I just finished this today, so enjoy Chapter 4, guys. Thanks for all the reviews!
Chapter 4: Display of Assassination
The trip so far was rather quick for her taste. The time that passed was only about a week and a half. A lesser ship couldn't have survived at the rate the Pearl sailed, because the Pearl was the fastest ship on the waters. Elizabeth yawned as she woke up from her dreamy sleep, and noticed that the sunrise was not present. Slipping on some of her packed clothes, she stepped outside and met with Jack, who had been awake for awhile.
A trader's port was in sight, but what mattered most was what city they were headed to. "Jack, which city is this?"
Jack turned around from the port view. "Aswad Mohit, love. The city of Black Ocean. Few of us Caribs have ever seen such a fine trading city."
"Have you been here before?" she asked.
"Once," Jack answered in a straightforward tone. "I have trouble remembering."
Mr. Gibbs stood beside Jack. "Jack did not leave with most of his memory intact. You see, he got himself in a quarrel with the locals and they threw him out in the desert. He was stuck there for five days and five nights, and almost suffered a heat stroke, but he found the dead carcasses of camels. With them, he lured himself some wild dogs who escaped from their masters and made himself a carriage on the dogs with the bones of the camels. When he returned, it seemed that the heat had gotten to him."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she said. "I think Jack was stuck out on an oasis with a hidden storage of rum, drinking until he decided to come back!"
Jack scurried away up to the helm of the ship, where Barbossa was at the wheel. "Hector, what's the plan?"
"We search for the former Pirate Lord of the Persian Gulf," Barbossa replied, staring straight into the port.
"Aye the Pirate Lord," Jack acknowledged.
Elizabeth, who was looking at them, turned to Gibbs. "Gibbs, there were more Pirate Lords?"
Gibbs nodded. "Aye, there be more Pirate Lords. But by the time Calypso was trapped, there were only nine. I can't quite remember the name of the Pirate Lord."
"Captain Muhammad Hassan," Barbossa answered. Everyone looked at him. "He be running a gang now. So when you're in the city, stick close, Mrs. Turner. Beware of the Order of the White Falcon."
Elizabeth was mystified by that name. "Who're they?"
"Assassins. They be dressed in white coats and hoods, much like monks, and are the deadliest assassins a pirate will ever cross swords with. I recommend you don't start up any trouble, or start making demands, Mrs. Turner," Barbossa responded. "We look like saviors when compared to them."
"You'll see, Elizabeth," Jack said, flashing a smirk.
As they docked the ship, the merchants and traders looked up at the flag design, knowing that it is a ship from the Caribbean. Jack, Elizabeth, and Barbossa were prepared to head out, but Zi stopped them.
"Jack," she said. Jack turned to her. "May I come with?"
Jack nodded with a shrug. "Aye, we need more pirates to watch our backs. Gibbs, keep an eye on the ship."
"Aye Cap'n," Gibbs replied.
The party of four headed out to find an organization in a huge city. The stores and merchants really were amusing to watch, because they were almost always busy. Elizabeth had not seen a trade center this huge before, and was glad that she was seeing the sights.
"How do you expect to find an organization in a place like this?" Zi asked.
Jack looked up at the buildings. "Well, more likely they'll find us, lassy."
As they continued walking down the street, they came across an assembly held by a British man. He held up the flag of the East India Trading Company. There were also a group of soldiers and alleged pirates being hung.
"I thought they had lost," Elizabeth muttered.
"Aye, but they lost only Cutler Beckett. It seems someone has been trying to revive the company," Barbossa answered. Jack kept a close eye, then looked up at the rooftops.
"We might want to stay and see the show for a bit," Jack said.
Barbossa glanced over. "No, we cannot waste time with this…gathering."
"It's horrible, Jack," Elizabeth said. "All these people…"
Jack smiled. "No, I think you might want to see this."
The British man read the people their crimes. "…and you are to be hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your souls."
As the executioner was about to drop the platform, people started to get uneasy, for there was a man in a white coat and hood on the rooftops.
One Arab merchant started shouting, "Falcon!!!!"
Jack smiled as the rest of his party looked up. Everyone looked up as the crowd started shouting in amazement, as if a hero came to save them.
