Chapter 8
Meanwhile, inside Monterro's residence, Elizabeth still had her dagger gripped firmly in her steady hand; her arm was unwavering as it kept the small weapon aimed at Monterro. Monterro was eyeing Elizabeth with an expression that suggested he was rather amused with the current situation. Elizabeth, however, had her eyes narrowed in a scowl that reflected her sense of determination to make Monterro divulge the information she was after. The only sound came from the crackling fire, its flames dancing wildly on top of the burned pieces of corpulent wood that caused the usual burning smell to gradually waft through the confines of the spacious yet small living room of Monterro's elaborate little home. The fire also seemed to provide an appropriate lighting for the dark predicament, one in which violence was bound to erupt.
Monterro's eyes traveled from Elizabeth's determined face to the dagger in her outstretched hand, and he managed to put on a fake smile. "I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with what you speak of."
"Don't play coy with me. I happen to know for a fact that you are affiliated with a secret society known as The Clan Of Cortez. I've come here to collect a certain object in your possession...an object that you stole from one of your fellow members."
Monterro smiled again, but this time, it was genuine. "So Smith has sent a woman onto my secluded little island, banking on both my weakness of offering hospitality and feelings of lust. I must admit, you put on a rather good show." Monterro moved over to a table, where an assortment of full brandy bottles sat. At the same time, Elizabeth stepped forward, tightening her grip on the dagger.
"Don't!"
"Calm down, there's no reason to fret. I'm merely pouring myself a drink."
Monterro did so, but at the same time, he surreptitiously slipped his gloved left hand behind the table, where a small loaded pistol was strapped to the wood. As he went about pouring his desired amount of brandy into the nearest glass, Monterro pulled the silver pistol free of its bonds and placed it in a hidden pocket in his coat, pulling back the hammer as quietly as possible at the same time. Once this had been completed and his drink of brandy was prepared, Monterro turned around to face Elizabeth, who was still holding the dagger as if her palm was stuck to it.
"What is your name, again?" Monterro asked rather calmly.
"Elizabeth Turner," Elizabeth shot back. "Formerly 'Swann'; I believe you knew my father."
The name "Swann" immediately registered with Monterro, and he now looked at Elizabeth in amusement. "Ah, so you are the daughter of our late secret-keeper; what an honor it is." Monterro then eyed the dagger indifferently. "There is really no need for weapons of any sort seeing as how I have no intention of harming you."
Elizabeth studied Monterro curiously for any indication that he was lying. "I'm afraid I can't do that because I simply can't trust you."
"A reasonable standpoint," Monterro agreed. "After all, when trying to infiltrate a society such as The Clan Of Cortez, there's no one you can trust."
"Especially when you factor into your calculations the fact that there may be a traitor in your midst."
"Tell me, Mrs. Turner, how do you arrive at that conclusion?"
As Monterro gulped down his brandy, Elizabeth came closer to the wealthy potentate, her eyes blazing. "I believe that the man who assassinated my father was under the employ of someone else. Someone who wished to gain access to The Clan so that he could expertly place his own inside man who would report back to him about any activities or decisions relating to what The Clan protects."
"Perhaps you would care to enlighten me on both the reasoning behind your little theory and the extent to which your knowledge of The Clan stretches."
"Over the past few days I've had to reflect upon this 'little theory' as you so bluntly put it, the more logical it seems. The man I speak of is Captain Jonathan Barnet of the East India Trading Company, a man my husband and I recently discovered would be willing to do anything to put us behind prison bars for the rest of our lives. I think my father's murder was the starting point of a chain of events that Barnet hopes will inevitably lead to my husband and I either being locked away in a prison cell or worse, dead."
"And how would association with The Clan Of Cortez present him with that opportunity, exactly?"
"Admit it, the ways in which The Clan Of Cortez operates are not exactly considered proper in the eyes of the King of England. Smith, the member whose Cortez coin you stole, has told me about The Clan's history during our journey here. Am I right in insinuating that members of The Clan Of Cortez would still be considered traitors to England and thus be sentenced to execution upon being captured?"
"Yes," Monterro admitted.
"Then affiliation with The Clan would be an action sufficient enough to land us behind bars, then."
"And yet here you are, allowing Barnet just that opportunity."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes even more. "What I'm doing right now is fulfilling my father's dying wish to ensure that what The Clan protects is kept safe from those attempting to steal it. The crew I'm sailing with, myself included, are aware of the fact that in order to get into The Clan's meeting place, you must present the coin that was given out as a sign of membership."
