Chapter 1

"Ok, Hawk, you're sure we've never been here?" Joanna adjusted her hat nervously, tucking any loose strands of her hair into the bandana under the worn tricorn.

"Come on, Joanna," Eliza Hawk rolled her eyes at her companion. "Have I ever lead you wrong before? Don't answer that. The point is, if I'm ever wrong, we would be dead. And we're still alive aren't we?" Hawk, unlike her companion, was dressed in a pirate shirt tucked into a skirt that had once swished at her ankles. She didn't bother to hide her femininity, which was important to the sort of lifestyle that she and Joanna carried out.

Joanna, who was still tucking hair under her bandana and hat, didn't bother to answer her friend's question. She was dressed in a maroon pirate shirt with a black leather vest over it and had a heavy leather belt holding up her breeches. Her black boots had seen better days but were still in good condition.

Bourbon, the falcon that traveled with the two women, ruffled his feathers worriedly. He was perched on Joanna's left fist on a hefty leather glove that prevented his formidable talons from tearing her skin open. Joanna nuzzled him and cooed, "Shh, mate, we'll be fine. If you see any trouble, you'll let us know, aye? Especially that Adelinde Smith."

Bourbon nodded and took off so he could perch on the roof of the tavern his mistress was approaching. The falcon had traveled with Joanna ever since she had rescued him from a market in Singapore, and had saved her life countless times. True, he was an oriental bird and so unusual in the Caribbean, but normally the natives took no notice of him.

Taking a deep breath, Joanna tucked the falconer's glove into her belt, looking for all the world like a young sailor boy whose arrogance would be his undoing. Joanna, known as John while in this disguise, counted on the perceived arrogance of her character to make her living. "Alright, my love," she said in her confident Scottish accent, catching Eliza by the arm, "Let's have a drink."

They entered the noisy tavern, "John" smirking cockily and Eliza giggling on "his" arm. Hawk immediately drew several stares. Her hair hung loose to her waist and she laughed and flipped it over her shoulder several times in a flirtatious way, trying to get attention.

"I'll get us some drinks, darling," Joanna said, disentangling herself from Eliza Hawk. Hawk looked appropriately reluctant to leave, but found a table and began flirting with the men around her. Every man who didn't already have a wench on his arm, and a few who did, was drawn in like moths to light. Hawk performed her part well.

Joanna, waiting for the bartender to notice her, was listening intently to the gossip around her. She had always found that drunken men always tended to sing like birds about anything in particular. Most of them held grudges against her brother, but no one had heard from him in months. She listened mostly for news of him, but for other news too. Today, the headline was disturbing.

"Saw the remnants meself," said a grizzled old sailor, nursing a pint. "Naught left but th' doorframe. Frightful explosion, must've been."

"I 'eard it was a demon," another man, even older and more grizzled than the first, called helpfully.

That drew a series of guffaws from everyone.

"If you want my opinion," the bartender said gruffly, passing out drinks to the appropriate customers, "I think someone was probably smoking too close to the rum stores. Bloke probably blamed it on demons to get hisself outta trouble."

"If he survived," said the first man.

The eerie silence that followed was enough for everyone to take long gulps of their drinks to chase the shivers away.

Joanna, who had been listening intently, jumped when the bartender slammed the two mugs she'd ordered in front of her. She nodded her thanks and turned to where Eliza Hawk was still flirting. Hawk was now surrounded, and Joanna had to shove her way through the crowd to get to her friend. Sometimes Hawk did her job a little too well. No matter, Joanna loved putting on a show, and the audience helped loads.

"Alright, you big lugs," the Scottish "boy" who was barely over five feet tall called loudly as he pushed his way roughly through the crowd. "She came with me, now leave off."

The crowd around her roared with laughter. Hawk appeared to look reproachful.

"Look here, young buck," a huge man said, good naturedly grasping Joanna by the front of her shirt and lifting her off the floor. "It don't look like the lass is leavin' with you. Let some others have their fun."

