chance, she caught hold of his hand and tried to pull him above the water. She clung to the side of the ship, and saw the white foam on the waves turn red when Jack surfaced.
"Oh my god," She gasped, and then screamed it. Seeing her only chance to be the island, she pulled Jack with her as she tried to swim to shore.
It seemed forever before she finally felt her feet touch the ocean bed, and she could wade ashore. Now that they were out of the water, Jack felt heavy. Weighed down even more by his water logged clothes. Rosaline pulled off his coat but it didn't do much to lighten his weight. She shook his shoulders,
"Wake up you stupid pirate!" She yelled, "I can't move you! You have to wake up!" She slapped him hard around the face and his eyes flew open. He groaned again, as the pain in his back caught up with him.
"Little sympathy for the bloody wounded!" He yelled angrily, and tried to stand up. Then, canon fire hit the beach, the force sending the both of them flying backward, almost reaching the undergrowth that would hide them from view.
Some how between them, Rosaline managed to get Jack a few feet inside the cover of the trees, where he collapsed on the ground, gritting his teeth from the pain. Jack looked out over the sea to where the Pearl was under heavy fire. It looked as though the pirates were getting ready to board.
"Bloody pirates."
What's this? I see no reviews!
Well guess what? I've nearly finished! And I've passed the 40 chapter milestone, so there's plenty more to look forward to!
Reviews please! You know you want to make my life a happy one.
Savvy Z