However, while everyone was distracted, another man dressed in the same attire pulled his hood over and started shoving his way through the crowd. Before the British man could tell the men to fire upon the rooftops, the hooded man beneath leaped from the ground with a dagger in his hand. He seemed to soar like a falcon in the sky, and when he met with the British man, he sank the dagger into his neck. The man fell back and collapsed with the assassin on top of him like a preying falcon, but the crowd was still distracted. The hooded man pulled out the dagger and threw it to one of the guards on the right, hitting his throat, and pulling out his shortsword katana blade at the same time. With the blade, he started hacking down the guards skillfully, and pulled out his other katana. Wielding both of them, he dodged and slashed the guardsmen in an all-too-quick manner, and in a matter of seconds, the guards with firearms were dead. Finally, the crowd looked over to see the white hooded assassin, and cheered on his clan's name.
"Falcon! Falcon! Falcon!" they shouted.
The assassin sheathed his blades and picked up the dagger from the guard he threw it to. Within a quick moment, he began leaping over the crowd, hopping up onto the shop tarps and keeping his balance simultaneously. The party of four looked over, amazed with the acrobatic prowess these assassins possess.
"Now then," Jack said, turning to his shipmates. "Shall we follow?"
Zi looked marveled. "Impressive. I wouldn't mind a little duel with one of them."
"Don't be foolish, Zi," Barbossa said. "Let us continue."
"See, Elizabeth?" Jack said. The crowd began to free the 'criminals' off their collars. "Captain Jack Sparrow is not always stupid."
"We must follow him," Elizabeth said. "The further we progress, the closer I get to Will."
They tried to keep up with the assassin, but he was too fast, even when he cleared over or under obstacles. Hopping over tables, sliding beneath wagons, and jumping straight through an open carriage, Jack seemed to laugh at himself because it was ridiculous to chase him.
"I think we lost him," Zi said.
"Curse these damned assassins," Barbossa said. "I guess we'll just have to ask around."
Elizabeth looked around, and the assassin disappeared amidst the large groups of people walking in the marketplace. She then caught a glimpse of the hooded man, who stood still among the people. Keeping a stare, she tried to see if it was the same assassin who had just foiled the plans of the East India Trading Company. The white hood stood still, but slowly turned around to look at Elizabeth. She was taken aback by his sudden notice of her, but as soon as a wagon cart passed through, he was no longer there. It was as if he had disappeared to thin air.
"Mrs. Turner," Zi said. "Let's get moving."
The crew decided to walk around the city a little more, trying to at least find another one of the assassins. After a tiresome and futile search, Elizabeth decided to talk to one of the merchants. Jack and Barbossa waited.
"Excuse me," Elizabeth said, catching the Arab man's attention. The tired merchant let out a grunt, acknowledging her words. "White Falcon. Do you know where I can find them?"
"La a'ref (I don't know)," he replied in a rough voice, trying to ignore her.
"Please, I need to find them," she said.
The Arabic man shook his head. "Ma'a salama. (Goodbye)"
Elizabeth was now frustrated. Zi came over and slammed a gold coin on the merchant's table. "Here. Can you tell us?"
Sighing, the merchant slowly drew closer to them. "If you want to find them, go to the fountain at Aswad Square, where daylight touches at noon's embrace. The fountain will lead the way."
"Daylight…noon's embrace," Zi tried to remember. "Okay, thank you."
Elizabeth and Zi returned to Jack and Barbossa, explaining to them the small riddle that the merchant gave them.
"The fountain will lead the way?" Jack said. "That's not very helpful. Since when has a fountain ever helped us? Oh wait…" he chuckled. "…The Fountain of Youth."
Elizabeth sighed. "It's all we've got."
"Let's go then, noon approaches," Zi insisted.
They continued walking until they arrived at Aswad Square, and surprisingly, it was only moderately busy compared to the other places they have seen. It was already noon, and they only had a short time to break down the riddle.
"I don't get it," Jack said. "Daylight is everywhere."
Elizabeth was getting frustrated again. "This is not good."
After they paced around for another moment, Barbossa let out a laugh, catching their attention. "Ye be fools. The riddle is simple."
"Oh really?" Jack said sarcastically. "Please explain, commodo—I mean co-captain." Elizabeth gave Jack a sharp glance, but he only returned with a smile.
Barbossa nodded. "Follow ye captain. The key words to the riddle here be 'fountain,' 'noon,' and 'daylight.' Tis an obvious answer, me hearties," Barbossa gestured to the straight-tipped fountain. "The shadow of the fountain when the daylight of noon embraces it leads the way. Follow the shadow's arrow."
The rest of the group stood up and followed what Barbossa said. The fountain pointed towards a shop called 'The Gilded Fountain.' Elizabeth let out a smile. "You're a genius, Barbossa. Let's go."
"Oh, the Gilded Fountain," Jack said. "How obvious was that one? Honestly, how did we miss that?"
Well, I hope you guys liked Chapter 4, I'll be back with Chapter 5.