"And you've come here to acquire the coin that rightfully belongs to the member who happens to be onboard your ship." It was a statement, not a question.
"Admittedly obvious," said Elizabeth.
Suddenly, Monterro whipped out the pistol concealed within his clothes and aimed it directly at Elizabeth's forehead, smiling triumphantly. "Though potentially problematic."
Elizabeth did not say anything, only lowered her dagger.
Monterro chuckled. "Smart move, Mrs. Turner. Resistance at this point would be a wasted effort. Now, I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave here with those thoughts running through your mind."
"Why? Because they're correct?"
"Quite. I'm surprised that you never considered the idea of the traitor you speak of standing right before you."
"You're in league with Barnet."
"You catch on rather quickly, Mrs. Turner. Such a pity that I have to kill you in order to keep you quiet."
Elizabeth smirked defiantly. "Are you certain that is what Barnet would want you to do? Because I'm sailing with Captain Jack Sparrow, who possesses the fastest ship in the Caribbean...something of value in reaching the treasure and the ships that The Clan protects. If you kill me, then the Black Pearl will surely decimate your ship, thus leaving you dead and with no hope of succeeding."
"Do you honestly think that Barnet wouldn't have another member within The Clan to turn to if I were to fail?"
"You mean...?"
"Yes, in order to make his plan work, Barnet first came to me because he knew that I possessed a certain amount of influence within The Clan. The rewards he offered me for my loyalty were too great to turn down. So, I provided Barnet with the help of a Clan member who I knew had questionable bonds of trust with The Clan that could be easily severed."
"And what did Barnet offer this other traitor in return for his services?"
"The promise of settling an old grudge. One that incidentally involves you and your husband."
"What? Explain what you mean!"
"I don't think I have to explain anything more to you, Mrs. Turner. You've heard enough." Monterro then pressed the barrel of his pistol against Elizabeth's forehead, exerting as much pressure as he could. The action caused Elizabeth to stagger backwards slightly. Monterro held out his free hand, motioning to Elizabeth's dagger. "If you please," he prompted.
Elizabeth glared defiantly into Monterro's eyes before begrudgingly handing over her weapon.
"Gracias," Monterro thanked her in his native tongue. "Don't worry, Mrs. Turner. Death is only the beginning, or as my ancestors would say, 'La muerte es sólo el principio'.
Just then, the main door of the house burst inward, allowing four cloaked figures to file in, all holding rifles that were soon pointing in Monterro's direction. The traitor quickly assessed the situation and grabbed Elizabeth's arm, pulling her closer to him and placing the pistol at the side of her head this time; his arm was wrapped around her throat.
"Stay back!" he shouted. "Or I kill her!"
None of the rifle-toting, hooded men made a move; they simply held their weapons steady, their faces obscured by the hoods covering that were covering them. Elizabeth, the pressure of Monterro's pistol still pressing down on her skull, glanced over at the nearest figure, and Elizabeth saw him giver her a conspiratorial nod. Elizabeth grinned to herself.
"Let me go, Monterro."
"Silence!" Monterro spat. "You are in no position to be dictating terms or orders!"
"That's where you're very much mistaken, mate," came a calm voice from behind one of the hoods. The person in question lowered their hood, and the confident face of Captain Jack Sparrow came into view.
Monterro scowled. "Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Jack smiled. "I know. My stunning entrance has left you speechless."
"No. You mistake my lack of verboseness for the need to not waste my time with unnecessary banter; I wish to get right to the point." Monterro aimed his pistol at Jack, but he realized immediately just how foolish of an action that was.
Elizabeth took the opportunity to elbow Monterro in the gut, hit in on the arm joint, and flip him onto his back. Monterro hit the ground hard, all the wind obviously knocked from his lungs judging by the force of impact. Elizabeth wrenched the pistol from Monterro's grasp and pointed it directly between his eyes.
"You helped Barnet infiltrate The Clan, so you bear responsibility for my father's death as much as he does." Elizabeth held the gun steady, her face contorted in emotional pain.
"You can't kill me," Monterro sneered up at her.
"Can't I?" Elizabeth asked, slightly hysterically. "All I have to do is pull this trigger and your life will reach its end."
