"'m goin' t' kill 'im."
Two days she had been held prisoner on this festering ship of coast-hugging bandits after Jack's ingenious plan had backfired. Had she mentioned she didn't like the plan, wouldn't go along with said plan under any circumstances especially not if she had been plied with rum and coaxed into a bet she would certainly lose?
Jade grumbled and tugged idly at the great flouncy skirt of her extravagant gown. She questioned whether she would discover a means of escape before the rumours arose that she was not in fact a member of royalty as a silver-tongued Sparrow had spouted whilst guised as a cotton-brained merchant. Perhaps the ruse would have worked if the bandits had been the Spanish Navy officers he had expected. If he hadn't lost the Pearl again this probably wouldn't have happened. He was out there, somewhere, lying unconscious on a sinking boat.
"If either of us survives long enough t' see the other, I'll kill 'im."
At least she had been fortunate that the bandits had only money on their minds. They were not plagued by the lusts of those on the open ocean. Jade knew she was unbelievably fortunate in falling amongst Jack's lot rather than most of his kind, but even he pushed his luck on occasion. She could not help the nagging fear that one day he would rule out her wants with his own.
The brunette faux-duchess waited. She scuffed the damp boards of her cell with a slippered foot and toyed idly with the jewellery that had been provided for her pretence, a ring for all the digits of her right hand. She wondered vaguely if they were real gold.
"Psst," hissed a voice. Jade frowned and glanced about the brig. The voice tried again with a more familiar tone. "Oi, missy, you in there?" It was coming from the porthole above her head. Incredulous, she made sure no one was watching and clambered up to the window. Kohl-ringed eyes beneath a well-worn bandanna peered back at her.
"Jack? How-? F'get it, I don't need t' know. What 'appened t' yeh followin' yeh stupid Code? Those'at fall behind…"
"That's any man what falls be'ind," the pirate corrected. "To my regret, as things stand, a woman is one of the world's most valuable currencies. So, with or without your consent, I'm filchin' you back." His face disappeared from view, replaced momentarily by his hand as he shoved something small and spherical, covered with sticky kelp into the opening. "I would suggest, love, that you move," came his muffled commands. "Away from the window, and take cover. Fast."
Just as tinder struck a flare, the realization arose in her mind. Jade threw herself to the floor and curled into a tight ball as the fuse smouldered. Wood exploded from the side of the bandits' ship, causing shouts of alarm to erupt on deck. She raised her head to gawp at the empty space through which she could now see Sparrow balancing in the middle of a longboat. He was still dressed in the idiotic pastel colours of his merchant character.
"Cam' on, move!" he whispered, beckoning wildly.
Jade scrambled out of the newly made hole in the ship's hull and leapt for the boat. "Jack, what're yeh playin' at? Yeh can't think yeh c'n escape 'em in this?" She gestured to the dinghy and scoffed.
"As a matter of fact…no, we're going to swim."
"What?"
Not giving her the luxury of time to be startled, Jack pulled her overboard. In minutes they were dashing up the shore and taking cover in a tide-sculpted cave. They waited in silence for an hour to be sure they had not been pursued and then began to set up camp. Jade shivered in her sodden, ruined dress of garish finery and huddled beside the scraps of kindling the pirate hoped to ignite. At last a spark took and the faintest flame lit up his victorious grin.
"Jade…" he said. Her response was a scowl, followed by a sneeze so powerful that the fire extinguished. He exhaled in the dark. "Merry Christmas."
She struck out. Hard. Come morning his face would bear the reddened imprints of five rings.