Joanna continued to look defiantly at the man who so casually held her aloft. "Alright," she said, "I'll drink ye for her. Any of the lot of ye."

More guffaws ensued, and the big man dropped her. Joanna landed gracefully on her feet, one of the perks of being female.

"Look here," said the big man again, "You don't want to try that son."

"Don't I?" John asked, drawing the pistol from the heavy leather belt and cocking it as she aimed at the big man. "It's we drink for her, or someone dies. Your choice."

The big man was more annoyed than frightened by the Scottish boy with the pistol. "Alright, if that's the way ye want it, son. I'll buy, so I can spare you."

Inwardly, Joanna leaped for joy. She knew she had done her job well when someone else offered to pay. Outwardly, she seemed to consider, and slowly lowered her pistol. "Alright," she conceded, stealing a glance at her friend. Hawk had a worried look on her face. It scared her more when Joanna went up against the larger men, since they could drink more than normal competitors. Still, it was her job to collect bets, not to question Joanna's show.

"Here, bartender," the large man called, silencing the rest of the tavern. "Drinks for young buck and me. First one to fall over or lose consciousness loses. You know the drill."

This was interesting to Joanna, but didn't sway her confidence. It was more fun when the tavern she visited had experience with this particular drinking game. This man in front of her seemed to be a veteran.

"Anyone want to take bets?" Hawk asked innocently. There was a chorus of laughter, but she was used to that.

"Sure, I'll bet against your boy, sweetheart," one man said, grinning toothlessly. "But how are you going to repay me when he's on the floor?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something," Hawk said, batting her eyes innocently. This response inspired many other men to bet against John. Hawk was the only one who dared bet for her friend.

"If you're through," the bartender said, as the last bet was pocketed somewhere in the folds of Hawk's skirt. "I'll start with the drinks."

There was complete silence throughout. The entire tavern was watching for the outcome of the game. Drinks were plunked in front of Joanna and the large man who had picked her up as they sat across from each other at the table. Careful to time her movements to match his exactly, Joanna and the man began to drink the rum.

Adelinde Smith wandered through the town, not really expecting to find that which she searched. He was infamously hard to locate, this man she sought, and it seemed that he had passed this trait to his sister. Still, all she had to do was search the rooftops for the falcon…

The tavern had gone completely silent. No one had expected this. The small Scottish boy was matching the large man drink for drink, moving methodically at exactly the same speed. However there were marked differences between the two competitors. The large man's fingers were twitching and he swayed more violently in congruence with the size of the pile of mugs behind him. His eyes were bloodshot and beginning to lose focus.

The boy across from him was the reason the crowd was completely silent. The boy had not once belched or even hardly blinked. His eyes were still alert and smiling, and his posture, if slightly hunched, was steady. Many of the men were beginning to look like they were reluctant they had bet for their favorite. Hawk could sense this and edged behind Joanna, one hand slowly straying towards the gun tucked into the folds of her skirt.

Joanna and her competitor raised yet another mug, her eyes taunting while his eyes wavered. Each took a gulp and set the mug down. The large man began swaying dangerously, causing the entire room to erupt into cheers for him to keep going and beat the Scotsman down!

Joanna glanced at Hawk nervously. With the room this loud, they couldn't hear Bourbon's warning if danger approached.

Suddenly, the door to the tavern burst open and three shots were fired into the roof, effectively silencing the cheering as the voice of Adelinde Smith was heard calling "You fools! She's a Sparrow!"

Dead silence. Joanna groaned inwardly. Speaking of danger…

"What you playin' at?" a bettor called. He was helping the large man who had drank against Joanna stay upright.

The woman in the doorway was dressed simply in a once-white pirate shirt and breeches tucked into brown boots, her hair long and wild under her hat. She had been following Joanna and Eliza for months now, interrupting their drinking game antics to try to get the location of Joanna's brother, Jack Sparrow.

Now Adelinde sighed. "That's Joanna Sparrow, sister of Jack Sparrow," she said. "Only a fool would bet against her – either of them – in drinking."