"That's not what I mean," said Monterro rather weakly. "If you kill me, then you'll have no way of discovering where the Cortez coins are hidden."
"I don't give a damn about the coins!" Elizabeth snapped, "I swore to enact revenge for my father, and I'm going to do it!"
At that moment, another one of the hooded figures lowered their hood, and Will's caring face came into view. Keeping his rifle trained on Monterro, Will cautiously stepped toward Elizabeth and placed a firm, yet gentle hand on her forearm. Will slowly pushed it down so that the pistol was no longer aiming at Monterro's face.
"Elizabeth, darling, he's right. We need the information he has to offer." Will said these words in that soothing tone he reserved for his wife.
"He's helping Barnet! He can't be trusted! He's as much to blame for my father's murder as the killer himself!"
Will instantly pulled Elizabeth into a one-armed hug, making sure that his rifle was still pointing at its target. With his free hand, Will gently stroked Elizabeth's hair as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"Killing Monterro won't help," he whispered softly in her ear. "We're both grieving for your father at the moment, but he would expect you to place priority before emotion. And right now, our priority is to discover the location of the coins so that we can use them to gain entry into The Clan. That's what your father wanted you to do." Will reached into one of his pockets and pulled out Elizabeth's wedding ring. He then took her left hand and carefully slipped it on her finger. Elizabeth lifted her head from Will's shoulder, and the couple shared a short, yet meaningful kiss. Elizabeth turned back around to gaze back down at Monterro, who was still lying on the floor. "Now," Will began, "you mentioned that your Cortez coins were hidden. Show us where."
Monterro gazed defiantly up at all of the men who had rifles aimed at him, and reluctantly lifted himself up off the floor, brushing himself off. "On the mantelpiece above the fireplace," he said, "there is an old clock. The coins are concealed behind the face of it. But I'll need to retrieve them, because I'm the only one who knows how to open the clock properly."
Will studied Monterro's face for any sign that would give him away, but finding none, he nodded and motioned toward the fireplace with his rifle. "Do it. But don't attempt anything clever."
"I'm hardly in the position to risk such a thing, am I?" Monterro smirked darkly before making his way over to the mantelpiece that was suspended above the fireplace. Situated in the center of it was an old, small clock that was ticking away. Monterro shifted himself in front of it so that nobody else could see what he was doing, and within the course of a few seconds, Monterro stepped back and revealed that he had successfully managed to open the face of the clock. He reached inside, and when his hand had retracted from it, two gold coins were dangling from chains that were held tightly in Monterro's grasp.
"I believe these are what you're after, are they not?"
Will, giving no indication that these coins were indeed what they were after, stepped forward without a word and held out his hand. Monterro smirked at Will before finally dropping the two golden circles into Will's hand. Will closed his hand around them tightly and stuffed them into a pocket under his cloak. He then turned to face his comrades.
"We need to leave," Will said.
"You can't possibly expect to escape from here undetected," Monterro scoffed in a mocking tone.
"We managed to slip past your security with very little trouble," Jack taunted, "so I doubt we'll run into any problems as we leave."
"I wouldn't be too confident." Suddenly, Monterro shoved past Will and Jack and made his way over toward the open front door. He paused with his body halfway inside and halfway outside, using his free left hand to pull on a string attached to the outer wall of the home. The bell clanged loudly enough so that the sound could carry all the way down to the fort, where armed soldiers would obviously scramble hastily toward Monterro's home so that they could fulfill their duty of protecting their employer.
Jack leapt toward Monterro swiftly and landed a firm punch right in between his eyes. Monterro reeled backwards and slumped down against a railing. Jack then unsheathed his sword and squinted out into the darkness; he could make out the fast-approaching figures of Monterro's guards. Jack turned to face everyone else.
"We may have a slippery situation on our hands," he informed them.
"Then we should make for the Pearl with all haste," Will concluded as he drew his own sword, followed by the others.
The group of five pirates cautiously made their way out into the night, prepared for any type of attack.
That attack began when the first group of Monterro's guards came charging forward, rifles out. Jack and Will raised their own rifles sideways so that when the guards attempted to hit them over the head with their own, each pair of rifles collided hard against each other. Jack and Will both shoved their opponents away and used the butts of their rifles to knock them unconscious. After that, the duo began to use their swords, as they both dueled guards who dared challenge them. During these small duels, Will managed to slash many of his adversaries' arms and other parts of the body, but only had to go in for the killing stroke sparingly.
The small duels with Monterro's guards soon took the Pearl pirates through the door that led into the main fort, where more guards congregated upon everyone. Jack swiped his sword in wide arcs, which allowed him to deflect each and every one of the blades that came in his direction. With his newest opponent, Jack was able to flip the cloak he was wearing over his head and bring it down over the guard in front of him, which blinded the guard. Jack then grabbed the guard's flailing figure and sent him barreling into three nearby comrades of his. As Jack began to retreat with his still-dueling friends toward the exit, a peculiar noise reached his ears that caused Jack to turn in order to discover its source.
Jack immediately found what he was looking for, and his face fell. Two guards were positioned behind a cannon that was aimed at Jack, and even worse, its fuse had been lit. Jack let out a scream of fear and dived headfirst to the ground the instant the cannon fired. From the sound of things, it seemed as if the cannonball had crashed into the far wall of the fort. But Jack did not waste time to check his theory as he hauled himself to his feet and continued to dart toward the exit.
As he was running, Jack saw Elizabeth struggling with a guard who was relentless in his many attacks to try to cut her. He raced over, sword at the ready, and swiped at the guard's unprotected back; Jack could tell his blade had made contact with the flesh. As the guard began to fall backwards, Jack flipped his sword in midair and plunged the tip deep into the guard's chest and retracted it within seconds. Elizabeth fell in place alongside Jack, followed by Will a few seconds later, in the dash toward the exit. Jack allowed himself a glance over his shoulder and saw that Gibbs and Smith were close behind.
The moment everyone had ran through the open entryway, Jack slipped to the side and stuck out his foot. Seconds later, the remaining guards who were still giving chase had their feet collide with Jack's, which sent them flying and they landed hard and rather uncomfortably upon the grassy ground outside the fort. Smiling as he slid his sword back into its sheath, Jack turned to face his fellow pirates.
"Excellent work, Elizabeth!" he commended her. "You successfully managed to use your advantage of being a woman to help us get further along in our little escapade!"
Elizabeth, who was standing close beside Will, narrowed her eyes in the annoyed expression she reserved only for Jack. "As it so happens, I deviated from the plan. I just couldn't bring myself to betray Will like that...even if what I did wouldn't have been genuine." Elizabeth gazed deep into Will's chocolate brown eyes.
At the same time, Jack felt his face fall for the second time that night. "You didn't use my plan? I must say, luv, I am affronted at your ignorance!"
"Do me a favor, Jack, and stop talking." Will and Elizabeth then shared a deep, passionate kiss. Jack, however, rolled his eyes.
"Love. So overrated!" He walked over to Smith. "We have your coin back. So that means we can attend the convening of The Clan as planned."
"We also happen to posses Monterro's coin," Smith smirked.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, that means he can't attend the meeting."
"Good," said Elizabeth once she and Will had finished kissing, "we can take the opportunity to warn The Clan about his secret dealings with Barnet. We should also do our best to find Monterro's accomplice."
"How do you know Monterro has an accomplice?" asked Jack.
"He told me so himself before all of you barged in."
"But if Monterro has an accomplice," Will spoke up, "then that means we can't have any proper way of knowing just how deep this corruption runs. After all, there could be others devoted to the same cause as Monterro and Barnet."
"Point well taken, William," Jack agreed, "but I feel we must bring up the notion once we get inside the meeting place. Now, Smith, where exactly does The Clan convene?"
"On an island not far from here," Smith answered. "The meeting is to take place tomorrow night. It said so in the letter I received."
"Right, then. We now have a day to get there."
"What about Monterro?" queried Elizabeth.
"He can do nothing without his coin," Smith assured her. "There's no reason to worry about him now."
"But if he's aware of the location of the treasure and the Spanish Armada ships, then won't he attempt to go after them?" Will asked.
"Monterro will most likely be of no further use to Barnet since he allowed us to steal his coin. You can bet that Barnet's assassin will take care of him." Elizabeth delivered these words in a steely tone.
A brief moment of silence followed Elizabeth's words, which was broken by Jack. "Right, well...we should get back to the Pearl. Can't be late for the reconvening of The Clan Of Cortez."
With that, the contingent of five pirates set off back toward the shore, where they would re-board the Black Pearl and set off for the island where The Clan Of Cortez would soon meet.