The inhabitants of the tavern looked at Joanna with new eyes. Now that the strange woman in the door had pointed it out, it was obvious that it was girl in front of them. And she did have a certain resemblance to Sparrow, noted those to whom favors were owed by the brother.

Joanna gulped nervously. "What if I am related to him?" she called, trying to sound brave. She didn't bother masking her voice, now clearly a Scottish soprano. "It's not like he keeps friendly ties to anyone, least of all family, the blighter." She scowled convincingly.

"Oh really?" Adelinde said confidently, sidling up to Joanna. She was several inches taller, partially in thanks to heeled boots. "I think differently." Suddenly she grasped Joanna's right arm, hoisting it for all to see. Joanna was too surprised to even think about drawing her gun as Adelinde rolled back the sleeve, revealing the very same sparrow-and-sunset tattoo set upon Jack's arm.

"She's got the Sparrow tattoo!" someone called.

"Your brother owes me money!" yelled someone else.

"We've been cheated!" a third voice, most likely the bartender but Joanna wasn't going to check, boomed, filling the entire tavern.

"Oh dear," Joanna said, jerking her arm and ducking away from a surprised Adelinde as the first bullet flew her way. It splintered a timber, throwing wood shards everywhere. Several drunkards received minor wounds from the knifelike missiles.

The crowd erupted into a drunken brawl in less than twelve seconds. One man swung his fist at Joanna, who ducked under a table and scurried towards Hawk. The man who had swung at her hit his neighbor, who had been supporting the large man that had lost the drinking game. It was tumultuous and dangerous for the women to remain, so as soon as Joanna found Eliza they both slipped out into the town, leaving Smith to fend for herself.

Bourbon caught up with them when they found shelter behind some barrels on the dock. He was miffed that his warning had gone unnoticed by his mistress, and since he was a falcon there was no way to really explain to him that they hadn't heard him. By his reckoning, he had done his duty and still deserved his reward. He kneaded his talons exasperatedly into the glove as he waited.

Still breathing hard, Joanna dug a scrap of dried meat from her pocket and fed it to the falcon perched on her fist. "Sorry, lad," she told him. "That crowd was particularly noisy. I'm sure you did a fantastic job."

Bourbon worried his meat scrap like a dog would a bone as he considered forgiving his mistress.

"How much did we get, Hawk?" Joanna asked Eliza.

"About half as much as usual. Normally they bet more towards the end. You got too caught up in your cockiness and didn't act like you were fainting. When you do that it prompts more bets."

"Ah. I did didn't I. Sorry, mate."

Hawk didn't get a chance to respond as Bourbon suddenly screeched and puffed himself up threateningly. Joanna was on her feet with her pistol cocked before Adelinde Smith, who had come upon them, had a chance to react.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't blow your head to kingdom come for blowing my cover for the fifth time this month," Sparrow growled, "And don't try anything. Everyone who does ends up six feet under the ground. I've never missed."

Smith gulped, but held her position despite the barrel of the gun in her face. "As one who travels the country playing drinking games, I assume you have at least a slight sense of what is fair."

Joanna growled again. Bourbon, who had moved to her shoulder, carelessly began cleaning his razor-sharp talons, letting them flash in the light and show that he could be dangerous too. It was his way of reminding whatever foe was in front of him that he could gouge eyes out faster than one could blink at a command from Joanna.

Hawk, too, had pulled out a gun and was aiming it at Smith. "Talk fast. When she's had this much to drink Joanna's hands start twitching."

Adelinde gulped again. "Basically, I was playing poker with Jack and not only did he lose to me and not pay up, he stole the dinghy I had used to get to Tortuga. I've been jumping ship ever since to try to find him."

Joanna had to admit, that sounded like her brother. "What makes you think I know where he is?"

Adelinde had to admit that she didn't know. "But I know you're the best woman captain in the world," she offered, "And I wouldn't sail under any pirate man."

Hawk, who was thoroughly convinced by the argument, finished it, to Sparrow's annoyance. "Alright," she said, "But we don't have a ship. So we're going to have to jump ship again to get to Tortuga."